1.Identification of Swertia mussotii and its adulterant Swertia species by 5S rRNA gene spacer.
Man-Tang YU ; Ka-Lok WONG ; Yu-Ying ZONG ; Pang-Chui SHAW ; Chun-Tao CHE
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2008;33(5):502-504
OBJECTIVEThis research focused on analyzing the differences of 5S rRNA gene spacer sequences on Swertia mussotii and its commonly used adulterants, including S. franchetiana, S. wolfangiana and S. chirayita.
METHODDNA was extracted from the collected Swertia samples. 5S rRNA intergenic spacers were amplified by PCR, sequenced and analyzed.
RESULT5S rRNA gene spacer sequences were different between S. mussotii and its other three adulterants. Sequence divergence among species ranged from 30.6% to 65.0%.
CONCLUSION5S rRNA spacers may be used as molecular authentication markers to differentiate S. mussotii and other commonly used Swertia adulterants. This result provides reliable and simple reference for the authentication of Swertia genus species.
Base Sequence ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; RNA, Ribosomal, 5S ; genetics ; Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid ; Swertia ; classification ; genetics
2.Single incision laparoscopic right hemicolectomy: different approaches.
Tak-Man WONG ; Weida DAY ; Shu-Yan KWOK ; Ying-Yu Patrick LAU ; Wai-Chun Andrew YIP
Chinese Medical Journal 2013;126(2):238-241
BACKGROUNDSingle incision laparoscopic colectomy has been performed in recent years, and has been shown to be feasible and safe. This study was to assess the feasibility of single incision laparoscopic right hemicolectomy and to compare the differences in different approaches.
METHODSThis retrospective study included eighteen patients with carcinoma of caecum and ascending colon, undergoing single incision laparoscopic right hemicolectomy. This study also compared single incision laparoscopic right hemicolectomy using different approaches: (1) single incision multiport, (2) single access port and (3) glove port.
RESULTSThere was no statistical difference in surgical outcomes. Concerning the surgeon's satisfaction toward three methods, overcrowding and durability were similar but the single incision multiport was associated with the highest gas-leak and the "glove" port was associated with poor durability. However, the method of single incision multiport has the lowest average cost of the special trocar or port in each operation. The operative time and blood loss of the operations in this study were comparable to previous publications.
CONCLUSIONThere was no significant difference between different approaches of single incision laparoscopic right hemicolectomy for colonic cancer in right side colon.
Aged ; Cecal Neoplasms ; surgery ; Colectomy ; methods ; Colonic Neoplasms ; surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies
3.Overview of the Shenzhen Emergency Medical Service Call Pattern
Lo Man SHUK ; Yu Min YI ; Lap Yip Larry LEE ; Mi Ling Eliza WONG ; Chair Ying SEK ; Kalinowski J EDWARD ; Tak Shing Jimmy CHAN
World Journal of Emergency Medicine 2012;3(4):251-256
BACKGROUND: In Shenzhen, the Emergency Medical Service (EMS) system has been in service since 1997. This study aims to examine the operation of Shenzhen 120 EMS center and to identify the reasons of calling EMS. METHODS: In this retrospective quantitative descriptive study, the data from the Shenzhen 120 EMS registry in 2011 were analyzed. RESULTS: Shenzhen 120 EMS center is a communication command center. When the number of 120 are dialed, it is forwarded to the closest appropriate hospital for ambulance dispatch. In 2011, the Shenzhen 120 EMS center received 153160 ambulance calls, with an average of 420 calls per day. Calling emergency services was mainly due to traffic accidents. Trauma and other acute diseases constituted a majority of ambulance transports. The adult patients aged 15–60 years are the principal users of EMS. There are no recognized 'paramedic' doctors and nurses. The pre-hospital emergency service is under the operation of emergency departments of hospitals. Shenzhen at present does not have specialized pre-hospital training for doctors and nurses in post-trauma management. Moreover, specialized pre-hospital training, financial support, and public health education on proper use of EMS should be emphasized. CONCLUSION: The Shenzhen 120 EMS center has its own epidemiology characteristics. Traumatic injury and traffic accident are the main reasons for calling ambulance service. In-depth study emphasizing the distribution and characteristics of trauma patients is crucial to the future development of EMS.
