Search

Objective: We examined incremental healthcare costs (inpatient and outpatient) related to complications in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) during the year of occurrence and post-event years, utilizing the Joint Asia Diabetes Evaluation (JADE) Register cohort of Hong Kong Chinese patients with T2D between 2007 and 2019., Research Design and Methods: 19,440 patients with T2D underwent structured evaluation utilizing the JADE platform with clinical outcomes data retrieved from territory-wide electronic medical records including inpatient, outpatient and emergency care. Two-part model was adopted to account for skewed healthcare costs distribution. Incremental healthcare costs associated with nine non-fatal diabetes complications and all-cause death were estimated, adjusted for demographic, clinical, lifestyle factors and comorbidities., Results: In this prospective cohort [mean ± SD age:59.9 ± 11.9 years, 56.6 % men, duration of diabetes:7.3 ± 7.5 years, HbA1C:7.5 ± 1.6 %] observed for 7 (interquartile range:4-9) years (142,132 patient-years), the mean annual healthcare costs, mainly due to inpatient cost, were USD$2,990 ± 9,960. Lower extremity amputation (LEA) (USD$31,302; 95 %CI: 25,706-37,004), hemorrhagic stroke (USD$21,164; 17,680-24,626), ischemic stroke (USD$17,976; $15,937-20,352) and end-stage disease (ESRD) (USD$14,774; 13,405-16,250) in the year of event incurred the highest cost. Residual healthcare costs in the post-event years were highest for ESRD, LEA, haemorrhagic stroke and incident cancer., Conclusion: These comprehensive temporal healthcare cost estimates for diabetes-related complications allows the performance of long-term, patient-level, cost-effectiveness analyses on T2D prevention and treatment strategies relevant to an Asian and possibly global contexts. These may inform decision-makers on resource allocation aimed at reducing the burden of T2D and chronic diseases., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: [Juliana Chan has received research grants through her affiliated institutions and/or honoraria for consultancy or giving lectures from Applied Therapeutics, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Celltrion, Eli-Lilly, Hua Medicine, Merck, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Pfizer, Servier, Sanofi and Viatris. Alice Kong has received research grants and/or speaker honoraria from Abbott, Astra Zeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli-Lilly, Kyowa Kirin, Merck Serono, Nestle, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, and Sanofi. Ronald Ma reported receiving grants and/or honoraria for consultancy or giving lectures from AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, and Takeda. Andrea Luk reported receiving grants and/or honoraria for consultancy or giving lectures from Amgen, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi. Elaine Chow has received institutional research support and/or honoraria for giving lectures for Sanofi, Novartis, Medtronic Diabetes, Powder Pharmaceuticals Inc. The proceeds have been donated to The Chinese University of Hong Kong, American Diabetes Association and other charity organizations to support diabetes research and education. Juliana Lui has received research grant from Roche Diagnostics. Other authors declared no conflict of interest with this manuscript.]., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) are at high risk of developing multiple complications, affecting their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Existing studies only considered impact of complication on HRQoL in the year of occurrence but not its residual impacts in subsequent years. We investigated temporal impacts of diabetes-related complications on HRQoL in a 12-year prospective cohort of ambulatory Chinese patients with T2D enrolled in the clinic-based Joint Asia Diabetes Evaluation (JADE) Register., Methods: HRQoL utility measures were derived from EuroQol five-dimensional three-level questionnaire (EQ-5D-3L) questionnaires completed by 19 322 patients with T2D in Hong Kong (2007-2018). Temporal EQ-5D utility decrements associated with subtypes of cardiovascular-renal events were estimated using generalized linear regression model after stepwise selection of covariates with p < .01 as cutoff., Results: In this cohort (mean ± SD age:61.2 ± 11.5 years, 55.3% men, median [interquartile range] duration of diabetes:10.1 [3.0-15.0] years, glycated hemoglobin [HbA 1C ] 7.5 ± 1.5%), EQ-5D utility was 0.860 ± 0.163. The largest HRQoL decrements were observed in year of occurrence of hemorrhagic stroke (-0.230), followed by ischemic stroke (-0.165), peripheral vascular disease (-0.117), lower extremity amputation (-0.093), chronic kidney disease (CKD) G5 without renal replacement therapy (RRT) (-0.079), congestive heart failure (CHF) (-0.061), and CKD G3-G4 without RRT (-0.042). Residual impacts on HRQoL persisted for 2 years after occurrence of CHF or ischemic stroke and 1 year after hemorrhagic stroke or CKD G3-G4 without RRT., Conclusion: This is the first comprehensive report on temporal associations of HRQoL decrements with subtypes of diabetes-related complications in ambulatory Asian patients with T2D. These data will improve the accuracy of cost-effectiveness analysis of diabetes interventions at an individual level in an Asian setting., (© 2023 The Authors. Journal of Diabetes published by Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Background: Problems with health-related