Hong Kong nurses' health-related behaviours: implications for nurses' role in health promotion

The health-related behaviours of a random sample (n=92) of Hong Kong nurses were assessed by a questionnaire written either in English or in English and Chinese. Hong Kong nurse reported negligible smoking or a alcohol use, low levels of breast self-examination, cervical screening behaviour and regular exercising, seat belt use and driving within the speed limit. The sample reported high levels of making efforts to avoid foods high in cholesterol, eating foods high in fibre and eating fruit daily. Dental hygiene was reported to be high. Just over half the sample reported sleeping 7–8 hours each night and eating breakfast daily. Most nurse reported maintaining their body weight at a healthy level and eating snacks between meals. The English language version of the questionnaire produced a slightly better response rate than the bilingual questionnaires. The results are discussed with reference to previous studies of females' health-related behaviours in Hong Kong and elsewhere. The implications for Hong Kong nurses' role in health promotion is discussed.     

Epinephrine reduces the sedative side effects of epidural sufentanil for labour analgesia

PURPOSE: The use of opioids in labour analgesia has primarily been as an adjuvant to local anesthetics. For early labour, satisfactory analgesia with epidural sufentanil alone is possible. This study evaluates the impact of epinephrine on sedative side effects and analgesia related to the latter technique. METHODS: After Institutional Review Board approval and informed consent this prospective, randomized, double-blind study evaluated 43 nulliparous subjects requesting epidural analgesia. The study site, a tertiary care obstetric unit, accommodates 3500-4500 deliveries annually. Group selection was randomized and blinded by selection of a sealed envelope containing a number which corresponded to a premixed labelled syringe of saline or epinephrine (100 microg/mL). An epidural catheter was placed in a standardized fashion. All subjects received 40 microg of sufentanil and 0.5 mL from the premixed syringe, diluted to 10 mL with NaCl. A blinded observer collected data on maternal sedation, lightheadedness, hemodynamics, oxygenation, and fetal heart rate over a one-hour period following sufentanil injection. RESULTS: The addition of epinephrine significantly (P <0.05) reduced the incidence of sedation and lightheadedness after epidural sufentanil at all data collection points, except two. Analgesic duration was also significantly prolonged by this addition (120 +/- 56 vs 84 +/- 32 min). Maternal satisfaction was high regardless of solution. CONCLUSION: Forty micrograms of epidural sufentanil produces satisfactory analgesia in early labour. The addition of epinephrine improves the side effect profile of this technique while prolonging the duration of analgesia. Epidural sufentanil requires attention to maternal monitoring of oxygenation as maternal desaturation occurred in both groups.     

环孢菌素A阻断人HL－60抗药性细胞于G_1期而诱导敏感细胞凋亡

进一步研究了抗三尖杉酯碱的ＨＬ－６０细胞（ＨＲ２０）抗细胞凋亡的机制及该抗性和抗药性的关系。结果表明，环孢菌素Ａ（ＣｓＡ）２０，１０μｇ·ｍｌ￣（－１）诱导ＨＬ－６０细胞发生凋亡，而阻断ＨＲ２０细胞于Ｇ＿１期，就不能诱导细胞发生凋亡。低浓度的ＣｓＡ明显增加柔红霉素在ＨＲ２０细胞内的积聚，其逆转抗药性作用与阻断细胞周期运行无关。ＣｓＡ１０μｇ·ｍｌ￣（－１）处理ＨＲ２０细胞，可引起５０ｋＤａ的蛋白质高度磷酸化。结果提示：环孢菌素Ａ阻断抗三尖杉酯碱的ＨＬ－６０细胞于Ｇ＿１期，而诱导敏感的ＨＬ－６０细胞发生凋亡，其阻断作用与抗药性无关     

Neuropathy in igMλ paraproteinemia

Summary In axonal neuropathies associated with IgM paraproteinemia, reports of antigen specificity of the M-protein are few. A patient with IgM paraproteinemia presented with progressive mononeuritis multiplex. IgM was found deposited in striking amounts in endoneurium and shown to bind specifically to neural proteins and chondroitin sulfates. Direct immune mechanisms, as well as the physical effects of IgM deposition, likely contributed to the development of the neuropathy.     

