The efficacy of a microwave device for treating hyperhidrosis in Chinese

OBJECTIVE: Hyperhidrosis affects the quality of lives. A non-invasive, microwave device selectively heats the targeted region where the sweat gland resides. The objective of the study was to assess the efficacy and patient satisfaction after treatment. METHODS: Ten Chinese subjects with skin type III-IV with axillary hyperhidrosis were enrolled. Subjects were required to have a Hyperhidrosis Disease Severity Scale (HDSS) score …published_or_final_versio

Non-invasive cryolipolysis for fat reduction in flanks in Chinese with a modified applicator

OBJECTIVE: To determine the patient satisfaction and clinical efficacy of a modified applicator with a cryolipolysis device (ZeltiqR) for fat reduction in the flanks in Chinese. METHODS: A total of 15 healthy adult subjects with clearly visible fat in the flanks that wish to have them reduced were recruited. All received a single free treatment. Parameters were pre-set at cooling intensity factor of 41.6 (-73 mW/cm2) for 60 minutes per site. The efficacy is determined by comparing measurements and comparing photographs taken at baseline, and 8 weeks and 12 weeks …published_or_final_versio

Safety and efficacy evaluation of a combined device using infrared light and bipolar radiofrequency and sublative radiofrequency applicators

OBJECTIVE: The combined infrared light and bipolar frequency and sublative radiofrequency dual handpiece device is intended for dermatological procedures requiring ablation and resurfacing of the skin. The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the combined sublative radiofrequency and sublime applicators for the treatment of wrinkles. METHODS: Twenty subjects were recruited of whom 16 received the treatment and were followed up till 3 months. Each patient was treated once, first with the sublime applicator which used a combination of …published_or_final_versio

Stanniocalcin-1 Reduces Tumor Size in Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Growing evidence has revealed high expression levels of stanniocalcin-1 (STC1) in different types of human cancers. Numerous experimental studies using cancer cell lines demonstrated the involvement of STC1 in inflammatory and apoptotic processes; however the role of STC1 in carcinogenesis remains elusive. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) an exemplified model of inflammation-related cancer, represents a paradigm of studying the association between STC1 and tumor development. Therefore, we conducted a statistical analysis on the expression levels of STC1 using clinicopathological data from 216 HCC patients. We found that STC1 was upregulated in the tumor tissues and its expression levels was positively correlated with the levels of interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8. Intriguingly tumors with greater expression levels of STC1 (tumor/normal >= 2) were significantly smaller than the lower level (tumor/normal<2) samples (p = 0.008). A pharmacological approach was implemented to reveal the functional correlation between STC1 and the ILs in the HCC cell-lines. IL-6 and IL-8 treatment of Hep3B cells induced STC1 expression. Lentiviral-based STC1 over-expression in Hep3B and MHCC-97L cells however showed inhibitory action on the pro-migratory effects of IL-6 and IL-8 and reduced size of tumor spheroids. The inhibitory effect of STC1 on tumor growth was confirmed in vivo using the stable STC1-overexpressing 97L cells on a mouse xenograft model. Genetic analysis of the xenografts derived from the STC1-overexpressing 97L cells, showed upregulation of the pro-apoptotic genes interleukin-12 and NOD-like receptor family, pyrin domain-containing 3. Collectively, the anti-inflammatory and pro-apoptotic functions of STC1 were suggested to relate its inhibitory effect on the growth of HCC cells. This study supports the notion that STC1 may be a potential therapeutic target for inflammatory tumors in HCC patients.published_or_final_versio

Efficiacy of a high-intensity focused ultrasound device for non-invasive body contouring

OBJECTIVE: High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is a non-invasive technology for body contouring. HIFU is focused within the subcutaneous adipose tissue, causing coagulative necrosis and cell death. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a HIFU device for sculpting of the abdomen. METHODS: The system has a set focal depth of 1.3 cm. Twelve subjects with adipose thickness of no less than 2.5 cm who met the screening criteria were recruited. Each subject received one treatment to the abdomen. The total fluence used per site was 150-165 J/cm2 with a mean of 161 J/cm2. The waist circumference at iliac crest and the point of maximum circumference were recorded at baseline …published_or_final_versio

Return migration and re-migration of Brazilian-Japanese and the role of identity in their migration

published_or_final_versionInternational and Public AffairsMasterMaster of International and Public Affair

Homozygous Missense Mutation in ABR Causes Cerebellar Hypoplasia with Early Lethality - A New Condition Identified by Exome Sequencing?

Poster PresentationWe performed whole exome sequencing (WES) in a consanguineous Pakistani family with a recurrent pattern of cerebellar hyposplasia, intra-uterine growth restriction, and various CNS/non-CNS malformations, resulting in early lethality (1 perinatal death and 1 intrauterine death). Karyotype (in the first pregnancy) and oligonucleotide array (in the 2nd affected pregnancy) were normal. Parents declined post-mortem examination. By WES, a novel homozygous missense mutation was identified in the ABR gene (ABR: NM_021962.4:c.G2455T: p.A819S) in both affected pregnancies. Both parents were identified to be heterozygous of the same mutation while the healthy child did not carry any mutation. The mutation is located in a highly conserved region and is predicted to be highly damaging by all the commonly used in silico mutation prediction tools. The protein encoded by ABR gene contains a GTPase-activating protein domain, a domain found in members of the Rho family of GTP-binding proteins. Previous reports showed that OPHN1, mutations in which cause X-linked mental retardation with cerebellar hypoplasia (OMIM300486), also encodes for a regulator of GTPase-activating protein. Both OPHN1 and ABR are highly expressed in the human brain especially in the cerebellum, and both contain a GTPase-activating domain. Rho proteins are important mediators of intracellular signal transduction, which affects cell migration and cell morphogenesis. Other studies have demonstrated a regulatory role of Rho GTPase in differentiation of cerebellar neurons, and that ethanolassociated impairment of Rho GTPase might contribute to brain defects in fetal alcohol syndrome. Further functional studies, including zebrafish morpholino studies, are currently ongoing. WES can be helpful in individual families with undiagnosed lethal MCA syndromes to identify potentially responsible autosomal recessive mutations and may lead to a better understanding of the role of various developmental pathways in human embryogenesis.published_or_final_versio

Developing community-based preventive interventions in Hong Kong: a description of the first phase of the family project

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This paper describes the development of culturally-appropriate family-based interventions and their relevant measures, to promote family health, happiness and harmony in Hong Kong. Programs were developed in the community, using a collaborative approach with community partners. The development process, challenges, and the lessons learned are described. This experience may be of interest to the scientific community as there is little information currently available about community-based development of brief interventions with local validity in cultures outside the West.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The academic-community collaborative team each brought strengths to the development process and determined the targets for intervention (parent-child relationships). Information from expert advisors and stakeholder discussion groups was collected and utilized to define the sources of stress in parent-child relationships.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Themes emerged from the literature and discussion groups that guided the content of the intervention. Projects emphasized features that were appropriate for this cultural group and promoted potential for sustainability, so that the programs might eventually be implemented at a population-wide level. Challenges included ensuring local direction, relevance and acceptability for the intervention content, engaging participants and enhancing motivation to make behavior changes after a brief program, measurement of behavior changes, and developing an equal partner relationship between academic and community staff.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This work has public health significance because of the global importance of parent-child relationships as a risk-factor for many outcomes in adulthood, the need to develop interventions with strong evidence of effectiveness to populations outside the West, the potential application of our interventions to universal populations, and characteristics of the interventions that promote dissemination, including minimal additional costs for delivery by community agencies, and high acceptability to participants.</p