Consensus Statements on the Approach to COVID-19 Vaccine Allergy Safety in Hong Kong.

Mass coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination to achieve herd immunity is an effective means to mitigate the current COVID-19 pandemic. Reports of COVID-19 vaccine-associated allergic reactions and lack of clear local guidance are contributing factors leading to a low vaccine acceptance rate in the community. A task force of experts from the Hong Kong Institute of Allergy (HKIA) has been formed to address current needs.

Updated consensus statements on COVID-19 Vaccine Allergy Safety in Hong Kong.

Due to global concerns over coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine-associated allergic reactions; the Hong Kong Institute of Allergy (HKIA) formulated an initial set of consensus statements (CS) on COVID-19 Vaccine Allergy Safety (VAS) in early 2021. Following accumulation of both local and international experience on and COVID-19 VAS, the HKIA task force reformed to update the Hong Kong consensus on COVID-19 VAS. A nominated task force of experts managing patients with drug and vaccine allergies in Hong Kong formulated the updated CS by unanimous decision.

Towards quality assurance: implementation of a POCUS image archiving system in a high-volume community emergency department.

Background: Quality assurance review is an integral part of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) programs but may not be routine practice in community hospitals. Lack of image acquisition and documentation can result in suboptimal patient care. In cases with an adverse outcome and no record of images, there is no mechanism for quality improvement.

Long-term safety and effectiveness of berotralstat for hereditary angioedema: The open-label APeX-S study.

Background: Berotralstat (BCX7353) is an oral, once-daily inhibitor of plasma kallikrein recently approved for prevention of angioedema attacks in adults and adolescents with hereditary angioedema (HAE). The objective of this report is to summarize results from an interim analysis of an ongoing long-term safety study of berotralstat in patients with HAE.

Methods: APeX-S is an ongoing, phase 2, open-label study conducted in 22 countries (ClinicalTrials.

Hong Kong Anaphylaxis Consortium Consensus Statements on prescription of adrenaline autoinjectors in the acute care setting.

Background: Adrenaline autoinjectors (AAInj) facilitates early administration of adrenaline and remains the first-line treatment for anaphylaxis. However, only a minority of anaphylaxis survivors in Hong Kong are prescribed AAInj and formal guidance do not exist. International anaphylaxis guidelines have been largely based on Western studies, which may not be as relevant for non-Western populations.

The POCUS Pulse Check: A Case Series on a Novel Method for Determining the Presence of a Pulse Using Point-of-Care Ultrasound.

Background: During cardiopulmonary resuscitation, pulse checks must be rapid and accurate. Despite the importance placed on the detection of a pulse, several studies have shown that health care providers have poor accuracy for detection of central pulses by palpation. To date, the use of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in cardiac arrest has focused on the presence of cardiac standstill and diagnosing reversible causes of the arrest.

The unmet provision of allergy services in Hong Kong impairs capability for allergy prevention-implications for the Asia Pacific region.

Introduction: There is a high and rising prevalence of many allergic diseases in the Asia Pacific, including Hong Kong (HK), which is unmatched by a commensurate provision of clinical allergy services.

Method: This review highlights progress and deficiencies in allergy service and training in HK. The allergy work force was estimated from the numbers of doctors practicing allergy registered with the HK Medical Council Specialist Register in Immunology and Allergy; Paediatric Immunology and Infectious Diseases (includes allergy); Paediatrics; and Immunology (as a discipline of Pathology).

Vestibular function following unilateral cochlear implantation for profound sensorineural hearing loss.

Background: Many Canadians are affected by sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and those with severe or profound hearing loss may have poor hearing function despite optimized hearing aids. Cochlear implants (CI) offer effective hearing rehabilitation for these patients, however, concern continues to exist regarding possible effects of CI on the vestibular system and balance. The objective of this study was to conduct a pilot study assessing the effects of unilateral cochlear implantation (CI) on balance and the vestibular system in post-lingually deafened adults.

Immunotherapy - Vaccines for allergic diseases.

Allergic diseases are some of the most commonly encountered problems in clinical practice. Drugs such as corticosteroids and antihistamines can provide effective symptomatic relief, but do not alter the course of the disease. Specific immunotherapy (SIT) was first used to treat pollen allergy in 1911, and has since evolved into an effective treatment for allergic rhinitis and asthma.

[Effect of 1-year specific immunotherapy with standardized house dust mite vaccine on mild to moderate allergic asthmatic patients].

