Browse publications by year: 2014

  1. Fulltext Duplicated female receptacle organs for traumatic insemination in the tropical bed bug Cimex hemipterus: adaptive variation or malformation?
    Kamimura Y, Mitsumoto H, Lee CY
    PLoS One, 2014;9(2):e89265.
    PMID: 24586643 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0089265
    During mating, male bed bugs (Cimicidae) pierce the female abdomen to inject sperm using their needle-like genitalia. Females evolved specialized paragenital organs (the spermalege and associated structures) to receive traumatically injected ejaculates. In Leptocimex duplicatus, the spermalege is duplicated, but the evolutionary significance of this is unclear. In Cimex hemipterus and C. lectularius, in which females normally develop a single spermalege on the right side of the abdomen, similar duplication sometimes occurs. Using these aberrant morphs (D-females) of C. hemipterus, we tested the hypothesis that both of the duplicated spermaleges are functionally competent. Scars on female abdominal exoskeletons indicated frequent misdirected piercing by male genitalia. However, the piercing sites showed a highly biased distribution towards the right side of the female body. A mating experiment showed that when the normal insemination site (the right-side spermalege) was artificially covered, females remained unfertilized. This was true even when females also had a spermalege on the left side (D-females). This result was attributed to handedness in male mating behavior. Irrespective of the observed disuse of the left-side spermalege by males for insemination, histological examination failed to detect any differences between the right-side and left-side spermaleges. Moreover, an artificial insemination experiment confirmed that spermatozoa injected into the left-side spermalege show apparently normal migration behavior to the female reproductive organs, indicating an evolutionary potential for functionally-competent duplicated spermaleges. We discuss possible mechanisms for the evolutionary maintenance of D-females and propose a plausible route to the functionally-competent duplicated spermaleges observed in L. duplicatus.
    MeSH terms: Adaptation, Biological/physiology*; Animals; Bedbugs/anatomy & histology*; Bedbugs/physiology*; Copulation/physiology*; Biological Evolution*; Female; Genitalia, Female/anatomy & histology*; Genitalia, Female/physiology; Histological Techniques; Male
  2. Fulltext Determination of acceptor concentration, depletion width, donor level movement and sensitivity factor of ZnO on diamond heterojunction under UV illumination
    Saw KG, Tneh SS, Yam FK, Ng SS, Hassan Z
    PLoS One, 2014;9(2):e89348.
    PMID: 24586707 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0089348
    The concentration of acceptor carriers, depletion width, magnitude of donor level movement as well as the sensitivity factor are determined from the UV response of a heterojunction consisting of ZnO on type IIb diamond. From the comparison of the I-V measurements in dark condition and under UV illumination we show that the acceptor concentration (∼10(17) cm(-3)) can be estimated from p-n junction properties. The depletion width of the heterojunction is calculated and is shown to extend farther into the ZnO region in dark condition. Under UV illumination, the depletion width shrinks but penetrates both materials equally. The ultraviolet illumination causes the donor level to move closer to the conduction band by about 50 meV suggesting that band bending is reduced to allow more electrons to flow from the intrinsically n-type ZnO. The sensitivity factor of the device calculated from the change of threshold voltages, the ratio of dark and photocurrents and identity factor is consistent with experimental data.
    MeSH terms: Models, Theoretical; Ultraviolet Rays*; X-Ray Diffraction; Zinc Oxide/chemistry*; Diamond/chemistry*
  3. Fulltext Dynamic spatiotemporal trends of dengue transmission in the Asia-Pacific region, 1955-2004
    Banu S, Hu W, Guo Y, Naish S, Tong S
    PLoS One, 2014;9(2):e89440.
    PMID: 24586780 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0089440
    BACKGROUND: Dengue fever (DF) is one of the most important emerging arboviral human diseases. Globally, DF incidence has increased by 30-fold over the last fifty years, and the geographic range of the virus and its vectors has expanded. The disease is now endemic in more than 120 countries in tropical and subtropical parts of the world. This study examines the spatiotemporal trends of DF transmission in the Asia-Pacific region over a 50-year period, and identified the disease's cluster areas.