4.Targeted screening of atrial fibrillation using automated blood pressure measurement device with atrial fibrillation detection function, in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in primary care setting
Yu Man WONG ; Pang Fai CHAN ; Kit Ping Loretta LAI ; Man Hei Matthew LUK ; Hoi Tik FUNG ; Sze Wai YEUNG
International Journal of Arrhythmia 2024;25(1):5-
Objective:
The prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients under primary care in Hong Kong was yet to be explored. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of AF in patients with DM so as to provide evidence-based recommendations to incorporate AF screening as a component in regular diabetic risk and complication assessment. The performance of automated BP machine Microlife WatchBP Office AFIB as a screening tool for the detection of AF was also evaluated.Method This was a cross-sectional study. Patients with type 2 DM who attended the regular diabetic risk and complication assessment in the participating clinics from 24 August 2021 to 27 January 2022 were recruited. Blood pressure measurement by Microlife WatchBP Office AFIB and 12-lead ECGs were performed for AF screening.
Results:
Among 2015 DM patients in primary care, the prevalence of AF was found to be 1.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.3–2.6). The prevalence of AF increased with age, from 0.5% in patients aged < 65 years, to 2.2% in patients aged 65–74 years and 4.3% in patients aged ≥ 75 years. The sensitivity and specificity of Microlife WatchBP Office AFIB to detect AF were 80% (95% Cl 61.8–92.3) and 97.9%. (95% CI 97.3–98.5), respectively. The positive and negative predictive values were 32.8% (95% CI 21.9–45.1) and 99.7% (95% CI 99.5–99.9) respectively.
Conclusions
AF screening with the use of Microlife WatchBP Office AFIB is a simple procedure and can be considered as a standard assessment in the regular comprehensive diabetic risk and complication assessment in primary care setting.
5.Use of glecaprevir/pibrentasvir in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection and severe renal impairment
Desmond Y. H. YAP ; Kevin S. H. LIU ; Yu-Chun HSU ; Grace L. H. WONG ; Ming-Chang TSAI ; Chien-Hung CHEN ; Ching-Sheng HSU ; Yee Tak HUI ; Michael K. K. LI ; Chen-Hua LIU ; Yee-Man KAN ; Ming-Lung YU ; Man-Fung YUEN
Clinical and Molecular Hepatology 2020;26(4):554-561
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.
6.Siegesbeckia Orientalis L. Extract Attenuates Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction, Systemic Inflammation, and Neuroinflammation.
John Man Tak CHU ; Wei XIONG ; Ke Gang LINGHU ; Yan LIU ; Yan ZHANG ; Guan Ding ZHAO ; Michael G IRWIN ; Gordon Tin Chun WONG ; Hua YU
Experimental Neurobiology 2018;27(6):564-573
A proportion of patients experience acute or even prolonged cognitive impairment after surgery, a condition known as postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD). It is characterized by impairment in different cognitive domains and neuroinflammation has been implicated as one of the inciting factors as strategies targeting inflammation tend to improve cognitive performance. Siegesbeckia Orientails L. (S. Orientails) is a common Chinese medicinal herb used for managing chronic inflammatory diseases. We investigated if pretreatment with S. Orientails before surgery confers any neuroprotective effects in postoperative animals in terms of reducing inflammation and mitigating cognitive impairment. Three-month-old male C57BL/6N mice were fed different doses of S. Orientails extract for 14 days before they underwent a laparotomy. After cognitive testing they were sacrificed on postoperative day (POD) 3. Our results showed that animals with extract pretreatment demonstrated memory improvement in a dose-dependent manner compared with control. Further, evidence for the attenuation of systemic and neuroinflammation was found in the pretreated animals, along with the inhibition of inflammatory pathways and significantly reduced tau phosphorylation in the hippocampus. Taken together, these results demonstrated a neuroprotective effect of S. Orientails in postoperative animals, indicating a therapeutic potential of S. Orientails in minimizing POCD and the possibility of utilizing this traditional Chinese medicine perioperatively.
Animals
;
Asian Continental Ancestry Group
;
Cognition Disorders
;
Hippocampus
;
Humans
;
Inflammation*
;
Laparotomy
;
Male
;
Medicine, Chinese Traditional
;
Memory
;
Mice
;
Neuroprotective Agents
;
Phosphorylation
;
Plants, Medicinal
7.A genome sequence of novel SARS-CoV isolates: the genotype, GD-Ins29, leads to a hypothesis of viral transmission in South China.