quality of life can affect physicians' ability to work effectively. This study compared the health-related quality of life of Hong Kong physicians to the general population and explored the factors associated with mental and physical health-related quality of life., Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from January to April 2016. Medical graduates from the University of Hong Kong participated in a survey containing the Short Form-12 Item Health survey version 2, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Copenhagen Burnout Inventory, and items on lifestyle behaviors, career satisfaction, and socio-demographics., Results: 496 responses were received. The mean physical component summary score was 53.2 (SD = 7.6), similar to the general population. The mean mental component summary score was 43.6 (SD = 11.8), significantly worse than the general population (P<0.01). Compared to the general population, all Short-Form 12 Health Survey version 2 domains were worse in doctors, aside from bodily pain and general health. Regular exercise was positively associated with physical component summary scores (Coeff 2.024; P = 0.047); but having children and higher personal burnout scores were negatively associated with it (Coeff -1.890; P = 0.036; and Coeff -0.045; P = 0.027, respectively). Poorer mental component summary scores correlated with worse personal (Coeff -0.284; P< 0.001), work-related (Coeff -0.135; P = 0.040), and patient-related burnout (Coeff -0.060; P = 0.041), and higher Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scores (Coeff -9.170; P<0.001). There were significant differences in mental health (P = 0.042) and mental component summary scores (P = 0.012) across age groups, but not with gender., Conclusion: Hong Kong physicians are less impacted by physical health than mental health. Compared to the general population, doctors' mental health has a more significant impact on their lives. Interventions aimed to improve burnout and depression rates in physicians may improve physicians' mental health-related quality of life., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist, (Copyright: © 2023 Ng et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Depression amongst physicians can lead to poor individual and institutional outcomes. This study examined the prevalence and factors associated with depression and suicidal ideation amongst doctors in Hong Kong. Doctors who graduated from medical school at the University of Hong Kong between 1995 and 2014 were invited to participate in a survey measuring depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation and thoughts of self-harm, lifestyle behaviours, career satisfaction and socio-demographic characteristics. Data collection occurred between January and April 2016. The prevalence of screened-positive depression was 16.0% and 15.3% of respondents reported having suicidal ideation. Amongst those with positive depression screening scores, less than half reported having a diagnosed mood disorder. Sleeping fewer hours was associated with higher depression scores (P < 0.001) and an increased odds of meeting the cut-off for depression (P < 0.001). Factors associated with suicidal ideation included being unmarried (P = 0.012) and sleeping fewer hours (P = 0.022). Hong Kong doctors appear to have high rates of undiagnosed depression, and high levels of depressive symptoms and suicidal ideations. There is a need for greater awareness of the morbidity due to depression and to promote better mental health help-seeking among physicians. Barriers to mental health help-seeking need to be addressed and appropriate resources allocated to reduce suffering., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Objectives: To evaluate the validity and psychometric properties of the Chinese Person-Centred Primary Care Measure (PCPCM) in a Chinese-speaking population., Design: A cross-sectional study., Setting: A primary care clinic in Hong Kong., Participants: 300 Chinese adult patients (150 males and 150 females) were recruited from a primary care clinic to complete a questionnaire containing the PCPCM, Consultation and Relational Empathy (CARE), Patient Enablement Index (PEI) and Adult (short version) Primary Care Assessment Tool (PCAT). The Chinese PCPCM was readministered to 118 participants after 14 days for test-retest reliability., Outcome Measures: The construct validity, reliability and sensitivity of the Chinese PCPCM., Results: The Chinese PCPCM was identified to have a one-factor construct, with good item fit and unidimensionality on Rasch analysis. Internal reliability was high (Cronbach's alpha >0.8) with moderate test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient=0.622, p<0.001). Significant correlations (0.58, 0.42, 0.48) between the PCPCM and CARE, PEI and Adult (short version) PCAT scores supported good convergent construct validity. PCPCM scores were higher among patients who had known their doctors for a longer period or who were more likely to be able to see the same doctor at every visit, and among those who self-reported to have 'better health' rather than 'worse health'., Conclusion: The Chinese PCPCM appears to be a valid, reliable and sensitive instrument for evaluating the quality of person-centred care among primary care patients in Hong Kong. Further studies are needed to confirm the utility of this instrument in other Chinese-speaking populations around the world., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Introduction: Diabetes