Changes in cardiovascular disease risk predicted by the Framingham risk model in the Hong Kong population between 2003-2005 and 2014-2015: data from Population Health Surveys.

INTRODUCTION: The Framingham risk model estimates a person's 10-year cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. This study used this model to calculate the changes in sex- and age-specific CVD risks in the Hong Kong Population Health Survey (PHS) 2014/15 compared with two previous surveys conducted during 2003 and 2005, namely, PHS 2003/2004 and Heart Health Survey (HHS) 2004/2005. METHODS: This study included individuals aged 30 to 74 years from PHS 2014/15 (n=1662; n=4 445 868 after population weighting) and PHS 2003/2004 and HHS 2004/2005 (n=818; n=3 495 074 after population weighting) with complete data for calculating the risk of CVD predicted by the Framingham model. Sex-specific CVD risks were calculated based on age, total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, mean systolic blood pressure, smoking habit, diabetic status, and hypertension treatment. Mean sex- and age-specific CVD risks were calculated; differences in CVD risk between the two surveys were compared by independent t tests. RESULTS: The difference in 10-year CVD risk from 2003-2005 to 2014-2015 was not statistically significant (10.2% vs 10.6%; P=0.29). After age standardisation according to World Health Organization world standard population data, a small decrease in CVD risk was observed, from 9.4% in 2003-2005 to 8.8% in 2014-2015. Analysis according to age-group showed that more participants aged 65 to 74 years were considered high risk in 2003 to 2005 (2003-2005: 66.8% vs 2014-2015: 53.1%; P=0.028). This difference may be due to the decrease in smokers among men (2003-2005: 30.5% vs 2014-2015: 24.0%; P<0.001). CONCLUSION: From 2003-2005 to 2014-2015, there was a small decrease in age-standardised 10-year CVD risk. A holistic public health approach simultaneously targeting multiple risk factors is needed to achieve greater decreases in CVD risk.

Deliberate foreign body ingestion in patients with underlying mental illness: A retrospective multicentre study.

OBJECTIVE: Deliberate foreign body ingestion (DFBI) is characterised by recurrent presentations among patients with mental health conditions, intellectual disabilities and in prisoners. We aimed to profile the characteristics and evaluate the care of such patients in this study. METHODS: Adult patients with an endoscopic record of attempted foreign body retrieval between January 2013 and September 2020 were identified at three Australian hospitals. Those with a documented mental health diagnosis were included and their standard medical records reviewed. Presentation history, demographics, comorbidities and endoscopic findings were recorded and described. RESULTS: A total of 166 admissions were accounted for by 35 patients, 2/3 of which had borderline personality disorder (BPD). Repetitive presentations occurred in more than half of the cohort. There was an increased trend of hospital admissions throughout the years. At least half of the cohort had a documented mental health review during their admission. An average of 3.3 (2.9) foreign bodies were ingested per single episode. Endoscopic intervention was performed in 76.5% of incidents. The combined Length of stay for all patients was 680 days. CONCLUSION: Deliberate foreign body ingestion in mental health patients is a common, recurring and challenging problem that is increasing in frequency and requires collaborative research to further guide holistic management.

Real-world outcomes of unrestricted direct-acting antiviral treatment for hepatitis C in Australia: The South Australian statewide experience.

In March 2016, the Australian government offered unrestricted access to direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) to the entire population. This included prescription by any medical practitioner in consultation with specialists until sufficient experience was attained. We sought to determine the outcomes and experience over the first twelve months for the entire state of South Australia. We performed a prospective, observational study following outcomes of all treatments associated with the state's four main tertiary centres. A total of 1909 subjects initiating DAA therapy were included, representing an estimated 90% of all treatments in the state. Overall, SVR12 was 80.4% in all subjects intended for treatment and 95.7% in those completing treatment and follow-up. 14.2% were lost to follow-up (LTFU) and did not complete SVR12 testing. LTFU was independently associated with community treatment via remote consultation (OR 1.50, 95% CI 1.04-2.18, P = .03), prison-based treatment (OR 2.02, 95% CI 1.08-3.79, P = .03) and younger age (OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.97-0.99, P = .05). Of the 1534 subjects completing treatment and follow-up, decreased likelihood of SVR12 was associated with genotype 2 (OR 0.23, 95% CI 0.07-0.74, P = .01) and genotype 3 (OR 0.23, 95% CI 0.12-0.43, P ≤ .01). A significant decrease in treatment initiation was observed over the twelve-month period in conjunction with a shift from hospital to community-based treatment. Our findings support the high responses observed in clinical trials; however, a significant gap exists in SVR12 in our real-world cohort due to LTFU. A declining treatment initiation rate and shift to community-based treatment highlight the need to explore additional strategies to identify, treat and follow-up remaining patients in order to achieve elimination targets.

