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Biomedical subjects

V Wong

Publications and source records attributed to V Wong.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Acute renal disease, as defined by the RIFLE criteria, post-liver transplantation.

Acute renal failure (ARF) can complicate up to 60% of orthotopic liver transplants (OLT). The RIFLE criteria were developed to provide a consensus definition for acute renal disease in critically ill patients. Using the RIFLE criteria, we aimed to determine the incidence and risk factors for ARF and acute renal injury (ARI), and to evaluate the link with the outcomes, patient survival and length of hospital stay. Three hundred patients, who received 359 OLTs, were retrospectively analyzed. ARI and ARF occurred post 11.1 and 25.7% of OLTs, respectively. By multivariate analysis, ARI was associated with pre-OLT hypertension and alcoholic liver disease and ARF with higher pre-OLT creatinine, inotrope and aminoglycoside use. ARF, but not ARI, had an impact on 30-day and 1-year patient survival and longer length of hospital stay. ARI and ARF, as defined by the RIFLE criteria, are common complications of OLT, with distinct risk factors and ARF has serious clinical consequences. The development of a consensus definition is a welcome advance, however these criteria do need to be validated in large studies in a wide variety of patient populations.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2006

Acupuncture for epilepsy.

BACKGROUND: Seizures are poorly controlled in many people with epilepsy despite adequate current antiepileptic treatments. There is increasing interest in alternative therapies such as acupuncture; however, it remains unclear whether the existing evidence is rigorous enough to support the use of acupuncture. OBJECTIVES: To determine the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture in people with epilepsy. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched the Cochrane Epilepsy Group's Specialized Register (June 2005) and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library Issue 3, 2005). We also searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, AMED, TCMLARS, China Biological Medicine Database, Chinese Acupuncture Trials Register, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and National Institute of Health Clinical Trials Database from inception to June 2005. Reference lists from relevant trials were reviewed. No language restrictions were imposed. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials evaluating any form of acupuncture involving people of any age with any type of epilepsy were included. Trials included were those comparing acupuncture with placebo, sham or no treatment; or comparing acupuncture plus other treatments with the same other treatments. Trials that only compared different acupuncture methods or compared acupuncture alone with other treatments were excluded. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently extracted trial data and assessed trial quality using the Jadad score. Relative risk (RR) was used for binary data and weighted mean difference for continuous data, and 95% confidence intervals are given. Where possible, analyses were by intention to treat. MAIN RESULTS: Three small trials of varying methodological quality and with short follow up met the inclusion criteria. Two studied children in China and one studied adults in Norway. The two Chinese studies compared acupuncture plus Chinese herbs with Chinese herbs alone while the Norwegian study compared acupuncture with sham acupuncture. The two Chinese studies found that more children treated with acupuncture achieved 75% or greater reduction in seizure frequency (RR 1.52, 95% CI 1.12 to 2.05) and seizure duration (RR 2.38, 95% CI 1.13 to 5) with a significant 50% or greater reduction in seizure duration (RR 1.36, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.73). However, the two trials were of low quality without adequate description of randomisation method, concealment of randomisation or blinding. On the other hand, the higher quality Norwegian trial found that acupuncture did not improve the mean seizure frequency, seizure-free weeks, or quality of life in adults. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: The current evidence does not support acupuncture as a treatment for epilepsy. Much larger high quality clinical trials employing appropriate controls are needed.