and bone health are closely related. We examined the incidence and risk factors of hip fractures in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D)., Materials and Methods: In this prospective cohort, we consecutively enrolled 22,325 adults with T2D above the age of 40 years in the Hong Kong Diabetes Register between 1994 and 2015 with crude hip fracture incidence rate censored in 2017., Results: At baseline, the mean age of this cohort was 60.9 ± 10.5 years (mean duration of diabetes 6 years, 52.4% male). During a mean ± standard deviation (SD) follow-up period of 8.7 ± 5.2 years with 193,553 person-years, 603 patients were hospitalized due to hip fractures with an incidence (95% confidence interval, CI) of 315.1 (290.4-341.3) per 100,000 person-years. On multivariable analysis with competing death risk adjusted, the independent hazard ratios (95% CI) for hip fractures in T2D were 2.01 (1.61-2.51) for female sex, 1.08 (1.07-1.09) for age, 0.93 (0.90-0.95) for body mass index, 1.52 (1.25-1.85) for albuminuria and 1.12 (1.02-1.23) for low density lipoprotein-cholesterol. In men, the 30-day, 1-year and 5-year post-hip fracture mortality rate (95% CI) were 5.8 (2.4-9.1) %, 29.2 (22.3-35.5) % and 65.9 (57.3-72.8) % respectively. The corresponding rates in women were 3.4 (1.6-5.1) %, 18.6 (14.7-22.4) %, and 46.8 (40.9-52.1) %., Conclusions: Southern Chinese patients with T2D have a high risk of hip fracture associated with suboptimal cardiometabolic-renal risk factors and a high post-fracture mortality rate. The effects of improving modifiable risk factors on bone health warrants further evaluation., (© 2021 The Authors. Journal of Diabetes Investigation published by Asian Association for the Study of Diabetes (AASD) and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Objective: Although COVID-19 is primarily a respiratory illness, there is mounting evidence suggesting that the GI tract is involved in this disease. We investigated whether the gut microbiome is linked to disease severity in patients with COVID-19, and whether perturbations in microbiome composition, if any, resolve with clearance of the SARS-CoV-2 virus., Methods: In this two-hospital cohort study, we obtained blood, stool and patient records from 100 patients with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. Serial stool samples were collected from 27 of the 100 patients up to 30 days after clearance of SARS-CoV-2. Gut microbiome compositions were characterised by shotgun sequencing total DNA extracted from stools. Concentrations of inflammatory cytokines and blood markers were measured from plasma., Results: Gut microbiome composition was significantly altered in patients with COVID-19 compared with non-COVID-19 individuals irrespective of whether patients had received medication (p<0.01). Several gut commensals with known immunomodulatory potential such as Faecalibacterium prausnitzii , Eubacterium rectale and bifidobacteria were underrepresented in patients and remained low in samples collected up to 30 days after disease resolution. Moreover, this perturbed composition exhibited stratification with disease severity concordant with elevated concentrations of inflammatory cytokines and blood markers such as C reactive protein, lactate dehydrogenase, aspartate aminotransferase and gamma-glutamyl transferase., Conclusion: Associations between gut microbiota composition, levels of cytokines and inflammatory markers in patients with COVID-19 suggest that the gut microbiome is involved in the magnitude of COVID-19 severity possibly via modulating host immune responses. Furthermore, the gut microbiota dysbiosis after disease resolution could contribute to persistent symptoms, highlighting a need to understand how gut microorganisms are involved in inflammation and COVID-19., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Introduction: Managing chronic musculoskeletal problems usually focuses on pain control using medications, but outcomes are often unsatisfactory and sometimes harmful. Information on a patient's health-related quality of life (HRQOL) may trigger a doctor to tailor management improving quality of life. The aim of this trial is to find out whether routine measurement and reporting of a patient's EuroQoL 5-Dimension 5-Level (EQ-5D-5L) HRQOL data using an electronic platform can improve HRQOL and pain in patients with chronic knee or back problems in primary care. We will also assess the acceptability of routine electronic measurements and reporting of the EQ-5D-5L in primary care settings., Methods: This is a multicentre, prospective, cluster randomised controlled trial set in six public primary care clinics in Hong Kong. At the intervention clinics, subjects will complete an electronic EQ-5D-5L form at recruitment and at each clinic follow-up over 12 months. A report of the patient's longitudinal EQ-5D-5L data will be provided to the doctor. Subjects in the control clinics will receive care as usual. All subjects will complete the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), a 10-point Pain Rating Scale and a structured questionnaire to collect sociodemographic information and data on morbidity and service utilisation at recruitment at baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months. Primary outcome is the change in WOMAC total score. Secondary outcomes are change in pain, other patient-reported outcome scores and doctor-rated severity of disease. Group differences in the changes in WOMAC and other outcome scores over time will