Sequential chemotherapy/radiotherapy was comparable with concurrent chemoradiotherapy for stage I/II NK/T-cell lymphoma.

Background: In stage I/II natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma, concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) had previously been shown to result in superior outcome compared with anthracycline-containing regimens, which have since been considered ineffective. The role of CCRT in comparison with approaches employing nonanthracycline-containing chemotherapy (CT) and sequential radiotherapy (RT) in such patients remains to be defined. Patients and methods: Three hundred and three untreated patients (207 men, 96 women; median age: 51, 18-86 years) with stage I/II NK/T-cell lymphoma who had received nonanthracycline-containing regimens were collected from an international consortium and retrospectively analyzed. Treatment included single modality (CT and RT), sequential modalities (CT + RT; RT + CT) and concurrent modalities (CCRT; CCRT + CT). The impact of clinicopathologic parameters and types of treatment on complete response (CR) rate, progression-free-survival (PFS) and overall-survival (OS) was evaluated. Results: For CR, stage (P = 0.027), prognostic index for NK/T-cell lymphoma (PINK) (P = 0.026) and types of initial treatment (P = 0.011) were significant prognostic factors on multivariate analysis. On Cox regression analysis, ECOG performance score (P = 0.021) and PINK-EBV DNA (PINK-E) (P = 0.002) significantly impacted on PFS; whereas ECOG performance score (P = 0.008) and stage (P < 0.001) significantly impacted on OS. For comparing CCRT ± CT and sequential CT + RT, CCRT ± CT patients (n = 190) were similar to sequential CT + RT patients (n = 54) in all evaluated clinicopathologic parameters except two significantly superior features (higher proportion of undetectable circulating EBV DNA on diagnosis and lower PINK-E scores). Despite more favorable pre-treatment characteristics, CCRT ± CT patients had CR rate, PFS and OS comparable with sequential CT + RT patients on multivariate and Cox regression analyses. Conclusions: In stage I/II NK/T-cell lymphomas, when effective chemotherapeutic regimens were used, CCRT and sequential CT + RT gave similar outcome.

Allogeneic haematopoietic SCT for natural killer/T-cell lymphoma: a multicentre analysis from the Asia Lymphoma Study Group.

Eighteen patients (men=14; women=4) with natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphomas (CR1, N=9; CR2, N=7; PR, N=1; progressive disease, N=1) undergoing allogeneic haematopoietic SCT (HSCT) (myeloablative, N=14; reduced intensity, N=4) were analyzed. With a median follow-up of 20.5 months, the 5-year OS was 57% and 5-year EFS was 51%. The use of the SMILE regimen pre-HSCT was the most important positive prognostic indicator, resulting in significantly superior OS and EFS (P<0.01). Acute GVHD had a significant negative impact on OS (P=0.03). CR1 and CR2 patients had similar survivals, but all patients who were not transplanted in remission died. Chronic GVHD, International Prognostic Index, disease stage, primary sites of involvement, conditioning regimen and source of HSC did not affect survival. Although allogeneic HSCT leads to reasonable survival for NK/T-cell lymphoma patients, results need to be compared with those in patients receiving L-asparaginase-containing regimens. Novel prognostic models incorporating biomarkers, such as circulating EBV DNA, are needed to identify high-risk patients who may benefit from allogeneic HSCT.

