Publications by authors named "Ng S"

The [1,2]-rearrangement of allylic ammonium ylides is traditionally observed as a competitive minor pathway alongside the thermally allowed [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement. Concerted [1,2]-rearrangements are formally forbidden, with these processes believed to proceed through homolytic C-N bond fission of the ylide, followed by radical-radical recombination. The challenges associated with developing a catalytic enantioselective [1,2]-rearrangement of allylic ammonium ylides therefore lie in biasing the reaction pathway to favor the [1,2]-reaction product, alongside controlling a stereoselective radical-radical recombination event.

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Immunity to ( ) is sexually dimorphic in humans and mice, with females having higher morbidity and mortality during immune dysfunction and HIV-AIDS. The mechanisms underlying these sex differences are unclear. We investigated how a lack of CD4+ T cells (CD4 co-receptor KO) impacted survival in mice.

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Wharton's jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells (WJ-MSCs) can be isolated from umbilical cords which is abundant and easy to obtain. Due to their potent immunosuppressive properties, multilineage differentiation potential, and lack of ethical issues, WJ-MSCs are considered a promising candidate for therapeutic applications. However, large-scale in vitro expansion is necessary to obtain enough cells for therapeutic purposes.

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Objectives: We investigate if sublingual space invasion (SLI) determined on magnetic resonance imaging confers differences in clinicopathological manifestations and treatment outcomes of oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC).

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Tertiary Academic Medical Center.

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Cultivated meat production offers solutions in addressing global food security and sustainability challenges. However, serum-free media (SFM) used in cultivating the cells are expensive, contributing to at least 50% of variable operating costs. This review explores technologies for cost-effective SFM, focusing on reducing cost from using growth factors and recombinant proteins, using affordable raw materials for basal media, and implementing cost-saving measures like media recycling and reducing waste build-up.

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Background: Many countries have developed their country/nation-wide multidimensional area-based index on deprivation or socioeconomic status for resource allocation, service planning and research. However, whether each geographical unit proxied by a single index is sufficiently small to contain a relatively homogeneous population remains questionable. Globally, this is the first study that presents the distribution of domestic households by the territory-wide economic status index decile groups within each of the 2,252 small subunit groups (SSUGs) throughout Hong Kong, with a median study population of 1,300 and a median area of 42,400 m.

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Introduction: Long-term data on metachronous advanced adenoma (AA) recurrence after endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) remain scarce, leading to a lack of a standardized surveillance strategy. This study aims to evaluate the long-term risk of recurrent AA after ESD.

Materials And Methods: A longitudinal retrospective cohort study with propensity-score matching was conducted in a tertiary hospital in Hong Kong.

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Meat cuts, when cooked and masticated, separate into fibrous structures because of the long-range mechanical anisotropy (LMA) exhibited by muscle fascicles, which is not fully recapitulated in alternative proteins produced using molecular alignment technology like high moisture extrusion. We have developed a scalable perforated micro-imprinting technology to greatly enhance LMA in high moisture meat analogue (HMMA). By imprinting 1 mm thick HMMA sheets with perforated patterns (optimized by AI), we observed up to 5 × more anisotropic separation of fibrous structures in a one-dimensional pulling LMA analysis, to match the fibrousness of the cooked chicken breast, duck breast, pork loin and beef loin.

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Background: Mpox (formerly known as monkeypox), a zoonotic disease caused by Monkeypox virus (MPXV), has become an international outbreak since May 2022. Mpox often presents with a mild systemic illness and a characteristic vesiculopustular skin eruption. In addition to molecular testing, histopathology of cutaneous lesions usually shows distinctive findings, such as epidermal necrosis, balloon degeneration, papillary dermal edema, and focal dermal necrosis, which have proven helpful in the diagnosis of mpox.

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Dongsha Island, situated in the northern part of the South China Sea, is surrounded by coral reefs and deep-sea habitats. The coastal areas of the atoll, a marine protected area, serve as important nursery habitats for many reef fish species. At the same time, the offshore deep-sea continental slopes are historically important fishing grounds.

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Photobiomodulation (PBM), also known as low-level laser therapy, employs red or near-infrared light emitted from a laser or light-emitting diode for the treatment of various conditions. Transcranial PBM (tPBM) is a form of PBM that is delivered to the head to improve brain health, as tPBM enhances mitochondrial function, improves antioxidant responses, reduces inflammation, offers protection from apoptosis, improves blood flow, increases cellular energy production, and promotes neurogenesis and neuroplasticity. As such, tPBM holds promise as a treatment for stroke.