Functional uncoupling of MCM helicase and DNA polymerase activities activates the ATR-dependent checkpoint

The ATR-dependent DNA damage response pathway can respond to a diverse group of lesions as well as inhibitors of DNA replication. Using the Xenopus egg extract system, we show that lesions induced by UV irradiation and cis-platinum cause the functional uncoupling of MCM helicase and DNA polymerase activities, an event previously shown for aphidicolin. Inhibition of uncoupling during elongation with inhibitors of MCM7 or Cdc45, a putative helicase cofactor, results in abrogation of Chk1 phosphorylation, indicating that uncoupling is necessary for activation of the checkpoint. However, uncoupling is not sufficient for checkpoint activation, and DNA synthesis by Polalpha is also required. Finally, using plasmids of varying size, we demonstrate that all of the unwound DNA generated at a stalled replication fork can contribute to the level of Chk1 phosphorylation, suggesting that uncoupling amplifies checkpoint signaling at each individual replication fork. Taken together, these observations indicate that functional uncoupling of MCM helicase and DNA polymerase activities occurs in response to multiple forms of DNA damage and that there is a general mechanism for generation of the checkpoint-activating signal following DNA damage.     

Molecular subtyping of Vibrio cholerae O1 and O139 by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis in Hong Kong: correlation with epidemiological events from 1994 to 2002

Two hundred twenty isolates of Vibrio cholerae O1 and O139 collected from 1994 to 2002 in Hong Kong were analyzed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Chromosomal DNAs from all V. cholerae isolates in agarose plugs were digested with the restriction enzyme NotI, resulting in 20 to 27 bands. Sixty distinctive PFGE patterns in the range of 10 to 300 kb were noted among 213 isolates typeable by PFGE. By comparing the common PFGE patterns obtained from four well-defined outbreaks of V. cholerae O1 and O139 with those obtained from other, epidemiologically unrelated isolates during the study period, indistinguishable and similar PFGE patterns were identified, indicating their close relatedness, in agreement with the results of epidemiological investigations. Heterogeneous PFGE patterns (with four to six banding differences), however, were identified among strains that were imported from other parts of Asia, including Indonesia, India, and Pakistan. Correlations with epidemiological information further support the usefulness of PFGE as an epidemiological tool in laboratory investigations of suspected outbreaks. Standardization of PFGE methodology will allow international comparison of fingerprint patterns and will form the basis of a laboratory network for tracking V. cholerae.     

Linkage studies in spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA)

Data are now available on 9 pedigrees in detail and 4 pedigrees as lod scores only. Linkage to HLA is significant (? = 5.53 at recombination rates of 0.223 in males and 0.327 in females). Tight linkage is excluded. Nine pedigrees which appear to be typical olivopontocerebellar atrophy (OPCA I) have recombination rates of 0.150 in males and 0.300 in females. The remaining 4 pedigrees are clinically atypical or include discrepant data and give no evidence for linkage. The symbol SCA1 is proposed for a locus on chromosome 6 (loosely linked to HLA), at which at least one allele produces OPCA I (Menzel type). It is not yet clear whether other clinical types are determined by alleles at different loci, although this is suggested by several pedigrees, including a Danish pedigree of OPCA with dementia. Linkage evidence will be decisive in delineating the ataxias.     

Nanopattern-induced changes in morphology and motility of smooth muscle cells

Cells are known to be surrounded by nanoscale topography in their natural extracellular environment. The cell behavior, including morphology, proliferation, and motility of bovine pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (SMC) were studied on poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) surfaces comprising nanopatterned gratings with 350 nm linewidth, 700 nm pitch, and 350 nm depth. More than 90% of the cells aligned to the gratings, and were significantly elongated compared to the SMC cultured on non-patterned surfaces. The nuclei were also elongated and aligned. Proliferation of the cells was significantly reduced on the nanopatterned surfaces. The polarization of microtubule organizing centers (MTOC), which are associated with cell migration, of SMC cultured on nanopatterned surfaces showed a preference towards the axis of cell alignment in an in vitro wound healing assay. In contrast, the MTOC of SMC on non-patterned surfaces preferentially polarized towards the wound edge. It is proposed that this nanoimprinting technology will provide a valuable platform for studies in cell-substrate interactions and for development of medical devices with nanoscale features.     

Anti-angiogenic effects of Hypericin-photodynamic therapy in combination with Celebrex in the treatment of human nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is being investigated as an alternative treatment modality in cancer treatment. It has been shown to induce tumor hypoxia and upregulation of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The objective of this study was to improve in vivo tumor growth control of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), treated at a subcurative dosage by using a combination of Hypericin-PDT and COX-2 inhibitor, Celebrex (CX). The effect of an initial CX dose at 6- and 24-h post-PDT was investigated simultaneously. It was observed that hypoxic NPC/CNE2 cells upregulate both COX-2 and VEGF A genes in vitro. In vivo studies, down-regulation of COX-2 and hypoxia inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) genes at 24-h post-PDT and bulk tumor ablation at 48-h post-PDT was observed. However, 24-28 days later regrowth was observed. In a combination treatment, 1st CX dose at 6-h post-PDT had the highest tumor control in which tumors were 相似文献