Quantification of circulating Epstein-Barr virus DNA in NK/T-cell lymphoma treated with the SMILE protocol: diagnostic and prognostic significance.

Circulating Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA is a biomarker of EBV-associated malignancies. Its significance in natural killer/T-cell lymphoma treated with the novel regimen SMILE was investigated. EBV DNA was quantified with a World Health Organization EBV standard in 910 plasma samples collected during 230 courses of SMILE in 56 patients. Median presentation EBV DNA was 1900 (0-1.4 × 10(7)) IU/ml. Presentation EBV DNA was significantly associated with tumor load and treatment response. To examine lymphoma chemosensitivity, EBV DNA changes after SMILE were evaluated. EBV DNA after SMILE (I) significantly correlated with tumor load and treatment response. Two dynamic parameters were further analyzed: negative EBV DNA after SMILE (I) and EBV DNA change patterns during treatment (A: persistently undetectable; B: persistently detectablepresentation). Negative EBV DNA after SMILE (I) and pattern A EBV DNA change significantly correlated with lower tumor load and superior outcome. Multivariate analysis involving presentation features, international prognostic index (IPI), Korean prognostic score and EBV DNA parameters showed that negative EBV DNA after SMILE (I) had the most significant impact (P<0.001) on overall survival and pattern A EBV DNA change had the most significant impact (P=0.002) on disease-free survival. Presentation EBV DNA, IPI and Korean prognostic scores were not independent prognostic factors.

High morbidity and mortality in adults hospitalized for respiratory syncytial virus infections.

BACKGROUND: Better understanding of complications and outcomes of adults hospitalized with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection is necessary. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on all adults (≥ 18 years) admitted to 3 acute care general hospitals in Hong Kong with virologically confirmed RSV infection during 2009-2011 (N = 607). Adults hospitalized for seasonal influenza during the period were used for comparison (n = 547). Both infections were prospectively diagnosed following a standard protocol. Independent reviews of chest radiographs were performed by radiologists. Main outcome measures were all-cause death, respiratory failure requiring ventilatory support, and hospitalization duration. Cox proportional hazards models were used for analyses. RESULTS: The mean age of RSV patients was 75 (SD, 16) years; 87% had underlying conditions. Lower respiratory and cardiovascular complications were diagnosed in 71.9% (pneumonia, 42.3%; acute bronchitis, 21.9%; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease/asthma exacerbation, 27.3%) and 14.3% of patients, respectively; 12.5% had bacterial superinfections. Supplemental oxygen and ventilatory support were required in 67.9% and 11.1%, respectively. Crude all-cause mortality was 9.1% and 11.9% within 30 days and 60 days, respectively; mean length of stay of survivors was 12 (SD, 13) days. Advanced age, radiographic pneumonia, requirement for ventilation, bacterial superinfection, and elevated urea level and white blood cell count were independently associated with poorer survival. Systemic corticosteroid use was associated with longer hospitalization and secondary infections. The overall outcomes of survival and length of stay were not significantly different from those in influenza. CONCLUSIONS: RSV can cause severe lower respiratory complications in older adults, resulting in respiratory failure, prolonged hospitalization, and high mortality similar to seasonal influenza. Corticosteroids did not seem to improve outcomes. The unmet need for antiviral therapy and vaccination against RSV in adults should be promptly addressed.

Antifungal drug usage in haematologic patients during a 4-year period in an Asian university teaching hospital.

BACKGROUND: Invasive fungal disease (IFD) is an important problem complicating the therapy of haematologic patients. AIM: This study aimed to provide data on the epidemiology of IFD in an Asian teaching hospital, as well as the prescription practice of antifungal drugs. METHOD: We conducted a retrospective review of 275 haematologic patients who were prescribed antifungal drugs in a 4-year period (2007-2010), of whom 130 (47%) had undergone haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. RESULTS: Antifungal prophylaxis with either fluconazole or itraconazole was given in 214 patients (78%). There were 414 prescriptions of antifungal drugs (including liposomal amphotericin B, voriconazole, caspofungin, micafungin, anidulafungin), of which 361 prescriptions were empirical. There were 14 patients with proven IFD, 11 of whom had breakthrough infection while on itraconazole prophylaxis. Interestingly, seven of these cases were due to infection by itraconazole-sensitive candida. CONCLUSION: These results provide important epidemiologic data necessary for the formulation of strategies for prevention and treatment of IFD in Asian patients.

