The application of environmental health assessment strategies to detect Streptococcus pyogenes in Kimberley school classrooms.

Background: Children spend almost one-third of their waking hours at school. Streptococcus pyogenes (Strep A) is a common childhood bacterial infection that can progress to causing serious disease. We aimed to detect Strep A in classrooms by using environmental settle plates and swabbing of high-touch surfaces in two remote schools in the Kimberley, Western Australia.

The 5-year outcomes of a health-empowerment program on low-income children's behaviors and quality of life.

Background: This study aims to evaluate the 5-year impact of a Health Empowerment Program (HEP) on mitigating problematic conducts and enhancing the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among children living in poverty.

Methods: A prospective cohort study (N = 239, Intervention group: n = 124, Comparison group: n = 115) was established with participants recruited between July 2013 and March 2016 and followed until November 2021. During the 5-year study period, children and their parents from the intervention group were invited to join a multi-dimensional HEP.

A guide to selecting high-performing antibodies for PLC-gamma-2 for use in Western Blot, immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence.

Phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C gamma 2 (PLC-gamma-2) is an enzyme that regulates the function of immune cells. PLC-gamma-2 has been implicated in neurodegenerative and autoimmune disorders, yet investigation of this protein has been limited by a lack of independently characterized antibodies. Here we have characterized eleven PLC-gamma-2 commercial antibodies for use in Western Blot, immunoprecipitation, and immunofluorescence using a standardized experimental protocol based on comparing read-outs in knockout cell lines and isogenic parental controls.

Trem2-deficiency aggravates and accelerates age-related myelin degeneration.

Aging is the greatest known risk factor for most neurodegenerative diseases. Myelin degeneration is an early pathological indicator of these diseases and a normal part of aging; albeit, to a lesser extent. Despite this, little is known about the contribution of age-related myelin degeneration on neurodegenerative disease.

External validation of the Hong Kong Chinese non-laboratory risk models and scoring algorithm for case finding of prediabetes and diabetes mellitus in primary care.

Aims/introduction: Two Hong Kong Chinese non-laboratory-based prediabetes/diabetes mellitus (pre-DM/DM) risk models were developed using logistic regression (LR) and machine learning, respectively. We aimed to evaluate the models' validity in case finding of pre-DM/DM in a Chinese primary care (PC) population. We also evaluated the validity of a risk-scoring algorithm derived from the LR model.

Changes in cardiovascular disease risk predicted by the Framingham risk model in the Hong Kong population between 2003-2005 and 2014-2015: data from Population Health Surveys.

Introduction: The Framingham risk model estimates a person's 10-year cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. This study used this model to calculate the changes in sex- and age-specific CVD risks in the Hong Kong Population Health Survey (PHS) 2014/15 compared with two previous surveys conducted during 2003 and 2005, namely, PHS 2003/2004 and Heart Health Survey (HHS) 2004/2005.

Methods: This study included individuals aged 30 to 74 years from PHS 2014/15 (n=1662; n=4 445 868 after population weighting) and PHS 2003/2004 and HHS 2004/2005 (n=818; n=3 495 074 after population weighting) with complete data for calculating the risk of CVD predicted by the Framingham model.

Measurement invariance of a Posttraumatic Stress Disorder symptoms measure (PCL-5) in college student and Amazon's mechanical TURK samples.

Objective: College student and Amazon's Mechanical TURK (MTURK) samples are regularly utilized in trauma research. Recent literature, however, has criticized these samples for not being generalizable to the general U.S.

Non-Laboratory-Based Risk Prediction Tools for Undiagnosed Pre-Diabetes: A Systematic Review.

Early detection of pre-diabetes (pre-DM) can prevent DM and related complications. This review examined studies on non-laboratory-based pre-DM risk prediction tools to identify important predictors and evaluate their performance. PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE, CINAHL were searched in February 2023.

The Impact of a Health Empowerment Program on Self-Care Enablement and Mental Health among Low-Income Families: Evidence from a 5 Year Cohort Study in Hong Kong.

Health empowerment can be an effective way to reduce health inequities. This prospective cohort study evaluated the 5 year impact of a health empowerment program (HEP) on health outcomes among adults from low-income families. The Patient Enablement Instrument version 2 (PEI-2), Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale 21 (DASS-21), and 12 item Short-Form Health Survey version 2 (SF-12v2) were administered at baseline and follow-up for both intervention and comparison groups.

Who reports insufficient and disturbed sleep? Results from a representative population-based health survey in Hong Kong.

Objectives: To highlight the prevalence of sleep problems and identify associated risk factors among a representative sample recruited from the general population of Hong Kong.

Design, Setting And Participants: Participants included 12 022 individuals (aged 15 or above) who took part in the Population Health Survey 2014/15, a territory-wide survey conducted by the Department of Health of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Primary And Secondary Outcome Measures: Outcomes were the prevalence of (1) insufficient sleep (<6 hours sleep per day) and (2) any sleep disturbance (difficulty initiating sleep, intermittent awakenings, early awakening) ≥3 times per week in the past 30 days.

