Browse publications by year: 2014

  1. Tan ES, Ying-Yuan N, Gan CY
    Food Chem, 2014;152:447-55.
    PMID: 24444960 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2013.12.008
    Optimisation of protein extraction yield from pinto bean was investigated using response surface methodology. The maximum protein yield of 54.8 mg/g was obtained with the optimal conditions of: temperature=25 °C, time=1 h and buffer-to-sample ratio=20 ml/g. PBPI was found to obtain high amount of essential amino acids such as leucine, lysine, and phenylalanine compared to SPI. The predominant proteins of PBPI were vicilin and phytohemagglutinins whereas the predominant proteins of SPI were glycinin and conglycinins. Significantly higher emulsifying capacity was found in PBPI (84.8%) compared to SPI (61.9%). Different isoelectric points were found in both PBPI (4.0-5.5) and SPI (4.0-5.0). Also, it was found that PBPI obtained a much higher denaturation temperature of 110.2 °C compared to SPI (92.5 °C). Other properties such as structural information, gelling capacity, water- and oil-holding capacities, emulsion stability as well as digestibility were also reported.
    MeSH terms: Amino Acids/analysis; Chemical Fractionation; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Isoelectric Point; Fabaceae/chemistry*; Plant Proteins/isolation & purification; Plant Proteins/chemistry*; Solubility
  2. Sadeghilar A, Rashid AH, Ibrahim S
    J Pediatr Orthop B, 2014 May;23(3):244-6.
    PMID: 24445537 DOI: 10.1097/BPB.0000000000000033
    Dislocation or subluxation of the hip is considered as the most common hip problem in patients with Down syndrome. Recommended treatment of chronic dislocation treatment is open reduction combined with femoral and/or pelvis osteotomies. We report a Down syndrome child with chronic hip dislocation who was successfully treated with adductor tenotomy and closed reduction, which has not been reported previously.
    MeSH terms: Child; Chronic Disease; Down Syndrome/complications*; Hip Dislocation/surgery*; Humans; Male; Tenotomy*
  3. Hussein-Al-Ali SH, Arulselvan P, Fakurazi S, Hussein MZ, Dorniani D
    J Biomater Appl, 2014 Jan 19;29(2):186-198.
    PMID: 24445774
    Iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) can be used in targeted drug delivery systems for localized cancer treatment. MNPs coated with biocompatible polymers are useful for delivering anticancer drugs. Iron oxide MNPs were synthesized via co-precipitation method then coated with either chitosan (CS) or polyethylene glycol (PEG) to form CS-MNPs and PEG-MNPs, respectively. Arginine (Arg) was loaded onto both coated nanoparticles to form Arg-CS-MNP and Arg-PEG-MNP nanocomposites. The X-ray diffraction results for the MNPs and the Arg-CS-MNP and Arg-PEG-MNPs nanocomposites indicated that the iron oxide contained pure magnetite. The amount of CS and PEG bound to the MNPs were estimated via thermogravimetric analysis and confirmed via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis. Arg loading was estimated using UV-vis measurements, which yielded values of 5.5% and 11% for the Arg-CS-MNP and Arg-PEG-MNP nanocomposites, respectively. The release profile of Arg from the nanocomposites followed a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The cytotoxic effects of the MNPs, Arg-CS-MNPs, and Arg-PEG-MNPs were evaluated in human cervical carcinoma cells (HeLa), mouse embryonic fibroblast cells (3T3) and breast adenocarcinoma cells (MCF-7). The results indicate that the MNPs, Arg-CS-MNPs, and Arg-PEG-MNPs do not exhibit cytotoxicity toward 3T3 and HeLa cells. However, treatment of the MCF-7 cells with the Arg-CS-MNP and Arg-PEG-MNP nanocomposites reduced the cancer cell viability with IC50 values of 48.6 and 42.6 µg/mL, respectively, whereas the MNPs and free Arg did not affect the viability of the MCF-7 cells.
