Diabetic foot disease and oedema

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are common and disabling, giving rise to significant morbidity and mortality as well as worldwide socioeconomic problems. Despite treatment, DFUs readily become chronic wounds and may lead to major lower limb amputations. The pathogenesis of DFUs is complex and the main aetiologies are peripheral neuropathy, ischaemia from peripheral arterial disease and biomechanical abnormalities. Microvascular disease is also a significant problem for people with diabetes and contributes to foot ulceration. Successful management of DFUs consists of debridement, infection control, the use of offloading appliances and revascularisation where necessary. Foot ulcers are usually associated with infection and inflammation which lead to surrounding oedema of the foot. Standard offloading devices such as total contact casts and removable cast walkers do not actively reduce foot oedema. There is promising evidence that active oedema reduction by intermittent pneumatic compression in the diabetic foot improves ulcer healing. The objective of this article is to review the association of foot oedema and DFUs, including the role of appliances which reduce oedema. The information presented is vital to those involved in the management of DFUs. © The Author(s) 2012

Examination of square-wave modulated voltage dip restorer and its harmonics analysis

Author name used in this publication: S. L. HoAuthor name used in this publication: K. W. E. Cheng2006-2007 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Endosporoideus gen. nov., a mitosporic fungus on Phoenix hanceana

Endosporoideus pedicellata gen. et sp. nov. is described and illustrated from decaying petioles of Phoenix hanceana collected from grassland in Tai Mo Shan, Hong Kong. The genus is unique in producing solitary, phragmosporous conidia. The conidia comprise a brown to dark brown inner-wall layer and thick, hyaline outer-wall layer and are produced holoblastically from determinate conidiogenous cells on micronematous, mononematous conidiophores. Cells of conidia may disarticulate at the septa. Representative steps in conidiogenesis of E. pedicellata are illustrated with light micrographs, and details of the conidiogenous events are interpreted schematically.published_or_final_versio

Investigation of voltage dip restorer using square wave inverter

Author name used in this publication: K. W. E. ChengAuthor name used in this publication: S. L. HoAuthor name used in this publication: K. P. WongRefereed conference paper2004-2005 > Academic research: refereed > Refereed conference paperVersion of RecordPublishe

Risk factors for acquisition of levofloxacin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae: A case-control study

A case-control study was conducted to identify the risk factors associated with levofloxacin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae (LRSP) colonization or infection. Twenty-seven case patients (patients with LRSP) were compared with 54 controls (patients with levofloxacin-susceptible S. pneumoniae). Risk factors that were significantly associated with LRSP colonization or infection, according to univariate analysis, included an older age (median age, 75 years for case patients versus 72.5 years for controls), residence in a nursing home (odds ratio [OR], 7.2), history of recent (OR, 4.6) and multiple (OR, 4.4) hospitalizations, prior exposure to fluoroquinolones (OR, 10.6) and β-lactams (OR, 8.6), presence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD; OR, 5.9), and nosocomial origin of the bacteria (OR, 5.7). Multivariate analysis showed that presence of COPD (OR, 10.3), nosocomial origin of the bacteria (OR, 16.2), residence in a nursing home (OR, 7.4), and exposure to fluoroquinolones (OR, 10.7) were independently associated with LRSP colonization or infection. Thus, a distinct group of patients with COPD is the reservoir of LRSP.published_or_final_versio

The Moderating Effects of Reported Pre-Pandemic Social Anxiety, Symptom Impairment, and Current Stressors on Mental Health and Affiliative Adjustment During the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic

It has been well-established within existing literature that individuals with social anxiety fear negative evaluation and exposure of self-perceived flaws to others. However, the unique impacts of pre-existing social anxiety on well-being and interpersonal outcomes within the stressful context of the pandemic are currently unknown. On the one hand, preventive measures and social norms introduced by COVID-19 (e.g., mask-wearing, physical distancing, increased reliance on digital communication) may lower social threat perceptions for individuals with high pre-pandemic levels of social anxiety by offering more opportunities to control their self-presentation. Alternatively, distancing and use of preventive measures may exacerbate social anxiety symptoms by forming barriers to meaningful social connection and increasing loneliness. After reviewing relevant literatures to develop hypotheses for the present study, we conducted an online study of 488 North American community participants, which was completed during the first wave of the pandemic in May 2020. We used multiple linear regression to analyze whether retrospective reports of pre-pandemic social anxiety symptoms predicted current coronavirus anxiety, loneliness, fears of negative evaluation, use of preventive measures, and affiliative outcomes, and whether pre-pandemic functional impairment and recent COVID-related stressors moderated these relations. Results highlighted the negative effects of pre-pandemic social anxiety on current mental health functioning, especially for participants with higher pre-pandemic functional impairment and greater exposure to COVID-related stressors. Although participants with higher pre-pandemic social anxiety reported currently feeling lonelier and more fearful of negative evaluation, they also endorsed greater efforts to affiliate with others. Thus, socially anxious individuals may have heightened desire for social support within the isolating context of the pandemic, in which COVID-related social restrictions enable greater avoidance of social evaluation but may also mask the enduring impairment associated with pre-pandemic social anxiety

New records and species of Canalisporium (Hyphomycetes), with a revision of the genus

Three new species of Canalisporium, namely Canalisporium exiguum Goh & K.D. Hyde, Canalisporium kenyense Goh, W.H. Ho & K.D. Hyde, and Canalisporium pallidum Goh, W.H. Ho & K.D. Hyde, are described and illustrated. New records of Canalisporium caribense, Canalisporium pulchrum, and Canalisporium elegans, are given. They are also illustrated from fresh material and briefly discussed. Comparisons of conidial morphology of all species from different localities are made and a key to the species of the genus is provided.published_or_final_versio

Application of ASK modulation for DC/DC converters control in DC distribution power system

Author name used in this publication: K. W. E. ChengAuthor name used in this publication: D. SutantoRefereed conference paper2004-2005 > Academic research: refereed > Refereed conference paperVersion of RecordPublishe

Maintenance techniques for rechargeable battery using pulse charging

Author name used in this publication: Cheng K. W. E.Author name used in this publication: Ho Y. L.Refereed conference paper2006-2007 > Academic research: refereed > Refereed conference paperVersion of RecordPublishe

Rapid Identification of Pathogenic Variants in Two Cases of Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease by Gene-Panel Sequencing

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