KE Spotlight - Community Engagement - HKU Knowledge Exchange

Two HKU departments offer first self-help stress release programme for women receiving test tube baby treatment

The HKU Department of Social Work and Social Administration and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecologyconducted a longitudinal study from 2013 to 2015 on 151 women who received In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF, or so called "test tube baby") treatment but failed. According to the findings, 39.1% of patients reported symptoms of anxiety immediately after the failed treatment and 18.6% of patients reported symptoms of depression. Their depression and anxiety levels remained in the subsequent months. To help women undergoing the treatment to better cope with the stress in the process, the two departments have offered a "Body-Mind Wellness Intervention Program", which consists of a three-hour workshop and a set of self-help body-mind techniques for stress release. The pilot programme conducted since October 2015 has demonstrated good results with significant decrease in the anxiety level of participants in the treatment group during post-embryo-implantation period.

HKU develops novel probiotic mixture "Prohep" that may offer potential therapeutic effects on liver cancer

A research team led by Dr Hani El-Nezami and Dr Gianni Panagiotou of the HKU School of Biological Sciences, in collaboration with the HKU Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine and the School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, develops a novel probiotic mixture "Prohep" that may have potential therapeutic effects on Hepatocellular carcinoma. The research team found that Prohep, when tested on mice, could slow down the tumor growth significantly and reduce the tumor size and weight. Future research would be to find out how to consume the probiotic mixture to obtain the best results, and to develop more efficient bacterial cocktails. The commercialization of Prohep is being assisted by the HKU Technology Transfer Office and Versitech Limited.

Jockey Club Charities Trust and HKU School of Public Health announce "Family Day 2016" activities

"Family Day 2016" aims at encouraging Hong Kong people to spend more quality time with their family members so as to enhance family harmony and relationship. A series of events will be held from April 22 to June 5 under three themes, namely "Family Day @ Community", "Family Day - Shopping Fun", and "Active Families Sing for Family Day 2016 Fun Fair".

HKU scientists effectively suppress tumour growth by converting Salmonella into YB1 anaerobe bacterium

Researchers at the HKU School of Biomedical Sciences have recently engineered Salmonella into an anaerobe bacterium named YB1 that can only survive and thrive in the hypoxic condition, for example, hypoxic regions inside solid tumours. YB1 can effectively inhibit the growth of tumours while being safe to normal tissues. The patent applications for this invention have been filed in different countries through the Technology Transfer Office of HKU. A patent was recently granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The researchers hope that YB1 can be further developed into a tumour-targeting agent in the near future.

HKU develops "Comfy Acupressure for the Elderly" to improve the quality of life for the elderly

A recent clinical study conducted by the HKU School of Chinese Medicine in collaboration with Yan Chai Hospital Social Services Department (YCHSS) revealed that "Comfy Acupressure for the Elderly" can effectively improve the quality of life of frail elderly and reduce the strain of their caregivers. This 12-step acupressure protocol was developed on the basis of Traditional Chinese Medicine theory and practice. As it is easy to learn and apply in daily life, HKU and YCHSS are planning to further promote it in the community in order to benefit the frail elderly as well as their caregivers.

HKU and PolyU develop world’s first internally motorised minimally invasive surgical robotic system for single incision or natural orifice (incision-less) robotic surgery

To minimize surgical trauma and improve the safety of current robotic surgery, an innovative project to develop a novel surgical robotic system (NSRS) with haptic (tactile) feedback and capable of single incision or natural orifice (incision-less) robotic surgery has been initiated by Professor Yeung Chung-Kwong, Honorary Clinical Professor of the HKU Department of Surgery. A team of experienced engineers led by Professor Yung Kai-Leung of PolyU's Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering was invited to join the project team as an engineering partner in 2012. The team has made the breakthrough possible recently. A NSRS with surgical robotic arms that are driven by internal micro-motors and capable of up to 10 degrees of freedom in movement has been developed and successfully utilised in three consecutive animal surgical experiments. This innovative project is funded by NISI (HK) Limited, a company specializing in non-invasive surgical innovations, and supported by the Innovation and Technology Commission of the Hong Kong SAR Government.

The Council on Smoking and Health, HKU and HKBU researchers call for complete ban of e-cigarettes

The Council on Smoking and Health (COSH) commissioned Baptist University to carry out a laboratory test on the components of thirteen e-cigarettes in the market from October 2015 to February 2016. The test confirmed that e-cigarettes contain harmful chemicals including carcinogens that are hazardous to health. COSH had earlier commissioned the HKU School of Public Health and Public Opinion Programme to conduct respectively the Tobacco Control Policy-related Survey and an opinion survey to interview over 5,000 respondents to monitor the prevalence of e-cigarette use and measure public opinion on its ban in Hong Kong. It was found that 68% of users did not know what they inhaled. Although only 0.2% of respondents had used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days, the rate (7.9%) among young current smokers aged 15 to 29 years was significantly higher than that of current smokers aged 30 years or above. The majority of respondents supported various regulatory measures on e-cigarettes. The Government is urged to enact total ban on e-cigarettes promptly to prevent its epidemic and stop it from becoming the gateway to youth smoking in Hong Kong.