Newsletter No. 187

CUHK Newsletter 4 No. 187 4th September 2001 Role of Stress in Stroke and Heart Disease J ob stress leads to thickening o f the inner wa l l o f the neck artery and increases the risk o f heart disease and stroke, according to a study conducted by the University. Atherosclerosis disease (stroke and heart disease) is one o f the leading k i l l e r diseases i n mode rn societies, whose prevalence has been escalating in Asia. The study is part o f the multi- centre Chinese Atherosclerosis Study in the Aged and Young, and its aim is to determine the impact o f j ob stress, westernized diet, and other life-style risk factors on heart disease and stroke in asymptomatic Chinese. Researchers used special h i gh- resolution ultrasound to measure the inner wa ll thickness o f the neck artery as a surrogate marker of atherosclerosis. The thickening of the neck artery is predictive o f ca r d i ovascu l ar outcomes i n the asymptomatic elderly in the next five years. The subjects were then asked to c o m p l e t e a f o o d c o n s u m p t i on questionnaire and a self-administered psychological questionnaire to assess how demanding their jobs are, how much control they have at work, and how much support they receive at work and at home. The researchers pointed out that m o s t C h i n e s e h a v e f e w e r atherosclerosis risk factors than most westerners and are less vulnerable to the disease. Hen ce stress, as an important associating factor in Chinese populations, may play an even more s i g n i f i c a n t r o l e i n l e a d i n g to a t h e r o s c l e r o s is t h an i n w e s t e r n populations. Orthokeratology Linked to Upsurge in Childhood Corneal Ulcer C o r neal u l cer is a serious eye condition in wh i ch the cornea is infected with microorganisms. In severe cases, corneal perforation and infection of the entire eyeball can happen, leading to a scarred cornea, loss o f vision, and possibly blindness. The Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences has observed an upsurge o f cases of corneal ulcer in c h i l d r e n c a u s ed by o r t h o k e r a t o l o gy — a me t hod i n t r oduced to Hong Kong a few years ago whereby tight-fitting, f l a t, and r i g i d contact l e n s es are u s ed to temporarily slow down or e v e n a r r e s t t h e progression o f myopia. However, there has been no medical evidence to date t hat shows t hat orthokeratology produces its desired effects. I n v i ew o f the s i t u a t i o n, the department introduced to the public the nature and potential complications o f orthokeratology on 22nd June. Two young patients were also present to talk about their own experiences. Prof. Dennis Lam speaking on orthokeratology Industry Supports Hotel Students in Gaining Hands-on Experience T he School o f Ho t el Management organizes a Summer I n t e r nsh ip Pr og r amme each year to enable its students to ga in p r ac t i cal i ndus t ry experience, and to benefit f r om global exposure. Th is summer, the school r ece i ved a t o t al o f 146 i n t e r n s h ip positions, wh i ch enabled it to place all its Year 1 and Year 2 students in the programme. Amo ng them 16 Year 2 students underwent training overseas at D i sney Wo r ld and famous hotels i n Japan and Spain, etc. The rest o f the students wo r ked in the top hotels and hospitality and tourism organizations i n Hong Kong. This year, the school also successfully placed three students in summer internship positions at the T o u r i sm Comm i s s i o n, w h i c h was participating in the programme for the first time. There has been marked improvement in the compensation packages for the internships, said Prof. Ko Wang, then d i r e c t o r o f the S c h o ol o f H o t e l Managemen t. Th is shows that the industry is being ever more supportive of the school's endeavours in nurturing professionals for the Hong Kong tourism and hospitality industry. Study Sheds Light on Childhood Asthma A sthma is the most c ommon ch r on ic childhood disease both in H o n g K o n g a n d wo r l dw i de. Loca l l y, 15 per cent o f c h i l d r en admitted to hospital suffer from asthma, which also accounts for 40 per cent of specialty outpatient visits. In view of the rising prevalence of asthma, the F a c u l t y o f M e d i c i ne c o l l abo r a t ed w i t h the Capital Institute o f Be i j i ng and the Guangzhou Institute o f Respiratory Disease on a large-scale comparative study of children from these three cities to identify the environmental factors for asthma. The subjects 一 11,000 children from the three cities 一 are genetically s i m i l a r but exposed to d i f f e r e nt environmental conditions. They were examined by questionnaire, skin test, and airway challenge test. T h e s t u d y f o u n d t h a t t he prevalence o f asthma in Hong Kong is twice that in Beijing and in Guangzhou. It also found that risk factors such as home smo k i n g, ma t e r nal smo k i ng du r i ng p r egnancy, use o f synthetic p i l l ows and beddings, and use o f gas for cook i ng are closely l i n k ed w i t h higher prevalence o f asthma. On the other hand, breast-feeding and early attendance of day care protect children against asthma. Possible preventive measures to con t r ol the increase o f childhood asthma may be derived from these results. I t was also f o u nd that l ack o f understanding o f the disease among patients and their parents account for the poor management o f the disease. Patients who had joined an educational programme designed by the researchers s h owed ma r k ed i m p r o v e m e nt i n asthma control, both in terms o f rate o f recurrence and man i f es t a t i on o f symptoms. Crosslinks in English Language Teaching U n i v e r s i t y l anguage t e a c h i ng professionals shared experiences and insights at the Second Regional Conference on College English Teaching organized by the University's English Language Teaching Unit, the College E n g l i s h T e a c h i ng and Re s e a r ch Association (CETRA) o f Guangdong, and the Guangdong Foreign Languages Association (GFLA) from 28th to 30th June 2001. The conference addressed current issues in Eng l i sh language teaching i n c l ud i ng approaches to classroom t each i ng, second / f o r e i gn language pedagogy in the four language skills, and innovative cu r r i cu l um development. Keynote speakers included Prof. Gui Shi- chun from the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Prof. Guo Jieke from the South China University of Technology, Prof. Amy Tsui from the University of Hong Kong, and Ms. Jean Young from the City University of Hong Kong. Apart f r om keyno te speeches and paper presentations, the programme included workshops and demonstrations. Prof. Kwok Siu-tong, dean of arts, Prof. Yang Shao Bei, chair of CETRA, and Prof. L i ang Dong Hua, chair o f GF LA, addressed the audience at the opening ceremony, wh i ch took place on 28th June at the Mo ng Man Wai Building.