Degradation mechanism beyond device self-heating in high power light-emitting diodes

Author name used in this publication: K. C. Yung2010-2011 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

A brief group intervention using a cognitive-behavioural approach to reduce postnatal depressive symptoms: a randomised controlled trial

Key Messages: 1. Postnatal women preferred psychotherapy to pharmacotherapy for reduction of postnatal depression. ; 2. A brief, cognitive-behavioural, group intervention with 6 weekly sessions significantly reduced depressive symptoms and was well received by postnatal women. ; 3. This brief group intervention could be further tested as an integral part of postnatal care to complement existing services and reduce waiting time

A rapid and systematic review of the effectiveness of temozolomide for the treatment of recurrent malignant glioma

A rapid and systematic review of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of temozolomide in the treatment of recurrent malignant glioma was commissioned by the NHS HTA Programme on behalf of NICE. The full report has been published elsewhere. This paper summarizes the results for the effectiveness of temozolomide in people with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme and anaplastic astrocytoma. The review was conducted using standard systematic review methodology involving a systematic literature search, quality assessment of included studies with systematic data extraction and data synthesis. One randomized controlled trial and four uncontrolled studies were identified for inclusion. The key results were that temozolomide may increase progression-free survival but has no significant impact on overall length of survival. The main effect from temozolomide may have been in those patients who had not received any prior chemotherapy regimens, however further randomized controlled trials are required to confirm this suggestion. Temozolomide appears to produce few serious adverse effects and may also have a positive impact on health-related quality of life. Overall the evidence-base is weak and few strong conclusions can be drawn regarding the effectiveness of temozolomide. Large, well-designed randomized controlled trails conducted in a wider patient population are needed

A phase II study of temozolomide vs. procarbazine in patients with glioblastoma multiforme at first relapse.

A randomized, multicentre, open-label, phase II study compared temozolomide (TMZ), an oral second-generation alkylating agent, and procarbazine (PCB) in 225 patients with glioblastoma multiforme at first relapse. Primary objectives were to determine progression-free survival (PFS) at 6 months and safety for TMZ and PCB in adult patients who failed conventional treatment. Secondary objectives were to assess overall survival and health-related quality of life (HRQL). TMZ was given orally at 200 mg/m(2)/day or 150 mg/m(2)/day (prior chemotherapy) for 5 days, repeated every 28 days. PCB was given orally at 150 mg/m(2)/day or 125 mg/m(2)/day (prior chemotherapy) for 28 days, repeated every 56 days. HRQL was assessed using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30 [+3]) and the Brain Cancer Module 20 (BCM20). The 6-month PFS rate for patients who received TMZ was 21%, which met the protocol objective. The 6-month PFS rate for those who received PCB was 8% (P = 0.008, for the comparison). Overall PFS significantly improved with TMZ, with a median PFS of 12.4 weeks in the TMZ group and 8.32 weeks in the PCB group (P = 0.0063). The 6-month overall survival rate for TMZ patients was 60% vs. 44% for PCB patients (P = 0.019). Freedom from disease progression was associated with maintenance of HRQL, regardless of treatment received. TMZ had an acceptable safety profile; most adverse events were mild or moderate in severity

Chemotherapy of tuberculosis in Hong Kong: a consensus statement

This consensus statement is prepared primarily as a concise reference for tuberculosis chemotherapy in Hong Kong. Treatment should be tailored to patients individually, expert advice should be sought when necessary, and 'directly observed treatment' should be used where possible. A 6-month regimen is recommended as the initial treatment of uncomplicated pulmonary tuberculosis and a 9-month regimen is recommended for retreatment. Patients with disease that is resistant to isoniazid or rifampicin may require modified regimens. Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis should be managed in specialised centres, using multiple drugs as guided by in vitro susceptibility tests. Recommended regimens to treat extrapulmonary tuberculosis are based on limited current evidence, although shorter regimens may be acceptable when better evidence emerges. A longer duration of treatment is required for diabetic, immuno-compromised, or silicotic patients. During pregnancy, streptomycin should be avoided; the safety profiles of second-line drugs have not yet been ascertained. Hepatotoxic drugs should be used with caution in patients with liver dysfunction, and extra caution and dosage reductions are required if streptomycin and ethambutol are used in patients with renal impairment.published_or_final_versio

Clinical and molecular epidemiological features of coronavirus HKU1-associated community-acquired pneumonia

Background. Recently, we described the discovery of a novel group 2 coronavirus, coronavirus HKU1 (CoV-HKU1), from a patient with pneumonia. However, the clinical and molecular epidemiological features of CoV-HKU1-associated pneumonia are unknown. Methods. Prospectively collected (during a 12-month period) nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPAs) from patients with community-acquired pneumonia from 4 hospitals were subjected to reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction, for detection of CoV-HKU1. The epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory characteristics of patients with CoV-HKU1-associated pneumonia were analyzed. The pol, spike (S), and nucleocapsid (N) genes were also sequenced. Results. NPAs from 10 (2.4%) of 418 patients with community-acquired pneumonia were found to be positive for CoV-HKU1. All 10 cases occurred in spring and winter. Nine of these patients were adults, and 4 had underlying diseases of the respiratory tract. In the 6 patients from whom serum samples were available, all had a 4-fold change in immunoglobulin (Ig) G titer and/or presence of IgM against CoV-HKU1. The 2 patients who died had significantly lower hemoglobin levels, monocyte counts, albumin levels, and oxygen saturation levels on admission and had more-extensive involvement visible on chest radiographs. Sequence analysis of the pol, S, and N genes revealed 2 genotypes of CoV-HKU1. Conclusions. CoV-HKU1 accounts for 2.4% of community-acquired pneumonia, with 2 genotypes in the study population. Without performance of diagnostic tests, the illness was clinically indistinguishable from other community-acquired pneumonia illnesses. © 2005 by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved.published_or_final_versio

Temozolomide in paediatric high-grade glioma: a key for combination therapy?

This report describes a single-centre study with temozolomide (TMZ) (200 mg m(-2) day(-1) x 5 per cycle of 28 days) in children with ( recurrent) high-grade glioma. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed every two cycles. In all, 20 patients were treated between 1998 and 2001 after the UKCCSG/SFOP TMZ phase II trial. All patients had measurable disease. Totally, 15 patients had a relapse after surgery+/-radiotherapy+/-chemotherapy. Overall, five patients received TMZ after surgery or biopsy, awaiting radiotherapy. There were one clinically malignant grade II glioma, II grade III and eight grade IV gliomas. Seven tumours had oligodendroglial features. Mean age at start of TMZ was 12.0 years (range 3-20.5 years). In total, eight patients had >8 cycles (range 3-30). One VGPR (currently in CR after surgery), three PRs (with a PFS of 4, 4 and 11 months, respectively) and one MR (PFS 14 months) were observed. Three out of five responses occurred after >4 courses. The overall response rate was 20%. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 2.0 months (range 3 weeks-34(+) months). PFS rate was 20% after 6 months. Median overall survival ( OS) was 10 months. Nine patients showed a clinical improvement. Three patients vomitted shortly after TMZ administration, eight patients ( 13 cycles) experienced grade III/IV thrombocytopenia, occurring predominantly during the fourth week of the first two cycles. Five patients experienced neutropenia, and three patients febrile neutropenia. TMZ is a well-tolerated ambulatory treatment for children with malignant glial tumours. This drug warrants further study in these highly chemoresistant tumours and should be studied either as upfront therapy or in combination therap

Recent Advances in Combined Modality Therapy

This review highlights the recent clinical data in support of newer generation cytotoxic chemotherapies and systemic targeted agents in combination with radiation therapy