  4. Bulmer JS, Martens J, Kurzepa L, Gizewski T, Egilmez M, Blamire MG, et al.
    Sci Rep, 2014 Jan 21;4:3762.
    PMID: 24446019 DOI: 10.1038/srep03762
    Recent progress with tailored growth and post-process sorting enables carbon nanotube (CNT) assemblies with predominantly metallic or semi-conducting concentrations. Cryogenic and microwave measurements performed here show transport dimensionality and overall order increasing with increasing metallic concentration, even in atmospheric doping conditions. By 120 GHz, the conductivity of predominantly semi-conducting assemblies grew to 400% its DC value at an increasing growth rate, while other concentrations a growth rate that tapered off. A generalized Drude model fits to the different frequency dependent behaviors and yields useful quality control parameters such as plasma frequency, mean free path, and degree of localization. As one of the first demonstrations of waveguides fabricated from this material, sorted CNTs from both as-made and post-process sources were inserted into sections of practical micro-strip. With both sources, sorted CNT micro-strip increasingly outperformed the unsorted with increasing frequency-- illustrating that sorted CNT assemblies will be important for high frequency applications.
    MeSH terms: Electric Conductivity*; Microwaves; Nanotubes, Carbon/chemistry*
  5. Phoon HS, Abdullah AC, Lee LW, Murugaiah P
    Clin Linguist Phon, 2014 May;28(5):329-45.
    PMID: 24446796 DOI: 10.3109/02699206.2013.868517
    To date, there has been little research done on phonological acquisition in the Malay language of typically developing Malay-speaking children. This study serves to fill this gap by providing a systematic description of Malay consonant acquisition in a large cohort of preschool-aged children between 4- and 6-years-old. In the study, 326 Malay-dominant speaking children were assessed using a picture naming task that elicited 53 single words containing all the primary consonants in Malay. Two main analyses were conducted to study their consonant acquisition: (1) age of customary and mastery production of consonants; and (2) consonant accuracy. Results revealed that Malay children acquired all the syllable-initial and syllable-final consonants before 4;06-years-old, with the exception of syllable-final /s/, /h/ and /l/ which were acquired after 5;06-years-old. The development of Malay consonants increased gradually from 4- to 6 years old, with female children performing better than male children. The accuracy of consonants based on manner of articulation showed that glides, affricates, nasals, and stops were higher than fricatives and liquids. In general, syllable-initial consonants were more accurate than syllable-final consonants while consonants in monosyllabic and disyllabic words were more accurate than polysyllabic words. These findings will provide significant information for speech-language pathologists for assessing Malay-speaking children and designing treatment objectives that reflect the course of phonological development in Malay.
    MeSH terms: Child; Child Language*; Child, Preschool; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Humans; Language; Language Development*; Linguistics; Malaysia; Male; Phonetics*; Speech*; Speech Production Measurement/methods*; Speech Production Measurement/standards; Reproducibility of Results
  6. Goh HT, Gordon J, Sullivan KJ, Winstein CJ
    J Mot Behav, 2014;46(2):95-105.
    PMID: 24447033 DOI: 10.1080/00222895.2013.868337
    The aim of this study was to examine the validity of a 2-choice audio-vocal reaction time (RT) probe task for measuring the changes in attentional demand during practice and learning of a discrete motor task. Twenty participants practiced the motor task across 3 days and were probed with the RT task during either the preparation or execution phase of the primary task. As practice progressed, participants improved in the primary task performance and shortened the RTs to the probe task. This indicated that less attention was required to plan and execute the movement and suggested that the RT probe task was a sensitive and valid tool to measure changes in attentional demands across practice. The authors implemented several additional experimental controls to address possible confounders including unintentional learning of the probe task, primary-secondary task trade-off effects, and compliance with task priority instructions. These experimental controls further ensured the validity of the probe paradigm and interpretability of the dual-task cost findings. Our experimental methods provided confirmatory evidence for the validity of the 2-choice RT task as a means to assess attentional demands during motor learning.
