Browse publications by year: 2014

  1. Fulltext Targeted prostate cancer screening in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers: results from the initial screening round of the IMPACT study
    Bancroft EK, Page EC, Castro E, Lilja H, Vickers A, Sjoberg D, et al.
    Eur Urol, 2014 Sep;66(3):489-99.
    PMID: 24484606 DOI: 10.1016/j.eururo.2014.01.003
    BACKGROUND: Men with germline breast cancer 1, early onset (BRCA1) or breast cancer 2, early onset (BRCA2) gene mutations have a higher risk of developing prostate cancer (PCa) than noncarriers. IMPACT (Identification of Men with a genetic predisposition to ProstAte Cancer: Targeted screening in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers and controls) is an international consortium of 62 centres in 20 countries evaluating the use of targeted PCa screening in men with BRCA1/2 mutations.

    OBJECTIVE: To report the first year's screening results for all men at enrollment in the study.

    DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: We recruited men aged 40-69 yr with germline BRCA1/2 mutations and a control group of men who have tested negative for a pathogenic BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation known to be present in their families. All men underwent prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing at enrollment, and those men with PSA >3 ng/ml were offered prostate biopsy.

    OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: PSA levels, PCa incidence, and tumour characteristics were evaluated. The Fisher exact test was used to compare the number of PCa cases among groups and the differences among disease types.

    RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: We recruited 2481 men (791 BRCA1 carriers, 531 BRCA1 controls; 731 BRCA2 carriers, 428 BRCA2 controls). A total of 199 men (8%) presented with PSA >3.0 ng/ml, 162 biopsies were performed, and 59 PCas were diagnosed (18 BRCA1 carriers, 10 BRCA1 controls; 24 BRCA2 carriers, 7 BRCA2 controls); 66% of the tumours were classified as intermediate- or high-risk disease. The positive predictive value (PPV) for biopsy using a PSA threshold of 3.0 ng/ml in BRCA2 mutation carriers was 48%-double the PPV reported in population screening studies. A significant difference in detecting intermediate- or high-risk disease was observed in BRCA2 carriers. Ninety-five percent of the men were white, thus the results cannot be generalised to all ethnic groups.

    CONCLUSIONS: The IMPACT screening network will be useful for targeted PCa screening studies in men with germline genetic risk variants as they are discovered. These preliminary results support the use of targeted PSA screening based on BRCA genotype and show that this screening yields a high proportion of aggressive disease.

    PATIENT SUMMARY: In this report, we demonstrate that germline genetic markers can be used to identify men at higher risk of prostate cancer. Targeting screening at these men resulted in the identification of tumours that were more likely to require treatment.

    MeSH terms: Adult; Aged; Biopsy; Genotype; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Mutation*; Predictive Value of Tests; Prostate/pathology*; Prostatic Neoplasms/blood; Prostatic Neoplasms/genetics*; Prostatic Neoplasms/pathology*; Prostate-Specific Antigen/blood*; Patient Selection; Genes, BRCA1*; Genetic Predisposition to Disease/genetics*; Genes, BRCA2*; Early Detection of Cancer*
  2. Iron status of pregnant Indian women from an area of active iron supplementation
    Menon KC, Ferguson EL, Thomson CD, Gray AR, Zodpey S, Saraf A, et al.
    Nutrition, 2014 Mar;30(3):291-6.
    PMID: 24484679 DOI: 10.1016/j.nut.2013.08.015
    The aim of this study was to investigate the iron status of pregnant tribal women from Ramtek, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India using a combination of indices.
    MeSH terms: Adolescent; Adult; C-Reactive Protein/metabolism; Female; Ferritins/blood; Follow-Up Studies; Hemoglobins/metabolism; Humans; India/epidemiology; Longitudinal Studies; Nutritional Status*; Pregnancy; Surveys and Questionnaires; Receptors, Transferrin/blood; Socioeconomic Factors; Anemia, Iron-Deficiency/blood; Anemia, Iron-Deficiency/epidemiology*; Iron, Dietary/administration & dosage*; Iron, Dietary/blood*; Dietary Supplements*; Young Adult
  3. Fulltext Design process of cementless femoral stem using a nonlinear three dimensional finite element analysis
    Baharuddin MY, Salleh ShH, Zulkifly AH, Lee MH, Noor AM, A Harris AR, et al.
