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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Genotyping hepatitis C virus isolates from Spain, Brazil, China, and Macau by a simplified PCR method.

An improved and simplified method of genotyping was developed for classifying hepatitis C virus (HCV) isolates into the five common genotypes, i.e., I/1a, II/1b, III/2a, IV/2b, and V/3a, by PCR with genotype-specific primers deduced from the core gene. Sense and antisense primers, specific for each of the five common genotypes, were designed by comparison of 319 core gene sequences from HCV isolates of various genotypes from genetic groups 1 to 9. In the first round of PCR, a sequence of 433 bp representing nucleotides 319 to 751 was amplified with universal primers. The second round of PCR was performed with respective sense and antisense primers in two separate reactions, one for the amplification of genotypes I/1a and II/1b and the other for the amplification of genotypes III/2a, IV/2b, and V/3a. The specificity of genotyping was confirmed with a panel of 191 serum samples containing HCV isolates whose core gene sequences were known: 110 serum samples infected with HCV of the five common genotypes and 81 serum samples infected with HCV of other genotypes. The use of sense and antisense primers for genotype II/1b (primers 389 and 492) abolished the cross-reaction of the antisense primer for genotype II/1b (primer 133) with some HCV isolates of genotype I/1a found by our original method. The new method was used for genotyping 130 HCV isolates from Spain, 53 from Brazil, 106 from China, and 30 from Macau. A total of 329 bp of the NS5b region (nucleotides 8279 to 8607) of five isolates from Spain and five isolates from Macau which could not be classified as any of the five common HCV genotypes or genotype 2c were sequenced, and the sequences were compared with those of HCV isolates of known genotypes; two isolates from Spain were deduced to be of genotype 4d and one was deduced to be of genotype 1d, while the remaining two isolates from Spain had novel genotypes in genetic group 2; however, all five isolates from Macau were of genotype 6a.

Brazil

Urbanization and its effects on the ecology of mosquitoes in Macau, Southeast Asia.

Recent urbanization in Macau has resulted in the precipitous decline to zero in populations of several anopheline vectors of malaria while providing optimal habitat for the population increase in culicines. Of 18 species of mosquitoes reported in Macau in recent years, 15 species are included here. Culex quinquefasciatus, Culex sitiens, and Aedes albopictus were the most abundant species. Notes are provided for Anopheles sinensis, Armigeres magnus, Armigeres subalbatus, Culex foliatus, Culex fuscanus, Culex infantulus, Culex rubithoracis, Culex sumatranus, Culex tritaeniorhynchus, Mansonia uniformis, Toxorhynchites splendens, and Tripteroides sp.

Aedes

First trial of home ECG and blood pressure telemonitoring system in Macau.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the feasibility of home monitoring of patients with cardiac disease or hypertension. METHODS: An improved home electrocardiographic and blood pressure telemonitoring system linked to a central workstation was tested in 10 patients in Macau for 3 months. RESULTS: The total number of connections was 1377. Of the automatic alarm connections, 32.5% were false positive, with the percentage of false positives ranging from 7.6 to 54.6 for different patients. Both patients and physicians found the system easy to use. CONCLUSIONS: Further investigation is required to match the number of patients with the system capacity. A more robust dysrhythmia detection algorithm is needed to reduce the number of false alarms. Nevertheless, the results were sufficiently good that the trial is being expanded.

Blood Pressure Determination

Breast-feeding and fertility in Macau.

That fact that only a small percentage of women in Macau breast-feed induced the need to investigate this attitude. In collaboration with the Maternal & Child Health Division of the W.H.O., Geneva, it was decided that a methodology which had already been applied in other places should be used to investigate the relation between breast-feeding and fertility. In this way, information was obtained about the situation, within a given period of time which permitted a description of the duration of amenorrhea due to breast-feeding, as well as the patterns of frequency and duration of breast-feeding.

Adolescent

Congenital anemias in Macau.

