Browse publications by year: 2014

  1. Ngan CL, Basri M, Tripathy M, Abedi Karjiban R, Abdul-Malek E
    ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:219035.
    PMID: 25165736 DOI: 10.1155/2014/219035
    Fullerene nanoemulsions were formulated in palm kernel oil esters stabilized by low amount of mixed nonionic surfactants. Pseudoternary phase diagrams were established in the colloidal system of PKOEs/Tween 80 : Span 80/water incorporated with fullerene as antioxidant. Preformulation was subjected to combination of high and low energy emulsification methods and the physicochemical characteristics of fullerene nanoemulsions were analyzed using electroacoustic spectrometer. Oil-in-water (O/W) nanoemulsions with particle sizes in the range of 70-160 nm were formed. The rheological characteristics of colloidal systems exhibited shear thinning behavior which fitted well into the power law model. The effect of xanthan gum (0.2-1.0%, w/w) and beeswax (1-3%, w/w) in the estimation of thermodynamics was further studied. From the energetic parameters calculated for the viscous flow, a moderate energy barrier for transport process was observed. Thermodynamic study showed that the enthalpy was positive in all xanthan gum and beeswax concentrations indicating that the formation of nanoemulsions could be endothermic in nature. Fullerene nanoemulsions with 0.6% or higher xanthan gum content were found to be stable against creaming and flocculation when exposed to extreme environmental conditions.
    MeSH terms: Emulsions/chemistry; Humans; Particle Size; Plant Oils; Rheology; Skin Absorption/physiology*; Thermodynamics; Drug Delivery Systems/methods*; Fullerenes/administration & dosage; Fullerenes/chemistry*
  2. Siswanto WA, Anggono AD, Omar B, Jusoff K
    ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:301271.
    PMID: 25165738 DOI: 10.1155/2014/301271
    The aim of this work is to improve the accuracy of cold stamping product by accommodating springback. This is a numerical approach to improve the accuracy of springback analysis and die compensation process combining the displacement adjustment (DA) method and the spring forward (SF) algorithm. This alternate hybrid method (HM) is conducted by firstly employing DA method followed by the SF method instead of either DA or SF method individually. The springback shape and the target part are used to optimize the die surfaces compensating springback. The hybrid method (HM) algorithm has been coded in Fortran and tested in two- and three-dimensional models. By implementing the HM, the springback error can be decreased and the dimensional deviation falls in the predefined tolerance range.
    MeSH terms: Algorithms*; Metallurgy/methods*; Models, Theoretical*; Computer-Aided Design*
  3. Abdulameer MH, Sheikh Abdullah SN, Othman ZA
    ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:879031.
    PMID: 25165748 DOI: 10.1155/2014/879031
    Active appearance model (AAM) is one of the most popular model-based approaches that have been extensively used to extract features by highly accurate modeling of human faces under various physical and environmental circumstances. However, in such active appearance model, fitting the model with original image is a challenging task. State of the art shows that optimization method is applicable to resolve this problem. However, another common problem is applying optimization. Hence, in this paper we propose an AAM based face recognition technique, which is capable of resolving the fitting problem of AAM by introducing a new adaptive ABC algorithm. The adaptation increases the efficiency of fitting as against the conventional ABC algorithm. We have used three datasets: CASIA dataset, property 2.5D face dataset, and UBIRIS v1 images dataset in our experiments. The results have revealed that the proposed face recognition technique has performed effectively, in terms of accuracy of face recognition.
    MeSH terms: Algorithms*; Animals; Artificial Intelligence*; Bees/physiology; Behavior, Animal/physiology; Computer Simulation; Group Processes*; Humans; Models, Biological*; Biometric Identification/methods*
  4. Ahsan MR, Islam MT, Habib Ullah M, Mahadi WN, Latef TA
    ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:909854.
    PMID: 25165750 DOI: 10.1155/2014/909854
