Jump further,leap higher,and consolidate stronger:A brief review of the long-term partnership between Kunming Institute of Zoology(KIZ)and the Chinese University of Hong Kong(CUHK)in bioresources and molecular research

The molecular etiologies of many prevalent diseases stem from genetic variations that arise during evolution and natural selection,as well as from environmental effects.The study of genetic diversity in human populations and analysis of molecular evolution in primates and other animal species can provide important insights regarding the pathogenesis of common diseases in both human and animal populations.

End of Life Experience of Symptom Cluster and Their Management in Hong Kong Chinese Patients with Lung Cancer Who Receive Palliative Radiotherapy

Breathlessness, fatigue, and anxiety are distressing symptoms for patients with advanced lung cancer, however, they are not relieved by palliative RT and are often viewed as neglected areas of clinical practice. This paper aims to review def initions of, and explore patients' experiences of, breathlessness, fatigue, and anxiety. Further, it will outline existing approaches, both pharmacological and non-pharmacological, to treat them. Current treatments and perceptions of these symptoms will be discussed in the context of Hong Kong health care service. The review of literature also shows that breathlessness, fatigue and anxiety appears to have similar emotional origins. A contemporary approach of using a common pyschoeducational intervention to treat these symptoms together as a cluster in end of life care will be discussed.

Assessing Sexual Function amongst Hong Kong Chinese Patients with Gynecological Cancer： Translation and Validation of the Sexual Function-Vaginal Changes Questionnaire （SVQ）

OBJECTIVE The study aims to translate the Sexual FunctionVaginal Changes Questionnaire （SVQ） into Chinese and to establish its psychometric properties.METHODS A Chinese SVQ was developed by the use of the Brislin model of translation. The content validity and semantic equivalence were assessed by an expert panel. The translated version of SVQ was administered to 75 Hong Kong Chinese women who were suffered from gynecological cancer to test its psychometric properties.RESULTS The Chinese version of SVQ was compared to the original study for factor analysis. Internal consistency, itemtoscale correlations and test-retest reliability were high. The convergent and divergent validities supported the Chinese SVQ to CONCLUSION We conclude that the Chinese SVQ appears to be a valid, reliable and feasible disease-specific tool for the assessment of sexual function among Chinese patients.

Ophthalmology in the time of COVID-19: experience from Hong Kong Eye Hospital

AIM:To review international guidelines and to share our infection control experience during the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic at a tertiary eye centre in Hong Kong.METHODS:Infection control guidelines and recommendations from international ophthalmological bodies are reviewed and discussed.The measures at our hospital were drawn up as per international and local health authorities’guidelines and implemented with the collaboration of doctors,nurses and administrative staff.RESULTS:The aims of our infection control measures are to 1)minimize cross-infection within the hospital;2)protect and support hospital staff;3)ensure environmental control.To minimize the risk of cross-infection,outpatient attendance and elective surgery have been reduced by 40%,and general anesthesia procedures were reduced by 90%.Patients entering the hospital are screened for fever,travel history,contact and cluster history,and COVID-19 related symptoms.To protect and support hospital staff,we ensure provision of adequate personal protective equipment(PPE)and provide clear guidelines on the level of PPE needed,depending on the clinical situation.Other protective measures include provision of work uniforms,easy access to alcohol-based hand rub,opening new lunch areas,implementation of self-monitoring and self-reporting systems,and communication via online education and updates.Finally,environmental control is achieved by ensuring regular disinfection of the hospital premise,enhancing ventilation,and usage of disposable ophthalmic instruments.CONCLUSION:Our multi-pronged approach to infection control is,so far,successful in minimizing infection risks,while allowing the maintenance of essential ophthalmic services.

Development of Conceptual Framework from the View of Patients and Professionals on Patient Engagement: A Qualitative Study in Hong Kong SAR, China

Objective: To investigate patient engagement to gain understandings of professional and patient’s views and inform the development of a patient engagement conceptual framework for further development of a valid and reliable evaluated measure. Method: 17 selected hospitals from Hong Kong East Cluster, Hong Kong West Cluster, Kowloon Central Cluster, Kowloon East Cluster and New Territory East Cluster of Hospital Authority Hong Kong involved in the study. Focus groups were conducted with 37 medical staffs, which included 15 doctors and 22 nurses, and 33 patients. Semi-structured qualitative interview study, with purposive sampling and constant comparative analysis. Results: Data were analyzed using a qualitative approach of latent content analysis. Patient engagement is a multi-dimensional concept. Five hierarchical themes separately from the patient and medical staff’s perspectives containing different conceptions and attitudes related to patient engagement have been identified and summarized. Through analyzing both professional and patients’ perspectives, a hierarchical framework incorporating patients-professional dynamically fluctuating relationship was built. The framework divides engagement into five levels and five stages. Conclusions: Patient engagement is recognized by more patients and professionals as a means and a cornerstone to build the foundation of patient-centered-care. Our framework encourages that patient engagement related to not only an individual patient’s behavior but a reciprocal, dynamic and pluralistic relationship with their professionals and healthcare systems. Understand this relationship can help us better conceptualizing, evaluating, and implementing interventions to improve the population’s health.