The implementation of a Primary Health Care system in Macau has created the need to study the prevalence of Congenital Anemias in the population to facilitate the planning of measures needed for their control. Blood samples from 3815 women attending the antenatal clinics were screened for beta-thalassemia using MCH values as the preliminary test, followed by quantitation of Hb A2 and Hb F. Isoelectric-focusing was used to screen 1091 cord blood samples for the presence of Hb Bart's. The prevalence of alpha- and beta-thalassemia carriers was found to be 6.2% and 3.6%, respectively.

Anemia

Hb Hekinan observed in three Chinese from Macau; identification of the GAG----GAT mutation in the alpha 1-globin gene.

Hb Hekinan, an alpha chain variant that is characterized by a Glu----Asp mutation at position alpha 27, was observed in three Chinese females attending a prenatal clinic in Macau. The relative quantities of the stable hemoglobin were 13-14% (average 13.3%); its identification was greatly aided by the separation and purification of the peptides by reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography. Dot-blot analysis of amplified DNA with 32P-labeled probes located the mutation in codon 27 of the minor alpha 1-globin gene; the change involved a GAG (coding for glutamic acid) to GAT (coding for aspartic acid) mutation.

Adult

[Provision of pediatric cardiology care in Macau. Initial experience of the central hospital of Conde de S. Januario].

In the last decades, the conceptual and technical advances in paediatric cardiology have brought additional options concerning the provision of paediatric cardiology care. The purpose of this study was to analyse the initial experience of a paediatric cardiology service in a conventional general hospital serving a population of nearly 450,000 inhabitants, mostly Chinese. Access to several levels of care, including cooperation with a tertiary referral center, is described. From September 1993 to July 1995, 717 children with either suspected or diagnosed heart disease were seen: 294 (41%) were discharged and, of the remaining 423 with heart disease, 364 (85%) had congenital heart disease; 75% were adequately managed with the available local resources. Appropriate referrals provided more advanced approaches for the smaller group requiring them. The training of local doctors has ensured the continuity of a good standard of care for this group of paediatric patients in Macau, with an evident reduction in direct as well as indirect costs.

Cardiology Service, Hospital

New species of Toxorhynchites (Diptera: Culicidae) from Macau (China).

The male holotype and female allotype of Toxorhynchites (Toxorhynchites) macaensis Ribeiro, a new mosquito species from Macau, southern China, are described on the basis of the examination of a type series of 6 males and 7 females. Similarities of the new species with the other species of the Splendens group, to which the new taxon belongs, are discussed and keys to identification of males and females of all the species of the group are provided.

Animals

Bronchial asthma in children: clinical and epidemiologic approach in different Portuguese speaking countries.

BACKGROUND: Geographical differences in asthma prevalence are currently accepted, but evidence is sparse due to the lack of multicentre studies using the same protocol. OBJECTIVES: To compare the prevalence of asthma and atopy among schoolchildren from Portuguese speaking countries (ISAAC and Portuguese Study) and evaluate some environmental variables, such as house dust mite exposure. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Significant random samples of schoolchildren studied with standard validated methods--questionnaires, skin prick tests, methacholine bronchial challenge tests; dust bed sampling for analysis of mite antigens. RESULTS: In the ISAAC study, in the 13-14 year-old age group, statistical significant differences were found, with higher wheezing prevalence in Brazil than in Portugal (two-fold). In the Portuguese Study, atopy prevalence ranged between 6.0 and 11.9% in Sal and S. Vicente (Cape Verde), up to 48.6 and 54.1% in Macau and Madeira. Active asthma had the higher values in Madeira (14.6%), and the lower in Macau (1.3%). Cape Verde had intermediate asthma prevalence (10.6 and 7.0%). The bronchial challenge test was positive in 25, 66 and 70% of asthmatic children from Sal, S. Vicente and Madeira respectively. Significant HDM antigen concentrations (Der p1) were found in Cape Verde and Madeira. CONCLUSIONS: There are significant variations in asthma and atopy prevalence between these pediatric populations. The reasons remain under discussion, but genetics linked to race, seem to play a central role, modulated by environmental and lifestyle variables.

