Adulteration of proprietary Chinese medicines and health products with undeclared drugs: experience of a tertiary toxicology laboratory in Hong Kong.

Aims: Proprietary Chinese medicines (pCMs) and health products, generally believed to be natural and safe, are gaining popularity worldwide. However, the safety of pCMs and health products has been severely compromised by the practice of adulteration. The current study aimed to examine the problem of adulteration of pCMs and health products in Hong Kong.

2,4-Dinitrophenol: a threat to Chinese body-conscious groups.

2,4-Dinitrophenol (2,4-DNP), a yellowish compound, has historically been used in the manufacture of dyes, explosives, and fungicides. As it uncouples mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, the compound was also used as an antiobesity agent early in the past century. The compound was subsequently banned by the United States Food and Drug Administration in 1938 due to its potentially fatal adverse effects, including hyperthermia, cataract, agranulocytosis, hepatoxicity, nephrotoxicity, and cardiotoxicity.

Mitochondrial DNA deletion in a girl with Fanconi's syndrome.

We report a sporadic large-scale mitochondrial deletion in a paediatric patient with Fanconi's syndrome. Renal biopsy disclosed chronic interstitial nephritis. Ultrastructural examination of the renal tissue showed many giant atypical mitochondria.

A novel mutation (C271F) in the Notch3 gene in a Chinese man with cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy.

Background: Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) is an adult-onset hereditary condition caused by mutations in the Notch3 gene. A Chinese man was studied.

Method: Electronic microscopy examination of skin biopsy.

Diagnostic value of pleural fluid adenosine deaminase activity in tuberculous pleurisy.

Background: Diagnosis of tuberculous pleuritis is difficult because of its nonspecific clinical presentation and insufficient efficiency of traditional diagnostic methods. We investigated the use of adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity in tuberculous pleuritis diagnosis.

Methods: We optimized a kinetic assay and retrospectively analysed 210 patients with exudative pleural effusions.