Consumption of dried fruit of Crataegus pinnatifida (hawthorn) suppresses high-cholesterol diet-induced hypercholesterolemia in rats

Author name used in this publication: Mabel Yin-Chun YauAuthor name used in this publication: Peter Hoi-Fu Yu2009-2010 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalAccepted ManuscriptPublishe

Evaluation of anti-oxidant capacity of root of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, in comparison with roots of polygonum multiflorum thunb and Panax ginseng CA Meyer

Author name used in this publication: Jian-Hong WuAuthor name used in this publication: Alice Lai-Shan AuAuthor name used in this publication: Peter Hoi-Fu Yu2009-2010 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalAccepted ManuscriptPublishe

Modelling the Genetic Risk in Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Late-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common sight-threatening disease of the central retina affecting approximately 1 in 30 Caucasians. Besides age and smoking, genetic variants from several gene loci have reproducibly been associated with this condition and likely explain a large proportion of disease. Here, we developed a genetic risk score (GRS) for AMD based on 13 risk variants from eight gene loci. The model exhibited good discriminative accuracy, area-under-curve (AUC) of the receiver-operating characteristic of 0.820, which was confirmed in a cross-validation approach. Noteworthy, younger AMD patients aged below 75 had a significantly higher mean GRS (1.87, 95% CI: 1.69–2.05) than patients aged 75 and above (1.45, 95% CI: 1.36–1.54). Based on five equally sized GRS intervals, we present a risk classification with a relative AMD risk of 64.0 (95% CI: 14.11–1131.96) for individuals in the highest category (GRS 3.44–5.18, 0.5% of the general population) compared to subjects with the most common genetic background (GRS −0.05–1.70, 40.2% of general population). The highest GRS category identifies AMD patients with a sensitivity of 7.9% and a specificity of 99.9% when compared to the four lower categories. Modeling a general population around 85 years of age, 87.4% of individuals in the highest GRS category would be expected to develop AMD by that age. In contrast, only 2.2% of individuals in the two lowest GRS categories which represent almost 50% of the general population are expected to manifest AMD. Our findings underscore the large proportion of AMD cases explained by genetics particularly for younger AMD patients. The five-category risk classification could be useful for therapeutic stratification or for diagnostic testing purposes once preventive treatment is available

Comparing sleep patterns between children with autism spectrum disorder and children with typical development : a matched case–control study

202206 bcchAccepted ManuscriptRGCECSPublishe

Calibration of the RT3 accelerometer for ambulation and nonambulation in children

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to provide RT3 accelerometer thresholds to distinguish nonambulation from ambulation, as well as distinguish between low, moderate, and vigorous intensity ambulation in Chinese children. METHODS: Thirty-five 8- to 12-yr-olds completed a laboratory-based experiment to calibrate the RT3 device across a range of intensities. Oxygen uptake during sedentary tasks and ambulation was aligned, with corresponding RT3 output, to one of four intensity categories (sedentary, < 2 METs; low, ≥ 2 but < 3 METs; moderate, ≥ 3 but < 6; and vigorous, ≥ 6). Threshold values were derived using receiver operator curves to distinguish the sedentary from low intensity, low from moderate intensity, and moderate from vigorous intensity. These were confirmed in an independent sample of 46 similarly aged children. RESULTS: RT3 movement counts increased in a linear manner with scaled oxygen uptake from stationary to vigorous movement (r = 0.83). The ROC-derived thresholds showed a good ability to discriminate between nonambulatory and ambulatory tasks, as well as distinguish between low, moderate, and vigorous ambulation (sensitivity values of 87-100% and specificity values of 97-100%). ROC analyses in the independent sample showed sensitivity and specificity values ranging from 72 to 98%, indicating that the thresholds provided an accurate distinction between the four intensity categories. A Cohen's kappa of κ = 0.92 confirmed that the lower threshold had near-perfect agreement with the independent sample, whereas the moderate-intensity and vigorous-intensity thresholds showed good agreement with the independent sample (κ = 0.63 and 0.65, respectively). CONCLUSION: The RT3 accelerometer provides an acceptable marker of both sedentary and ambulatory behavior in Chinese children. ©2007The American College of Sports Medicine.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

The understanding of peak oxygen uptake in children aged 8–16

202105 bchyVersion of RecordRGCOthersRGC: General Research Fund (Ref no. 18608018)Publishe

Comparing sleep patterns between children with autism spectrum disorder and children with typical development: A matched case–control study

Children with autism spectrum disorder are often reported to have more sleep deficits and poorer sleep quality compared with children with typical development. However, most previous studies have serious methodological limitations, such as varying sample sizes in the comparison groups, wide age range of participants, and body mass index not matched between participants. This study investigated whether sleep patterns differed between children with autism spectrum disorder and those with typical development using a carefully matched case–control design and incorporating both actigraphy and sleep log assessments. A total of 78 children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder were matched with 78 typical development controls in this study. The matched variables included age, gender, and body mass index. The results showed that children with autism spectrum disorder had shorter sleep duration, reduced sleep efficiency, longer sleep-onset latency, and longer wake after sleep onset than children with typical development ( ps &lt; 0.05). Further studies are needed to explore the mechanisms underlying these sleep deficits in children with autism spectrum disorder. Lay abstract This study compared the sleep pattern between children with autism spectrum disorders and children with typical development using a matched case–control design (matched age, gender, and body mass index). Significant differences were found in night-time sleep duration (total amount of sleep at night), sleep efficiency (percentage of time spent asleep), sleep-onset latency (length of time that it takes to transit from awake to asleep), and wake after sleep onset (total amount of time spent awake after defined sleep onset). Findings showed that children with autism spectrum disorder had poorer sleep quality than children with typical development. Mechanisms underlying the differences should be further explored in order to develop an effective treatment intervention. </jats:sec

Central adiposity and the propensity for rehearsal in children

Fiona CM Ling, Rich SW Masters, Clare CW Yu, Alison M McManusInstitute of Human Performance, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong KongBackground: There is increasing evidence that continuous activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal axis and the central sympathetic nervous system contributes to the pathogenesis of central adiposity via increased psychological stress. The purpose of this study was to examine the link between central adiposity and the propensity for Chinese children to rehearse emotionally upsetting events, a dimension of psychological stress. Additionally, gender differences in this relationship were explored.Methods: Waist circumference, which is a marker of central adiposity and associated risks of developing cardiovascular disease, was measured and the propensity for rehearsal was assessed twice over two consecutive years in Hong Kong Chinese children (n = 194, aged 7&amp;ndash;9 years), using a psychometric tool.Results: Children with waist circumference indicative of a risk of cardiovascular disease displayed higher rehearsal scores than children categorized as &amp;ldquo;not at risk&amp;rdquo;, as did boys compared with girls. Our results suggest that central adiposity and the propensity for rehearsal of emotionally upsetting events may be linked in Chinese children.Conclusion: Future prospective studies examining the direction of causality between central adiposity and rehearsal can potentially have valuable clinical implications.Keywords: obesity, abdominal, stress, psychological, Hong Kong, chil