Effects of a nurse-led heart failure clinic on hospital readmission and mortality in Hong Kong

Background Heart failure （HF） is a physically and socially debilitating disease that carries the burden of hospital re-admission and mortality. As an aging society, Hong Kong urgently needs to find ways to reduce the hospital readmission of HF patients. This study evaluates the effects of a nurse-led HF clinic on the hospital readmission and mortality rates among older HF patients in Hong Kong. Methods This study is a retrospective data analysis that compares HF patient in a nurse-led HF clinic in Hong Kong compared with HF patients who did not attend the clinic. The nurses of this clinic provide education on lifestyle modification and symptom monitoring, as well as titrate the medications and measure biochemical markers by following established protocols. This analysis used the socio-demographic and clinical data of HF patients who were aged 〉 65 years old and stayed in the clinic over a six-month period. Results The data of a total of 78 HF patients were included in this data analysis. The mean age of the patients was 77.38 ± 6.80 years. Approximately half of the HF patients were male （51.3%）, almost half were smokers （46.2%）, and the majority received 〈 six years of formal education. Most of the HF patients （87.2%） belonged to classes II and III of the New York Heart Association Functional Classification, with a mean ejection fraction of 47.15± 20.31 mL. The HF patients who attended the clinic （n = 38, 75.13 ± 5.89 years） were significantly younger than those who did not attend the clinic （n = 40, 79.53 ± 6.96 years） （P = 0.04）, and had lower recorded blood pressure. No other statistically significant difference existed between the socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of the two groups. The HF patients who did not attend the nurse-led HF clinic demonstrated a significantly higher risk of hospital readmission [odd ratio （OR）： 7.40; P 〈 0.01] than those who attended after adjusting for the effect of age and blood pressure. In addition, HF patients who attended the clinic had lower mortality （n = 4） than those who did not attend （n = 14）. However, such a difference did not reach statistical significance when the effects of age and blood pressure were adjusted. A signifi- cant reduction in systolic blood pressure IF （2, 94） = 3.39, P = 0.04] and diastolic blood pressure [F （2, 94） = 8.48, P 〈 0.01] was observed among the HF patients who attended the clinic during the six-month period. Conclusions The finding of this study suggests the important role of nurse-led HF clinics in reducing healthcare burden and improving patient outcomes among HF patients in Hong Kong.

Evaluation of ENVISAT ASAR data for sea surface wind retrieval in Hong Kong coastal waters of China

The C-band wind speed retrieval models, CMOD4, CMOD - IFR2, and CMOD5 were applied to retrieval of sea surface wind speeds from ENVISAT （European environmental satellite） ASAR （advanced synthetic aperture radar） data in the coastal waters near Hong Kong during a period from October 2005 to July 2007. The retrieved wind speeds are evaluated by comparing with buoy measurements and the QuikSCAT （quick scatterometer） wind products. The results show that the CMOD4 model gives the best performance at wind speeds lower than 15 m/s. The correlation coefficients with buoy and QuikSCAT winds are 0.781 and 0.896, respectively. The root mean square errors are the same 1.74 m/s. Namely, the CMOD4 model is the best one for sea surface wind speed retrieval from ASAR data in the coastal waters near Hong Kong.

Preserving the literary past, looking to the future: the first Hong Kong Literature Database

In the last two decades of the 20th century, there has been an increasing interest in and emphasis on the study of the Hong Kong literature in both the academic and general public in Hong Kong. Recognizing the emergent need of the resources on Hong Kong literature, the University Library System of the Chinese University of Hong Kong set up the Hong Kong Literature Database （the “Database”）, which was the first Chinese literature database in the Internet in 2000. The paper will examine how the database is constructed using XML technology andometadata schema, The database also employs Unicode UTF-8 as the internal code. A mapping table for traditional and simplified Chinese characters was created based on Unihan and is used behind the scene so that a user can either input traditional or simplified Chinese characters and retrieval will give both traditional and simplified Chinese characters. Currently 65% of journals use OCR technology so that full-text searching is possible. The Chinese OCR technology will be examined in greater detail. Special features of the Database such as, page-by-page browse mode, position-highlight for full-page newspaper, linking Table-Of-Contents and book jackets from the Library catalogue, etc. are described. The paper will also bring out the problem of massive downloading and compare the state-of-the-art technology and their shortcomings. This paper shows how the Hong Kong Literature Database facilitates future collaboration and data exchange by using open standard, shareable structure and the latest technology.

