Showing papers by "The Chinese University of Hong Kong published in 2002"
TL;DR: In this paper, the ultimate ownership and control of 5,232 corporations in 13 Western European countries were analyzed, and the majority of firms were either widely held (36.93%) or family controlled (44.29%).
2,934 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors developed a psychometrically sound and practically short EI measure that can be used in leadership and management studies, and provided exploratory evidence for the effects of the EI of both leaders and followers on job outcomes.
Abstract: Recently, increasing numbers of scholars have argued that emotional intelligence (EI) is a core variable that affects the performance of leaders. In this study, we develop a psychometrically sound and practically short EI measure that can be used in leadership and management studies. We also provide exploratory evidence for the effects of the EI of both leaders and followers on job outcomes. Applying Gross' emotion regulation model, we argue that the EI of leaders and followers should have positive effects on job performance and attitudes. We also propose that the emotional labor of the job moderates the EI–job outcome relationship. Our results show that the EI of followers affects job performance and job satisfaction, while the EI of leaders affects their satisfaction and extra-role behavior. For followers, the proposed interaction effects between EI and emotional labor on job performance, organizational commitment, and turnover intention are also supported.
2,787 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a novel and simple method for preparing highly photoactive nanocrystalline F-doped TiO2 photocatalyst with anatase and brookite phase was developed by hydrolysis of titanium tetraisopropoxide in a mixed NH4F−H2O solution.
Abstract: A novel and simple method for preparing highly photoactive nanocrystalline F--doped TiO2 photocatalyst with anatase and brookite phase was developed by hydrolysis of titanium tetraisopropoxide in a mixed NH4F−H2O solution. The prepared F--doped TiO2 powders were characterized by differential thermal analysis-thermogravimetry (DTA-TG), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV−vis absorption spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectra (PL), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and BET surface areas. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated by the photocatalytic oxidation of acetone in air. The results showed that the crystallinity of anatase was improved upon F- doping. Moreover, fluoride ions not only suppressed the formation of brookite phase but also prevented phase transition of anatase to rutile. The F--doped TiO2 samples exhibited stronger absorption in the UV−visible range with a red shift in the band gap transition. The photocatalytic activity of F--doped TiO2 powders prep...
2,074 citations
TL;DR: Overall survival was slightly better in patients who had preoperative radiotherapy than in those who had postoperative treatment, and the size and anatomical site of the tumour was also significant risk factors in multivariate analysis.
1,277 citations
[...]
TL;DR: This work focuses on this revolution of understanding and management of peptic ulcer disease over the past 25 years, largely because of the increasingly widespread use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and low-dose aspirin.
1,264 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined several hypotheses regarding the location choice of foreign direct investment from newly industrialized economies (NIEs) using a sample of 328 Taiwanese firms in the analysis, and found that the firms' motivations had a significant impact on the choice of their investment location (developed countries vs less developed countries), yet this impact was moderated by the capabilities of the firms possessed.
Abstract: This study examined several hypotheses regarding the location choice of foreign direct investment from newly industrialized economies (NIEs). Using a sample of 328 Taiwanese firms in the analysis, this study found that the firms’ motivations had a significant impact on the choice of their investment location (developed countries vs. less developed countries), yet this impact was moderated by the capabilities that the firms possessed. The results suggest that both asset-exploitation and asset-seeking aspects of investments are predictive of the NIE firms’ location choice of investment.
637 citations
TL;DR: Patients should be aware of the risk of toxicity and the rationale for screening (to detect early changes and minimize visual loss, not necessarily to prevent it), and the drugs should be stopped if possible when toxicity is recognized or strongly suspected.
602 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the relationship between the stock price synchronicity and analyst activity in emerging markets and found that returns on high analyst-following portfolio lead returns on low analyst following portfolio more than vice versa.
