Physical activity as a modifiable risk factor for periodontal disease

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which contribute significantly to global morbidity, are largely preventable through behavioral changes. As with other NCDs, periodontitis is associated with modifiable risk factors such as smoking and stress and is linked to multiple adverse health outcomes through a shared pathway of chronic systemic inflammation. While the health benefits of physical activity have been widely promoted in public health and extensively studied for other systemic conditions, its impact on periodontal health has only recently started to gain attention. This article critically evaluates the current literature on the relationship between physical activity and periodontitis. While cross-sectional studies have shown an inverse association between physical activity levels and periodontitis risk in the general population, clinical oral health surveys of elite athletes with high levels of physical activity have nonetheless revealed poor periodontal conditions. Although causality has not been determined, physical activity could positively impact periodontitis directly, by reducing inflammatory biomarkers, and indirectly, through its modulatory effects on insulin sensitivity, obesity, bone density, stress, and other health promoting behaviors. Given the importance of risk factor control during initial periodontal therapy, understanding the role of physical activity as a potential behavioral risk modifier is paramount. The findings of this review provide an evidence-based overview of how physical activity could influence periodontitis. There is a need for longitudinal cohort studies to verify the temporality of the reported associations and exclude confounders, while interventions are needed to assess the efficacy of physical activity on periodontal treatment outcomes

Life long education experience at Lingnan University

Owing to the advancement of medical technology, food availability, improved environment and health conditions, population ageing is a phenomenon that is occurring both globally and locally. In Hong Kong, the elderly population defined as comprising people aged 65 and over, was 653,700 in 1996 (Census & Statistics Department 2005a). By 2006, it will be 839,600 (Census & Statistics Department 2004), representing a net increase of 33%. During the same period (1996—2006), the increase in the old-old group (aged 75 and over) is 59%. In Hong Kong, the decrease in birth rate coupled with an increase in average life expectancy, and availability of nutritional food in tandem with economic growth, are the main reasons behind this demographic change. In 2001, the average life expectancy is 78 years for men and 84 years for women (Census & Statistics Department 2005b). According to past research, ageing in Hong Kong will be a serious challenge as 26% of its population will be elderly by 2031 (Census & Statistics Department 2004). Among the many challenges of ageing, the concepts of active and productive ageing have been widely accepted and adopted as the way forward to manage issues of population ageing. Based on the resourcebased theory, the elderly need resources to continue to participate in society. The resources that are critical for the elderly to engage in active ageing are first, health and secondly, skills and capability which could be enhanced through education. As far as health in concerned, most of the elderly in Hong Kong have chronic illnesses affecting their health. The five common ones are rheumatism (34.2%), hypertension (32.2%), fracture (17.1%), peptic ulcer (13.5%), and diabetes mellitus (10.7%) (Leung & Lo 1997 cited in Phillips & Yeh 1999). Only 31.8 % elderly consider themselves to be in good physical health while the remaining 68% consider their health to be deteriorating when compared with the past year. In 1995, of the 601,800 elderly aged 65 years or older (Census & Statistics Department 2005a), 67,000 lived in elderly homes (including care and nursing homes), and 87,000 lived in public housing independently. This number is considered large. This group of elderly generally lacks care and support. After the handover of Hong Kong in 1997, SAR Government formed the Elderly Committee that looks after the welfare of elderly with its emphasis on the role of family and the community. The main argument is that old people should grow old in the community for as long as possible and family should be the main pillar that provides primary support and care to the elderly. Recent development saw a comprehensive set of services that caters to the needs of old persons such as providing home assistance to help those frail and disable elderly who are willing to grow old in their community. Out reach teams can provide psychogeriatric counseling, physiotherapy services such as regular visits to those living alone and who are in need of such services. The second important aspect relates to the social well-being of the elderly. Very often, the elderly feel lonely when their children are grown up, married, and very likely live separately. This transition in life resulting in empty nest often accompanied by sense of loss, loneliness and low selfesteem, can erode the social well-being of the elderly. Social interactions are usually very crucial to overcome such loneliness. In order to facilitate social interaction, active participation in social activities can help to reduce stress and improve self-esteem. One of the avenues to increase participation is through education which in turn could improve the skills and capabilities among older people gearing them towards active ageing and quality of life. Although the issues of ageing are many, the focus of this paper is to share the experiences of mature students pursuing higher education at Lingnan University. It is hoped that by sharing our experiences at Lingnan, public policy decision-makers could provide the necessary institutional support, in particular the funding aspect since tuition fees are potentially an obstacle to many who are interested

