Profiles of higher earning wives in Hong Kong and the implications for marital satisfaction.

Higher earning wives are emerging as a global phenomenon; however, the profiles of higher earning wives and the implications for marital satisfaction remain unknown in Hong Kong. On the basis of a representative household survey of 689 Hong Kong Chinese couples in 2012, this study aimed to explore the profiles of higher earning wives in Hong Kong and examine the effect of wives' income advantage on the couples' marital satisfaction. Results indicated that higher earning wives were clustered into 2 groups. One group of higher earning wives was older, was better educated, held managerial and professional jobs, and lived in high-income families compared with lower earning wives. The other group of higher earning wives was not well educated, held nonprofessional jobs, and lived in low-income families. Higher earning wives reported similar marital satisfaction with lower earning wives as well as their husbands. However, higher earning wives with nonprofessional jobs and from low-income families reported lower life and marital satisfaction than did those with better socioeconomic status. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Novel stem cell technologies are powerful tools to understand the impact of human factors on Plasmodium falciparum malaria.

Plasmodium falciparum parasites have a complex life cycle, but the most clinically relevant stage of the disease is the invasion of erythrocytes and the proliferation of the parasite in the blood. The influence of human genetic traits on malaria has been known for a long time, however understanding the role of the proteins involved is hampered by the anuclear nature of erythrocytes that makes them inaccessible to genetic tools. Here we overcome this limitation using stem cells to generate erythroid cells with an in-vitro differentiation protocol and assess parasite invasion with an adaptation of flow cytometry to detect parasite hemozoin. We combine this strategy with reprogramming of patient cells to Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells and genome editing to understand the role of key genes and human traits in malaria infection. We show that deletion of basigin ablates invasion while deletion of ATP2B4 has a minor effect and that erythroid cells from reprogrammed patient-derived HbBart α-thalassemia samples poorly support infection. The possibility to obtain patient-secific and genetically modifed erythoid cells offers an unparalleled opportunity to study the role of human genes and polymorphisms in malaria allowing preservation of the genomic background to demonstrate their function and understand their mechanisms.

Hot Weather and Suicide Deaths among Older Adults in Hong Kong, 1976-2014: A Retrospective Study.

Findings of the association between hot weather and suicide in a subtropical city such as Hong Kong are inconsistent. This study aimed to revisit the association by identifying meteorological risk factors for older-adult suicides in Hong Kong using a time-series approach. A retrospective study was conducted on older-adult (aged ≥65) suicide deaths in Hong Kong from 1976 to 2014. Suicides were classified into those involving violent methods and those involving nonviolent methods. Meteorological data, including ambient temperature, were retrieved. Transfer function time-series models were fitted. In total, 7314 older-adult suicide deaths involving violent methods and 630 involving nonviolent methods were recorded. For violent-method suicides, a monthly average daily minimum ambient temperature was determined to best predict the monthly rate, and a daily maximum ambient temperature of 30.3 °C was considered the threshold. For suicide deaths involving nonviolent methods, the number of days in a month for which the daily maximum ambient temperature exceeded 32.7 °C could best predict the monthly rate. Higher ambient temperature was associated with more older-adult suicide deaths, both from violent and nonviolent methods. Weather-focused preventive measures for older-adult suicides are necessary, such as the provision of more public air-conditioned areas where older adults can shelter from extreme hot weather.

PiggyBac mutagenesis and exome sequencing identify genetic driver landscapes and potential therapeutic targets of EGFR-mutant gliomas.

BACKGROUND: Glioma is the most common intrinsic brain tumor and also occurs in the spinal cord. Activating EGFR mutations are common in IDH1 wild-type gliomas. However, the cooperative partners of EGFR driving gliomagenesis remain poorly understood. RESULTS: We explore EGFR-mutant glioma evolution in conditional mutant mice by whole-exome sequencing, transposon mutagenesis forward genetic screening, and transcriptomics. We show mutant EGFR is sufficient to initiate gliomagenesis in vivo, both in the brain and spinal cord. We identify significantly recurrent somatic alterations in these gliomas including mutant EGFR amplifications and Sub1, Trp53, and Tead2 loss-of-function mutations. Comprehensive functional characterization of 96 gliomas by genome-wide piggyBac insertional mutagenesis in vivo identifies 281 known and novel EGFR-cooperating driver genes, including Cdkn2a, Nf1, Spred1, and Nav3. Transcriptomics confirms transposon-mediated effects on expression of these genes. We validate the clinical relevance of new putative tumor suppressors by showing these are frequently altered in patients' gliomas, with prognostic implications. We discover shared and distinct driver mutations in brain and spinal gliomas and confirm in vivo differential tumor suppressive effects of Pten between these tumors. Functional validation with CRISPR-Cas9-induced mutations in novel genes Tead2, Spred1, and Nav3 demonstrates heightened EGFRvIII-glioma cell proliferation. Chemogenomic analysis of mutated glioma genes reveals potential drug targets, with several investigational drugs showing efficacy in vitro. CONCLUSION: Our work elucidates functional driver landscapes of EGFR-mutant gliomas, uncovering potential therapeutic strategies, and provides new tools for functional interrogation of gliomagenesis.

Correction to: PiggyBac mutagenesis and exome sequencing identify genetic driver landscapes and potential therapeutic targets of EGFR-mutant gliomas.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

The effects of a celebrity suicide on suicide rates in Hong Kong.

