BACKGROUNDThe first case of pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus infection in Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China was documented on June 18, 2009. Subsequently, persons with suspected infection or of contact with suspected cases received screening. All the confirmed cases were hospitalized and treated with oseltamivir. Their clinical features were observed. This may help for better management for later patients and be of benefit to the government of Macau SAR to adjust its strategy to combat the pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus infection more efficiently.

METHODSFrom June to July 2009, the initial 72 cases of influenza A (H1N1) in Macau were hospitalized in Common Hospital Centre S. Januario (CHCSJ). The infection was confirmed by real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The clinical features of the disease were closely observed and documented. Oseltamivir was given to all patients within 48 hours after the onset of disease and maintained for 5 days.

RESULTSThe mean age of the 72 patients was 21 years old. Forty of them were men and 32 were women. The median incubation of the virus was 2 days (1 to 7 days). The most common symptoms were fever (97.2%) and cough (77.8%). The rate of gastrointestinal symptoms including nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea was 2.8%. Fever typically lasted for 3 days (1 to 9 days). The median time from the onset to positive results of real-time RT-PCR was 6 days (3 to 13 days). After treatment with oseltamivir, most patients became afebrile within 48 hours. Only one aged patient with a history of glaucoma and hypothyroidism was found to have lung infiltration on chest X-ray.

CONCLUSIONSThe initial cases of pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus infection in Macau SAR showed that most of the infected persons had a mild course. The virus could be detected by real-time RT-PCR within a median of 6 days from the onset. Oseltamivir was effective.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Antiviral Agents ; therapeutic use ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; Female ; Humans ; Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype ; drug effects ; genetics ; pathogenicity ; Influenza, Human ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Macau ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Oseltamivir ; therapeutic use ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo explore the effectiveness of a combined therapy using two types of peginterferon (PEG-IFN) and ribavirin in treating chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes 1b/6a infections.

METHODSThe clinical data of 171 patients with chronic HCV genotypes 1b/6a infection in Common Hospital Centre S. Januario, Macau SAR, China, were retrospectively analyzed. Of these patients, 145 (84.8%) were infected with HCV genotype 1b and 26 (15.2%) with HCV genotype 6a. Patients were divided into two groups based on drug therapies: PEG-IFN-2b group (n=140), in which patients were treated with PEG-IFN-2b 1.5 g/kg QW plus ribavirin 800-1 200 mg/d and PEG-IFN-2a group (n=31), in which patients were treated with PEG-IFN-2a 180g QW plus ribavirin 800-1 200 mg/d. Patients was treated for 48 weeks and then followed up for 24 weeks.

RESULTSAll patients completed their therapies. The rates of early viral response (EVR) and sustained virologic response (SVR) were 78.95% and 69.59%, respectively . The two groups were not significantly different in terms of EVR P=0.091 end of treatment virological response (ETVR) (P=0.542), SVR P=0.079, relapse (P=0.497). And the two HCV genotypes patients were not significantly different in terms of EVR (P=0.268), ETVR (P=0.276), SVR (P=0.479), and relapse (P=1.000).

CONCLUSIONSPEG-IFN combined with ribavirin can achieve high viral response in treating chronic hepatitis C. PEG-IFN-2a and PEG-IFN-2b basically are similarly effective in treating HCV genotype 1b or 6a infections.

Adult ; Antiviral Agents ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Hepatitis C, Chronic ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Interferon-gamma ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polyethylene Glycols ; therapeutic use ; Retrospective Studies ; Ribavirin ; therapeutic use ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

BACKGROUNDPreconditioning with remifentanil confers cardioprotection. Since Ca(2+) overload is a precipitating factor of injury, we determined the effects of remefentanil on intracellular Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)](i)) and its transients induced by electrical stimulation and caffeine, which reflects Ca(2+) handling by Ca(2+) handling proteins, in rat ventricular myocytes.

