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Biomedical subjects

K C Ng

Publications and source records attributed to K C Ng.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

Body mass index and its related factors in the elderly.

BACKGROUND: A cross-sectional study was conducted in May 1998 in Chung-Hsing Village, Taiwan to evaluate the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and its related factors in the elderly. METHODS: Individuals aged 65 years and over were recruited as study subjects. A total of 1093 persons, out of 1774 registered residents, were contacted for face-to-face interview (61.6%). However, only 586 respondents completed the questionnaire and had blood tests. Analysis was based on these 586 subjects. RESULTS: There were 66.0% men and 34.0% women. The mean age was 73.1 +/- 5.3 years. The BMI was 24.13 +/- 4.64 kg/m2 and 24.07 +/- 3.99 kg/m2 for men and women, respectively (P > 0.05). In univariate analysis, high systolic pressure, high diastolic pressure, hypertriglyceridaemia, hyperglycaemia and hyperuricaemia were related to obesity. After controlling for the other covariates, the multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that significant related factors of obesity were hyperglycaemia and hyperuricaemia. CONCLUSIONS: Significant related factors of obesity in the elderly were hyperglycaemia and hyperuricaemia. A large-scale investigation will be suggested in the future to address causal-effect issues between obesity and hyperglycaemia or hyperuricaemia.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Falls amongst institutionalised psycho-geriatric patients.

Falls are common among the elderly patients in the psycho-geriatric wards and yet they have been understudied. A fall is a multi-factorial syndrome involving the patient and the environment. Psycho-geriatric patients who fall may suffer serious physical injuries that result in morbidity, further institutionalisation or even mortality. This study aims to examine the contributing factors to, and morbidity and outcome of falls among institutionalised psycho-geriatric patients so that preventive strategies can be refined. Data of patients who fell over a year's period in four psycho-geriatric wards were collected retrospectively and compared with those who had not fallen within the same period. The general profile of the psycho-geriatric patient who falls is one who is: above seventy-five years old; on three or more medications; and having recent changes in medication and mental status. About one in three fallers fell repeatedly. The rate of serious injury and mortality was low. In conclusion, while many factors are attributable to the common effects of aging and physical illnesses; psychotropic medication, change in mental state and specific environmental factors also play significant contributory roles to falls in this group of patients.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMed2000

Prevalence and distribution of human herpesvirus 7 in normal brain.

Although it has been recognised that human herpesvirus 7 (HHV-7) establishes latent infection in CD4+ T lymphocytes and productive infection in salivary glands, recent data suggest that its in vivo tropism may be more widespread. In this study, the prevalence and distribution of HHV-7 in brain tissues of 30 consecutive post-mortems were examined by nested polymerase chain reaction. For each post-mortem, 10 fresh autopsy tissue samples were collected respectively from the cerebellum, frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital lobes of both cerebral hemispheres. These patients were aged from 20-95 years (mean = 61.4, SD = 20.2) with a male:female ratio of 2:1. Three patients died of intracranial haemorrhage, the others died of causes unrelated to the central nervous system. Overall, 5% (15/300) of the brain tissue samples were positive for HHV-7 DNA. The positive rates with respect to anatomical positions were similar (0-3/30). When analysed by patient, 36.7% (11/30) were HHV-7 DNA positive. The viral DNA-positive and -negative groups did not show a significant difference in gender or age distribution. The majority (81.8%) of viral DNA-positive patients had HHV-7 DNA detected at only one anatomical position; only two patients had viral DNA detected simultaneously at three anatomical sites. These results suggest that HHV-7 persists in brain tissues of a substantial proportion of the adult population, and in most individuals, its distribution is probably confined to one site rather than pervasive. Further studies to elucidate the role of this ubiquitous virus in neuropathology are warranted.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Epidemiology of hyperglycemia in elderly persons.