Should a Rational Person With Risk-Averse Attitude Gamble？ A Case Study of Mark Six in Hong Kong

Contrary to the conventional wisdom which suggests that a perfectly rational subject with risk-averse attitude should never gamble, this paper provides a vivid example in our real economy for people to expect a positive return to gamble Within the existing literature, scholars have proposed different reasons to explain why an original risk-averse person would start to gamble, with the implicit assumption that the expected payoff of a bet is always lower than its cost. In contrast, our paper discusses when and why a risk-averse person could bet strategically with a positive expected return; in particular, we used field data in Hong Kong to illustrate a vivid scenario for positive expected return in gambling.

New Copyright Challenges and Opportunities for Academic Librarians in Hong Kong in the Digital Information Age

1 Introduction High-speed networking can now deliver Information tomillions of users in seconds.Users In turn can download thedata in electronic format or just print them out with a fewstrokes of the keyboard.The data can be easily saved,reorganized and modified electronocally.While informationtechnology provides fast and easy ways to distributeinformation,it also presents challenges.Easy access tocopyrighted materials is resulting in the unauthorizedreproduction of all kinds of information,forcing info...

Linking Hong Kong Secondary Students' School Belongingness with Pre-School Characteristics, School Experiences, and Out-of-Class Experiences

Framed with the model of Cashmore et al.(2011),this study examined the pattern of school belongingness of Hong Kong students with their pre-school characteristics,school experiences,and out-of-class experiences using PISA 2015 data.The total sample included 4703 Hong Kong secondary school students aged 15.Regression analysis revealed that Hong Kong secondary students9 school belongingness was predicted by pre-school characteristics,school experiences,and out-of-class experiences.Compared with two other categories of variables,out-of-class experiences had a stronger prediction in terms of peer relationships.Overall,family socioeconomic status(SES),student performance,selfmotivation,student-teacher ratio,and peer relationship were positive predictors,whereas school size was negatively predictive.In addition,the relationships of school belongingness with three categories of variables differed by immigrant status.Immigrant children had a greater sense of school belonging than local students.The findings add to the existing literature and may have implications for school administrators and teachers in relevant areas.

Multilevel analysis of the central-peripheral-target organ pathway:contributing to recovery after peripheral nerve injury

Peripheral nerve injury is a common neurological condition that often leads to severe functional limitations and disabilities.Research on the pathogenesis of peripheral nerve injury has focused on pathological changes at individual injury sites,neglecting multilevel pathological analysis of the overall nervous system and target organs.This has led to restrictions on current therapeutic approaches.In this paper,we first summarize the potential mechanisms of peripheral nerve injury from a holistic perspective,covering the central nervous system,peripheral nervous system,and target organs.After peripheral nerve injury,the cortical plasticity of the brain is altered due to damage to and regeneration of peripheral nerves;changes such as neuronal apoptosis and axonal demyelination occur in the spinal cord.The nerve will undergo axonal regeneration,activation of Schwann cells,inflammatory response,and vascular system regeneration at the injury site.Corresponding damage to target organs can occur,including skeletal muscle atrophy and sensory receptor disruption.We then provide a brief review of the research advances in therapeutic approaches to peripheral nerve injury.The main current treatments are conducted passively and include physical factor rehabilitation,pharmacological treatments,cell-based therapies,and physical exercise.However,most treatments only partially address the problem and cannot complete the systematic recovery of the entire central nervous system-peripheral nervous system-target organ pathway.Therefore,we should further explore multilevel treatment options that produce effective,long-lasting results,perhaps requiring a combination of passive(traditional)and active(novel)treatment methods to stimulate rehabilitation at the central-peripheral-target organ levels to achieve better functional recovery.

Wan-Yee Joseph Lau:the promoter of modernization and internationalization of Chinese surgery

To my knowledge,there have been 3 books[1–3]and 2 book chapters written about me.[4–5]For those who are interested in the details of my life,please refer to these books/book chapters.The title of this article is an English translation of the title of the book I refer to as reference 1,which I find appropriate to describe the role that I play in China.

