Browse publications by year: 2014

Tobacco industry tangos with descriptor ban in Malaysia

Tan YL, Foong K

Tob Control, 2014 Jan;23(1):84-7.
PMID: 23872424 DOI: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2013-050977
MeSH terms: Humans; Malaysia; Tobacco Products*
Stimuli-responsive bacterial cellulose-g-poly(acrylic acid-co-acrylamide) hydrogels for oral controlled release drug delivery

Mohd Amin MC, Ahmad N, Pandey M, Jue Xin C

Drug Dev Ind Pharm, 2014 Oct;40(10):1340-9.
PMID: 23875787 DOI: 10.3109/03639045.2013.819882

This study evaluated the potential of stimuli-responsive bacterial cellulose-g-poly(acrylic acid-co-acrylamide) hydrogels as oral controlled-release drug delivery carriers. Hydrogels were synthesized by graft copolymerization of the monomers onto bacterial cellulose (BC) fibers by using a microwave irradiation technique. The hydrogels were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). FT-IR spectroscopy confirmed the grafting. XRD showed that the crystallinity of BC was reduced by grafting, whereas an increase in the thermal stability profile was observed in TGA. SEM showed that the hydrogels exhibited a highly porous morphology, which is suitable for drug loading. The hydrogels demonstrated a pH-responsive swelling behavior, with decreased swelling in acidic media, which increased with increase in pH of the media, reaching maximum swelling at pH 7. The release profile of the hydrogels was investigated in simulated gastric fluid (SGF) and simulated intestinal fluid (SIF). The hydrogels showed lesser release in SGF than in SIF, suggesting that hydrogels may be suitable drug carriers for oral controlled release of drug delivery in the lower gastrointestinal tract.

MeSH terms: Acrylamides/chemistry*; Administration, Oral; Cellulose/chemistry*; Crystallization; Delayed-Action Preparations; Drug Carriers/chemistry*; Gastric Juice/metabolism; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Intestinal Secretions/metabolism; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Thermogravimetry; X-Ray Diffraction; Porosity; Drug Delivery Systems*; Hydrogels; Polymerization
Intrasellar pituitary mucocele: diagnostic dilemma

Tang IP, Chai CK, Kumar G, Prepageran N, Waran V

Br J Neurosurg, 2014 Jun;28(3):390-2.
PMID: 23875880 DOI: 10.3109/02688697.2013.817535

Isolated intrasellar pituitary mucocele following transsphenoidal sinus surgery is extremely rare. The clinical features resemble a pituitary tumor, therefore careful radiological interpretation is crucial to reach the correct diagnosis. We report a case of intrasellar mucocele who had transsphenoidal sinus surgery performed 15 years prior.

MeSH terms: Adenoma/surgery; Adult; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Mucocele/diagnosis*; Mucocele/pathology; Pituitary Diseases/diagnosis*; Pituitary Diseases/pathology; Pituitary Neoplasms/surgery; Neurosurgical Procedures/methods; Endovascular Procedures/methods
Intrarater test-retest reliability of static and dynamic stability indexes measurement using the Biodex Stability System during unilateral stance

Arifin N, Abu Osman NA, Wan Abas WA

J Appl Biomech, 2014 Apr;30(2):300-4.
PMID: 23878204 DOI: 10.1123/jab.2013-0130

The measurements of postural balance often involve measurement error, which affects the analysis and interpretation of the outcomes. In most of the existing clinical rehabilitation research, the ability to produce reliable measures is a prerequisite for an accurate assessment of an intervention after a period of time. Although clinical balance assessment has been performed in previous study, none has determined the intrarater test-retest reliability of static and dynamic stability indexes during dominant single stance. In this study, one rater examined 20 healthy university students (female=12, male=8) in two sessions separated by 7 day intervals. Three stability indexes--the overall stability index (OSI), anterior/posterior stability index (APSI), and medial/ lateral stability index (MLSI) in static and dynamic conditions--were measured during single dominant stance. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), standard error measurement (SEM) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were calculated. Test-retest ICCs for OSI, APSI, and MLSI were 0.85, 0.78, and 0.84 during static condition and were 0.77, 0.77, and 0.65 during dynamic condition, respectively. We concluded that the postural stability assessment using Biodex stability system demonstrates good-to-excellent test-retest reliability over a 1 week time interval.