    METHODOLOGY AND FINDINGS: The World Health Organization's DengueNet provided the annual number of DF cases in 16 countries in the Asia-Pacific region for the period 1955 to 2004. This fifty-year dataset was divided into five ten-year periods as the basis for the investigation of DF transmission trends. Space-time cluster analyses were conducted using scan statistics to detect the disease clusters. This study shows an increasing trend in the spatiotemporal distribution of DF in the Asia-Pacific region over the study period. Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Singapore and Malaysia are identified as the most likely clusters (relative risk = 13.02) of DF transmission in this region in the period studied (1995 to 2004). The study also indicates that, for the most part, DF transmission has expanded southwards in the region.

    CONCLUSIONS: This information will lead to the improvement of DF prevention and control strategies in the Asia-Pacific region by prioritizing control efforts and directing them where they are most needed.

    MeSH terms: Asia; Dengue/prevention & control; Dengue/transmission*; Disease Outbreaks; Humans; Space-Time Clustering; Cluster Analysis
  4. Fulltext Infectious diseases and their outbreaks in Asia-Pacific: biodiversity and its regulation loss matter
    Morand S, Jittapalapong S, Suputtamongkol Y, Abdullah MT, Huan TB
    PLoS One, 2014;9(2):e90032.
    PMID: 24587201 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0090032
    Despite increasing control measures, numerous parasitic and infectious diseases are emerging, re-emerging or causing recurrent outbreaks particularly in Asia and the Pacific region, a hot spot of both infectious disease emergence and biodiversity at risk. We investigate how biodiversity affects the distribution of infectious diseases and their outbreaks in this region, taking into account socio-economics (population size, GDP, public health expenditure), geography (latitude and nation size), climate (precipitation, temperature) and biodiversity (bird and mammal species richness, forest cover, mammal and bird species at threat). We show, among countries, that the overall richness of infectious diseases is positively correlated with the richness of birds and mammals, but the number of zoonotic disease outbreaks is positively correlated with the number of threatened mammal and bird species and the number of vector-borne disease outbreaks is negatively correlated with forest cover. These results suggest that, among countries, biodiversity is a source of pathogens, but also that the loss of biodiversity or its regulation, as measured by forest cover or threatened species, seems to be associated with an increase in zoonotic and vector-borne disease outbreaks.
    MeSH terms: Asia/epidemiology; Communicable Diseases/epidemiology*; Disease Outbreaks*; Geography; Humans; Pacific Ocean; Population Density; Temperature; Trees; Biodiversity*
  5. Fulltext Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for acute muscle injury: a systematic review
    Hamid MS, Yusof A, Mohamed Ali MR
    PLoS One, 2014;9(2):e90538.
    PMID: 24587389 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0090538
    INTRODUCTION: Acute muscle injury is one of the commonest injuries that often result in loss of training and competition time. The best management for muscle injury has not been identified. Sports medicine practitioners used several approaches in attempt to accelerate time to recovery from muscle injury. More recently growing interest focussed on autologous blood product injection.
    METHODS: A literature search was conducted systematically using OvidMEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, SPORTDiscus and CINAHL databases to retrieve articles published until December 2012. Controlled trials and controlled laboratory studies comparing different strategies to promote early recovery of muscle injury were included. The methodological quality of studies was assessed.
    RESULTS: There are limited studies on the effects of PRP therapy for muscle injury. Three in vivo laboratory studies and one pilot human study were reviewed. The laboratory studies reported histological evidence on significant acceleration of muscle healing in animals treated with autologous conditioned serum (ACS), platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and platelet rich fibrin matrix (PRFM). A pilot human study found athletes treated with repeated ACS injection recovers significantly faster than retrospective controls.
    CONCLUSION: Several in vivo laboratory studies suggest beneficial effects of ACS, PRP and PRFM in accelerating muscle recovery. Evidence to suggest similar effects on humans is however limited, as valuable information from robust human controlled trials is still not available at this moment. Hence, more studies of satisfactory methodological quality with platelet-rich plasma interventions on muscle injury are justified.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Athletic Injuries/physiopathology; Athletic Injuries/therapy*; Humans; Muscular Diseases/physiopathology; Muscular Diseases/therapy*; Sports Medicine/methods; Sports Medicine/trends; Treatment Outcome; Platelet Transfusion/methods; Muscle, Skeletal/injuries*; Muscle, Skeletal/physiopathology; Recovery of Function; Platelet-Rich Plasma*
  6. Fulltext A comparison of quality and satisfaction experiences of patients attending chiropractic and physician offices in Ontario
    Crowther ER
    J Can Chiropr Assoc, 2014 Mar;58(1):24-38.