Acupuncture Therapy↗
PubMed2006

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and blood mercury level: a case-control study in Chinese children.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between blood mercury level and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in Chinese children in Hong Kong. METHODS: Fifty-two children with ADHD aged below 18 years diagnosed by DSM IV criteria without perinatal brain insults, mental retardation or neurological deficits were recruited from a developmental assessment center. Fifty-nine normal controls were recruited from a nearby hospital. Blood mercury levels were measured by cold vapor atomic absorption spectrophotometry. RESULTS: The mean ages of cases and controls were 7.06 and 7.81 years respectively. Boys predominated (case = 44 [84.6 %], control = 44 [74.6 %]). There was significant difference in blood mercury levels between cases and controls (geometric mean 18.2 nmol/L [95 % CI 15.4 - 21.5 nmol/L] vs. 11.6 nmol/L [95 % CI 9.9 - 13.7 nmol/L], p < 0.001), which persists after adjustment for age, gender and parental occupational status (p < 0.001). The geometric mean blood mercury level was also significantly higher in children with inattentive (19.4 nmol/L, 95 % CI 13.3 - 28.5 nmol/L) and combined (18.0 nmol/L, 95 % CI 14.9 - 21.8 nmol/L) subtypes of ADHD. Blood mercury levels were above 29 nmol/L in 17 (26.9 %) cases and 6 (10.2 %) controls. Children with blood mercury level above 29 nmol/L had 9.69 times (95 % CI 2.57 - 36.5) higher risk of having ADHD after adjustment for confounding variables. CONCLUSION: High blood mercury level was associated with ADHD. Whether the relationship is causal requires further studies.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Cultivating psychological well-being in Hong Kong's future doctors.

There has been much recent attention on psychological well-being and pastoral care for medical students. This study examines psychological morbidity (depression, anxiety and stress) in Hong Kong medical students, as well as their concerns, coping mechanisms and their help-seeking. Medical students in Hong Kong reported a higher level of psychological morbidity as compared with other tertiary education students. Their main concerns include examinations, stress, career, adjusting to the new medical curriculum and commitment to the course. The coping skills adopted were largely adaptive. Maladaptive coping skills like 'denial', 'self-blame' and 'behavioural disengagement' were highly correlated with depression, anxiety and stress scores. Most of the students concerned wanted support services that were specifically tailored to their needs and at least partly provided by people who had been through medical training themselves. The faculty at the University of Hong Kong is establishing a Programme for Effective Transition and Student Support (PETSS) to provide a multi-faceted support system for its medical students. The findings in this study help to ensure that the services provided will be relevant, accessible and acceptable to the students.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2005

The use of an herbal formula by hospital care workers during the severe acute respiratory syndrome epidemic in Hong Kong to prevent severe acute respiratory syndrome transmission, relieve influenza-related symptoms, and improve quality of life: a prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the efficacy of an herbal formula in the prevention of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) transmission among health care workers. The secondary objectives are to investigate quality of life (QOL) and symptomology changes among supplement users, and to evaluate the safety of this formula. DESIGN: Controlled clinical trial. SETTINGS: Hong Kong during epidemic of SARS. SUBJECTS: Two cohorts of health care workers from 11 hospitals in Hong Kong, 1 using an herbal supplement for a 2-week period (n = 1063) and a control cohort comprising all other health care workers who did not receive the supplement (n = 36,111) were compared prospectively. INTERVENTIONS: Taking an herbal supplement for a 2-week period. OUTCOME MEASURES: SARS attack rates and changes in quality of life and influenza-like symptoms were also examined at three timepoints among herbal supplement users. RESULTS: None of the health care workers who used the supplement subsequently contracted SARS compared to 0.4% of the health care workers who did not use the supplement (p = 0.014). Improvements in influenza-like symptoms and quality of life measurements were also observed among herbal supplement users. Less than 2% reported minor adverse events. CONCLUSION: The results of this pilot study suggest that there is a good potential of using Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) supplements to prevent the spread of SARS.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Exploiting T cell receptor genes for cancer immunotherapy.

Adoptive antigen-specific immunotherapy is an attractive concept for the treatment of cancer because it does not require immunocompetence of patients, and the specificity of transferred lymphocytes can be targeted against tumour-associated antigens that are poorly immunogenic and thus fail to effectively trigger autologous T cell responses. As the isolation and in vitro expansion of antigen-specific lymphocytes is difficult, 'conventional' adoptive T cell therapy can only be carried out in specialized centres in small numbers of patients. However, T cell receptor (TCR) genes isolated from antigen-specific T cells can be exploited as generic therapeutic molecules for 'unconventional' antigen-specific immunotherapy. Retroviral TCR gene transfer into patient T cells can readily produce populations of antigen-specific lymphocytes after a single round of polyclonal T cell stimulation. TCR gene modified lymphocytes are functionally competent in vitro, and can have therapeutic efficacy in murine models in vivo. TCR gene expression is stable and modified lymphocytes can develop into memory T cells. Introduction of TCR genes into CD8(+) and CD4(+) lymphocytes provides an opportunity to use the same TCR specificity to produce antigen-specific killer and helper T lymphocytes. Thus, TCR gene therapy provides an attractive strategy to develop antigen-specific immunotherapy with autologous lymphocytes as a generic treatment option.