MeSH terms: Biomechanical Phenomena; Postural Balance/physiology*; Female; Humans; Male; Reproducibility of Results; Young Adult
Determination of the biofilm formation capacity of bacterial pathogens associated with otorhinolaryngologic diseases in the Malaysian population

Khosravi Y, Ling LC, Loke MF, Shailendra S, Prepageran N, Vadivelu J

Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol, 2014 May;271(5):1227-33.
PMID: 23880921 DOI: 10.1007/s00405-013-2637-3

This study aims to assess the association between microbial composition, biofilm formation and chronic otorhinolaryngologic disorders in Malaysia. A total of 45 patients with chronic rhinosinusitis, chronic tonsillitis and chronic suppurative otitis media and 15 asymptomatic control patients were studied. Swab samples were obtained from these subjects. Samples were studied by conventional microbiological culturing, PCR-based microbial detection and Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM). Haemophilus influenzae, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) and other Streptococcus species were detected in subjects of both patient and control groups. Biofilm was observed in approximately half of the smear prepared from swab samples obtained from subjects of the patient group. Most of these were polymicrobial biofilms. S. aureus biofilm was most prevalent among nasal samples while H. influenzae biofilm was more common among ear and throat samples. Results from this study supported the hypothesis that chronic otorhinolaryngologic diseases may be biofilm related. Due to the presence of unculturable bacteria in biofilms present in specimens from ear, nose and throat, the use of molecular methods in combination with conventional microbiological culturing has demonstrated an improvement in the detection of bacteria from such specimens in this study.

MeSH terms: Bacteria/growth & development*; Chronic Disease; Cross-Cultural Comparison*; Ear, Middle/microbiology; Haemophilus influenzae/physiology; Humans; Malaysia; Nasal Mucosa/microbiology; Otitis Media, Suppurative/microbiology; Otorhinolaryngologic Diseases/microbiology*; Pharynx/microbiology; Pseudomonas aeruginosa/physiology; Rhinitis/microbiology; Sinusitis/microbiology; Spectrophotometry; Staphylococcus/physiology; Staphylococcus aureus/physiology; Streptococcus pneumoniae/physiology; Tonsillitis/microbiology; Case-Control Studies; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Biofilms/growth & development*; Microscopy, Confocal
Fulltext Stable expression of H1C2 monoclonal antibody in NS0 and CHO cells using pFUSE and UCOE expression system

Dharshanan S, Chong H, Cheah SH, Zamrod Z

Cytotechnology, 2014 Aug;66(4):625-33.
PMID: 23881539 DOI: 10.1007/s10616-013-9615-x

From our recent publications, it was found that the deimmunization method (Dharshanan et al. (2012) Sci Res Essays 7:2288-2299) should be applied for the development of humanized anti-C2 monoclonal antibody (H1C2 mAb). However, the overlapping-PCR mutagenesis procedure used to insert the variable regions into cloning vectors was laborious and time-consuming. Additionally, the expression of H1C2 mAb in NS0 cells was low in static culture vessels. Therefore H1C2 mAb was redeveloped by deimmunization method with the following modifications in order to optimize the production of H1C2 mAb. First, instead of the overlapping-PCR mutagenesis procedure, synthetic DNA coding the variable regions were used to express the mAb. Second, two expression vectors, pFUSE and UCOE, were used to express H1C2 mAb in NS0 cells and CHO cells in order to investigate the combination that gave the highest number of high producing stable clones. This will provide the highest chance of finding clones with the requisite high productivity and stability required for manufacturing. We found that transfection of UCOE in CHO cells generated the highest number of high producing stable clones. To our knowledge, this is the first time that H1C2 mAb has been expressed in CHO cells.
Assessment of sewage sludge bioremediation at different hydraulic retention times using mixed fungal inoculation by liquid-state bioconversion

