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Biomedical subjects

T H Lam

Publications and source records attributed to T H Lam.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Patch testing of 11 common herbal topical medicaments in Hong Kong.

11 common herbal topical medicaments in Hong Kong were selected for patch testing to study whether they could cause skin reactions under occlusive conditions. These included White Flower Oil, Hung Far Oil, Kwan Loong Medicated Oil, Tiger Oil, Jaminton Oil, Bee Brand Oil, Tiger Balm, Au Kah Chuen Skin Lotions, Mopiko Ointment, OronineH Ointment and Mentholatum. The former 7 were traditional Chinese herbal medicaments, the last one was made in USA and the remaining 2 were Japanese products. 20 patients were patch tested with the 11 medicaments. Hung Far Oil caused mild to moderately severe irritation in 8 patients; White Flower Oil, Jaminton Oil and Tiger Balm caused mild irritation in 1 to 3 patients; and the rest showed no positive reactions at all. With the exception of Hung Far Oil, all the other medicaments should be safe when applied openly. For Hung Far Oil, additional warning as to its irritant properties and the proper method for its application should be provided for the protection of its users.

Administration, Cutaneous↗
PubMed1989

Patch testing in Hong Kong.

The acceptability and value of patch testing in Hong Kong was studied in 56 cases of suspected dermatitis (CD), 26 cases of endogenous eczema (EE) and 30 cases of unclassified eczema (UE), selected systematically: all those suspected of having CD and 1 in 3 of the others. 81.3% of the 112 patients selected accepted the test. The main reasons for refusal were inconvenience and lack of time for the readings. Of the 91 tested, in 88 they were successfully completed. In 39 patients, the results were negative, while 49 patients reacted to 1 or more allergens. The 2 commonest sensitizers were fragrance-mix (15 patients) and nickel sulphate (14 patients). The "usefulness" of patch testing was defined as it causing the initial clinical diagnosis to be changed. The test was found to be "useful" in 10 cases (21.3%) of those diagnosed as CD in 2 respects: (a) changing the diagnosis from irritant to allergic CD (6 cases) and (b) changing the diagnosis from CD to a suspected substance, to CD to another unsuspected substance (4 cases). For EE and UE, the initial diagnosis was changed to allergic CD in 3 (18.7%) and 7 (28.0%) cases, respectively.

Climate↗
PubMed1989

Smoking among medical students in Hong Kong.

A survey was conducted among two classes of medical students (N = 293) at the University of Hong Kong to study their smoking habits and knowledge of and attitudes toward smoking. The response rate was 97.3%. There was only one daily smoker (0.4%) and 21 occasional smokers (7.4%). While the respondents regarded health and self-discipline as the main reasons for not smoking, the social taboo against smoking among young people might have also deterred this educated elite from smoking. Many of them failed to identify the major causal role of smoking in smoking related diseases. The potential of prevention in encountering a smoking patient seen for reasons unrelated to smoking was not fully realised. There was disagreement in the banning of cigarette advertising and in increasing the price of tobacco products. In the face of aggressive marketing by the tobacco industry in the Asia-Pacific region, every undergraduate medical curriculum should include organized instruction on smoking and its control.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Suicide among Chinese schizophrenics in Hong Kong.

A descriptive study of suicides in 74 Chinese schizophrenic out-patients (43 male) is presented. The mean age at death was 31.3 years. The mean duration of illness was 8.5 years and 50 of the 74 died within ten years of onset of illness. Only five lived alone; 35 were openly employed and 20 were married at the time of death. Twenty had a history of depression, and 27 had attempted suicide previously. More females had been depressed or had attempted suicide than males. Over half were last admitted for reasons other than schizophrenic symptoms alone and ten died within one month of discharge. Eight of 71 patients followed up expressed suicidal ideas at the last psychiatric contact, but only 15 were symptomatic. Jumping was the commonest method used. Analytical studies are needed to identify risk factors in Chinese schizophrenics.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Analysis of some individual risk factors for decompression sickness in Hong Kong.

