A study on the sexuality of transsexuals in Hong Kong

"In the following parts, we will first of all introduce the general situation transsexuals face in Hong Kong, followed by a report and discussion on the interview results of three Male-to Female (MtF) transsexuals regarding their sex and gender identity, sexual desire and how they experience their bodies in sex before and after their sex reassignment surgery. Through scrutinizing the subjects’ sexuality out of a clinical discourse and affirming the subjects’ sexual experiences, we hope to probe insight into the complexities and ambiguities of our sexuality formation and culture."AsiaPacifiQueer Network, Australian National Universit

An investigation of the effectiveness of human resource management in the Hong Kong police

In the literature, there is the increasing trend to link human resource planning with strategic planning giving greater importance to, and greater involvement of, human resource management in organization strategy. Also the Hong Kong Police is a manpower oriented discipline force and the human resource management functions play a critical role in the effective management of these human resources. Therefore, the critical nature of the human resource management of the Hong Kong Police justifies a management report orientation where the focus is on the production of positive and practical recommendations. The objectives of the report are to evaluate the effectiveness of the existing human resource management system of the Hong Kong Police and also if and where appropriate to make recommendations designed to enhance the present system. In order to achieve the objectives, four aspects were evaluated. The first aspect is the human resource management goals of the Hong Kong Police. It was evaluated against the criteria of the extent to which it is consistent with the ii Vision, Statement of the Common Purposes and Values of the Police. The second aspect is its policies and practices of the each of the functions, which include 1. human resource planning (HRP), 2. recruitment and selection, 3. training and career development, 4. compensation and benefits management, 5. performance evaluation, 6. employee and labor relations, 7. counseling and 8. termination of the existing human resource management. It was evaluated through the comparison between the policies and practices of the each of the functions mentioned above and the corresponding theoretical functional goals. The third aspect is outcomes of human resource management, including complaints from the public, and opinions to it from the general public. It was evaluated against the overall goals of human resource management of the Hong Kong Police. The last but not the least, others, which are the things other than the above, factors viewed as relevant including what it has done during 1996 to 1999. Peters and Waterman Model was used as a framework for evaluating how well the Police was doing during this period. After considering all the aspects, we concluded that the Hong Kong Police did well in the planning process of the human resource management, as theoretically, the effectiveness of the human resource management was achieved. However, further improvement is needed in certain areas concerning the actual performance during the implementation, which may imply there are some problems that may affect the effectiveness of the human resource management of the Hong Kong Police. Based on the evaluation, we suggest that Competency Assessment Methods can be used as a framework for the Hong Kong Police to develop a set of competency for evaluating the performance of the employees. Also, a number of ways were suggested to improve the existing promotion mechanism. The supervisor’s recommendation involved in it can be improved by giving guidelines to the supervisors and having a group of supervisors to evaluate the performance of the employee. Also the recommendations should base on credible information. Moreover, feedback channels should be given to the employees to raise their opinions towards the decision in the promotion mechanism. In order to improve the competency of the supervisors, training should be given to strengthen their accountability for handling their work. Also a flexible and cafeteria benefits package was recommended to increase the flexibility of the existing benefits package iv for motivating the employees by giving autonomy to choose the benefits they need

Associations of the perceived benefits and harms of COVID-19 with confidence in coping with the pandemic and mental health symptoms: a population-based survey in Hong Kong