    This paper presents a compact sized inset-fed rectangular microstrip patch antenna embedded with double-P slots. The proposed antenna has been designed and fabricated on ceramic-PTFE composite material substrate of high dielectric constant value. The measurement results from the fabricated prototype of the antenna show -10 dB reflection coefficient bandwidths of 200 MHz and 300 MHz with center resonant frequency of 1.5 GHz and 4 GHz, respectively. The fabricated antenna has attained gains of 3.52 dBi with 81% radiation efficiency and 5.72 dBi with 87% radiation efficiency for lower band and upper band, respectively. The measured E- and H-plane radiation patterns are also presented for better understanding. Good agreement between the simulation and measurement results and consistent radiation patterns make the proposed antenna suitable for GPS and C-band applications.
    MeSH terms: Ceramics/chemistry*; Electric Conductivity; Equipment Design*; Transducers*; Geographic Information Systems/instrumentation*; Micro-Electrical-Mechanical Systems/instrumentation*; Wireless Technology/instrumentation*; Electromagnetic Radiation
  5. Megat Hasnan MM, Mohd Sabri MF, Mohd Said S, Nik Ghazali NN
    ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:912683.
    PMID: 25165751 DOI: 10.1155/2014/912683
    This paper presents the design and evaluation of a high force density fishbone shaped electrostatic comb drive actuator. This comb drive actuator has a branched structure similar to a fishbone, which is intended to increase the capacitance of the electrodes and hence increase the electrostatic actuation force. Two-dimensional finite element analysis was used to simulate the motion of the fishbone shaped electrostatic comb drive actuator and compared against the performance of a straight sided electrostatic comb drive actuator. Performances of both designs are evaluated by comparison of displacement and electrostatic force. For both cases, the active area and the minimum gap distance between the two electrodes were constant. An active area of 800 × 300 μm, which contained 16 fingers of fishbone shaped actuators and 40 fingers of straight sided actuators, respectively, was used. Through simulation, improvement of drive force of the fishbone shaped electrostatic comb driver is approximately 485% higher than conventional electrostatic comb driver. These results indicate that the fishbone actuator design provides good potential for applications as high force density electrostatic microactuator in MEMS systems.
    MeSH terms: Equipment Design*; Models, Theoretical*; Finite Element Analysis; Electric Capacitance; Micro-Electrical-Mechanical Systems/instrumentation*; Static Electricity*
  6. Khaing M, Lim KS, Tan CT
    Epileptic Disord, 2014 Sep;16(3):370-4.
    PMID: 25166001 DOI: 10.1684/epd.2014.0672
    We report a patient with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy who subsequently developed temporal lobe epilepsy, which gradually became clinically dominant. Video telemetry revealed both myoclonic seizures and temporal lobe seizures. The temporal lobe seizures were accompanied by a focal recruiting rhythm with rapid generalisation on EEG, in which the ictal EEG pattern during the secondary generalised phase was morphologically similar to the ictal pattern during myoclonic seizures. The secondary generalised seizures of the focal epilepsy responded to sodium valproate, similar to the myoclonic epilepsy. In this rare case of coexistent Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy and Temporal lobe epilepsy, the possibility of focal epilepsy recruiting a generalised epileptic network was proposed and discussed.
    MeSH terms: Adolescent; Adult; Brain/pathology; Brain/physiopathology*; Electroencephalography; Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe/complications*; Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe/pathology; Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe/physiopathology; Female; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Myoclonic Epilepsy, Juvenile/complications*; Myoclonic Epilepsy, Juvenile/pathology; Myoclonic Epilepsy, Juvenile/physiopathology; Young Adult
  7. Chong SS, Aziz AR, Harun SW, Arof H
    Sensors (Basel), 2014;14(9):15836-48.
    PMID: 25166498 DOI: 10.3390/s140915836