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Peripheral T-cell lymphomas with gamma-delta phenotype (GDTCL) are rare lymphoid malignancies. Beyond the well-recognized entities of extranodal lymphomas with gamma-delta phenotype as defined by the 5th edition of the WHO Classification of Hematolymphoid Tumors and 2022 International Consensus Classification, there is a group of poorly-defined gamma-delta T-cell lymphomas with predominantly nodal presentation, termed as nodal GDTCL (nGDTCL). In this study, we present a series of 12 cases of EBV-negative nGDTCL, highlighting the clinical, histopathological and molecular features of this rare entity.

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Background: The etiology of schizophrenia involves both biological and environmental risk factors. Studying childhood trauma in disorders along the schizophrenia spectrum, including schizotypal personality disorder (SPD), can inform early risk and protective factors for psychosis. However, no study has directly compared childhood trauma between SPD and schizophrenia.

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Cell phenotype underlies prostate cancer presentation and treatment resistance and can be regulated by epigenomic features. However, the osteotropic tendency of prostate cancer limits access to metastatic tissue, meaning most prior insights into prostate cancer chromatin biology are from preclinical models that do not fully represent disease complexity. Noninvasive chromatin immunoprecipitation of histones in plasma cell-free in humans may enable capture of disparate prostate cancer phenotypes.

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There is growing interest in the potential exploitation of the gut microbiome as a diagnostic tool in medicine, but evidence supporting its clinical usefulness is scarce. An increasing number of commercial providers offer direct-to-consumer microbiome diagnostic tests without any consensus on their regulation or any proven value in clinical practice, which could result in considerable waste of individual and health-care resources and potential drawbacks in the clinical management of patients. We convened an international multidisciplinary expert panel to standardise best practices of microbiome testing for clinical implementation, including recommendations on general principles and minimum requirements for their provision, indications, pre-testing protocols, method of analyses, reporting of results, and potential clinical value.

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Introduction: Strong hospital leadership is critical to navigating the challenges of the Canadian healthcare system. Currently, physicians and nurses tend to be selected to fulfil hospital executive roles. To date, we found only limited research exploring who else or should be in these roles, or how more diverse groups of professionals navigate the journey into these roles.

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Background: The emergence of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) offers a promising approach for replacing damaged neurons and glial cells, particularly in spinal cord injuries (SCI). Despite its merits, iPSC differentiation into spinal cord progenitor cells (SCPCs) is variable, necessitating reliable assessment of differentiation and validation of cell quality and safety. Phenotyping is often performed via label-based methods including immunofluorescent staining or flow cytometry analysis.

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Novosorb Biodegradable Temporising Matrix (BTM) is an entirely synthetic dermal matrix that is gaining popularity in the management of challenging wounds. Not only does it provide a framework in which to grow an organised neodermis, it is also especially resistant to infection. Today, the matrix is available as a 2 mm thick open cell polyurethane foam with a non-degrading sealing membrane.

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Article Synopsis
  • * An analysis of 302 pregnant women revealed that non-secretors with certain types of bacterial diversity had shorter gestational periods, particularly in those with depleted bacterial types early in pregnancy.
  • * The findings suggest that secretor status and the expression of blood-group antigens play a crucial role in the interaction between vaginal microbiota and pregnancy outcomes, especially regarding preterm birth risks.
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A 61 year old male presented with clinical signs of Eosinophilic fasciitis (EF), a rare connective tissue disease. Early recognition of the diagnosis of EF is essential. Common examination findings are prayer sign and distal limb swelling, induration, venous guttering, and peau d'orange.

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[Purpose] The study investigates whether performing scoliosis-specific exercises is related to curve stabilization in postmenopausal women with a thoracolumbar curve. [Case Description] We describe the outcome of three postmenopausal women with thoracolumbar scoliosis performing scoliosis-specific exercises for around ten years. Case 1 had a normal bone mineral density and thoracolumbar scoliosis over 64° and consistently performed the exercises at home for half an hour daily.

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Background: Microsurgical nasal replantation is a rare yet important procedure in order to regain the respiratory, olfactory, and aesthetic features of the nose. However, due to the traumatic nature of most nasal amputations, appropriate veins for anastomosis are difficult to find- complicating replantation. This is the first systematic review that compares peri operative and post-operative outcomes in arterial only versus arterial and venous anastomosis for nasal replantation.

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Introduction: The XuLing JianGu recipe (XLJGR) is an empirical traditional Chinese medicine formula used for the treatment of osteoporosis. This study aims to explore the effects of XLJGR on the intestinal microbiota composition and endogenous metabolites in ovariectomized (OVX) rats.

Methods: An OVX rat model was established to evaluate the intervention effects of XLJGR.

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