    MeSH terms: Adult; Attention/physiology*; Female; Humans; Learning/physiology*; Male; Motor Skills/physiology*; Psychological Tests; Reaction Time; Young Adult
  7. Ali Jadoo SA, Aljunid SM, Sulku SN, Nur AM
    BMC Health Serv Res, 2014;14:30.
    PMID: 24447374 DOI: 10.1186/1472-6963-14-30
    Since 2003, Turkey has implemented major health care reforms to develop easily accessible, high-quality, efficient, and effective healthcare services for the population. The purpose of this study was to bring out opinions of the Turkish people on health system reform process, focusing on several aspects of health system and assessing whether the public prefer the current health system or that provided a decade ago.
    MeSH terms: Adult; Aged; Attitude to Health*; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Health Resources/supply & distribution; Health Services Accessibility; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Public Opinion; Quality of Health Care; Surveys and Questionnaires; Turkey/epidemiology; Health Care Reform*
  8. Shazali N, Foo HL, Loh TC, Choe DW, Abdul Rahim R
    Gut Pathog, 2014 Jan 22;6(1):1.
    PMID: 24447766 DOI: 10.1186/1757-4749-6-1
    BACKGROUND: Probiotics are commonly used as feed additive to substitute antibiotic as growth promoter in animal farming. Probiotic consists of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), which enhance the growth and health of the animal. Probiotic also have higher possibility to become pathogenic bacteria that may carry antibiotic resistant gene that can be transmitted to other LAB species. The aim of this study was to identify the LAB species in the faeces of broiler chicken and to determine the prevalence of antibiotic resistant in LAB of broiler chicken.

    METHODS: Sixty faeces samples were collected from wet markets located in Klang Valley of Malaysia for the isolation of LAB using de-Mann Rogosa Sharpe medium. Thirteen species of LAB were obtained in this study and the identification of LAB was performed by using API test kit on the basis of carbohydrate fermentation profile. Antibiotic susceptibility assay was then carried out to determine the prevalence of LAB antibiotic resistance.

    RESULTS: Lactococcus lactis subsp lactis was found in nine out of sixty faecal samples. Lactobacillus paracasei was the second common LAB species isolated from chicken faecal. No significant difference (P > 0.05) was found between the occurrence of Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus curvatus, Lactobacillus plantarum, Leuconostoc lactis mesenteroides subsp mesenteroides/dectranium and Pediococcus pentosaceus isolated from 5 different locations. Most of the isolated LAB was resistant to antibiotic and high variability of the antibiotic resistance was observed among the LAB against 15 types of antibiotics. Penicillin, amoxicillin, chloramphenicol, and ampicillin had significant higher (P< 0.05) inhibitory zone than nalidixic acid, gentamycin, sulphamethoxazole, kanamycin, and streptomycin.

    CONCLUSIONS: Many species of LAB were isolated from the faecal samples of broiler chicken that resistance to the common antibiotics used in the farm. The development of resistant against antibiotics in LAB can be attributed to the long term exposure of antibiotic as growth promoter and therapeutic agents. Thus, it is essential to advise farmer the safety measure of antibiotic application in animal farming. Additionally, the supplementation of probiotic in animal feeding also needs more attention and close monitoring.

  9. Jamil K, Abdul Rashid AH, Ibrahim S
    J Pediatr Orthop B, 2014 Mar;23(2):204.
    PMID: 24447939 DOI: 10.1097/01.bpb.0000434259.00524.7f
    MeSH terms: Female; Hip Dislocation/therapy*; Humans; Leg Injuries/complications*; Male; Orthopedic Procedures/methods*
  10. Sulaiman AR, Munajat I, Mohd EF
    J Pediatr Orthop B, 2014 Mar;23(2):204-5.