Circadian rhythm dysfunction and psychopathology in the offspring of parents with bipolar disorder:a highrisk study in the Chinese population

Background Understanding the evolution of circadian rhythm dysfunction and psychopathology in the high-risk population has important implications for the prevention of bipolar disorder.Nevertheless,some of the previous studies on the emergence of psychopathologies and circadian dysfunction among high-risk populations were inconsistent and limited.Aims To examine the prevalence rates of sleep and circadian dysfunctions,mental disorders and their symptoms in the offspring of parents with(O-BD)and without bipolar disorder(O-control).Methods The study included 191 O-BD and 202 O-control subjects aged 6-21 years from the Greater Bay Area,China.The diagnoses and symptoms of sleep/circadian rhythm and mental disorders were assessed by the Diagnostic Interview for Sleep Patterns and Disorders,and the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version,respectively.Generalised estimating equations and shared frailty proportional hazards models of survival analysis were applied to compare the outcomes in the offspring.Results Adjusting for age,sex and region of recruitment,there was a significantly higher risk of delayed sleep phase symptoms(9.55%vs 2.58%,adjusted OR:4.04)in O-BD than in O-control.O-BD had a nearly fivefold higher risk of mood disorders(11.70%vs 3.47%,adjusted OR:4.68)and social anxiety(6.28%vs 1.49%,adjusted OR:4.70),a fourfold higher risk of depressive disorders(11.17%vs 3.47%,adjusted OR:3.99)and a threefold higher risk of mood symptoms(20.74%vs 10.40%,adjusted OR:2.59)than O-control.Subgroup analysis revealed that O-BD children(aged under 12 years)had a nearly 2-fold higher risk of any mental and behavioural symptoms than O-control,while there was a nearly 4-fold higher risk of delayed sleep phase symptoms,a 7.5-fold higher risk of social anxiety and a 3-fold higher risk of mood symptoms in O-BD adolescents(aged 12 years and over).Conclusions There was an increase in delayed sleep phase symptoms in O-BD adolescents compared with their control counterparts,confirming the central role of circadian rhythm dysfunction in bipolar disorder.The findings of the specific age-related and stage-related developmental patterns of psychopathologies and circadian dysfunction in children and adolescent offspring of parents with bipolar disorder paved the way to develop specific and early clinical intervention and prevention strategies.

Chemsex and its risk factors associated with human immunodeficiency virus among men who have sex with men in Hong Kong

We were intrigued by Hanum et al,who published a study on the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus(HIV)in homosexual,bisexual,and other men who have sex with men at sexual health clinics in England and the relationship between baseline variables and future HIV occurrence.Chemically-enhanced sexual experience(chemsex)is becoming a global phenomenon.There are increasing medical and academic concerns about chemsex,where substances are used to boost sexual satisfaction,which is prevalent in groups,especially among homosexuals.Lesbians,gays,bisexuals,transgenders,and queers have become increasingly visible,valued,and committed community.However,chemsex requires urgent attention.

Genetic variability of CYP2B6 polymorphisms in four southern Chinese populations

AIM： To investigate the genotype and allelic frequencies of Cytochrome P450 2B6 polymorphisms in four southern Chinese populations.METHODS： DNA was obtained from blood samples from Han Chinese from Hong Kong and three minority groups,the Wa, Bulang and Lahu from Yunnan in southern China. Genotyping was performed using real-time PCR and confirmed by direct sequencing.RESULTS： A total of 507 subjects from southern China were studied. Results showed there is a high prevalence of 516G 〉 T （34.5%） in ethnic Chinese compared to literature reports on other Asian populations and Caucasians. The frequency of the 516TT genotype is higher in the Hah majority （23.1%） than in three other ethnic minority groups （i.e., 7.4%, 9.1% and 15.8%） in southern China.CONCLUSION： This was the first study to document the spectrum of CYP2B6 allelic variants and genotypes in a southern Chinese population. The 516G 〉 T allele is associated with a defective metabolism of efavirenz （EFV）, which therefore may predispose to drug toxicity.Treatment regimens for human immunodeficiency virus （HIV） and heroin addiction may need to be optimized in different populations because of the marked variability of the key metabolizing enzyme.