Objective: To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of specific immunotherapy (SIT) with standardized house dust mite (HDM) vaccine on allergic asthmatic patients.

Methods: The investigation was a multicentre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study. 132 patients with mild to moderate asthma who were allergic to HDM, recruited from three hospitals of China (The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical College, Shenyang General Military Hospital, Suzhou Children's Hospital), were randomly allocated to the active group (n = 66) or the control group (n = 66) respectively.

Seafood allergy: lessons from clinical symptoms, immunological mechanisms and molecular biology.

Food allergy consists of a wide range of disorders that result from adverse immune responses to dietary antigens. Manifestations of allergic response includes acute, potentially fatal anaphylactic reactions and a variety of chronic diseases that mainly affect the gastrointestinal tract, skin, and respiratory tract. Tools for clinical diagnosis and management, which have not changed much in the past two decades, include the clinical history, tests for specific IgE antibody to suspected foods, elimination diets, oral food challenges, and provision of medications such as epinephrine for emergency treatment.

Systemic autoimmune disease induced by dendritic cells that have captured necrotic but not apoptotic cells in susceptible mouse strains.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disorder of a largely unknown etiology. Anti-double-stranded (ds) DNA antibodies are a classic hallmark of the disease, although the mechanism underlying their induction remains unclear. We demonstrate here that, in both lupus-prone and normal mouse strains, strong anti-dsDNA antibody responses can be induced by dendritic cells (DC) that have ingested syngeneic necrotic (DC/nec), but not apoptotic (DC/apo), cells.

Clinical characteristics and pattern of skin test reactivities in shellfish allergy patients in Hong Kong.

Allergens from crustaceans and mollusks exhibit extensive cross-reactivity in vitro. However, the degree and pattern of cross-reactivity between different shellfish species in vivo is still unclear. The objective of this study was to determine the clinical characteristics of shellfish allergic patients in Hong Kong and the pattern of skin test reactivities to the different species.

House dust mite allergen (Derp1 and Blot5) levels in asthmatics' home in Hongkong.

Objective: To measure Derp1 and Blot5 allergen levels in asthmatics' homes in Hongkong.

Methods: Seventy houses were enrolled for a mite indoor environment study. Dust samples were obtained from two sites of each patients' house: bed and floor.

The use of proteomics in the discovery of serum biomarkers from patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a new infectious disease with a global impact. Understanding its pathogenesis and developing specific diagnostic methods for its early diagnosis are crucial for the effective management and control of this disease. By using proteomic technology, truncated forms of alpha(1)-antitrypsin (TF-alpha(1)-AT) were found to increase significantly and consistently in sera of SARS patients compared to control subjects.

Increased apoptotic neutrophils and macrophages and impaired macrophage phagocytic clearance of apoptotic neutrophils in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objective: To evaluate whether patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have a higher rate of apoptosis in and secondary necrosis of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) and macrophages compared with controls; to compare the rate of macrophage phagocytic clearance of apoptotic PMNs in patients with SLE and healthy controls; to evaluate whether in vitro PMN and macrophage apoptosis and secondary necrosis, and the ability of macrophages to phagocytose apoptotic bodies, are correlated with lupus disease activity; and to determine whether macrophage clearance of apoptotic bodies in patients with SLE and normal controls is related to certain serum factors.

Methods: Thirty-six patients with SLE and 18 healthy, nonsmoking volunteers were studied. PMNs and monocytes were isolated from fresh blood and cultured in the presence of different sources of serum.

DNA immunization using a secreted cell wall antigen Mp1p is protective against Penicillium marneffei infection.

None of the vaccines used in dimorphic fungal infections utilized the mucosal route for immunization, whereas only one utilized a secreted protein as antigen, despite knowing that infections caused by dimorphic fungi are usually acquired through inhalation. In this study, we investigated the usefulness of Mp1p (a secreted cell wall antigen encoded by MP1)-based vaccines for generation of protective immune responses against Penicillium marneffei infection using a mouse model, and compared the relative effectiveness of intramuscular MP1 DNA vaccine, oral mucosal MP1 DNA vaccine delivered by live-attenuated Salmonella typhimurium, and intraperitoneal recombinant Mp1p protein vaccine. The serum IgM level of the Mp1p protein vaccine group at day 7 and the serum IgG levels of the Mp1p protein vaccine group at days 7 and 21 were significantly higher than those of the other groups (P<0.