be analysed using generalised estimating equation model with an intention-to-treat principle., Ethics and Dissemination: Ethics approval has been obtained from The University of Hong Kong/Hospital Authority Hong Kong West Cluster (IRB reference number: UW 18-270). The results of the trial will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal., Trial Registration Number: NCT03609762., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Objective: To estimate the prevalence and severity of burnout and explore the factors associated with burnout among Hong Kong medical graduates up to 20 years post-graduation., Design: Cross-sectional survey., Setting: Hong Kong., Participants: Doctors who graduated from the University of Hong Kong between 1995 and 2014., Primary and Secondary Outcome Measures: Burnout as measured by the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI), alcohol consumption as measured by the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test Version C, lifestyle behaviours (hours of sleep and work, exercise, smoking, substance use), career satisfaction and sociodemographic characteristics were obtained using paper or online questionnaires., Results: Response rate was 30.9% (496/1607). Prevalence of CBI burnout was 63.1% (personal), 55.9% (work-related) and 35.4% (patient-related). The mean CBI subscale scores were 57.4±21.4 (personal), 48.9±7.4 (work-related) and 41.5±21.8 (client-related). Factors associated with personal and patient-related burnout included age (coeff -0.437, 95% CI -0.779 to -0.095 and coeff -0.596, 95% CI -0.965 to -0.228, respectively), practice setting (coeff -5.759, 95% CI -10.665 to -0.853 and coeff -5.317, 95% CI -10.602 to -0.032, respectively) and regular exercise (coeff -6.855, 95% CI -11.102 to -2.608 and coeff -6.769, 95% CI -11.333 to -2.205, respectively). Gender (coeff 5.1, 95% CI 1.382 to 8.818), average hours of sleep per night (coeff -5.200, 95% CI -7.139 to -3.262) and work hours per week (coeff 0.226, 95% CI 0.099 to 0.353) were associated with personal burnout only. No factors were significantly associated with work-related burnout., Conclusion: Burnout is highly prevalent among Hong Kong medical graduates. Younger doctors, women and those working in the public sector appear to be at higher risk for burnout and may benefit from targeted interventions. Policymakers and healthcare authorities should consider measures to help reduce burnout by enabling adequate sleep, reducing work hours and encouraging exercise., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: This study describes a novel approach in reducing SARS-CoV-2 transmission during tracheostomy., Methods: Five patients underwent tracheostomy between April 1, 2020 and April 17, 2020. A clear and sterile plastic drape was used as an additional physical barrier against droplets and aerosols. Operative diagnosis; droplet count and distribution on plastic sheet and face shields were documented., Results: Tracheostomy was performed for patients with carcinoma of tonsil (n = 2) and nasopharynx (n = 1), and aspiration pneumonia (n = 2). Droplet contamination was noted on all plastic sheets (n = 5). Droplet contamination was most severe over the central surface at 91.5% (86.7%-100.0%) followed by the left and right lateral surfaces at 5.2% (6.7%-10.0%) and 3.3% (6.7%-10.0%), respectively. No droplet contamination was noted on all face shields., Conclusion: Plastic drapes can help reduce viral transmission to health care providers during tracheostomy. Face shields may be spared which in turn helps to conserve resources during the novel coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Aim: Levels of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs, namely, isoleucine, leucine, and valine) are modulated by dietary intake and metabolic/genetic factors. BCAAs are associated with insulin resistance and increased risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Although insulin resistance predicts heart failure (HF), the relationship between BCAAs and HF in T2D remains unknown., Methods: In this prospective observational study, we measured BCAAs in fasting serum samples collected at inception from 2139 T2D patients free of cardiovascular-renal diseases. The study outcome was the first hospitalization for HF., Results: During 29 103 person-years of follow-up, 115 primary events occurred (age: 54.8 ± 11.2 years, 48.2% men, median [interquartile range] diabetes duration: 5 years [1-10]). Patients with incident HF had 5.6% higher serum BCAAs than those without HF (median 639.3 [561.3-756.3] vs 605.2 [524.8-708.7] μmol/L; P = .01). Serum BCAAs had a positive linear association with incident HF (per-SD increase in logarithmically transformed BCAAs: hazard ratio [HR] 1.22 [95% CI 1.07-1.39]), adjusting for age, sex, and diabetes duration. The HR remained significant after sequential adjustment of risk factors including incident coronary heart disease (1.24, 1.09-1.41); blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and baseline use of related medications (1.31, 1.14-1.50); HbA 1c , waist circumference, triglyceride, and baseline use of related medications (1.28, 1.11-1.48); albuminuria and estimated glomerular filtration rate (1.28, 1.11-1.48). The competing risk of death analyses showed similar results., Conclusions: Circulating levels of BCAAs are independently associated with incident HF in patients with T2D. Prospective cohort analysis and randomized trials are needed to evaluate the long-term safety and