Abstract: This paper examines the relationship between the stock price synchronicity and analyst activity in emerging markets. Contrary to conventional wisdom that suggests that security analysts specialize in the production of firm-specific information, we find that the security analysts predominantly produce market-wide information. Using the R-square statistics of the market model as a measure of the synchronicity of stock price movements, we find that more analyst coverage leads to an increase in stock price synchronicity. Furthermore, after controlling for the influence of firm size on the lead-lag relation, we find that returns on high analyst-following portfolio lead returns on low analyst-following portfolio more than vice versa. We also find that the aggregate changes in the earnings forecast of high analyst-following portfolio affect the aggregate returns of the portfolio itself as well as the the low analyst-following portfolio while the aggregate changes in the earnings forecasts of low analyst-following portfolio have no predictive ability. Finally, when the forecast dispersion is high, the effect of analyst coverage on stock price synchronicity is reduced.
586 citations
TL;DR: Fan and Li as mentioned in this paper extended the nonconcave penalized likelihood approach to the Cox proportional hazards model and Cox proportional hazard frailty model, two commonly used semi-parametric models in survival analysis and proposed new variable selection procedures for these two commonly-used models.
Abstract: A class of variable selection procedures for parametric models via nonconcave penalized likelihood was proposed in Fan and Li (2001a). It has been shown there that the resulting procedures perform as well as if the subset of significant variables were known in advance. Such a property is called an oracle property. The proposed procedures were illustrated in the context of linear regression, robust linear regression and generalized linear models. In this paper, the nonconcave penalized likelihood approach is extended further to the Cox proportional hazards model and the Cox proportional hazards frailty model, two commonly used semi-parametric models in survival analysis. As a result, new variable selection procedures for these two commonly-used models are proposed. It is demonstrated how the rates of convergence depend on the regularization parameter in the penalty function. Further, with a proper choice of the regularization parameter and the penalty function, the proposed estimators possess an oracle property. Standard error formulae are derived and their accuracies are empirically tested. Simulation studies show that the proposed procedures are more stable in prediction and more effective in computation than the best subset variable selection, and they reduce model complexity as effectively as the best subset variable selection. Compared with the LASSO, which is the penalized likelihood method with the $L_1$ -penalty, proposed by Tibshirani, the newly proposed approaches have better theoretic properties and finite sample performance.
570 citations
TL;DR: Plasma RNA is stable in uncentrifuged EDTA blood stored at 4 degrees C, but to obtain a stable serum RNA concentration, uncent rfuged clotted blood should be stored at4 degrees C and processed within 6 h.
Abstract: Background: Circulating RNA in plasma/serum is an emerging field for noninvasive molecular diagnosis. Because RNA is widely thought to be labile in the circulation, we investigated the stability and various preanalytical factors that may affect RNA concentrations in blood specimens.
Methods: Blood samples were collected from 65 healthy volunteers. The effects of two preanalytical variables were studied: ( a ) time delay in processing of EDTA blood and clotted blood after venesection, and ( b ) freezing and thawing of plasma and serum. The lability of free added RNA in plasma was also investigated. Plasma/serum RNA was measured by a real-time quantitative reverse transcription-PCR assay for glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase mRNA, whereas DNA was measured by a real-time quantitative PCR assay for the β-globin gene.
Results: No significant difference was found for plasma RNA concentrations obtained from uncentrifuged EDTA blood that had been left at 4 °C for 0, 6, and 24 h ( P =0.182). On the other hand, the serum RNA concentrations increased significantly over 24 h when uncentrifuged clotted blood was stored at 4 °C ( P 99% of the free added RNA could no longer be amplified after incubation in plasma for 15 s. Never-frozen plasma, freeze-thawed plasma, and thawed plasma left at room temperature for 1 h showed no significant differences in RNA concentration ( P =0.465). No significant difference was observed for freeze-thawed serum ( P = 0.430).
Conclusions: Plasma RNA is stable in uncentrifuged EDTA blood stored at 4 °C, but to obtain a stable serum RNA concentration, uncentrifuged clotted blood should be stored at 4 °C and processed within 6 h. A single freeze/thaw cycle produces no significant effect on the RNA concentration of plasma or serum.
541 citations
TL;DR: A new prognostic index for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma is constructed, the Chinese University Prognostic Index (CUPI), and it is compared with existing staging systems in terms of their ability to classify patients into different risk group.
Abstract: BACKGROUND
The current TNM staging system for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) does not include liver function parameters and does not provide a precise prognosis for patients in different risk groups. The objectives of this study were to construct a new prognostic index for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, the Chinese University Prognostic Index (CUPI), and to compare it with existing staging systems in terms of their ability to classify patients into different risk group.
