Health Promotion Models for Improving Footcare in Older Adults: A Scoping Review.

Introduction: Footcare is an important component of wellbeing in older adults and the promotion of appropriate footcare interventions is imperative for health professionals working with this population. In this scoping review, we describe the health promotion models informing footcare interventions for older adults. The objectives were to (i) understand the context(s) where health promotion models have informed footcare interventions; (ii) identify the health promotion models informing interventions; and (iii) document the effectiveness of theoretically informed health promotion interventions for improving footcare in older adults.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage among patients on haemodialysis with newly inserted central venous catheters.

Background: Although methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) nasal colonization is common among end-stage kidney disease patients undergoing haemodialysis, few studies were focused on MRSA nasal carriers among haemodialysis patients with central venous catheters (CVCs). The aim of this study is to evaluate the risk factors, various clinical outcomes and effect of decolonization for MRSA nasal colonization among patients on haemodialysis via CVCs.

Methods: This was a single-centre non-concurrent cohort study of 676 patients who had new haemodialysis CVCs inserted.

Effectiveness of Tai Chi on Blood Pressure, Stress, Fatigue, and Sleep Quality among Chinese Women with Episodic Migraine: A Randomised Controlled Trial.

The beneficial effects of Tai Chi on the cardiovascular risk profile and the migraine trigger factors among female migraineurs remain unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a 12-week Tai Chi training on blood pressure (BP) and migraine-related trigger factors, including stress, fatigue, and sleep quality among Chinese women with episodic migraine. In this study, eligible Hong Kong Chinese women aged 18-65 years were randomly assigned to the Tai Chi group adopting a modified 33-short form of Yang style Tai Chi training for 12 weeks, followed by additional 12 weeks of self-practice or the waiting list control group that maintained the usual lifestyle for 24 weeks.

Migraine Attacks and Relevant Trigger Factors in Undergraduate Nursing Students in Hong Kong: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the prevalence and features of migraine and explore the possible migraine triggers in a sample of university nursing students in Hong Kong.

Methods: A cross-sectional study using self-administered questionnaires was conducted in the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2016. The questionnaire included ID Migraine™ for migraine screening and items measuring the frequency, duration, severity, associated symptoms, and trigger factors of migraine.

Clinicopathological features of Chinese patients with B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders and kidney infiltration.

Aim: Direct kidney involvement in B-cell lymphoproliferative disease is a rare disorder with only a few studies reported in Caucasian patients. The clinicopathological characteristics and outcome of this entity remain poorly described.

Methods: We retrospectively studied all adult Chinese patients who had histology-proven renal parenchymal infiltration by malignant B-cells between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2018 at two tertiary hospitals in Hong Kong.

Resensitizing carbapenem- and colistin-resistant bacteria to antibiotics using auranofin.

Global emergence of Gram-negative bacteria carrying the plasmid-borne resistance genes, bla and mcr, raises a significant challenge to the treatment of life-threatening infections by the antibiotics, carbapenem and colistin (COL). Here, we identify an antirheumatic drug, auranofin (AUR) as a dual inhibitor of metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) and mobilized colistin resistance (MCRs), two resistance enzymes that have distinct structures and substrates. We demonstrate that AUR irreversibly abrogates both enzyme activity via the displacement of Zn(II) cofactors from their active sites.

A theater production to promote a smoke-free life to secondary students.

Background: Peer-led school-based anti-smoking programs have been shown to affect the smoking behaviors of students. The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a school-based peer-led live theater production advocating a smoke-free life.

Methods: This is a cross-section design study.

Influence of CYP3A5 Genetic Polymorphism on Long-Term Renal Function in Chinese Kidney Transplant Recipients Using Limited Sampling Strategy and Abbreviated Area Under the Curve for Tacrolimus Monitoring.

Introduction: Although the association between CYP3A5 gene polymorphism and tacrolimus dosing requirements was well established, the impact on how CYP3A5 genotype affects the acute rejection and long-term renal function in patients who received kidney transplants and were treated with tacrolimus remained controversial.

Design: Sixty-seven Chinese patients with kidney transplants receiving de novo tacrolimus-based immunosuppressive therapy with known CYP3A5 genotype were divided into 2 groups. Those with at least 1 CYP3A5*1 allele were CYP3A5 expressers while homozygotes for the mutant allele CYP3A5*3 were nonexpressers.

Upconversion Luminescence Sandwich Assay For Detection of Influenza H7 Subtype.

With large anti-Stokes shifts and background-free signals, upconversion luminescent (UCL) screening assays have been a promising method to reduce the transmission of influenza epidemic, which can critically alleviate the disease burden and extra annual deaths. In this work, a luminescent resonance energy transfer sandwich assay is developed, which utilizes core-shell upconversion nanoparticles and gold nanoparticles as the donor and acceptor, respectively. The influenza H7 gene of H7N9 virus is used as the target for optimization of the assay.

