Search

Abstract: In order to evaluate effects of exposure to mercury (tHg) and methylmercury (MeHg) of Hong Kong residents via consumption of fish, total and bioaccessible concentrations of tHg and MeHg were measured in 10 freshwater and 10 marine fishes collected from markets in Hong Kong. Concentrations of tHg and MeHg in fishes ranged from 27.2 to 311ngg−1 (median 88.9ngg−1) and ND to 116ngg−1 (median 45.0ngg−1), respectively. Concentrations of MeHg in marine fishes (64.4±28.5ngg−1) were significantly greater than those in freshwater fishes (40.3±26.0ngg−1). Bioaccessibility tHg and MeHg was predicted for edible flesh of twenty fishes by use of an in vitro gastrointestinal assay. Bioaccessibilities of tHg and MeHg ranged from 21.4 to 51.7% (mean 37.4%) and 19.5 to 59.2% (mean 43.7%), respectively. Based on total concentrations, diets of 36% of adults and 51% of children exceeded the reference dose (RfD, 100ngkg−1 bodymass(bm)d−1) for MeHg, but when bioaccessibility was considered, consumption of local market fish would not result in an EDIbio exceeded the RfD of MeHg for Hong Kong adults. These contradictory results suggested that risk assessments based on total concentrations would overestimate exposure because not all of contaminants consumed are bioaccessible. Furthermore, 9% of children had EDIbio for MeHg that exceeded the RfD, which suggests that more attention should be paid to consumption of local fish on health and development of children in Hong Kong. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective:An association between weight gain and breakfast skipping has been reported, but breakfast location was rarely considered. We investigated the prospective associations between breakfast location, breakfast skipping and body mass index (BMI) change in a large cohort of Chinese children.Design:Our baseline cohort consisted of 113 457 primary 4 (US grade 4) participants of the Hong Kong Department of Health Student Health Service in 1998-2000. Of these, 68 606 (60.5%) had complete records and were successfully followed-up 2 years later. Data on breakfast consumption and location were collected at both time points along with other lifestyle characteristics. BMI was derived from objectively measured height and weight. Associations between breakfast habits and BMI change were assessed by multivariable linear regression, adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic and lifestyle characteristics.Results:At baseline, 85.3, 9.4 and 5.2% of children had breakfast at home, away from home and skipped breakfast, respectively. Prospectively, having breakfast away from home (vs at home) predicted a greater BMI increase over two years (β=0.15; 95% CI: 0.11-0.18). Breakfast skipping had a comparable, slightly smaller effect (0.13; 0.09-0.18).Conclusion:Both breakfast skipping and eating breakfast away from home predict greater increases in BMI during childhood, the effect being slightly stronger in the latter. Having breakfast, particularly at home, could have important implications for weight management and reducing obesity in children. Further research is required to gain insight into potential underlying mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The negative association of insomnia and internet addiction with mental health is widely documented in the literature, yet little is known about their inter-relationships. The primary aim of this study was to examine the inter-relationships between insomnia, internet addiction and depression. A total of 719 Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong participated in this school-based cross-sectional study. Participants completed the Chinese version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Chinese Internet Addiction Scale (CIAS), the 12-item version of General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and questions assessing internet use pattern and sociodemographic characteristics. The classification of internet addiction and insomnia was based on the CIAS cutoff global score >63 and PSQI cutoff global score >5, respectively. Multiple regression analyses tested the effects of insomnia and internet addiction on depression. Among students with internet addiction (17.2%), 51.7% were also identified as insomniacs. Internet addicts scored significantly poorer on all PSQI components, except sleep duration, than their non-addicted counterparts. After adjustment for gender and internet use time, both internet addiction (β = 0.05; Sobel test Z = 6.50, P < 0.001) and insomnia (β = 0.59; Sobel test Z = 4.49, P < 0.001) demonstrated a significant association with depression. Overall, there is high comorbidity between internet addiction and insomnia. Both insomnia and internet addiction emerged as significant explanatory factors, but they exerted differential effects on depression. Future research should be directed at determining the causal relationship between internet addiction and insomnia, and its underlying mechanism with depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of risk factors including obesity, insufficient consumption of fruits and vegetables, and lack of physical activities are responsible for the majority of chronic disease burden. Healthy behaviours should begin early in life with sustained actions, but in many countries there is no system addressing positive health. The opportunities offered by different settings for gaining entry into individuals and groups are of paramount importance for health promotion. Evidence has shown the effectiveness of the Healthy School model to improve healthy eating and physical activities. In this article we report key findings of studies in Hong Kong showing changes in school policies and environment in relationship to student health apart from improvement of health behaviours by adopting the Healthy School framework. A case study has illustrated how the framework created a supportive environment, policies changes, and personal health skills development to improve healthy eating. The Healthy School model can help to combat childhood obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractFrontal and basal ganglia infarcts and executive dysfunction are thought to be involved in the pathophysiology of poststroke emotional incontinence (PSEI). The study examined whether patients with PSEI have more frontal and/or basal ganglia infarcts and impairment in executive function. A total of 516 Chinese patients with acute ischemic stroke consecutively admitted to the acute stroke unit of a university-affiliated regional hospital in Hong Kong were screened for PSEI 3 months after the index stroke. According to Kim?s criteria, 39 (7.6%) had PSEI. Thirty-nine stroke patients without PSEI served as matched control group. The PSEI group had significantly more frontal and/or basal ganglia infarcts, had lower Chinese Frontal Assessment Battery scores, required more time to complete the Stroop Test, and made more omission and commission errors in the Go?NoGo test. There was no significant correlation between frontal or basal ganglia infarcts and executive function. The correlation between frontal infarct and severity of PSEI was .420. Further follow-up and functional imaging studies are warranted to explore the relationship between PSEI, brain infarcts, and executive dysfunction. (JINS, 2009, 15, 62?68.) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Time-lapse videography of limpets mounted with light-emitting diodes was used to monitor the movements of a population of the non-homing Cellana grata on a vertical gully wall in Hong Kong. Animals were monitored for >7 days to examine spatial and temporal variation in their behaviour as the tides transited from a semi-diurnal to an almost diurnal pattern. Movement was synchronised with the tides, irrespective of the day–night cycles. Limpets rested low on the shore and were stimulated to move by the rising tide. Individuals moved up shore with the flooding tide, maintaining themselves in the awash zone, and then down shore on the ebbing tide, until they reached a resting height when the tide then fell beneath them, exhibiting ‘zonal shuttling’. A tight coupling of limpet position to tide height persisted through the changing tidal pattern, and almost all animals displayed the same organisation of activity over all tides. Initiation of activity and maximum height reached were probably controlled by the tides, but the cessation of activity may have been controlled by an internal clock. The pattern observed is consistent with the threat of attack from aquatic predators coupled with the need to minimise physical stresses while exposed. It is also consistent with the avoidance of grazing lower on the shore where interspecific competition may be more intense. Limpets showed two peaks of activity per tide, corresponding to when the rate of change of tide height was the greatest, except when tides became much reduced during the transit to a diurnal pattern. Movement was triphasic: an initial rapid phase, followed by a slower phase in the high shore and then a rapid phase before the limpets stopped moving. This structure is common in limpets and in this case is likely to be a consequence of animals maintaining themselves within the awash zone. Tide height appears to determine foraging activity, but with modifications in the behaviour in response to factors operating at more local temporal and spatial scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a retrospective chart review of psychiatric admissions related to cough mixture misuse for a 54-month period conducted in Hong Kong. Subject identification; Main psychiatric presentations; Association of psychiatric presentations with pharmacological activities of opiates, antihistamines and sympathomimetics.