    PMID: 24587494
    INTRODUCTION: Improving the quality of healthcare is a common goal of consumers, providers, payer groups, and governments. There is evidence that patient satisfaction influences the perceptions of the quality of care received.
    METHODS: This exploratory, qualitative study described and analyzed, the similarities and differences in satisfaction and dissatisfaction experiences of patients attending physicians (social justice) and chiropractors (market justice) for healthcare services in Niagara Region, Ontario. Using inductive content analysis the satisfaction and dissatisfaction experiences were themed to develop groups, categories, and sub-categories of quality judgments of care experiences.
    RESULTS: Study participants experienced both satisfying and dissatisfying critical incidents in the areas of standards of practice, professional and practice attributes, time management, and treatment outcomes. Cost was not a marked source of satisfaction or dissatisfaction.
    CONCLUSION: Patients may be more capable of generating quality judgments on the technical aspects of medical and chiropractic care, particularly treatment outcomes and standards of practice, than previously thought.
    KEYWORDS: chiropractic care; quality; satisfaction
    MeSH terms: Canada; Chiropractic*; Patient Satisfaction*
  7. Fulltext Kinetic characterization of Channa striatus muscle sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar protein hydrolysates
    Ghassem M, Fern SS, Said M, Ali ZM, Ibrahim S, Babji AS
    J Food Sci Technol, 2014 Mar;51(3):467-75.
    PMID: 24587521 DOI: 10.1007/s13197-011-0526-6
    This study was conducted to evaluate the kinetic characteristics of proteolytic activity of proteases on Channa striatus protein fractions. Degree of hydrolysis (DH), amino acid composition and kinetic parameters of sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar proteins were investigated when incubated with proteinase K and thermolysin, separately. After 30 min incubation with proteases, a decrease in DH of sarcoplasmic protein was observed whereas, hydrolysis of myofibrillar protein with proteases took 2 h with an increase in DH. The major amino acids were glutamic acid (16.6%) in thermolysin- myofibrillar hydrolysate followed by aspartic acid (11.1%) in sarcoplasmic protein fraction with no enzyme treatment and lysine (10%) in thermolysin-myofibrillar hydrolysate. The apparent Michaelis constant of proteinase K was lower than thermolysin for both sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar proteins. However, rate of turnover and enzyme efficiency suggested that sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar proteins are suitable substrates for proteinase K and thermolysin hydrolytic reaction, respectively.
    MeSH terms: Amino Acids; Aspartic Acid; Hydrolysis; Kinetics; Lysine; Peptide Hydrolases; Endopeptidases; Thermolysin; Glutamic Acid; Endopeptidase K; Proteolysis
  8. Fulltext Helicobacter pylori and gastric cancer: Indian enigma
    Misra V, Pandey R, Misra SP, Dwivedi M
    World J Gastroenterol, 2014 Feb 14;20(6):1503-9.
    PMID: 24587625 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i6.1503
    Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a gram negative microaerophilic bacterium which resides in the mucous linings of the stomach. It has been implicated in the causation of various gastric disorders including gastric cancer. The geographical distribution and etiology of gastric cancer differ widely in different geographical regions and H. pylori, despite being labeled as a grade I carcinogen, has not been found to be associated with gastric cancer in many areas. Studies in Asian countries such as Thailand, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabian countries, Israel and Malaysia, have reported a high frequency of H. pylori infection co-existing with a low incidence of gastric cancer. In India, a difference in the prevalence of H. pylori infection and gastric cancer has been noted even in different regions of the country leading to a puzzle when attempting to find the causes of these variations. This puzzle of H. pylori distribution and gastric cancer epidemiology is known as the Indian enigma. In this review we have attempted to explain the Indian enigma using evidence from various Indian studies and from around the globe. This review covers aspects of epidemiology, the various biological strains present in different parts of the country and within individuals, the status of different H. pylori-related diseases and the molecular pathogenesis of the bacterium.