METHODS
From 1996 to 1998, 926 ethnic Chinese patients who were diagnosed with HCC (mainly hepatitis B-associated) at a single institution were recruited prospectively into this study. A multivariate analysis on 19 patient characteristics was performed using a Cox regression model to identify independent prognostic factors. Weights were derived from the regression coefficients of various factors to construct the CUPI. Patients were classified according to different staging systems. Survival curves were plotted with the Kaplan–Meier method and were compared by using a log-rank test.
RESULTS
Both the TNM staging system and the Okuda staging system had prognostic significance, but the significance was lower for the Cancer of the Liver Italian Program (CLIP) prognostic score among the patients in the study population. The CUPI was constructed by adding the following factors into the TNM staging system: total bilirubin, ascites, alkaline phosphatase, α fetoprotein, and asymptomatic disease on presentation. The new CUPI characterized three risk groups with highly significant differences in survival during the whole period of follow-up (P < 0.00001) and was more discriminant than the other systems.
CONCLUSIONS
In the study population of patients with mainly hepatitis B-associated HCC, the CUPI was more discriminant than the TNM staging system, the Okuda staging systems, or the CLIP prognostic score in classifying patients into different risk groups and was better at predicting survival. The CUPI needs to be validated by different cohorts of patients before it can be recommended for general use. Cancer 2002;94:1760–9. © 2002 American Cancer Society.
DOI 10.1002/cncr.10384
TL;DR: In this article, the authors report two studies that examined whether pancultural dimensions based on general beliefs, or social axioms, can be identified in persons from five cultures in Hong Kong and Venezuela.
Abstract: To broaden our conceptual framework for understanding cultural differences, the present article reports two studies that examined whether pancultural dimensions based on general beliefs, or social axioms, can be identified in persons from five cultures. A Social Axioms Survey was constructed, based on both previous psychological research primarily in Europe and North America on beliefs and qualitative research conducted in Hong Kong and Venezuela. Factor analyses of these beliefs from student as well as adult samples revealed a pancultural, five-factor structure, with dimensions labeled as: cynicism, social complexity, reward for application, spirituality, and fate control. In the second study, this five-factor structure, with the possible exception of fate control, was replicated with college students from Japan, the United States, and Germany. The potential implications of a universal, five-factor structure of individual social beliefs were discussed, along with the relation of this structure to indigen...
TL;DR: The axiomatic foundation of multidimensional poverty indices is explored and the fact that domain restrictions may have a critical role in the design ofMultidimensional indices is highlighted.
Abstract: This paper explores the axiomatic foundation of multidimensional poverty indices. Departing from the income approach which measures poverty by aggregating shortfalls of incomes from a pre-determined poverty-line income, a multidimensional index is a numerical representation of shortfalls of basic needs from some pre-specified minimum levels. The class of subgroup consistent poverty indices introduced by Foster and Shorrocks (1991) is generalized to the multidimensional context. New concepts necessary for the design of distribution-sensitive multidimensional poverty measures are introduced. Specific classes of subgroup consistent multidimensional poverty measures are derived based on sets of reasonable axioms. This paper also highlights the fact that domain restrictions may have a critical role in the design of multidimensional indices.
06 May 2002
TL;DR: A connectivity-based outlier factor (COF) scheme is introduced that improves the effectiveness of an existing local outlier factors (LOF) scheme when a pattern itself has similar neighbourhood density as an outlier.
Abstract: Outlier detection is concerned with discovering exceptional behaviors of objects in data sets.It is becoming a growingly useful tool in applications such as credit card fraud detection, discovering criminal behaviors in e-commerce, identifying computer intrusion, detecting health problems, etc. In this paper, we introduce a connectivity-based outlier factor (COF) scheme that improves the effectiveness of an existing local outlier factor (LOF) scheme when a pattern itself has similar neighbourhood density as an outlier. We give theoretical and empirical analysis to demonstrate the improvement in effectiveness and the capability of the COF scheme in comparison with the LOF scheme.
TL;DR: After bone marrow transplantation, the DNA in plasma and serum is predominantly hematopoietic in origin, and this finding suggests that plasma and Serum can be used as alternative materials for the study of postbone marrow transplants chimerism.