Rahman RA, Molla AH, Fakhru'l-Razi A

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2014 Jan;21(2):1178-87.
PMID: 23881591 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-013-1974-5

Sustainable, environmental friendly, and safe disposal of sewage treatment plant (STP) sludge is a global expectation. Bioremediation performance was examined at different hydraulic retention times (HRT) in 3-10 days and organic loading rates (OLR) at 0.66-7.81 g chemical oxygen demand (COD) per liter per day, with mixed filamentous fungal (Aspergillus niger and Penicillium corylophilum) inoculation by liquid-state bioconversion (LSB) technique as a continuous process in large-scale bioreactor. Encouraging results were monitored in treated sludge by LSB continuous process. The highest removal of total suspended solid (TSS), turbidity, and COD were achieved at 98, 99, and 93%, respectively, at 10 days HRT compared to control. The minimum volatile suspended solid/suspended solid implies the quality of water, which was recorded 0.59 at 10 days and 0.72 at 3 days of HRT. In treated supernatant with 88% protein removal at 10 days of HRT indicates a higher magnitude of purification of treated sludge. The specific resistance to filtration (SRF) quantifies the performance of dewaterability; it was recorded minimum 0.049 × 10(12) m kg(-1) at 10 days of HRT, which was equivalent to 97% decrease of SRF. The lower OLR and higher HRT directly influenced the bioremediation and dewaterability of STP sludge in LSB process. The obtained findings imply encouraging message in continuing treatment of STP sludge, i.e., bioremediation of wastewater for environmental friendly disposal in near future.

MeSH terms: Aspergillus niger/physiology; Biodegradation, Environmental; Filtration; Penicillium/physiology; Sewage/microbiology*; Sewage/chemistry; Waste Disposal, Fluid/methods*; Bioreactors; Biological Oxygen Demand Analysis; Agricultural Inoculants; Waste Water/microbiology; Waste Water/chemistry
Effect of eurycomanone on cytochrome P450 isoforms CYP1A2, CYP2A6, CYP2C8, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2E1 and CYP3A4 in vitro

Pan Y, Tiong KH, Abd-Rashid BA, Ismail Z, Ismail R, Mak JW, et al.

J Nat Med, 2014 Apr;68(2):402-6.
PMID: 23881640 DOI: 10.1007/s11418-013-0794-8

Eurycomanone, an active constituent isolated from Eurycoma longifolia Jack, was examined for modulatory effects on cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoforms CYP1A2, CYP2A6, CYP2C8, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2E1 and CYP3A4 using in vitro assays. The IC50 value was determined to assess the potencies of modulation for each CYP isoform. Our results indicated that eurycomanone did not potently inhibit any of the CYP isoforms investigated, with IC50 values greater than 250 μg/ml. Hence there appears to be little likelihood of drug-herb interaction between eurycomanone or herbal products with high content of this compound and CYP drug substrates via CYP inhibition.

MeSH terms: Aryl Hydrocarbon Hydroxylases/metabolism; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System/metabolism*; Humans; Isoenzymes/metabolism; Plant Extracts/pharmacology*; Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A2/metabolism; Cytochrome P-450 CYP2E1/metabolism; Quassins/pharmacology*; Cytochrome P-450 CYP3A/metabolism; Cytochrome P-450 CYP2A6; Cytochrome P-450 CYP2C8; Cytochrome P-450 CYP2C9; Cytochrome P-450 CYP2C19
Does substance abuse contribute to further risk of falls in dementia

Eshkoor SA, Hamid TA, Nudin SS, Mun CY

Neuropsychol Dev Cogn B Aging Neuropsychol Cogn, 2014;21(3):317-24.
PMID: 23883099 DOI: 10.1080/13825585.2013.819067