BACKGROUND: Our study used data collected in the Chung-Shing-Shin-Tseun community of Taiwan in May 1998 to evaluate the distribution of fasting glucose and the relation between hyperglycemia and the cardiovascular risk factors and sociodemographic factors in elderly persons. METHODS: Individuals aged 65 and over were recruited as study subjects. A total of 1,093 persons, out of 1,774 registered residents, were contacted in face-to-face interviews. The response rate was 61.6%. However, only 586 respondents took blood tests and completed questionnaires. Analysis in this study was based on these 586 subjects. The t test, chi-square analysis, and multivariate logistic regression were used to study the significant correlates of hyperglycemia. RESULTS: Of the individuals in our study, 66.0% were men and 34.0% were women. The mean age was 73.1 +/- 5.3 years. The mean values of fasting glucose were 5.5 +/- 1.6 mmol/L in elderly men and 5.7 +/- 2.1 mmol/L in elderly women. The hyperglycemic rates determined by modified World Health Organization criteria (> or =6.05 mmol/L) were 20.2% in elderly men and 20.7% in elderly women. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used, after controlling the other covariates, to show that the significant related factors in hyperglycemia were obesity (odds ratio [OR] 2.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02-4.5), high systolic pressure (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.1-4.0), and hypertriglyceridemia (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.03-4.4). No significant association was found between hyperglycemia and gender, age, high diastolic pressure, abnormal glutamic pyruvic transaminase, hypercholesterolemia, hyperuricemia, renal function impairment, education level, retirement status, or marital status. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of hyperglycemia is high in elderly persons. Hyperglycemia is significantly associated with obesity, high systolic pressure, and hypertriglyceridemia in elderly persons. It is important to examine other cardiovascular risk factors if one cardiovascular risk factor is observed.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

Fluorescence imaging of single molecules in polymer microspheres.

We report on far-field fluorescence imaging of single molecules in spherical polymer microparticles produced from solution by using microdroplet techniques. The fluorescence photobleaching quantum yields of rhodamine 6G in a common water-soluble polymer (polyvinyl alcohol) are at least five times smaller, corresponding to proportionally larger average fluorescence signals, than those in ethanolic solvents. This allows for acquisition of multiple images from a single molecule on a time scale of several minutes. We also show that fluorescent images of single molecules in microspheres can be calculated from semiclassic electrodynamics, which may ultimately be useful in retrieving dynamical information from experimental images.

Fluorescence↗
PubMed1999

Skin carriage of acinetobacters in Hong Kong.

We studied the carriage of Acinetobacter spp. at five superficial sites in 79 patients from two hospitals, in 133 healthy controls from the community (medical students and new nurses), and in 198 student nurses in different classes. A total of 431 isolates from 364 positive sites of 201 subjects and 124 blood culture isolates (1997 to 1998) were genospeciated by amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis. Genospecies 3 was the most common species. The carriage rate of student nurses (42 of 131) was significantly lower than that of new nurses from the community (25 of 38) (chi-square test, P = 0.0004; odds ratio [OR], 4.08; 95% confidence limits, 1.78 to 9.41) but not significantly different (P = 0.1) from that of patients in the same hospital (20 of 42). Genospecies from blood cultures and subjects (acute patients and student nurses) from Prince of Wales Hospital were similar to one another but different from subjects from the community or from another hospital (chi-square test, P < 0.0001). Half of the subjects who were positive at at least two sites had different genospecies. Of the 28 sites examined, 68% showed strain variation among isolates of the same genospecies by random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis. Half of the 106 subjects who had samples taken again within 6 weeks or 6 months later were positive only once. In the 17 subjects who were positive on at least two occasions, each occasion yielded different genospecies in 13 subjects. Our results indicate that skin carriage in the majority of healthy subjects is characterized by low density, variation in genospecies and strains, short-term duration, and the typicality of a given locality.

Acinetobacter↗
PubMed1999

Acinetobacter baumannii bloodstream infection: clinical features and antimicrobial susceptibilities of isolates.

