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Healthcare workers run the risk of contracting COVID-19 during the course of their work if required precautions and usage of appropriate personal protective equipment is not adhered to In the transfusion testing laboratory, indirect exposure to COVID-19 may result from environmental contamination that may occur through surface contact or be airborne Handling of potentially contaminated surfaces such as sample tubes and sample packaging, and subsequent self-inoculation through the mucous membranes of mouth, nose and eyes may occur Information on the risk of indirect contact transmission of COVID-19 from such surfaces is limited When risk assessments are conducted in the laboratory, assumptions often need to be based on studies derived from other coronaviruses and respiratory viruses such as HCoV-229E, SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV and Influenza The other mode of potential indirect transmission is through aerosols generated from certain laboratory processes The risk of inhaling aerosolized blood containing COVID-19 viral RNA is unresolved Laboratories need to perform risk assessment of their activities before appropriate decisions can be made with regards to COVID-19 exposure risk reduction or elimination

Microbial lipopolysaccharides (LPS) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), possibly driving a systemic inflammatory response that may trigger the development and/or exacerbation of the disease. To explore the existence of this mechanism in African RA patients, we have measured systemic levels of LPS and its surrogate, LPS-binding protein (LBP), as well as those of intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (I-FABP), pulmonary surfactant protein D (SP-D), and cotinine in serum to identify possible origins of LPS, as well as associations of these biomarkers with rheumatoid factor (RF) and anticitrullinated peptide (aCCP) autoantibodies and the DAS 28-3 clinical disease severity score. A cohort of 40 disease-modifying antirheumatic drug-naïve, black South African RA patients rated by compound disease scores and 20 healthy subjects and 10 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as controls were included in this study. Levels of the various biomarkers and autoantibodies were measured using a combination of ELISA and immunofluorimetric and immunoturbidometric procedures. LPS levels were lowest in the RA group compared to the healthy controls (p=0.026) and COPD patients (p=0.017), while LBP levels were also significantly lower in RA compared to the healthy individuals (p=0.036). Levels of I-FABP and SP-D were comparable between all three groups. Categorisation of RA patients according to tobacco usage revealed the following significant positive correlations: LBP with C-reactive protein (p=0.0137); a trend (p=0.073) towards an association of LBP with the DAS 28-3 disease severity score; RF-IgG antibodies with both LPS and LBP (p=0.033 and p=0.041, respectively); aCCP-IgG antibodies with LPS (p=0.044); and aCCP-IgG with RF-IgM autoantibodies (p=0.0016). The findings of this study, several of them novel, imply that tobacco products, as opposed to microbial translocation, represent a potential source of LPS in this study cohort of RA patients, again underscoring the risks posed by tobacco usage for the development and severity of RA.

Background Understanding the natural history of childhood OSA can help to determine disease prognosis and to guide risk stratification and management strategies. Methods To evaluate the natural history of childhood OSA and factors associated with spontaneous remission and persistent and incident OSA from childhood to late adolescence/early adulthood, a longitudinal analysis of a prospective community-based cohort was designed. Subjects from a cohort established for an OSA prevalence study were invited to participate in this 10-year follow-up study. Results Two hundred and forty-three participants (59% male) took part, and their mean age was 9.8 (SD, ± 1.8) and 20.2 (SD, ± 1.9) years at baseline and follow-up, respectively. The mean follow-up duration was 10.4 (SD, ± 1.1) years. Associations between baseline and follow-up log-transformed obstructive apnea-hypopnea index (OAHI) differed by age; a significant positive association was observed only among participants aged 10 years or older at baseline. Overall polysomnographic remission rate (with OAHI Conclusions A proportion of children with OSA, particularly female children, had complete resolution during transition to late adolescence or early adulthood. Childhood and adolescent OSA are distinct entities, with the latter more likely to persist into adulthood. Obesity and male sex are consistent key risk factors for incident OSA.

Background From an evolutionary biology perspective, where growth and reproduction trade-off against longevity, we assessed the associations of growth from birth to puberty by phase with later glycemic indicators and any differences by sex. Methods In the population-representative Hong Kong Chinese "Children of 1997" birth cohort (n = 8327), the relation of initial size (weight-for-age z score (WAZ) at birth, length/height-for-age z score (LAZ) at 3 months or body-mass-index-for-age z score (BAZ) at 3 months based on the World Health Organization growth standards/references) and growth at different phases (WAZ gains from 0 to 2 and 2 to 8 years, LAZ or BAZ gains from 3 months to 3 years, 3 to 8 years and 8 to 14 years) with fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) at ~17.5 years, was assessed using adjusted partial least squares regression. Additional analyses further considered growth in late and early infancy. Results This study included 3276 of the cohort participants. Higher WAZ gain from 2 to 8 years, LAZ and BAZ gains from 3 to 8 years were consistently associated with higher FPG, adjusted for maternal and infant characteristics, family history of diabetes and household income. Also, higher BAZ gain from 3 to 8 years was associated with higher HbA1c. These associations did not differ by sex. Conclusions Our findings suggest different mechanisms could underlie the pathogenesis of glucose intolerance. Factors that drive specific growth at different phases need to be evaluated to better inform child growth management for long-term health outcomes.

