Influenza a H5N1 detection

We developed a sensitive and rapid real-time reverse transcription- polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay to detect influenza A H5N1 virus in clinical samples. This assay was evaluated with samples from H5N1-infected patients and demonstrated greater sensitivity and faster turnaround time than nested RT-PCR.published_or_final_versio

Optimising antimicrobial prescription in hospitals by introducing an antimicrobial stewardship programme in Hong Kong: Consensus statement

Objective. To discuss the implementation of an 'antimicrobial stewardship programme' as a means to improve the quality of antimicrobial use in a hospital setting in Hong Kong. Participants. Consensus working group on 'antimicrobial stewardship programme', The Scientific Committee on Infection Control, Centre for Health Protection, Department of Health, comprised 11 experts. The remit of the working group was to discuss the rationale and requirement for optimising antimicrobial prescriptions in hospitals by the introduction of an 'antimicrobial stewardship programme'. Evidence. PubMed articles, national and international guidelines, and abstracts of international meetings published between January 2000 and December 2004 on programmes for improving the use of antimicrobials in hospitals. Only English medical literature was reviewed. Consensus process. Data search was performed independently by three members of the working group. They met on three occasions before the meeting to discuss all collected articles. A final draft was circulated to the working group before a meeting on 3 January 2005. Five commonly asked questions about an 'antimicrobial stewardship programme' were selected for discussion by the participants. Published information on the rationale, components, outcome measures, advantages, and disadvantages of the programme was reviewed. Recent unpublished data from local studies of an 'antimicrobial stewardship programme' were also discussed. The timing, potential problems, and practical issues involved in the implementation of an 'antimicrobial stewardship programme' in Hong Kong were then considered. The consensus statement was circulated to and approved by all participants. Conclusion. The continuous indiscriminate and excessive use of antimicrobial agents promotes the emergence of antibiotic-resistant organisms. Antimicrobial resistance substantially raises already-rising health care costs and increases patient morbidity and mortality. Pattern of prescriptions in hospitals can be improved through the implementation of an 'antimicrobial stewardship programme'. A 'universal' and 'continuous' 'antimicrobial stewardship programme' should now be established in Hong Kong hospitals.published_or_final_versio

Electrical stimulation rescues dopaminergic neurodegeneration in the dorsal raphe nucleus of vulnerable depressive-like rats

50th Golden Jubilee of the Academy of Medicine of MalaysiaAbstract no. 5

Electrical stimulation rescues dopaminergic degeneration in dorsal raphe nucleus and enhanced hippocampal neurogenesis of vulnerable depressive-like rats

Oral Presentation 1 (O01)Electrical stimulation is a potential treatment for patients with depression. In this study, we investigate the effects of high-frequency stimulation (HFS) on various depressive-like behaviours using the stress resilience and vulnerable rat depression models. Our results demonstrated that animals with 3 weeks chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) induced exhibition of reduced sucrose consumption in 51% of animals, thus separating the resilience and vulnerable group of CUS-induced model. CUS vulnerable sham animals demonstrated anxiety-like behaviour, decreased motivation and increased immobility compared to that of the resilience group, implicating high susceptibility of vulnerable individuals to the CUS procedure. Interestingly, vmPFC HFS significantly reduced anxiety response, increased hedonia and motivation levels for food intake in the vulnerable group compared to the resilience group. HFS in ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and lateral habenula also showed reduced behavioural despair in both CUS vulnerable and resilience groups. In histochemistry, our results demonstrate that vmPFC HFS rescued the stress-induced dopamine neuron degeneration in the dorsal raphe nucleus, as well as increased hippocampal neurogenesis in stress vulnerable animals. In conclusion, these results suggest that vmPFC HFS effectively restores depressive-like behaviours by mechanisms of dorsal raphe dopaminergic neurons restoration and enhanced hippocampal neuroplasticity in the vulnerable CUS-induced model

Comparison of laboratory diagnostic methods for measles infection and identification of measles virus genotypes in Hong Kong

The sensitivities of IgM detection, virus isolation, and RT-PCR for the diagnosis of measles infection were assessed using samples collected from confirmed measles cases from 2006 to 2009. The optimal timing of specimen collection and the preferred specimen type(s) for these tests were also determined. IgM detection showed highest sensitivity when serum samples were collected >or=5 days after rash onset. Virus isolation gave the highest sensitivity when samples were collected <or=3 days after rash onset, with nasopharyngeal aspirate being the best specimen type, followed by urine and throat/combined throat and nasal swab. The highest RT-PCR positive rate (81.0%) was obtained with serum samples collected <or=3 days after rash onset. RT-PCR positive rate of 100% was observed with throat/combined throat and nasal swab, urine and nasopharyngeal aspirate collected <or=16, 4-16, and 4-7 days after rash onset, respectively. The genotype of each measles case was confirmed by sequencing. It was shown that the predominant measles viruses detected in Hong Kong during 2006-2009 belonged to genotype H1 (subtype a) and these strains were related closely to those detected in China.link_to_subscribed_fulltex