Laparoscopic compared to open approach for distal gastrectomy may reduce pneumonia risk for patients with gastric cancer.

Background: Whether laparoscopic approach to gastrectomy for gastric cancer (GC) reduces the risk of pneumonia remains unknown. In this study, we compared pneumonia outcomes for patients with GC who underwent either laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) or open gastrectomy (OG).

Methods: The ACS NSQIP database was queried to identify patients with GC who underwent LG or OG between Jan 2012 - Dec 2018.

Cross-cultural adaptation, reliability and validity of the Cantonese-Chinese Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool (CAIT-HK).

Acute lateral ankle sprains are common amongst athletes, and screening is essential in preventing these long-term sequelae. Self-reported questionnaires, such as the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool (CAIT), may help identify individuals with chronic ankle instability. To date, a Cantonese-Chinese version of the CAIT does not exist.

Prevalence of ankle instability in performers of Chinese classical dance: a cross-sectional study of 105 Chinese dancers.

Objectives: Foot and ankle injuries are commonly seen in dancers, yet limited studies exist on the injury prevalence of performers of Chinese classical dance. This study aims to determine and assess the prevalence of chronic ankle instability (CAI) in Chinese dancers and correlate the impact of CAI with foot function.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of 105 Chinese dancers.

Phospho-regulated Drosophila adducin is a determinant of synaptic plasticity in a complex with Dlg and PIP2 at the larval neuromuscular junction.

Adducin is a ubiquitously expressed actin- and spectrin-binding protein involved in cytoskeleton organization, and is regulated through phosphorylation of the myristoylated alanine-rich C-terminal kinase (MARCKS)-homology domain by protein kinase C (PKC). We have previously shown that the Drosophila adducin, Hu-li tai shao (Hts), plays a role in larval neuromuscular junction (NMJ) growth. Here, we find that the predominant isoforms of Hts at the NMJ contain the MARCKS-homology domain, which is important for interactions with Discs large (Dlg) and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2).

Presynaptic gain control drives sweet and bitter taste integration in Drosophila.

The sense of taste is critical in determining the nutritional suitability of foods. Sweet and bitter are primary taste modalities in mammals, and their behavioral relevance is similar in flies. Sweet taste drives the appetitive response to energy sources, whereas bitter taste drives avoidance of potential toxins and also suppresses the sweet response [1, 2].

Case report: the occurrence of fibrillary lines in overnight orthokeratology.

Background: To report the occurrence of concentric fibrillary lines in the central corneas of a 13-year-old girl during overnight orthokeratology.

Methods: Observational case report.

Results: The initial refractive errors and keratometric readings (flattest/steepest meridians) of the patient were -6.

Drosophila RhoGAP68F is a putative GTPase activating protein for RhoA participating in gastrulation.

The Rho family small GTPases Rho, Rac, and Cdc42 regulate cell shape and motility through the actin cytoskeleton. These proteins cycle between a GTP-bound "on" state and a GDP-bound "off" state and are negatively regulated by GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs), which accelerate the small GTPase's intrinsic hydrolysis of bound GTP to GDP. Drosophila RhoGAP68F is similar to the mammalian protein p50RhoGAP/Cdc42GAP, which exhibits strong GAP activity toward Cdc42.

Residues of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in fish, water and sediment from Shing Mun River.

The level and pattern of contamination by polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were investigated in tilapia, Oreochromis mossambicus (Peters), sediment, and water from the Shing Mun River. The range of total PCBs was 12.9 ng/g to 181.

Removal of lead from aqueous solution by Acinetobacter calcoaceticus.

A bacterial strain tolerant to the presence of 400 ppm lead was isolated from digested sewage sludge. The organism was identified as Acinetobacter calcoaceticus var: anitraus (98% confidence). Both viable and formalin-inactivated bacterial cells could remove Pb from an aqueous solution.

Toxicity tests of soil contaminated by recycling of scrap plastics.

The present investigation studied the toxicity of soil contaminated by untreated discharge from a factory that recycles used plastics. The nearby agricultural areas and freshwater fish ponds were polluted with high concentrations of Cu, Ni, and Mn. Water extracts from the contaminated soil retarded root growth of Brassica chinensis (Chinese white cabbage) and Cynodon dactylon (Bermuda grass) where their seeds were obtained commercially.

Lead concentration in Hong Kong roadside dust after reduction of lead level in petrol.

Samples of roadside dust were collected from 30 sites in Hong Kong. The total concentrations of 10 metals in the samples were analyzed, and the correlation coefficients among the metal contents and the annual average daily traffic (AADT) in 1986 were determined. Pb was found to have a significant correlation (P less than 0.