    PMID: 24447940 DOI: 10.1097/BPB.0000000000000007
    MeSH terms: Female; Hip Dislocation/therapy*; Humans; Leg Injuries/complications*; Male; Orthopedic Procedures/methods*
  11. Yusoff M, Hamid H, Houghton P
    Molecules, 2014 Jan 20;19(1):1201-11.
    PMID: 24448061 DOI: 10.3390/molecules19011201
    Quaternary alkaloids are the major alkaloids isolated from Tinospora species. A previous study pointed to the necessary presence of quaternary nitrogens for strong acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activity in such alkaloids. Repeated column chromatography of the vine of Tinospora crispa extract led to the isolation of one new protoberberine alkaloid, 4,13-dihydroxy-2,8,9-trimethoxydibenzo[a,g]quinolizinium (1), along with six known alkaloids-dihydrodiscretamine (2), columbamine (3), magnoflorine (4), N-formylannonaine (5), N-formylnornuciferine (6), and N-trans-feruloyltyramine (7). The seven compounds were isolated and structurally elucidated by spectroscopic analysis. Two known alkaloids, namely, dihydrodiscretamine and columbamine are reported for the first time for this plant. The compounds were tested for AChE inhibitory activity using Ellman's method. In the AChE inhibition assay, only columbamine (3) showed strong activity with IC50 48.1 µM. The structure-activity relationships derived from these results suggest that the quaternary nitrogen in the skeleton has some effect, but that a high degree of methoxylation is more important for acetylcholinesterase inhibition.
    MeSH terms: Acetylcholinesterase/chemistry; Berberine Alkaloids/isolation & purification; Berberine Alkaloids/chemistry; Cholinesterase Inhibitors/isolation & purification; Cholinesterase Inhibitors/chemistry*; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Plant Extracts/isolation & purification; Plant Extracts/chemistry*; Quinolizines/isolation & purification; Quinolizines/chemistry*; Structure-Activity Relationship; Tinospora/chemistry*
  12. Thomas R, Hamat RA, Neela V
    Virulence, 2014 Feb 15;5(2):326-30.
    PMID: 24448556 DOI: 10.4161/viru.27724
    MeSH terms: Bacterial Proteins/analysis*; Cross Infection/microbiology; Environmental Microbiology; Enzymes/analysis*; Humans; Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections/microbiology*; Stenotrophomonas maltophilia/enzymology*; Stenotrophomonas maltophilia/isolation & purification; Virulence Factors/analysis*
  13. Apalasamy YD, Rampal S, Salim A, Moy FM, Bulgiba A, Mohamed Z
    Mol Biol Rep, 2014 May;41(5):2917-21.
    PMID: 24449366 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-014-3147-0
    Studies have shown that single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on the ADIPOQ gene have been linked with obesity and with adiponectin levels in various populations. Here, we aimed to investigate the association of ADIPOQ rs17366568 and rs3774261 SNPs with obesity and with adiponectin levels in Malaysian Malays. Obesity parameters and adiponectin levels were measured in 574 subjects. Genotyping was performed using real-time polymerase chain reaction and Sequenom MassARRAY. A significant genotypic association was observed between ADIPOQ rs17366568 and obesity. The frequencies of AG and AA genotypes were significantly higher in the obese group (11%) than in the non-obese group (5%) (P=0.024). The odds of A alleles occurring among the obese group were twice those among the non-obese group (odds ratio 2.15; 95% confidence interval 1.13-4.09). However, no significant association was found between allelic frequencies of ADIPOQ rs17366568 and obesity after Bonferroni correction (P>0.025) or between ADIPOQ rs3774261 and obesity both at allelic and genotypic levels. ADIPOQ SNPs were not significantly associated with log-adiponectin levels. GA, GG, and AG haplotypes of the ADIPOQ gene were not associated with obesity. We confirmed the previously reported association of ADIPOQ rs17366568 with the risk of obesity. ADIPOQ SNPs are not important modulators of adiponectin levels in this population.
