Anterior urethral strictures

Aim

The aim of the present study was to determine the practice patterns in the management of anterior urethral strictures among urologists in Hong Kong.

Patients and Methods

A 14‐item questionnaire was delivered either directly or by mail to all 126 registered urologists in Hong Kong. Information including demographic data, number of anterior urethral strictures treated, diagnostic methods, treatment options and follow‐up strategy were collected. The questionnaire also asked for the personal opinion about the treatment plan of two stricture case scenarios.

Results

The response rate was 48 per cent. The majority (87 per cent) of urologists treated <10 anterior urethral strictures per year. Minimal invasive procedures, including urethral dilatation using metal sounds (77 per cent) or cystoscopy‐guided (74 per cent) and direct visual internal urethrotomy (57 per cent), were more commonly performed by urologists to treat urethral strictures. The majority of urologists (82.6 per cent) performed less than five urethroplasties per year. In the two case scenarios of long bulbous urethral stricture and recurrent short urethral stricture, approximately 10 per cent of respondents would refer the cases to other urologists and approximately 75 per cent would choose to perform reconstructive surgeries. The remaining 15 per cent of respondents would choose minimally‐invasive procedures for these strictures. Nearly two‐thirds (62.3 per cent) of urologists believed that urethroplasty should be proposed only after failed endoscopic treatment. Workups for urethral stricture disease were consistent, while the modalities to access the outcome were highly heterogeneous.

Conclusion

In Hong Kong, the majority of urologists choose to perform urethroplasty for long bulbous urethral strictures and recurrent short bulbous urethral strictures in a case scenario situation. However, in actual practice, most perform less than five urethroplasties per year. A small caseload, lack of experience and understanding of urethral reconstructive surgery means that most urologists in Hong Kong would hesitate to carry out primary urethroplasty in correctly‐selected patients for whom primary reconstruction would have been the treatment of choice.     

Characteristics of Patients Infected with Norovirus GII.4 Sydney 2012, Hong Kong,China

Norovirus GII.4 Sydney 2012 has spread globally since late 2012. We report hospitalization of patients infected with this strain skewed toward infants and young children among 174 cases during August 2012–July 2013 in Hong Kong, China. This group had higher fecal viral load (≈10-fold) than did older children and adults.     

Drug Use and Drug Policy in Hong Kong: Changing Patterns and New Challenges

This paper is a sociohistorical examination of drug misuse and drug policy in Hong Kong. It briefly traces the history of drug policy since Hong Kong became a colony of Britain in the nineteenth century, and then highlights the major drug issues that have emerged in the past several decades. Drug policy in Hong Kong has gone through three stages, from “Government Opium Monopoly” (1841–1945) to “The Prohibition Era” (1946–1960) to “Enlightened Prohibition” (1961–1995). The evolution in drug policy is analyzed in the light of both domestic and international social, economic, and political forces affecting Hong Kong. The major drug issue in the past two decades has been the trends of rising levels of drug use among young people and the increasing popularity of psychoactive drugs among young drug users. It is argued that these trends may be understood in terms of rapid social change resulting from industrialization and socioeconomic growth since the 1960s, and the presence of conditions favorable to the demand and supply of psychoactive drugs. Lastly, major challenges to future drug policy in Hong Kong are discussed. [Translations are provided in the International Abstracts Section of this issue.]     

MEDIA & SOFTWARE REVIEWS

No abstract available for this article.     

葛根素联合纳洛酮治疗椎基底动脉供血不足随机平行对照研究

[目的]观察葛根素联合纳洛酮治疗椎基底动脉供血不足疗效。[方法]使用随机平行对照方法,将40例住院患者按随机数字表法随机分为两组。对照组20例口服阿司匹林,0.4mg/次,3次/d。治疗组20例葛根素,0.4mg/次,1次/d,静滴;纳洛酮,0.8mg/次,1次/d,静滴。均连续治疗20d为1疗程。观测临床症状、体征、不良反应。连续治疗2疗程,判定疗效。[结果]治疗后,治疗组痊愈10例,显效5例,有效2例,无效1例,总有效率95.00%。对照组痊愈8例,显效4例,有效1例,无效7例,总有效率65.0%。治疗组疗效优于对照组(P0.05)。[结论]葛根素联合纳洛酮治疗椎基底动脉供血不足效果显著,值得推广。     

The effect of uranium migration on radionuclide distributions for soil samples at the El-Gor area,Sinai, Egypt