This study aimed to predict the risk of falls by focusing on substance abuse in the elderly with dementia. Our national cross-sectional survey included 1210 elderly Malaysian demented subjects. The study identified the effects of age, ethnicity, sex differences, marital status, educational level, and substance abuse on the likelihood of falls in the elderly with dementia. The multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze data collected from samples. The prevalence of falls was about 17% among subjects and significantly increased with age (p = .006). Furthermore, the results showed that age (OR = 1.03), ethnicity (OR = 1.69), substance abuse (OR = 1.68), and female sex (OR = 1.45) significantly enhanced the risk of falls in respondents (p < .05). Educational level and marital status had no significant effects on the likelihood of falls (p > .05). However, the findings provided evidence of an additional effect of substance abuse on further risk of falls in older adults with dementia.

MeSH terms: Accidental Falls/statistics & numerical data*; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dementia/complications*; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Risk Factors; Substance-Related Disorders/complications*
Reciprocal expression of the endocytic protein HIP1R and its repressor FOXP1 predicts outcome in R-CHOP-treated diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients

Wong KK, Gascoyne DM, Brown PJ, Soilleux EJ, Snell C, Chen H, et al.

Leukemia, 2014 Feb;28(2):362-72.
PMID: 23884370 DOI: 10.1038/leu.2013.224

We previously identified autoantibodies to the endocytic-associated protein Huntingtin-interacting protein 1-related (HIP1R) in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients. HIP1R regulates internalization of cell surface receptors via endocytosis, a process relevant to many therapeutic strategies including CD20 targeting with rituximab. In this study, we characterized HIP1R expression patterns, investigated a mechanism of transcriptional regulation and its clinical relevance in DLBCL patients treated with immunochemotherapy (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone, R-CHOP). HIP1R was preferentially expressed in germinal center B-cell-like DLBCL (P<0.0001) and inversely correlated with the activated B-cell-like DLBCL (ABC-DLBCL) associated transcription factor, Forkhead box P1 (FOXP1). HIP1R was confirmed as a direct FOXP1 target gene in ABC-DLBCL by FOXP1-targeted silencing and chromatin immunoprecipitation. Lower HIP1R protein expression (≤ 10% tumoral positivity) significantly correlated with inferior overall survival (OS, P=0.0003) and progression-free survival (PFS, P=0.0148) in R-CHOP-treated DLBCL patients (n=157). Reciprocal expression with ≥ 70% FOXP1 positivity defined FOXP1(hi)/HIP1R(lo) patients with particularly poor outcome (OS, P=0.0001; PFS, P=0.0016). In an independent R-CHOP-treated DLBCL (n=233) microarray data set, patients with transcript expression in lower quartile HIP1R and FOXP1(hi)/HIP1R(lo) subgroups exhibited worse OS, P=0.0044 and P=0.0004, respectively. HIP1R repression by FOXP1 is strongly associated with poor outcome, thus further understanding of FOXP1-HIP1R and/or endocytic signaling pathways might give rise to novel therapeutic options for DLBCL.

MeSH terms: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use; B-Lymphocytes/metabolism; Cyclophosphamide/therapeutic use; Doxorubicin/therapeutic use; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Neoplasm Staging; Prednisone/therapeutic use; Prognosis; Protein Binding; Repressor Proteins/genetics*; Repressor Proteins/metabolism; Vincristine/therapeutic use; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic*; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse/drug therapy; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse/genetics*; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse/mortality*; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse/pathology; Treatment Outcome; Vesicular Transport Proteins/genetics*; Vesicular Transport Proteins/metabolism; Forkhead Transcription Factors/genetics*; Forkhead Transcription Factors/metabolism; Young Adult; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived/therapeutic use
Segmental juvenile xanthogranuloma

Ng SY

Pediatr Dermatol, 2014 Sep-Oct;31(5):615-7.
PMID: 23889163 DOI: 10.1111/pde.12199

A 5-month-old boy had erythematous nodules over the left side of his trunk with a segmental arrangement since birth. Histopathologic examination revealed sheets of foamy histiocytes infiltrating the dermis and subcutaneous fat, admixed with multinucleated giant cells and lymphocytes, making this an unusual case of juvenile xanthogranuloma appearing in a segmental distribution.