efficacy of using different interventions to optimize BCAAs levels in these patients., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Validated algorithms to classify type 1 and 2 diabetes (T1D, T2D) are mostly limited to white pediatric populations. We conducted a large study in Hong Kong among children and adults with diabetes to develop and validate algorithms using electronic health records (EHRs) to classify diabetes type against clinical assessment as the reference standard, and to evaluate performance by age at diagnosis., Methods: We included all people with diabetes (age at diagnosis 1.5-100 years during 2002-15) in the Hong Kong Diabetes Register and randomized them to derivation and validation cohorts. We developed candidate algorithms to identify diabetes types using encounter codes, prescriptions, and combinations of these criteria ("combination algorithms"). We identified 3 algorithms with the highest sensitivity, positive predictive value (PPV), and kappa coefficient, and evaluated performance by age at diagnosis in the validation cohort., Results: There were 10,196 (T1D n = 60, T2D n = 10,136) and 5101 (T1D n = 43, T2D n = 5058) people in the derivation and validation cohorts (mean age at diagnosis 22.7, 55.9 years; 53.3, 43.9% female; for T1D and T2D respectively). Algorithms using codes or prescriptions classified T1D well for age at diagnosis < 20 years, but sensitivity and PPV dropped for older ages at diagnosis. Combination algorithms maximized sensitivity or PPV, but not both. The "high sensitivity for type 1" algorithm (ratio of type 1 to type 2 codes ≥ 4, or at least 1 insulin prescription within 90 days) had a sensitivity of 95.3% (95% confidence interval 84.2-99.4%; PPV 12.8%, 9.3-16.9%), while the "high PPV for type 1" algorithm (ratio of type 1 to type 2 codes ≥ 4, and multiple daily injections with no other glucose-lowering medication prescription) had a PPV of 100.0% (79.4-100.0%; sensitivity 37.2%, 23.0-53.3%), and the "optimized" algorithm (ratio of type 1 to type 2 codes ≥ 4, and at least 1 insulin prescription within 90 days) had a sensitivity of 65.1% (49.1-79.0%) and PPV of 75.7% (58.8-88.2%) across all ages. Accuracy of T2D classification was high for all algorithms., Conclusions: Our validated set of algorithms accurately classifies T1D and T2D using EHRs for Hong Kong residents enrolled in a diabetes register. The choice of algorithm should be tailored to the unique requirements of each study question.

With genetically modified (GM) food circulating on the market, a rapid transgenic food screening method is needed to protect consumer rights. The on-site screening efficiency of GM food testing is low. We report rapid sample-to-answer detection of GM papayas with loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and a compact, portable, integrated microfluidic platform using microfluidic lab-on-a-disc (LOAD). GM samples were differentiated from non-GM papaya, based on the detection of a specific GM (P-35S (Cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter)) and non-GM DNA marker (papain) in 15 min. The detection limits for DNA and juice from papaya were 10 pg/µL and 0.02 µL, respectively. Our LOAD platform is a simple and robust solution for GM screening, which is anticipated to be a foundation for on-site testing of transgenic food., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background and Aim: Proximal migration of colonic lesion has been observed; however, risk factors of lesions in the proximal colon remain uncertain. This study aimed to investigate risk factors of lesions in the proximal colon., Methods: Consecutive subjects with complete colonoscopy were included. The primary outcome was risk factors associated with advanced neoplasm (AN) and serrated lesion in the proximal colon. Age, gender, first-degree relative (FDR) with colorectal cancer (CRC), smoking, alcohol consumption, body mass index, hypertension, diabetes, ischemic heart disease, and the use of aspirin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, and anticoagulants were fitted into a regression model, with reference to subjects without colonic finding. Results were measured by odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI)., Results: Among 6218 subjects (mean age 56.65 ± 6.15 years; 46.8% male), 352 (5.7%) had AN; 809 (13.0%) had serrated lesions, and 3648 (58.7%) had no colonic finding. There were 148 (2.4%) and 235 (3.8%) subjects having AN and serrated lesion in the proximal colon. Age ≥ 50 (OR: 13.30; 95% CI: 1.85-95.76), male gender (OR: 1.82; 95% CI: 1.26-2.62), FDR with CRC (OR: 2.12; 95% CI: 1.43-3.15), and hypertension (OR: 1.86; 95% CI: 1.30-2.68) were associated with AN in the proximal colon. Age ≥ 50 (OR: 5.72; 95% CI: 2.10-15.53), male gender (OR: 1.54; 95% CI: 1.15-2.05), and smoking (OR: 1.85; 95% CI: 1.23-2.79) increased risk of serrated lesions in the proximal colon., Conclusion: Age ≥ 50 and male gender were associated with both proximally located AN and serrated lesion; FDR with CRC and hypertension increased the risk of proximal AN, while ever smoking increased the risk of proximal serrated lesion. FDR with CRC was not associated with serrated lesion., (© 2018 Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Foundation and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Diabetes is a major cause of end stage renal disease (ESRD), yet the natural history of diabetic kidney disease is not well understood. We aimed to identify patterns of estimated GFR (eGFR) trajectory and