    In this study, the construction and test of tapered plastic optical fiber (POF) sensors, based on an intensity modulation approach are described. Tapered fiber sensors with different diameters of 0.65 mm, 0.45 mm, and 0.35 mm, were used to measure various concentrations of Remazol black B (RBB) dye aqueous solutions at room temperature. The concentrations of the RBB solutions were varied from 0 ppm to 70 ppm. In addition, the effect of varying the temperature of the RBB solution was also investigated. In this case, the output of the sensor was measured at four different temperatures of 27 °C, 30 °C, 35 °C, and 40 °C, while its concentration was fixed at 50 ppm and 100 ppm. The experimental results show that the tapered POF with d = 0.45 mm achieves the best performance with a reasonably good sensitivity of 61 × 10(-4) and a linearity of more than 99%. It also maintains a sufficient and stable signal when heat was applied to the solution with a linearity of more than 97%. Since the transmitted intensity is dependent on both the concentration and temperature of the analyte, multiple linear regression analysis was performed to combine the two independent variables into a single equation. The resulting equation was then validated experimentally and the best agreement between the calculated and experimental results was achieved by the sensor with d = 0.45 mm, where the minimum discrepancy is less than 5%. The authors conclude that POF-based sensors are suitable for RBB dye concentration sensing and, with refinement in fabrication, better results could be achieved. Their low fabrication cost, simple configuration, accuracy, and high sensitivity would attract many potential applications in chemical and biological sensing.
    MeSH terms: Environmental Monitoring/instrumentation*; Equipment Design; Feedback; Fiber Optic Technology/instrumentation*; Industrial Waste/analysis; Naphthalenesulfonates/analysis*; Naphthalenesulfonates/chemistry; Plastics/chemistry*; Temperature; Transducers; Water Pollutants, Chemical/analysis*; Equipment Failure Analysis; Surface Plasmon Resonance/instrumentation*
  8. Yeap LL, Lim KS, Lo YL, Bakar MZ, Tan CT
    Epileptic Disord, 2014 Sep;16(3):375-9.
    PMID: 25167568 DOI: 10.1684/epd.2014.0671
    Hearing loss has been reported with valproic acid (VPA) use. However, this is the first case of VPA-induced hearing loss that was tested and confirmed with a VPA rechallenge, supported by serial audiometry and pharmacokinetic modelling. A 39-year-old truck driver with temporal lobe epilepsy was treated with VPA at 400 mg, twice daily, and developed hearing loss after each dose, but recovered within three hours. Hearing loss fully resolved after VPA discontinuation. Audiometry performed five hours after VPA rechallenge showed significant improvement in hearing thresholds. Pharmacokinetic modelling during the VPA rechallenge showed that hearing loss occurred at a level below the therapeutic range. Brainstem auditory evoked potential at three months after VPA discontinuation showed bilateral conduction defect between the cochlear and superior olivary nucleus, supporting a pre-existing auditory deficit. VPA may cause temporary hearing threshold shift. Pre-existing auditory defect may be a risk factor for VPA-induced hearing loss. Caution should be taken while prescribing VPA to patients with pre-existing auditory deficit.
    MeSH terms: Adult; Anticonvulsants/adverse effects*; Anticonvulsants/pharmacokinetics; Anticonvulsants/therapeutic use; Audiometry; Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe/drug therapy*; Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe/physiopathology; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural/chemically induced*; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural/physiopathology; Humans; Male; Valproic Acid/adverse effects*; Valproic Acid/pharmacokinetics; Valproic Acid/therapeutic use; Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem/drug effects; Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem/physiology
  9. Pijnappel EN, Bhoo-Pathy N, Suniza J, See MH, Tan GH, Yip CH, et al.
    World J Surg, 2014 Dec;38(12):3133-7.
    PMID: 25167896 DOI: 10.1007/s00268-014-2752-3
    In settings with limited resources, sentinel lymph node biopsy (SNB) is only offered to breast cancer patients with small tumors and a low a priori risk of axillary metastases.
    MeSH terms: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Axilla; Breast Neoplasms/pathology*; Breast Neoplasms/chemistry; Child; Child, Preschool; Female; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Lymph Nodes/pathology*; Lymphatic Metastasis; Malaysia; Middle Aged; Prognosis; Receptors, Estrogen/analysis; Receptors, Progesterone/analysis; ROC Curve; Case-Control Studies; Receptor, ErbB-2/analysis; Area Under Curve; Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy; Tumor Burden; Mathematical Concepts*; Young Adult
  10. Feletti F, Goin J
    BMJ Open, 2014 Aug 28;4(8):e005508.
    PMID: 25168039 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2014-005508
    OBJECTIVES: Powered paragliding (PPG) and paragliding are two totally different sports, mainly because of the use of an engine in powered paragliding. As a consequence, the pattern of injuries caused by each of these two sports may be different.