    MeSH terms: Diet; Geography; Humans; India/epidemiology; Peptic Ulcer/microbiology; Smoking; Social Class; Species Specificity; Stomach Neoplasms/complications; Stomach Neoplasms/microbiology*; Stomach Neoplasms/epidemiology*; Genetic Variation; Prevalence; Helicobacter pylori/genetics*; Helicobacter Infections/complications; Helicobacter Infections/epidemiology*
  9. Fulltext Role of prophylactic antibiotics in cirrhotic patients with variceal bleeding
    Lee YY, Tee HP, Mahadeva S
    World J Gastroenterol, 2014 Feb 21;20(7):1790-6.
    PMID: 24587656 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i7.1790
    Bacterial infections are common in cirrhotic patients with acute variceal bleeding, occurring in 20% within 48 h. Outcomes including early rebleeding and failure to control bleeding are strongly associated with bacterial infection. However, mortality from variceal bleeding is largely determined by the severity of liver disease. Besides a higher Child-Pugh score, patients with hepatocellular carcinoma are particularly susceptible to infections. Despite several hypotheses that include increased use of instruments, greater risk of aspiration pneumonia and higher bacterial translocation, it remains debatable whether variceal bleeding results in infection or vice versa but studies suggest that antibiotic prophylaxis prior to endoscopy and up to 8 h is useful in reducing bacteremia and spontaneous bacterial peritonitis. Aerobic gram negative bacilli of enteric origin are most commonly isolated from cultures, but more recently, gram positives and quinolone-resistant organisms are increasingly seen, even though their clinical significance is unclear. Fluoroquinolones (including ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin) used for short term (7 d) have the most robust evidence and are recommended in most expert guidelines. Short term intravenous cephalosporin (especially ceftriaxone), given in a hospital setting with prevalent quinolone-resistant organisms, has been shown in studies to be beneficial, particularly in high risk patients with advanced cirrhosis.
    MeSH terms: Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use*; Bacterial Infections/complications; Bacterial Infections/prevention & control; Ciprofloxacin/therapeutic use; Endoscopy; Esophageal and Gastric Varices/complications; Esophageal and Gastric Varices/microbiology; Esophageal and Gastric Varices/physiopathology*; Fibrosis/complications; Fibrosis/microbiology; Fibrosis/physiopathology*; Hemorrhage; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage/mortality; Humans; Norfloxacin/therapeutic use; Treatment Outcome; Practice Guidelines as Topic; Antibiotic Prophylaxis*; Fluoroquinolones/therapeutic use
  10. Fulltext Growth of ZnO nanorods on stainless steel wire using chemical vapour deposition and their photocatalytic activity
    Abd Aziz SN, Pung SY, Ramli NN, Lockman Z
    ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:252851.
    PMID: 24587716 DOI: 10.1155/2014/252851
    The photodegradation efficiency of ZnO nanoparticles in removal of organic pollutants deteriorates over time as a high percentage of the nanoparticles can be drained away by water during the wastewater treatment. This problem can be solved by growing the ZnO nanorods on stainless steel wire. In this work, ZnO nanorods were successfully grown on stainless steel wire by chemical vapour deposition. The SAED analysis indicates that ZnO nanorod is a single crystal and is preferentially grown in [0001] direction. The deconvoluted O 1s peak at 531.5 eV in XPS analysis is associated with oxygen deficient, revealing that the ZnO nanorods contain many oxygen vacancies. This observation is further supported by the finding of the small I(uv)/I(vis) ratio, that is, ~1 in the photoluminescence analysis. The growth of ZnO nanorods on stainless steel wire was governed by vapour-solid mechanism as there were no Fe particles observed at the tips of the nanorods. The photodegradation of Rhodamine B solution by ZnO nanorods followed the first-order kinetics.
    MeSH terms: Oxidation-Reduction; Rhodamines/chemistry*; Stainless Steel/chemistry*; Zinc Oxide/chemistry*; Nanotubes/chemistry*; Photochemical Processes*
  11. Fulltext Thermal behaviour of beams with slant end-plate connection subjected to nonsymmetric gravity load
    Zahmatkesh F, Osman MH, Talebi E
    ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:323206.