    BMC Musculoskelet Disord, 2014;15:30.
    PMID: 24484753 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2474-15-30
    Minimal available information concerning hip morphology is the motivation for several researchers to study the difference between Asian and Western populations. Current use of a universal hip stem of variable size is not the best option for all femur types. This present study proposed a new design process of the cementless femoral stem using a three dimensional model which provided more information and accurate analysis compared to conventional methods.
    MeSH terms: Adult; Computer Simulation; Female; Femur/radiography; Femur/surgery*; Hip Prosthesis*; Humans; Male; Prosthesis Design*; Prosthesis Failure; Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; Stress, Mechanical; Computer-Aided Design*; Nonlinear Dynamics*; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip/instrumentation*; Finite Element Analysis*; Imaging, Three-Dimensional*; Young Adult; Multidetector Computed Tomography
  4. Biosynthesis of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxy-4-methylvalerate) by recombinant Escherichia coli expressing leucine metabolism-related enzymes derived from Clostridium difficile
    Saika A, Watanabe Y, Sudesh K, Tsuge T
    J Biosci Bioeng, 2014 Jun;117(6):670-5.
    PMID: 24484910 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiosc.2013.12.006
    An obligate anaerobic bacterium Clostridium difficile has a unique metabolic pathway to convert leucine to 4-methylvalerate, in which 4-methyl-2-pentenoyl-CoA (4M2PE-CoA) is an intermediate of this pathway. 4M2PE-CoA is also able to be converted to 3-hydroxy-4-methylvalerate (3H4MV), a branched side chain monomer unit, for synthesis of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) copolymer. In this study, to synthesize 3H4MV-containing PHA copolymer from leucine, the leucine metabolism-related enzymes (LdhA and HadAIBC) derived from C. difficile and PHA biosynthesis enzymes (PhaPCJAc and PhaABRe) derived from Aeromonas caviae and Ralstonia eutropha were co-expressed in the codon usage-improved Escherichia coli. Under microaerobic culture conditions, this E. coli was able to synthesize P(3HB-co-12.2 mol% 3H4MV) from glucose with the supplementation of 1 g/L leucine. This strain also produced P(3HB-co-12.6 mol% 3H4MV) using the culture supernatant of leucine overproducer E. coli strain NS1391 as the medium for PHA production, achieving 3H4MV copolymer synthesis only from glucose. Furthermore, we tested the feasibility of the 3H4MV copolymer synthesis in E. coli strain NS1391 from glucose. The recombinant E. coli NS1391 was able to synthesize P(3HB-co-3.0 mol% 3H4MV) from glucose without any leucine supplementation. This study demonstrates the potential of the new metabolic pathway for 3H4MV synthesis using leucine metabolism-related enzymes from C. difficile.
    MeSH terms: Acyltransferases/biosynthesis; Acyltransferases/genetics; Bacterial Proteins/biosynthesis; Bacterial Proteins/genetics*; Escherichia coli/genetics*; Escherichia coli/metabolism; Genetic Engineering; Leucine/metabolism; Oxidoreductases/biosynthesis; Oxidoreductases/genetics; Polyesters/isolation & purification; Polyesters/metabolism*; Polyesters/chemistry; Clostridium difficile/enzymology; Clostridium difficile/genetics*; Cupriavidus necator/genetics; Organisms, Genetically Modified/genetics; Organisms, Genetically Modified/metabolism; Biosynthetic Pathways/genetics; Aeromonas caviae/genetics
  5. A new hybrid intelligent system for accurate detection of Parkinson's disease
    Hariharan M, Polat K, Sindhu R
    Comput Methods Programs Biomed, 2014 Mar;113(3):904-13.
