Newsletter No. 296

中大通訊 CUHK Newsletter 1. 本刊每月出版兩期，農曆年和暑期停刊。截稿日期載於本刊網頁（ www.cuhk.edu . hk/iso/newslter/ ）。 The CUHK Newsletter is published on a fortnightly basis except during the Chinese New Year and summer vacation. Deadlines for contribution can be found at www.cuhk.edu . hk/iso/newslter/. 2. 來稿請寄沙田香港中文大學資訊處《中大通訊》編輯部（電話2609 8584/2609 8681， 傳真2603 6864，電郵 pub2@uab.cuhk.edu.hk ） 。 All contributions should be sent to the Editor, CUHK Newsletter , Information Services Office, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (tel. 2609 8584/2609 8681; fax. 2603 6864; e-mail pub2@uab.cuhk.edu.hk ). 3. 編輯有權刪改及決定是否刊登來稿。 The Editor reserves the right to decline contributions and to edit all articles. 香港中文大學資訊處出版 高級主任：梁素珍 編輯：左冠輝 助理編輯：吳嬋珍 陳思祥 陳偉珠 製作：梅潔媚 印刷：璟柏印刷製版有限公司 Published by the Information Services Office, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Director: Conita S.C. Leung Editor: Chor Koon Fai Assistant Editors: Florence Chan, Piera Chen, Wendy Ng Production: May Mui Printing: Impact Printing & Graphics Co. Ltd. 中大通訊 CUHK Newsletter 新藥治療乙型肝炎成效更佳 Study Demonstrates Telbivudine’s Superiority in Hepatitis B Treatment Prof. Dennis Lo Honoured for Outstanding Publication P rof. Dennis Lo, Dr. Li Ka Shing Professor of Medicine and professor of chemical pathology, has been conferred the 2007 The Sigi ZieringAward for Outstanding Contribution for a Publication in the journal Clinical Chemistry of the American Association of Clinical Chemistry (AACC). This award, sponsored by Diagnostic Products Corp. (DPC) in honour of its founder Sigi Ziering, is given in recognition of a paper published in Clinical Chemistry during the preceding calendar year, that most significantly advances clinical laboratory science and laboratory medicine. The first award was given in July 2000 for a paper published in 1999. The award includes a plaque and a US$5,000 honorarium. The ceremony for presentation of the awards will be held on 15 July during a special AACC Awards dinner at Balboa Park in San Diego. Prof. Dennis Lo is a world authority in the new research area that studies DNA and RNA molecules existing outside of cells, in the blood plasma of human subjects. His contributions to the area have been pioneering. In the last 10 years, Prof. Lo discovered the presence of cell-free foetal DNA and RNA in the plasma of pregnant women. This opened up a vista of possibilities for the non-invasive and safe prenatal detection and the monitoring of pregnancy-associated disorders, including pregnancy-associated high blood pressure (preeclampsia) and foetal Down’s syndrome. 醫 學院內科及藥物治療學系教授兼中大肝臟護理 中心主任陳力元教授本月二日發表治療乙型肝 炎藥物研究結果，指出新的口服乙肝藥製劑替比夫定 ( Telbivudine ) ，能有效地抑制病毒複製，是乙型肝炎患者 的新選擇。 亞太肝臟學會開展的這項研究，比較了乙型肝炎患者服 用新藥替比夫定及舊藥阿德褔偉 ( Adefovir ) 的成效。陳教 授負責香港區的研究，他監察了一百三十五名服用替比 夫定和阿德褔偉的乙型肝炎患者，二十四個星期後，測 試兩組病人血液中的乙型肝炎病毒。結果發現，服用阿 德褔偉的組別，只有兩成二能減低乙型肝炎病毒達每毫 升血液一千份病毒；相反，在替比夫定組別，則有四成 九能減低病毒。對於七成八服用阿德褔偉而未能抑制病 毒複製達標的病人，研究人員再對他們進行對照比較， 部分患者轉用替比夫定，其餘則繼續服用阿德褔偉。研 究發現，轉服替比夫定的患者，其抑制病毒複製的能力 相比服用阿德褔偉時提升了十倍。 B oth newly diagnosed hepatitis B patients and those who have previously taken Adefovir, a widely prescribed treatment for the disease, will see improved viral suppression with Telbivudine, according to a new study presented at the Asian Pacific Association for the Study of Liver (APASL) meeting in Kyoto, Japan. The data for Hong Kong was presented by Prof. Henry Chan, professor in Department of the Medicine and Therapeutics and director of the Centre for Liver Health at CUHK. It complements the other data presentations showing the benefits of Telbivudine over Lamivudine, the most widely prescribed treatment for hepatitis B. Research also proves that Telbivudine provides rapid and sustained hepatitis B virus (HBV) suppression in patients with the disease. The finding comes from a study of 135 patients with hepatitis B who were treated with either Telbivudine or Adefovir for 24 weeks. At that point, both groups were tested for HBV in their blood; in the Adefovir group, only 22% reached a target reduction in HBV 以下項目詳情，請上網閱覽： Details of the following items are available at www.cuhk.edu.hk/iso/newslter/ issue/296/discoveries.htm ■ 中大三名學者獲頒裘槎基金會優秀科研者獎 Three CUHK Scholars Named Croucher Senior Research Fellows 2007–08 ■ 醫學院盧煜明教授獲長江學者成就獎 Prof. Dennis Lo of Faculty of Medicine Receives Cheung Kong Achievement Awards ■ 香港成年人患鬱躁症研究 Bipolar Depression Among Adults in Contemporary Hong Kong ■ 中大學生獲傑出學生服務獎 Five CUHK Students Won Outstanding Service Awards ■ Champion of Music Student Asia-Pacific Composer Award ■ Six Research Projects Received Grants (1000 copies/mL) versus nearly half (49%) of the Telbivudine group. Of the 78% of Adefovir patients who did not reach target viral suppression at 24weeks, those who switched to Telbivudine saw 10 times greater incremental HBV suppression versus those patients who remained on Adefovir for 52 weeks.