Palliative care for patients with end-stage renal disease: experiences from Hong Kong.

As the number of patients with end-stage renal disease continues to grow in Hong Kong, many are opting to be managed conservatively without dialysis. A new service was initiated in Tuen Mun Hospital in 2004 aimed at offering palliative care to dying patients with renal failure. This paper presents retrospective data reflecting our dealings with patients who decided not to initiate or considered discontinuation of dialysis.

CNS-induced natriuresis, neurohypophyseal peptides and renal dopamine and noradrenaline excretion in prehypertensive salt-sensitive Dahl rats.

To identify defects in the salt-sensitive Dahl rat (Dahl-S), the natriuretic, catecholaminergic and pressor responses to 60-min elevation of the cerebroventricular sodium concentration (CNS-induced natriuresis) were compared between prehypertensive salt-sensitive Dahl-S and salt-resistant Dahl rats (Dahl-R). The plasma concentrations of the rat natriuretic hormone oxytocin, which has implications for the development of hypertension, and vasopressin (AVP) were also measured. Basal sodium and catecholamine excretion and mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) were similar in both strains.

The study of metal contamination in urban soils of Hong Kong using a GIS-based approach.

The study of regional variations and the anthropogenic contamination by metals of soils is very important for environmental planning and monitoring in urban areas. An extensive survey was conducted in the highly urbanized Kowloon area (46.9 km(2)) of Hong Kong, using a systematic sampling strategy with a sampling density of 3-5 composite soil samples (0-15 cm) per km(2).

Radiation-induced phosphorylation of Chk1 at S345 is associated with p53-dependent cell cycle arrest pathways.

Because DNA damage-inducible cell cycle checkpoints are thought to protect cells from the lethal effects of ionizing radiation, a better understanding of the mechanistic functions of cell cycle regulatory proteins may reveal new molecular targets for cancer therapy. The two major regulatory proteins of G2 arrest are Chk1 and p53. Yet, it is unclear how these two proteins interact and coordinate their functional roles during radiation-induced G2 arrest.