The emergence of pandemic H1N1/2009 influenza demonstrated that pandemic viruses could be generated in swine. Subsequent reintroduction of H1N1/2009 to swine has occurred in multiple countries. ...Through systematic surveillance of influenza viruses in swine from a Hong Kong abattoir, we characterize a reassortant progeny of H1N1/2009 with swine viruses. Swine experimentally infected with this reassortant developed mild illness and transmitted infection to contact animals. Continued reassortment of H1N1/2009 with swine influenza viruses could produce variants with transmissibility and altered virulence for humans. Global systematic surveillance of influenza viruses in swine is warranted.
Background
Previous observational studies have not found a conclusive association between serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels and allergic rhinitis (AR) or allergic sensitization (AS).
...Objective
To investigate a causal association between 25(OH)D levels with risk of AR and AS, using a two‐sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach.
Methods
Seven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), previously shown to be associated with serum 25(OH)D levels, were identified as instrumental variables. The primary outcome was AR, and the secondary outcomes were AS and non‐allergic rhinitis (NAR). The genome‐wide association (GWA) summary statistics of the outcomes were obtained from two cohort studies (EAGLE Consortium and UK Biobank). An MR analysis with random‐effects inverse‐variance weighted method was performed as the primary analysis to estimate overall effect size (odds ratio OR and 95% confidence interval CI). Sensitivity analysis using weighted median method and MR‐Egger regression method was conducted. A subgroup analysis based on 25(OH)D synthesis‐related SNPs was further applied.
Results
Serum 25(OH)D levels were not causally associated with risk of AR (OR: 0.960; 95% CI: 0.779‐1.184), AS (OR: 1.059; 95% CI: 0.686 to 1.634) or NAR (OR: 0.937; 95% CI: 0.588‐1.491). Subgroup analysis also showed null association between 25(OH)D synthesis‐related SNPs and the outcomes. Sensitivity analyses yielded similar results.
Conclusions and Clinical Relevance
This MR study found no evidence supporting a causal association between serum 25(OH)D levels and risk of AR, AS and NAR in European‐ancestry population. This argues against the previous postulation that vitamin D supplementation is effective in prevention of allergic diseases.
Summary
Vertebral fractures are the most common osteoporotic fractures. Data on the vertebral fracture risk in Asia remain sparse. This study observed that Hong Kong Chinese and Japanese populations ...have a less dramatic increase in hip fracture rates associated with age than Caucasians, but the vertebral fracture rates were higher, resulting in a high vertebral-to-hip fracture ratio. As a result, estimation of the absolute fracture risk for Asians may need to be readjusted for the higher clinical vertebral fracture rate.
Introduction
Vertebral fractures are the most common osteoporotic fractures. Data on the vertebral fracture risk in Asia remain sparse. The aim of this study was to report the incidence of clinical vertebral fractures among the Chinese and to compare the vertebral-to-hip fracture risk to other ethnic groups.
Methods
Four thousand, three hundred eighty-six community-dwelling Southern Chinese subjects (2,302 women and 1,810 men) aged 50 or above were recruited in the Hong Kong Osteoporosis Study since 1995. Baseline demographic characteristics and medical history were obtained. Subjects were followed annually for fracture outcomes with a structured questionnaire and verified by the computerized patient information system of the Hospital Authority of the Hong Kong Government. Only non-traumatic incident hip fractures and clinical vertebral fractures that received medical attention were included in the analysis. The incidence rates of clinical vertebral fractures and hip fractures were determined and compared to the published data of Swedish Caucasian and Japanese populations.
Results
The mean age at baseline was 62 ± 8.2 years for women and 68 ± 10.3 years for men. The average duration of follow-up was 4.0 ± 2.8 (range, 1 to 14) years for a total of 14,733 person-years for the whole cohort. The incidence rate for vertebral fracture was 194/100,000 person-years in men and 508/100,000 person-years in women, respectively. For subjects above the age of 65, the clinical vertebral fracture and hip fracture rates were 299/100,000 and 332/100,000 person-years, respectively, in men, and 594/100,000 and 379/100,000 person-years, respectively, in women. Hong Kong Chinese and Japanese populations have a less dramatic increase in hip fracture rates associated with age than Caucasians. At the age of 65 or above, the hip fracture rates for Asian (Hong Kong Chinese and Japanese) men and women were less than half of that in Caucasians, but the vertebral fracture rate was higher in Asians, resulting in a high vertebral-to-hip fracture ratio.
Conclusions
The incidences of vertebral and hip fractures, as well as the vertebral-to-hip fracture ratios vary in Asians and Caucasians. Estimation of the absolute fracture risk for Asians may need to be readjusted for the higher clinical vertebral fracture rate.