    MeSH terms: Adult; Alleles; Female; Gene Frequency; Genotype; Haplotypes; Humans; Malaysia; Middle Aged; Obesity/blood*; Obesity/genetics*; Risk Factors; Genetic Predisposition to Disease*; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide*; Asian Continental Ancestry Group/genetics*; Adiponectin/blood*; Adiponectin/genetics*; Genetic Association Studies
  14. Lee LH, Zainal N, Azman AS, Mutalib NA, Hong K, Chan KG
    Int J Syst Evol Microbiol, 2014 May;64(Pt 5):1461-1467.
    PMID: 24449791 DOI: 10.1099/ijs.0.058701-0
    A novel actinobacterial strain, designated MUSC 201T, was isolated from a mangrove soil collected from Kuantan, the capital city of Pahang State in Malaysia. The taxonomic status of this strain was determined using a polyphasic approach. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that strain MUSC 201T represented a novel lineage within the class Actinobacteria. Strain MUSC 201T formed a distinct clade in the family Nocardioidaceae and was most closely related to the members of the genera Nocardioides (16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, 91.9-95.1%), Aeromicrobium (92.7-94.6%), Marmoricola (92.5-93.1%) and Kribbella (91.5-92.4%). The cells of this strain were irregular coccoid to short rod shaped. The peptidoglycan contained ll-diaminopimelic acid as diagnostic diamino acid and the peptidoglycan type was A3γ. The peptidoglycan cell wall contained ll-diaminopimelic acid, glycine, glutamic acid and alanine in a molar ratio of 1.5:0.9:1.0:1.5. The cell-wall sugars were galactose and rhamnose. The predominant menaquinone was MK-9(H4). The polar lipids consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphoglycolipid, glycolipid and four unknown phospholipids. The major cellular fatty acids were C18:1ω9c (30.8%), C16:0 (24.1%), and 10-methyl C18:0 (13.9%). The DNA G+C content was 72.0±0.1 mol%. On the basis of phylogenetic and phenotypic differences from members of the genera of the family Nocardioidaceae, a novel genus and species, Mumia flava gen. nov., sp. nov. are proposed. The type strain of Mumia flava is MUSC 201T (=DSM 27763T=MCCC 1A00646T=NBRC 109973T).
    MeSH terms: Actinomycetales/classification*; Actinomycetales/genetics; Actinomycetales/isolation & purification; Base Composition; Cell Wall/chemistry; Diaminopimelic Acid/chemistry; DNA, Bacterial/genetics; Fatty Acids/chemistry; Malaysia; Molecular Sequence Data; Peptidoglycan/chemistry; Phospholipids/chemistry; Phylogeny*; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics; Soil Microbiology*; Bacterial Typing Techniques; Sequence Analysis, DNA
  15. Bursey CR, Goldberg SR, Grismer LL
    J Parasitol, 2014 Jun;100(3):317-22.
    PMID: 24450328 DOI: 10.1645/13-410.1
    Spauligodon bintangensis n. sp. from the intestines of Cyrtodactylus bintangrendah (Gekkonidae) from Peninsular Malaysia is described and illustrated. Spauligodon bintangensis n. sp. represents the 51st species assigned to the genus and the first species from the Oriental Region. The new species is most similar to Spauligodon atlanticus, Spauligodon eremiasi, and Spauligodon occidentalis, but is easily separated by position of vulva, prebulbar in S. atlanticus and S. occidentalis , postbulbar in the new species, and location of lateral alae; in S. eremiasi, the lateral alae occur only in the fourth quarter of the body, whereas in the new species the lateral alae begin just posterior to lips.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Female; Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic/epidemiology; Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic/parasitology; Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic/veterinary*; Intestine, Large/parasitology; Lizards/parasitology*; Malaysia/epidemiology; Male; Oxyuriasis/epidemiology; Oxyuriasis/parasitology; Oxyuriasis/veterinary*; Oxyuroidea/anatomy & histology; Oxyuroidea/classification*; Oxyuroidea/isolation & purification; Sex Characteristics
  16. Singho ND, Johan MR, Lah NA
    Nanoscale Res Lett, 2014;9(1):42.
