There are about 2980 clinical studies being (or have been) conducted in Hong Kong. The country of the clinical trial is determined by the location of where the clinical research is being studied. Most studies are often held in multiple locations & countries.
This study aims to enhance the general 5As brief advice model with interactive mobile phone-based intervention and active referral to community smoking cessation services for smoking patients discharged from hospitals.
Children with special education needs (SEN) (e.g., autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia) who are studying in the mainstream primary schools are commonly found to have difficulties in learning school materials, and controlling their emotion and behaviors in class. Such schooling problems are likely related to their deficient attention, self-control ability and language abilities. As a result, they will easily be stressful, losing confidence, or even be the target of bullying or discrimination. This project aims to evaluate a neuroscience based after-school training program, namely EC Brain Program, to improve academic performance, cognition (attention, self-control and language ability), behaviors and psychological health of primary school students with SEN. The EC Brain Program is composed of computerized training programs that were developed to enhance abilities of attention, self-control and temporal processing (i.e., a fundamental cognitive ability in mastering reading and language skills), and education on basic neuroscience knowledge and ways to enhance brain functions and psychological wellness, e.g., relaxation, stress management and balanced healthy diet. A total of 100 - 250 students with SEN from 10 ordinary primary schools will be recruited in 3-year period. They will be randomly assigned into two groups. Both groups will undergo pre- and post-assessments evaluating their academic performance, cognitive functions, saccadic eye movements, physical and mental health conditions before and after the training. Students in the group A will have to participate in the EC Brain after-school program, whereas students in the group B will join conventional intervention. It is an eight-month weekly program, 90 minutes per session. It is hypothesized that students who have joined the EC Brain Program will show greater extent of improvement in academic performance, behavioral problems, cognitive functions (e.g., attention, learning, self-control, language), saccadic eye movements and psychological wellness than those in the other group. The findings of present study will shed some light on the effectiveness and applicability of the EC Brain Program as a potential after-school neuropsychological intervention for students with SEN.
Functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) offers a cheap and reliable tool to investigate prefrontal brain activation in the healthy and diseased human brain. As such, fNIRS bears great potential as a diagnostic tool for clinical practice. Research indicates that fNIRS, together with a relatively simple task to activate the prefrontal cortex, the so-called verbal fluency task (VFT), elucidates prefrontal dysfunction in major depressive disorder (MDD). This finding can potentially serve as an imaging marker for disease pathology, even when depressive symptoms are absent. Indeed, recent research also suggests prefrontal dysfunction in fully remitted MDD (rMDD). Prefrontal haemodynamic responses may therefore serve as a trait marker for MDD vulnerability. This study aims to investigate the haemodynamic response in rMDD, healthy participants with increased MDD risk (HCr; having a 1st-degree relative with MDD), and low-risk healthy participants (HCnr; having no 1st-degree relatives with MDD) using fNIRS. We hypothesize lower prefrontal reactivity in HCr compared to HCnr, and lowest prefrontal reactivity in rMDD compared to HCnr. Our study has the potential to elucidate the neuronal underpinnings of depression vulnerability in the absence of symptoms that are sometimes considered a confounding factor when it comes to studying the biological encoding of depression.
This study will investigate the effect of caffeine and time of day on brain excitability using excitatory brain stimulation. We will recruit a healthy participant and conduct a concurrent iTBS/fNIRS protocol for 20 consecutive sessions over four weeks with or without caffeine consumption before the stimulation. Moreover, the experiment will be conducted at different times of the day (morning or afternoon)
Intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) is a promising treatment for major depressive disorder. However, fewer than 50% of patients show sufficient response. Therefore, the optimal treatment protocol is worth investigating. Recent studies show that the relationship between stimulation intensity and prefrontal hemodynamic response is not linear but in an inverse U-shape by exploring the hemodynamic changes before and after iTBS. Concurrent transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)/functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) setup allows us to observe the prefrontal hemodynamic response during stimulation. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of different intensities on brain activity during and after the stimulation using fNIRS.
The use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer is expanding in the recent decade. Patients with good response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy could benefit from de-escalation of breast and axilla operation. However, breast tumor and involved axillary lymph node should be marked before the commencement of chemotherapy. This could facilitate subsequent operative planning and intraoperative assessment of disease response. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility of magnetic marker localization for non-palpable breast cancer and targeted axillary dissection in patients with node-positive breast cancer following neoadjuvant therapy
The primary objective of this intervention is to develop and evaluate a conversational AI service (chatbot) on WhatsApp to obtain accurate and personalized vaccine information, assess the veracity of vaccine information, and ascertain the impact of chatbot usage on the level of vaccine confidence in Hong Kong.
Tenofovir alafenamide (TAF), a novel prodrug of tenofovir (TFV), has been approved for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. TAF has been shown to be a potent inhibitor of HBV replication at a low dose, with high intracellular concentration and more than 90% lower systemic TFV concentration than tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF). TAF has been approved in the clinical practice guidelines in the west. Since its availability in Asia in 2017, there have been evolving data concerning its positive impact on renal safety as shown in registration trials. The primary objective of this study is to compare the risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression in chronic hepatitis B patients on TAF versus ETV in a territory-wide cohort in Hong Kong.
This is the first nationwide study using Transcranial Pulse Stimulation to evaluate its efficacy and safety on 30 young adolescents with ADHD. Six verum/ shamTPS sessions will be delivered to all subjects on a 1: 1 ratio, balanced by gender and age. Attention deficit, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and oppositional defiance will be the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes include ADHD severity, frequency of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, executive function and neural connectivity changes via neuroimaging. Results emerging from this study will generate new knowledge to ascertain whether TPS can be used as a top-on treatment in ADHD.
One of the main goals of physiotherapy in stroke rehabilitation is to maximize walking ability of patients as soon as possible. Traditionally, intervention selection and application of neuroplasticity to stroke patients depends on personal preference and experience of therapists. Recent development of technologies may provide more accessible, efficient, objective, intensive and predictive methods compared to traditional practices in facilitating the process of recovery after brain injury and standardizing stroke rehabilitation programs. A clinical quality improvement program named Accelerated Stroke Ambulation Program (ASAP) was started in Stroke Rehabilitation Program Tai Po Hospital by Physiotherapy Department since 2019, pilot period from October 2019 to September 2020 and execute as standard practice afterward.