The number of nosocomial infections caused by Acinetobacter baumannii has increased in recent years. The purposes of this study are to discover the risk factors of transmission to prevent the nosocomial infection of A. baumannii. We retrospectively studied 36 patients with A. baumannii bacteremia at China Medical College Hospital from January 1996 to December 1997. There were 23 males and 13 females. All bacteremia were acquired nosocomially. Malignancy (n = 8) and intracranial hemorrhage (n = 6) were the most common underlying diseases. Only one patient on arterial line disclosed intraarterial catheter-related A. baumannii bacteremia and 3 patients had evidence of A. baumannii pneumonia. Twenty-one patients (58%) had central venous catheters in place at the onset of bacteremia, but none was proven to be catheter-related infection. There were 32 patients (89%) with unknown portal of entry. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that potential risk factors related to A. baumannii bacteremia were prior antimicrobial therapy (P < 0.05). The most common clinical features of A. baumannii bacteremia were, in descending order, fever, leukocytosis, thrombocytopenia and hypotension. Eleven patients (30.6%) died directly from A. baumannii bacteremia. All isolates were resistant to ampicillin, cephalothin, cefonicid and moxalactam. The most alarming evidence was that 19% of isolates showed resistance to imipenem. Our findings emphasized that A. baumannii bacteremia had the following characteristics: usually acquired nosocomially, unknown portal of entry, and high multiresistance, especially the increasing resistance rate to imipenem. Imipenem must be reserved as a last-line agent to treat A. baumannii infections, so we want to suggest that the treatment of choice for A. baumannii is gentamicin, amikacin or ceftazidime.

Acinetobacter Infections↗
PubMed1999

Association between serum uric acid and cardiovascular risk factors among elderly people in Taiwan.

In order to understand the distribution of serum uric acid and the relationship between serum uric acid and the cardiovascular risk factor among elderly people, a cross-sectional study was conducted in Chung-Shing-Shin-Tseun community in Taiwan in May 1998. All individuals aged 65 and over were collected. A total of 1123 persons, out of 1774 registered residents, were contacted by face-to-face interview. The response rate was 63.3%. However, only 586 respondents had blood tests and completed questionnaires. Analysis in this study was based on these 586 subjects. The mean uric acid values were 7.4 +/- 1.8 mg/dl in men and 6.3 +/- 1.6 mg/dl in women, respectively (p < 0.001). Multivariate linear regression showed that serum uric acid was significantly correlated with sex and body mass index. Simple correlation showed that serum uric acid was significantly correlated with diastolic pressure, total cholesterol, triglyceride and creatinine. Age, systolic pressure and fasting glucose were not related to serum uric acid. In our conclusion, the uric acid values are high among elderly people. The serum uric acid levels are significantly associated with the cardiovascular risk factors among elderly people.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1997

Evaluation of an expert system on lymph node pathology.

BACKGROUND: Pathfinder is an Expert System that assists pathologists in making accurate diagnoses in the domain of lymph-node pathology. Pathfinder provides a differential diagnosis based on the initial histological feature(s) observed by the pathologist, and suggests to the user additional histological features for observation that are likely to narrow the differential diagnosis. PURPOSE: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of pathologists with and without the Pathfinder. METHODS: Thirty H&E stained slides from 30 lymph node biopsy specimens on which a Consensus diagnosis was made by two experts were reviewed by 19 pathologists to evaluate Pathfinder. After a period of training, 10 pathologists using Pathfinder (Interactive Computer Method) and 9 pathologists using the Routine Method (diagnosis without computer) determined a differential diagnosis for 15 slides (Test 1). Pathologists were then crossed over, trained, and evaluated the remaining 15 slides (Test 2). For each test, the proportion of "correct" diagnoses was compared between methods. In addition, the information integration attributes (making logical diagnosis given a set of specific histologic features) of Pathfinder and pathologists were compared. Finally, feature identification and quantification skills of pathologists were determined and correlated with the percent correct diagnosis. RESULTS: The diagnostic accuracy using Pathfinder was greater than that using the Routine Method (40% v 32%, P = .02). Diagnostic accuracy for the group of pathologists who made diagnosis using the Routine Method in Test 1 increased when they made diagnosis using Pathfinder in Test 2 (27% to 44%, P < .0001). The proportion of correct diagnosis for the group of pathologists who used Pathfinder in Test 1 remained virtually unchanged when they gave up Pathfinder in Test 2 (35% to 37%). The percentage of incompatible feature identification ("atypical proliferation" diagnosis) was significantly lower after using Pathfinder (P < .0001). In addition, information integration attributes of Pathfinder were significantly superior than that of the pathologists (P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS: Pathfinder is a valuable tool that assists pathologists in making accurate diagnosis because it has superior attributes than pathologists to integrate information and to screen for observations incompatible with any specific disease.