to determine the clinical and genetic factors and their associations of these different patterns with all-cause mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes. Among 6330 patients with baseline eGFR >60 ml/min per 1.73 m 2 in the Hong Kong Diabetes Register, a total of 456 patients (7.2%) developed Stage 5 chronic kidney disease or ESRD over a median follow-up of 13 years (incidence rate 5.6 per 1000 person-years). Joint latent class modeling was used to identify different patterns of eGFR trajectory. Four distinct and non-linear trajectories of eGFR were identified: slow decline (84.3% of patients), curvilinear decline (6.5%), progressive decline (6.1%) and accelerated decline (3.1%). Microalbuminuria and retinopathy were associated with accelerated eGFR decline, which was itself associated with all-cause mortality (odds ratio [OR] 6.9; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.6-8.4 for comparison with slow eGFR decline). Of 68 candidate genetic loci evaluated, the inclusion of five loci (rs11803049, rs911119, rs1933182, rs11123170, and rs889472) improved the prediction of eGFR trajectories (net reclassification improvement 0.232; 95% CI: 0.057--0.406). Our study highlights substantial heterogeneity in the patterns of eGFR decline among patients with diabetic kidney disease, and identifies associated clinical and genetic factors that may help to identify those who are more likely to experience an accelerated decline in kidney function., (Copyright © 2018 International Society of Nephrology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Infection occurs more commonly in diabetic patients compared with the general population and is an under-recognised but important morbidity in patients with diabetes. We examined the impact of glycaemic control on hospitalisation for infection in a large prospective cohort of Chinese adults with type 2 diabetes., Methods: Between July 1994 and June 2014, 22 846 patients with type 2 diabetes underwent detailed assessment of metabolic control and diabetes complications. Patients were followed for occurrence of infection requiring hospitalisation as identified using discharge diagnosis codes., Results: Over a median follow-up of 4.8 years, 20.3% of patients were hospitalised for any infection type, with respiratory tract, genitourinary tract, and skin being the most commonly affected sites. In multivariate Cox regression, time-dependent HbA1c was associated with all-site infection (hazard ratio [HR] 1.07 [95% confidence interval {CI}:1.05-1.09, P < 0.001]), genitourinary tract infection (HR 1.09 [95% CI: 1.04-1.14], P < 0.001), and skin infection (HR 1.16 [95% CI 1.12-1.21]. P < 0.001), but not infection of respiratory tract, and was independent of age, gender, disease duration, smoking, body mass index, glomerular filtration rate, haemoglobin, history of stroke, congestive heart failure, coronary heart disease, peripheral artery disease, diabetic neuropathy and cancer, and baseline drug use. Against an arbitrary HbA1c interval of >7.0-8.0% (53-64 mmol/mol), patients with HbA1c ≤6.0% (42 mmol/mol) and >8.0% (64 mmol/mol) had excess risks of infection-related hospitalisation adjusted for other factors., Conclusions: In patients with type 2 diabetes, burden of serious infection is high. In the diabetic population, a U-shape relationship between glycaemia and infection-related hospitalisation was detected., (Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Aims: To assess the implications of low testosterone on cardiovascular risk factors, metabolic syndrome (MES) and clinical outcomes in Chinese men with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D)., Methods: A prospective cohort study carried out in a university hospital involving a consecutive cohort of 1239 Chinese men with T2D and a median disease duration of 9years followed up for 4.8years. Clinical characteristics, frequency of MES, serum total testosterone and clinical events were analyzed. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to examine the independent association of low testosterone with MES after adjustment for confounding covariates. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to derive hazard ratio for clinical outcomes., Results: More men with low testosterone had cardiovascular-renal disease and MES than those with normal testosterone. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) of low testosterone for MES was 2.63 (95% Confidence Interval [CI] 1.56-4.61). After a median follow-up of 4.8years, the hazard ratio (HR) of low testosterone was 2.22 (95% CI 1.23-4.01) for incident non-prostate cancer. In a multivariate Cox-regression model, the HRs were attenuated but remained significant with adjustment for MES and renal parameters., Conclusions: Chinese men with low testosterone had high prevalence of cardiovascular disease and MES with high incidence non-prostate cancer., (Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To investigate the incidence of occult nodal metastasis and severity of shoulder dysfunction after selective neck dissection (SND) for recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) with N0 status., Study Design: Prospective, single-group, pre/post test design., Setting: Academic medical center., Subjects and Methods: Between 1998 and 2012, 46 patients who had recurrent NPC and N0 status were recruited. They subsequently received salvage nasopharyngectomy and SND, removing ipsilateral level I to III and V lymphatics. The incidence of occult nodal metastasis