Incident heart failure and myocardial infarction in sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 vs. dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor users

Aims This study aimed to compare the rates of major cardiovascular adverse events in sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2I) and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP4I) users in a Chinese population. SGLT2I and DPP4I are increasingly prescribed for type 2 diabetes mellitus patients. However, few population-based studies are comparing their effects on incident heart failure or myocardial infarction. Methods and results This was a population-based retrospective cohort study using the electronic health record database in Hong Kong, including type 2 diabetes mellitus patients receiving either SGLT2I or DPP4I from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2020. Propensity score matching was performed in a 1:1 ratio based on demographics, past comorbidities, and non-SGLT2I/DPP4I medications with nearest neighbour matching (caliper = 0.1). Univariable and multivariable Cox models were used to identify significant predictors for new-onset heart failure, new-onset myocardial infarction, cardiovascular mortality, and all-cause mortality. Sensitivity analyses with competing risk models and multiple propensity score matching approaches were conducted. A total of 41 994 patients (58.89% males, median admission age at 58 years old, interquartile range [IQR]: 51.2–65.3) were included with a median follow-up of 5.6 years (IQR: 5.32–5.82). In the matched cohort, SGLT2I use was significantly associated with lower risks of new-onset heart failure (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.73, 95% confidence interval [CI]: [0.66, 0.81], P < 0.0001), myocardial infarction (HR: 0.81, 95% CI: [0.73, 0.90], P < 0.0001), cardiovascular mortality (HR: 0.67, 95% CI: [0.53, 0.84], P < 0.001), and all-cause mortality (HR: 0.26, 95% CI: [0.24, 0.29], P < 0.0001) after adjusting for significant demographics, past comorbidities, and non-SGLT2I/DPP4I medications. Conclusions SGLT2 inhibitors are protective against adverse cardiovascular events including new-onset heart failure, myocardial infarction, cardiovascular mortality, and all-cause mortality. The prescription of SGLT2I is preferred when taken into consideration individual cardiovascular and metabolic risk profiles in addition to drug–drug interactions

Two novel HLA-A*0201 T-cell epitopes in avian H5N1 viral nucleoprotein induced specific immune responses in HHD mice

The influenza A nucleoprotein (NP) is an attractive target for avian flu vaccine development because of its high conversancy in the evolutionary chain of the virus. Here we identified two novel HLA-A*0201 restricted NP epitopes, named H5N1 NP373-381 AMDSNTLEL (NP373) and NP458-466 FQGRGVFEL (NP458), using computational bioinformatic analysis. The NP peptides showed a high binding affinity to HLA-A*0201 on T2 cells, and were able to induce the activation of the cytotoxic T cells in the human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. We examined the potential of using NP373 and NP458 peptide sequences supplemented with a single-chain trimer as potential DNA vaccine candidates in an HHD transgenic mouse model. A gene gun delivery system was used for administrating the vaccine candidates into the animals. The results from cytotoxicity and ELISPOT assays indicated that a significant amount of IFN-γ was secreted by the T cells of the vaccinated mice, and the T cells were able to eliminate the corresponding peptide-loaded T2 cells. The discovery of these novel immunogenic NP peptides provides valuable information for avian flu vaccine design and construction

Constructing a new integrated genetic linkage map and mapping quantitative trait loci for vegetative mycelium growth rate in Lentinula edodes