METHODSFreshly isolated adult male Sprague-Dawley rat myocytes were loaded with Fura-2/AM and [Ca](i) was determined by spectrofluorometry. Remifentanil at 0.1 - 1000 microg/L was administered. Ten minutes after administration, either 0.2 Hz electrical stimulation was applied or 10 mmol/L caffeine was added. The [Ca(2+)](i), and the amplitude, time resting and 50% decay (t(50)) of both transients induced by electrical stimulation (E [Ca(2+)](i)) and caffeine (C [Ca(2+)](i)) were determined.

RESULTSRemifentanil (0.1 - 1000.0 microg/L) decreased the [Ca(2+)](i) in a dose-dependent manner. It also decreased the amplitude of both transients dose-dependently. Furthermore, it increased the time to peak and t(50) of both transients dose-dependently.

CONCLUSIONRemifentanil reduced the [Ca(2+)](i) and suppressed the transients induced by electrical stimulation and caffeine in rat ventricular myocytes.

Animals ; Caffeine ; pharmacology ; Calcium ; metabolism ; Calcium Signaling ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Electric Stimulation ; Male ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Piperidines ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVEThis study examined the status of health-related behaviors among rural residents and the factors influencing the practice of such behaviors.

METHODSOne thousand and ninety subjects aged 15 years or over in a rural community, Anhui Province, China were surveyed. A questionnaire was used to collect information on the health knowledge, attitude and behavior of the subjects. Information on health behavior included smoking, drinking, dietary habits, regular exercises, sleeping pattern and oral health behavior.

RESULTSThe prevalence of smoking and drinking in the male subjects was 46.5% and 46.9%, respectively. There was a positive significant association between smoking and drinking. Only 8.3% of all subjects ate three regular meals a day regularly. Among subjects who ate two meals a day, 89.7% did not have breakfast. Only 1.7% of subjects took part in regular exercise. About 85% of subjects slept 6 to 8 h per day. Only 38.4% of the respondents had the habit of hand washing before eating and after using the lavatory. 79.3% of the subjects brushed their teeth every day, and among them, only 10.6 percent brushed their teeth twice a day. Further analyses showed that 64.8% of subjects had 3-5 items of positive health behaviors out of 8 items and only 16.9% had six or more items. Logistical regression analyses suggested that better health behavior was affected by sex, age, years of education, income and health knowledge.

CONCLUSIONThe status of health behaviors among rural residents was generally poor. It is thus urgent to reinforce health education in rural communities in China.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Alcohol Drinking ; epidemiology ; Attitude to Health ; China ; epidemiology ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diet ; Exercise ; Female ; Health Behavior ; Health Surveys ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Oral Health ; Risk-Taking ; Rural Population ; Sleep ; Smoking ; epidemiology

Background/Aims: Data on treatment efficacy and safety of glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (GLE/PIB) for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in Asian patients with severe renal impairment are limited. This study aimed to study the treatment and side effects of GLE/PIB in these patients infected with non-1 genotype (GT) HCV. Methods: We prospectively recruited patients with Child’s A cirrhosis and eGFR <30 mL/min/1.73 m2 in Hong Kong and Taiwan during 2017–2018 to receive GLE/PIB treatment. Results: Twenty-one patients (GT2, n=7; GT3, n=6; and GT6, n=8) received GLE/PIB for 11.2±1.8 weeks. All except one were treatment-naïve. GLE/PIB was initiated in 16 patients while on dialysis (seven on peritoneal dialysis [PD] and nine on hemodialysis) and in five patients before dialysis. One patient died of PD-related peritonitis during treatment and two were lost to follow up. The SVR12 rate in the remaining 18 patients was 100%. All patients achieved undetectable levels at 4-, 12-, 24- and 48-week after treatment. Patients with deranged alanine aminotransferase showed normalization after 4 weeks and the response was sustained for 48 weeks. No significant adverse event was observed. Conclusions GLE/PIB treatment was associated with high efficacy and tolerability in HCV-infected patients with severe renal impairment.