Publications by authors named "Kwok S"

Introduction: Patients with advanced ovarian cancer often require radical cytoreductive surgery and chemotherapy, with or without targeted therapy. Return to intended oncological therapy after surgery is a crucial metric, as delay can worsen survival. The concept of return to intended oncological therapy is important because it highlights the need for not just successful surgical outcomes, but also the ability to continue with the comprehensive cancer treatment plan.

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Background: Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) is a rare inherited arrhythmia disorder characterized by ventricular arrhythmia triggered by adrenergic stimulation.

Case Presentation: A 9-year-old boy presented with convulsions following physical exertion. Bidirectional ventricular tachycardia (VT) during a treadmill test led to the diagnosis of catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT).

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Background: Brugada syndrome (BrS) is an inherited channelopathy characterized by right precordial ST-segment elevation. This study investigates the clinical and genetic characteristics of children with BrS in Hong Kong.

Methods: A retrospective review was conducted at the only tertiary pediatric cardiology center in Hong Kong from 2002 to 2022, including all pediatric BrS patients under 18 years old.

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Background: Few studies have concurrently examined how different types of stressors influence university students' well-being through their use of coping strategies. Exploring such effects should enrich our understanding of how individuals develop strategies for coping with specific stressful situations and provide insights into the mechanisms by which different stressors impact students' well-being in higher education contexts.

Aims: This study investigated the effects of social mistreatment, academic alienation, and developmental challenge on emotional and psychological well-being via approach and avoidance coping strategies.

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The fixation and permeabilization of cells are essential for labeling intracellular biomarkers in flow cytometry. However, these chemical treatments often alter fragile targets, such as cell surface and fluorescent proteins (FPs), and can destroy chemically-sensitive fluorescent labels. This reduces measurement accuracy and introduces compromises into sample workflows, leading to losses in data quality.

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Background/aims: Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a potentially serious but underdiagnosed manifestation of primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS). This observational study investigated the prevalence and clinical course of ILD in pSS, together with prognostic factors.

Methods: A multicenter, retrospective longitudinal study was performed using findings from baseline and follow-up pulmonary function tests and chest computed tomography.

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Background: Existing studies on SARS-CoV-2 infection have mainly focused on severe clinical outcomes; understanding of the clinical severity profile of general community infections is poor. We aimed to assess and compare the clinical profiles of infections with SARS-CoV-2 omicron (B.1.

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Article Synopsis
  • Tumors can cause systemic issues in the body, leading to significant health problems, such as abdominal "bloating" in Drosophila (fruit fly) cancer models.
  • Research shows that tumors affect the fluid retention in flies by impairing their renal tubules, which are similar to human kidneys, due to abnormal cell activation.
  • This disruption is triggered by oncokines resembling IL-6, leading to a chronic inflammatory response that negatively alters kidney function and fluid balance in the host.
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Objective: This study aimed to elucidate the clinical and laboratory differences between chronic sclerosing sialadenitis (CSS) and primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS), highlighting CSS as a distinct pathological entity within the spectrum of salivary gland pathology.

Methods: This retrospective, single-center study was conducted at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital between January 2000 and December 2022.

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Article Synopsis
  • Recent research has created normative growth charts for the brain structure of rhesus macaques, filling a gap in understanding nonhuman primate neurodevelopment.
  • The study analyzed 1,522 MRI scans from 1,024 macaques to identify developmental patterns in brain volume, cortical thickness, and surface area throughout their lifespan.
  • These findings not only highlight key milestones in macaque brain development but also allow for meaningful comparisons to human brain maturation, providing a valuable resource for future neuroscience studies.
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Background: Familial chylomicronemia syndrome (FCS) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder. This study aimed to study the genotype distribution of FCS-causing genes in the United Kingdom, genotype-phenotype correlation, and clinical differences between FCS and multifactorial chylomicronemia syndrome (MCS).

Methods: The study included 154 patients (FCS, 74; MCS, 80) from the UK FCS national registry and the UK arm of the FCS International Quality Improvement and Service Evaluation Project.