Abstract: Background: Despite current interest in the biology and diagnostic applications of cell-free DNA in plasma and serum, the cellular origin of this DNA is poorly understood We used a sex-mismatched bone marrow transplantation model to study the relative contribution of hematopoietic and nonhematopoietic cells to circulating DNA
Methods: We studied 22 sex-mismatched bone marrow transplantation patients Paired buffy coat and plasma samples were obtained from all 22 patients Matching serum samples were also obtained from seven of them Plasma DNA, serum DNA, and buffy coat were quantified by real-time PCR of the SRY and β-globin gene DNA To investigate the effects of blood drawing and other preanalytical variables on plasma DNA concentrations, blood samples were also collected from 14 individuals who had not received transplants The effects of blood sampling by syringe and needle, centrifugation, and time delay in blood processing were studied
Results: The median percentage of Y-chromosome DNA in the plasma in female patients receiving bone marrow from male donors (595%) differed significantly ( P <0001) from that in the male patients receiving bone marrow from female donors (69%) This indicated that plasma DNA in the bone marrow transplantation recipients was predominantly of donor origin Compared with paired plasma samples, serum samples had a median 14-fold higher DNA concentration, with the additional DNA being of donor origin Control experiments indicated that none of the three tested preanalytical variables contributed to a significant change in cell-free DNA concentration
Conclusions: After bone marrow transplantation, the DNA in plasma and serum is predominantly hematopoietic in origin Apart from the biological implications of this observation, this finding suggests that plasma and serum can be used as alternative materials for the study of postbone marrow transplantation chimerism
TL;DR: Among patients with a recent history of ulcer bleeding, treatment with celecoxib was as effective as treatment with diclofenac plus omeprazole, with respect to the prevention of recurrent bleeding.
Abstract: Background Current guidelines recommend that patients at risk for ulcer disease who require treatment for arthritis receive nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that are selective for cyclooxygenase-2 or the combination of a nonselective NSAID with a proton-pump inhibitor. We assessed whether celecoxib would be similar to diclofenac plus omeprazole in reducing the risk of recurrent ulcer bleeding in patients at high risk for bleeding. Methods We studied patients who used NSAIDs for arthritis and who presented with ulcer bleeding. After their ulcers had healed, we randomly assigned patients who were negative for Helicobacter pylori to receive either 200 mg of celecoxib twice daily plus daily placebo or 75 mg of diclofenac twice daily plus 20 mg of omeprazole daily for six months. The end point was recurrent ulcer bleeding. Results In the intention-to-treat analysis, which included 287 patients (144 receiving celecoxib and 143 receiving diclofenac plus omeprazole), recurrent ulcer bleeding occurred ...
TL;DR: The study of the finite-time control problem from second-order systems to a large class of higher order nonlinear systems and the effectiveness of the proposed approach is illustrated by both theoretical analysis and computer simulation.
TL;DR: Transparent anatase mesoporous (MTiO2) and TiO2 nanometer thin films were prepared on soda-lime glass and fused quartz via the reverse micellar method and sol-gel method, respectively as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Transparent anatase mesoporous TiO2 (MTiO2) and TiO2 nanometer thin films were prepared on soda-lime glass and fused quartz via the reverse micellar method and sol–gel method, respectively. The as-prepared MTiO2 and TiO2 films were then treated by dipping them in a H2SO4 solution. The MTiO2 and TiO2 films before and after surface acid treatment were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), BET surface area and UV–VIS spectrophotometry. The photocatalytic activity of the samples was evaluated by photocatalytic oxidation of acetone in air. It was found that MTiO2 thin films showed higher photocatalytic activity than that of the TiO2 thin films. This was attributed to the fact that MTiO2 thin films were composed of smaller monodisperse spherical particles about 15 nm and had higher specific surface areas. Furthermore, the monodispersity of TiO2 particles was beneficial to transfer and separation of photo-generated electrons and holes in the inner of and on the surface of TiO2 particle and reduced the recombination of photo-generated electrons and holes. The films deposited on quartz showed the highest photocatalytic activity because films deposited on quartz exhibited a better crystallization and had no sodium contaminant. The photocatalytic activity of MTiO2 and TiO2 thin films deposited on different substrates after treated with H2SO4 solution was significantly enhanced. Acid treatment was particularly effective for MTiO2/glass and TiO2/glass, which showed activity enhancement of four and over two times, respectively. This increase in activity has been correlated with the reduction of sodium ions and the increase in the adsorbed hydroxyl content on the surface of TiO2 films.