    PMID: 24450850 DOI: 10.1186/1556-276X-9-42
    Ag/PMMA nanocomposites were successfully synthesized by in-situ technique. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images show that the particles are spherical in shape and their sizes are dependent on temperature. The smallest particle achieved high stability as indicated from Zeta sizer analysis. The red shift of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) indicated the increases of particle sizes. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns exhibit a two-phase (crystalline and amorphous) structure of Ag/PMMA nanocomposites. The complexation of Ag/PMMA nanocomposites was confirmed using Raman spectroscopy. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectra confirmed that the bonding was dominantly influenced by the PMMA and DMF solution. Finally, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) results indicate that the total weight loss increases as the temperature increases.
    MeSH terms: Particle Size; Spectrum Analysis, Raman; Temperature; Thermogravimetry; X-Ray Diffraction; Weight Loss; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; Polymethyl Methacrylate; Surface Plasmon Resonance; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; Nanocomposites
  17. Lay MM, Karsani SA, Malek SN
    Int J Mol Sci, 2014 Jan 02;15(1):468-83.
    PMID: 24451128 DOI: 10.3390/ijms15010468
    1-(2,6-Dihydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl) ethanone (DMHE) was isolated from the ethyl acetate fraction of Phaleria macrocarpa (Scheff.) Boerl fruits and the structure confirmed by GC-MS (gas chromatography-mass spectrometry) and NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) analysis. This compound was tested on the HT-29 human colon adenocarcinoma cell line using MTT (method of transcriptional and translational) cell proliferation assay. The results of MTT assay showed that DMHE exhibited good cytotoxic effect on HT-29 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner but no cytotoxic effect on the MRC-5 cell line after 72 h incubation. Morphological features of apoptotic cells upon treatment by DMHE, e.g., cell shrinkage and membrane blebbing, were examined by an inverted and phase microscope. Other features, such as chromatin condension and nuclear fragmentation were studied using acridine orange and propidium iodide staining under the fluorescence microscope. Future evidence of apoptosis/necrosis was provided by result fromannexin V-FITC/PI (fluorescein-isothiocyanate/propidium iodide) staining revealed the percentage of early apoptotic, late apoptotic, necrotic and live cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner using flow cytometry. Cell cycle analysis showed G0/G1 arrest in a time-dependent manner. A western blot analysis indicated that cell death might be associated with the up-regulation of the pro-apoptotic proteins Bax PUMA. However, the anit-apotptic proteins Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, and Mcl-1 were also found to increase in a time-dependent manner. The expression of the pro-apoptotic protein Bak was not observed.
    MeSH terms: Adenocarcinoma/metabolism; Adenocarcinoma/pathology; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic/isolation & purification; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic/pharmacology*; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic/chemistry; Colonic Neoplasms/metabolism; Colonic Neoplasms/pathology; Humans; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Propiophenones/isolation & purification; Propiophenones/pharmacology*; Propiophenones/chemistry; Resorcinols/isolation & purification; Resorcinols/pharmacology*; Resorcinols/chemistry; Up-Regulation/drug effects; Apoptosis; HT29 Cells; Thymelaeaceae/metabolism; Thymelaeaceae/chemistry; Cell Line, Tumor; Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins/metabolism; G1 Phase Cell Cycle Checkpoints/drug effects*; MCF-7 Cells
  18. Taha M, Naz H, Rasheed S, Ismail NH, Rahman AA, Yousuf S, et al.
    Molecules, 2014 Jan 21;19(1):1286-301.