The most saturated linkage map for Lentinula edodes to date was constructed based on a mono-. karyotic population of 146 single spore isolates (SSIs) using sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP), target region amplification polymorphism (TRAP), insertion deletion (InDel) markers, and the mating-type loci. Five hundred and twenty-four markers were located on 13 linkage groups (LGs). The map spanned a total length of 1006.1 cM, with an average marker spacing of 2.0 cM. Quantitative trait loci (QTLs) mapping was utilized to uncover the loci regulating and controlling the vegetative mycelium growth rate on various synthetic media, and complex medium for commercial cultivation of L. edodes. Two and 13 putative QTLs, identified respectively in the monokaryotic population and two testcross dikaryotic populations, were mapped on seven different LGs. Several vegetative mycelium growth rate-related QTLs uncovered here were clustered on LG4 (Qmgr1, Qdgr1, Qdgr2 and Qdgr9) and LG6 (Qdgr3, Qdgr4 and Qdgr5), implying the presence of main genomic areas responsible for growth rate regulation and control. The QTL hotspot region on LG4 was found to be in close proximity to:the region containing the mating-type A (MAT-A) locus. Moreover, Qdgr2 on LG4 was detected on different media, contributing 8.07%-23.71% of the phenotypic variation. The present study provides essential information for QTL mapping and marker-assisted selection (MAS) in L. edodes. (C) 2014 The British Mycological Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.The most saturated linkage map for Lentinula edodes to date was constructed based on a mono-. karyotic population of 146 single spore isolates (SSIs) using sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP), target region amplification polymorphism (TRAP), insertion deletion (InDel) markers, and the mating-type loci. Five hundred and twenty-four markers were located on 13 linkage groups (LGs). The map spanned a total length of 1006.1 cM, with an average marker spacing of 2.0 cM. Quantitative trait loci (QTLs) mapping was utilized to uncover the loci regulating and controlling the vegetative mycelium growth rate on various synthetic media, and complex medium for commercial cultivation of L. edodes. Two and 13 putative QTLs, identified respectively in the monokaryotic population and two testcross dikaryotic populations, were mapped on seven different LGs. Several vegetative mycelium growth rate-related QTLs uncovered here were clustered on LG4 (Qmgr1, Qdgr1, Qdgr2 and Qdgr9) and LG6 (Qdgr3, Qdgr4 and Qdgr5), implying the presence of main genomic areas responsible for growth rate regulation and control. The QTL hotspot region on LG4 was found to be in close proximity to:the region containing the mating-type A (MAT-A) locus. Moreover, Qdgr2 on LG4 was detected on different media, contributing 8.07%-23.71% of the phenotypic variation. The present study provides essential information for QTL mapping and marker-assisted selection (MAS) in L. edodes. (C) 2014 The British Mycological Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Tai-Chi for Residential Patients with Schizophrenia on Movement Coordination, Negative Symptoms, and Functioning: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective. Patients with schizophrenia residing at institutions often suffer from negative symptoms, motor, and functional impairments more severe than their noninstitutionalized counterparts. Tai-chi emphasizes body relaxation, alertness, and movement coordination with benefits to balance, focus, and stress relief. This pilot study explored the efficacy of Tai-chi on movement coordination, negative symptoms, and functioning disabilities towards schizophrenia. Methods. A randomized waitlist control design was adopted, where participants were randomized to receive either the 6-week Tai-chi program and standard residential care or only the latter. 30 Chinese patients with schizophrenia were recruited from a rehabilitation residency. All were assessed on movement coordination, negative symptoms, and functional disabilities at baseline, following intervention and 6 weeks after intervention. Results. Tai-chi buffered from deteriorations in movement coordination and interpersonal functioning, the latter with sustained effectiveness 6 weeks after the class was ended. Controls showed marked deteriorations in those areas. The Tai-chi group also experienced fewer disruptions to life activities at the 6-week maintenance. There was no significant improvement in negative symptoms after Tai-chi. Conclusions. This study demonstrated encouraging benefits of Tai-chi in preventing deteriorations in movement coordination and interpersonal functioning for residential patients with schizophrenia. The ease of implementation facilitates promotion at institutional psychiatric services

MicroRNA profiling study reveals MIR-150 in association with metastasis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