Adenoviridae↗
PubMed2005

Using herbal medicine as a means of prevention experience during the SARS crisis.

At the peak of the SARS epidemic in Hong Kong, hospital workers were under high risks of contraction of the infection. Herbal preparations had been used historically in China to treat influenza-like diseases. During the SARS outbreak, herbal preparations had been used jointly with standard modern treatment in China. As a means to protect the at-risk hospital workers, an innovative herbal formula was created and consumed by 3160 of them in two weeks. During the two weeks, symptoms and adverse effects were close monitored; 37 of them had their serum checked for immunological responses. The results showed that none of the herb consumers contracted the infection, compared to 0.4% among the non-consumers. Adverse effects had been infrequent and mild. There were hardly any influenza-like symptoms and the quality of life improved. In the group who volunteered to have their immunological state checked, significant boosting effects were found. It was concluded that there might be a good indication for using suitable herbal preparations as a means of preventing influenza-like infection. The mode of preventive effect could be treatment of the infection at its very early stage instead of producing a period of higher immunological ability, as in the case of vaccination.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Glucagon-like peptide-1 regulates proliferation and apoptosis via activation of protein kinase B in pancreatic INS-1 beta cells.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The incretin hormone glucagon-like peptide-1 augments islet cell mass in vivo by increasing proliferation and decreasing apoptosis of the beta cells. However, the signalling pathways that mediate these effects are mostly unknown. Using a clonal rat pancreatic beta cell line (INS-1), we examined the role of protein kinase B in mediating beta-cell growth and survival stimulated by glucagon-like peptide-1. METHODS: Immunoblot analysis was used to detect active (phospho-) and total protein kinase B. Proliferation was assessed using (3)H-thymidine incorporation, while apoptosis was quantitated using 4'-6-diamidino-2-phenylindole staining and APO percentage apoptosis assay. Kinase-dead and wild-type protein kinase B was introduced into cells using adenoviral vectors. RESULTS: Glucagon-like peptide-1 rapidly activated protein kinase B in INS-1 cells (by 2.7+/-0.7-fold, p<0.05). This effect was completely abrogated by inhibition, with wortmannin, of the upstream activator of protein kinase B, phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase. Glucagon-like peptide-1 also stimulated INS-1 cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner (by 1.8+/-0.5-fold at 10(-7) mol/l, p<0.01), and inhibited staurosporine-induced apoptosis (by 69+/-12%, p<0.05). Both of these effects were also prevented by wortmannin treatment. Ablation of protein kinase B by adenovirus-mediated overexpression of the kinase-dead form of protein kinase Balpha prevented protein kinase B phosphorylation and completely abrogated both cellular proliferation ( p<0.05) and protection from drug-induced cellular death ( p<0.01) induced by glucagon-like peptide-1. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: These results identify protein kinase B as an essential mediator linking the glucagon-like peptide-1 signal to the intracellular machinery that modulates beta-cell growth and survival.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Randomised control trial of tongue acupuncture versus sham acupuncture in improving functional outcome in cerebral palsy.

BACKGROUND: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used historically in the treatment of cerebral palsy (CP). We investigated the efficacy of acupuncture in improving the motor function of children with CP. METHODS: A randomised control trial was conducted to assess the effect of tongue acupuncture (TAC) in 33 CP children. The subjects were randomised to treatment (n = 22) with TAC or control (n = 11). Clinical outcome was evaluated using the gross motor function measure (GMFM) and the pediatric evaluation of disability inventory (PEDI). RESULTS: The increase in mean GMFM score was significantly greater in the treatment than in the control group (p = 0.042). CONCLUSION: An improvement in motor function of CP subjects is seen following a short course of acupuncture.

