Button-Push On-Demand Synthesis for Rapid Optimization of Antiviral Peptidomimetics.

The optimization of hit compounds into drug candidates is a pivotal phase in drug discovery but often hampered by cumbersome manual synthesis of derivatives. While automated organic molecule synthesis has enhanced efficiency, safety, and cost-effectiveness, achieving fully automated multistep synthesis remains a formidable challenge due to issues such as solvent and reagent incompatibilities and the accumulation of side-products. We herein demonstrate an automated solid-phase flow platform for synthesizing α-keto-amides and nitrile peptidomimetics, guided by docking simulations, to identify potent broad-spectrum antiviral leads.

Incidence distributions, risk factors and trends of vaginal cancer: A global population-based study.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the incidence, risk factors and trends for vaginal cancer.

Design: Retrospective observational design.

Setting: Data were collected from multiple sources, including the Global Cancer Observatory, Cancer Incidence in Five Continents Plus, Global Burden of Disease, World Bank and the United Nations.

Global burden, risk factors, and temporal trends of ureteral cancer: a comprehensive analysis of cancer registries.

Background: Ureteral cancer is a rare cancer. This study aimed to provide an up-to-date and comprehensive analysis on the global trends of ureteral cancer incidence and its association with lifestyle and metabolic risk factors.

Methods: The incidence of ureteral cancer was estimated from the Cancer Incidence in Five Continents Plus and Global Cancer Observatory databases.

Remember walking in their shoes? The relation of self-referential source memory and emotion recognition.

Deficits in the ability to read the emotions of others have been demonstrated in mental disorders, such as dissociation and schizophrenia, which involve a distorted sense of self. This study examined whether weakened self-referential source memory, being unable to remember whether a piece of information has been processed with reference to oneself, is linked to ineffective emotion recognition. In two samples from a college and community, we quantified the participants' ability to remember the self-generated versus non-self-generated origins of sentences they had previously read or partially generated.

Usage of electronic health record (eHR) viewer among healthcare professionals (HCProfs): A territory-wide study of 3972 participants.

Background: The Electronic Health Record Sharing System (eHRSS) is an electronic platform for two-way communication between the public and private sectors in Hong Kong. The authorised healthcare professionals (HCProfs) could access and upload patients' health records on the eHR Viewer in the eHRSS. This study aims to evaluate the usage of eHR viewer among the HCProfs from the private sector by 1) examining the correlation of various factors and the data access of eHR viewer; 2) investigating the trend on data access and upload to eHR viewer by time period and domain.

Factors Associated With the Acceptance of an eHealth App for Electronic Health Record Sharing System: Population-Based Study.

Background: In the second stage of the Electronic Health Record Sharing System (eHRSS) development, a mobile app (eHealth app) was launched to further enhance collaborative care among the public sector, the private sector, the community, and the caregivers.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the factors associated with the downloading and utilization of the app, as well as the awareness, perception, and future improvement of the app.

Methods: We collected 2110 surveys; respondents were stratified into 3 groups according to their status of enrollment in the eHRSS.

Enabling Factors, Barriers, and Perceptions of Pneumococcal Vaccination Strategy Implementation: A Qualitative Study.

Invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) is a leading cause of disability and mortality worldwide, particularly in the elderly population. With the implementation of the Government Vaccination Programme (GVP) and the Vaccination Subsidy Scheme (VSS), enabling factors and barriers in service provider scheme participation and vaccination uptake were examined in 32 interviews with doctors and 16 interviews with vaccine recipients. Interview data were analysed in NVivo 11.

Videographic Analysis of Blink Dynamics following Upper Eyelid Blepharoplasty and Its Association with Dry Eye.

Unlabelled: This study was undertaken to characterize the effects of upper eyelid blepharoplasty on blink dynamics and to evaluate the hypothesis that changes in blink dynamics following blepharoplasty are associated with postoperative dry eye.

Methods: The voluntary blink of 14 eyes of 7 patients with dermatochalasis undergoing upper eyelid blepharoplasty was recorded with a high-speed camera preoperatively and 6-8 months postoperatively, alongside a group of 11 controls. The images were analyzed for palpebral aperture, blink duration, and maximum velocity during opening and closing phases.

Analysis of blink dynamics in patients with blepharoptosis.

Owing to the rapid movements of the human upper eyelid, a high-speed camera was used to record and characterize voluntary blinking and the blink dynamics of blepharoptosis patients were compared to a control group. Twenty-six blepharoptosis patients prior to surgery and 45 control subjects were studied and the vertical height of the palpebral aperture (PA) was measured manually at 2 ms intervals during each blink cycle. The PA and blinking speed were plotted with respect to time and a predictive model was generated.

Synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of dual acting ligands targeting the adenosine A2A and dopamine D2 receptors for the potential treatment of Parkinson's disease.

A relatively new strategy in drug discovery is the development of dual acting ligands. These molecules are potentially able to interact at two orthosteric binding sites of a heterodimer simultaneously, possibly resulting in enhanced subtype selectivity, higher affinity, enhanced or modified physiological response, and reduced reliance on multiple drug administration regimens. In this study, we have successfully synthesized a series of classical heterobivalent ligands as well as a series of more integrated and "drug-like" dual acting molecules, incorporating ropinirole as a dopamine D2 receptor agonist and ZM 241385 as an adenosine A2A receptor antagonist.