    SETTING: To test this hypothesis, we analysed 384 incident reports gathered by the US Powered Paragliding Association from 1995 to 2012. The majority of the incidents occurred in the USA, while 26 incidents occurred elsewhere: Canada (8), Mexico (5), Panama (1), China (1), Japan (1), Malaysia (1), Indonesia (Java) (1), Europe (8): of which Spain (1), Belgium (1), UK (3), Italy (1), Romania (1), unknown (1).

    OUTCOME: To identify the most affected body area and the most common type of injury sustained in PPG, and to highlight any differences from paragliding.

    RESULTS: The most affected body areas in PPG were the upper limbs (44.5%), followed by the lower limbs (32%), the back (9.8%), the head (7%), the pelvis (3.1), the chest (2.7%) and the abdomen (0.7%) (p<0.001). The engine caused 43 accidents (11.2%) in our study and was responsible for the majority of injuries to the upper limbs. The number of fatal accidents in PPG is not lower than in paragliding and hang-gliding.

    CONCLUSIONS: To help prevent the specific injuries of PPG, the most appropriate equipment should be identified. The results of this study also suggest that, in the future, this sport should be analysed separately from paragliding.

    MeSH terms: Accidents/statistics & numerical data*; Adult; Aged; Arm Injuries/epidemiology*; Athletic Injuries/epidemiology*; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Craniocerebral Trauma/epidemiology*; Humans; Leg Injuries/epidemiology*; Male; Middle Aged; Back Injuries/epidemiology*; Young Adult
  11. Wong CC, Sagineedu SR, Sumon SH, Sidik SM, Phillips R, Lajis NH, et al.
    Environ Toxicol Pharmacol, 2014 Sep;38(2):489-501.
    PMID: 25168151 DOI: 10.1016/j.etap.2014.07.016
    Andrographolide (AGP) is the main bioactive constituent isolated from the traditional medicinal, Andrographis paniculata which contributes towards its various biological activities, including anticancer property. In this study, a series of new AGP derivatives were semi-synthesised and screened against the NCI in vitro 60 cell lines. From the screening results, we had identified SRS07 as the most potent AGP derivative, against breast and colon cancer cell lines. Subsequently, SRS07 was tested for its capability to induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in MCF-7 and HCT116 cancer cells. SRS07 effectively induced G1 cell cycle arrest in both cell lines and ultimately apoptosis by inducing DNA fragmentation in HCT116 cells. The apoptotic cell death induced by SRS07 was confirmed via FITC Annexin-V double staining. Western blot analysis of SRS07-treated HCT116 cells revealed that the compound induced apoptosis be activating caspase 8 which in turn cleaved Bid to t-Bid to initiate cell death cascade. Prediction of the possible mode of action of SRS07 by utilising NCI COMPARE analysis failed to reveal a distinct mechanism category. Hence, it is speculated that SRS07 possesses novel mechanism of action. In conclusion, SRS07 demonstrated superior in vitro anticancer profiles and emerged as a potential lead anticancer candidate.
    MeSH terms: Antineoplastic Agents/chemical synthesis*; Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology*; Antineoplastic Agents/chemistry; Benzylidene Compounds/chemical synthesis*; Benzylidene Compounds/pharmacology*; Benzylidene Compounds/chemistry; Cell Cycle/drug effects; Cell Survival/drug effects; Diterpenes/chemical synthesis; Diterpenes/pharmacology*; Diterpenes/chemistry; Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor/methods; Heterocyclic Compounds, 3-Ring/chemical synthesis*; Heterocyclic Compounds, 3-Ring/pharmacology*; Heterocyclic Compounds, 3-Ring/chemistry; Humans; Models, Molecular; Neoplasms/drug therapy; United States; 4-Butyrolactone/analogs & derivatives*; 4-Butyrolactone/chemical synthesis; 4-Butyrolactone/pharmacology; 4-Butyrolactone/chemistry; Signal Transduction/drug effects; Apoptosis; HCT116 Cells; Cell Line, Tumor/drug effects; BH3 Interacting Domain Death Agonist Protein/metabolism; Caspase 8/metabolism; National Cancer Institute (U.S.); MCF-7 Cells; In Vitro Techniques
  12. Haghshenas B, Abdullah N, Nami Y, Radiah D, Rosli R, Khosroushahi AY
    Anaerobe, 2014 Dec;30:51-9.
    PMID: 25168457 DOI: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2014.08.009