Individual risk factors for decompression sickness (DCS) were studied in 932 men who had worked for 12 shifts or more at maximum working pressure (MWP) of 1 bar or above in a compressed air tunneling project in Hong Kong. Two dependent variables were used: presence or absence of bends and number of bends experienced by a man. Three hundred and fifty-six men (38.2%) had one or more bends. Univariate analysis showed that many variables were associated with presence or absence of bends. Logistic regression showed that the best equation included five independent variables: MWP, number of exposures, past number of bends, job (being a miner), and Quetelet Index (or Body Mass Index). The number of bends was also associated with many variables. Stepwise multiple regression revealed five important independent variables: ethnicity, MWP, Quetelet Index, number of exposures, and past number of bends. Obesity and past number of bends were therefore important risk factors for DCS after taking into account MWP and number of exposures. The age effect observed in univariate analysis could be due to obesity. Miners and Japanese had higher risks of DCS, probably due to their strenuous labor.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Inner city deprivation and medical education: a survey of medical students by medical students.

A total of 330 preclinical and clinical medical students and house officers at St Mary's Hospital were surveyed by questionnaire to assess their knowledge and experience of inner city deprivation and health, and their opinions on the role of the doctor in responding to these problems. The response rate was 87%. Over 75% of the respondents had had no experience of inner city living conditions before coming to medical school, and they gained little experience during the medical course until well into the clinical years. Most preclinical students wanted more contact with the community early in the course; less than one-third of the clinical students wanted this. The differences in knowledge and attitudes between the year groups are discussed and possible reorientation in medical education is considered.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1988

Irritant contact dermatitis due to a Chinese herbal medicine lu-shen-wan.

A Chinese herbal medicine Lu-Shen-Wan, which contains 6 ingredients, is sometimes applied topically to treat boils, carbuncles and other skin infections. 2 elderly women developed a rash after applying Lu-Shen-Wan. Patch tests showed positive reactions to Lu-Shen-Wan and to one of its 6 ingredients, Venenum Bufonis. A study in 15 control patients showed that 13 had positive reactions to 50% Lu-Shen-Wan and 50% Venenum Bufonis but that only 2 showed mild reactions when the concentration of the latter was reduced to 5%. The results suggest that Venenum Bufonis in Lu-Shen-Wan can cause irritant contact dermatitis. The present paper demonstrates that a Western dermatological investigative method, the patch test, is applicable to traditional medicine in confirming the cause of contact dermatitis from a Chinese herbal preparation and in identifying the causative ingredient. Such knowledge is very useful for the improvement of the preparation by reducing the concentration of the irritant, by removing it or by substituting it with an alternative non-irritant substance.

Administration, Cutaneous↗
PubMed1988

Laboratory animal allergy in a pharmaceutical company.

A cross sectional survey was carried out on 138 workers exposed to laboratory animals. Sixty (44%) had symptoms in a self completed questionnaire that were consistent with laboratory animal allergy (LAA) of whom 15 (11%) had chest symptoms. There was a positive skin prick test to one or more animal urine extracts (rat, mouse, guinea pig, rabbit) in 13% and 38% had a positive radioallergosorbent test to urine extract. LAA chest symptoms were almost five times more common in atopic than non-atopic subjects (who were distinguished by skin test response to common, non-animal aeroallergens). A positive skin test to animal urine was associated with LAA chest symptoms and with atopy. Nose, eye, or skin symptoms without chest symptoms were not associated with atopy. There was an inverse relation between duration of employment at the firm and LAA chest symptoms, suggesting selection of affected people out of employment with animals.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Mortality of cadmium-exposed workers. A five-year update.

A cohort mortality study of cadmium-exposed workers initially followed to the end of 1979 has been updated for a further five years. The update has confirmed the findings of the original study with a significant excess risk from bronchitis related to intensity of exposure, although over the five-year period the excess mortality was no longer significant, a finding suggesting that the risk from bronchitis may now be declining in this cohort. In contrast, there is now a stronger indication of a excess risk from lung cancer related to intensity of exposure, significant for both the total and the five-year periods. There was again no increased risk from prostatic cancer, and from this and other studies it appears unlikely that cadmium, in the concentrations encountered in this and other recent studies, acts as a prostatic carcinogen. As in the initial study, there was no significant excess risk from hypertensive disease, nor any suggestion of an increased risk from cerebrovascular or renal disease.