E'de QIN ; Xionglei HE ; Wei TIAN ; Yong LIU ; Wei LI ; Jie WEN ; Jingqiang WANG ; Baochang FAN ; Qingfa WU ; Guohui CHANG ; Wuchun CAO ; Zuyuan XU ; Ruifu YANG ; Jing WANG ; Man YU ; Yan LI ; Jing XU ; Bingyin SI ; Yongwu HU ; Wenming PENG ; Lin TANG ; Tao JIANG ; Jianping SHI ; Jia JI ; Yu ZHANG ; Jia YE ; Cui'e WANG ; Yujun HAN ; Jun ZHOU ; Yajun DENG ; Xiaoyu LI ; Jianfei HU ; Caiping WANG ; Chunxia YAN ; Qingrun ZHANG ; Jingyue BAO ; Guoqing LI ; Weijun CHEN ; Lin FANG ; Changfeng LI ; Meng LEI ; Dawei LI ; Wei TONG ; Xiangjun TIAN ; Jin WANG ; Bo ZHANG ; Haiqing ZHANG ; Yilin ZHANG ; Hui ZHAO ; Xiaowei ZHANG ; Shuangli LI ; Xiaojie CHENG ; Xiuqing ZHANG ; Bin LIU ; Changqing ZENG ; Songgang LI ; Xuehai TAN ; Siqi LIU ; Wei DONG ; Jun WANG ; Gane Ka-Shu WONG ; Jun YU ; Jian WANG ; Qingyu ZHU ; Huanming YANG
Genomics, Proteomics & Bioinformatics 2003;1(2):101-107
We report a complete genomic sequence of rare isolates (minor genotype) of the SARS-CoV from SARS patients in Guangdong, China, where the first few cases emerged. The most striking discovery from the isolate is an extra 29-nucleotide sequence located at the nucleotide positions between 27,863 and 27,864 (referred to the complete sequence of BJ01) within an overlapped region composed of BGI-PUP5 (BGI-postulated uncharacterized protein 5) and BGI-PUP6 upstream of the N (nucleocapsid) protein. The discovery of this minor genotype, GD-Ins29, suggests a significant genetic event and differentiates it from the previously reported genotype, the dominant form among all sequenced SARS-CoV isolates. A 17-nt segment of this extra sequence is identical to a segment of the same size in two human mRNA sequences that may interfere with viral replication and transcription in the cytosol of the infected cells. It provides a new avenue for the exploration of the virus-host interaction in viral evolution, host pathogenesis, and vaccine development.
Base Sequence
;
China
;
Cluster Analysis
;
Gene Components
;
Genetic Variation
;
Genome, Viral
;
Genotype
;
Molecular Sequence Data
;
Phylogeny
;
Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
;
SARS Virus
;
genetics
;
Sequence Analysis, DNA
;
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
;
genetics
8.Knowledge, attitudes and practices towards COVID-19 among multiethnic elderly Asian residents in Singapore: a mixed-methods study.
Amudha ARAVINDHAN ; Alfred Tau Liang GAN ; Ester Pei Xuan LEE ; Preeti GUPTA ; Ryan MAN ; Kam Chun HO ; Sharon Cohan SUNG ; Ching-Yu CHENG ; Moi Lin LING ; Hiang Khoon TAN ; Tien Yin WONG ; Eva Katie FENWICK ; Ecosse Luc LAMOUREUX
Singapore medical journal 2023;64(11):657-666
INTRODUCTION:
We investigated the knowledge, attitudes and practice (KAP) towards coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its related preventive measures in Singaporeans aged ≥60 years.
METHODS:
This was a population-based, cross-sectional, mixed-methods study (13 May 2020-9 June 2020) of participants aged ≥ 60 years. Self-reported KAP about ten symptoms and six government-endorsed preventive measures related to COVID-19 were evaluated. Multivariable regression models were used to identify sociodemographic and health-related factors associated with KAP in our sample. Associations between knowledge/attitude scores and practice categories were determined using logistic regression. Seventy-eight participants were interviewed qualitatively about the practice of additional preventive measures and data were analysed thematically.
RESULTS:
Mean awareness score of COVID-19 symptoms was 7.2/10. The most known symptom was fever (93.0%) and the least known was diarrhoea (33.5%). Most participants knew all six preventive measures (90.4%), perceived them as effective (78.7%) and practised 'wear a mask' (97.2%). Indians, Malays and participants living in smaller housing had poorer mean scores for knowledge of COVID-19 symptoms. Older participants had poorer attitudes towards preventive measures. Compared to Chinese, Indians had lower odds of practising three out of six recommendations. A one-point increase in score for knowledge and attitudes regarding preventive measures resulted in higher odds of always practising three of six and two of six measures, respectively. Qualitative interviews revealed use of other preventive measures, for example, maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
CONCLUSIONS
Elderly Singaporeans displayed high levels of KAP about COVID-19 and its related preventive measures, with a positive association between levels of knowledge/attitude and practice. However, important ethnic and socioeconomic disparities were evident, indicating that key vulnerabilities remain, which require immediate attention.
Humans
;
Aged
;
COVID-19/epidemiology*
;
SARS-CoV-2
;
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
;
Cross-Sectional Studies
;
Singapore/epidemiology*
;
Surveys and Questionnaires