De novo human genome assemblies reveal spectrum of alternative haplotypes in diverse populations.

The human reference genome is used extensively in modern biological research. However, a single consensus representation is inadequate to provide a universal reference structure because it is a haplotype among many in the human population. Using 10× Genomics (10×G) "Linked-Read" technology, we perform whole genome sequencing (WGS) and de novo assembly on 17 individuals across five populations. We identify 1842 breakpoint-resolved non-reference unique insertions (NUIs) that, in aggregate, add up to 2.1 Mb of so far undescribed genomic content. Among these, 64% are considered ancestral to humans since they are found in non-human primate genomes. Furthermore, 37% of the NUIs can be found in the human transcriptome and 14% likely arose from Alu-recombination-mediated deletion. Our results underline the need of a set of human reference genomes that includes a comprehensive list of alternative haplotypes to depict the complete spectrum of genetic diversity across populations

An empirical study of the antecedents and consequences of brand engagement

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop and empirically test a model of brand engagement. More specifically, the aim is to evaluate both antecedents and consequences of brand engagement, from a management perspective. Design/methodology/approach – A quantitative survey of 403 firms is undertaken to test the model. Structural equation modelling (SEM) is used to estimate the parameters of the model. Findings – A reliable and valid measure of brand engagement is established. The SEM model works well, in terms of goodness of fit indices. The results demonstrate that there are major brand performance benefits (consequences) of brand engagement. Additionally, and important for the practical implications, the results show that brand orientation is a major antecedent to brand engagement. Research limitations/implications – The study needs to be replicated in other countries, with scope to add other explanatory variables for influencing brand engagement. The results have considerable practical benefits for guiding the introduction of measures to enhance brand engagement. Originality/value – The study builds on earlier (mainly consumer) conceptual approaches to brand engagement, but goes further in that it provides empirical evidence about the nature, antecedents and consequences of brand engagement and further, offers a management rather than consumer perspective. Essentially, the study reveals a new perspective of factors that encourage firms to connect/engage their brands with consumers. Brand engagement is a dual concept, reflecting both a consumer and a firm perspective

Management of gastric cancer: The Chinese perspective

Gastric cancer (GC) is a heterogeneous disease with large variations across geographical regions. Although the global incidence of GC is declining, it remains highly prevalent in Asia as compared to the West (1). China is one of the countries with the highest incidence of GC, and accounts for over 40% of all new GC cases in the world (2). GC is the third leading cause of cancer mortality in China (3).published_or_final_versio

A comparison of the performance of the Assessment of SpondyloArhritis international Society (ASAS) classification criteria, European Spondyloarthropathy Study Group (ESSG) classification criteria, and Modified New York (MNY) criteria in a cohort of Chinese spondyloarthritis patients

BACKGROUND: The existing Modified New York (MNY) criteria and European Spondyloarthropathy Study Group (ESSG) criteria are defective in early diagnosis of patients with spondyloarthritis. The objective of this study was to reclassify a Chinese cohort of patients with previous expert-diagnosed spondyloarthritis according to the recently issued Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society (ASAS) classification criteria for axial spondyloarthritis and the two existing criteria, the ESSG criteria and MNY criteria and to compare the clinical characteristics including disease duration, disease activity, and spinal mobility between patients fulfilling these criteria. METHODS: Consecutive patients diagnosed by expert opinion from a tertiary centre were classified into three groups: the Ankylosing Spondyloarthritis (AS) by MNY criteria; undifferentiated spondyloarthritis (USpA) by ESSG criteria (USpA/ESSG), and those by ASAS classification criteria only (USpA/ASAS). Functional status was studied by Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI). Disease activity was evaluated by Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) and C-reactive protein. Spinal mobility including modified Schober test and chest expansion was determined. RESULTS: A total of 128 spondyloarthritis patients (92 male and 36 female) were recruited. USpA/ASAS group identified patients with shortest disease duration (9.2±2.3 years, 11.6±3.8, 18.7±2.2 years in USpA/ASAS group, USpA group, and AS group respectively; P<0.01). USpA/ASAS and USpA/ESSG groups were better than AS group in terms of BASFI, modified Schober test and chest expansion. C-reactive protein and BASDAI were similar in the three groups. CONCLUSION: The ASAS classification criteria are shown to identify spondyloarthritis patients at an earlier stage when spinal mobility and functional status are preserved. This group of USpA patients demonstrated comparable disease activity to other groups, suggesting a need and predictably better outcome for early treatment.published_or_final_versionThe 15th Medical Research Conference (15th MRC), Department of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 16 January 2010. In Hong Kong Medical Journal, 2010, v. 16 n. 1, suppl. 1, p. 18, abstract no. 2