Bronchitis↗
PubMed1988

Manifestations and treatment of 793 cases of decompression sickness in a compressed air tunneling project in Hong Kong.

In the largest compressed air tunneling contract for the construction of the Island Line of the Mass Transit Railway system in Hong Kong, 154,390 man-decompressions occurred, of which 142,140 were after exposures to 1 bar (1.97 ATA, 14.7 psig) or above. The maximum working pressure (MWP) was 3.30 bar (4.26 ATA, 47.9 psig). There were 792 cases of type I and 1 case of type II decompression sickness. The manifestations of the cases were generally similar to those reported elsewhere. Oxygen treatment was given to 9 cases and all were successfully treated with no recurrence of symptoms. Minimum effective pressure treatment on 783 type I cases was successful, with 9.6% requiring two or more recompressions. The pressure required to relieve symptoms was more closely related to the interval between completion of decompression after work and commencement of treatment than to the delay between onset of symptoms and treatment. For every 1-h interval or every 1-h delay, an additional pressure of 0.04 bar (0.04 ATA, 0.58 psi) above MWP was required for pain relief. Step-wise multiple regression analysis showed that the four predictors for pressure of relief and the highest pressure used in recompression, respectively, were, in order of descending importance, maximum working pressure, interval before treatment, bends sequence (the nth attack of bends experienced in the present contract, i.e., the sum of previous attacks and the present attack), and duration of exposure.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

A study of byssinosis in Hong Kong and Jakarta: research methods and objectives.

Two research projects to study the prevalence of byssinosis in Hong Kong and Jakarta were conducted. Both projects had similar objectives and design. Although the studies were conducted within the agreed upon guidelines, it became obvious that there were differences in the methods of implementation due to the researchers' attempts to overcome local obstacles. Many factors were found to influence the implementation of a research proposal: local culture and customs, business practices, factory management, availability of local information, and the prevalence of the disease being studied. Provided that these factors are understood and taken into account, the comparability of results should not be substantially affected.

Byssinosis↗
PubMed1987

Byssinosis and other respiratory problems in the cotton industry of Hong Kong.

Between February 1982 and October 1984, a total of 2,317 workers from all levels of cotton processing--carding, blowing, spinning and weaving--were studied in a citywide cross-sectional survey. The workers were administered the British MRC Questionnaire in local dialect and their pre- and postshift lung functions were assessed by portable spirometers. The prevalence of byssinosis for the whole industry was 2.3%, being much greater in the more dusty processes (blowing and carding, 5.6%; weaving 1.6%). Even more important was the prevalence of chronic obstructive airways disease (COAD) (13.8%) and a combination of nonspecific respiratory symptoms (10.0%), characterized by chest tightness and dyspnea, but not related to any specific day of the week such as those seen in typical byssinosis. The importance of these two large groups of respiratory problems in relation to byssinosis and the pathogenesis of respiratory diseases in people exposed to cotton dust is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Smoking, passive smoking and histological types in lung cancer in Hong Kong Chinese women.

In a case control study in Hong Kong, 445 cases of Chinese female lung cancer patients all confirmed pathologically were compared with 445 Chinese female healthy neighbourhood controls matched for age. The predominant histological type was adenocarcinoma (47.2%). The relative risk (RR) in ever-smokers was 3.81 (P less than 0.001, 95% CI = 2.86, 5.08). The RRs were statistically significantly raised for all major cell types with significant trends between RR and amount of tobacco smoked daily. Among never smoking women, RR for passive smoking due to a smoking husband was 1.65 (P less than 0.01, 95% CI = 1.16, 2.35) with a significant trend between RR and amount smoked daily by the husband. When broken down by cell types, the numbers were substantial only for adenocarcinoma (RR = 2.12, P less than 0.01, 95% CI = 1.32, 3.39) with a significant trend between RR and amount smoked daily by the husband. The results suggest that passive smoking is a risk factor for lung cancer, particularly adenocarcinoma in Hong Kong Chinese women who never smoked.

Adenocarcinoma↗