Inadequate sleep could contribute to type 2 diabetes, but observational studies are inconsistent and open to biases, particularly from confounding. We used Mendelian randomization (MR) to obtain an unconfounded estimate of the effect of sleep duration on diabetes, fasting glucose (FG) and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and an observation study to assess differences by sex. Using MR, we assessed the effects of genetically instrumented sleep on diabetes, based on 68 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), applied to the DIAbetes Genetics Replication and meta-analysis case (n = 26,676)-control (n = 132,532) study and on FG and HbA1c, based on 55 SNPs, applied to the Meta-Analyses of Glucose and Insulin-related traits Consortium (MAGIC) study of FG (n = 122,743) and HbA1c (n = 123,665). In the population-representative Hong Kong Chinese “Children of 1997” birth cohort we assessed whether associations of sleep duration at ~17.5 years with FG and HbA1c differed by sex. Using inverse variance weighting with multiplicative random effects, sleep duration was not associated with diabetes (odds ratio (OR) 0.85 per hour of sleep, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.64 to 1.13), FG (−0.032 mmol/l per hour of sleep, 95% CI −0.126 to 0.063) or HbA1c (−0.022% per hour of sleep, 95% CI −0.069 to 0.024). In “Children of 1997”, the associations of sleep duration with FG differed by sex (p for interaction 0.05) but not with HbA1c. Overall sleep duration does not appear to be related to diabetes, FG or HbA1c, but the possibility of sex differences merits investigation.

Background: Early-life air pollution exposure is associated with lung function in children and adolescents. However, whether the association of prenatal and early postnatal exposure to air pollution with lung function continues into adulthood remains unclear. Objective: To investigate the associations of early exposure to air pollution with lung function at ~17.5 years in a non-western developed setting with more concentrated air pollutants. Methods: We examined the associations of exposure to particular matter with an aerodynamic diameter of

The promises of Industry 4.0 in the medical device industry needs to be built on sound cybersecurity infrastructures, polices, and practices. During 2011-2017, the authors interviewed many manufacturers of medical devices in China, Germany, Israel, Japan, Taiwan, and U.S. about their attitude towards cybersecurity. Many manufacturers are not committed to cybersecurity risk management because they pursue lower cost and shorter product life cycles; do not have sufficient knowledge of operating environments of hospitals; have defensive attitude toward vulnerability disclosure; and reap quick benefits from the low-trust level among stakeholders and unequal power between manufacturers and distributors. Only a few large U.S. manufacturers of medical devices have set up robust secure platforms and interoperable optimal standards which benefit the users. As cybersecurity is a shared responsibility, many small and medium-sized enterprises need to be empowered through the support of international organizations and local government policies.

Responding to a recent call for turning a focus on advancing practices in curriculum studies, this paper reports collective memory work that disrupted academics’ hegemonic voices in School-Based Curriculum Development (SBCD) studies and elicited teachers’ stories about their school-based curriculum development (SBCD) practices. With post-colonialism as the theoretical underpinning, we explored how the Western-centric construct of SBCD was recontextualized in various Hong Kong school contexts. Findings revealed teachers’ struggles with hegemonic discourses that constrained their autonomy in SBCD projects to benefit diverse learners, such as the accountability mechanism, linguistic imperialism, Western-centrism, and top-down curriculum decision-making. Situated in the local realities of Hong Kong schooling, teachers’ SBCD projects also illuminate productive, hybrid spaces where new forms of knowledge, identity, and culture come into being.

Background Stem cell senescence has been proposed as one of the major drivers of aging, and MSC senescence contributes to aging-related diseases. Activation of mTORC1 pathway and heterochromatin organization have been characterized as two characteristics of senescent cells; however, whether mTORC1 pathway interacts with heterochromatin organization and contributes to MSC senescence remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the interaction between heterochromatin organization and mTORC1/p70S6K pathway in stress-induced MSC senescence. Methods The stress-induced senescence models were established in human umbilical cord-derived MSCs by doxorubicin (Dox) or H2O2. Cellular senescence was evaluated by β-Gal activity, upregulation of cell cycle suppressor genes, and expression of SASP. Activation of heterochromatin organization and mTORC1 pathway was determined by Western blot and immunofluorescent staining. A D-galactose (D-Gal)-induced aging model was established in rats to evaluate the crosstalk between heterochromatin and mTORC1 pathway in vivo. Results We found that heterochromatin organization was provoked at the early stage of Dox- or H2O2-induced senescence. Disruption of heterochromatin organization led to robust DNA damage response and exacerbated cellular senescence. Suppression of mTORC1/p70S6K pathway by either rapamycin or p70S6K knockdown promoted heterochromatin organization and ameliorated Dox- or H2O2-induced DNA damage and senescence. In contrast, direct activation of mTORC1 by MHY1485 impaired heterochromatin organization and aggravated stress-induced senescence. Moreover, concomitant activation of mTORC1 pathway and heterochromatin organization was found in D-galactose-induced osteoporosis model in rats. Rapamycin alleviated cellular senescence and promoted heterochromatin organization in BMSCs derived from D-galactose-treated rats. Conclusions Altogether, our study indicates the existence of a complex interplay between the mTORC1/p70S6K pathway and the heterochromatin organization during stress-induced MSC senescence, with important implications for the understanding of aging as well as for its prevention and treatment.

