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Introduction: The issue of whether integrase inhibitors (INSTIs) may confer a higher risk of paradoxical tuberculosis‐related immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (TB‐IRIS) compared with other classes of antiretroviral in people with HIV with a profound level of immunosuppression remains insufficiently explored. We aimed to assess whether such a higher risk exists by examining a cohort of patients with TB‐HIV initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Hong Kong. Methods: This was a retrospective review of 133 patients registered in the TB‐HIV Registry of the Department of Health during the period 2014–2021. Results: Sixteen of 70 patients (22.9%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 13.0–32.7) and 14 of 63 patients (22.2%; 95% CI 12.0–32.5) from the INSTI and non‐INSTI groups experienced TB‐IRIS (p = 0.920). The median intervals between ART initiation and IRIS among patients from the two groups were similar (3 weeks [interquartile range IQR 2.0–7.8] vs. 4 weeks [IQR 2.0–5.1], p = 0.620). The proportion of patients requiring steroid therapy were similar, as were the hospitalization rates. There was no IRIS‐related death in either group. The risk of TB‐IRIS with INSTI versus non‐INSTI was also similar in a stratified analysis in a subgroup of patients with a baseline CD4 count of <50 μL (10/33 [30.3%; 95% CI 14.6–46.0] vs. 10/22 [45.5%; 95% CI 24.7–66.3], p = 0.252) and another subgroup of patients with ART initiated within 4 weeks of anti‐TB treatment (10/26 [38.5%; 95% CI 19.8–57.2] vs. 10/23 [43.5%; 95% CI 23.2–63.7], p = 0.721). Conclusion: Our cohort study did not offer support for an increased risk of TB‐IRIS with INSTIs compared with non‐INSTIs, even in severely immunocompromised people with HIV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the longitudinal associations of sibling intimacy and conflict with civic attitudes and behaviours among Chinese young adults. At two time points separated by about 12 months, questionnaire data were collected from 272 Chinese college students (mean age at Time 1 = 19.68 years; 69% female), students who studied in Hong Kong and had at least one sibling. Students rated their intimacy and conflict with their siblings and their parents at Time 1, and their civic attitudes and behaviours at both time points. Hierarchical regression revealed that, controlling for demographic characteristics and parent–child intimacy and conflict, sibling intimacy predicted increases in both civic attitudes and behaviours. Sibling conflict was a non‐significant predictor, however. Findings highlighted the roles of siblings in understanding civic development in young adulthood and the utility of targeting sibling intimacy as means to foster young adults' positive attitudes to and active participation in civic activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: A deluge of fake news and misinformation about the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) on the Internet poses challenges for the public in their search for reliable and relevant health information for taking protective measures, especially among people with chronic diseases (PWCD). This study aimed to (a) understand the satisfaction level of the online information related to COVID‐19 in people with and without chronic diseases; (b) explore information‐searching behavior and digital health literacy in PWCD; and (3) identify the possible predictors of information satisfaction among PWCD. Methods: This was a multicity, cross‐sectional study using an online survey with a convenience sample of people who (a) were 15 years of age or older and (b) had access to the Internet in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau. Findings: Four thousand four hundred and seventy‐two subjects completed the survey, of whom less than 50% felt satisfied with the online information. About 20% of respondents (n = 882) were diagnosed with at least one chronic disease and reported a lower level of information satisfaction (p =.003) than the people without chronic diseases. The majority of the PWCD obtained their online health information from social media. Higher digital health literacy (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 5.07), higher frequency of searches regarding symptoms of COVID‐19 (adjusted OR = 2.07), higher perceived importance of quickly learning from the information searched (adjusted OR = 1.63), and lower frequency of searches on the topic of dealing with psychological stress (adjusted OR = 0.54) were found to be predictors of information satisfaction among PWCD. Conclusions: The majority of PWCD sought online information related to COVID‐19 from social media, and their level of information satisfaction was significantly lower than among people without chronic diseases. Digital health literacy is a strong and significant predictor of information satisfaction. Clinical Relevance: To support PWCD, we not only have to provide them with clear and accurate information, but also promote their digital health literacy so that they may seek, understand, and appraise health information from the Internet to make appropriate health‐related judgments and decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The low pathogenic H9N2 AIV caused the serious impact on the poultry industry and public safety. Our purpose was to investigate the molecular evolutionary