    Lactobacillus and Lactococcus strains isolated from food products can be introduced as probiotics because of their health-promoting characteristics and non-pathogenic nature. This study aims to perform the isolation, molecular identification, and probiotic characterization of Lactobacillus and Lactococcus strains from traditional Iranian dairy products. Primary probiotic assessments indicated high tolerance to low pH and high bile salt conditions, high anti-pathogenic activities, and susceptibility to high consumption antibiotics, thus proving that both strains possess probiotic potential. Cytotoxicity assessments were used to analyze the effects of the secreted metabolite on different cancer cell lines, including HT29, AGS, MCF-7, and HeLa, as well as a normal human cell line (HUVEC). Results showed acceptable cytotoxic properties for secreted metabolites (40 μg/ml dry weight) of Lactococcus lactis subsp. Lactis 44Lac. Such performance was similar to that of Taxol against all of the treated cancer cell lines; however, the strain exhibited no toxicity on the normal cell line. Cytotoxic assessments through flow cytometry and fluorescent microscopy demonstrated that apoptosis is the main cytotoxic mechanism for secreted metabolites of L. lactis subsp. Lactis 44Lac. By contrast, the effects of protease-treated metabolites on the AGS cell line verified the protein nature of anti-cancer metabolites. However, precise characterizations and in vitro/in vivo investigations on purified proteins should be conducted before these metabolites are introduced as potential anti-cancer therapeutics.
    MeSH terms: Acids/toxicity; Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology; Bile Acids and Salts/metabolism; Biological Products/pharmacology; Cell Survival/drug effects; Dairy Products/microbiology*; Drug Tolerance; Flow Cytometry; Humans; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Iran; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Microscopy, Fluorescence; Lactococcus lactis/drug effects; Lactococcus lactis/isolation & purification; Lactococcus lactis/metabolism; Lactococcus lactis/physiology*; Probiotics*; Cell Line, Tumor; Lactobacillus plantarum/drug effects; Lactobacillus plantarum/isolation & purification; Lactobacillus plantarum/metabolism; Lactobacillus plantarum/physiology*
  13. Tan HK, Moad AI, Tan ML
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2014;15(16):6463-75.
    PMID: 25169472
    The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) kinase plays an important role in regulating cell growth and cell cycle progression in response to cellular signals. It is a key regulator of cell proliferation and many upstream activators and downstream effectors of mTOR are known to be deregulated in various types of cancers. Since the mTOR signalling pathway is commonly activated in human cancers, many researchers are actively developing inhibitors that target key components in the pathway and some of these drugs are already on the market. Numerous preclinical investigations have also suggested that some herbs and natural phytochemicals, such as curcumin, resveratrol, timosaponin III, gallic acid, diosgenin, pomegranate, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCC), genistein and 3,3'-diindolylmethane inhibit the mTOR pathway either directly or indirectly. Some of these natural compounds are also in the clinical trial stage. In this review, the potential anti-cancer and chemopreventive activities and the current status of clinical trials of these phytochemicals are discussed.
    MeSH terms: Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology*; Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use; Cell Cycle; Humans; Phytotherapy*; Neoplasms/drug therapy*; Signal Transduction/drug effects; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/antagonists & inhibitors; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/metabolism; Multiprotein Complexes/antagonists & inhibitors; Cell Proliferation; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/antagonists & inhibitors; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases/antagonists & inhibitors*; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolism; Phytochemicals/pharmacology*; Phytochemicals/therapeutic use
  14. Akhtari-Zavare M, Ghanbari-Baghestan A, Latiff LA, Matinnia N, Hoseini M
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2014;15(16):6531-4.
    PMID: 25169482
    BACKGROUND: In Iran, breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in women and a major public health problem.

    METHODS: A cross sectional study was carried out to determine knowledge on breast cancer and breast self- examination (BSE) practices of 384 females living in the city of Hamadan, Iran. A purposive sampling method was adopted and data were collected via face-to-face interviews based on a validated questionnaire developed for this study.