MeSH terms: Biopsy; Diagnosis, Differential; Humans; Infant; Male; Xanthogranuloma, Juvenile/diagnosis*; Xanthogranuloma, Juvenile/pathology
Preoperative patient characteristics and outcomes of total knee arthroplasty in a multiethnic Asian population stratified by ethnicity

Jiang L, Bin Abd Razak HR, Chong HC, Tan A

J Arthroplasty, 2014 Feb;29(2):304-7.
PMID: 23891052 DOI: 10.1016/j.arth.2013.06.002

We aim to compare the patient profile and outcomes after TKA between the different racial groups in Singapore. Prospective data were collected from 364 patients who underwent TKA in Singapore General Hospital from January 2006 to May 2010. Patients were stratified according to ethnicity and we compared their preoperative demographic data, Short-Form 36 (SF-36), Oxford Knee (OKS) as well as Knee Society Scores (KSS). Malays were younger (62.0 ± 5.3) at time of surgery (p=0.05) and the body mass index of Chinese (27.9 ± 4.7) was lower than Malay (30.4 ± 5.0) and Indian (31.5 ± 4.5) patients (P<0.005). Malay (40.3 ± 11.0) and Indian (39.2 ± 9.3) patients had less favourable preoperative OKS than Chinese (35.9 ± 7.8) patients (P<0.05). All 3 ethnic groups achieved statistically significant improvements in outcome measures but did not differ significantly between the ethnicities.

MeSH terms: Aged; China/ethnology; Female; Humans; India/ethnology; Knee Joint/surgery*; Malaysia/ethnology; Male; Middle Aged; Singapore/epidemiology; Treatment Outcome; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee*; Osteoarthritis, Knee/ethnology*; Osteoarthritis, Knee/surgery*; Asian Continental Ancestry Group/ethnology; Asian Continental Ancestry Group/statistics & numerical data*
Ergonomics observation: Harvesting tasks at oil palm plantation

Ng YG, Shamsul Bahri MT, Irwan Syah MY, Mori I, Hashim Z

J Occup Health, 2014;55(5):405-14.
PMID: 23892641

OBJECTIVES: Production agriculture is commonly associated with high prevalence of ergonomic injuries, particularly during intensive manual labor and during harvesting. This paper intends to briefly describe an overview of oil palm plantation management highlighting the ergonomics problem each of the breakdown task analysis.
METHODS: Although cross-sectional field visits were conducted in the current study, insight into past and present occupational safety and health concerns particularly regarding the ergonomics of oil palm plantations was further exploited. Besides discussion, video recordings were extensively used for ergonomics analysis.
RESULTS: The unique commodity of oil palm plantations presents significantly different ergonomics risk factors for fresh fruit bunch (FFB) cutters during different stages of harvesting. Although the ergonomics risk factors remain the same for FFB collectors, the intensity of manual lifting increases significantly with the age of the oil palm trees-weight of FFB.
CONCLUSIONS: There is urgent need to establish surveillance in order to determine the current prevalence of ergonomic injuries. Thereafter, ergonomics interventions that are holistic and comprehensive should be conducted and evaluated for their efficacy using approaches that are integrated, participatory and cost-effective.

MeSH terms: Agriculture/methods; Agriculture/organization & administration*; Agriculture/standards; Humans; Human Engineering/methods*; Human Engineering/standards; Malaysia; Musculoskeletal System/injuries*; Plant Oils; Occupational Injuries/etiology; Occupational Injuries/prevention & control*
A hybrid of bees algorithm and flux balance analysis with OptKnock as a platform for in silico optimization of microbial strains

Choon YW, Mohamad MS, Deris S, Illias RM, Chong CK, Chai LE

Bioprocess Biosyst Eng, 2014 Mar;37(3):521-32.
PMID: 23892659 DOI: 10.1007/s00449-013-1019-y

