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Biomedical subjects

H C Tu

Publications and source records attributed to H C Tu.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Ischemic stroke in a teenage girl with primary antiphospholipid antibody syndrome.

The diagnosis of stroke in children and young adults can be difficult, and the causes of ischemic stroke often remains unexplained even after extensive evaluation. We present a 13-year-old girl who had two ischemic strokes within a period of 3 weeks. A carotid duplex study and magnetic resonance angiography confirmed total occlusion of the left internal carotid artery. Serum immunologic examination revealed a high titer of immunoglobulin G anticardiolipin antibody (45.7 GPL U/mL; normal range, 0-16.2 GPL U/mL). The patient received long-term anticoagulation treatment with warfarin 5 to 7.5 mg per day, and international normalized ratios were maintained between 2.4 and 4.0. She recovered completely 5 weeks after the first stroke and has been well during the 6 months of follow-up after the onset. This is the first reported case of childhood ischemic stroke secondary to primary antiphospholipid antibody syndrome in Taiwan. This case emphasizes the importance of evaluating antiphospholipid antibody levels in patients with unexplained ischemic strokes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Problems and competencies reported by parents of Vietnamese children in Hanoi.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the distribution of behavioral and emotional problems and competencies among a sample of Vietnamese children aged 4 through 18 years living in Hanoi. METHOD: A representative community sample of 1,526 children and adolescents was selected from 2 precincts in Hanoi. Problems and competencies were assessed with the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). RESULTS: Vietnamese children had lower mean raw scores than U.S. norms on the CBCL's Total, Externalizing, Internalizing, and Competence scales. Boys were reported to have more externalizing problems and girls more internalizing problems. Girls' levels of internalizing problems increased significantly with age. CONCLUSION: The lower levels of problems and competencies reported in Vietnamese children may represent differences in the prevalence of psychiatric disorders, in parental perceptions of what constitutes deviant behavior, or in parental comfort with reporting psychopathological behaviors. Further research is needed to clarify the relationship between the reported behavioral and emotional problems of Vietnamese children and the presence of psychiatric disorders. From a clinical perspective, the study's results suggest that levels of problems and competencies may vary significantly between different ethnic and cultural groups. Specific clinical cutoffs used to identify children requiring further psychiatric assessment need to be established separately for different ethnic groups.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Is there a role for child psychiatry in Vietnam?

OBJECTIVES: (i) To describe the need for child psychiatric services in Vietnam; (ii) to review child psychiatry's present role within the Vietnamese health care system; (iii) to identify cultural, economic and manpower obstacles to the development of child mental health services; and (iv) to recommend a course for the future development of child psychiatry in Vietnam. METHOD: The existing literature relevant to the Vietnamese health and mental health care systems, traditional practices and beliefs regarding health and mental health, and the current status of psychiatry and child psychiatry in Vietnam was reviewed. In addition, discussions regarding these topics, and the future of child psychiatry in Vietnam, were held with leading Vietnamese health and mental health professionals. RESULTS: The current role of child psychiatry in Vietnam is limited by the health care system's focus on infectious diseases and malnutrition, and by cultural, economic and manpower factors. Treatment is reserved for the most severely afflicted, especially patients with epilepsy and mental retardation. Specialised care is available in only a few urban centres. In rural areas treatment is provided by allied health personnel, paraprofessionals and community organisations. CONCLUSIONS: While the present role of child psychiatry in Vietnam is limited, it can still make important contributions. These include: research defining the need for child and adolescent mental health services, identifying priority child psychiatric disorders and assessing the effectiveness of priority disease treatment; and training to enhance the skills of primary health care providers in the treatment of priority disorders.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Early mental and neurological sequelae after Japanese B encephalitis.

Japanese B encephalitis is a disease with high mortality and many of those surviving suffer from serious sequelae. During the 1992 epidemic in northern Vietnam 50 patients treated at the Institute for Protection of Children's Health in Hanoi were studied concerning the type of sequelae and the development of the symptoms during the first two months of the disease. The age span was 1 to 15 years. 29 of the patients (58%) did not recover fully during the observation period. Fifteen (30%) showed signs of both neurological and mental disturbances. Nine (18%) only had mental symptoms while 5 (20%) suffered from isolated neurological sequelae. EEG was pathological in 9 out of 30 tested cases (30%); 9 of 23 patients (39%) performed subnormal IQ tests. Deep coma, bronchopneumonia with cyanosis, apnea attacks, prolonged fever and coma were all correlated (without statistical significance) to a higher risk for subsequent sequelae.

Adolescent↗