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004), as was the proportion who had spectacles (n=212, 35%, P less then 0.001), compared with the AUSS students. Multivariate analysis showed that ownership of spectacles among children who needed them was associated with worse uncorrected VA (P less then 0.001), male sex (P less then 0.001), and residence in an urban area (P less then 0.034). Spectacles ownership was also strongly associated with AUSS education (P less then 0.001). CONCLUSION There is a high rate of unmet need in visual care among upper secondary school students. Lack of spectacles ownership among children who needed them was significantly associated with VUSS education.INTRODUCTION The Hong Kong Hospital Authority has newly introduced a new Down's syndrome screening algorithm that offers free-of-charge non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) to women who screen as high risk. In preparation for this public-funded second tier NIPT service, the present study was conducted to retrospectively analyse women eligible for NIPT and to review the local literature. METHODS Our retrospective study included women screened as high risk for Down's syndrome (adjusted term risk ≥1250) during the period of 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2016. We performed descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression to examine the factors associated with women's choice between NIPT and invasive testing. We also reviewed existing local literature about second tier NIPT. RESULTS The study included 525 women who screened positive 67% chose NIPT; 31% chose invasive diagnostic tests; and 2% declined further testing. Our literature review showed that in non-research (self-financed NIPT) settings, NIPT uptake rates have been increasing since 2011. Nulliparity, first trimester status, higher education, maternal employment, and conception by assisted reproductive technology are common factors associated with self-financed NIPT after positive screening. Among women choosing NIPT, the rates of abnormal results have typically been around 8% in studies performed in Hong Kong. CONCLUSION Implementation of second tier NIPT in the public setting is believed to be able to improve quality of care. We expect that the public in Hong Kong will welcome the new policy.INTRODUCTION Studies of Caucasian populations have shown that beta-blockers may exacerbate weight gain, a risk factor for many chronic diseases. Still, beta-blockers are the most prescribed antihypertensives in the Chinese population in Hong Kong. We aimed to explore the association between beta-blocker use, hypertension, and weight status of this population. METHODS A post-hoc analysis regarding body mass index (BMI) and the use of beta-blockers was performed based on the medication profile of community-dwelling older adults. Participants' BMI, hypertension diagnosis, name, dose, frequency, route of administration of beta-blockers, and other drugs that may alter body weight were recorded. RESULTS Of 1053 Chinese individuals aged ≥65 years (mean age 76.9±7.2 years, 80% female) from 32 elderly centres in Hong Kong, 18% (185/1053) of them consumed beta-blockers. That group also had a significantly larger proportion of obese individuals (45.9% vs 32.1%, P=0.002). After adjusting for other weight-altering drugs, beta-blockers remained a significant predictor of overweight and obesity (P=0.001). As the hypertensive population had significantly higher BMI than the normotensive population (24.3±3.6 vs 22.9±3.5, P less then 0.001), a sub-analysis on those with hypertension diagnosis confirmed that only the hypertensive population taking atenolol had a significantly larger population of obese individuals (BMI ≥25) compared with those who took metoprolol (58.9% vs 38.5%, P=0.03) and those who did not take any beta-blockers (58.9% vs 38.4%, P=0.007). CONCLUSIONS Our findings taken together with other guideline reservations cast doubt on whether beta-blockers, particularly atenolol, should be the major drug prescribed to older adults with hypertension.Echocardiography is a key evaluation tool for the diagnosis, prognosis, and guidance of interventional management of numerous cardiovascular conditions, including ischaemia, heart failure, and structural heart diseases. Recent technological advancements have also seen the exploration of artificial intelligence, intracardiac vortex imaging, and three-dimensional printing in echocardiography. With cardiovascular diseases increasing in prevalence worldwide, it is important for clinicians including general practitioners to have updated knowledge of appropriate use of echocardiography. As such, this article reviews the current literature and summarises the latest developments and the general clinical usage of echocardiography.We recently developed a rat model of relapse to drug seeking after food choice-induced voluntary abstinence. Here we used this model to study the role of orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and its afferent projections in relapse to fentanyl seeking. We trained male and female rats to self-administer palatable food pellets for 6 days (6-h/day) and intravenous fentanyl (2.5 μg/kg/infusion) for 12 days (6-h/day). We assessed relapse to fentanyl seeking after 13-14 voluntary abstinence days, achieved through a discrete choice procedure between fentanyl infusions and palatable food (20 trials/day). PF-06821497 molecular weight In both sexes, relapse after food choice-induced abstinence was associated with increased expression of the activity marker Fos in OFC. Pharmacological inactivation with muscimol+baclofen (50+50 ng/side) of OFC decreased relapse to fentanyl seeking. We then determined projection-specific activation of OFC afferents during the relapse test by using Fos plus the retrograde tracer cholera toxin B (injected into OFC). Relapse to fe in the drug environment but forgone in favor of non-drug alternative reinforcers. We recently developed a rat model of drug relapse after palatable food choice-induced voluntary abstinence. Here we used classical pharmacology, immunohistochemistry, and retrograde tracing to demonstrate a critical role of the piriform and orbitofrontal cortices in relapse to opioid seeking after voluntary abstinence. Copyright © 2020 the authors.