TL;DR: The recurrent neural network with implicit dynamics is deliberately developed in the way that its trajectory is guaranteed to converge exponentially to the time-varying solution of a given Sylvester equation.
Abstract: Presents a recurrent neural network for solving the Sylvester equation with time-varying coefficient matrices. The recurrent neural network with implicit dynamics is deliberately developed in the way that its trajectory is guaranteed to converge exponentially to the time-varying solution of a given Sylvester equation. Theoretical results of convergence and sensitivity analysis are presented to show the desirable properties of the recurrent neural network. Simulation results of time-varying matrix inversion and online nonlinear output regulation via pole assignment for the ball and beam system and the inverted pendulum on a cart system are also included to demonstrate the effectiveness and performance of the proposed neural network.
TL;DR: Reactive hemophagocytic syndrome was the most characteristic pathologic finding and might have contributed to the lymphopenia, liver dysfunction, and abnormal clotting profiles that were observed among patients with severe infection.
Abstract: The first outbreak of avian influenza A(H5N1) virus in humans occurred in Hong Kong in 1997. Infection was confirmed in 18 individuals, 6 of whom died. Infections were acquired by humans directly from chickens, without the involvement of an intermediate host. The outbreak was halted by a territory-wide slaughter of more than 1.5 million chickens at the end of December 1997. The clinical spectrum of H5N1 infection ranges from asymptomatic infection to fatal pneumonitis and multiple organ failure. Reactive hemophagocytic syndrome was the most characteristic pathologic finding and might have contributed to the lymphopenia, liver dysfunction, and abnormal clotting profiles that were observed among patients with severe infection. Rapid diagnosis with the use of reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and monoclonal antibody-based immunofluorescent assay were of great clinical value in the management of the outbreak. The experience of the H5N1 outbreak in Hong Kong underscores the importance of continuous surveillance of influenza virus strains in humans and in other animal species.
TL;DR: Although PFS was not significantly different between the concurrent CRT arm and the RT-alone arm in the overall comparison, P FS was significantly prolonged in patients with advanced tumor and node stages.
Abstract: PURPOSE: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is highly sensitive to both radiotherapy (RT) and chemotherapy. This randomized phase III trial compared concurrent cisplatin-RT (CRT) with RT alone in patients with locoregionally advanced NPC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with Ho’s N2 or N3 stage or N1 stage with nodal size ≥ 4 cm were randomized to receive cisplatin 40 mg/m2 weekly up to 8 weeks concurrently with radical RT (CRT) or RT alone. The primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS). RESULTS: Three hundred fifty eligible patients were randomized. Baseline patient characteristics were comparable in both arms. There were significantly more toxicities, including mucositis, myelosuppression, and weight loss in the CRT arm. There were no treatment-related deaths in the CRT arm, and one patient died during treatment in the RT-alone arm. At a median follow-up of 2.71 years, the 2-year PFS was 76% in the CRT arm and 69% in the RT-alone arm (P = .10) with a hazards ratio of 1.367 (95% confidence interva...
TL;DR: This systematic review does not support the traditional idea that ephedrine is the preferred choice for the management of maternal hypotension during spinal anesthesia for elective cesarean delivery in healthy, nonlaboring women.