Microbial strain optimization focuses on improving technological properties of the strain of microorganisms. However, the complexities of the metabolic networks, which lead to data ambiguity, often cause genetic modification on the desirable phenotypes difficult to predict. Furthermore, vast number of reactions in cellular metabolism lead to the combinatorial problem in obtaining optimal gene deletion strategy. Consequently, the computation time increases exponentially with the increase in the size of the problem. Hence, we propose an extension of a hybrid of Bees Algorithm and Flux Balance Analysis (BAFBA) by integrating OptKnock into BAFBA to validate the result. This paper presents a number of computational experiments to test on the performance and capability of BAFBA. Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis and Clostridium thermocellum are the model organisms in this paper. Also included is the identification of potential reactions to improve the production of succinic acid, lactic acid and ethanol, plus the discussion on the changes in the flux distribution of the predicted mutants. BAFBA shows potential in suggesting the non-intuitive gene knockout strategies and a low variability among the several runs. The results show that BAFBA is suitable, reliable and applicable in predicting optimal gene knockout strategy.

MeSH terms: Algorithms*; Bacillus subtilis/genetics; Bacillus subtilis/metabolism*; Computer Simulation; Escherichia coli/genetics; Escherichia coli/metabolism*; Genes, Bacterial; Clostridium thermocellum/genetics; Clostridium thermocellum/metabolism*
Sensory nerves are frequently involved in the spectrum of fisher syndrome

Shahrizaila N, Goh KJ, Kokubun N, Tan AH, Tan CY, Yuki N

Muscle Nerve, 2014 Apr;49(4):558-63.
PMID: 23893512 DOI: 10.1002/mus.23973

Differing patterns of neurophysiological abnormalities have been reported in patients with Fisher syndrome. Fisher syndrome is rare, and few series have incorporated prospective serial studies to define the natural history of nerve conduction studies in Guillain-Barré syndrome.

MeSH terms: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Neural Conduction/physiology*; Prospective Studies; Sensory Receptor Cells/pathology*; Sensory Receptor Cells/physiology*; Miller Fisher Syndrome/diagnosis*; Miller Fisher Syndrome/physiopathology*; Young Adult
Sustainable reuse of rice residues as feedstocks in vermicomposting for organic fertilizer production

Shak KP, Wu TY, Lim SL, Lee CA

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2014 Jan;21(2):1349-59.
PMID: 23900949 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-013-1995-0

Over the past decade, rice (Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima) cultivation has increased in many rice-growing countries due to the increasing export demand and population growth and led to a copious amount of rice residues, consisting mainly of rice straw (RS) and rice husk (RH), being generated during and after harvesting. In this study, Eudrilus eugeniae was used to decompose rice residues alone and rice residues amended with cow dung (CD) for bio-transformation of wastes into organic fertilizer. Generally, the final vermicomposts showed increases in macronutrients, namely, calcium (11.4-34.2%), magnesium (1.3-40.8%), phosphorus (1.2-57.3%), and potassium (1.1-345.6%) and a decrease in C/N ratio (26.8-80.0%) as well as increases in heavy metal content for iron (17-108%), copper (14-120%), and manganese (6-60%) after 60 days of vermicomposting. RS as a feedstock was observed to support healthier growth and reproduction of earthworms as compared to RH, with maximum adult worm biomass of 0.66 g/worm (RS) at 60 days, 31 cocoons (1RS:2CD), and 23 hatchlings (1RS:1CD). Vermicomposting of RS yielded better results than RH among all of the treatments investigated. RS that was mixed with two parts of CD (1RS:2CD) showed the best combination of nutrient results as well as the growth of E. eugeniae. In conclusion, vermicomposting could be used as a green technology to bio-convert rice residues into nutrient-rich organic fertilizers if the residues are mixed with CD in the appropriate ratio.