was noted. All patients underwent standardized physiotherapy after surgery. Postoperative shoulder function was measured using the Disability of Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) questionnaire., Results: The incidence of microscopic nodal metastasis was 15.2%. For first year posttreatment, the mean DASH score was 44.2. With time, there was no improvement in shoulder function despite targeted physiotherapy (P = .09), and the second postoperative year mean DASH score was 46.3. The degree of daily activity affected was rated as moderate to very limited, and 30% of the patients had at least moderate shoulder pain at rest., Conclusion: Shoulder dysfunction after SND for recurrent NPC is significant and persistent. Given the low incidence of microscopic nodal metastasis in such circumstances, routine SND is not recommended., (© American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery Foundation 2015.)

Background: Female sex workers (FSWs) are vulnerable to sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and are one of the key populations being infected most by Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections. In Hong Kong, limited data on the burden of chlamydial and gonococcal infections exist because regular screenings are not offered. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of C. trachomatis and N. gonorrhoeae in FSWs and to assess predictors associated with unprotected fellatio., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conduct on 340 FSWs attending a community organization for HIV/STI screening, and a questionnaire addressing sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics was administered to all FSWs., Results: The prevalence of syphilis infection was 2.1%, and none was tested positive for HIV. The positivity for pharyngeal C. trachomatis and N. gonorrhoeae was 3.2% and 4.4%, respectively, whereas that for urogenital chlamydial and gonococcal infection was 10.6% and 0.9%, respectively. Of 313 FSWs offering fellatio, having unprotected fellatio with clients was significantly associated with the perceived low risk of contracting STI via fellatio (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 1.88), working in clubs (adjusted OR, 11.14), working on streets (adjusted OR, 3.28), recently started working in the sex industry for 1 year or less (adjusted OR, 3.05), and reporting group sex in the previous year (adjusted OR, 11.03)., Conclusions: The prevalence of HIV and syphilis infection remains low. This study reveals a relatively high prevalence of N. gonorrhoeae detected mostly in the pharynx. Offering pharyngeal screening for STI would facilitate early diagnosis and treatment of gonococcal infection in FSWs in Hong Kong.

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the treatment outcome of radiation-induced squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the nasopharynx after radiotherapy (RT) for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC)., Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of patients who underwent radiation therapy for NPC, which resulted in radiation-induced SCC of the nasopharynx., Results: Between 1998 and 2011, 24 patients had radiation-induced SCC of the nasopharynx. The median age of diagnosis was 68.2 years. The majority of patients (66.7%) presented with early-stage NPC initially, and they were treated with RT alone (n = 18) or concurrent chemoradiation (n = 6). The mean latency period for the second malignancy was 10.5 years. All the patients were treated with maxillary-swing nasopharyngectomy. Clear resection margin was achieved in 66.7%, and 75% of those with involved margin received adjuvant RT. The mean follow-up duration was 48.2 months. The overall 5-year actuarial local tumor control was 56% and the overall 5-year disease-free survival was 38%., Conclusion: Radiation-induced SCC of the nasopharynx is rare after RT for NPC. The prognosis remained poor despite aggressive surgery and adjuvant RT., (© 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Purpose of Review: To review the current practice of rehabilitation for laryngectomees in Hong Kong., Recent Findings: Factors affecting the quality of life of laryngectomees include their performance in speech restoration, the presence of complications of treatment, as well as the availability of psycho-social support. In Hong Kong, more than 90% of laryngectomees have speech restoration by various means, the commonest of which being tracheo-oesophageal puncture and electrolaryngeal speech. However, they face special problems in communication using the current alaryngeal speech modalities, as it is difficult to produce variation in tones, which is important to express different meanings in Cantonese. The responsibility of surgeons to follow-up patients after surgery and the practice of management of common complications after laryngectomy are also discussed. The New Voice Club of Hong Kong promotes self-help and mutual help between laryngectomees, with the aim of helping new members to regain normal speech and to re-integrate into society. Quality-of-life study in Hong Kong shows that although the mean global health score is satisfactory, the social functioning domain is most severely affected after surgery., Summary: Cantonese-speaking laryngectomees in Hong Kong are facing unique challenges in speech restoration and re-integration into society after surgery. Surgeons should take the leading role in the multidisciplinary management of these patients.