IntroductionBoth perceived benefits and harms of COVID-19 have been reported, but whether they affect confidence in coping with the pandemic and mental health remains uncertain.ObjectiveTo examine the association of perceived benefits and harms of COVID-19 with confidence in coping with the pandemic and mental health symptoms.MethodsA population-based survey was conducted on 7,535 Hong Kong adults from 22 February to 23 March 2021, when the 4th wave of COVID-19 was under control. Information on sociodemographic characteristics, perceived benefits (10 options) and harms (12 options) of COVID-19, confidence in coping with the pandemic (range 0–10), loneliness (range 0–4), anxiety (General Anxiety Disorders-2, range 0–6) and depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-2, range 0–6) was collected. Latent profile analysis was used to identify the combined patterns of perceived benefits and harms of COVID-19. The associations of combined patterns with confidence in coping with COVID-19, loneliness, anxiety, and depression were examined using linear regression (β coefficient) adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics.ResultsThe combined patterns of perceived benefits and harms were classified into benefit (n = 4,338, 59.3%), harm (n = 995, 14.0%), and ambivalent (n = 2,202, 26.7%) groups. Compared with the ambivalent group, the benefit group had a significantly higher level of confidence (adjusted β 0.46, 95% CI 0.33 to 0.58), and lower levels of loneliness (−0.35, −0.40 to-0.29), anxiety (−0.67, 0.76 to-0.59), and depression (−0.65, −0.73 to-0.57). The harm group had a significantly lower level of confidence (−0.35, −0.53 to-0.16), and higher levels of loneliness (0.38, 0.30 to 0.45), anxiety (0.84, 0.73 to 0.96), and depression (0.95, 0.84 to 1.07).ConclusionPerceived greater benefit from COVID-19 was associated with better mental health and stronger confidence in coping with the pandemic

Sequential algorithm to stratify liver fibrosis risk in overweight/obese metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease

BackgroundNon-diabetic overweight/obese metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) represents the largest subgroup with heterogeneous liver fibrosis risk. Metabolic dysfunction promotes liver fibrosis. Here, we investigated whether incorporating additional metabolic risk factors into clinical evaluation improved liver fibrosis risk stratification among individuals with non-diabetic overweight/obese MAFLD.Materials and methodsComprehensive metabolic evaluation including 75-gram oral glucose tolerance test was performed in over 1000 participants from the New Hong Kong Cardiovascular Risk Factor Prevalence Study (HK-NCRISPS), a contemporary population-based study of HK Chinese. Hepatic steatosis and fibrosis were evaluated based on controlled attenuation parameter and liver stiffness (LS) measured using vibration-controlled transient elastography, respectively. Clinically significant liver fibrosis was defined as LS ≥8.0 kPa. Our findings were validated in an independent pooled cohort comprising individuals with obesity and/or polycystic ovarian syndrome.ResultsOf the 1020 recruited community-dwelling individuals, 312 (30.6%) had non-diabetic overweight/obese MAFLD. Among them, 6.4% had LS ≥8.0 kPa. In multivariable stepwise logistic regression analysis, abnormal serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (OR 7.95, p<0.001) and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) ≥2.5 (OR 5.01, p=0.008) were independently associated with LS ≥8.0 kPa, in a model also consisting of other metabolic risk factors including central adiposity, hypertension, dyslipidaemia and prediabetes. A sequential screening algorithm using abnormal AST, followed by elevated HOMA-IR, was developed to identify individuals with LS ≥8.0 kPa, and externally validated with satisfactory sensitivity (>80%) and negative predictive value (>90%).ConclusionA sequential algorithm incorporating AST and HOMA-IR levels improves fibrosis risk stratification among non-diabetic overweight/obese MAFLD individuals

Treatment of Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease with Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Pilot Clinical Study

The objective of this clinical study is to examine the effects of a Chinese herbal medicine formula (Jia Wei Liu Jun Zi Tang: JWLJZT) on motor and non-motor symptoms, and on complications of conventional therapy in idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD), using an add-on design. Fifty-five patients with PD were randomly allocated to receive either Chinese herbal medicine or placebo for 24 weeks. Primary outcome measure was the 39-item Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39). Secondary outcome measures included the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), Short-Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), home diaries, and a range of category rating scales. JWLJZT resulted in a significant improvement in the UPDRS IVC when compared with placebo at 12 weeks (P = .039) and 24 weeks (P = .034). In addition, patients in the Chinese herbal medicine group also showed significant improvement in PDQ-39 communication scores at 12 weeks (P = .024) and 24 weeks (P = .047) when compared with the placebo group. There were no significant differences between treatment and control groups for SF-36 variables, GDS score or the mean daily “on-off” time. One case of mild diarrhea was noted in the treatment group. The findings suggest that JWLJZT can relieve some non-motor complications of conventional therapy and improve the communication ability in patients with PD. The results of this pilot study warrant larger multi-center clinical studies to assess long-term efficacy and tolerability of JWLJZT, and to elucidate the mechanisms by which it affects PD function