The concentrations and distributions of the activity of natural radionuclides in soil samples were investigated in fifteen soil samples at El-Gor area representing two profiles (A and B) using a HP–Ge detector and alpha counting by SSNTD (CR-39), respectively. The average concentrations of the radionuclides ²³⁸U, ²²⁶Ra, ²³⁵U, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K are 203.4, 177.23, 9.77, 43.33 and 386.22 Bq kg⁻¹ (dry weight), respectively, and profile A and ²³⁸U, ²²⁶Ra, ²³⁵U, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K have average concentrations of 232.58, 246, 11.7, 31.7, and 277.07 Bq kg⁻¹ for profile B, respectively. The eTh and eU were estimated to detect the migration process of uranium into or out of an area or uranium to or from the studied profiles. The results indicate a migration of uranium by 29% for profile A and 65.37% for profile B. The activity ratio (²³⁸U/²²⁶Ra) was found to be 0.9 in profile A and 1.15 in profile B. These ratios coincide with the uranium migration processes. The responsible mass corresponding to the measured ²²⁶Ra activity was also calculated. The radon activity concentrations for the two profiles are nearly 300 Bq m⁻³. The emanation coefficient (η) was calculated from the ratio of the expected radon activity to the measured radon for the studied soil samples. The value of η was found to depend only on the radium activity regardless to soil formation.     

Full-Field Strain Mapping at a Ge/Si Heterostructure Interface

The misfit dislocations and strain fields at a Ge/Si heterostructure interface were investigated experimentally using a combination of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and quantitative electron micrograph analysis methods. The type of misfit dislocation at the interface was determined to be 60° dislocation and 90° full-edge dislocation. The full-field strains at the Ge/Si heterostructure interface were mapped by using the geometric phase analysis (GPA) and peak pairs analysis (PPA), respectively. The effect of the mask size on the GPA and PPA results was analyzed in detail. For comparison, the theoretical strain fields of the misfit dislocations were also calculated by the Peierls-Nabarro and Foreman dislocation models. The results showed that the optimal mask sizes in GPA and PPA were approximately three tenths and one-tenth of the reciprocal lattice vector, respectively. The Foreman dislocation model with an alterable factor a = 4 can best describe the strain field of the misfit dislocation at the Ge/Si heterostructure interface.     

Compound Heterozygosity for HKαα and an in Cis Deletion of Double α Genes Presents as α-Thalassemia Trait

Abstract

The HKαα (Hong Kongαα) allele is an unusual rearrangement of the α-globin gene cluster containing both the –α^3.7 (rightward) and ααα^anti?4.2 crossover deletion/insertion. During our thalassemia screening program, we identified 10 adult individuals and two newborns who were confirmed to be compound heterozygotes for HKαα and the Southeast Asian deletion (–?–^SEA). Their hematological data showed a typical α-thalassemia (α-thal) trait. The routine gap-polymerase chain reaction (gap-PCR) based assay revealed the presence of –α^3.7, –?–^SEA and normal α2 alleles in the α-globin gene clusters. These confusing findings indicated the existence of more complex derivative alleles produced possibly by repeated unequal crossover of recombinant alleles between α-globin gene clusters. A two-round nested PCR strategy confirmed the diagnosis of HKαα. Considering the large-scale population screening in the thalassemia-prevalent regions in China, the current diagnostic strategy might need to be modified accordingly. The detection of HKαα would improve accuracy in genetic counseling, especially in couples where one partner was a –?–^SEA carrier and the other carries a –α^3.7 deletion identified by routine gap-PCR methods.     

The impact of the integrative perceptual approach on the teaching of Chinese characters in a Hong Kong kindergarten

This study investigated the effectiveness of the integrative perceptual approach (IPA) to enhancing Hong Kong kindergarten children’s Chinese character learning. The study applied the IPA to an experimental group of 29 lower form (K2) children. A group of 30 upper form children taught via traditional methods the year before, served as the control group. Quantitative data consisted of pre‐ and post‐test scores, analysed using dependent and independent t‐testing. It was found that the pupils in the experimental group had significantly improved their ability between pre‐ and post‐testing in three aspects of Chinese character mastery: shape, sound and meaning recognition. The progress made was significantly superior to that made by control group counterparts. Qualitative data gathered through teacher and parent interviews indicated that the pupils in the experimental group displayed increased awareness of the composition of several components and structures of Chinese characters.