Objective: To study the safety and oncological outcome of salvage surgery for local tumor recurrence after previous maxillary swing nasopharyngectomy., Setting: University hospital., Patients: Between 1998 and 2011, a total of 252 patients who had local tumor recurrence after previous nasopharyngectomy were recruited for the study., Main Outcome Measures: The locations of the recurrent tumor, operability, and surgical details of resection and reconstruction, as well as the complications and oncological results, were studied., Results: The local recurrence rate after nasopharyngectomy was 13.1%, the risk of which was significantly higher in patients with positive resection margins (39.6% vs 6.9%; P = .006). The chance of the development of local recurrence was significantly lower in patients who had received postoperative chemoradiation therapy than in patients who did not (29.4% vs 64.3%; P = .04). Overall, 63.6% of the patients with local recurrence were amenable to further surgery. Depending on the location of the tumor, remaxillary swing (n = 10), contralateral maxillary swing (n = 8), or central palatal resection (n = 3) was performed. Free-flap coverage of the exposed skull base and the petrosal internal carotid artery was required in 12 patients. There was no evidence of hospital mortality or major complications associated with the surgery. The mean duration of follow-up was 22.4 months, and the overall disease-specific survival in the group of patients who underwent surgery was 80.9%., Conclusions: Surgical salvage for local tumor recurrence after previous nasopharyngectomy is safe, with a good oncological outcome. In the presence of previous maxillary swing surgery, reswing or contralateral swing operation is feasible, without major complications.

Objective: This study examined, in a non-Western sociohistorical context, whether prenatal or postnatal secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure for children of nonsmoking mothers was associated with higher childhood BMI, and it clarified whether the observed associations were biologically mediated or socioeconomically confounded., Methods: A total of 6710 and 6519 children of nonsmoking mothers (N = 7924) with BMI data at approximately 7 and approximately 11 years, respectively, from a population-representative (N = 8327), Hong Kong Chinese birth cohort ("Children of 1997"), born in April or May 1997, were included in the analysis., Results: Compared with no SHS exposure, daily paternal smoking increased mean BMI z scores, but not height, at 7 years (difference: 0.10 [95% confidence interval: 0.02-0.19]) and at 11 years (difference: 0.16 [95% confidence interval: 0.07-0.26]), with adjustment for gender, birth order, socioeconomic position, mother's place of birth, breastfeeding, serious morbidity, and pubertal status., Conclusions: Our findings, although preliminary, suggest that the association of paternal smoking with child overweight might be biologically mediated. Given the known harms of smoking, reducing SHS exposure from conception as a precautionary action for childhood overweight might be warranted.

1. In a large, population representative,Chinese birth cohort, higher birth weight and rapid growth, particularly at 0-3 months, were associated with higher body mass index (BMI) at 7 years. 2. Boys born heavy who had grown fast had the highest BMI, but rapid growth had the largest impact in lighter-born boys. 3. Rapid growth at 0-3 months or 3-12 months was not associated with a compensatory lower risk of serious infectious morbidity. 4. The ability to grow fast may be an embodiment of good health status, rather than fast growth being causally protective.

1. The largest contribution of coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality reductions was from medical treatment. 2. A smaller contribution was estimated to be due to risk factors changes. 3. Improvement of treatment uptake levels can have a substantial effect in reducing CHD mortality.

1. The IFN-gamma +874A allele and RANTES -28 G allele are risk factors for SARS susceptibility. 2. The RANTES -28 G allele plays a role in the pathogenesis of SARS. 3. The polymorphisms of IL-10, TNF-alpha, IL-12, IP-10, Mig and MCP-1 are not associated with SARS susceptibility.