Nurse-Led Brief Intervention for Enhancing Safe Sex Practice Among Emerging Adults in Hong Kong Using Instant Messaging: Feasibility Study

BACKGROUND: The incidence of sexually transmitted infections has been increasing throughout the world. Additionally, substantial changes in emerging adults\u27 attitudes toward sex and the popularization of premarital sex could further affect the diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections. With the high acceptability and effectiveness of instant messaging (IM) interventions for health promotion, there is potential for such interventions to improve condom use knowledge and promote safer sex practice. OBJECTIVE: The study evaluates the feasibility of a nurse-led IM intervention to promote safer sex practices in emerging adults. METHODS: A 30-minute adaptive IM intervention and a 5-day booster dose of daily messages after 2 weeks through WhatsApp (Meta Platforms, Inc) were conducted with emerging adults in local universities in Hong Kong aged between 18 and 29 years with previous sexual experience. A questionnaire was distributed 1 week after the intervention that measured the consistency in condom use, the change in condom use knowledge and attitudes, and the acceptability of the intervention. The feasibility of the intervention was assessed by Bowen\u27s feasibility framework. RESULTS: A total of 20 participants completed the intervention and questionnaire. Results showed (1) high satisfaction level (mean satisfaction score: 9.10/10), (2) high demand of the intervention (retention rate: 95%), (3) smooth implementation of the intervention, (4) high practicality (13/20, 65% of the participants viewed IM to be an effective means of intervention), (5) potential integration of the intervention, and (6) significant mean increase in condom use knowledge and attitudes (mean increase 9.05; t CONCLUSIONS: The IM intervention was feasible, acceptable, and had potential impacts on improving safer sex practices. These findings will support the future development of IM interventions in the arena of sexual health promotion

A single residue substitution in the receptor-binding domain of H5N1 hemagglutinin is critical for packaging into pseudotyped lentiviral particles

© 2012 Tang et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.Background: Serological studies for influenza infection and vaccine response often involve microneutralization and hemagglutination inhibition assays to evaluate neutralizing antibodies against human and avian influenza viruses, including H5N1. We have previously characterized lentiviral particles pseudotyped with H5-HA (H5pp) and validated an H5pp-based assay as a safe alternative for high-throughput serological studies in BSL-2 facilities. Here we show that H5-HAs from different clades do not always give rise to efficient production of H5pp and the underlying mechanisms are addressed. Methodology/Findings: We have carried out mutational analysis to delineate the molecular determinants responsible for efficient packaging of HA from A/Cambodia/40808/2005 (H5Cam) and A/Anhui/1/2005 (H5Anh) into H5pp. Our results demonstrate that a single A134V mutation in the 130-loop of the receptor binding domain is sufficient to render H5Anh the ability to generate H5Anh-pp efficiently, whereas the reverse V134A mutation greatly hampers production of H5Cam-pp. Although protein expression in total cell lysates is similar for H5Anh and H5Cam, cell surface expression of H5Cam is detected at a significantly higher level than that of H5Anh. We further demonstrate by several independent lines of evidence that the behaviour of H5Anh can be explained by a stronger binding to sialic acid receptors implicating residue 134. Conclusions: We have identified a single A134V mutation as the molecular determinant in H5-HA for efficient incorporation into H5pp envelope and delineated the underlying mechanism. The reduced binding to sialic acid receptors as a result of the A134V mutation not only exerts a critical influence in pseudotyping efficiency of H5-HA, but has also an impact at the whole virus level. Because A134V substitution has been reported as a naturally occurring mutation in human host, our results may have implications for the understanding of human host adaptation of avian influenza H5N1 virusesThis work was supported by grants from the Research Fund for the Control of Infectious Diseases of Hong Kong (RFCID#08070972), the Area of Excellence Scheme of the University Grants Committee (grant AoE/M-12/-06 of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China), the French Ministry of Health, and the RESPARI project of the Institut Pasteur International Network