    PMID: 24485390 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmpb.2014.01.004
    Elderly people are commonly affected by Parkinson's disease (PD) which is one of the most common neurodegenerative disorders due to the loss of dopamine-producing brain cells. People with PD's (PWP) may have difficulty in walking, talking or completing other simple tasks. Variety of medications is available to treat PD. Recently, researchers have found that voice signals recorded from the PWP is becoming a useful tool to differentiate them from healthy controls. Several dysphonia features, feature reduction/selection techniques and classification algorithms were proposed by researchers in the literature to detect PD. In this paper, hybrid intelligent system is proposed which includes feature pre-processing using Model-based clustering (Gaussian mixture model), feature reduction/selection using principal component analysis (PCA), linear discriminant analysis (LDA), sequential forward selection (SFS) and sequential backward selection (SBS), and classification using three supervised classifiers such as least-square support vector machine (LS-SVM), probabilistic neural network (PNN) and general regression neural network (GRNN). PD dataset was used from University of California-Irvine (UCI) machine learning database. The strength of the proposed method has been evaluated through several performance measures. The experimental results show that the combination of feature pre-processing, feature reduction/selection methods and classification gives a maximum classification accuracy of 100% for the Parkinson's dataset.
    MeSH terms: Aged; Algorithms; Artificial Intelligence; Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted/methods*; Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted/statistics & numerical data; Humans; Parkinson Disease/classification; Parkinson Disease/diagnosis*; Parkinson Disease/physiopathology*; Phonation; Discriminant Analysis; Least-Squares Analysis; Case-Control Studies; Databases, Factual; Neural Networks (Computer); Computational Biology; Principal Component Analysis; Dysphonia/classification; Dysphonia/diagnosis*; Dysphonia/physiopathology*; Support Vector Machine
  6. Role of H2O2 in the fluctuating patterns of COD (chemical oxygen demand) during the treatment of palm oil mill effluent (POME) using pilot scale triple frequency ultrasound cavitation reactor
    Manickam S, Abidin Nb, Parthasarathy S, Alzorqi I, Ng EH, Tiong TJ, et al.
    Ultrason Sonochem, 2014 Jul;21(4):1519-26.
    PMID: 24485395 DOI: 10.1016/j.ultsonch.2014.01.002
    Palm oil mill effluent (POME) is a highly contaminating wastewater due to its high chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD). Conventional treatment methods require longer residence time (10-15 days) and higher operating cost. Owing to this, finding a suitable and efficient method for the treatment of POME is crucial. In this investigation, ultrasound cavitation technology has been used as an alternative technique to treat POME. Cavitation is the phenomenon of formation, growth and collapse of bubbles in a liquid. The end process of collapse leads to intense conditions of temperature and pressure and shock waves which assist various physical and chemical transformations. Two different ultrasound systems i.e. ultrasonic bath (37 kHz) and a hexagonal triple frequency ultrasonic reactor (28, 40 and 70 kHz) of 15 L have been used. The results showed a fluctuating COD pattern (in between 45,000 and 60,000 mg/L) while using ultrasound bath alone, whereas a non-fluctuating COD pattern with a final COD of 27,000 mg/L was achieved when hydrogen peroxide was introduced. Similarly for the triple frequency ultrasound reactor, coupling all the three frequencies resulted into a final COD of 41,300 mg/L compared to any other individual or combination of two frequencies. With the possibility of larger and continuous ultrasonic cavitational reactors, it is believed that this could be a promising and a fruitful green process engineering technique for the treatment of POME.
    MeSH terms: Hydrogen Peroxide/chemistry*; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Industrial Waste*; Pilot Projects; Plant Oils/chemistry*; Sonication*; Biological Oxygen Demand Analysis*
  7. The applicability of Greulich and Pyle atlas to assess skeletal age for four ethnic groups
    Mansourvar M, Ismail MA, Raj RG, Kareem SA, Aik S, Gunalan R, et al.
    J Forensic Leg Med, 2014 Feb;22:26-9.
