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Aims To investigate the usefulness of the additional measurement of HbA1c, compared with performing only the oral glucose tolerance test ( OGTT), in identifying participants at increased cardiometabolic risk, in an urban Chinese population. Methods All participants from the fourth visit of the population-based Hong Kong Cardiovascular Risk Factors Prevalence Study, without known diabetes, were included. All had their glycaemic status assessed by OGTT and HbA1c, according to American Diabetic Association 2010 criteria. Results Based on OGTT criteria alone, 3.5% of the study cohort ( N = 1300) had diabetes and 19.2% had prediabetes. Based on HbA1c criteria only, 6.2% had diabetes and 61.2% had prediabetes. The measurement of HbA1c, in addition to the OGTT, increased the proportion of participants with diabetes to 7.8% and with prediabetes to 65.3%. Subjects with prediabetes having raised HbA1c but normal glycaemia ( N = 600) had waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, fasting glucose, insulin resistance index ( HOMA- IR), Gutt Index and Framingham 10-year cardiovascular risk scores intermediate between those with both normal HbA1c and glycaemia ( N = 350), and those with impaired fasting glucose and/or impaired glucose tolerance ( N = 249; all P < 0.01). Conclusion The measurement of HbA1c in our population, in addition to the OGTT, results in the detection of a large number of participants with prediabetes having raised HbA1c but normal glycaemia who have a cardiometabolic risk profile intermediate between impaired fasting glucose and/or impaired glucose tolerance and normal participants, and would benefit from early lifestyle intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the efficacy of an herbal formula in the prevention of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) transmission among health care workers. The secondary objectives are to investigate quality of life (QOL) and symptomology changes among supplement users, and to evaluate the safety of this formula.Controlled clinical trial.Hong Kong during epidemic of SARS.Two cohorts of health care workers from 11 hospitals in Hong Kong, 1 using an herbal supplement for a 2-week period (= 1063) and a control cohort comprising all other health care workers who did not receive the supplement (= 36,111) were compared prospectively.Taking an herbal supplement for a 2-week period.SARS attack rates and changes in quality of life and influenza-like symptoms were also examined at three timepoints among herbal supplement users.None of the health care workers who used the supplement subsequently contracted SARS compared to 0.4% of the health care workers who did not use the supplement (= 0.014). Improvements in influenzalike symptoms and quality of life measurements were also observed among herbal supplement users. Less than 2% reported minor adverse events.The results of this pilot study suggest that there is a good potential of using Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) supplements to prevent the spread of SARS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

: Hepatitis B virus infection is an important aetiological factor for hepatocellular carcinoma. Clusters of hepatocellular carcinoma have been observed in families infected with hepatitis B virus. : To investigate the prevalence and characteristics of hepatocellular carcinoma associated with familial hepatitis B virus in Hong Kong. : Hepatitis B virus patients were screened for familial hepatocellular carcinoma using a standardized questionnaire. The clinical features of patients with familial hepatocellular carcinoma were compared with those of 118 patients with sporadic hepatocellular carcinoma attending the clinic during the same period. : A total of 5080 patients were interviewed. Validation of the questionnaire indicated that the reliability was high. There were 22 families with familial hepatocellular carcinoma, giving a prevalence of 4.3 families/1000 hepatitis B virus carriers. The mean age of onset was 48.5 ± 13 years in familial hepatocellular carcinoma and 62 ± 11 years in sporadic hepatocellular carcinoma ( P = 0.005). The ages of onset were 59 ± 11, 40 ± 10 and 18 ± 4 years in the first, second and third generations, respectively ( P < 0.0001), suggesting an anticipation phenomenon. Familial hepatocellular carcinoma patients were more likely to present with pain (70% vs. 10%, P < 0.0001), but not on routine screening (14% vs. 52%, P < 0.0001), than sporadic hepatocellular carcinoma patients. : The prevalence of familial hepatocellular carcinoma is significant in Hong Kong. These patients show specific clinical features when compared with patients with sporadic hepatocellular carcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]