characteristics of the new isolated H9N2 virus and investigate the intracellular target protein of H9N2 AIV replication in sensitive cells. Methods: AIV A/chicken/Shandong/LY1/2017 (H9N2) was isolated from the cloaca of the healthy chicken in Shandong, and the full-length eight gene segments of this isolated H9N2 AIV were amplified by RT-PCR and analyzed. MDCK cells were used as the target cell model, and VOPBA assay and LC-MS/MS were carried out to identify the virus-binding protein of H9N2 AIV. MDCK cells were pre-treated with the special antibody and siRNA, and treated with H9N2 AIV to detect the virus replication. Additionally, Vimentin-pcDNA3.0 was successfully constructed, and transinfected into MDCK cells, and then H9N2 AIV mRNA was detected with RT-PCR. Results: Phylogenetic analysis revealed that HA, NA, PB2, PB1, PA, NP and M seven genes of the isolated H9N2 AIV were derived from A/Chicken/Shanghai/F/98, while NS gene was derived from A/Duck/Hong Kong/Y439/97. The cleavage site sequence of HA gene of the isolated H9N2 AIV was a PARSSR G pattern, and the left side sequence (224 ~ 229) of receptor binding site was NGQQGR pattern, which were similar to that of A/Chicken/Shanghai/F/98. Following VOPBA assay, we found one protein of about 50KDa binding to H9N2 AIV, and the results of LC-MS/MS analysis proved that vimentin was the vital protein binding to H9N2 AIV. The pre-incubation of the specific antibody and siRNA decreased the viral RNA level in MDCK cells treated with H9N2 AIV. Furthermore, we found that over-expressed vimentin increased H9N2 AIV replication in MDCK cells. Conclusions: These findings suggested that the isolated H9N2 AIV might be a recent clinical common H9N2 strain, and vimentin protein might be one vital factor for H9N2 AIV replication in MDCK cells, which might be a novel target for design and development of antiviral drug. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study has explored perceived crowding of an underwater environment. Two dimensions were assessed: the number of divers seen and the proximity of divers to each other. Data were obtained from a survey of 216 divers who undertook diving in Hong Kong during 2013–14. Photographs depicting four levels of crowding (number of divers) and four levels of diver proximity in different combinations were shown to the respondents for assessing acceptability. Between the two variables, the “number of divers” was the most influential factor to divers' perceived crowding. Divers' begin to feel unacceptably crowded if 7∼8 divers are visible to them at one time. Based on this, it is likely that the usage of Hong Kong diving sites has already exceeded its social carrying capacity. Implications for future research and diving tourism management for Hong Kong diving sites are also discussed in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Increasing incidence rates of thyroid cancer have been noted worldwide, while the underlying reasons remain unclear. Methods Using data from population-based cancer registries, we examined the time trends of thyroid cancer incidence in two largest cities in China, Shanghai and Hong Kong, during the periods 1973-2009 and 1983-2011, respectively. We further performed age-period-cohort analyses to address the possible underlying reasons for the observed temporal trends. Results We observed continuous increases in the incidence rates of thyroid cancer in Shanghai and Hong Kong, since the 1980s, in addition to higher incidence rates in the 1970s in both sexes in Shanghai. The age-standardized incidence rate of thyroid cancer increased by 3.1% [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.0%, 5.1%] and 3.8% (95% CI: 1.9%, 5.7%) per year on average, respectively, in Shanghai men and women during the period 1973-2009, while it increased by 2.2% (95% CI: 1.5%, 2.8%) and 2.7% (1.6%, 3.8%) per year on average, respectively, in Hong Kong men and women during the period 1983-2011. We observed global changes in trends across all age groups in similar ways, in addition to varied trends across different generations (birth cohorts). Conclusions The increased incidence rates of thyroid cancer in these two Chinese populations during recent decades may be contributable to a combination of the introduction of more sensitive diagnostic techniques and the increasing prevalence of environmental exposures in the populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conducted the first quantitative assessment of coral breakage along a gradient of diving activities in Hong Kong, the most densely populated city in southern China. A survey of six 1 × 25 m transects at seven sites revealed a total of 81 broken corals, among which 44% were branching, 44% plate-like and 12% massive. There were 3-19 broken colonies per site. At most study sites, the percentage of broken corals exceeded the recommended no-action threshold of 4%, suggesting that management intervention is justified. There was a significant positive correlation between the number of broken coral colonies and the number of divers visiting the site. The branching Acropora and the plate-like Montipora suffered from much higher frequency of damage than their relative abundance, raising the concern that the cumulative impact of such differential susceptibility to breakage may affect coral community composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diving-related activities may constitute a major threat to coral