    PMID: 24485416 DOI: 10.1016/j.jflm.2013.11.011
    Recently, determination of skeletal age, defined as the assessment of bone age, has rapidly become an important task between forensic experts and radiologists. The Greulich-Pyle (GP) atlas is one of the most frequently used methods for the assessment of skeletal age around the world. After presentation of the GP approach for the estimation of the bone age, much research has been conducted to examine the usability of this method in various geographic or ethnic categories. This study investigates on a small-scale and compares the reliability of the GP atlas for assessment of the bone age for four ethnic groups - Asian, African/American, Caucasian and Hispanic - for a different range of ages.
    MeSH terms: Adolescent; Age Determination by Skeleton/methods*; Child; Child, Preschool; Humans; Infant; Male; Wrist Joint/anatomy & histology; Wrist Joint/radiography*; Forensic Anthropology; Continental Population Groups*; Hand Bones/anatomy & histology; Hand Bones/radiography*
  8. How diabetes risk assessment tools are implemented in practice: a systematic review
    Dhippayom T, Chaiyakunapruk N, Krass I
    Diabetes Res Clin Pract, 2014 Jun;104(3):329-42.
    PMID: 24485859 DOI: 10.1016/j.diabres.2014.01.008
    This review aimed to explore the extent of the use of diabetes risk assessment tools and to determine influential variables associated with the implementation of these tools. CINAHL, Google Scholar, ISI Citation Indexes, PubMed, and Scopus were searched from inception to January 2013. Studies that reported the use of diabetes risk assessment tools to identify individuals at risk of diabetes were included. Of the 1719 articles identified, 24 were included. Follow-up of high risk individuals for diagnosis of diabetes was conducted in 5 studies. Barriers to the uptake of diabetes risk assessment tools by healthcare practitioners included (1) attitudes toward the tools; (2) impracticality of using the tools and (3) lack of reimbursement and regulatory support. Individuals were reluctant to undertake self-assessment of diabetes risk due to (1) lack of perceived severity of type 2 diabetes; (2) impracticality of the tools; and (3) concerns related to finding out the results. The current use of non-invasive diabetes risk assessment scores as screening tools appears to be limited. Practical follow up systems as well as strategies to address other barriers to the implementation of diabetes risk assessment tools are essential and need to be developed.
    MeSH terms: Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/diagnosis; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/etiology; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/prevention & control*; Humans; Practice Patterns, Physicians'*; Risk Factors; Software*; Models, Statistical*; Risk Assessment/methods*
  9. Synthesis and in vitro urease inhibitory activity of N,N'-disubstituted thioureas
    Khan KM, Naz F, Taha M, Khan A, Perveen S, Choudhary MI, et al.
    Eur J Med Chem, 2014 Mar 3;74:314-23.
    PMID: 24486414 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2014.01.001
    Thiourea derivatives (1-38) were synthesized and evaluated for their urease inhibition potential. The synthetic compounds showed a varying degree of in vitro urease inhibition with IC50 values 5.53 ± 0.02-91.50 ± 0.08 μM, most of which are superior to the standard thiourea (IC₅₀ = 21.00 ± 0.11 μM). In order to ensure the mode of inhibition of these compounds, the kinetic study of the most active compounds has been carried out. Most of these inhibitors were found to be mixed-type of inhibitors, except compounds 13 and 30 which were competitive, while compound 19 was identified as non-competitive inhibitor with Ki values between 8.6 and 19.29 μM.
    MeSH terms: Enzyme Inhibitors/pharmacokinetics; Enzyme Inhibitors/pharmacology*; Thiourea/pharmacokinetics; Thiourea/pharmacology*; Urease/antagonists & inhibitors*; Inhibitory Concentration 50; In Vitro Techniques
  10. Click chemistry approach: regioselective one-pot synthesis of some new 8-trifluoromethylquinoline based 1,2,3-triazoles as potent antimicrobial agents
    Garudachari B, Isloor AM, Satyanarayana MN, Fun HK, Hegde G
    Eur J Med Chem, 2014 Mar 3;74:324-32.