    PMID: 24587720 DOI: 10.1155/2014/323206
    Research on the steel structures with confining of axial expansion in fixed beams has been quite intensive in the past decade. It is well established that the thermal behaviour has a key influence on steel structural behaviours. This paper describes mechanical behaviour of beams with bolted slant end-plate connection with nonsymmetric gravity load, subjected to temperature increase. Furthermore, the performance of slant connections of beams in steel moment frame structures in the elastic field is investigated. The proposed model proved that this flexible connection system could successfully decrease the extra thermal induced axial force by both of the friction force dissipation among two faces of slant connection and a small upward movement on the slant plane. The applicability of primary assumption is illustrated. The results from the proposed model are examined within various slant angles, thermal and friction factors. It can be concluded that higher thermal conditions are tolerable when slanting connection is used.
    MeSH terms: Gravitation*; Models, Theoretical*; Steel*; Stress, Mechanical*
  12. Fulltext Designing a ring-VCO for RFID transponders in 0.18 μm CMOS process
    Jalil J, Reaz MB, Bhuiyan MA, Rahman LF, Chang TG
    ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:580385.
    PMID: 24587731 DOI: 10.1155/2014/580385
    In radio frequency identification (RFID) systems, performance degradation of phase locked loops (PLLs) mainly occurs due to high phase noise of voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs). This paper proposes a low power, low phase noise ring-VCO developed for 2.42 GHz operated active RFID transponders compatible with IEEE 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth, and Zigbee protocols. For ease of integration and implementation of the module in tiny die area, a novel pseudodifferential delay cell based 3-stage ring oscillator has been introduced to fabricate the ring-VCO. In CMOS technology, 0.18 μm process is adopted for designing the circuit with 1.5 V power supply. The postlayout simulated results show that the proposed oscillator works in the tuning range of 0.5-2.54 GHz and dissipates 2.47 mW of power. It exhibits a phase noise of -126.62 dBc/Hz at 25 MHz offset from 2.42 GHz carrier frequency.
    MeSH terms: Radio Frequency Identification Device/methods*
  13. Fulltext Effect of probiotics supplementation on bone mineral content and bone mass density
    Parvaneh K, Jamaluddin R, Karimi G, Erfani R
    ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:595962.
    PMID: 24587733 DOI: 10.1155/2014/595962
    A few studies in animals and a study in humans showed a positive effect of probiotic on bone metabolism and bone mass density. Most of the investigated bacteria were Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. The positive results of the probiotics were supported by the high content of dietary calcium and the high amounts of supplemented probiotics. Some of the principal mechanisms include (1) increasing mineral solubility due to production of short chain fatty acids; (2) producing phytase enzyme by bacteria to overcome the effect of mineral depressed by phytate; (3) reducing intestinal inflammation followed by increasing bone mass density; (4) hydrolysing glycoside bond food in the intestines by Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria. These mechanisms lead to increase bioavailability of the minerals. In conclusion, probiotics showed potential effects on bone metabolism through different mechanisms with outstanding results in the animal model. The results also showed that postmenopausal women who suffered from low bone mass density are potential targets to consume probiotics for increasing mineral bioavailability including calcium and consequently increasing bone mass density.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Calcium, Dietary/pharmacology; Humans; Bone Density/drug effects*; Probiotics/pharmacology*
  14. Fulltext Chemoenzymatic epoxidation of alkenes and reusability study of the phenylacetic acid
    Abdulmalek E, Arumugam M, Mizan HN, Abdul Rahman MB, Basri M, Salleh AB
    ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:756418.
    PMID: 24587751 DOI: 10.1155/2014/756418
    Here, we focused on a simple enzymatic epoxidation of alkenes using lipase and phenylacetic acid. The immobilised Candida antarctica lipase B, Novozym 435 was used to catalyse the formation of peroxy acid instantly from hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and phenylacetic acid. The peroxy phenylacetic acid generated was then utilised directly for in situ oxidation of alkenes. A variety of alkenes were oxidised with this system, resulting in 75-99% yield of the respective epoxides. On the other hand, the phenylacetic acid was recovered from the reaction media and reused for more epoxidation. Interestingly, the waste phenylacetic acid had the ability to be reused for epoxidation of the 1-nonene to 1-nonene oxide, giving an excellent yield of 90%.