    PMID: 24451249 DOI: 10.3390/molecules19011286
    A series of 4-methoxybenzoylhydrazones 1-30 was synthesized and the structures of the synthetic derivatives elucidated by spectroscopic methods. The compounds showed a varying degree of antiglycation activity, with IC50 values ranging between 216.52 and 748.71 µM, when compared to a rutin standard (IC50=294.46±1.50 µM). Compounds 1 (IC50=216.52±4.2 µM), 3 (IC50=289.58±2.64 µM), 6 (IC50=227.75±0.53 µM), 7 (IC50=242.53±6.1) and 11 (IC50=287.79±1.59) all showed more activity that the standard, and these compounds have the potential to serve as possible leads for drugs to inhibit protein glycation in diabetic patients. A preliminary SAR study was performed.
    MeSH terms: Glycosylation/drug effects; Hydrazones/chemical synthesis*; Hydrazones/pharmacology*; Structure-Activity Relationship; Molecular Structure; Inhibitory Concentration 50
  19. McShane CM, Murray LJ, Landgren O, O'Rorke MA, Korde N, Kunzmann AT, et al.
    Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev, 2014 Feb;23(2):332-42.
    PMID: 24451437 DOI: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-13-0695
    BACKGROUND: Several observational studies have investigated autoimmune disease and subsequent risk of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and multiple myeloma. Findings have been largely inconsistent and hindered by the rarity and heterogeneity of the autoimmune disorders investigated. A systematic review of the literature was undertaken to evaluate the strength of the evidence linking prior autoimmune disease and risk of MGUS/multiple myeloma.

    METHODS: A broad search strategy using key terms for MGUS, multiple myeloma, and 50 autoimmune diseases was used to search four electronic databases (PubMed, Medline, Embase, and Web of Science) from inception through November 2011.

    RESULTS: A total of 52 studies met the inclusion criteria, of which 32 were suitably comparable to perform a meta-analysis. "Any autoimmune disorder" was associated with an increased risk of both MGUS [n = 760 patients; pooled relative risk (RR) 1.42; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.14-1.75] and multiple myeloma (n>2,530 patients; RR 1.13, 95% CI, 1.04-1.22). This risk was disease dependent with only pernicious anemia showing an increased risk of both MGUS (RR 1.67; 95% CI, 1.21-2.31) and multiple myeloma (RR 1.50; 95% CI, 1.25-1.80).

    CONCLUSIONS: Our findings, based on the largest number of autoimmune disorders and patients with MGUS/multiple myeloma reported to date, suggest that autoimmune diseases and/or their treatment may be important in the etiology of MGUS/multiple myeloma. The strong associations observed for pernicious anemia suggest that anemia seen in plasma cell dyscrasias may be of autoimmune origin.

    IMPACT: Underlying mechanisms of autoimmune diseases, general immune dysfunction, and/or treatment of autoimmune diseases may be important in the pathogenesis of MGUS/multiple myeloma.

    MeSH terms: Autoimmune Diseases/immunology*; Autoimmune Diseases/epidemiology; Humans; Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance/immunology*; Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance/epidemiology; Multiple Myeloma/immunology*; Multiple Myeloma/epidemiology; Risk Factors; Cohort Studies; Case-Control Studies; Observational Studies as Topic
  20. Thwin SS, Fazlin F, Than M
    Singapore Med J, 2014 Jan;55(1):37-40.
    PMID: 24452976
    Multiple tendons of the abductor pollicis longus (APL) in the anatomical snuffbox of the wrist can lead to the development of de Quervain's syndrome, which is caused by stenosing tenosynovitis. A cadaveric study was performed to establish the variations present in the tendons of the anatomical snuffbox in a Malaysian population, in the hope that this knowledge would aid clinical investigation and surgical treatment of de Quervain's tenosynovitis.
    MeSH terms: Cadaver; Humans; Malaysia; Orthopedics; Tendons/anatomy & histology*; Tenosynovitis/diagnosis; Wrist/anatomy & histology*; Upper Extremity/anatomy & histology
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