Abstract: This quantitative systematic review compared the efficacy and safety of ephedrine with phenylephrine for the prevention and treatment of hypotension during spinal anesthesia for cesarean delivery. Seven randomized controlled trials (n 292) were identified after a systematic search of electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, The Cochrane Controlled Trials Registry), published articles, and contact with authors. Outcomes assessed were maternal hypotension, hypertension and bradycardia, and neonatal umbilical cord blood pH values and Apgar scores. For the management (prevention and treatment) of maternal hypotension, there was no difference between phenylephrine and ephedrine (relative risk [RR] of 1.00; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.96 –1.06). Maternal bradycardia was more likely to occur with phenylephrine than with ephedrine (RR of 4.79; 95% CI, 1.47–15.60). Women given phenylephrine had neonates with higher umbilical arterial pH values than those given ephedrine (weighted mean difference of 0.03; 95% CI, 0.02– 0.04). There was no difference between the two vasopressors in the incidence of true fetal acidosis (umbilical arterial pH value of 7.2; RR of 0.78; 95% CI, 0.16 –3.92) or Apgar score of7 at 1 and 5 min. This systematic review does not support the traditional idea that ephedrine is the preferred choice for the management of maternal hypotension during spinal anesthesia for elective cesarean delivery in healthy, nonlaboring women. (Anesth Analg 2002;94:920 –6)
TL;DR: The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) was flown on the space shuttle Discovery during flight STS-91 (June 1998) in a 51.7° orbit at altitudes between 320 and 390 km as discussed by the authors.
TL;DR: The potential benefits of maintaining ventilation and pulmonary artery perfusion during CPB warrant further investigation and the associated physiologic, biochemical, and histologic changes are reviewed.
TL;DR: A case study where the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) technique was employed to support the selection of a multi-media authorizing system (MAS) in a group decision environment found the AHP to be more conducive to consensus building in group decision settings.
TL;DR: Simulation results indicate that the BER performance of the SDR-ML detector is better than that of these existing detectors and is close to that of the true ML detector, even when the cross-correlations between users are strong or the near-far effect is significant.
Abstract: The maximum-likelihood (ML) multiuser detector is well known to exhibit better bit-error-rate (BER) performance than many other multiuser detectors. Unfortunately,ML detection (MLD) is a nondeterministic polynomial-time hard (NP-hard) problem, for which there is no known algorithm that can find the optimal solution with polynomial-time complexity (in the number of users). In this paper, a polynomial-time approximation method called semi-definite (SD) relaxation is applied to the MLD problem with antipodal data transmission. SD relaxation is an accurate approximation method for certain NP-hard problems. The SD relaxation ML (SDR-ML) detector is efficient in that its complexity is of the order of K3.5, where K is the number of users. We illustrate the potential of the SDR-ML detector by showing that some existing detectors, such as the decorrelator and the linear-minimum-mean-square-error detector, can be interpreted as degenerate forms of the SDR-ML detector. Simulation results indicate that the BER performance of the SDR-ML detector is better than that of these existing detectors and is close to that of the true ML detector, even when the cross-correlations between users are strong or the near-far effect is significant.
TL;DR: Levels of post-treatment plasma EBV DNA in patients with NPC appear to strongly predict progression-free and overall survival and to accurately reflect the post- treatment residual tumor load.
Abstract: Background: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA can be detected and quantified in the plasma of patients with EBV-related tumors, such as nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Although NPC at early stages can be cured by radical radiotherapy, there is a high recurrence rate in patients with advanced NPC. The pretreatment level of circulating EBV DNA is a prognostic factor for NPC, but the prognostic value of post-treatment EBV DNA has not been studied. We designed a prospective study in Hong Kong, China, to investigate the value of plasma EBV DNA as a prognostic factor for NPC. Methods: One hundred seventy NPC patients, without metastatic disease at presentation, were treated with a uniform radiotherapy protocol. Circulating EBV DNA was measured by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction before treatment and 6-8 weeks after radiotherapy was completed. Risk ratios (RRs) were determined with a Cox regression model, and associations of various factors with progression-free and overall survival and recurrence rates were determined with a stepwise Cox proportional hazards model. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results: Ninety-nine percent of patients achieved complete clinical remission. Levels of post-treatment EBV DNA dominated the effect of levels of pretreatment EBV DNA for progression-free survival. The RR for NPC recurrence was 11.9 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 5.53 to 25.43) for patients with higher post-treatment EBV DNA and 2.5 (95% CI = 1.14 to 5.70) for patients with higher pretreatment EBV DNA. Higher levels of post-treatment EBV DNA were statistically significantly associated with overall survival (P<.001; RR for NPC recurrence = 8.6, 95% CI = 3.69 to 19.97). The positive and negative predictive values for NPC recurrence for a higher level of post-treatment EBV DNA were 87% (95% CI = 58% to 98%) and 83% (95% CI = 76% to 89%), respectively. Conclusion: Levels of post-treatment plasma EBV DNA in patients with NPC appear to strongly predict progression-free and overall survival and to accurately reflect the post-treatment residual tumor load.
