Publications by authors named "Sum M"

Chikungunya fever, caused by Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) exhibits clinical features that mimic that of other arbovirus infections such as dengue. CHIKV Envelope 2 (E2) protein, an antigenic epitope of CHIKV, has been identified as an ideal marker for diagnostics. The current CHIKV antigen detection tests are largely based on antibodies but are beleaguered by issues such as sensitivity to high temperature, expensive and prone to batch-to-batch variations.

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Background And Hypothesis: Despite the clinical relevance of negative symptoms in schizophrenia, our understanding of negative symptoms remains limited. Although various courses and stages of schizophrenia have been identified, variations in the negative symptom networks between distinct stages of schizophrenia remain unexplored.

Study Design: We examined 405 patients with early schizophrenia (ES) and 330 patients with chronic schizophrenia (CS) using the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms.

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The NAD-dependent lysine deacylase sirtuin 2 (Sirt2) is involved in multiple pathological conditions such as cancer. Targeting Sirt2 has thus received an increased interest for therapeutic purposes. Furthermore, the orthologue from (Sirt2) has been considered for the potential treatment of the neglected tropical disease schistosomiasis.

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Novel treatment modalities are imperative for the challenging management of muscle-invasive and metastatic BC to improve patient survival rates. The recently identified KMT9, an obligate heterodimer composed of KMT9α and KMT9β, regulates the growth of various types of tumors such as prostate, lung, and colon cancer. While the overexpression of KMT9α was previously observed to be associated with aggressive basal-like MIBC in an analysis of patients' tissue samples, a potential functional role of KMT9 in this type of cancer has not been investigated to date.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study conducted a meta-analysis to assess the levels of internalised stigma in individuals with psychosis globally and how factors like cultural differences, economic status, and illness duration influence these levels.
  • It reviewed 73 articles, finding a mild level of internalised stigma (2.20) and stigma resistance (2.44), with high collectivism cultures showing a significant association with increased internalised stigma, while economic status showed no significant impact.
  • The research suggests that since internalised stigma is common worldwide, interventions to reduce it should target both broader cultural factors and individual characteristics that contribute to stigma.
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Inhibition of epigenetic regulators by small molecules is an attractive strategy for cancer treatment. Recently, we characterised the role of lysine methyltransferase 9 (KMT9) in prostate, lung, and colon cancer. Our observation that the enzymatic activity was required for tumour cell proliferation identified KMT9 as a potential therapeutic target.

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Objective: Hungry bone syndrome (HBS) is a known complication of parathyroidectomy. Patients with renal hyperparathyroidism are particularly vulnerable to HBS because of their prolonged exposure to electrolyte abnormalities and elevated parathyroid hormone (PTH). However, in-depth characterization of predictive factors for HBS in these patients is lacking.

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Aim: Early interventions have great impact on reducing burden of mental illness. Young people are however the least likely to seek help for psychological issues. Resilience and stigma towards mental illness have been identified as contributing factors, although previous findings were mixed with potentially complex interaction with symptom severity.

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Introduction: This study aims to investigate depressive symptoms and its association with resilience, pessimistic bias of COVID-19, lifestyle changes, and family conflicts among undergraduates in a Hong Kong university.

Methods: 1020 undergraduates in The University of Hong Kong completed the online survey between May and August 2020. Severity of depressive symptoms was assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9.

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Article Synopsis
  • Elevated blood sugar after meals can increase the risk of heart disease, but exercising after eating can help reduce this problem.
  • This study looked at two types of exercise after meals: one longer exercise session and shorter exercises taken together, to see which worked better for lowering blood sugar in young adults who are overweight.
  • Results showed both types of exercise helped lower blood sugar, but the shorter exercises spread throughout the day kept blood sugar lower for a longer time compared to the longer session.
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This paper presents a systematic review of scholarly efforts that uniquely emerged at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and focused primarily on higher education teachers' perspectives on technology use and on associated changes in the relationship between teachers and students amidst the transition to emergency remote teaching worldwide. Our narrative synthesis of 32 studies, the majority of which come from lower-and middle-income countries/regions, suggests that numerous factors interact to shape academics' technology use in emergency remote teaching across higher education contexts. We report strong findings of teachers' resilience and resourcefulness in their self-exploration of various technologies and teaching strategies in response to the continued severity of the pandemic.

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Objective: This study aimed to investigate the changes in perceived public stigma (PPS) towards psychosis, and endorsement of medication treatment between 2009 to 2018 in the Hong Kong Chinese population.The role of education level on the changes in PPS and endorsement of medication treatment for psychosis was also examined.