reefs. This study aimed to quantify the impact of diving in Hong Kong on hard corals and understand how socio-economic characteristics and experience level of divers influence diver-inflicted damage. We recorded and analysed the underwater behaviour of 81 recreational divers. On average, a diver was in contact with marine biota 14.7 times with about 40 % of contacts involved corals and 38 % were damaging contacts with corals or other biota in a single dive. The most harm-inflicting groups included inexperienced and camera-carrying divers. Although Hong Kong divers did not make many damaging contacts with corals, there is still an imminent need to determine the scale of damage from diving activities on the marine ecosystem given the rapid development of marine-based tourism and the limited coral-inhabited areas in Hong Kong where the marine environment is already under stress from anthropogenic activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A material flow study on five types of household electrical and electronic equipment, namely television, washing machine, air conditioner, refrigerator and personal computer (TWARC) was conducted to assist the Government of Hong Kong to establish an e-waste take-back system. This study is the first systematic attempt on identifying key TWARC waste disposal outlets and trade practices of key parties involved in Hong Kong. Results from two questionnaire surveys, on local households and private e-waste traders, were used to establish the material flow of household TWARC waste. The study revealed that the majority of obsolete TWARC were sold by households to private e-waste collectors and that the current e-waste collection network is efficient and popular with local households. However, about 65,000tonnes/yr or 80% of household generated TWARC waste are being exported overseas by private e-waste traders, with some believed to be imported into developing countries where crude recycling methods are practiced. Should Hong Kong establish a formal recycling network with tight regulatory control on imports and exports, the potential risks of current e-waste recycling practices on e-waste recycling workers, local residents and the environment can be greatly reduced. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: While accurately estimating electrical and electronic waste (e-waste) generation is important for building appropriate infrastructure for its collection and recycling, making reliable estimates of this kind is difficult in Hong Kong owing to the fact that neither accurate trade statistics nor sales data of relevant products are available. In view of this, data of e-products consumption at household level was collected by a tailor-made questionnaire survey from the public for obtaining a reasonable e-waste generation estimate. It was estimated that on average no more than 80,443 tonnes (11.5kg/capita) of waste is generated from non-plasma and non-liquid crystal display televisions, refrigerators, washing machines, air-conditioners and personal computers each year by Hong Kong households. However, not more than 17% of this is disposed as waste despite a producer responsibility scheme (PRS) not being in place because of the existence of a vibrant e-waste trading sector. The form of PRS control that can possibly win most public support is one that would involve the current e-waste traders as a major party in providing the reverse logistics with a visible recycling charge levied at the point of importation. This reverse logistic service should be convenient, reliable and highly accessible to the consumers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Waste projection informs waste policy making and is an indispensable process in waste management planning. Between the two major methodological approaches in forecasting MSW generation, the time-series approach uses past data and their distribution to determine future waste trends. The factor model on the other hand explains and predicts waste arisings with explanatory variables such as socio-economic factors of the waste generators. This latter approach not just aims at making predictions on waste quantities, it also aims at unveiling hypothetical causal relationships between factors for the prediction of waste arisings. Thus, it is more sophisticated and intellectually sound. In this study, results of previous waste projections conducted by Hong Kong''s environmental authority on domestic, commercial and industrial waste growth are verified against actual waste data for determining the accuracy of these predictions. In addition, using the MSW data from 1979 to 2007 as the reference paths, two autoregression models, a factor-model based technique, were developed to simulate commercial, industrial and domestic waste disposal for the period 2008–2036 for Hong Kong SAR. While the use of multiple factor autoregression model appears to have rectified the overestimation tendency of classical linear regression model, a number of empirical and data constraints which are also typical of other factor-model based techniques are encountered. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: All too often, waste authorities either assume that they know enough about their bulky waste stream or that it is too insignificant to deserve attention. In this paper, we use Hong Kong as an example to illustrate that official bulky waste figures can actually be very different from the reality and therefore important waste management decisions made based on such statistics may be wrong too. This study is also the first attempt in Hong Kong to outline the composition of bulky waste. It was found that about 342tonnes/day of wood waste were omitted by official statistics owing to incomplete records on actual bulky waste flow. This is more than enough to provide all the feedstock needed for one regular-sized wood waste recycling facility in Hong Kong. In addition, the proportion of bulky waste in the municipal solid waste (MSW) streams in Hong Kong should be about 6.1% instead of the officially stated 1.43%. Admittedly, there are limitations with this study. Yet, present findings are suggestive of significant MSW data distortion in Hong Kong. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Waste generation projections inform waste policy formulation and are an indispensable process in waste management planning. However, not only is valid waste generation projection difficult, their reliability is also difficult to prove. Between the two major methodological approaches in forecasting municipal solid waste generation, the time-series approach only uses past data and their distribution to determine future waste trends. The factor model, on the other hand, explains and predicts waste trends with explanatory variables such as socioeconomic factors of the waste generators. This latter approach not only aims at making predictions on waste quantities, it also aims at unveiling hypothetical causal relationships between factors for the prediction of waste quantities. In this article, results of waste generation projection studies conducted between 1989 and 1999 by Hong Kong's environmental authority on domestic waste growth were verified against actual waste data for determining the accuracy of these predictions. It was then followed by the use of a factor-model based technique, autoregression, to forecast domestic waste growth for Hong Kong based on historical (1979–2007) waste data and other socioeconomic factors. Although the use of multiple factor autoregression model appeared to rectify the overestimation tendency of classical linear regression model used by Hong Kong's environmental authority, a number of empirical constraints that are also typical of other factor-model-based techniques were encountered. It is essential that waste policy makers are aware of, these constraints when they are making decisions based on the results from such models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discrepancy between verbal and actual commitment in waste recycling and environmental behavior is thought to have attenuated the effectiveness of many environmental policy and measures. Studies purport to show the existence of such a value-action gap in environmental issues has been largely based on matching the verbal commitment to environmental value through self-reported environmental behavioral data. Therefore, there is a lack of direct evidence to prove that such a discrepancy exists. This study demonstrates a methodology (contrasting on-site observation with self-reported results) to measure the gap between verbal commitment and actual recycling behavior and provides an explanation on the recycling behavior of students at Hong Kong Baptist University in the hope that the lessons learnt can be generalized to a wider context. Our findings indicate that a gap between verbal recycling commitment and corresponding action does exist in waste recycling on this university campus. By using multiple linear regression analysis, we found that the self-reported recycling behavior of undergraduates cannot be meaningfully explained by most variables previously suggested in the general value-action model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to achieve urban sustainability has become an indication of the competence of a municipal government aiming to gain world class status for the city. While both Guangzhou and Hong Kong are Chinese cities having their own formulation of urban sustainability, the implementation details and the actual sustainability blueprints are very different. As a result, the outcomes and prospects for urban sustainability are also different. Hong Kong has adopted a less integrative and more institutionally-oriented approach for urban sustainability Guangzhou has used the conventional approach to formulate an integrated sustainability programme for its local Agenda 21. Hong Kong's action plan emphasizes improving coordination, making objective assessments and achieving consistency in policy-making. Guangzhou, on the other hand, emphasizes the meeting of concrete environmental targets. Unfortunately, the new institutional arrangement and monitoring tools adopted by Hong Kong have not been able to achieve the original intent and neither is there the intention to go tot) far beyond the weak sustainability approach. On the contrary, Guangzhou has planned and attempted to incorporate industrial ecology in its development regime while heavily investing into pollution control programmes and pushing forward a green community programme at the grass-roots level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims to identify the minimum size of the external costs involved with landfilling and incineration in Hong Kong. Disposal cost and charges; Waste collection concerns; Energy recovered from landfill gas; Local and global pollution from waste transport.

