Publications by authors named "Wing-Hung Tam"
Aims/hypothesis: Insulin requirements in the human body undergo continuous changes in response to growth and development. We assessed the life course relationships between insulin demand and insulin adequacy.
Methods: Three independent Chinese cohorts (204 children, aged [mean ± SD] 7.
Existing microbiota databases are biased toward adult samples, hampering accurate profiling of the infant gut microbiome. Here, we generated a metagenome-assembled genome inventory for children (MAGIC) from a large collection of bulk and viral-like particle-enriched metagenomes from 0 to 7 years of age, encompassing 3,299 prokaryotic and 139,624 viral species-level genomes, 8.5% and 63.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims/hypothesis: Type 2 diabetes is a complex and heterogeneous disease and the aetiological components underlying the heterogeneity remain unclear in the Chinese and East Asian population. Therefore, we aimed to investigate whether specific pathophysiological pathways drive the clinical heterogeneity in type 2 diabetes.
Methods: We employed newly developed type 2 diabetes hard-clustering and soft-clustering pathway-specific polygenic risk scores (psPRSs) to characterise individual genetic susceptibility to pathophysiological pathways implicated in type 2 diabetes in 18,217 Chinese patients from Hong Kong.
Background: The genetic basis for hyperglycaemia in pregnancy remain unclear. This study aimed to uncover the genetic determinants of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and investigate their applications.
Methods: We performed a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for GDM in Chinese women (464 cases and 1,217 controls), followed by de novo replications in an independent Chinese cohort (564 cases and 572 controls) and in silico replication in European (12,332 cases and 131,109 controls) and multi-ethnic populations (5,485 cases and 347,856 controls).
Article Synopsis
- A randomised controlled trial was conducted in Hong Kong to explore ways to improve rotavirus vaccine uptake among children, as the vaccine is not part of the government's immunization program.
- Mothers in the study were divided into control and two intervention groups; the interventions included providing essential information, reminders, and incentives for free vaccinations.
- The results showed that the full intervention package significantly boosted vaccine uptake from 48% to 81%, with financial incentives and information leading to increased rates of vaccination among participants.
The impact of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) on maternal or infant microbiome trajectory remains poorly understood. Utilizing large-scale longitudinal fecal samples from 264 mother-baby dyads, we present the gut microbiome trajectory of the mothers throughout pregnancy and infants during the first year of life. GDM mothers had a distinct microbiome diversity and composition during the gestation period.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGestational Age-specific Reference Intervals for Androgens in Pregnancy.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab
December 2024
Background: Androgen could impact cervical remodeling during pregnancy, and a higher level is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. A population-based gestation age-specific reference interval of total testosterone (TT), androstenedione (A4), and 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP) can help to diagnose maternal hyperandrogenism.
Methods: We enrolled 600 healthy Chinese women to obtain longitudinal serum samples across gestation.
Objective: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a 12-month early postnatal lifestyle intervention program in women with gestational diabetes in a recent pregnancy.
Methods: This study was a prospective randomized intervention study conducted at a diabetes center in Hong Kong. Chinese women aged 18-45 years, who developed gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in their most recent pregnancy, were invited.
Article Synopsis
- This study evaluates the health impact of diabetes on women who previously had gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), using data from Hong Kong hospitals over a span of nearly 20 years.
- A total of 76,181 women were analyzed, revealing that 6,606 developed diabetes, with notable increases in risks for cardiovascular disease, end-stage kidney disease, infection-related hospitalizations, and risks of overall mortality compared to those without diabetes.
- The findings highlight that while diabetes significantly affects health outcomes for these women, it's essential to also consider other risk factors that may contribute to their overall health burden.*
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent chemicals that have been linked to increased risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and may affect glucose metabolisms during pregnancy. We examined the associations between maternal PFAS exposure and maternal glucose metabolisms and GDM risk among 1601 mothers who joined the Hyperglycaemia-and-Adverse-Pregnancy-Outcome (HAPO) Study in Hong Kong in 2001-2006. All mothers underwent a 75 g-oral-glucose-tolerance test at 24-32 weeks of gestation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFContext: Vitamin D inadequacy is globally prevalent among pregnant women; however, its impact on pregnancy remains inconclusive.
Objective: This study aims to explore the associations of maternal and umbilical cord serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels with pregnancy and neonatal outcomes.
Method: We used archived serum samples from the Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome (HAPO) Study participants in the Hong Kong center and assayed maternal 25(OH)D levels at midgestation and umbilical cord 25(OH)D at birth using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectroscopy.