Novel adenosine A(2A) receptor ligands: a synthetic, functional and computational investigation of selected literature adenosine A(2A) receptor antagonists for extending into extracellular space.

Growing evidence has suggested a role in targeting the adenosine A2A receptor for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. The literature compounds KW 6002 (2) and ZM 241385 (5) were used as a starting point from which a series of novel ligands targeting the adenosine A2A receptor were synthesized and tested in a recombinant human adenosine A2A receptor functional assay. In order to further explore these molecules, we investigated the biological effects of assorted linkers attached to different positions on selected adenosine A2A receptor antagonists, and assessed their potential binding modes using molecular docking studies.

Conservative laparoscopic approach to a perforated pyomyoma after uterine artery embolization.

We describe a conservative laparoscopic approach to treatment of a perforated pyomyoma after uterine artery embolization. A 36-year-old woman came to our emergency department 8 weeks after undergoing uterine artery embolization. She reported painful abdominal cramps.

Job satisfaction of childcare workers for children with developmental disabilities in Hong Kong.

The importance of early intervention for young children with developmental disabilities is recognized in different parts of the world. In Hong Kong, the special childcare worker (SCCW) is one of the key professionals responsible for intervention programs for these children. This study explores the level of job satisfaction of SCCWs with a view to identifying factors and issues relevant for policy-makers.

A retrospective review comparing the use of Gonal-F and Metrodin-HP for in-vitro fertilisation (IVF).

All cycles of IVF with pituitary down-regulation (n = 57) done at the Damansara Fertility Centre in the year 2000 were studied. All the 57 patients had controlled ovarian hyperstimulation, either using Metrodin HP (n = 27) or Gonal-F (n = 30). Of these, 53 patients reached oocyte pick-up, 26 patients in Metrodin HP group and 27 patients in Gonal-F group.

Influence of antibiotics on the offspring production of the Wolbachia-infected parthenogenetic parasitoid Encarsia formosa.

Three different concentrations of the antibiotic tetracycline in honey were tested for their influence on the offspring production and longevity of the parasitoid wasp Encarsia formosa. Several earlier publications did not provide a conclusive answer on the effect that the Wolbachia have on these wasps. The results of our experiments show that at high tetracycline hydrochloride concentrations in honey (50mg/ml) the antibiotic is toxic to the females, all females died within three days after the antibiotic treatment.

Delayed diagnosis of cervical pregnancy: management options.

Cervical pregnancy is an uncommon variety of ectopic gestation. The aetiology is obscure. Diagnosis can be missed unless early evaluation is done by experienced personnel utilising pelvic ultrasonography.

Soft neurological signs in schizophrenic patients and their nonpsychotic siblings.

This study examined neurological signs as familial vulnerability factors to schizophrenia. Fifteen Chinese schizophrenic patients, 21 of their nonpsychotic siblings, and 26 healthy volunteers, matched for age, sex, and education, were assessed by using the Cambridge Neurological Inventory. Results showed that patients and their siblings had significantly higher global neurological impairment than controls.

Separation and comorbidity of hyperactivity and conduct disturbance in Chinese schoolboys.

In a two-stage community study of 3069 Chinese schoolboys in Hong Kong, those entering stage 2 were classified by scores on Rutter's teacher and parent questionnaires into: (1) a mixed hyperactive/conduct-disturbed (HA-CD) group; (2) a pure hyperactive (HA) group; (3) a pure conduct-disturbed (CD) group; and (4) a normal control group. The four groups of children were compared on a series of psychosocial, cognitive and neurodevelopmental measures. This was followed by a regression analysis to examine the specificity of the differential patterns of associations between HA and CD.

Establishing the constructs of childhood behavioral disturbances in a Chinese population: a questionnaire study.

The behavioral problems of Chinese children were examined in a questionnaire study of a representative sample of 3,069 seven-year-old Chinese schoolboys in Hong Kong using Rutter's questionnaires for completion by parents and teachers. Separate robust dimensions of hyperactivity, antisocial, and neurotic behaviors were evident. The correlations among different dimensions were similar to those reported in the West.

The diagnosis and prevalence of hyperactivity in Chinese schoolboys.

Background: This study was undertaken to examine the validity of different diagnostic definitions of hyperactivity in a Chinese population. Estimates of the prevalence of hyperactivity were made according to these different diagnostic definitions.

Method: In a two-stage epidemiological study of hyperactivity in Hong Kong, 3069 Chinese schoolboys were screened by questionnaires; and a stratified sample of 611 of them entered a second stage for more detailed diagnostic assessment.

Sexual abuse in Chinese children in Hong Kong: a review of 134 cases.

This is a retrospective study of 134 cases of sexual abuse in Chinese children aged 16 years or under in Hong Kong. The data with respect to the victim's age, sex, severity and type (intra- or extrafamilial) of abuse, perpetrator's characteristics and family disturbances were analysed. The overall profile is similar to that reported in the West.