Adolescent

A home electrocardiography and blood pressure telemonitoring system.

A home electrocardiography (ECG) and blood pressure telemonitoring system for cardiac patients was installed in the Macau region. The monitoring centre was established in the emergency unit at the Government Hospital of Macau. The first users were 10 cardiovascular patients selected by a physician. The average age of these users was 61 years (range 30-78). The results of a three-month trial showed that the system was easy to operate and technically reliable. It was found to be helpful for cardiac patients. The most significant problem during the trial was electrical noise from the ECG electrodes.

Adult

Expanded programme on immunization (EPI) immunization schedules in the WHO Western Pacific Region, 1995.

There are 36 countries/areas in this Region; Mongolia was transferred to the Western Pacific Region in 1995. No data are available from the Cook Islands, Nauru, and New Caledonia (Tables 1-3). BCG is used in all but 6 countries/areas (American Samoa, Australia, Guam, New Zealand, Northern Mariana Islands and Palau). Most countries/areas give BCG at birth; Japan gives it at 3 months, the Republic of Korea at 4 weeks, and Samoa at 5 years of age. Nine countries give 2 doses of BCG and 4 give 3 doses, up to 15 years of age. Mongolia gives 4 doses up to 18 years of age. Diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus (DPT) vaccine is used as a primary series of 3 doses in all countries/areas; 17 countries give 1 to 3 booster doses of DPT vaccine in the first year of life or later. Diphtheria-tetanus (DT) booster doses are given in Brunei Darussalam, Mongolia and New Zealand. Td is also given in New Zealand. Oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) is used in a primary series of 3 doses simultaneously with DPT vaccine in all countries/areas. Eight countries/areas use an additional dose of OPV at birth (Cambodia, Fiji, Hong Kong, Kiribati, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea and Tuvalu). A booster dose of OPV in the second year of life is used in 9 countries/areas and a booster dose of OPV is given to schoolchildren in 16 countries/areas. Measles vaccine is given in all countries/areas from 8-15 months of age usually in the form of monovalent measles vaccine, except in Macau. In 4 countries/areas, it is given in the form of measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine (Guam, Hong Kong, Palau and Singapore). The 2-dose policy is implemented in 4 countries/areas (American Samoa, New Zealand, Palau, and Samoa). In Australia and Palau, the second dose is given as MMR vaccine. The age at the second dose varies from 4 to 13 years of age. Rubella vaccine is given in 4 countries/areas to girls between 10 and 14 years of age (Fiji, French Polynesia, Japan and Macau). In Hong Kong, it is not specified if only girls receive rubella vaccine. In Australia and New Zealand, rubella vaccine is given to seronegative women immediately after delivery. Hepatitis B is used in all but 7 countries/areas (Cambodia, China, Guam, Kiribati, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Tokelau and Viet Nam). All countries which give hepatitis B vaccine use 3 primary doses in infancy, the first dose being given at birth in 23 countries/areas. In Australia and Japan, this vaccine is given to groups at risk. Tetanus toxoid (TT) is used for pregnant or nonpregnant women of childbearing age. It is used in 14 countries/areas, but in Australia and Palau the target group is schoolchildren. The schedules include 2-5 doses of TT.

Adolescent

[Apropos of 2 anniversaries].

The Paediatric Cardiology Service in Santa Marta Hospital accomplished 25 years of existence at the end of 1994. The Conde de S. Januário Hospital, in Macau also celebrated its 120th anniversary at the same time. The Paediatric Cardiology a paper entitled collaborated in these festivities with Service of Santa Marta Hospital Paediatric Cardiology, 25 years. Hospital de Santa Marta-Lisbon-Past, Present, Future. This paper is now published.