MeSH terms: Animals; Calcium/analysis; Cattle; Conservation of Natural Resources/methods*; Female; Fertilizers*; Magnesium/analysis; Manure; Oligochaeta/physiology; Phosphorus/analysis; Potassium/analysis; Refuse Disposal/methods*; Oryza*; Soil/chemistry*; Biomass; Metals, Heavy/analysis; Recycling
Oral paricalcitol versus oral calcitriol in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism

Jamaluddin EJ, Gafor AH, Yean LC, Cader R, Mohd R, Kong NC, et al.

Clin Exp Nephrol, 2014 Jun;18(3):507-14.
PMID: 23903802 DOI: 10.1007/s10157-013-0844-2

Secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) is common in end-stage renal disease. Our primary objective was to evaluate the efficacy of oral paricalcitol versus oral calcitriol on serum intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) and mineral bone parameters in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients with SHPT. The secondary objective was to analyze highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and peritoneal membrane function in both groups.

MeSH terms: Administration, Oral; Adult; C-Reactive Protein/metabolism; Calcitriol/administration & dosage*; Calcitriol/pharmacology; Calcitriol/therapeutic use*; Calcium/blood; Ergocalciferols/administration & dosage*; Ergocalciferols/pharmacology; Ergocalciferols/therapeutic use*; Female; Humans; Hyperparathyroidism, Secondary/blood; Hyperparathyroidism, Secondary/drug therapy*; Hyperparathyroidism, Secondary/etiology; Kidney Failure, Chronic/blood; Kidney Failure, Chronic/complications; Kidney Failure, Chronic/therapy*; Male; Middle Aged; Parathyroid Hormone/blood; Peritoneal Dialysis, Continuous Ambulatory*; Peritoneum/drug effects; Peritoneum/physiology; Prospective Studies; Bone Density/drug effects; Bone Density/physiology; Treatment Outcome; Bone Density Conservation Agents/administration & dosage; Bone Density Conservation Agents/pharmacology; Bone Density Conservation Agents/therapeutic use
Combining high-resolution gross domestic product data with home and personal care product market research data to generate a subnational emission inventory for Asia

Hodges JE, Vamshi R, Holmes C, Rowson M, Miah T, Price OR

Integr Environ Assess Manag, 2014 Apr;10(2):237-46.
PMID: 23913410 DOI: 10.1002/ieam.1476

Environmental risk assessment of chemicals is reliant on good estimates of product usage information and robust exposure models. Over the past 20 to 30 years, much progress has been made with the development of exposure models that simulate the transport and distribution of chemicals in the environment. However, little progress has been made in our ability to estimate chemical emissions of home and personal care (HPC) products. In this project, we have developed an approach to estimate subnational emission inventory of chemical ingredients used in HPC products for 12 Asian countries including Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam (Asia-12). To develop this inventory, we have coupled a 1 km grid of per capita gross domestic product (GDP) estimates with market research data of HPC product sales. We explore the necessity of accounting for a population's ability to purchase HPC products in determining their subnational distribution in regions where wealth is not uniform. The implications of using high resolution data on inter- and intracountry subnational emission estimates for a range of hypothetical and actual HPC product types were explored. It was demonstrated that for low value products (<500 US$ per capita/annum required to purchase product) the maximum deviation from baseline (emission distributed via population) is less than a factor of 3 and it would not result in significant differences in chemical risk assessments. However, for other product types (>500 US$ per capita/annum required to purchase product) the implications on emissions being assigned to subnational regions can vary by several orders of magnitude. The implications of this on conducting national or regional level risk assessments may be significant. Further work is needed to explore the implications of this variability in HPC emissions to enable the HPC industry and/or governments to advance risk-based chemical management policies in emerging markets.

MeSH terms: Asia; Cosmetics/analysis*; Cosmetics/economics*; Cosmetics/chemistry; Environmental Monitoring/economics; Environmental Monitoring/methods*; Environmental Pollutants/analysis*; Environmental Pollutants/economics*; Environmental Pollutants/chemistry; Risk Assessment; Marketing/statistics & numerical data*; Gross Domestic Product/statistics & numerical data*; Spatial Analysis
Consensus of official position of IOF/ISCD FRAX initiatives in Asia-Pacific region

Wu CH, McCloskey EV, Lee JK, Itabashi A, Prince R, Yu W, et al.

