Biomedical subjects

Y Y Ho

Publications and source records attributed to Y Y Ho.

21 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1997

The declining HBsAg carriage rate in pregnant women in Hong Kong.

The HBsAg status and demographic data of 2480 pregnant women who attended antenatal clinics at Maternal and Child Health Centres in Hong Kong were collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire over a 1-week period in July 1996, to explore the underlying reason of a higher than expected HBsAg prevalence. Local women constituted 49.2% of the sample, mainland Chinese 39.7% and others 11.1%. The overall HBsAg prevalence was 10.0%. When related to place of birth, those born in Hong Kong had a prevalence of 8.4% whereas the prevalence of those born in mainland China was 13.1% (P < 0.001). The overall HBsAg carriage rate is high because of a higher rate in immigrants in the community. It is apparent that the HBsAg prevalence of local people in Hong Kong has been decreasing in the past decade. Overall, the current HBsAg carriage rate in the local adult population is estimated to have declined to about 8%.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1995

Outbreak of Vibrio cholerae 01 in Hong Kong related to contaminated fish tank water.

An outbreak of 12 cholera cases, caused by Vibrio cholerae eltor inaba, occurred in Hong Kong during a three week period in June-July 1994. Only adults of both sexes were affected. Epidemiological investigations showed linkage in all cases with consumption of seafood, including shellfish, mantis shrimps and crabs. Microbiological findings demonstrated that contaminated seawater in fish tanks used for keeping alive these seafoods is the most likely vehicle of transmission. Aggressive control measures, promptly instituted, included prohibition of use of contaminated typhoon shelter water in fish tanks, use of seawater with E. coli counts below 610 organisms/100 ml, and the banning of unlicensed food sampans in typhoon shelters. These measures, coupled with public announcements and an active health education campaign on food safety and personal hygiene, abruptly terminated the outbreak. Places which practise the use of seawater, from probable contaminated sources, to keep alive their seafood for human consumption should be alerted to the possibility of transmission of Vibrio cholerae through this route.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1993

The reversal effect of low dose aminophylline on thiopental-induced sedation.

Fifty-two ASA (American Society of Anesthesiologists) class I-II female patients, from 22 to 66 years of age, undergoing D & C (dilatation and curettage) procedure, were randomly divided into 2 groups in a double-blind and placebo-controlled design to investigate whether aminophylline could reverse the sedative effect of thiopental. Patients of both groups were anesthetized with fentanyl (2 micrograms/kg, i.v.) and thiopental (4 mg/kg, i.v. and 1 mg/kg, i.v. repeated if necessary). Postoperatively, they were intravenously given aminophylline (2 mg/kg) or normal saline in an equal volume solution over 5 minutes. The results showed that patients in the aminophylline group were more sedated (p < 0.05) than in the saline group 5 minutes after reversal, but were less sedated (p < 0.05) at minute 20. No significant differences between groups were found at other times. The total time spent in the postanesthetic unit was shorter in the aminophylline group (92 +/- 27 min.) than in the normal saline group (109 +/- 30 min.) (p < 0.05). The serum theophylline levels in some cases in the aminophylline group ranged between 3.2 and 4.9 micrograms/ml (4.3 +/- 0.7 micrograms/ml, n = 10). No apparent side effects, including tachyarrhythmias, were noted. We conclude that low dose aminophylline (2 mg/kg, i.v.) can partially reverse thiopental-induced sedation with safety in the early phase of recovery and it can reduce the total time spent in the postanesthetic unit.

Adult↗