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The Global Burden of Animal Diseases (GBADs) programme aims to assess the impact of animal health on agricultural animals, livestock production systems and associated communities worldwide. As part of the objectives of GBADs'Animal Health Ontology theme, the programme reviewed conceptual frameworks, ontologies and classification systems in biomedical science. The focus was on data requirements in animal health and the connections between animal health and human and environmental health.

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The fixation and permeabilization of cells are essential for labeling intracellular biomarkers in flow cytometry. However, these chemical treatments often alter fragile targets, such as cell surface and fluorescent proteins, and can destroy chemically-sensitive fluorescent labels. This reduces measurement accuracy and introduces compromises into sample workflows, leading to losses in data quality.

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The user of a pediatric drug includes not only the patient, but also their caregiver and healthcare provider, including nurses, doctors, and pharmacists. Therefore, adopting a patient-centric approach that focuses on all users is critical for the development of pediatric drug products. This article outlines the quality target product profile parameters and a patient-centric approach for the development of pediatric protein-based therapies.

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This study investigated the effects of diurnal nap in the recognition memory for faces in habitual nappers. Thirty volunteers with habitual midday napping (assigned as the sleep group) and 28 non-nappers (assigned as the wake group) participated in this study. Participants were instructed to memorize faces, and subsequently to perform two recognition tasks before and after nap/wakefulness, i.

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Inherited cardiovascular conditions are significant causes of sudden cardiac death in the young (SCDY), making their investigation using molecular autopsy and prevention a public health priority. However, the molecular autopsy data in Chinese population is lacking. The 5-year result (2017-2021) of molecular autopsy services provided for victims of SCDY (age 1-40 years) was reviewed.

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Purpose: To evaluate and compare endothelial features by in-vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) in Chinese eyes with chronic or recurrent anterior uveitis (AU) with and without cytomegalovirus (CMV).

Methods: A double-masked, cross-sectional case-control study at a tertiary eye clinic.

Results: Thirty eyes of 30 subjects were analyzed.

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Follicular helper T (T) cells mediate germinal center reactions to generate high affinity antibodies against specific pathogens, and their excessive production is associated with the pathogenesis of systemic autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). ETV5, a member of the ETS transcription factor family, promotes T cell differentiation in mice. In this study, we examined the role of ETV5 in the pathogenesis of lupus in mice and humans.

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This article evaluates the current gaps around the impact of post-manufacturing processes on the product qualities of protein-based biologics, with a focus on user centricity. It includes the evaluation of the regulatory guidance available, describes a collection of scientific literature and case studies to showcase the impact of post-manufacturing stresses on product and dosing solution quality. It also outlines the complexity of clinical handling and the need for communication, and alignment between drug providers, healthcare professionals, users, and patients.

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Purpose: A thin cornea is a potent risk factor for glaucoma. The underlying mechanisms remain unexplained. It has been postulated that central corneal thickness (CCT) may be a surrogate for biomechanical parameters of the posterior eye.

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Access to healthcare is inequitable. Poverty, natural disasters and war disproportionally effect those most vulnerable, including children. Non-governmental organizations (NGO) hold a vital role in providing pediatric care in these contexts.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study explored whether music training improves the ability to estimate lengths by comparing pianists (musicians) and non-musicians on specific tasks involving line sections and extensions.
  • Involving 116 participants (62 musicians and 54 non-musicians), the study tested their performance under varying conditions.
  • Results showed that musicians were more accurate in line section tasks and experienced no significant leftward bias (pseudoneglect), but performed similarly to non-musicians in line extension tasks, suggesting that music training's effects on spatial cognition might be limited.
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The meaning in life (MIL) in adolescence is crucial in the developmental process of life. Anchored in the Integrated Model of Meaning Making and the Dual-Systems Model of Meaning, the present study aimed to explore the MIL profiles among Chinese rural adolescents and their characteristics, as well as the role of depression, well-being, character strengths, and academic encouragement in differentiating the MIL profiles. A sample of 579 adolescents from rural China (Mean age = 15.

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