Observational studies have found associations between urinary sodium (UNa) with obesity, body shape and composition; but the findings may be biased by residual confounding. The objective of this ...two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study was to analyze their causal associations in both sex-combined and sex-specific models. Genome-wide association studies of UNa, body mass index (BMI), BMI-adjusted waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), body fat (BF) percentage and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were identified. We initially extracted fifty SNPs associated with UNa at significance level of 5 × 10
, but further removed those SNPs with potential horizontal pleiotropy. Univariable and multivariable MR with adjustment for eGFR were performed. Inverse-variance weighted MR was performed as the primary analysis, with MR-Egger methods as sensitivity analysis. The potential bidirectional association between BMI and UNa was investigated. All exposure and outcomes were continuous, and the effect measure was regression coefficients (beta) and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). The total sample size was up to 322 154. UNa was causally associated with increased BMI in both men eGFR-adjusted beta 0.443 (0.163-0.724) and women 0.594 (0.333-0.855). UNa caused BF percentage increase in men 0.622 (0.268-0.976) and women 0.334 (0.007-0.662). UNa significantly elevated BMI-adjusted WHR in men 0.321 (0.094-0.548), but not in women 0.170 (- 0.052 to 0.391). Additionally, we found that BMI causally increased UNa 0.043 (0.023-0.063). UNa increased BMI and BF percentage. Salt intake affects male body shape by increasing BMI-adjusted WHR, but showed no effects on female body shape. The bidirectional association between BMI and UNa suggested that salt reduction measures and weight reduction measures should be implemented simultaneously to break the vicious cycle and gain more health benefits.
The estimated prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome in Hong Kong is 6.6%. With the increasing availability of pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments, the Hong Kong Advisory Council on ...Irritable Bowel Syndrome has developed a set of consensus statements intended to serve as local recommendations for clinicians about diagnosis and management of irritable bowel syndrome.
A multidisciplinary group of clinicians constituting the Hong Kong Advisory Council on Irritable Bowel Syndrome-seven gastroenterologists, one clinical psychologist, one psychiatrist, and one nutritionist-convened on 20 April 2017 in Hong Kong.
Published primary research articles, meta-analyses, and guidelines and consensus statements issued by different regional and international societies on the diagnosis and management of irritable bowel syndrome were reviewed.
An outline of consensus statements was drafted prior to the meeting. All consensus statements were finalised by the participants during the meeting, with 100% consensus.
Twenty-four consensus statements were generated at the meeting. The statements were divided into four parts covering: (1) patient assessment; (2) patient's psychological distress; (3) dietary and alternative approaches to managing irritable bowel syndrome; and (4) evidence to support pharmacological management of irritable bowel syndrome. It is recommended that primary care physicians assume the role of principal care provider for patients with irritable bowel syndrome. The current statements are intended to guide primary care physicians in diagnosing and managing patients with irritable bowel syndrome in Hong Kong.
A novel coronavirus (SCoV) is the etiological agent of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). SCoV-like viruses were isolated from Himalayan palm civets found in a live-animal market in Guangdong, ...China. Evidence of virus infection was also detected in other animals (including a raccoon dog, Nyctereutes procyonoides) and in humans working at the same market. All the animal isolates retain a 29-nucleotide sequence that is not found in most human isolates. The detection of SCoV-like viruses in small, live wild mammals in a retail market indicates a route of interspecies transmission, although the natural reservoir is not known.
Nearly monodisperse iron nanoclusters have been used to define the diameters of carbon nanotubes grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Iron nanoparticles with average diameters of 3, 9, and 13 nm ...were used to grow carbon nanotubes with average diameters of 3, 7, and 12 nm, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy studies of the nanotubes show that the as-grown nanotubes are single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) or thin multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) with 2 or 3 layers. Investigations of the growth conditions also demonstrate that the supply of carbon reactant is critical for enabling the growth of large diameter nanotubes from large iron nanoclusters, and that the growth temperature is especially important for achieving high-quality large diameter nanotubes. The implications of these results and possible applications of the nanotubes are discussed.
A concept for molecular electronics exploiting carbon nanotubes as both molecular device elements and molecular wires for reading and writing information was developed. Each device element is based ...on a suspended, crossed nanotube geometry that leads to bistable, electrostatically switchable ON/OFF states. The device elements are naturally addressable in large arrays by the carbon nanotube molecular wires making up the devices. These reversible, bistable device elements could be used to construct nonvolatile random access memory and logic function tables at an integration level approaching 1012elements per square centimeter and an element operation frequency in excess of 100 gigahertz. The viability of this concept is demonstrated by detailed calculations and by the experimental realization of a reversible, bistable nanotube-based bit.
PDF