[Energy and mass exchange and the productivity of the main ecosystems of Siberia (from eddy covariance measurements). 1. Heat balance structure in the vegetation season].

Direct measurements of heat balance (turbulent heat transfer and evaporation heat consumption) by the method of turbulent pulsations in 1998-2000 and 2002-2004 were used to obtain information on the daily, seasonal, and annual dynamics of energy fluxes and mass transfer between the atmosphere and the typical ecosystems of Siberia (middle-taiga pine forest and raised bog, true four-grass steppe, with the use of data for typical tundra) along the Yenisei meridian (90 degrees E).

Indolent T-cell large granular lymphocyte leukaemia after haematopoietic SCT: a clinicopathologic and molecular analysis.

Four women and three men after allogeneic (n=4) and autologous (n=3) haematopoietic SCT (HSCT) were observed to have an increase in T-cell large granular lymphocytes (T-LGLs) of CD3+CD8+ phenotype for a median of 41 (15-118) months. Clonal rearrangement of the T-cell receptor gene was verified by two PCR techniques and direct DNA sequencing, confirming that the cases were neoplastic and therefore classifiable as T-LGL leukaemia. In the allogeneic HSCT cases, T-LGL leukaemia was derived from donor T cells in three patients, as shown by DNA chimerism analysis, and recipient T cells in one patient who had graft failure previously. None of the patients showed cytopenia, autoimmune phenomenon or organ infiltration, which were features typical of de novo T-LGL leukaemia. Six patients had remained asymptomatic with stable large granular lymphocyte counts. One patient died from cerebral relapse of the original lymphoma. T-LGL leukaemias occurring post-HSCT are distinct from de novo T-LGL leukaemia and may have a different pathogenesis and clinical course. Patients did not require specific treatment, and the disease remained stable for long periods.

Studying the transmission dynamics of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Hong Kong using spa typing.

This study investigated the transmission dynamics of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in a tertiary referral surgical unit with 300 beds. All adult patients were actively screened for MRSA by culture at hospital admission and twice weekly thereafter during hospitalisation from 1 October to 31 December 2008. The colonisation pressure per 1000 patient-days and the incidence density of nosocomial MRSA transmission per 1000 colonisation-days were calculated for the different spa types of MRSA. In total, 6619 nasal swabs were obtained from 2289 patients. One-hundred and forty-eight (7%) patients had MRSA in nasal swabs at admission screening, of which 68/148 (46%) were residents of elderly care homes. Fifty-two of 2141 (2%) patients had conversion of nasal MRSA carriage status from negative to positive during hospitalisation. Among the 200 patients with MRSA, spa types t1081 and t037 were found in 99 (50%) and 30 (15%) patients, respectively. The colonisation pressure per 1000 patient-days was 40.9 for t0181, 22.2 for t037 and 26.3 for the less common spa types. The incidence densities of nosocomial MRSA transmission per 1000 colonisation-days were significantly higher for t1081 (28.5 vs 4.0, P<0.01) and t037 (21.5 vs 4.0, P=0.03) compared with the less common spa types. Proactive screening of MRSA in patients from elderly care homes and targeted isolation of these patients, especially those carrying spa types with high transmissibility, are important for the control of MRSA in hospitals.

Clostridium difficile isolates with increased sporulation: emergence of PCR ribotype 002 in Hong Kong.