Peanut aspiration: an avoidable life-threatening condition

Foreign body aspiration is a potentially fatal condition. Yet, an accurate diagnosis may not be easy. Management is also challenging and requires a high level of expertise with proper instruments. In this article, we report our experience in the management of peanut aspiration in two young children by means of a ventilating bronchoscope.published_or_final_versio

Cytomegalovirus-associated colitis mimicking necrotizing enterocolitis – A near miss diagnosis of neonatal colonic stricture

Although cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common congenital infection in neonates, most patients are asymptomatic. Gastrointestinal manifestation is unusual. In this report, we described a newborn with perinatal CMV infection presented with symptoms mimicking necrotizing enterocolitis. We hope to alert clinicians about this possible diagnosis when managing newborn gastrointestinal diseases.published_or_final_versio

Amelioration of soils contaminated with radionuclides:Exploiting biodiversity to minimise or maximise soilto plant transfer

Objective: Computed Tomography (CT) is the leading contributor to medical exposure to ionizing radiation. Although the use of CT brain scans for patients with head injuries and convulsions has shown a tremendous growth, it has raised substantial concerns in the general public because of the risk of radiation-induced cataracts: the current available strategies to reduce the radiation dose to the eye lens region are limited. Therefore, the present research project was initiated with the aim of evaluating the potential benefit of the combined use of bolus and a bismuth shield on reducing the radiation dose to the eye lens region during CT brain examination.Materials and methods: We conducted a series of phantom studies to measure the entrance surface dose (ESD) that is delivered to the eye lens region during CT brain examination under the effect of different scanning and shielding setups.Results: Our results indicated, during CT brain examination: (1) a drastic reduction of 92.5% in the ESD to the eye lens region was found when the CT gantry was tilted from 0 degrees (overall ESD = 30.7 mGy) to 30 degrees cranially (overall ESD = 2.4 mGy), and (2) when the CT gantry was positioned at 0 degrees (the common practice in the clinical setting), the setups with the application of a) a bismuth shield, b) a bismuth shield with a face shield (air gap), c) a bismuth shield with bolus, and d) a bismuth shield with bolus and an air gap can result in an acceptable level of image quality with a smaller overall ESD delivered to the eye lens region (overall ESD = 23.2 mGy, 24 mGy, 21 mGy and 19.9 mGy, respectively) than the setup without the bismuth shield applied (overall ESD = 30.7 mGy).Conclusion: When the primary beam scanning through the eye lens region is unavoidable during CT brain examination, the combined use of a bismuth shield with bolus and a face shield is an easy-to-use and inexpensive shielding setup to reduce the radiation dose delivered to the eye lens region while maintaining the correct CT number and a low degree of image noise in the resultant image.Department of Health Technology and Informatic

Experimental and theoretical analyses of three-dimensional surface crack propagation

2011-2012 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

The first report of a single-port laparoscopic nephrectomy in a child

There has been an exponential rise in the use of minimally invasive procedures in surgery, with obvious benefts to patients. Recently, transumbilical single-port laparoscopic surgery has been championed as the next major technical advance. In this article, we report the frst case where single-port laparoscopic surgery has been used to manage a paediatric problem in the region.published_or_final_versio

Adrenomedullin suppresses migration inhibitory factor production and cytokine response of rat macrophages to lipopolysaccharide

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