146 research outputs found
Pre-primary education in Hong Kong : the evolution of governance and policy tools
published_or_final_versionPolitics and Public AdministrationMasterMaster of Public Administratio
rad21 Is Involved in Corneal Stroma Development by Regulating Neural Crest Migration
Previously, we identified RAD21(R450C) from a peripheral sclerocornea pedigree. Injection of this rad21 variant mRNA into Xenopus laevis embryos disrupted the organization of corneal stroma fibrils. To understand the mechanisms of RAD21-mediated corneal stroma defects, gene expression and chromosome conformation analysis were performed using cells from family members affected by peripheral sclerocornea. Both gene expression and chromosome conformation of cell adhesion genes were affected in cells carrying the heterozygous rad21 variant. Since cell migration is essential in early embryonic development and sclerocornea is a congenital disease, we studied neural crest migration during cornea development in X. laevis embryos. In X. laevis embryos injected with rad21 mutant mRNA, neural crest migration was disrupted, and the number of neural crest-derived periocular mesenchymes decreased significantly in the corneal stroma region. Our data indicate that the RAD21(R450C) variant contributes to peripheral sclerocornea by modifying chromosome conformation and gene expression, therefore disturbing neural crest cell migration, which suggests RAD21 plays a key role in corneal stroma development
Incidence of Deep Vein Thrombosis in Hospitalized Chinese Medical Patients and the Impact of DVT Prophylaxis
Objective. To evaluate the incidence of deep vein thrombosis in hospitalized Chinese medical patients and the impact of DVT prophylaxis. Methods. All cases of confirmed proximal DVT from 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2008 were reviewed retrospectively to determine the presence of risk factors and whether DVT developed: during hospitalization in medical wards or in case of readmission with a diagnosis of DVT within 14 days of discharge from a recent admission to medical wards. The impact of prophylaxis will be estimated by comparing the annual incidence of proximal DVT among medical patients hospitalized from 2005 to 2007 with that of 2008 (DVT prophylaxis commonly used). Results. From 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2008, 3938 Doppler ultrasound studies were performed for suspected DVT. Proximal DVT was diagnosed in 687 patients. The calculated incidence of proximal DVT among medical patients hospitalized for at least two days was 1.8%, 2%, and 1.7% for the year 2005, 2006, and 2007, respectively. The incidence was 1.1% for 2008 (P < .001). Conclusion. Proximal DVT was substantial in Chinese medical patients, and DVT prophylaxis might reduce such risk
Towards Personalized Healthcare in Cardiac Population: The Development of a Wearable ECG Monitoring System, an ECG Lossy Compression Schema, and a ResNet-Based AF Detector
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the number one cause of death worldwide.
While there is growing evidence that the atrial fibrillation (AF) has strong
associations with various CVDs, this heart arrhythmia is usually diagnosed
using electrocardiography (ECG) which is a risk-free, non-intrusive, and
cost-efficient tool. Continuously and remotely monitoring the subjects' ECG
information unlocks the potentials of prompt pre-diagnosis and timely
pre-treatment of AF before the development of any life-threatening
conditions/diseases. Ultimately, the CVDs associated mortality could be
reduced. In this manuscript, the design and implementation of a personalized
healthcare system embodying a wearable ECG device, a mobile application, and a
back-end server are presented. This system continuously monitors the users' ECG
information to provide personalized health warnings/feedbacks. The users are
able to communicate with their paired health advisors through this system for
remote diagnoses, interventions, etc. The implemented wearable ECG devices have
been evaluated and showed excellent intra-consistency (CVRMS=5.5%), acceptable
inter-consistency (CVRMS=12.1%), and negligible RR-interval errors (ARE<1.4%).
To boost the battery life of the wearable devices, a lossy compression schema
utilizing the quasi-periodic feature of ECG signals to achieve compression was
proposed. Compared to the recognized schemata, it outperformed the others in
terms of compression efficiency and distortion, and achieved at least 2x of CR
at a certain PRD or RMSE for ECG signals from the MIT-BIH database. To enable
automated AF diagnosis/screening in the proposed system, a ResNet-based AF
detector was developed. For the ECG records from the 2017 PhysioNet CinC
challenge, this AF detector obtained an average testing F1=85.10% and a best
testing F1=87.31%, outperforming the state-of-the-art
Oral health of community dwelling elders in Hong Kong
Introduction: The worldâs population is ageing and the elders are vulnerable to oral health problems. This project aimed to observe the oral health status of community dwelling elders in Hong Kong, investigate the oral health impact on their quality of life and nutritional status, and provide oral health education and preventive service.
Methods: Community dwelling elders (65 or above) were recruited from five community centers. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was completed to collect information on their socio-demographic background and oral health perception/practice. Their oral health related quality of life (OHQoL) and nutritional status were measured by using the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) and Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA), respectively. Their tooth and periodontal status, oral hygiene and soft tissues were examined. Individualized advice, oral health education and scaling were provided.
