Appropriate scaling approach for evaluating peak VO2 development in Southern Chinese 8 to 16 years old.

Objective: To investigate scaling approaches for evaluating the development of peak VO2 and improving the identification of low cardiopulmonary fitness in Southern Chinese children and adolescents.

Methods: Nine hundred and twenty Chinese children and adolescents (8 to 16 years) underwent graded cardiopulmonary exercise test on a treadmill until volitional exhaustion. Peak VO2 was corrected for the effects of body mass by ratio or allometric scaling.

Establishing International Blood Pressure References Among Nonoverweight Children and Adolescents Aged 6 to 17 Years.

Background: Several distributions of country-specific blood pressure (BP) percentiles by sex, age, and height for children and adolescents have been established worldwide. However, there are no globally unified BP references for defining elevated BP in children and adolescents, which limits international comparisons of the prevalence of pediatric elevated BP. We aimed to establish international BP references for children and adolescents by using 7 nationally representative data sets (China, India, Iran, Korea, Poland, Tunisia, and the United States).

Oscillometric 24-h ambulatory blood pressure reference values in Hong Kong Chinese children and adolescents.

Objectives: We aimed to establish community-based normal reference values of 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) for Chinese children and adolescents. Furthermore, we investigated how excluding overweight children affects BP percentiles and compared them with German references.

Methods: In this territory-wide cross-sectional prospective cohort study, 1445 Hong Kong Chinese children and adolescents aged 8-17 years with body height between 119 and 185 cm were recruited.

A pilot randomized study to assess immunogenicity, reactogenicity, safety and tolerability of two human papillomavirus vaccines administered intramuscularly and intradermally to females aged 18-26 years.

Intradermal administration of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines could be dose-sparing and cost-saving. This pilot randomized study assessed Cervarix(®) and Gardasil(®) administered either intramuscularly or intradermally, in different doses (full-dose or reduced to 20%) by different methods (needle and syringe or PharmaJet needle-free jet injection device). Following an initial reactogenicity study of 10 male subjects, sexually naïve women aged 18-26 years were randomized to the eight study groups to receive vaccine at 0, 2 and 6 months.

Resting heart rate in children and adolescents: association with blood pressure, exercise and obesity.

Objective: Resting heart rate (RHR) is increasingly recognised as a prognostic marker for long term cardiovascular outcomes in adults. This study assessed associations of RHR with blood pressure (BP), anthropometry and exercise in a large representative sample of Hong Kong children.

Study Design, Setting And Subjects: A territory-wide growth survey carried out in 2005-2006 included students sampled from each of Hong Kong's 18 districts.

Thrombopoietin improved ventricular function and regulated remodeling genes in a rat model of myocardial infarction.

Background: Thrombopoietin (TPO) protects against heart damages by doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy in animal models. We aimed to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of TPO for treatment of myocardial infarction (MI) in a rat model and explored the mechanisms in terms of the genome-wide transcriptional profile, TPO downstream protein signals, and bone marrow endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs).

Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 3 groups: Sham-operated, MI (permanent ligation of the left coronary artery) and MI+TPO.

Self-reported body weight and height: an assessment tool for identifying children with overweight/obesity status and cardiometabolic risk factors clustering.

Body mass index (BMI) is commonly used for assessing body fat. Self-reported body weight and height derived BMI (SRDBMI) is a simple, low cost and non-invasive assessment tool and it may be a useful self-reported assessment tool to monitor the prevalence of overweight/obesity in community settings and for epidemiological research. We assessed the agreement of BW and BH between assessor measured and child self-reported values and evaluated the diagnostic ability of SRDBMI to identify children with overweight/obesity status and cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRFs) clustering.

Follow up of aerobic capacity in children affected by severe acute respiratory syndrome.

Background And Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the aerobic capacity of children 3 years after they were diagnosed with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

Methods: Twenty-seven patients who completed both pulmonary function and maximal aerobic capacity tests at 6 and 15 months after the acute illness were invited to return for reassessment.

Results: Twenty-one patients (median age 18.

Prevalence and risk factors for hypertension in Hong Kong Chinese adolescents: waist circumference predicts hypertension, exercise decreases risk.

Purpose: To determine the prevalence, risk factors for and patterns of hypertension in Chinese adolescents based on a territory-wide school based screening programme in Hong Kong.

Methods: Cross-sectional anthropometric and oscillometric blood pressure (BP) measurements and lifestyle information were obtained as part of a growth survey of students from randomly selected secondary schools in Hong Kong. Those with blood pressure ≥ 95th centile were screened a second or third time.

Cardioprotective effect of dexrazoxane in a rat model of myocardial infarction: anti-apoptosis and promoting angiogenesis.

Objectives: Dexrazoxane (DZR) is a clinically approved agent for preventive treatment of doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity. The objective of this study was to investigate the cardioprotective effects of DZR in a rat model of myocardial infarction (MI).

Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups: MI (n = 16), MI + DZR (n = 16), SHAM-operated (n = 14) and DZR-only (n = 9).

Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of herbal therapy for children with asthma.

Objectives: The purpose of this trial was to evaluate whether the herbal formula of CUF2 used as complementary therapy improves the clinical symptoms and biochemical markers in children with asthma using inhaled corticosteroids.

