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Omicron generally causes milder disease than previous strains of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2), especially in fully vaccinated individuals. However, incompletely vaccinated children may develop Omicron‐related complications such as those affecting the central nervous system. To characterize the spectrum of clinical manifestations of neuro‐COVID and to identify potential biomarkers associated with clinical outcomes, we recruited 15 children hospitalized for Omicron‐related neurological manifestations in three hospitals in Hong Kong (9 boys and 6 girls aged 1–13 years). All were unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated. Fourteen (93.3%) were admitted for convulsion, including benign febrile seizure (n = 7), complex febrile seizure (n = 2), seizure with fever (n = 3), and recurrent breakthrough seizure (n = 2), and the remaining nonconvulsive patient developed encephalopathic state with impaired consciousness. None of the seven children with benign febrile seizure and six of eight children with other neurological manifestations had residual deficits at 9‐month follow‐up. SARS‐CoV‐2 RNA was undetectable in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens of seven patients who underwent lumbar puncture. Spike‐and‐wave/sharp waves affecting the frontal lobes were detected in four of seven (57.1%) patients who underwent electroencephalogram. Children with Omicron‐related neurological manifestations had significantly higher blood levels of IL‐6 (p < 0.001) and CHI3L1 (p = 0.022) than healthy controls, and higher CSF levels of IL‐6 (p = 0.002) than children with non‐COVID‐19‐related febrile illnesses. Higher CSF‐to‐blood ratios of IL‐8 and CHI3L1 were associated with longer length of stay, whereas higher ratios of IL‐6 and IL‐8 were associated with higher blood tau level. The role of CSF:blood ratio of IL‐6, IL‐8, and CHI3L1 as prognostic markers for neuro–COVID should be further evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study empirically investigates the influence of students' brand attitudes and perceptions of brand fit on their study intention vis-à-vis international brand alliances and individual brands after alliance. Design/methodology/approach: Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used in data analysis, and a questionnaire was administered to a sample of sub-degree business management students recruited from a self-financing higher education institution in Hong Kong. Findings: The results indicate that students' prior attitudes towards the brands of foreign and local institutions and their perceptions of brand fit positively affect their study intention, providing evidence that post-attitudes towards individual brands fully mediate the relationship between attitudes towards international brand alliances and study intention towards individual institutions. Originality/value: International brand alliances between higher education institutions are becoming increasingly important. In Hong Kong, despite the emerging trend of collaboration between foreign and local universities, an evaluation of the effect of international brand alliances on study intention has been seriously overlooked. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Age-specific incidence of acute myocarditis/pericarditis in adolescents following Comirnaty vaccination in Asia is lacking. This study aimed to study the clinical characteristics and incidence of acute myocarditis/pericarditis among Hong Kong adolescents following Comirnaty vaccination. Methods This is a population cohort study in Hong Kong that monitored adverse events following immunization through a pharmacovigilance system for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines. All adolescents aged between 12 and 17 years following Comirnaty vaccination were monitored under the COVID-19 vaccine adverse event response and evaluation program. The clinical characteristics and overall incidence of acute myocarditis/pericarditis in adolescents following Comirnaty vaccination were analyzed. Results Between 14 June 2021 and 4 September 2021, 33 Chinese adolescents who developed acute myocarditis/pericarditis following Comirnaty vaccination were identified. In total, 29 (87.88%) were male and 4 (12.12%) were female, with a median age of 15.25 years. And 27 (81.82%) and 6 (18.18%) cases developed acute myocarditis/pericarditis after receiving the second and first dose, respectively. All cases are mild and required only conservative management. The overall incidence of acute myocarditis/pericarditis was 18.52 (95% confidence interval [CI], 11.67–29.01) per 100 000 persons vaccinated. The incidence after the first and second doses were 3.37 (95% CI, 1.12–9.51) and 21.22 (95% CI, 13.78–32.28 per 100 000 persons vaccinated, respectively. Among male adolescents, the incidence after the first and second doses were 5.57 (95% CI, 2.38–12.53) and 37.32 (95% CI, 26.98–51.25) per 100 000 persons vaccinated. Conclusions There is a significant increase in the risk of acute myocarditis/pericarditis following Comirnaty vaccination among Chinese male adolescents, especially after the second dose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: The reported prevalence and risk factors for sessile serrated lesions (SSLs) show significant variation. We aimed to specifically study the prevalence and potential risk factors of SSLs in an average risk colorectal cancer (CRC) screening population of Chinese subjects. Methods: This is a case–control study of prospectively collected data from a territory‐wide colorectal screening program in Hong Kong. Information on risk factors was obtained from questionnaires completed prior to screening colonoscopy. We compared subjects with SSLs against controls without these lesions to identify potential risk factors using multivariable logistic regression. Results: Of 12 039 asymptomatic screening subjects, 6011 subjects received a screening colonoscopy with 2214 subjects (36.8%) having conventional adenomas, 486 subjects (8.1%) having hyperplastic polyps, and 85 subjects (1.4%) having SSLs only. Of these subjects, three had synchronous advanced adenomas and were excluded from the analysis. More than 60% of these lesions were in the proximal colon. We compared these 82 subjects with SSLs only and 3226 controls without any polyps. After multivariable logistic regression, age ≥ 66 years, smoking, and diabetes mellitus (DM) were significant independent risk factors for SSLs. Conclusion: In this study, we report the prevalence of SSLs to be 1.4%. Age ≥ 66 years, smoking, and DM were independent risk factors for these lesions. Our findings provide relevant new data that should be taken into consideration when designing region‐specific surveillance programs for SSLs with the ultimate goal of reducing the risk of CRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Prevalence of alexithymia in Chinese adolescent samples was high. • Family emotional expressiveness and depression were associated with alexithymia. Alexithymia ("no words for feelings") is a personality construct characterized by an inability to identify, describe, and verbalize one's feelings, constricted imagination, and an externally oriented way of thinking. Alexithymia is commonly measured with self-report instruments. Data, in particular from Asian countries, regarding the epidemiology of alexithymia in adolescents are relatively limited. The objectives of this study were to examine the prevalence and explore the relationship between alexithymia, family emotional expressiveness, parental acceptance-rejection, and depression. A total of 1606 Chinese adolescents aged between 10 and 17 years old were recruited from 11 schools across the three major geographical regions of Hong Kong. A self-report questionnaire was administered. About 36% of adolescents were classified as alexithymic in the whole sample (males: 34.3%, females: 40.0%) and no gender differences were found. Adolescents with lower family emotional expressiveness and depression were more likely to report alexithymia. The alexithymia rate among Chinese adolescents was higher than in most of the existing studies. The association of alexithymia with diminished family emotional expressiveness underscores the relevance of targeting adolescents with low family emotional expressiveness, and depressive symptoms to increase their capacity to identify and communicate emotions in order to improve their psychological well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]