    RESULTS: Among respondents 268 (69.8%) were married and 144 (37.5%) of the respondents reported having a family history of breast cancer. One hundred respondents (26.0%) claimed they practiced BSE. Level of breast cancer knowledge was significantly associated with BSE practice (p=0.000). There was no association with demographic details (p<0.05).

    CONCLUSION: The findings showed that Iranian women's knowledge regarding breast cancer and the practice of BSE is inadequate. Targeted education should be implemented to improve early detection of breast cancer.

    MeSH terms: Adolescent; Adult; Breast Neoplasms/diagnosis*; Breast Neoplasms/prevention & control; Cross-Sectional Studies; Data Collection; Educational Status; Female; Humans; Iran; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*; Middle Aged; Surveys and Questionnaires; Breast Self-Examination*; Early Detection of Cancer; Young Adult
  15. Yankuzo HM, Emilia ST, Shaari R, Yaacob NS
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2014;15(16):6721-6.
    PMID: 25169515
    BACKGROUND: The aim of this preliminary study was to address variations of responses observed with different starting tumor sizes of 10 and 15 mm, and the effects of different doses of tamoxifen (TAM) on experimental rat mammary tumors.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-five inbred female Sprague Dawley rats aged 43 days were administered with three weekly doses of N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (NMU) intraperitoneally (ip) at 50 mg/kg body weight. Animals were randomized (beginning from 10 mm tumor size) into four TAM-treated (50, 100, 200 and 500 μg/day) groups of six animals each, and another group (n=6) treated with TAM 100 μg/day at starting tumour size of 15 mm. The animals were treated by oral gavage daily for 8 weeks before sacrifice.

    RESULTS: Serum urea and creatinine, and overall physical tumor burden were significantly modulated in animals treated with variable doses of TAM compared to the untreated controls (n=5). Final body weight and tumor number were significantly different in the 10 mm-treated animals compared to those treated at 15 mm. There were no significant differences in histopathological features among all the groups.

    CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest the importance of standardizing tumour size and drug doses before initiation of treatment, particularly in the direct comparison of basic end-tumour physical parameters.