    PMID: 24486415 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2014.01.008
    Three series of 8-trifluoromethylquinoline based 1,2,3-triazoles derivatives (5a-c, 6a-d and 7a-c) were synthesized by multi-step reactions by click chemistry approach. Synthesized compounds were characterized by spectral studies and X-ray analysis. The final compounds were screened for their in-vitro antimicrobial activity by well plate method (zone of inhibition). Compounds 5c, 6b, 8b, 11 and 12 were found to be active against tested microbial strains. The results are summarized in Tables 5 and 6.
    MeSH terms: Anti-Infective Agents/chemical synthesis*; Anti-Infective Agents/chemistry; Models, Molecular; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Quinolines/chemistry*; Triazoles/chemical synthesis*; Triazoles/chemistry; Click Chemistry
  11. Alstonia scholaris (L.) R. Br. and Alstonia macrophylla Wall. ex G. Don: A comparative review on traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology
    Khyade MS, Kasote DM, Vaikos NP
    J Ethnopharmacol, 2014 Apr 11;153(1):1-18.
    PMID: 24486598 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2014.01.025
    Alstonia scholaris (L.) R. Br. and Alstonia macrophylla Wall. ex G. Don are two vital medicinal plant species (family: Apocynaceae). In India, the therapeutic use of Alstonia scholaris has been described in both codified and non-codified drug systems for the treatment of malaria, jaundice, gastrointestinal troubles, cancer and in many other ailments. Other species, Alstonia macrophylla has been used in conventional medicines in Thailand, Malaysia and Philippines as a general tonic, aphrodisiac, anticholeric, antidysentery, antipyretic, emmenagogue, and vulnerary agents. In India, Alstonia macrophylla is used as a substitute for Alstonia scholaris in various herbal pharmaceutical preparations. However, one certainly cannot evaluate the truthfulness of a practice (i.e. in scientific terms). In this article we discuss and summarize comparative data about traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicity of Alstonia scholaris and Alstonia macrophylla. Moreover, in order to unfold future research opportunities, lacunae in the present knowledge are also highlighted.
    MeSH terms: Alkaloids/isolation & purification; Animals; Humans; Phytotherapy/methods*; Medicine, Traditional/methods; Plant Extracts/pharmacology*; Ethnopharmacology; Alstonia/chemistry*
  12. Cellular uptake and anticancer effects of mucoadhesive curcumin-containing chitosan nanoparticles
    Chuah LH, Roberts CJ, Billa N, Abdullah S, Rosli R
    Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces, 2014 Apr 1;116:228-36.
    PMID: 24486834 DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2014.01.007
    Curcumin, which is derived from turmeric has gained much attention in recent years for its anticancer activities against various cancers. However, due to its poor absorption, rapid metabolism and elimination, curcumin has a very low oral bioavailability. Therefore, we have formulated mucoadhesive nanoparticles to deliver curcumin to the colon, such that prolonged contact between the nanoparticles and the colon leads to a sustained level of curcumin in the colon, improving the anticancer effect of curcumin on colorectal cancer. The current work entails the ex vivo mucoadhesion study of the formulated nanoparticles and the in vitro effect of mucoadhesive interaction between the nanoparticles and colorectal cancer cells. The ex vivo study showed that curcumin-containing chitosan nanoparticles (CUR-CS-NP) have improved mucoadhesion compared to unloaded chitosan nanoparticles (CS-NP), suggesting that curcumin partly contributes to the mucoadhesion process. This may lead to an enhanced anticancer effect of curcumin when formulated in CUR-CS-NP. Our results show that CUR-CS-NP are taken up to a greater extent by colorectal cancer cells, compared to free curcumin. The prolonged contact offered by the mucoadhesion of CUR-CS-NP onto the cells resulted in a greater reduction in percentage cell viability as well as a lower IC50, indicating a potential improved treatment outcome. The formulation and free curcumin appeared to induce cell apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells, by arresting the cell cycle at G2/M phase. The superior anticancer effects exerted by CUR-CS-NP indicated that this could be a potential treatment for colorectal cancer.