TL;DR: The persistence of a low level of TOC indicated that mineralization was not complete and dead-end product(s) which was (were) resistant to PCO might have accumulated, and the PCO process was affected by pH in a peculiar way.
TL;DR: In this paper, a case-control study was conducted to test the hypothesis that, when measured in the long axis, left ventricular systolic function is abnormal in patients with diastolic heart failure.
Abstract: Objective: To test the hypothesis that, when measured in the long axis, left ventricular systolic function is abnormal in patients with diastolic heart failure.
Design: A case–control study.
Setting: University teaching hospital (tertiary referral centre).
Patients: 68 patients with heart failure, 29 with a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of > 0.45 and diastolic dysfunction (diastolic heart failure), 39 with an LVEF of ≤ 0.45 (systolic heart failure), and 105 normal subjects, including 33 age matched controls.
Methods: LVEF was measured by cross sectional Simpson's method, and mitral annular amplitudes and velocities by M mode and tissue Doppler echocardiography, respectively, along with mitral Doppler inflow velocities. Results were compared between the three groups.
Main outcome measures: Peak systolic mitral annular velocity and amplitude between the different groups.
Results: The mitral annular peak mean velocity and amplitude in systole were lower in the patients with diastolic heart failure (mean (SEM), 4.8 (0.2) cm/s) than in the age matched normal controls (6.1 (0.14) cm/s), but higher than those with systolic heart failure (2.8 (0.13) cm/s) (all p < 0.001). Similar changes were seen the mitral annular amplitude during systole. Peak early diastolic velocity and amplitude were also significantly reduced in the group with diastolic heart failure. Left ventricular hypertrophy was evident in over 95% patients in both diastolic and systolic heart failure groups, with a comparable left ventricular mass index.
Conclusions: In patients with diastolic heart failure and evidence of left ventricular hypertrophy, there is systolic left ventricular impairment as measured by myocardial Doppler imaging of the longitudinal axis. Thus subtle abnormalities of systolic function are present in patients with heart failure and a normal left ventricular ejection fraction, and there appears to be a continuum of systolic function between those with truly normal, mildly impaired (labelled diastolic heart failure), and obviously abnormal left ventricular systolic function. Isolated diastolic dysfunction is uncommon.
TL;DR: Results indicate that the antioxidant capacity of vegetables decreases rapidly and significantly after fragmentation, and using FRASC as a biomonitoring tool will be useful in food production, preparation, preservation, and aid dietary choices to increase antioxidant and AA intake.
Abstract: Epidemiological evidence links high intake of ascorbic acid (AA) and other antioxidant micronutrients to health promotion. It would be useful to know the overall, or 'total' antioxidant capacity of foods, to establish the contribution of AA to this, and to assess how this information may translate into dietary intakes to meet the new US daily reference intake for AA. In this study, the total antioxidant capacity, as the ferric reducing-antioxidant power (FRAP) value, and AA content of thirty-four types of fruits and vegetables were measured using a modified version of the FRAP assay, known as FRASC. This measures AA (reduced form only) simultaneously with the FRAP value. Results covered a wide range: 880-15940 micromol/kg fresh wet weight and <20-540 mg/kg fresh wet weight respectively, for FRAP and AA, which comprised < 1-73 % and < 1-59 % total antioxidant capacity of fruits and vegetables respectively. We estimate that 100 mg AA is contained in one orange, a few strawberries, one kiwi fruit, 1-2 slices of pineapple, several florets of raw cauliflower or a handful of uncooked spinach leaves. Apples, bananas, pears and plums, the most commonly consumed fruits in the UK, contain very little AA. Results indicate also that the antioxidant capacity of vegetables decreases rapidly and significantly after fragmentation. Results of this, and future studies, using FRASC as a biomonitoring tool will be useful in food production, preparation, preservation, and aid dietary choices to increase antioxidant and AA intake. Furthermore, FRASC will facilitate bioavailability studies of antioxidants from different foods of known antioxidant capacity and AA content.