Background: Observationally, sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption is associated with adiposity in Western children but could be confounded. We examined the association of SSB frequency with adiposity in the non-Western setting of Hong Kong. Methods: We examined the associations of SSB consumption frequency at 11 and 13 years assessed by using a food frequency questionnaire with subsequent body mass index (BMI) z-score and overweight/obesity up to 18 years using generalized estimating equations, and with waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, and body fat percentage at 16&ndash, 19 years using linear regression in a population-representative Chinese birth cohort &ldquo, Children of 1997&rdquo, (n = 3628). Results: At 11 and 13 years, 6.8% and 8.2% of children respectively consumed SSB daily. Neither SSB frequency at 11 nor at 13 years was associated with subsequent BMI z-score or overweight/obesity up to 18 years, or with waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, or body fat percentage at 16&ndash, 19 years adjusted for age, sex, socioeconomic position, health status, physical activity and other food consumption, although bias to the null from under-reporting cannot be eliminated. Conclusion: Although we cannot definitively exclude a small association of SSB frequency with adiposity, lack of association of SSB frequency with adiposity in a non-Western setting with low SSB consumption suggests that the role of SSB in adiposity appears to be minor.

Additional file 2: Supplementary Table 1. Primers used in this study. Supplementary Table 2. The antibodies used in this study.

We aimed to determine if prematurity and lower birth weight are associated with poorer lung function in a non-western developed setting with less marked confounding by socioeconomic position. Using multivariable linear regression in Hong Kong’s “Children of 1997” birth cohort, adjusted associations of prematurity and birth weight with forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), and forced expiratory flow at 25–75% of the pulmonary volume (FEF25–75%) at ~17.5 years were assessed. Associations for birth weight were stronger in boys for FEV1 (boys: 0.31 L, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.24 to 0.38, girls: 0.18 L, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.25), FVC (boys: 0.36 L, 95% CI 0.27 to 0.44, girls: 0.22 L, 95% CI 0.15 to 0.28) and FEF25–75% (boys: 0.35 L, 95% CI 0.21 to 0.49, girls: 0.22 L, 95% CI 0.09 to 0.34) adjusted for age, socioeconomic position and infant and maternal characteristics. Similarly adjusted, preterm birth (compared to full-term birth) was associated with lower FEV1/FVC and FEF25–75%. Thus, associations of lower birth weight, especially in boys, and prematurity with poorer lung function at 17.5 years were found. Identifying underlying mechanism might contribute to the improvement of pulmonary health and the prevention of adult respiratory illness.

Additional file 1: Supplementary Fig. S1. Knockdown of p70S6K ameliorates H2O2-induced senescence in hUC-MSCs. β-gal staining of control siRNA- or p70S6K-siRNA- treated hUC-MSCs in the presence or absence of H2O2. 1x105 hUC-MSCs (p6-p7) were seeded in 6-well plates and transfected with siRNAs. 24 hours later, the cells were treated with H2O2 and collected 2 days afterward. Quantification data is shown below, Data are presented as the mean ± SEM. **p

Objective We compared three methods for estimating the individual peak height velocity (PHV) and age at peak height velocity (APHV) from the SuperImposition by Translation and Rotation (SITAR) model. Methods We fitted the SITAR model using simulated data and heights of 12 girls from the Chard Growth Study and obtained individual PHVs and APHVs from three methods: the model method, the quadratic function method and the numerical method, which are available in our newly developed R package“iapvbs”. The mean, interquartile range, range of biases in estimated APHV and PHV as well as the rates of warning and unreasonable cases, i.e. estimated APHVs being outside the range of age measurements, from the three methods were presented and compared. Results When the growth curves of all individuals were well fitted by the SITAR model, all three methods estimated individual APHVs with similarly small biases, with a few unreasonable cases (0.16%) observed when the model method was used while more computation time required for the numerical method. When the growth curves of some individuals were not very well fitted, the model method generated more unreasonable individual APHV (8.15%) and more bias in PHV and APHV, compared to those estimated by the numerical method and quadratic function method. In line with the observations from the simulated data, the real data analysis demonstrated that the numerical method generated more reliable PHV and APHV for individuals with growth curve not well fitted by the SITAR model. Conclusion The performance of different methods estimating individual APHV depends largely on how well the growth curves are fitted by the SITAR model. The quadratic function method is more superior when growth curves of all individuals are well fitted by the SITAR model; otherwise, the numerical method should be adopted for getting most robust estimates of PHV and APHV. The model method generates unreasonable APHV estimates, particularly when the growth curves are not well fitted.