    MeSH terms: Alkenes/chemistry*; Candida/enzymology; Enzymes, Immobilized; Epoxy Compounds/chemical synthesis*; Epoxy Compounds/chemistry; Fungal Proteins/chemistry; Hydrogen Peroxide/chemistry; Lipase/chemistry; Phenylacetates/chemical synthesis*; Phenylacetates/chemistry; Biocatalysis
  15. Fulltext Molecular divergence and species delimitation of the cultivated oyster mushrooms: integration of IGS1 and ITS
    Avin FA, Bhassu S, Tan YS, Shahbazi P, Vikineswary S
    ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:793414.
    PMID: 24587752 DOI: 10.1155/2014/793414
    Identification of edible mushrooms particularly Pleurotus genus has been restricted due to various obstacles. The present study attempted to use the combination of two variable regions of IGS1 and ITS for classifying the economically cultivated Pleurotus species. Integration of the two regions proved a high ability that not only could clearly distinguish the species but also served sufficient intraspecies variation. Phylogenetic tree (IGS1+ITS) showed seven distinct clades, each clade belonging to a separate species group. Moreover, the species differentiation was tested by AMOVA and the results were reconfirmed by presenting appropriate amounts of divergence (91.82% among and 8.18% within the species). In spite of achieving a proper classification of species by combination of IGS1 and ITS sequences, the phylogenetic tree showed the misclassification of the species of P. nebrodensis and P. eryngii var. ferulae with other strains of P. eryngii. However, the constructed median joining (MJ) network could not only differentiate between these species but also offer a profound perception of the species' evolutionary process. Eventually, due to the sufficient variation among and within species, distinct sequences, simple amplification, and location between ideal conserved ribosomal genes, the integration of IGS1 and ITS sequences is recommended as a desirable DNA barcode.
    MeSH terms: Binding Sites/physiology; Phylogeny*; Species Specificity; Evolution, Molecular*; Pleurotus/classification*; Pleurotus/genetics*; Pleurotus/metabolism
  16. Fulltext Effect of temporal relationships in associative rule mining for web log data
    Khairudin NM, Mustapha A, Ahmad MH
    ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:813983.
    PMID: 24587757 DOI: 10.1155/2014/813983
    The advent of web-based applications and services has created such diverse and voluminous web log data stored in web servers, proxy servers, client machines, or organizational databases. This paper attempts to investigate the effect of temporal attribute in relational rule mining for web log data. We incorporated the characteristics of time in the rule mining process and analysed the effect of various temporal parameters. The rules generated from temporal relational rule mining are then compared against the rules generated from the classical rule mining approach such as the Apriori and FP-Growth algorithms. The results showed that by incorporating the temporal attribute via time, the number of rules generated is subsequently smaller but is comparable in terms of quality.
    MeSH terms: Algorithms*; Records as Topic*; Time Factors; Information Storage and Retrieval/methods*; Internet*; Data Mining/methods*
  17. Fulltext Successful external cephalic version: factors predicting vaginal birth
    Lim PS, Ng BK, Ali A, Shafiee MN, Kampan NC, Mohamed Ismail NA, et al.
    ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:860107.
    PMID: 24587759 DOI: 10.1155/2014/860107
    To determine the maternal and fetal outcomes of successful external cephalic version (ECV) as well as factors predicting vaginal birth.
    MeSH terms: Adult; Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Outcome; Version, Fetal/methods*; Ultrasonography, Prenatal
  18. Fulltext Antibiogram for haemodialysis catheter-related bloodstream infections
    Abdul Gafor AH, Cheong Ping P, Zainal Abidin AF, Saruddin MZ, Kah Yan N, Adam SQ, et al.
    Int J Nephrol, 2014;2014:629459.