Development and validation of a diabetes mellitus and prediabetes risk prediction function for case finding in primary care in Hong Kong: a cross-sectional study and a prospective study protocol paper.

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major non-communicable disease with an increasing prevalence. Undiagnosed DM is not uncommon and can lead to severe complications and mortality. Identifying high-risk individuals at an earlier disease stage, that is, pre-diabetes (pre-DM), is crucial in delaying progression.

Melanoma developing in a nevoid melanocytoma with myxoid changes: a case report.

Nevoid and myxoid melanoma are rare variants of melanoma; association of the two is a unique finding. Nevoid melanoma is characterized by morphologic resemblance to a nevus, whereas myxoid melanoma demonstrates a basophilic mucinous matrix. We present an atypical case of a melanoma progressing from a nevoid melanocytoma with myxoid changes.

Non-laboratory-based risk assessment model for case detection of diabetes mellitus and pre-diabetes in primary care.

Introduction: More than half of diabetes mellitus (DM) and pre-diabetes (pre-DM) cases remain undiagnosed, while existing risk assessment models are limited by focusing on diabetes mellitus only (omitting pre-DM) and often lack lifestyle factors such as sleep. This study aimed to develop a non-laboratory risk assessment model to detect undiagnosed diabetes mellitus and pre-diabetes mellitus in Chinese adults.

Methods: Based on a population-representative dataset, 1,857 participants aged 18-84 years without self-reported diabetes mellitus, pre-diabetes mellitus, and other major chronic diseases were included.

Psychological impact of lung cancer screening using a novel antibody blood test followed by imaging: the ECLS randomized controlled trial.

Background: The Early CDT®-Lung antibody blood test plus serial computed tomography scans for test-positives (TPGs) reduces late-stage lung cancer presentation. This study assessed the psychological outcomes of this approach.

Methods: Randomized controlled trial (n = 12 208) comparing psychological outcomes 1-12 months post-recruitment in a subsample (n = 1032) of TPG, test-negative (TNG) and control groups (CG).

A pilot study on the validity and psychometric properties of the electronic EQ-5D-5L in routine clinical practice.

Background: Electronic measurement of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) may facilitate timely and regular assessments in routine clinical practice. This study evaluated the validity and psychometric properties of an electronic version of the EQ-5D-5L (e-EQ-5D-5L) in Chinese patients with chronic knee and/or back problems.

Methods: 151 Chinese subjects completed an electronic version of the Chinese (Hong Kong) EQ-5D-5L when they attended a primary care or orthopedics specialist out-patient clinic in Hong Kong.

A review of topical vitamin C derivatives and their efficacy.

Vitamin C is a popular ingredient in over-the-counter cosmeceuticals due to its many biological functions in maintaining and improving skin health by treating UV damage, improving discoloration, and boosting collagen production. Several chemically modified derivatives of vitamin C have been developed in an attempt to increase the stability, percutaneous absorption, and overall activity of this ingredient in topical formulations. The goal of this review is to evaluate the differences between vitamin C derivatives that have been designed for cosmeceutical use and their efficacy.

Unintentional Injury Burden in Hong Kong: Results from a Representative Population-Based Survey.

Unintentional injuries are major causes of mortality and morbidity. Although generally perceived as accidents, it is possible to identify those at higher risk and implement appropriate prevention measures. This study aims to investigate the common causes of unintentional injuries and their associated risk factors among a large representative sample.

Sampling Efficiency Improvement to an Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometer and Its Implications for Liquid Chromatography Based Inlet Systems in the Nanoliter to Milliliter per Minute Flow Range.

This paper describes electrospray sampling efficiency measurements obtained on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer equipped with a large atmosphere to vacuum sampling aperture and modified ion optics designed to confine the ions traveling in the intense expanding gas beam and prevent scattering losses in the entrance optics of the mass analyzer. Sampling efficiency, defined as the ratio of the number of ions captured in the first vacuum stage of the entrance optics to the number of analyte molecules entering the ion source, is a measure of sensitivity that takes into account both ionization efficiency at atmospheric pressure, the efficiency of transporting the ions from atmosphere to vacuum, and the efficiency of confining them in the subsequent gas expansion before mass analysis. Sampling efficiency measurements were conducted under high-performance liquid chromatography sample introduction conditions using columns and flow rates spanning the nanoflow (300 nL/min), microflow (3-60 μL/min), and milliflow (100-500 μL/min) ranges.

Generative adversarial networks for imputing missing data for big data clinical research.

Background: Missing data is a pervasive problem in clinical research. Generative adversarial imputation nets (GAIN), a novel machine learning data imputation approach, has the potential to substitute missing data accurately and efficiently but has not yet been evaluated in empirical big clinical datasets.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of GAIN in imputing missing values in large real-world clinical datasets with mixed-type variables.

Reflecting on educational preparedness and professional development for early-career nurse faculty: A phenomenological study.

Bedside nurses are assuming the faculty role without the necessary skill set to meet their role's rigorous expectations. The researchers sought to explore the lived experiences of early-career nursing faculty and what it feels to be unprepared to teach. A qualitative research design using semi-structured interviews served as the primary data collection method.