Impact of CYP3A5 Genetic Polymorphism on Intrapatient Variability of Tacrolimus Exposure in Chinese Kidney Transplant Recipients.

Background: Although high tacrolimus (FK) intrapatient variability (IPV) was shown to be associated with poor graft outcome in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs), it is uncertain whether there is any association between the CYP3A5 genotype and IPV of FK concentrations. Instead of trough level, we use calculated abbreviated AUC to investigate the impact of CYP3A5 genetic polymorphism on IPV of FK pharmacokinetics.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective, single-center study of 86 adult Chinese KTRs with known CYP3A5 genotype.

Universal Strategy for HF-Free Facile and Rapid Synthesis of Two-dimensional MXenes as Multifunctional Energy Materials.

Two-dimensional MXenes are promising for various energy-related applications such as energy storage devices and electrocatalysis of water-splitting. MXenes prepared from hydrofluoric (HF) acid etching have been widely reported. Nonetheless, the acute toxicity of HF acid impedes the large-scale fabrication of MXenes and their wide utilization in energy-related applications.

Electrochemically assisted flexible lanthanide upconversion luminescence sensing of heavy metal contamination with high sensitivity and selectivity.

Heavy metal contamination in water can pose lethal threats to public health; therefore it is highly desired to develop a rapid and sensitive sensor for monitoring water quality. Owing to their superior optical features, upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) are widely explored to detect metal ions based on resonance energy transfer to dye quenchers. However, these schemes heavily rely on the optical properties of the molecules, which limits the flexibility of the probe design.

The Uptake of Human Papillomavirus Vaccination and Its Associated Factors Among Adolescents: A Systematic Review.

Background: The purpose of this review was to explore the uptake of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, its associated factors, and the facilitators of and barriers to HPV vaccination among adolescents.

Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted through 5 electronic databases, including PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Medline, and PsycInfo from January 2006 to March 2015 for studies examining the uptake, awareness, knowledge, acceptability, and intention of adolescents with regard to HPV vaccination.

Results: Twenty-eight studies were identified and included.

Facilitators and barriers to the acceptance of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination among adolescent girls: a comparison between mothers and their adolescent daughters in Hong Kong.

Background: The aim of this study is to examine knowledge and attitude as facilitators and barriers to the acceptance of HPV vaccination for adolescent girls by mothers and adolescent girls.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey conducted in Hong Kong in January 2010. Adolescent girls aged 12-18, together with their mothers, were recruited to complete two separate questionnaires with similar questions.

Engineering a switch-on peptide to ricin A chain for increasing its specificity towards HIV-infected cells.

Background: Ricin is a type II ribosome-inactivating protein (RIP) that potently inactivates eukaryotic ribosomes by removing a specific adenine residue at the conserved α-sarcin/ricin loop of 28S ribosomal RNA (rRNA). Here, we try to increase the specificity of the enzymatically active ricin A chain (RTA) towards human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) by adding a loop with HIV protease recognition site to RTA.

Methods: HIV-specific RTA variants were constructed by inserting a peptide with HIV-protease recognition site either internally or at the C-terminal region of wild type RTA.

Maize ribosome-inactivating protein uses Lys158-lys161 to interact with ribosomal protein P2 and the strength of interaction is correlated to the biological activities.

Ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs) inactivate prokaryotic or eukaryotic ribosomes by removing a single adenine in the large ribosomal RNA. Here we show maize RIP (MOD), an atypical RIP with an internal inactivation loop, interacts with the ribosomal stalk protein P2 via Lys158-Lys161, which is located in the N-terminal domain and at the base of its internal loop. Due to subtle differences in the structure of maize RIP, hydrophobic interaction with the 'FGLFD' motif of P2 is not as evidenced in MOD-P2 interaction.

The C-terminal fragment of the ribosomal P protein complexed to trichosanthin reveals the interaction between the ribosome-inactivating protein and the ribosome.

Ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs) inhibit protein synthesis by enzymatically depurinating a specific adenine residue at the sarcin-ricin loop of the 28S rRNA, which thereby prevents the binding of elongation factors to the GTPase activation centre of the ribosome. Here, we present the 2.2 A crystal structure of trichosanthin (TCS) complexed to the peptide SDDDMGFGLFD, which corresponds to the conserved C-terminal elongation factor binding domain of the ribosomal P protein.

Structure-function study of maize ribosome-inactivating protein: implications for the internal inactivation region and the sole glutamate in the active site.

Maize ribosome-inactivating protein is classified as a class III or an atypical RNA N-glycosidase. It is synthesized as an inactive precursor with a 25-amino acid internal inactivation region, which is removed in the active form. As the first structural example of this class of proteins, crystals of the precursor and the active form were diffracted to 2.