Presents a biocultural study of the side effects of chronic lithium treatment among Hong Kong Chinese psychiatric patients. Imperfect correspondence between biomedically prescribed and culturally endorsed psychotropic side effects; Patients' complaints; Comparison with Western data on the biomedically universalizable effects of treatment.

Objective: The present study, conducted in Hong Kong, aimed to evaluate the effect of topical steroid in non-retractile prepubertal foreskin by a prospective, randomized, double-blind design. Material and methods: 137 boys with non-retractile foreskin were randomized to betamethasone (n = 66) or placebo (n = 71) for 4 weeks with application of the cream twice daily. Non-responders to treatment were offered steroid treatment for a further 4 weeks. Results: The mean pretreatment grade of the foreskin in the steroid and control groups was 5.08 ± 0.66 and 4.97 ± 0.70, respectively. At the 4-week follow-up, 49 of the former (74%) had a retractile foreskin (grade less than or equal to 3, mean 2.38 ± 1.41). In contrast, only 31 of the control group (44%) had a retractile foreskin (less than or equal to 3, mean 3.55 ± 1.55) (p < 0.001). Only 14 boys were circumcised because 43 of the remaining 57 boys had a retractile foreskin after 4 weeks of treatment. Conclusion: when treatment is necessary, application of topical steroid as a first line of treatment may avoid surgery in almost 90% of cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents announcement regarding upcoming symposiums and congresses related to the biology of the skin. The 41st Annual Symposium on the Biology of the Skin will be held at Snowmass Village, Colorado, July 25-29, 1992. Focus of the conference will be hair biology. The 3rd Asian Dermatological Congress will be held January 15-17, 1993 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Hong Kong, China, a joint venture of the Hong Kong Society of Dermatology & Venereology and the Asian Dermatological Association.