Acupuncture Therapy↗
PubMed2003

MRI of neonatal encephalopathy.

We present the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in neonatal encephalopathy, including hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy, perinatal/neonatal stroke, metabolic encephalopathy from inborn errors of metabolism, congenital central nervous system infections and birth trauma. The applications of advanced MRI techniques, such as diffusion-weighted imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy are emphasized.

Birth Injuries↗
PubMed2003

Follicular stem cell carcinoma: histologic, immunohistochemical, ultrastructural, and clinical characterization in 30 dogs.

Diagnostic records of 30 primary and one metastatic follicular stem cell carcinomas in 30 dogs were reviewed. Neoplastic cells had a clear cytoplasm and formed lobules and nests surrounded by a basement membrane. Trichoepitheliomatous and apocrine differentiations were noted in 22 of 30 (73%) and 21 of 30 (70%) primary tumors, respectively. Glycogen was present in 20 of 20 (100%) tumors tested, suggesting tricholemmal differentiation. Antibodies against AE1/AE3 cytokeratin, vimentin, and melanA/MART1 stained 29 of 30 (97%), 29 of 30 (97%), and 12 of 27 (44%) primary tumors, respectively. Small amounts of melanin were identified in 14 primary tumors, either on the hematoxylin and eosin-stained section (n = 6), or on the Fontana-stained section (n = 8 of 14). Ultrastructural features of neoplastic cells included cell junction complexes, swollen mitochondria, neuroendocrine-like granules, and intracytoplasmic non-membrane-bound accumulation of proteinaceous material. Features of this neoplasm are consistent with a follicular stem cell origin. Follow-up information was available for eight dogs. Metastases developed in the draining lymph node at the time of excision of the primary tumor (n = 1) or subsequently (n = 3).

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Hypoxia-induced secretion of serotonin from intact pulmonary neuroepithelial bodies in neonatal rabbit.

We examined the effects of hypoxia on the release of serotonin (5-HT) from intact neuroepithelial body cells (NEB), presumed airway chemoreceptors, in rabbit lung slices, using amperometry with carbon fibre microelectrodes. Under normoxia (P(O2) ~155 mmHg; 1 mmHg approximately 133 Pa), most NEB cells did not exhibit detectable secretory activity; however, hypoxia elicited a dose-dependent (P(O2) range 95-18 mmHg), tetrodotoxin (TTX)-sensitive stimulation of spike-like exocytotic events, indicative of vesicular amine release. High extracellular K(+) (50 mM) induced a secretory response similar to that elicited by severe hypoxia. Exocytosis was stimulated in normoxic NEB cells after exposure to tetraethylammonium (20 mM) or 4-aminopyridine (2 mM). Hypoxia-induced secretion was abolished by the non-specific Ca(2+) channel blocker Cd(2+) (100 microM). Secretion was also largely inhibited by the L-type Ca(2+) channel blocker nifedipine (2 microM), but not by the N-type Ca(2+) channel blocker omega-conotoxin GVIA (1 microM). The 5-HT(3) receptor blocker ICS 205 930 also inhibited secretion from NEB cells under hypoxia. These results suggest that hypoxia stimulates 5-HT secretion from intact NEBs via inhibition of K(+) channels, augmentation of Na(+)-dependent action potentials and calcium entry through L-type Ca(2+) channels, as well as by positive feedback activation of 5-HT(3) autoreceptors.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Epidemiological study of multiple sclerosis in Hong Kong Chinese: questionnaire survey.