    MeSH terms: Adhesiveness/drug effects; Animals; Antineoplastic Agents/administration & dosage; Antineoplastic Agents/metabolism*; Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacokinetics; Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology*; Cell Cycle/drug effects; Cell Survival/drug effects; Curcumin/administration & dosage; Curcumin/metabolism*; Curcumin/pharmacokinetics; Curcumin/pharmacology*; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; Humans; Intestinal Mucosa/drug effects; Intestinal Mucosa/metabolism; Intestinal Mucosa/pathology; Structure-Activity Relationship; Tumor Cells, Cultured; Apoptosis/drug effects; HT29 Cells; Inhibitory Concentration 50; Chitosan/chemistry*; Cell Proliferation/drug effects; Rats; Nanoparticles/chemistry*
  13. Development and efficacy of feed-based recombinant vaccine encoding the cell wall surface anchor family protein of Streptococcus agalactiae against streptococcosis in Oreochromis sp
    Nur-Nazifah M, Sabri MY, Siti-Zahrah A
    Fish Shellfish Immunol, 2014 Mar;37(1):193-200.
    PMID: 24486904 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsi.2014.01.011
    This study was carried out to determine the antibody responses and protective capacity of an inactivated recombinant vaccine expressing the cell wall surface anchor family protein of Streptococcus agalactiae following oral vaccination against streptococcosis in tilapia. Tilapia were vaccinated orally with 10(6) CFU/mL of the recombinant vaccine incorporated in feed (feed-based recombinant vaccine) (vaccinated group or Group 1), 10(6) CFU/mL of pET-32 Ek/LIC vector without cell wall surface anchor family protein (control group or Group 2), 10(6) CFU/mL of formalin-killed cells of S. agalactiae vaccine incorporated in feed was also prepared (feed-based vaccine) (vaccinated group or Group 3), and unvaccinated control group or Group 4 (fed with commercial pellets). During the course of study, serum, mucus and gut lavage fluid were collected to evaluate the antibody levels via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results showed that tilapia immunized with the feed-based recombinant vaccine developed a strong and significantly (P 
    MeSH terms: Analysis of Variance; Animals; Animal Feed/analysis; Bacterial Vaccines*; Base Sequence; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/veterinary; Fish Diseases/microbiology*; Fish Diseases/prevention & control*; Isopropyl Thiogalactoside; Malaysia; Molecular Sequence Data; Streptococcal Infections/prevention & control; Streptococcal Infections/veterinary*; Streptococcus agalactiae/immunology*; Vaccines, Synthetic/pharmacology; Polymerase Chain Reaction/veterinary; Tilapia*; DNA Primers/genetics
  14. Phylogeography and demographic history of two widespread Indo-Pacific mudskippers (Gobiidae: Periophthalmus)
    Polgar G, Zane L, Babbucci M, Barbisan F, Patarnello T, Rüber L, et al.
    Mol Phylogenet Evol, 2014 Apr;73:161-76.
    PMID: 24486991 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2014.01.014
    This study provides a first description of the phylogeographic patterns and evolutionary history of two species of the mudskipper genus Periophthalmus. These amphibious gobies are distributed throughout the whole Indo-Pacific region and Atlantic coast of Africa, in peritidal habitats of soft-bottom coastal ecosystems. Three sequence datasets of two widely distributed species, Periophthalmus argentilineatus and P. kalolo, were obtained by amplifying and sequencing two mtDNA markers (D-loop and 16S rDNA) and the nDNA rag1 region. The three datasets were then used to perform phylogeographic, demographic and population genetic analyses. Our results indicate that tectonic events and past climatic oscillations strongly contributed to shape present genetic differentiation, phylogeographic and demographic patterns. We found support for the monophyly of P. kalolo, and only shallow genetic differentiation between East-African and Indo-Malayan populations of this species. However, our collections of the morphospecies P. argentilineatus include three molecularly distinct lineages, one of them more closely related to P. kalolo. The presence of Miocenic timings for the most recent common ancestors of some of these morphologically similar clades, suggests the presence of strong stabilising selection in mudskippers' habitats. At population level, demographic analyses and palaeoecological records of mangrove ecosystems suggest that Pleistocene bottlenecks and expansion plus secondary contact events of the studied species were associated with recurrent sea transgressions during interglacials, and sea regressions or stable regimes during glacials, respectively.