Eczema is a major allergic disease in children, which is particularly prevalent in Chinese children during their first year of life. In this study, we showed that alterations in the infant gut microbiota precede the development of eczema in a prospective Chinese cohort. In particular, we discovered enrichments of the genera and in the cases at 3 and 1 month of age, respectively, which may represent potential targets for intervention to prevent eczema.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEczema is a common inflammatory skin disorder during infancy. Evidence has shown that skin-microbiome fluctuations may precede eczema development, but their predictive value for eczema phenotypes remains unknown. We aimed to investigate the early-life evolution of the skin microbiome and its temporal associations with different pairs of eczema phenotypes (transient versus persistent, atopic versus non-atopic) in Chinese children.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The health benefits of breastfeeding are partly contributed by human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), but there is limited data on breast milk (BM) HMO composition in Chinese.
Objective: This study investigated the association between early-life HMO intake and allergy occurrence in Chinese children.
Methods: 103 healthy Chinese pregnant women regardless of allergy history were recruited into this birth cohort.
Background: Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is suggested to be a biomarker of biological age and reported to be associated with metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes. Glucose metabolic traits including glucose and insulin levels have been reported to be associated with LTL in adulthood. However, there is relatively little research focusing on children's LTL and the association with prenatal exposures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: The aim was to study the association between newborn anthropometrics and childhood cardiovascular risks and whether newborn anthropometrics mediate the effect of maternal gestational weight gain (GWG) on childhood risks.
Methods: Data of 926 mother-child dyads from the Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes study were analyzed. Newborn anthropometrics were treated as predictors and mediators by using a regression model and causal mediation model, respectively.
Background And Objectives: Maternal nutrition is important for healthy pregnancy, but it has not been well studied among pregnant women in Hong Kong. This study aims to examine the dietary pattern and nutritional intake of women in early pregnancy, and the associations between dietary patterns, dietary quality, and other health parameters.
Methods And Study Design: This is a prospective cohort study of healthy Chinese pregnant women, recruited at their first antenatal appointment.
Objective: To compare the performance of diagnostic criteria for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) proposed by the International Association of the Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups (IADPSG) with those endorsed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in predicting adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Research Design And Methods: We performed a secondary data analysis of the Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes (HAPO) study participants in five study centers. Logistic regression analyses were performed, and Akaike information criterion were applied for the comparison of different statistical prediction models.
Context: Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is a biomarker of biological aging and is associated with metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes. Insufficient maternal vitamin D was associated with increased risk for many diseases and adverse later life outcomes.
Objective: This study investigates the relationship between vitamin D levels and offspring LTL at early life.
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is associated with increased risk of pregnancy complications and adverse perinatal outcomes. GDM often reoccurs and is associated with increased risk of subsequent diagnosis of type 2 diabetes (T2D). To improve our understanding of the aetiological factors and molecular processes driving the occurrence of GDM, including the extent to which these overlap with T2D pathophysiology, the GENetics of Diabetes In Pregnancy Consortium assembled genome-wide association studies of diverse ancestry in a total of 5485 women with GDM and 347 856 without GDM.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Despite the well-studied effects of gestational weight gain (GWG) on offspring health, little is known about the association of trimester-specific GWG with offspring birth weight among underweight pregnant women. This study aimed to explore the association of trimester-specific GWG rate with small for gestational age (SGA) in underweight women.
Methods: The GWG rate of underweight pregnant women (pre-pregnancy body mass index [BMI] lower than 18.
Background: Little is known about the presence of 3-epi-25 hydroxyvitamin D in maternal and neonatal circulation, the extent of its contribution to total 25 hydroxyvitamin D, or factors influencing its levels.
Methods: A total of 1502 and 1321 archived maternal and umbilical cord serum samples from the Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome Study cohort from Hong Kong were assayed for 25(OH)D2, 25(OH)D3, and isomeric form of 25(OH)D3 (3-epi-25(OH)D3) by a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method.
Results: Vitamin D deficiency (total serum 25(OH)D level < 50 nmol/L) and severe vitamin D deficiency (total serum 25(OH)D level < 25 nmol/L) occurred in 590 (39.
Background: Maternal gestational weight gain (GWG) influences not only on pregnancy outcome but also impacts on mothers' and children's long-term health. However, there is no consensus on recommendations of optimal GWG in Asians or the Chinese population.
Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of the birth outcome of Chinese women who had joined the "Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome" study in Hong Kong and their children's cardiometabolic risk at 7-year of age.