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In hindsight, that the institutional framework of 'One Country, Two Systems' (OCTS), the political and socio-economic blueprint for ensuring the continuity of Hong Kong as a capitalist economy, with guarantees of freedom of speech and a high degree of autonomy from China's socialist and authoritarian rule after a change of sovereignty in 1997, gets caught in political crossfire is inevitable. OCTS was a historical compromise in the early 1980s when the deadlock of Hong Kong's uncertain political future was resolved by finding a way to convince all the concerned parties that the colony's prosperity and stability would be guaranteed after a change in its political status. But the premises and parameters of the pact have significantly changed since the signing of the Joint Declaration on the Question of Hong Kong by China and Britain in 1984. The storm over the Extradition Bill has its roots in the fissures inherent in the institutional framework of OCTS. This paper is an attempt to analyse social protests arising from the Extradition Bill in Hong Kong in 2019 in the light of the former British colony's extended political transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Parallel to the establishment of early treatments in multiple sclerosis (MS), new diagnostic criteria have made an earlier diagnosis possible. While there is ongoing discussion about possible benign courses and only partial effective treatments, there have been no attempts today to facilitate shared decision making on diagnostic testing between patients with suspected MS and their physicians. Objective This study describes the development and validation process of a leaflet to be presented to people with suspected MS to engage them in a diagnostic decision-making process. Methods After a qualitative study showing acceptability among five patients, the leaflet was presented to a retrospective cohort (n = 87 of which 70 replied)) of patients being diagnosed within the last 2 years as well to a prospective cohort of n = 51 patients with symptoms suggestive of MS. Results Approximately 70% of patients in the prospective as well as in the retrospective cohort wanted to be informed about a possible MS before testing, whereas 10% did not. The leaflet did not seem to elicit anxieties. The attitude to undergo diagnostic testing was not influenced by the leaflet, which can be explained by the nonexperimental design of the study. Conclusion Taken together, our findings demonstrate that early information about possible MS is warranted by patients and does not show negative side effects. Further studies on evidence-based patient information in early MS seem necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]