We identified a predominant clone of Clostridium difficile PCR ribotype 002, which was associated with an increased sporulation frequency. In 2009, 3,528 stool samples from 2,440 patients were tested for toxigenic C. difficile in a healthcare region in Hong Kong. A total of 345 toxigenic strains from 307 (13.3%) patients were found. Ribotype 002 was the predominant ribotype, which constituted 35 samples from 29 (9.4%) patients. The mean sporulation frequency of ribotype 002 was 20.2%, which was significantly higher than that of the 56 randomly selected ribotypes other than 002 as concurrent controls (3.7%, p < 0.001). Patients carrying toxigenic ribotype 002 were more frequently admitted from an elderly home (p = 0.01) and received more ß-lactam antibiotics in the preceding 3 months compared with the controls (p = 0.04) . The identification of toxigenic ribotype 002 in 2009 was temporally related to a significant increase in both the incidence of toxigenic C. difficile from 0.53 to 0.95 per 1,000 admissions (p < 0.001) and the rate of positive detection from 4.17% to 6.28% (p < 0.001) between period 1 (2004-2008) and period 2 (2009). This finding should alert both the physician and the infection control team to the establishment of and possible outbreaks by ribotype 002 in our hospitals, as in the case of ribotype 027.

Effects of azithromycin in bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome after hematopoietic SCT--a randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled study.

Bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) is an important complication after hematopoietic SCT (HSCT). Recent observations suggested that azithromycin might improve lung function in BOS after HSCT. We conducted a randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled study on azithromycin in patients with BOS after HSCT. The treatment group (n=10) received oral azithromycin 250 mg daily while the control group (n=12) received placebo daily for 12 weeks. Respiratory symptoms were assessed by the St George Respiratory Questionnaires and spirometry at baseline (drug commencement), 1, 2, 3 (drug cessation) and 4 months (1 month after drug cessation). There was no significant difference in the baseline demographic characteristics between the treatment and the control groups in age, gender, time from HSCT to BOS, time since diagnosis of BOS, chronic GVHD, baseline respiratory symptom scores and baseline forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV(1)). Throughout and after 3 months of treatment, there were no significant changes in respiratory symptom scores and FEV(1) measurements between the treatment and the control groups. In conclusion, there was no significant benefit of 3 months of oral azithromycin on the respiratory symptoms and lung function in patients with relatively late BOS after HSCT in this randomized placebo-controlled study.

PIN1 expression contributes to hepatic carcinogenesis.

The phospho-Ser/Thr-Pro specific prolyl-isomerase PIN1 is over-expressed in more than 50% of hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs). To investigate its potential oncogenicity, we over-expressed PIN1 in a non-transformed human liver cell line MIHA. This resulted in up-regulation of beta-catenin and cyclin D1, leading to anchorage-independent growth in soft agar and tumorigenicity in nude mice. To further validate the role of PIN1 in hepatocarcinogenesis, PIN was suppressed by RNA interference (siRNA) in the HCC cell line PLC/PRF/5. siRNA-PIN1 transfection of PLC/PRF/5 cells led to repression of PIN1 expression, resulting in decreased levels of beta-catenin and cyclin D1. siRNA-PIN1 transfectants showed lower cell proliferation rates, reduced colony formation, and retarded cell cycle progression, with an increase in cells residing in G0/G1. Furthermore, soft agar colony formation was depressed, and tumorigenicity in nude mice was abrogated. These findings implicate PIN1 expression as an important step in hepatic carcinogenesis.

Why do primary care doctors undertake postgraduate diploma studies in a mixed private/public Asian setting?

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the reasons why primary care doctors undertake postgraduate diploma studies in a mixed private/public Asian setting. METHODS: Twenty four past or current postgraduate diploma students of the family medicine unit (FMU) of the University of Hong Kong participated in three focus group interviews. A structured questionnaire was constructed based on the qualitative data collected and was sent to 328 former applicants of postgraduate diploma studies at FMU. RESULTS: "Upgrading medical knowledge and skills" and "improving quality of practice" were two of the factors that most of the respondents considered to be significant in motivating them to undertake postgraduate diploma studies. "Time constraint" and "workload in practice" were however the most significant demotivating factors. Financial issues were more seriously considered by the junior than the senior doctors. To be able to "expand patient base and/or number" was considered to be a significant factor by the private doctors who were also keen to "improve communication and relationship with patients". CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that there are mixed reasons for primary care doctors to undertake postgraduate diploma studies. Course organisers should take into consideration these various reasons in planning their programmes.