Lipid production in Nannochloropsis gaditana is doubled by decreasing expression of a single transcriptional regulator.

Lipid production in the industrial microalga Nannochloropsis gaditana exceeds that of model algal species and can be maximized by nutrient starvation in batch culture. However, starvation halts growth, thereby decreasing productivity. Efforts to engineer N.

A community-based study of the relationship between somatic and psychological distress in Hong Kong.

Although the predominantly somatic presentation of distress has been used to explain low rates of emotional illnesses and health service use in Chinese communities, this concept of somatization has not been examined by concurrently studying the profile of somatically and psychologically distressed Chinese individuals. A random population-based sample of 3014 adults underwent a structured telephone interview that examined their sociodemographic characteristics, somatic distress (Patient Health Questionnaire-15, PHQ-15), non-specific psychological distress (Kessler Scale-6, K6), health service use, and functional impairment. Four groups of individuals identified by PHQ-15 and K6 cut-off scores were compared.

A community-based epidemiological study of health anxiety and generalized anxiety disorder.

This community-based study examined the frequency of worry about personal health in respondents with and without generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and the impact of health anxiety on the disorder. A random community-based telephone survey of 5118 Chinese respondents aged 18-64 was conducted. A fully structured questionnaire covered the DSM-IV-TR criteria of GAD, major depressive episode (MDE), eight domains of worry, the seven-item Whiteley Index (WI-7), health service use, and socio-demographic information.

Gastrointestinal dysfunction in Chinese patients with fat-phobic and nonfat-phobic anorexia nervosa.

Although gastrointestinal and other somatic symptoms are common in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN), and a growing cross-national literature indicates that not all anorexic patients exhibit the core diagnostic symptom of fat phobia, the relationship between somatic symptoms and anorexic illness remains unclear. Our objective was to evaluate gastrointestinal dysfunction (GD) in Chinese patients with fat phobic (FP) and nonfat phobic (NFP) anorexia nervosa. A total of 113 FP- and 28 NFP-AN outpatients underwent standardized clinical assessment and completed a new 8-item GD scale and other psychopathological measures.

A general population study of the Chinese Whiteley-7 index in Hong Kong.

Objective: To examine the psychometric properties of the Chinese seven-item Whiteley Index (WI-7) in the general population of Hong Kong.

Methods: A random community-based telephone survey of 3014 respondents aged 15-65 was conducted using a fully structured questionnaire that included the WI-7, 15-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-15), Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS), and items about the frequency of health service use, perceived helpfulness of doctors, level of satisfaction with doctors, and sociodemographic variables. A sub-sample of 199 respondents was re-interviewed to assess test-retest reliability.

Performance of the 6-item Kessler scale for measuring serious mental illness in Hong Kong.

Background: The 6-item Kessler scale (K6) promises to be a valuable epidemiological tool for assessing serious mental illness (SMI) in communities with limited resources for psychiatric research and treatment. Its performance in Chinese community has not been studied with reference to clinically assessed SMI.

Method: From a representative telephone-based population survey (n = 3014) that administered the K6, 153 participants were readministered the K6 and, on the same day, interviewed face-to-face by clinicians using the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder, Fourth Edition, Axis I Disorder.

Prognostic significance of plasma osteopontin in patients with locoregionally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma treated on TROG 02.02 phase III trial.

Purpose: High plasma osteopontin (OPN) levels have been reported to be an adverse prognostic factor in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC), correlate with tumor hypoxia, and be predictive of benefit from hypoxia-targeted therapy. We sought to confirm the prognostic and predictive significance of OPN in patients treated on a large international trial.

Experimental Design: Patients with stage III/IV HNSCC were randomized to receive definitive radiotherapy concurrently with cisplatin or cisplatin plus the hypoxic cell cytotoxin, tirapazamine (TPZ).

Generalized anxiety disorder with and without excessive worry in Hong Kong.

Background: Two previous U.S. studies found that although generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) without self-perceived excessive worry was milder than GAD with excessive worry, its persistence, impairment, and risk for subsequent onset of other mental disorders were still substantial.

The changing profile of eating disorders at a tertiary psychiatric clinic in Hong Kong (1987-2007).

Objective: To examine the clinical profile of Chinese eating disorder patients at a tertiary psychiatric clinic in Hong Kong from 1987 to 2007.

Method: Data on 195 consecutive patients were retrieved from a standardized intake interview by an eating disorder specialist. Patients seen between 1987-1997 (n = 67) and 1998-2007 (n = 128) and fat-phobic (n = 76) and nonfat-phobic (n = 39) anorexic patients were compared.

Prevalence and correlates of social fears in Hong Kong.

This study examined the 12-month prevalence of social fears and their correlates in Hong Kong. A random telephone survey of 3006 Chinese individuals aged 15-45 years was conducted using a questionnaire that covered sociodemographic information, 14 social fears, age of onset, duration of fear, DSM-IV diagnostic features of social anxiety disorder and other psychosocial features. The prevalence of any social fear was 28.

A community epidemiological survey of generalized anxiety disorder in Hong Kong.

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is understudied in Asian communities. There were 3,304 Chinese subjects (aged 15-60 years) randomly drawn from the general population of Hong Kong and successfully interviewed. The participation rate was 65.

Twelve-month prevalence, correlates, and treatment preference of adults with DSM-IV major depressive episode in Hong Kong.

Background: The most recent large-scale community mental health survey of depression among adults in Hong Kong was conducted over two decades ago. The lifetime prevalence rates of DSM-III major depressive disorder (females 2.44% and males 1.

A community-based telephone survey of panic disorder in Hong Kong.

Panic disorder (PD) is prevalent, impairing, under-recognized, and often mistreated. Previous surveys in Chinese communities indicate very low prevalence estimates and provide limited information about its clinical characteristics. A random telephone survey of the general population (age range, 15-60 years) in Hong Kong was conducted using a questionnaire that generated the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-IV-based diagnosis of PD, its symptom profile, help-seeking behavior, and health visit expenditure.

A community-based telephone survey of social anxiety disorder in Hong Kong.

Background: Research on the prevalence and characteristics of social anxiety disorder (SAD) is lacking in Chinese communities.

Methods: A random telephone survey of 3006 individuals aged 15-45 years in Hong Kong was conducted using a questionnaire that generated DSM-IV diagnosis and other clinical characteristics of SAD.

Results: 3.

The experience of SARS-related stigma at Amoy Gardens.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) possesses characteristics that render it particularly prone to stigmatization. SARS-related stigma, despite its salience for public health and stigma research, has had little examination. This study combines survey and case study methods to examine subjective stigma among residents of Amoy Gardens (AG), the first officially recognized site of community outbreak of SARS in Hong Kong.

Relationship between control and the intermediate term outcome of anorexia nervosa in Hong Kong.

Objective: To examine the relationship between control and the intermediate term outcome of Chinese patients with anorexia nervosa.

Method: 88 patients who fulfilled the DSM-III-R criteria for typical (fat phobic, n=63) and atypical (non-fat phobic, n=25) anorexia nervosa were contacted 9 years after the onset of illness. They completed the Morgan-Russell Outcome Assessment Schedule, Shapiro Control Inventory, and Eating Disorder Inventory-I.

Screening Chinese patients with eating disorders using the Eating Attitudes Test in Hong Kong.

Objective: To evaluate the Chinese Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) in screening patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) in Hong Kong.

Method: A consecutive series of Chinese patients with BN (N = 67) and typical (fat phobic; N = 65) and atypical (nonfat phobic; N = 44) AN underwent clinical assessment and completed the EAT-26. Results were compared with those of Chinese female undergraduates (N = 646).