A previously well 13-year-old boy presented with a short history of fever and altered mental status. His mother was admitted for dengue fever and there had been a recent dengue outbreak in their neighbourhood. He was diagnosed with dengue encephalitis as both his dengue non-structural protein 1 (NS-1) antigen and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dengue polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were positive. He...

Prediction equations have been evolved for the assessment of vital capacity, total lung capacity, and the single breath carbon monoxide transfer factor in haemoglobin SS and haemoglobin SC disease. These relationships take account of the growth disorder and anaemia in the sickle-cell states. The results suggest that, in the clinically stable state, any effects of alveolar capillary sickling and...

This report is of the first locally acquired case of dengue fever. The diagnosis was made even in the absence of a history of travel outside Hong Kong. The patient was a 21-year-old man, who presented with high fever, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, and elevated liver enzymes. His haematocrit revealed mild haemoconcentration but the albumin was normal throughout the course of the illness. His blo...

BACKGROUND An approach consisting of elective cryopreservation of all embryos has been proposed for patients at risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). Although elective cryopreservation can prevent pregnancy-induced late OHSS, it cannot prevent early OHSS. Early OHSS is reported to have been complicated with thromboembolism. The study was carried out to assess the efficacy with which...

Sir, Yamada et al. [1] report that the rate of progression of aortic calcification is related to the increase of serum calcium during the haemodialysis session ( Ca), using a stepwise multivariate regression analysis. The only other serum parameter that exhibited an association with the progression of aortic calcification was CRP. The authors hypothesized that the excess calcium transferred int...

AIMS To assess the effect of cellulosic dialysis membranes on the production of complement degradation products to determine to the role of the classical pathway. METHOD Complement activation was studied in 33 patients during a single haemodialysis session using cellulosic membranes. Pre- and post-dialysis plasma EDTA valves of C3, C4, C3dg, C4d and C reactive protein (CRP) were measured. Sta...

Systemic capillary leak syndrome, or the Clarkson syndrome, is an extremely rare condition in which increased capillary permeability results in a massive shift of fluid into the extravascular space. This is followed rapidly by hypotensive shock, haemoconcentration, and, potentially, substantial oedema of the limbs resulting in an acute compartment syndrome. It is important for orthopaedic surge...