Results: A total of 195 elders participated. Despite their sound knowledge on dental caries, their awareness of the causes and risk factors of periodontal diseases was low. Several misconceptions of oral health were common and their expectation towards oral health was low. Although 81% brush their teeth at least twice a day, over 75% did not perform interdental cleaning mainly due to unawareness of the necessity (32%) and lack of skills (42%). Their dental visits were treatment-driven and mainly for pain-relieving and emergency care. Only 19% were regular dental attendees. The mean (SD) DMFT was 8.9 (7.8). Over 60% had periodontal pockets; 6% were edentulous and 38% had fewer than 20 teeth. The mean (SD) total GOHAI score was 56.4 (8.0); 60% reported negative impact of oral health on their quality of life. The mean (SD) MNA score was 25.2 (2.9); 30% had malnutrition or were at risk. Multivariate analysis showed that tooth loss and untreated decayed teeth (DT) were significant determinants of poor OHQoL; older age, higher education level, and poorer OHQoL were significantly associated with higher risk of malnutrition (all p<0.05).
Conclusions: Oral health problems are common among community dwelling elders in Hong Kong. Their oral health awareness and practice are yet to be improved. Tooth loss and unmet treatment need for dental caries significantly compromise eldersâ quality of life, which in turn increases their risk for malnutrition. Outreach oral health education and service are well received by the community.published_or_final_versio
A Phase 1 Study of ADI-PEG20 (Pegargiminase) Combined with Cisplatin and Pemetrexed in ASS1-Negative Metastatic Uveal Melanoma
Metastatic uveal melanoma (UM) is a devastating disease with few treatment options. We evaluated the safety, tolerability and preliminary activity of arginine depletion using pegylated arginine deiminase (ADI-PEG20; pegargiminase) combined with pemetrexed (Pem) and cisplatin (Cis) chemotherapy in a phase 1 dose-expansion study of patients with argininosuccinate synthetase (ASS1)-deficient metastatic UM. Eligible patients received up to six cycles of Pem (500 mg/m2 ) and Cis (75 mg/m2 ) every three weeks plus weekly intramuscular ADI (36 mg/m2 ), followed by maintenance ADI until progression (NCT02029690). Ten of fourteen ASS1-deficient patients with UM liver metastases and a median of one line of prior immunotherapy received ADIPemCis. Only one â„ grade 3 adverse event of febrile neutropenia was reported. Seven patients had stable disease with a median progression-free survival of 3.0 months (range, 1.3-8.1) and a median overall survival of 11.5 months (range, 3.2-36.9). Despite anti-ADI-PEG20 antibody emergence, plasma arginine concentrations remained suppressed by 18âweeks with a reciprocal increase in plasma citrulline. Tumour rebiopsies at progression revealed ASS1 re-expression as an escape mechanism. ADIPemCis was well tolerated with modest disease stabilisation in metastatic UM. Further investigation of arginine deprivation is indicated in UM including combinations with immune checkpoint blockade and additional antimetabolite strategies
TCTAP A-087 Percutaneous Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion Can Be Performed Under Conscious Sedation Without General Anaesthesia
Antimicrobial use Guidelines for Treatment of Respiratory Tract Disease in Dogs and Cats: Antimicrobial Guidelines Working Group of the International Society for Companion Animal Infectious Diseases
Respiratory tract disease can be associated with primary or secondary bacterial infections in dogs and cats and is a common reason for use and potential misuse, improper use, and overuse of antimicrobials. There is a lack of comprehensive treatment guidelines such as those that are available for human medicine. Accordingly, the International Society for Companion Animal Infectious Diseases convened a Working Group of clinical microbiologists, pharmacologists, and internists to share experiences, examine scientific data, review clinical trials, and develop these guidelines to assist veterinarians in making antimicrobial treatment choices for use in the management of bacterial respiratory diseases in dogs and cats.M.R. Lappin, J. Blondeau, D. Boothe, E.B. Breitschwerdt, L. Guardabassi, D.H. Lloyd, M.G. Papich, S.C. Rankin, J.E. Sykes, J. Turnidge, and J.S. Wees
Towards a global partnership model in interprofessional education for cross-sector problem-solving
Objectives
A partnership model in interprofessional education (IPE) is important in promoting a sense of global citizenship while preparing students for cross-sector problem-solving. However, the literature remains scant in providing useful guidance for the development of an IPE programme co-implemented by external partners. In this pioneering study, we describe the processes of forging global partnerships in co-implementing IPE and evaluate the programme in light of the preliminary data available.
Methods
This study is generally quantitative. We collected data from a total of 747 health and social care students from four higher education institutions. We utilized a descriptive narrative format and a quantitative design to present our experiences of running IPE with external partners and performed independent t-tests and analysis of variance to examine pretest and posttest mean differences in studentsâ data.
Results
We identified factors in establishing a cross-institutional IPE programme. These factors include complementarity of expertise, mutual benefits, internet connectivity, interactivity of design, and time difference. We found significant pretestâposttest differences in studentsâ readiness for interprofessional learning (teamwork and collaboration, positive professional identity, roles, and responsibilities). We also found a significant decrease in studentsâ social interaction anxiety after the IPE simulation.
Conclusions
The narrative of our experiences described in this manuscript could be considered by higher education institutions seeking to forge meaningful external partnerships in their effort to establish interprofessional global health education
The Novel Association of Circulating Tumor Cells and Circulating Megakaryocytes with Prostate Cancer Prognosis
Orchid, Cancer Research UK (C16420/A18066) and Angle PLC.
Chinese Scholarship Council PhD studentship (201306100035 and 201506380098)
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