BACKGROUND: Deaths of celebrities, especially by suicide, can be followed by an increase in population suicide rates, particularly where there is extensive media reporting. We have examined the impact on suicides following the death of a famous Hong Kong pop singer whose death from suicide by jumping from a height, occurred on 1st April 2003, and resulted in extensive and often dramatic media coverage. METHODS: Data on suicides were obtained from the Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department and the Coroner's Court. The numbers of suicides in 2003 before and after the death of celebrity were compared to the same period in 1998-2002. The case files and suicide notes of people who died by suicide in 2003 were also studied qualitatively. RESULTS: There was a significant increase in suicides following the celebrity death, compared with the average over the preceding three months as well as the corresponding monthly average during 1998-2002. It was particularly marked in a subgroup comprising males, aged 25-39 years, many of whom died by jumping. The name of the celebrity was often mentioned in case files and suicide notes. LIMITATIONS: The statistical results in showing the excess of suicides were based on aggregated data only. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides further confirmation of the potential harmful consequences of sensational and excessive reporting of celebrity deaths.

Association Between Changes in Risk Factor Status and Suicidal Ideation Incidence and Recovery.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about risk factors associated with the incidence of and recovery from suicidal ideation. AIMS: To examine the association between potential risk factors and their change in status over the follow-up period and the incidence of and recovery from suicidal ideation. METHOD: A 12-month follow-up survey was conducted among 997 adults aged between 20 and 59 years living in Hong Kong. RESULTS: The incidence rates of suicidal ideation increased in individuals who were divorced, separated, or widowed, in low economic status, had a history of psychiatric treatment, and experienced bereavement at baseline. Experiencing three or more life events and persistent unemployment over the follow-up period was associated with increased incidence of suicidal ideation. Increased levels of depression, anxiety, hopelessness, and irrational beliefs were associated with suicidal ideation incidence in men but not in women (p = .009-.067 for interactions). Among individuals who had suicidal ideation at baseline, those who had increased severity of depression, anxiety, and hopelessness over the follow-up period were less likely to recover from suicidal ideation. CONCLUSION: Life events and persistent unemployment were associated with increased risk of suicidal ideation. Gender differences were detected in the association between changes in the status of psychological factors and the occurrence of suicidal ideation.

A resource of vectors and ES cells for targeted deletion of microRNAs in mice.

The 21-23 nucleotide, single-stranded RNAs classified as microRNAs (miRNA) perform fundamental roles in diverse cellular and developmental processes. In contrast to the situation for protein-coding genes, no public resource of miRNA mouse mutant alleles exists. Here we describe a collection of 428 miRNA targeting vectors covering 476 of the miRNA genes annotated in the miRBase registry. Using these vectors, we generated a library of highly germline-transmissible C57BL/6N mouse embryonic stem (ES) cell clones harboring targeted deletions for 392 miRNA genes. For most of these targeted clones, chimerism and germline transmission can be scored through a coat color marker. The targeted alleles have been designed to be adaptable research tools that can be efficiently altered by recombinase-mediated cassette exchange to create reporter, conditional and other allelic variants. This miRNA knockout (mirKO) resource can be searched electronically and is available from ES cell repositories for distribution to the scientific community.

Validation of the Chinese translated Activities-Specific Balance Confidence scale.

OBJECTIVES: To translate contents of the Activities-Specific Balance Confidence (ABC) scale into Chinese (Cantonese), to examine the psychometric properties (internal reliability and validity) of this scale for use with Chinese older adults in Hong Kong, and to determine the level of self-perceived balance confidence of this population. DESIGN: A 2-phase exploratory study: formative qualitative research and a cross-sectional survey to establish the psychometric properties of the Chinese translated ABC (ABC-C) scale. SETTING: Community based. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred older community-dwelling subjects. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Measurement of perceived level of confidence in maintaining balance using the ABC-C scale. This instrument contains 16 items on indoor and outdoor activities requiring different levels of balance function. RESULTS: Four of the 16 ABC-C scale items had to be modified to achieve content equivalence and cultural relevance to Hong Kong. Final test items of this scale showed high internal consistency with a Cronbach alpha coefficient of .97. The instrument was found to have excellent test-retest and very good interrater reliability with intraclass coefficients of .99 and .85, respectively. Results of a factor analysis conducted on the scale showed evidence of a coherent 1-domain structure. The mean perceived balance confidence level +/- standard deviation of 100 community-dwelling older adults in Hong Kong, performed by using the ABC-C scale, was 71.6+/-23.7. CONCLUSIONS: Results of the present study verified that the ABC-C scale is a culturally relevant, valid, and reliable tool for measuring self-perceived balance confidence in Chinese older adults. These were reflected in very good to excellent internal consistency of items, test-retest and interrater reliability, and construct validity shown.

A genome-wide, end-sequenced 129Sv BAC library resource for targeting vector construction.

The majority of gene-targeting experiments in mice are performed in 129Sv-derived embryonic stem (ES) cell lines, which are generally considered to be more reliable at colonizing the germ line than ES cells derived from other strains. Gene targeting is reliant on homologous recombination of a targeting vector with the host ES cell genome. The efficiency of recombination is affected by many factors, including the isogenicity (H. te Riele et al., 1992, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89, 5128-5132) and the length of homologous sequence of the targeting vector and the location of the target locus. Here we describe the double-end sequencing and mapping of 84,507 bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs) generated from AB2.2 ES cell DNA (129S7/SvEvBrd-Hprtb-m2). We have aligned these BACs against the mouse genome and displayed them on the Ensembl genome browser, DAS: 129S7/AB2.2. This library has an average insert size of 110.68 kb and average depth of genome coverage of 3.63- and 1.24-fold across the autosomes and sex chromosomes, respectively. Over 97% of the mouse genome and 99.1% of Ensembl genes are covered by clones from this library. This publicly available BAC resource can be used for the rapid construction of targeting vectors via recombineering. Furthermore, we show that targeting vectors containing DNA recombineered from this BAC library can be used to target genes efficiently in several 129-derived ES cell lines.