Patients And Methods: In a double-blind, placebo-controlled prospective trial, 85 children with asthma aged 7-15 years were randomly assigned to receive either a daily oral herbal formula of 0.619-g CUF2 capsule of dried aqueous extract with an equal weight of five herbs (Astragalus mongholius Bunge, Cordyceps sinensis Sacc.

Measurement of pubertal status with a Chinese self-report Pubertal Development Scale.

This cross sectional study of 290 Chinese children aged 8-18 years, evaluated a Chinese version of the self-reported Pubertal Development Scale (PDS) against both raters' and self-reported Tanner assessment of pubertal status. Children completed both the self-reported PDS and self-reported Tanner pubertal questionnaire prior to physical examination through visual depiction by a same gender rater. Puberty Category Scores (PCS) which were derived from the PDS, was used to categorize children into one of five pubertal development stages.

Body fat measured by bioelectrical impedance in Hong Kong Chinese children.

Objective: To establish reference standards for percentage body fat measured in Hong Kong Chinese children, by methods involving bioelectrical impedance analysis.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Thirty-six randomly selected primary and secondary schools and a teaching hospital in Hong Kong.

Waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio of Hong Kong Chinese children.

Background: Central body fat is a better predictor than overall body fat for cardiovascular (CV) risk factors in both adults and children. Waist circumference (WC) has been used as a proxy measure of central body fat. Children at high CV risk may be identified by WC measurements.

Secular changes in height, weight and body mass index in Hong Kong Children.

Background: Large population growth surveys of children and adolescents aged 6 to 18 y were undertaken in Hong Kong in 1963 and 1993. The global epidemic of obesity is a major public health concern. To monitor the impact of this epidemic in Hong Kong children and to identify secular changes in growth, a further growth survey was undertaken in 2005/6.

Comparative study of nasopharyngeal aspirate and nasal swab specimens for diagnosis of acute viral respiratory infection.

Paired nasopharyngeal aspirate (NPA) and nasal swab (NS) samples from 475 children hospitalized for acute respiratory infection were studied for the detection of influenza virus, parainfluenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus, and adenovirus by immunofluorescence test, viral culture, and multiplex PCR assay. The overall sensitivity of viral detection with NPA specimens was higher than that obtained with NS specimens.

Reliability of pubertal self-assessment in Hong Kong Chinese children.

Aim: To validate a Tanner stages self-assessment questionnaire using gender-specific line drawings and brief explanatory text in Chinese.

Design: A cross sectional study design.

Setting: One primary and two secondary schools.

Predictors for failed dose reduction of inhaled corticosteroids in childhood asthma.

Background And Objective: Studies of Western populations have shown that increased exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) and/or sputum eosinophils (sp-Eos) are predictive of asthma exacerbations. However, the utility of these measurements in different populations and settings is unknown. This study aimed to determine the predictors for failure of reduction of inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) doses in children with stable asthma.

Dexrazoxane protects against doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy: upregulation of Akt and Erk phosphorylation in a rat model.

Purpose: Dexrazoxane (DZR), a clinically approved cation chelator, is effective in reducing doxorubicin (DOX)-induced heart damage, yet its cardioprotective mechanism is not fully understood. We aimed to investigate the effects of DZR on the activation of Akt and Erk 1/2 signals in a rat model of DOX-induced cardiomyopathy.

Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats received weekly DOX injection (2.

Oscillometrically measured blood pressure in Hong Kong Chinese children and associations with anthropometric parameters.

Background: Oscillometric devices are increasingly used to measure blood pressure (BP). Reference data are limited and have not used devices validated against sphygmomanometric measurements on which current standards are based. BP standards for Chinese children have been based on sphygmomanometry and have not provided height-related or weight-related BP percentiles.

Serotype distribution and antimicrobial susceptibilities of nasopharyngeal isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae from children hospitalized for acute respiratory illnesses in Hong Kong.

Five hundred nineteen Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates from nasopharyngeal aspirates of 3,157 children (age, <16 years) participating in a respiratory surveillance study in Hong Kong in 2005 and 2006 indicated that 64.9% and 37.2% of the isolates were not susceptible to penicillin and cefotaxime, respectively.

Assessing disease burden of respiratory disorders in Hong Kong children with hospital discharge data and linked laboratory data.

Objectives: To describe the pattern of respiratory disorders in the Hong Kong paediatric population admitted to government hospitals, and to assess the reliability of the diagnoses by linkage with laboratory data.

Methods: Discharge diagnoses for all admissions are recorded in a central computerised database, the Clinical Management System. These data were analysed for the inclusive period July 1997 to June 1999.

BMI and waist circumference in predicting cardiovascular risk factor clustering in Chinese adolescents.

Objective: To derive the optimal BMI and waist circumference (WC) cut-off values to predict clustering of cardiovascular risk factors in Hong Kong Chinese adolescents.

Research Methods And Procedures: A total of 2102 Hong Kong Chinese 12 to 19 years of age were recruited. Participants were considered to have clustering of risk factors if at least three of the following risk factors were present: 1) high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) < or = 1.