    MeSH terms: Africa; Animals; DNA, Mitochondrial/genetics; DNA, Ribosomal/genetics; Genetics, Population; India; Oceans and Seas; Perciformes/classification*; Perciformes/genetics*; Phylogeny*; Selection, Genetic; Time Factors; Ecosystem; Evolution, Molecular; Phylogeography
  15. Are reports of cognitive testing among older electroconvulsive therapy recipients clinically valid?
    Plakiotis C, Chin LF, O'Connor DW
    J ECT, 2014 Mar;30(1):26-9.
    PMID: 24487645 DOI: 10.1097/YCT.0000000000000082
    Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) administration rises in frequency with age, with older depressed adults often showing clinical features predictive of good response. Recent reviews suggest that older people experience few if any long-term cognitive adverse effects after contemporary ECT, despite their increased vulnerability to these. However, the broader clinical validity of research findings is not assured as most studies of ECT-related cognitive effects do not discuss cognitive test nonparticipants. This study examines whether cognitive test participants and nonparticipants are comparable.
    MeSH terms: Accidental Falls/statistics & numerical data; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Cognition/physiology*; Cognition Disorders/diagnosis*; Cognition Disorders/etiology*; Depressive Disorder, Major/complications; Depressive Disorder, Major/epidemiology; Depressive Disorder, Major/therapy*; Educational Status; Electroconvulsive Therapy/adverse effects*; Electroconvulsive Therapy/instrumentation; Female; Health Status; Humans; Male; Mental Health; Neuropsychological Tests; Psychotic Disorders/complications; Psychotic Disorders/therapy; Psychotropic Drugs/therapeutic use; Sex Factors; Victoria; Reproducibility of Results; Suicidal Ideation
  16. Primary health care: hope and challenges for public health in Maldives
    Sulaiman AI, Abu Bakar SH, Wahab HA
    J Community Health, 2014 Jun;39(3):627-31.
    PMID: 24488646 DOI: 10.1007/s10900-013-9809-3
    The government of Maldives considers that the enjoyment of the highest attainable level of health is a basic right of every citizen. Thus it lays emphasis on the accessibility and affordability of health care services. In order to achieve these objectives, it is very important to expand curative services as well as preventive services in the country. The major hurdles faced by the country are result of the inherent structural problem faced by the county which leads to sever diseconomies of scale in the provision of healthcare services. Community and individual involvement and self-reliance are very important to achieve Health for All by the Year 200 AD. Community participation is one of the domains of community capacity building in a small island country. It is one of the mechanisms to empower people to take part in community development. In this paper, the nature, the dimensions of community participation, and its role and scope in implementation of different components of primary health care have been described. The health services in public and curative care have been briefed. Some of the achievements in health sector have also been briefly presented.
    MeSH terms: Cause of Death/trends; Child, Preschool; Consumer Participation/trends; Female; Health Services Accessibility/trends*; Health Status Indicators; Humans; Indian Ocean Islands/epidemiology; Infant; Life Expectancy; Male; Primary Health Care/trends*; Public Health*
  17. Antimicrobial effects of Caulerpa sertularioides extract on foodborne diarrhea-caused bacteria
    Darah I, Tong WY, Nor-Afifah S, Nurul-Aili Z, Lim SH
    Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci, 2014;18(2):171-8.
    PMID: 24488904
    Caulerpa (C.) sertularioides has many therapeutic uses in the practice of traditional medicine in Malaysia. Crude methanolic, diethyl ether extract, ethyl acetate extract and butanolic extract from C. sertularioides were subjected to antimicrobial screening including the three Gram-positive and three Gram-negative diarrhea-caused bacteria.