J Clin Densitom, 2014;17(1):150-5.
PMID: 23916756 DOI: 10.1016/j.jocd.2013.06.002

The fracture risk assessment tool (FRAX(®)) has been developed for the identification of individuals with high risk of fracture in whom treatment to prevent fractures would be appropriate. FRAX models are not yet available for all countries or ethnicities, but surrogate models can be used within regions with similar fracture risk. The International Society for Clinical Densitometry (ISCD) and International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) are nonprofit multidisciplinary international professional organizations. Their visions are to advance the awareness, education, prevention, and treatment of osteoporosis. In November 2010, the IOF/ISCD FRAX initiative was held in Bucharest, bringing together international experts to review and create evidence-based official positions guiding clinicians for the practical use of FRAX. A consensus meeting of the Asia-Pacific (AP) Panel of the ISCD recently reviewed the most current Official Positions of the Joint Official Positions of ISCD and IOF on FRAX in view of the different population characteristics and health standards in the AP regions. The reviewed position statements included not only the key spectrum of positions but also unique concerns in AP regions.

MeSH terms: Algorithms; Asia; Health Status Indicators; Humans; Risk Factors; Absorptiometry, Photon; Bone Density; Risk Assessment; Oceania; Asian Continental Ancestry Group*
Co-expression of TAL1 and ADH1 in recombinant xylose-fermenting Saccharomyces cerevisiae improves ethanol production from lignocellulosic hydrolysates in the presence of furfural

Hasunuma T, Ismail KSK, Nambu Y, Kondo A

J Biosci Bioeng, 2014 Feb;117(2):165-169.
PMID: 23916856 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiosc.2013.07.007

Lignocellulosic biomass dedicated to bioethanol production usually contains pentoses and inhibitory compounds such as furfural that are not well tolerated by Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Thus, S. cerevisiae strains with the capability of utilizing both glucose and xylose in the presence of inhibitors such as furfural are very important in industrial ethanol production. Under the synergistic conditions of transaldolase (TAL) and alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) overexpression, S. cerevisiae MT8-1X/TAL-ADH was able to produce 1.3-fold and 2.3-fold more ethanol in the presence of 70 mM furfural than a TAL-expressing strain and a control strain, respectively. We also tested the strains' ability by mimicking industrial ethanol production from hemicellulosic hydrolysate containing fermentation inhibitors, and ethanol production was further improved by 16% when using MT8-1X/TAL-ADH compared to the control strain. Transcript analysis further revealed that besides the pentose phosphate pathway genes TKL1 and TAL1, ADH7 was also upregulated in response to furfural stress, which resulted in higher ethanol production compared to the TAL-expressing strain. The improved capability of our modified strain was based on its capacity to more quickly reduce furfural in situ resulting in higher ethanol production. The co-expression of TAL/ADH genes is one crucial strategy to fully utilize undetoxified lignocellulosic hydrolysate, leading to cost-competitive ethanol production.

MeSH terms: Alcohol Dehydrogenase/genetics; Alcohol Dehydrogenase/metabolism*; Ethanol/analysis; Ethanol/isolation & purification; Ethanol/metabolism*; Fermentation/drug effects; Furaldehyde/metabolism*; Furaldehyde/pharmacology; Hydrolysis; Lignin/metabolism*; Pentose Phosphate Pathway/genetics; Saccharomyces cerevisiae/drug effects; Saccharomyces cerevisiae/genetics; Saccharomyces cerevisiae/metabolism*; Transaldolase/genetics; Transaldolase/metabolism*; Xylose/metabolism*; Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal/drug effects; Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins/genetics; Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins/metabolism*; Biofuels/analysis; Biofuels/supply & distribution; Transcriptome/drug effects; Transcriptome/genetics

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