Search

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) was introduced in China more than 60 years ago and has grown continuously since then. Now China leads the first of the world in number of patients on PD. In this manuscript a brief review of the history of peritoneal dialysis in China is presented; this includes a description of pioneers and their important contributions, discussion of peritoneal dialysate, the technique of the use of Tenckhoff catheter, the use of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) and dialysis registration. Current ongoing PD research activities among Chinese PD academicians are also discussed. Finally, we present four areas of future focus: 1) the promotion of PD in rural areas where PD use is still very limited due to the lack of PD awareness and education; 2) PD quality management and continuous quality improvement (CQI) program particularly focusing on PD adequacy and patient rehabilitation; 3) development and enforcement of national standards on PD management; 4) multi-center studies to compare the benefits of PD and hemodialysis (HD) that should include survival, rehabilitation and cost-effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The deteriorating air quality in eastern China including the Yangtze River Delta is attracting growing public concern. In this study, we measured the ambient PM10and fine PM2.5in the mega-city, Nanjing at four different times. The 24-h average PM2.5and PM10mass concentrations were 0.033–0.234 and 0.042–0.328 mg/m3, respectively. The daily PM10and PM2.5concentrations were 2.9 (2.7–3.2, at 95% confidence interval) and 4.2 (3.8–4.6) times the WHO air quality guidelines of 0.025 mg/m3for PM2.5and 0.050 mg/m3for PM10, respectively, which indicated serious air pollution in the city. There was no obvious weekend effect. The highest PM10pollution occurred in the wintertime, with higher PM2.5loadings in the winter and summer. PM2.5was correlated significantly with PM10and the average mass fraction of PM2.5in PM10was about 72.5%. This fraction varied during different sampling periods, with the lowest PM2.5fraction in the spring but minor differences among the other three seasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chinese people are consistently reported to be less likely to commit to posthumous organ donation than the Westerners. This study aims at investigating how death anxiety may hinder them from expressing their willingness to donate organs. Among 290 Hong Kong Chinese adults (age ≥ 25 years), a higher level of death anxiety was associated with a greater expectation of medical neglect and a lower level of self-efficacy. Moreover, a higher level of death anxiety was also correlated with a lower likelihood of donor card signing and discussion of organ donation. The results of regression analyses suggested a mediating role of self-efficacy on the relationship between death anxiety and these behaviors. That is, death anxiety, by lowering one's perceived self-efficacy, reduces his/her likelihood to sign the donor card or to tell his/her donation decision. Findings suggest that death education program should be included in promotion campaigns for Chinese adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]