    MeSH terms: Anti-Infective Agents/pharmacology*; Anti-Infective Agents/chemistry; Diarrhea/drug therapy; Diarrhea/microbiology; Food Microbiology; Foodborne Diseases/drug therapy*; Foodborne Diseases/microbiology; Gram-Negative Bacteria/drug effects*; Gram-Positive Bacteria/drug effects*; Microbial Sensitivity Tests/methods; Plant Extracts/pharmacology*; Plant Extracts/chemistry; Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections/drug therapy; Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections/microbiology; Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections/drug therapy; Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections/microbiology; Caulerpa/chemistry*
  18. Clinical audit teaching in record-keeping for dental undergraduates at International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
    Chong JA, Chew JK, Ravindranath S, Pau A
    J Dent Educ, 2014 Feb;78(2):206-12.
    PMID: 24489028
    This study investigated the impact of clinical audit training on record-keeping behavior of dental students and students' perceptions of the clinical audit training. The training was delivered to Year 4 and Year 5 undergraduates at the School of Dentistry, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It included a practical audit exercise on patient records. The results were presented by the undergraduates, and guidelines were framed from the recommendations proposed. Following this, an audit of Year 4 and Year 5 students' patient records before and after the audit training was carried out. A total of 100 records were audited against a predetermined set of criteria by two examiners. An email survey of the students was also conducted to explore their views of the audit training. Results showed statistically significant improvements in record-keeping following audit training. Responses to the email survey were analyzed qualitatively. Respondents reported that the audit training helped them to identify deficiencies in their record-keeping practice, increased their knowledge in record-keeping, and improved their record-keeping skills. Improvements in clinical audit teaching were also proposed.
    MeSH terms: Attitude of Health Personnel; Clinical Competence; Dental Records*; Diagnosis, Oral; Education, Dental*; Female; Forms and Records Control*; Humans; Malaysia; Male; Medical History Taking; Patient Care Planning; Physical Examination; Teaching/methods*; Practice Guidelines as Topic; Dental Audit*; Checklist
  19. Sexuality education in Malaysia: perceived issues and barriers by professionals
    Khalaf ZF, Low WY, Merghati-Khoei E, Ghorbani B
    Asia Pac J Public Health, 2014 Jul;26(4):358-66.
    PMID: 24489084 DOI: 10.1177/1010539513517258
    This research explored the perspectives of Malaysian professionals on the issues and barriers affecting the implementation of sexuality education in Malaysia. This qualitative study involved in-depth interviews with 15 key professionals working in the field of sexuality and reproductive health in Malaysia. Thematic analysis was selected to analyze data. Barriers to sexuality education were perceived from 5 aspects: feasibility, acceptability, accountability, strategies, and community unawareness. Respondents believed that implementing national sexuality education is a time-consuming project. They regarded Malaysian multicultural society as a barrier to national sexuality education, and they believed that school-based sexuality education is not easily accomplished in Malaysia; also abstinence-only policy restricts the access of young people to accurate information. Lack of community involvement was perceived as a key concern to sexuality education. Campaigning to promote awareness of families, teachers, community leaders, and policy makers are recommended to help establishing national sexuality education in Malaysia.
    MeSH terms: Adult; Attitude of Health Personnel*; Female; Health Personnel/psychology*; Health Personnel/statistics & numerical data; Health Services Accessibility*; Humans; Malaysia; Male; Middle Aged; Sex Education/organization & administration*; Qualitative Research
  20. Fulltext The use of potentially inappropriate medications and changes in quality of life among older nursing home residents
    Al Aqqad SM, Chen LL, Shafie AA, Hassali MA, Tangiisuran B
    Clin Interv Aging, 2014;9:201-7.
    PMID: 24489461 DOI: 10.2147/CIA.S52356
    Nursing home residents are mainly older people with multiple diseases and taking multiple medications. The quality use of medication and its association with health related quality of life (HRQoL) have not been reported in Malaysia. This study aims to investigate the association between the use of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) and the changes observed in the HRQoL among older nursing home residents.
    MeSH terms: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Malaysia/epidemiology; Male; Neuropsychological Tests; Prospective Studies; Quality of Life*; Prevalence; Inappropriate Prescribing/adverse effects*; Inappropriate Prescribing/statistics & numerical data; Visual Analog Scale
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