Evaluation of Pulmonary Nodules: Clinical Practice Consensus Guidelines for Asia.

Background: American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) clinical practice guidelines on the evaluation of pulmonary nodules may have low adoption among clinicians in Asian countries. Unique patient characteristics of Asian patients affect the diagnostic evaluation of pulmonary nodules. The objective of these clinical practice guidelines was to adapt those of CHEST to provide consensus-based recommendations relevant to practitioners in Asia.

Risk factors for chronic post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in SARS survivors.

Background: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the most prevalent long-term psychiatric diagnoses among survivors of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

Objectives: The objective of this study was to identify the predictors of chronic PTSD in SARS survivors.

Design: PTSD at 30 months after the SARS outbreak was assessed by the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM-IV.

Daptomycin as successful treatment for a refractory case of prosthetic valve endocarditis because of methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus.

We report on an intravenous drug user who presented with methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia and endocarditis of a prosthetic tricuspid valve, with a 4-cm vegetation refractory to standard antibiotic treatment. The patient responded to intravenous daptomycin therapy clinically and microbiologically, despite an absence of surgical intervention.

Sleep apnea is a novel risk predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and death in patients receiving peritoneal dialysis.

Sleep apnea syndrome is increasingly recognized in peritoneal dialysis patients; however, its prognostic implication in this population is unknown. To study this, we prospectively followed the clinical outcome of 93 peritoneal dialysis patients with baseline polysomnography. Of these, 51 were diagnosed with the syndrome defined by an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of at least 15 per hour.

Long-term psychiatric morbidities among SARS survivors.

Objective: Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was the first massive infectious disease outbreak of the 21st century. However, it is unlikely that this outbreak will be the last. This study aimed to evaluate the long-term psychiatric morbidities in survivors of SARS.

Polymorphisms in the IL-4, IL-4 receptor alpha chain, TNF-alpha, and lymphotoxin-alpha genes and risk of asthma in Hong Kong Chinese adults.

Background: Susceptibility to the development of asthma and other atopic diseases is known to be associated with genetic components. However, association studies with interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-4 receptor alpha subunit (IL-4R alpha), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and lymphotoxin-alpha (LT-alpha) genes were inconclusive, as both positive and negative results were obtained in several populations studied. We aimed to investigate the association of the polymorphisms for IL-4 (C-589T), IL-4R alpha (Gln576Arg), TNF-alpha (G-308A) and LT-alpha (A252G) genes as candidates and asthma in adult Hong Kong Chinese population.

Alleviation of sleep apnea in patients with chronic renal failure by nocturnal cycler-assisted peritoneal dialysis compared with conventional continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis.

Nocturnal hemodialysis has been shown to improve sleep apnea in patients who receive conventional hemodialysis. It was hypothesized that nocturnal peritoneal dialysis (NPD) also is effective in correcting sleep apnea in patients who receive continuous ambulatory PD (CAPD). Overnight polysomnography (PSG) was performed in 46 stable NPD and CAPD patients who were matched for demographic and clinical attributes.

Psychological effects of the SARS outbreak in Hong Kong on high-risk health care workers.

Objective: To quantify stress and the psychological impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) on high-risk health care workers (HCWs).

Method: We evaluated 271 HCWs from SARS units and 342 healthy control subjects, using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) to assess stress levels and a structured list of putative psychological effects of SARS to assess its psychological effects. Healthy control subjects were balanced for age, sex, education, parenthood, living circumstances, and lack of health care experience.

Stress and psychological impact on SARS patients during the outbreak.

Objective: To examine stress and psychological impact in severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) patients during the 2003 outbreak. SARS is a novel, highly infectious pneumonia, and its psychological impact is still unclear.

Method: At the peak of the outbreak, SARS patients (n = 79) and healthy control subjects (n = 145) completed the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and documented a range of psychological responses.

Lung pathology of fatal severe acute respiratory syndrome.

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a novel infectious disease with global impact. A virus from the family Coronaviridae has been identified as the cause, but the pathogenesis is still unclear.

Methods: Post-mortem tissue samples from six patients who died from SARS in February and March, 2003, and an open lung biopsy from one of these patients were studied by histology and virology.

Human epidermal growth factor enhances healing of diabetic foot ulcers.

Objective: To study the healing effect of recombinant human epidermal growth factor (hEGF) on diabetic foot ulcers.

Research Design And Methods: A total of 127 consecutive patients were screened and 61 diabetic subjects were recruited into this double-blind randomized controlled study. Predetermined criteria were used for diagnosis and classification of the diabetic wound.