Newsletter No. 416

No. 416, 19.4.2013 7 發現預測中國人糖尿病的基因標記 Genetic Predictor of Chinese Diabetic Patients Found 內科及藥物治療學系馬青雲教授（ 左 ）、陳重娥教授（ 中 ）及名譽臨床副教授蘇詠儀醫生（ 右 ）帶領的研究團隊，與 上海交通大學附屬第六人民醫院的研究人員合作，發現了預測中國人糖尿病的基因標記，有助識別高風險糖尿病患 者，加強預防及早期治療工作。研究成果已發表於國際權威期刊 Diabetologia （網上版，3月25日）。 研究於2008至2012年進行，結果鑑定位於第七號染色體 的PAX4基因，是預測中國人糖尿病及糖尿病相關的代謝 異常的基因標記。有此標記的人士，胰腺分泌胰島素功能 會較低，發病風險較其他人高約一成八，並傾向於年輕時 發病。 A research team led by Prof. Ma Ching-wan Ronald ( left ), Prof. Chan Chung-ngor Juliana ( centre ), and Dr. So Wing-yee ( right ), clinical associate professor (honorary), Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, has discovered a genetic predictor of diabetes among Chinese patients, which may help to identify high-risk individuals, in a collaborative study with Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital. The findings have been published online in Diabetologia (25 March). The study, conducted from 2008 to 2012, identified a genetic marker on chromosome 7 near the paired box gene 4 (PAX4) gene which was associated with diabetes as well as poorer insulin response. People with this genetic marker have approximately 18% higher risk of having diabetes and will develop diabetes at a younger age. 沙士十年─醫護專業人員研討會 SARS a Decade On: A Conference for the Health Professionals 醫學院何鴻燊防治傳染病研究中心與賽馬會公共衞生及基層醫療 學院於3月12日舉辦「沙士十年─醫護專業人員研討會」，探討沙士 疫症帶來的啟示及防疫經驗。 應邀出席的十多位主講嘉賓，來自本港、內地、加拿大、新加坡、 英國及世界衞生組織，他們皆於2003年以不同身分成為沙士抗疫 戰的一分子。在會中，他們回顧沙士來襲時決策的困難，細談它對 全球帶來的正面影響，從臨床與病毒學角度分析其源起及療法，並 討論相關的風險管理。研討會更特別增設個人感受分享一節，由當 年染病的長者禤永明先生、醫生陳力元教授和醫院管理局新界東醫 院聯網總監馮康醫生，訴說他們病榻中的感受和反思，以及痊癒後 的改變。沙士疫症提高了公眾對預防傳染病的危機意識，也為發展 公共衞生帶來新契機。 The Stanley Ho Centre for Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, jointly organized ‘SARS a Decade On: A Conference for the Health Professionals’ on 12 March to review the SARS experience and what the world has learnt from it. Close to 20 renowned speakers from Hong Kong, mainland China, Canada, Singapore, the UK, and the World Health Organization (WHO), who were involved in the battle against SARS in 2003, shared experiences and views on various challenging aspects. Topics discussed included challenges in public health and policy during the epidemic and SARS’s positive impact on the global prevention of infectious diseases; the emergence and therapy of SARS from the clinical and virological perspectives; and its crisis management. A personal sharing session was also arranged. Mr. Patrick Huen, elderly patient; Prof. Henry L.Y. Chan, doctor; and Dr. Fung Hong, cluster chief executive, New Territories East Cluster, Hospital Authority, shared their feelings of being infected, reflections upon recovery and changes in their lives. The outbreak of SARS 10 years ago has raised public consciousness of the importance of prevention. It also opened up new perspectives for the development of public health.