Methods: Telephone survey of the general population was conducted in 2009, 2014, and 2018.

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Objectives: To evaluate the Mental Health Youth Ambassador Programme between 2016 and 2019 in terms of participants' improvement in attitudes towards individuals with depression or psychosis.

Methods: This anti-stigma programme was provided to secondary students (form 3 and above) and comprised three levels. Level 1 involved attending lectures about mental health; level 2 and level 3 involved social contact with persons-in-recovery.

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Sirtuin2 (Sirt2) with its NAD-dependent deacetylase and defatty-acylase activities plays a central role in the regulation of specific cellular functions. Dysregulation of Sirt2 activity has been associated with the pathogenesis of many diseases, thus making Sirt2 a promising target for pharmaceutical intervention. Herein, we present new high affinity Sirt2 selective Sirtuin-Rearranging Ligands (SirReals) that inhibit both Sirt2-dependent deacetylation and defatty-acylation and in cells.

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Background: Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) causes febrile illnesses and has always been misdiagnosed as other viral infections, such as dengue and Zika; thus, a laboratory test is needed. Serological tests are commonly used to diagnose CHIKV infection, but their accuracy is questionable due to varying degrees of reported sensitivities and specificities. Herein, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of serological tests currently available for CHIKV.

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Background: An aging population, accompanied by the prevalence of age-related diseases, presents a significant burden to health systems. This is exacerbated by an increasing shortage of aged care staff due to the existing workforce entering their retirement and fewer young people being attracted to work in aged care. In line with consumer preferences and potential cost-efficiencies, government and aged care providers are increasingly seeking options to move care and support to the community or home as opposed to residential care facilities.

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Objective: Tumor-induced osteomalacia (TIO) is a rare osteomalacia characterized by paraneoplastic secretion of fibroblast growth factor 23. Concomitant occurrence of TIO during pregnancy is rarer still. Our objective was to report a young patient with debilitating fractures diagnosed with TIO who became pregnant and subsequently had her tumor localized by gallium-68 (Ga-68) DOTATATE positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI).

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Amongst medical undergraduates, the perception of educational environment (EE) has been associated with academic achievement and positive attitude toward the course. Nonetheless, there are sparse data on how it influences various learning processes and outcomes especially within psychiatry training. Consistent with situativity and self-determination learning theories, we hypothesized that a positive perception of the EE within psychiatry postings will be beneficial for the learning process, specifically pertaining to greater motivation to learn, better engagement, allowing them to feel more equipped, and greater appreciation of the subject.

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Background: Individuals with psychiatric disorders are often unwilling to seek help or often follow treatment regimens, fearing public stigma. This study identified the sociodemographic correlates of public stigma while accounting for mental health literacy and life satisfaction.

Methods: This study analysed data for 1514 individuals who participated in a population-based random telephone survey conducted in 2018.

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Objective: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between subjective quality of life (QOL) and the specific domains of perceptions of recovery orientation of treatment services in patients with schizophrenia and major depressive disorder (MDD).

Methods: One hundred and seventy-nine patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and fifty-seven patients with MDD were recruited. Patients were assessed on subjective QOL, self-reported depressive symptoms, illness severity, functioning, and perception of recovery orientation of the service environment (RSA).

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Objective: This study aimed to clarify the relationship between employment status and internalized stigma in patients with schizophrenia in Hong Kong.

Methods: One hundred and seventy-nine patients with schizophrenia were included in this study. The employed group included patients with full- or part-time open employment and full-time students.

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Background: There is a paucity of studies examining the interrelationship between internalized stigma, cognitive insight, illness severity, and functioning.

Aims: This study examined the dynamics of the relationship between these factors using a path modelling approach.

Methods: Two hundred and seven patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders were recruited in this cross-sectional study.

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Nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates (N-BPs), such as alendronate, are the most widely prescribed medications for diseases involving bone, with nearly 200 million prescriptions written annually. Recently, widespread use of N-BPs has been challenged due to the risk of rare but traumatic side effects such as atypical femoral fracture (AFF) and osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ). N-BPs bind to and inhibit farnesyl diphosphate synthase, resulting in defects in protein prenylation.

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Objective: The neurophysiological mechanisms underlying cognitive dysfunction in primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) and the brain regions affected are not clear. We assessed neural activation during cognitive testing (matrix reasoning, paired associates, and logical memory) using functional MRI (fMRI) in 23 patients with PHPT and 23 healthy controls. A subset with PHPT was re-assessed 6 months post-parathyroidectomy (PTX).

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