    MeSH terms: Animals; Body Weight/drug effects; Creatinine/blood; Female; Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental/chemically induced; Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental/drug therapy*; Methylnitrosourea; Random Allocation; Tamoxifen/therapeutic use*; Urea/blood; Treatment Outcome; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Tumor Burden/drug effects; Rats; Drug Dosage Calculations*
  16. Ghasemzadeh A, Jaafar HZ, Karimi E, Rahmat A
    PMID: 25169626 DOI: 10.1186/1472-6882-14-318
    Extraction prior to component analysis is the primary step in the recovery and isolation of bioactive phytochemicals from plant materials.
    MeSH terms: Antineoplastic Agents/isolation & purification*; Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology*; Antineoplastic Agents/chemistry; Antioxidants/isolation & purification; Antioxidants/pharmacology; Antioxidants/chemistry; Cell Survival/drug effects; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Flavonoids/isolation & purification*; Flavonoids/pharmacology*; Flavonoids/chemistry; Chemical Fractionation; HeLa Cells; Humans; Plant Extracts/chemistry; Research Design; Sonication; Models, Statistical; Plant Leaves/chemistry*; Murraya/chemistry*
  17. Kataoka SH, Setzer FC, Gondim E, Caldeira CL
    J Am Dent Assoc, 2014 Sep;145(9):956-9.
    PMID: 25170003 DOI: 10.14219/jada.2014.54
    Mouth guards are used to reduce the risk of experiencing dental injuries. Various individual and commercial designs are available.
  18. Sy DK, Stumberg RK
    Tob Control, 2014 Nov;23(6):466-70.
    PMID: 25170023 DOI: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2014-051900
    Twelve-member countries of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) are negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA), a free trade agreement to facilitate international trade and investment. As reported by multiple sources, the TPPA would grant the same trade benefits and legal protections to tobacco products, services and investments that it would provide to other sectors. Malaysia proposed excluding tobacco control measures from the scope of all TPPA chapters while the US proposed only to establish a consultation process in tobacco-related disputes and to declare that tobacco control measures serve a health objective within the scope of the general exceptions.
    MeSH terms: Asia; Commerce/legislation & jurisprudence*; Humans; International Cooperation/legislation & jurisprudence*; Investments/legislation & jurisprudence; Public Health/legislation & jurisprudence*; United States; Smoking Cessation/legislation & jurisprudence*; Tobacco Industry/economics; Tobacco Industry/legislation & jurisprudence*; Tobacco Products*
  19. Choong PF, Teh HX, Teoh HK, Ong HK, Choo KB, Sugii S, et al.
    Int J Med Sci, 2014;11(11):1154-60.
    PMID: 25170299 DOI: 10.7150/ijms.8281
    Four osteosarcoma cell lines, Saos-2, MG-63, G-292 and U-2 OS, were reprogrammed to pluripotent state using Yamanaka factors retroviral transduction method. Embryonic stem cell (ESC)-like clusters started to appear between 15 to 20 days post transduction. Morphology of the colonies resembled that of ESC colonies with defined border and tightly-packed cells. The reprogrammed sarcomas expressed alkaline phosphatase and pluripotency markers, OCT4, SSEA4, TRA-1-60 and TRA-1-81, as in ESC up to Passage 15. All reprogrammed sarcomas could form embryoid body-like spheres when cultured in suspension in a low attachment dish for up to 10 days. Further testing on the directed differentiation capacity of the reprogrammed sarcomas showed all four reprogrammed sarcoma lines could differentiate into adipocytes while reprogrammed Saos-2-REP, MG-63-REP and G-292-REP could differentiate into osteocytes. Among the 4 osteosarcoma cell lines, U-2 OS reported the highest transduction efficiency but recorded the lowest reprogramming stability under long term culture. Thus, there may be intrinsic differences governing the variable responses of osteosarcoma cell lines towards reprogramming and long term culture effect of the reprogrammed cells. This is a first report to associate intrinsic factors in different osteosarcoma cell lines with variable reprogramming responses and effects on the reprogrammed cells after prolonged culture.
    MeSH terms: Antigens, Surface/genetics; Antigens, Surface/metabolism; Cell Differentiation/genetics; Cell Differentiation/physiology; Humans; Osteocytes/cytology; Osteocytes/metabolism; Proteoglycans/genetics; Proteoglycans/metabolism; Osteosarcoma/genetics; Osteosarcoma/metabolism*; Cell Line, Tumor; Octamer Transcription Factor-3/genetics; Octamer Transcription Factor-3/metabolism; Embryonic Stem Cells/cytology; Embryonic Stem Cells/metabolism; Stage-Specific Embryonic Antigens/genetics; Stage-Specific Embryonic Antigens/metabolism; Cellular Reprogramming/genetics; Cellular Reprogramming/physiology*
  20. Khan AN, Khan MU, Shoaib MH, Yousuf RI, Mir SA
    Oman Med J, 2014 Jul;29(4):271-5.
    PMID: 25170408 DOI: 10.5001/omj.2014.71
    OBJECTIVES: To explore the nurses' expectations and experience about pharmacists in private sector hospitals of Karachi, Pakistan.

    METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted from June to September 2012 in five private sector hospitals of Karachi, Pakistan. A convenient sample of nurses (n=377) were enrolled in this study. Data was obtained through a previously validated questionnaire. Responses were statistically analyzed using SPSSv.17.

    RESULTS: Questionnaires were returned giving a response rate of 63.6% of which 20 were unusable (n=240). Out of the remaining 220, 24.1% (n=53) responded that they never or rarely interacted with a pharmacist. Respondents who expect pharmacists to collaborate with nurses to solve drug related problems were 45% (n=99). Nurses' experience of pharmacists was not substantial as only 44.5% (n=98) respondents consider pharmacists as a reliable source of clinical drug information.

    CONCLUSION: The role of pharmacists is not well appreciated among nurses in Pakistan. Hence, pharmacists must bridge the observed gap and use a more strategic and consistent approach to build a more positive image in line with other healthcare professionals and in providing patient-centred pharmaceutical care. This research would impress upon the pharmacists the need to redefine their role in the healthcare settings.

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