Relationship Between Individuals’Epidemic Risk Perception Within Living Space and Subjective Well-Being:Empirical Evidence from China after the First Wave of COVID-19

It is common to observe the epidemic risk perception(ERP)and a decline in subjective well-being(SWB)in the context of public health events,such as Corona Virus Disease 2019(COVID-19).However,there have been few studies exploring the impact of individuals’ERP within living space on their SWB,especially from a geographical and daily activity perspective after the resumption of work and other activities following a wave of the pandemic.In this paper,we conducted a study with 789 participants in urban China,measuring their ERP within living space and examining its influence on their SWB using path analysis.The results indicated that individuals’ERP within their living space had a significant negative effect on their SWB.The density of certain types of facilities within their living space,such as bus stops,subway stations,restaurants,fast food shops,convenience shops,hospitals,and public toilets,had a significantly negative impact on their SWB,mediated by their ERP within living space.Additionally,participation in out-of-home work and other activities not only increased individuals’ERP within living space,but also strengthened its negative effect on their SWB.

A robust method for evaluating the potentials of 15-minute cities:Implications for sustainable urban futures

The‘15-minute city’(15minC)concept,which aspires to bring essential services within reach via a 15-minute walk for all residents,represents a pivotal paradigm shift in sustainable urban development.However,the achievability of this concept for different cities varies considerably across diverse population distributions,urban contexts,and development priorities.In this study,we propose a robust method for evaluating a city’s 15minC potential-a city’s capability to achieve widespread 15-minute accessibility while maintaining an optimal balance between resource efficiency and resident accessibility.We employ the Location Set Covering Problem optimization model to analyze the resources required to achieve full coverage of 15-minute accessibility and the knee point detection algorithm to assess a city’s 15minC potential.Across 23 major Chinese cities,our method exhibits a sharp sensitivity to delineate distinct 15minC potentials.It reveals that cities’current 15minC development level doesn’t align with their inherent potential uniformly.Key determinants include how well current facility locations match population centers and the population density in remote areas.Further,reducing facility constructions by twothirds has only a marginal impact on accessibility,emphasizing the need for tailored,data-driven planning in effective and sustainable urban development based on the distinct potentials of cities.Our approach prioritizes resource efficiency,minimizing the inefficient use of facilities that serve only a small portion of residents while maximizing the benefits of the 15minC and therefore has significant implications for a sustainable urban future.

Introducing the Hong Kong Medical Journal and its important role in the timely dissemination of COVID-19 related knowledge

Hong Kong Medical Journal(HKMJ)is the flagship general medical journal in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,China,with an international outlook.We are committed to publishing and promoting high-quality research.Led by our Editor-in-Chief,Professor Martin CS Wong,our Editorial Board is pleased to collaborate with Dr.Chen Wang,the Editor-in-Chief of the Chinese Medical Journal(CMJ),as well as the editors of CMJ to enhance the visibility of our respective journals and foster a collaborate environment that brings forth ideas and knowledge to our readers.

Assessing the Performance of a Dynamical Downscaling Simulation Driven by a Bias-Corrected CMIP6 Dataset for Asian Climate

In this study,we aim to assess dynamical downscaling simulations by utilizing a novel bias-corrected global climate model(GCM)data to drive a regional climate model(RCM)over the Asia-western North Pacific region.Three simulations were conducted with a 25-km grid spacing for the period 1980–2014.The first simulation(WRF_ERA5)was driven by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Reanalysis 5(ERA5)dataset and served as the validation dataset.The original GCM dataset(MPI-ESM1-2-HR model)was used to drive the second simulation(WRF_GCM),while the third simulation(WRF_GCMbc)was driven by the bias-corrected GCM dataset.The bias-corrected GCM data has an ERA5-based mean and interannual variance and long-term trends derived from the ensemble mean of 18 CMIP6 models.Results demonstrate that the WRF_GCMbc significantly reduced the root-mean-square errors(RMSEs)of the climatological mean of downscaled variables,including temperature,precipitation,snow,wind,relative humidity,and planetary boundary layer height by 50%–90%compared to the WRF_GCM.Similarly,the RMSEs of interannual-tointerdecadal variances of downscaled variables were reduced by 30%–60%.Furthermore,the WRF_GCMbc better captured the annual cycle of the monsoon circulation and intraseasonal and day-to-day variabilities.The leading empirical orthogonal function(EOF)shows a monopole precipitation mode in the WRF_GCM.In contrast,the WRF_GCMbc successfully reproduced the observed tri-pole mode of summer precipitation over eastern China.This improvement could be attributed to a better-simulated location of the western North Pacific subtropical high in the WRF_GCMbc after GCM bias correction.