© 2017 The Author(s). MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that play a crucial role in pathogenesis of human cancers. Several miRNAs have been shown to involve in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) pathogenesis through alteration of gene networks. A global view of the miRNA expression profile of clinical specimens would be the best way to screen out the possible miRNA candidates that may be involved in disease pathogenesis. In this study, we investigated the expression profiles of miRNA in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues from patients with undifferentiated NPC versus non-NPC controls using a miRNA real-time PCR platform, which covered a total of 95 cancer-related miRNAs. Hierarchical cluster analysis revealed that NPC and non-NPC controls were clearly segregated. Promisingly, 10 miRNA candidates were differentially expressed. Among them, 9 miRNAs were significantly up-regulated of which miR-205 and miR-196a showed the most up-regulated in NPC with the highest incidence percentage of 94.1% and 88.2%, respectively, while the unique down-regulated miR-150 was further validated in patient sera. Finally, the in vitro gain-of-function and loss-of-function assays revealed that miR-150 can modulate the epithelial-mesenchymal-transition property in NPC/HK-1 cells and led to the cell motility and invasion. miR-150 may be a potential biomarker for NPC and plays a critical role in NPC tumourigenesis.Link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Study of human immunogenic T-cell epitopes derived from avian H5N1 viral nucleoprotein and their application in DNA vaccine development

The influenza A virus nucleoprotein (NP) is an attractive target for avian flu vaccine development because of its high conversancy in the evolutionary chain of the virus. Here I have identified two novel HLA-A*0201-restricted H5N1 NP epitopes, named NP373-381 AMDSNTLEL (NP373) and NP458-466 FQGRGVFEL (NP458), using computational bioinformatic analysis. These NP peptides showed a high binding affinity to HLA-A*0201 on T2 cells, and were able to induce activation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) in the human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Therefore, the potential of using NP373 and NP458 peptide sequences supplemented with single-chain trimer (SCT) as potential DNA vaccine candidates was examined. After administration of the candidate constructs into the HHD transgenic mouse model the using gene gun delivery system, the amount of secreted interferon-gamma and number of cell deaths were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot assays and cytotoxicity assays, respectively. Results indicated that a significant amount of interferon-gamma was secreted by the T lymphocytes of the vaccinated mice, and the T lymphocytes were able to eliminate the corresponding peptide-loaded T2 cells. To improve this system, co-stimulatory molecules, CD80/CD86 and CD137L, were included in the SCT-based DNA vaccine construct. Animals immunized with DNA constructs carrying SCT plus CD80/CD86 alone, or both CD80/CD86 and CD137L provided additive NP373-specific CTL responses in the HHD transgenic mice. The discovery of these novel immunogenic NP peptides and improvement in the DNA construct design provide valuable information for avian flu vaccine development

Study of the immunity of a human papillomavirus vaccine candidate

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a circular double-stranded DNA virus belonging to the Papovaviridae family. It is the causative agent of one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases, known as condyloinata acuminata (i.e. genital warts). Some HPV infections can cause neoplasia and are associated with the development of cervical cancers. The most common cancer-inducing type is HPV16 (associated with 40-60% of cervical tumors). Currently, there is no medical treatment for HPV infection. The objective of this project is to develop a DNA vaccine candidate against HPV16 infection. A plasmid, L1E7hpSCA1, encoding the whole viral capsid protein (L1) and its oncoprotein (E7), was constructed. Mutations were introduced to the E7 gene sequence to reduce its oncogenicity. DNA vaccine was chosen because of its capacity to induce both humoral and cell-mediated immune responses in immunized animals. The constructed L1E7hpSCA1 plasmid was subjected to animal studies. In vitro immunogenicity tests showed that the vaccine candidate was able to raise virus-neutralizing antibodies and to kill the E7-expressing tumor cells (TC-1). Further experimentation involving testing the tumor development in mice will be performed to verify its functional role in preventing and fighting tumor in the animal model

Some results in wavelet theory and their applications

published_or_final_versionMathematicsMasterMaster of Philosoph