    PMID: 24587904 DOI: 10.1155/2014/629459
    Background. Haemodialysis (HD) catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSIs) are a major complication of long-term catheter use in HD. This study identified the epidemiology of HD CRBSIs and to aid in the choice of empiric antibiotics therapy given to patients with HD CRBSIs. Methods. Patients with HD CRBSIs were identified. Their blood cultures were performed according to standard sterile technique. Specimens were sent to the microbiology lab for culture and sensitivity testing. Results were tabulated in antibiograms. Results. 18 patients with a median age of 61.0 years (IQR: 51.5-73.25) were confirmed to have HD CRBSIs based on our study criteria. Eight (44.4%) patients had gram-negative infections, 7 (38.9%) patients gram-positive infections, and 3 (16.7%) patients had polymicrobial infections. We noted that most of the gram-negative bacteria were sensitive to ceftazidime. Unfortunately, cloxacillin resistance was high among gram-positive organisms. Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus and Bacillus sp. were the most common gram-positive organisms and they were sensitive to vancomycin. Conclusion. Our study revealed the increased incidence of gram-negative organism in HD CRBSIs. Antibiogram is an important tool in deciding empirical antibiotics for HD CRBSIs. Tailoring your antibiotics accordingly to the antibiogram can increase the chance of successful treatment and prevent the emergence of bacterial resistance.
  19. Fulltext Potential activity of 3-(2-chlorophenyl)-1-phenyl-propenonein accelerating wound healing in rats
    Dhiyaaldeen SM, Alshawsh MA, Salama SM, Alwajeeh NS, Al Batran R, Ismail S, et al.
    Biomed Res Int, 2014;2014:792086.
    PMID: 24587992 DOI: 10.1155/2014/792086
    Wound healing involves inflammation followed by granular tissue development and scar formation. In this study, synthetic chalcone 3-(2-Chlorophenyl)-1-phenyl-propenone (CPPP) was investigated for a potential role in enhancing wound healing and closure. Twenty-four male rats were divided randomly into 4 groups: carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) (0.2 mL), Intrasite gel, and CPPP (25 or 50 mg/mL). Gross morphology, wounds treatment with the CPPP, and Intrasite gel accelerate the rate of wound healing compared to CMC group. Ten days after surgery, the animals were sacrificed. Histological assessment revealed that the wounds treated with CPPP showed that wound closure site contained little amount of scar and the granulation tissue contained more collagen and less inflammatory cells than wound treated with CMC. This finding was confirmed with Masson's trichrome staining. The antioxidant defence enzymes catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were significantly increased in the wound homogenates treated with CPPP (P < 0.05) compared to CMC treated group. However, in the CPPP treatment group, lipid peroxidation (MDA) was significantly decreased (P < 0.05), suggesting that the CPPP also has an important role in protection against lipid peroxidation-induced skin injury after ten days of treatment with CPPP, which is similar to the values of cytokines TGF-β and TNF-α in tissue homogenate. Finally the administration of CPPP at a dosage of 25 and 50 mg/kg was suitable for the stimulation of wound healing.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Antioxidants/metabolism*; Collagen/metabolism; Granulation Tissue/metabolism; Humans; Male; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism; Wound Healing/drug effects*; Lipid Peroxidation; Chalcones/administration & dosage*; Chalcones/chemical synthesis; Rats
  20. MicroRNA pathways: an emerging role in identification of therapeutic strategies
    Vijayarathna S, Oon CE, Jothy SL, Chen Y, Kanwar JR, Sasidharan S
    Curr Gene Ther, 2014;14(2):112-20.
    PMID: 24588707
    For years researchers have exerted every effort to improve the influential roles of microRNA (miRNA) in regulating genes that direct mammalian cell development and function. In spite of numerous advancements, many facets of miRNA generation remain unresolved due to the perplexing regulatory networks. The biogenesis of miRNA, eminently endures as a mystery as no universal pathway defines or explicates the variegation in the rise of miRNAs. Early evidence in biogenesis ignited specific steps of being omitted or replaced that eventuate in the individual miRNAs of different mechanisms. Understanding the basic foundation concerning how miRNAs are generated and function will help with diagnostic tools and therapeutic strategies. This review encompasses the canonical and the non-canonical pathways involved in miRNA biogenesis, while elucidating how miRNAs regulate genes at the nuclear level and also the mechanism that lies behind circulating miRNAs.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Cell Nucleus/genetics; Humans; Signal Transduction/genetics*; MicroRNAs/genetics*; Gene Regulatory Networks/genetics
External Links