Biopsy↗
PubMed1997

Plating of displaced mid-tibial fractures--a retrospective review of 80 cases.

We present a 2-year retrospective review and study of 80 patients admitted to our department with displaced mid-tibial fractures and treated by plate-fixation. This review paid particular attention to various complications that arose post-operatively. The incidence of post-operative complications was 22.5%, with one death. The main complications were infections and refractures. Among those infected, there were no cases of osteomyelitis. We did not find a statistically significant difference in infection rates between the closed and open grades of fractures. We conclude that plate fixation of mid-tibial fractures is comparable with other modalities of treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Urinary tract infection caused by Mycobacterium terrae complex.

We describe a case of recurrent urinary tract infection caused by Mycobacterium terrae complex in a patient with obstructive nephropathy. The mycobacterium was resistant to most antituberculosis drugs and despite its apparent clearance in the urine, the patient finally died of urinary sepsis caused by multiple bacterial pathogens.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

A study of post-stroke depression in a rehabilitative center.

This was a prospective study of 52 stroke patients. The incidence of post-stroke depression was 55%. A past history of depression was significantly associated with the clinical assessment of depression. There was no association between the clinical assessment of depression and type and site of lesion and intellectual impairment. The clinical assessment of depression was significantly associated with the degree of functional impairment. The clinical assessment of depression also correlated well with Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score. We conclude that post-stroke depression is unlikely to be caused by neuronal injury due to the cerebrovascular accident. There is also a significant reactive component to it. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale is suitable for assessing the severity of depression in stroke patients.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1995

Differences in immediate and short-term outcome of premature neonates treated with two types of exogenous surfactant preparation.

A retrospective review of the use of 2 types of exogenous surfactants was done to detect any differences in the short-term outcome. A total of 77 babies received surfactant replacement during the 1 year and 6 months under review. Of these, 30 had received a modified natural preparation, Survanta, and 47 had received a synthetic preparation, Exosurf. The median age at which the surfactant had been administered was at 4 hours of life. Twenty-three percent of all infants had received antenatal steroids. The infants who had received Survanta showed a more rapid initial response, with a lowering of oxygen requirements 1 hour after administration and improvements in the alveolar-arterial oxygen ratios. At 4 hours after administration, the mean arterial-alveolar oxygen ratio was 0.25 +/- 0.15 in the group given Survanta compared with 0.17 +/- 0.11 in the group treated with Exosurf (P < 0.05). These differences however did not persist beyond the first 12 hours after therapy. There were no significant differences between the 2 groups of infants in terms of survival, development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, intraventricular haemorrhage or ventilator days. A haemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus was clinically evident significantly earlier in babies who had received Survanta (mean age 1.86 days against 2.38 days, P = 0.04). The modified natural surfactants appeared to have a more rapid onset of action. The haemodynamic consequences of this more rapid onset of action have to be anticipated in such infants.

Biological Products↗
PubMed1994

Deep vein thrombosis: a study in clinical diagnosis.

Recently, three patients presented with deep vein thrombosis-like symptoms and signs but were negative on venogram. Three questions arose: Was the clinical diagnosis accurate? What is the accuracy of the diagnostic test used? What is the time taken for the clot to lyse? To answer the first question, a retrospective clinical study was done. For the other two I did a literature search. For the clinical study, I analysed thirty patients with venogram proven deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and five patients with DVT-like clinical findings but four were venogram negative and one was ultrasound negative. The results showed that symptoms and almost all the clinical signs were useless in differentiating these two sets of patients. Swelling was very sensitive but not specific and the Homan's sign was very specific for DVT but not very sensitive and would be of use only in a case by case basis. Other significant findings were that DVT was more common in the Chinese than the other races and more common in females. The incidence of DVT is also particularly marked in the 30-39 and 70-79 age groups. It was also found that venograms were very accurate in diagnosing DVT but need to be read by two experienced radiologist. Also it was found that clot lysis can take place as early as 35 hours after starting heparin but vessel changes remain for at least 11 weeks.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