Publications by authors named "Hung I"

Objective: Callous-unemotional traits (CU), characterized as a lack of guilt and empathy; and irritability, a tendency to show anger and frustration; are 2 risk factors for externalizing behavioral problems. Externalizing problems, CU and irritability are all heritable. However, there is a dearth of studies examining the genetic and environmental associations between the 3 domains.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Breast cancer presents a significant global health challenge, necessitating continued innovation in diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Recent advances have led to the identification of cancer-associated fibroblasts, which are highly prevalent in breast cancers and express fibroblast activation proteins (FAPs), as critical targets. FAP-specific radiotracers, when used with PET/CT and SPECT/CT, have significant potential for improving early breast cancer detection, staging, treatment response monitoring, and therapeutic intervention.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of respiratory infections, particularly affecting young infants, older adults, and individuals with comorbidities. : This document, developed as a consensus by an international group of experts affiliated with the World Association of Infectious Diseases and Immunological Disorders (WAidid), focuses on recent advancements in RSV prevention, highlighting the introduction of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and vaccines. : Historically, RSV treatment options were limited to supportive care and the monoclonal antibody palivizumab, which required multiple doses.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We investigated a novel cancer immunotherapy strategy that effectively suppresses tumor growth in multiple solid tumor models and significantly extends the lifespan of tumor-bearing mice by introducing pathogen antigens into tumors via mRNA-lipid nanoparticles. The pre-existing immunity against the pathogen antigen can significantly enhance the efficacy of this approach. In mice previously immunized with BNT162b2, an mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine encoding the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, intratumoral injections of the same vaccine efficiently tagged the tumor cells with mRNA-expressed spike protein.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a class of porous materials that are of topical interest for their utility in water-related applications. Nevertheless, molecular-level insight into water-MOF interactions and MOF hydrolytic reactivity remains understudied. Herein, we report two hydrolytic pathways leading to either structural stability or framework decomposition of a MOF (ZnMOF-1).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