OBJECTIVE: To study the epidemiology of multiple sclerosis in Hong Kong Chinese. DESIGN: Cross-sectional questionnaire survey. SETTING: Neurology and paediatric neurology departments in Hong Kong from January through June 1999. PARTICIPANTS: All confirmed multiple sclerosis patients. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Demographic data, investigation results, Kurtzke's Expanded Disability Status Scale during the last follow-up visit, number of relapses between 1997 and 1998, and treatments used/currently in use. RESULTS: Fifty-three Chinese multiple sclerosis patients were identified. The prevalence was thus estimated to be 0.77 per 100,000 population. This low prevalence was also noted in other multiple sclerosis studies from South-East Asia (range, 0.8-4 per 100,000 population). The female to male ratio among the Chinese multiple sclerosis sufferers was 9.6:1, a figure somewhat higher than that reported in the other studies from South-East Asia (range, 3.2-6.6:1). The Chinese multiple sclerosis patients in this study also had a high spinal cord involvement (66%) and a low presence of cerebrospinal fluid oligoclonal banding (40%). These findings were different from those in Caucasian multiple sclerosis patients. CONCLUSION: Multiple sclerosis in Hong Kong Chinese has a low prevalence, a high female to male ratio, and a low cerebrospinal fluid oligoclonal banding presence.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

2,4-Thiazolidinediones as potent and selective human beta3 agonists.

Methylsulfonamide substituted 2,4-thiazolidinedione 22c is a potent (EC50=0.01 microM, IA=1.19) and selective (more than 110-fold over beta1 and beta2 agonist activity) beta3 agonist. This compound has also been proven to be active and selective in an in vivo mode.

Adrenergic beta-3 Receptor Agonists↗
PubMed2001

Ciliary neurotrophic factor activates leptin-like pathways and reduces body fat, without cachexia or rebound weight gain, even in leptin-resistant obesity.

Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor (CNTF) was first characterized as a trophic factor for motor neurons in the ciliary ganglion and spinal cord, leading to its evaluation in humans suffering from motor neuron disease. In these trials, CNTF caused unexpected and substantial weight loss, raising concerns that it might produce cachectic-like effects. Countering this possibility was the suggestion that CNTF was working via a leptin-like mechanism to cause weight loss, based on the findings that CNTF acts via receptors that are not only related to leptin receptors, but also similarly distributed within hypothalamic nuclei involved in feeding. However, although CNTF mimics the ability of leptin to cause fat loss in mice that are obese because of genetic deficiency of leptin (ob/ob mice), CNTF is also effective in diet-induced obesity models that are more representative of human obesity, and which are resistant to leptin. This discordance again raised the possibility that CNTF might be acting via nonleptin pathways, perhaps more analogous to those activated by cachectic cytokines. Arguing strongly against this possibility, we now show that CNTF can activate hypothalamic leptin-like pathways in diet-induced obesity models unresponsive to leptin, that CNTF improves prediabetic parameters in these models, and that CNTF acts very differently than the prototypical cachectic cytokine, IL-1. Further analyses of hypothalamic signaling reveals that CNTF can suppress food intake without triggering hunger signals or associated stress responses that are otherwise associated with food deprivation; thus, unlike forced dieting, cessation of CNTF treatment does not result in binge overeating and immediate rebound weight gain.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed2001

Genetic imbalances in pT2 breast cancers of southern Chinese women.

While much information has been reported on the genetic alterations in breast cancers of Caucasians, little is known about the Oriental populations where breast cancers currently rank the second most common neoplasm. As a first step toward understanding the underlying genetics changes in this population, we used comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) to the genome-wide analysis of forty pT2 tumors from patients of a racially homogenous population in southern China. A complex pattern of genetic alterations emerged with the commonest chromosomal gains identified on 1q (58%), 8q (55%), 11q13 (25%), 16p (28%), 17q (53%) and 20q (35%), and frequent losses on 8p (38%), 11q (28%), 13q (30%) and 18q (25%). When breast cancers with and without lymph-node metastasis were compared, a higher copy gain of 10p was identified in the node-positive group (P=.036). An overall increase in the average number of genetic aberrations was also identified in the late onset group (>45 years)(P=.042) with a higher incidence of genetic losses noted (P=.035). In particular, losses on 16q were detected in 30% of the late onset patients but none in the early onsets (P=0.049). In this study, we have illustrated the pattern of genetic changes in breast tumors of southern Chinese females. While frequent 1q, 8q, 17q and 20q gains, and common 8p and 13q deletions detected were consistent to those aberrations reported from the Caucasian populations, the difference in genetic changes associated in lymph-node metastasis and age of onset identified should provide the basis for additional investigations into the underlying tumorigenesis in the Oriental population.

Adult↗