Anniversaries and Special Events

Complete coding sequence of hepatitis C virus genotype 6a.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 6a is found in a restricted part of South East Asia, including Hong Kong, Macau and Vietnam. We determined the full length coding sequence of a type 6a isolate (EUHK2) obtained from a Hong Kong blood donor. The sequence of EUHK2 contained a single open reading frame coding for a polyprotein of 3018 amino acids, within the range of 3008 to 3037 for other HCV genotypes. The full length sequence of EUHK2 showed 30.3%-32.9% nucleotide (24.3%-29.4% amino acid) sequence divergence from genotypes 1-4, but only 27.7% (20.7% amino acid) divergence from JK046 ("type 11a"). These similarity values were intermediate between those of other HCV genotypes (minimum 28.4%) and between subtypes (maximum 25%). The close evolutionary relationship of EUHK2 with JK046 was further indicated by their grouping together by phylogenetic analysis.

Cloning, Molecular

Amaricoccus gen. nov., a gram-negative coccus occurring in regular packages or tetrads, isolated from activated sludge biomass, and descriptions of Amaricoccus veronensis sp. nov., Amaricoccus tamworthensis sp. nov., Amaricoccus macauensis sp. nov., and Amaricoccus kaplicensis sp. nov.

Three isolates of gram-negative bacteria, strains Ben 102T, Ben 103T, and Ben 104T, were obtained in pure culture by micromanipulation from activated sludge biomass from wastewater treatment plants in Italy, Australia, and Macau, respectively. These isolates all had a distinctive morphology; the cells were cocci that usually were arranged in tetrads. Based on this criterion, they resembled other bacteria from activated sludge previously called "G" bacteria. On the basis of phenotypic characteristics and the results of 16S ribosomal DNA sequence analyses, the three isolates were very similar to each other, but were sufficiently different from their closest phylogenetic relatives (namely, the genera Rhodobacter, Rhodovulum, and Paracoccus in the alpha subdivision of the Proteobacteria) to be placed in a new genus, Amaricoccus gen. nov. Each of the three isolates represents a new species of the genus Amaricoccus; strains Ben 102T, Ben 103T, and Ben 104T are named Amaricoccus veronensis, Amaricoccus tamworthensis, and Amaricoccus macauensis, respectively. An isolate designated Ben 101T, which was isolated independently by Cech and Hartman in Kaplice, Czech Republic, was also characterized and belongs to the same genus. We propose that the isolate of Cech and Hartman should be placed in another new species, Amaricoccus kaplicensis.

Carbohydrate Metabolism

Survey of type 6 group variants of hepatitis C virus in Southeast Asia by using a core-based genotyping assay.

Previous surveys of the prevalences of genotypes of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in different populations have often used genotyping assays based upon analysis of amplified sequences from the 5' noncoding region (5'NCR), such as restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) or hybridization with type-specific probes (e.g., InnoLipa). Although highly conserved, this region contains several type-specific nucleotide polymorphisms that allow major genotypes 1 to 6 to be reliably identified. Recently, however, novel HCV variants found in Vietnam and Thailand that are distantly related to the type 6a genotype (type 6 group) by phylogenetic analysis of coding regions of the genome often have sequences in the 5'NCR that are similar or identical to those of type 1 and could therefore not be identified by an assay of sequences in this region. We developed a new genotyping assay based upon RFLP of sequences amplified from the more variable core region to investigate their distribution elsewhere in southeast (SE) Asia. Among 108 samples from blood donors in seven areas that were identified as type 1 by RFLP in the 5'NCR, type 6 group variants were found in Thailand (7 from 28 samples originally identified as type 1) and Burma (Myanmar) (1 of 3) but were not found in Hong Kong (n = 43), Macau (n = 8), Taiwan (n = 6), Singapore (n = 2), or Malaysia (n = 18). Although this small survey suggests a relatively limited distribution for type 6 group variants in SE Asia, larger studies will be required to explore their distribution in other geographical regions and the extent to which their presence would limit the practical usefulness of 5'NCR-based genotyping assays for clinical or epidemiological purposes.

Asia, Southeastern