Analyzes the results of two surveys conducted in 1992-1993 regarding the attitudinal differences in source separation and waste reduction between the general public and the housewives in Hong Kong. Avoidable waste; Waste collection charges; Green premium; Source separation of household waste; Beverage containers and cell batteries.

The quality standards for Andrographis paniculata , a widely used medicinal herb, exhibited significant variations across different pharmacopeias. In this study, we compared the HPLC content determination methods and total lactone content of A. paniculata samples from different regions, as specified in the Chinese (CP), United States (USP), European (EP), Thai (TP), and Indian pharmacopeias (IP), as well as the Hong Kong Chinese Materia Medica Standards (HK). We aimed to assess the differences and similarities among these pharmacopeias and harmonized international quality standards for A. paniculata. The analysis revealed variations in sample preparation, liquid chromatographic conditions, fingerprint profiles, and total lactone content among the different pharmacopeias. Specifically, the CP and HK methods exhibited superior sample preparation and chromatographic separation. Further comparing the content of 20 A. paniculata samples with the CP, USP, EP and HK methods showed consistent determinations for the same components, indicating similar detection capabilities. The discrepancies in total lactone content primarily stemmed from differences in the number and types of detected compounds. Moreover, the acceptance criteria exhibited a stringency in the order CP > HK > EP > USP. In conclusion, this comparison analysis of content determination in CP, USP, HK, EP, TP and IP provided a scientific foundation for the international standardization and trade regulations of A. paniculata. It also served as a valuable reference for the development of international quality standards for other medicinal herbs, facilitating the harmonization of global pharmaceutical standards. • Investigating variations in A. paniculata content assay across six international pharmacopeias. • Evaluating pre-treatment, chromatographic separation, content values, and acceptance criteria. • Noting variations in quality and quantities among the six pharmacopeias. • CP and HK offer a more preferred pre-treatment and chromatographic separation. • Establishing a stringency hierarchy of acceptance criteria: CP > HK > EP > USP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The objective of this study was to evaluate the consequence of changing and using agricultural soils to other purposes in Hong Kong with respect to risk to human health. This study established concentrations of the following priority elements: As, Cu, Cd, Cr, Pb and Zn in terms of total burden (using mixed acid microwave digestion) and with respect to metal bioaccessibility (using an in vitro simulated gastric solution). 55 locations were sampled representing 12 different land use types, namely, agricultural (A), abandoned agricultural (Ab), organic farm (OF), container storage (CS), construction waste (CW), e-waste storage (EW (S)), e-waste dismantling workshop (EW (DW)), e-waste open burning site (EW (OBS)), open burning site (OBS), petrol station (PS), metal recycling workshop (MRW) and car dismantling workshop (CDW). The elemental concentrations were subsequently used to establish Hazard Indices (for adults and children). 95th percentile values of total elemental concentrations were used to derive a combined (ingestion, dermal and inhalation) Hazard Index (HI) only for adults where the EW (DW) land use type indicated the potential for increased harm (HI=1.16). On the other hand, where 5th percentile values of total elemental concentrations were used to derive a combined Hazard Index (HI) for children the HI values exceeded 1 for CS, MRW, PS, EW (DW), EW (OBS) and CDW land use types (respectively, 1.21, 1.19, 1.52, 1.21, 1.81 and 2.04). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]