COVID-19 can increase the long-term risk of multiorgan dysfunction. Few studies investigated the long-term risk in Asian populations or investigated the association between viral load and long-term risk. We aimed to investigate the post-discharge rates of hospitalization and association with baseline viral load in all patients with COVID-19 in Hong Kong.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This article examines the need for reform in medical school admissions to better align with the collaborative and patient-centered nature of contemporary healthcare. Traditional admissions processes prioritize academic excellence, often neglecting essential interpersonal and team-based skills. We advocate for several strategies to address this gap.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The effects of beauty on judgment and behavior are well-established and somewhat "unidirectional" (i.e., it seems that only beautiful people reap social benefits).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Value-based care (VBC) emphasizes patient outcomes over service volume, representing a significant shift in health care delivery. Musculoskeletal (MSK) health care, with over $300 billion in annual expenditures, has lagged behind other specialties in adopting VBC. Key barriers include misaligned incentives and fragmented care delivery.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The health care system is transitioning from fee-for-service models to value-based care frameworks, with bundled payments emerging as a promising approach to improve cost efficiency and patient outcomes. Bundled payments consolidate costs for multiple services into a single payment for specific treatments or conditions. This study reviews the development and implementation of bundling models in orthopaedics, comparing government and commercial approaches and discussing their benefits and challenges.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are increasingly replacing traditional hospital settings for orthopaedic procedures, driven by advancements in surgical techniques, anesthesia, and enhanced recovery protocols. These innovations enable complex procedures to be performed safely in outpatient settings. ASCs align with value-based care (VBC) principles by offering cost-effective, high-quality, and patient-centered care.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • This experiment evaluated the impact of guanidine acetic acid (GAA) on the reproductive and lactation performance of sows and their piglets, with 20 sows divided into control and GAA-supplemented groups.
  • GAA supplementation had no negative impact on sow health and led to an increase in colostrum protein content and potential boosts in piglet health, particularly in the number of healthy piglets born.
  • It also improved certain blood biochemical markers in sows while altering intestinal flora, suggesting that GAA may enhance overall piglet development.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) are more susceptible to severe respiratory viral infections, but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we show that patients with T2D and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections, and influenza-infected T2D mice, exhibit defective T helper 1 (Th1) responses, which are an essential component of anti-viral immunity. This defect stems from intrinsic metabolic perturbations in CD4 T cells driven by hyperglycemia.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Traditional RT-qPCR for SARS-CoV-2 detection is highly sensitive but slow and labor-intensive, limiting its use in community screenings.
  • A new electrochemical aptamer-based biosensor (E-AB) was developed to target the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein, achieving rapid results within 5 minutes.
  • The biosensor demonstrated high specificity and effectiveness in detecting the N protein in artificial saliva, paving the way for quicker and more accessible saliva-based diagnostics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Octacalcium phosphate (OCP, Ca(PO)(HPO)·5HO) is a notable calcium phosphate due to its biocompatibility, making it a widely studied material for bone substitution. It is known to be a precursor of bone mineral, but its role in biomineralisation remains unclear. While the structure of OCP has been the subject of thorough investigations (including using Rietveld refinements of X-ray diffraction data, and NMR crystallography studies), important questions regarding the symmetry and H-bonding network in the material remain.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - The study aimed to explore how skin blood flow regulation differs between the upper (forearm) and lower (leg) limbs in healthy adults, marking the first research of its kind using wavelet analysis of blood flow oscillations.
  • - Using laser Doppler flowmetry, researchers measured skin blood flow in 17 participants and analyzed the data to identify the primary controls influencing blood flow, categorized into metabolic, neurogenic, myogenic, respiratory, and cardiac factors.
  • - Findings revealed that skin blood flow was significantly higher in the leg, with metabolic endothelial control being more prominent in the forearm and myogenic control being more prevalent in the leg, highlighting distinct regulatory mechanisms for upper and lower limbs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The mortality and hospitalization rate by COVID-19 dropped significantly currently, but its seasonal outbreaks make antiviral treatment still vital. The mortality and hospitazation rate by COVID-19 dropped significantly currently, but its seasonal ourbreaks make antiviral treatment still vital. In our study, syrian golden hamsters were treated with molnupiravir and interferons (IFNs) after SARS-CoV-2 infection.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: This study explored neutralizing IgG antibody levels against COVID-19 decline over time post-vaccination. We conducted this prospective cohort study to investigate the function of gut microbiota in the host immune response following three doses of BNT162b2.

Methods: Subjects who received three doses of BNT162b2 were recruited from three centers in Hong Kong.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on global health and economy, which was significantly mitigated by the availability of COVID-19 vaccines. The levels of systemic and mucosal antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 correlated with protection. However, there is limited data on how vaccine type and booster doses affect mucosal antibody response, and how the breadth of mucosal and systemic antibodies compares.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Aim: We aimed to investigate the effect of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) on three-dose BNT162b2 immunogenicity to the omicron variant.

Methods: Adult recipients of three doses of BNT162b2 were prospectively recruited between May and December 2021. The serology of the neutralizing antibody by live virus microneutralization (vMN) to the omicron variant was measured at baseline, day 180, and day 360 after the first dose.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: De novo amino acid substitutions (DNS) frequently emerge among immunocompromised patients with chronic SARS-CoV-2 infection. While previous studies have reported these DNS, their significance has not been systematically studied.

Methods: We performed a review of DNS that emerged during chronic SARS-CoV-2 infection.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The prevalence of food allergies is increasing dramatically and causing serious public health concerns. Notably, melatonin metabolism imbalance in patients with food allergies; however, the role of melatonin in food allergies remains unclear. Here, we demonstrated that melatonin suppresses food allergy responses and reprograms the gut microbiota of food-allergic mice, while melatonin aggravates food allergy during gut microbiota depletion.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF