Browse publications by year: 2017

  1. Amin AM, Sheau Chin L, Mohamed Noor DA, Mostafa H, Abdul Kader MASK, Kah Hay Y, et al.
    Thromb Res, 2017 10;158:22-24.
    PMID: 28802144 DOI: 10.1016/j.thromres.2017.07.032
    MeSH terms: Blood Platelets/drug effects*; Coronary Artery Disease/blood; Coronary Artery Disease/enzymology; Coronary Artery Disease/genetics*; Female; Humans; Male; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors/pharmacology*; Polymorphism, Genetic; Ticlopidine/analogs & derivatives*; Ticlopidine/pharmacology; Asian Continental Ancestry Group/genetics; Cytochrome P-450 CYP2C19/genetics*
  2. Carayol M, Leitzmann MF, Ferrari P, Zamora-Ros R, Achaintre D, Stepien M, et al.
    J Proteome Res, 2017 Sep 01;16(9):3137-3146.
    PMID: 28758405 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.6b01062
    Metabolomics is now widely used to characterize metabolic phenotypes associated with lifestyle risk factors such as obesity. The objective of the present study was to explore the associations of body mass index (BMI) with 145 metabolites measured in blood samples in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study. Metabolites were measured in blood from 392 men from the Oxford (UK) cohort (EPIC-Oxford) and in 327 control subjects who were part of a nested case-control study on hepatobiliary carcinomas (EPIC-Hepatobiliary). Measured metabolites included amino acids, acylcarnitines, hexoses, biogenic amines, phosphatidylcholines, and sphingomyelins. Linear regression models controlled for potential confounders and multiple testing were run to evaluate the associations of metabolite concentrations with BMI. 40 and 45 individual metabolites showed significant differences according to BMI variations, in the EPIC-Oxford and EPIC-Hepatobiliary subcohorts, respectively. Twenty two individual metabolites (kynurenine, one sphingomyelin, glutamate and 19 phosphatidylcholines) were associated with BMI in both subcohorts. The present findings provide additional knowledge on blood metabolic signatures of BMI in European adults, which may help identify mechanisms mediating the relationship of BMI with obesity-related diseases.
    MeSH terms: Adult; Amino Acids/blood; Bile Duct Neoplasms/blood*; Bile Duct Neoplasms/diagnosis; Bile Duct Neoplasms/genetics; Bile Duct Neoplasms/pathology; Biogenic Amines/blood; Blood Proteins/genetics; Blood Proteins/metabolism; Carcinoma/blood*; Carcinoma/diagnosis; Carcinoma/genetics; Carcinoma/pathology; Carnitine/analogs & derivatives; Carnitine/blood; Diabetes Mellitus/blood*; Diabetes Mellitus/diagnosis; Diabetes Mellitus/genetics; Diabetes Mellitus/pathology; Europe; Hexoses/blood; Humans; Liver Neoplasms/blood*; Liver Neoplasms/diagnosis; Liver Neoplasms/genetics; Liver Neoplasms/pathology; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Middle Aged; Obesity/blood*; Obesity/diagnosis; Obesity/genetics; Obesity/pathology; Phosphatidylcholines/blood; Risk Factors; Sphingomyelins/blood; Nutrition Assessment; Gene Expression; Body Mass Index; Linear Models; Case-Control Studies; Metabolome*
  3. Ley B, Thriemer K, Jaswal J, Poirot E, Alam MS, Phru CS, et al.
    Malar J, 2017 08 10;16(1):329.
    PMID: 28797255 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-017-1981-y
    BACKGROUND: Primaquine is essential for the radical cure of vivax malaria, however its broad application is hindered by the risk of drug-induced haemolysis in individuals with glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. Rapid diagnostic tests capable of diagnosing G6PD deficiency are now available, but these are not used widely.

    METHODS: A series of qualitative interviews were conducted with policy makers and healthcare providers in four vivax-endemic countries. Routine G6PD testing is not part of current policy in Bangladesh, Cambodia or China, but it is in Malaysia. The interviews were analysed with regard to respondents perceptions of vivax malaria, -primaquine based treatment for malaria and the complexities of G6PD deficiency.

    RESULTS: Three barriers to the roll-out of routine G6PD testing were identified in all sites: (a) a perceived low risk of drug-induced haemolysis; (b) the perception that vivax malaria was benign and accordingly treatment with primaquine was not regarded as a priority; and, (c) the additional costs of introducing routine testing. In Malaysia, respondents considered the current test and treat algorithm suitable and the need for an alternative approach was only considered relevant in highly mobile and hard to reach populations.

    CONCLUSIONS: Greater efforts are needed to increase awareness of the benefits of the radical cure of Plasmodium vivax and this should be supported by economic analyses exploring the cost effectiveness of routine G6PD testing.

    MeSH terms: Administrative Personnel/psychology; Bangladesh; Cambodia; China; Diagnostic Tests, Routine/psychology; Diagnostic Tests, Routine/standards*; Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency/diagnosis*; Health Personnel/psychology*; Humans; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Malaysia; Primaquine/adverse effects*; Primaquine/therapeutic use*; Malaria, Vivax/diagnosis*; Malaria, Vivax/drug therapy*
  4. Molugulu N, Yee LS, Ye YT, Khee TC, Nie LZ, Yee NJ, et al.
    Diabetes Res Clin Pract, 2017 Oct;132:157-168.
    PMID: 28797524 DOI: 10.1016/j.diabres.2017.07.025
    BACKGROUND: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic disorder and its treatment with only metformin often does not provide optimum glycemic control. Addition of sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor (SGLT2) will improve the glycemic control in patients on metformin alone. In this study, an attempt is made to investigate the combined therapy of SGLT-2 with metformin in managing T2DM in terms of lowering HbA1c and body weight and monotherapy using metformin alone in HbA1c and body weight reduction.

    OBJECTIVES: To compare the clinical effectiveness of combined therapy using SGLT2 inhibitor and metformin with monotherapy using metformin alone in HbA1c and body weight reduction.

    METHOD: A systematic review of the randomized controlled trials has been carried out and Cochrane risk of bias tool was used for the quality assessment. Patient, Intervention, Comparison and Outcomes (PICO) technique is used to select the relevant articles to meet the objective.

    RESULTS: The studies used in this article are multicenter, double-blinded randomized controlled trials on SGLT2 inhibitors with methformin, there were a total of 3897 participants, with a range of 182 to 1186 individual study size were included. Studies showed that combined therapy were more effective in HbA1c and body weight reduction as compared to monotherapy.

    CONCLUSION: The combined therapy of SGLT2 inhibitor along with metformin is more effective in HbA1c reduction and weight reduction as compared to monotherapy using metformin alone. Among the three SGLT2 inhibitors such as dapagliflozin canagliflozin and empagliflozin do not differ much in the efficiency of weight reduction. However, Empagliflozin 25mg is effective in HbA1c reduction.

    MeSH terms: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Blood Glucose/drug effects*; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/drug therapy*; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/pathology; Female; Humans; Hypoglycemic Agents/pharmacology; Hypoglycemic Agents/therapeutic use*; Male; Metformin/therapeutic use*; Middle Aged; Sodium-Glucose Transporter 2/pharmacology; Sodium-Glucose Transporter 2/therapeutic use*; Young Adult
  5. Machiela MJ, Hofmann JN, Carreras-Torres R, Brown KM, Johansson M, Wang Z, et al.
    Eur Urol, 2017 Nov;72(5):747-754.
    PMID: 28797570 DOI: 10.1016/j.eururo.2017.07.015
    BACKGROUND: Relative telomere length in peripheral blood leukocytes has been evaluated as a potential biomarker for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) risk in several studies, with conflicting findings.

    OBJECTIVE: We performed an analysis of genetic variants associated with leukocyte telomere length to assess the relationship between telomere length and RCC risk using Mendelian randomization, an approach unaffected by biases from temporal variability and reverse causation that might have affected earlier investigations.

    DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Genotypes from nine telomere length-associated variants for 10 784 cases and 20 406 cancer-free controls from six genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of RCC were aggregated into a weighted genetic risk score (GRS) predictive of leukocyte telomere length.

    OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Odds ratios (ORs) relating the GRS and RCC risk were computed in individual GWAS datasets and combined by meta-analysis.

    RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: Longer genetically inferred telomere length was associated with an increased risk of RCC (OR=2.07 per predicted kilobase increase, 95% confidence interval [CI]:=1.70-2.53, p<0.0001). As a sensitivity analysis, we excluded two telomere length variants in linkage disequilibrium (R2>0.5) with GWAS-identified RCC risk variants (rs10936599 and rs9420907) from the telomere length GRS; despite this exclusion, a statistically significant association between the GRS and RCC risk persisted (OR=1.73, 95% CI=1.36-2.21, p<0.0001). Exploratory analyses for individual histologic subtypes suggested comparable associations with the telomere length GRS for clear cell (N=5573, OR=1.93, 95% CI=1.50-2.49, p<0.0001), papillary (N=573, OR=1.96, 95% CI=1.01-3.81, p=0.046), and chromophobe RCC (N=203, OR=2.37, 95% CI=0.78-7.17, p=0.13).

    CONCLUSIONS: Our investigation adds to the growing body of evidence indicating some aspect of longer telomere length is important for RCC risk.

    PATIENT SUMMARY: Telomeres are segments of DNA at chromosome ends that maintain chromosomal stability. Our study investigated the relationship between genetic variants associated with telomere length and renal cell carcinoma risk. We found evidence suggesting individuals with inherited predisposition to longer telomere length are at increased risk of developing renal cell carcinoma.

    MeSH terms: Carcinoma, Renal Cell/blood; Carcinoma, Renal Cell/genetics*; Carcinoma, Renal Cell/pathology; Humans; Kidney Neoplasms/blood; Kidney Neoplasms/genetics*; Kidney Neoplasms/pathology; Leukocytes/chemistry; Phenotype; Risk Factors; Odds Ratio; Case-Control Studies; Telomere/genetics*; Telomere/pathology; Risk Assessment; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide*; Genome-Wide Association Study; Mendelian Randomization Analysis; Telomere Homeostasis*
  6. Menicagli R, Bolla G, Menicagli L, Esseiridou A
    Gulf J Oncolog, 2017 May;1(24):70-74.
    PMID: 28798007
    INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma represents 0.7% of the total cancer cases in the world with an ASR index of 1.7 and is widely associated with Epstein-Barr virus. It is not common in Italy (ASR index of 0.5) while in China (ASR 1.9), one third of the clinical cases are observed in Guangdong (ASR index 11.3). It is also quite common in Malaysia and Indonesia. The activation of the cancerogenesis process happens after the exposure to some environmental parameters that epidemiological studies have indicated with various dietary habits, mainly for salted fish consumption. The purpose of this work is to highlight such as exposure to compounds, such as formaldehyde, which is present in the different working conditions of these countries and may lead to the real cause to establish the carcinogenic process.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: The most recent publications regarding the impact of various external factors on Pub Med, Google, TOXLINE, Chem Abstract, were analyzed with the radiological data that were found in Milan hospitals database.

    RESULTS: The relationship between food consumption and nasopharyngeal cancer are not clear and statistically insignificant in Indonesia. In Malaysia, the preparation of natural rubber for the use of formaldehyde is a dangerous environmental factor. The same exposure is a risk factor in Guangdong, where many workers are employed in the wood panel industry. Incidence of cancer in these Chinese ethnic groups decreases when they migrate to other countries. In the last 5 years, few cases were recorded in Italy, without any apparent change in ethnic environmental factors or HBV infection Discussion: In the production of natural rubber, a lot of people are exposed to formaldehyde during the various steps of preparation and production such as stripping, drying and coagulation without observing proper environmental hygiene precautions. The same working conditions are present in industrial production of wood panels in Guangdong, China. The relationship between exposure to formaldehyde and nasopharyngeal cancer is demonstrated by the fact that epidemiological studies on the population of this Chinese district whose immigrant populations were not exposed to these pollutants, the appearance of these tumors decreases. Also an examination of our radiological data in Italy shows that in about one hundred sixty cases of nasopharyngeal cancer none of the patients were Indonesian or Chinese Conclusion: The preliminary results of our study suggest that EPST-BARR virus could be a risk factor if associated with exposure to compounds such as formaldehyde which is present in industrial productions of countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, and China.

    MeSH terms: Animals; China; Herpesvirus 4, Human; Ethnic Groups; Feeding Behavior; Fish Products; Formaldehyde; Humans; Hygiene; Indonesia; Industry; Italy; Malaysia; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms; Risk Factors; Rubber; Wood; Incidence; Epidemiologic Studies; Emigrants and Immigrants
  7. Dyari HRE, Rawling T, Chen Y, Sudarmana W, Bourget K, Dwyer JM, et al.
    FASEB J, 2017 12;31(12):5246-5257.
    PMID: 28798154 DOI: 10.1096/fj.201700033R
    A saturated analog of the cytochrome P450-mediated ω-3-17,18-epoxide of ω-3-eicosapentaenoic acid (C20E) activated apoptosis in human triple-negative MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. This study evaluated the apoptotic mechanism of C20E. Increased cytosolic cytochrome c expression and altered expression of pro- and antiapoptotic B-cell lymphoma-2 proteins indicated activation of the mitochondrial pathway. Caspase-3 activation by C20E was prevented by pharmacological inhibition and silencing of the JNK and p38 MAP kinases (MAPK), upstream MAPK kinases MKK4 and MKK7, and the upstream MAPK kinase kinase apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1). Silencing of the death receptor TNF receptor 1 (TNFR1), but not Fas, DR4, or DR5, and the adapters TRADD and TNF receptor-associated factor 2, but not Fas-associated death domain, prevented C20E-mediated apoptosis. B-cell lymphoma-2 homology 3-interacting domain death agonist (Bid) cleavage by JNK/p38 MAPK linked the extrinsic and mitochondrial pathways of apoptosis. In further studies, an antibody against the extracellular domain of TNFR1 prevented apoptosis by TNF-α but not C20E. These findings suggest that C20E acts intracellularly at TNFR1 to activate ASK1-MKK4/7-JNK/p38 MAPK signaling and to promote Bid-dependent mitochondrial disruption and apoptosis. Inin vivostudies, tumors isolated from C20E-treated nu/nu mice carrying MDA-MB-231 xenografts showed increased TUNEL staining and decreased Ki67 staining, reflecting increased apoptosis and decreased proliferation, respectively. ω-3-Epoxy fatty acids like C20E could be incorporated into treatments for triple-negative breast cancers.-Dyari, H. R. E., Rawling, T., Chen, Y., Sudarmana, W., Bourget, K., Dwyer, J. M., Allison, S. E., Murray, M. A novel synthetic analogue of ω-3 17,18-epoxyeicosatetraenoic acid activates TNF receptor-1/ASK1/JNK signaling to promote apoptosis in human breast cancer cells.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Arachidonic Acids/pharmacology*; Arachidonic Acids/therapeutic use*; Breast Neoplasms/drug therapy; Breast Neoplasms/genetics; Breast Neoplasms/metabolism*; Female; Humans; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism; Apoptosis/genetics; Apoptosis/physiology; Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor/genetics; Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor/metabolism*; Antigens, CD95/metabolism; Cell Line, Tumor; Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type I/metabolism; JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/genetics; JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/metabolism*; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/metabolism; MAP Kinase Kinase Kinase 5/genetics; MAP Kinase Kinase Kinase 5/metabolism*; Mice; Caspase 3/metabolism; TNF Receptor-Associated Death Domain Protein/metabolism; Receptors, TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand/metabolism
  8. Gan HM, Rajasekaram G, Eng WWH, Kaniappan P, Dhanoa A
    Genome Announc, 2017 Aug 10;5(32).
    PMID: 28798179 DOI: 10.1128/genomeA.00768-17
    We report the whole-genome sequences of two carbapenem-resistant clinical isolates of Klebsiella quasipneumoniae subsp. similipneumoniae obtained from two different patients. Both strains contained three different extended-spectrum β-lactamase genes and showed strikingly high pairwise average nucleotide identity of 99.99% despite being isolated 3 years apart from the same hospital.
    MeSH terms: beta-Lactamases; Humans; Klebsiella; Nucleotides; Carbapenems
  9. Kariya PB, Singh S, Kulkarni N, Arora A
    BMJ Case Rep, 2017 Aug 10;2017.
    PMID: 28798243 DOI: 10.1136/bcr-2017-220683
    Numerical anomalies, either addition or deletion, are quite a common findings in human dentition. However, it is extremely rare to find both hypodontia and hyperdontia simultaneously in the same individual. This condition is referred as concomitant hypohyperdontia (CHH). Aetiology of this condition is still obscure. The prevalence of CHH has been reported to be between 0.002% and 3.1%. This case report highlights a rare occurrence of bimaxillary CHH represented by the absence of both mandibular central incisors and presence of two supernumerary teeth in the maxillary anterior segment. The rarity of such condition of mixed hypodontia as well as hyperdontia in single human dentition prompted the author to report the case.
    MeSH terms: Anodontia/complications; Anodontia/diagnosis*; Child; Diagnosis, Differential; Humans; Male; Orofaciodigital Syndromes/complications; Orofaciodigital Syndromes/diagnosis*; Tooth, Supernumerary/complications; Tooth, Supernumerary/diagnosis*
  10. Lopez JB, Jackson D, Gammie A, Badrick T
    Clin Biochem Rev, 2017 Feb;38(1):3-11.
    PMID: 28798502
    Healthcare is a significant contributor to environmental impact but this has received little attention. The typical laboratory uses far more energy and water per unit area than the typical office building. There is a need to sensitise laboratories to the importance of adopting good environmental practices. Since this comes at an initial cost, it is vital to obtain senior management support. Convincing management of the various tangible and intangible benefits that can accrue in the long run should help achieve this support. Many good environmental practices do not have a cost but will require a change in the culture and mind-set of the organisation. Continuing education and training are important keys to successful implementation of good practices. There is a need to undertake a rigorous cost-benefit analysis of every change that is introduced in going green. The adoption of good practices can eventually lead to ISO certification if this is desired. This paper provides suggestions that will allow a laboratory to start going green. It will allow the industry to enhance its corporate citizenship whilst improving its competitive advantage for long-term.
  11. Rahman M, Heng LY, Futra D, Chiang CP, Rashid ZA, Ling TL
    Nanoscale Res Lett, 2017 Aug 10;12(1):484.
    PMID: 28798991 DOI: 10.1186/s11671-017-2254-y
    The present research describes a simple method for the identification of the gender of arowana fish (Scleropages formosus). The DNA biosensor was able to detect specific DNA sequence at extremely low level down to atto M regimes. An electrochemical DNA biosensor based on acrylic microsphere-gold nanoparticle (AcMP-AuNP) hybrid composite was fabricated. Hydrophobic poly(n-butylacrylate-N-acryloxysuccinimide) microspheres were synthesised with a facile and well-established one-step photopolymerization procedure and physically adsorbed on the AuNPs at the surface of a carbon screen printed electrode (SPE). The DNA biosensor was constructed simply by grafting an aminated DNA probe on the succinimide functionalised AcMPs via a strong covalent attachment. DNA hybridisation response was determined by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) technique using anthraquinone monosulphonic acid redox probe as an electroactive oligonucleotide label (Table 1). A low detection limit at 1.0 × 10(-18) M with a wide linear calibration range of 1.0 × 10(-18) to 1.0 × 10(-8) M (R (2) = 0.99) can be achieved by the proposed DNA biosensor under optimal conditions. Electrochemical detection of arowana DNA can be completed within 1 hour. Due to its small size and light weight, the developed DNA biosensor holds high promise for the development of functional kit for fish culture usage.
  12. Loh LN, McCarthy EMC, Narang P, Khan NA, Ward TH
    Traffic, 2017 11;18(11):733-746.
    PMID: 28799243 DOI: 10.1111/tra.12508
    Eukaryotic cells utilize multiple endocytic pathways for specific uptake of ligands or molecules, and these pathways are commonly hijacked by pathogens to enable host cell invasion. Escherichia coli K1, a pathogenic bacterium that causes neonatal meningitis, invades the endothelium of the blood-brain barrier, but the entry route remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that the bacteria trigger an actin-mediated uptake route, stimulating fluid phase uptake, membrane ruffling and macropinocytosis. The route of uptake requires intact lipid rafts as shown by cholesterol depletion. Using a variety of perturbants we demonstrate that small Rho GTPases and their downstream effectors have a significant effect on bacterial invasion. Furthermore, clathrin-mediated endocytosis appears to play an indirect role in E. coli K1 uptake. The data suggest that the bacteria effect a complex interplay between the Rho GTPases to increase their chances of uptake by macropinocytosis into human brain microvascular endothelial cells.
    MeSH terms: Actins/metabolism; Brain/blood supply; Brain/microbiology*; Cell Line; Cholesterol/metabolism; Endothelium, Vascular/metabolism; Endothelium, Vascular/microbiology; Escherichia coli/pathogenicity*; Escherichia coli/physiology; Humans; Pinocytosis/physiology*; Virulence; Bacterial Translocation; Endothelial Cells/metabolism; Endothelial Cells/microbiology*; Microvessels/metabolism; Microvessels/microbiology*
  13. Neelakantan P, Romero M, Vera J, Daood U, Khan AU, Yan A, et al.
    Int J Mol Sci, 2017 Aug 11;18(8).
    PMID: 28800075 DOI: 10.3390/ijms18081748
    Microbiota are found in highly organized and complex entities, known as biofilms, the characteristics of which are fundamentally different from microbes in planktonic suspensions. Root canal infections are biofilm mediated. The complexity and variability of the root canal system, together with the multi-species nature of biofilms, make disinfection of this system extremely challenging. Microbial persistence appears to be the most important factor for failure of root canal treatment and this could further have an impact on pain and quality of life. Biofilm removal is accomplished by a chemo-mechanical process, using specific instruments and disinfecting chemicals in the form of irrigants and/or intracanal medicaments. Endodontic research has focused on the characterization of root canal biofilms and the clinical methods to disrupt the biofilms in addition to achieving microbial killing. In this narrative review, we discuss the role of microbial biofilms in endodontics and review the literature on the role of root canal disinfectants and disinfectant-activating methods on biofilm removal.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Dental Pulp Cavity/microbiology*; Endodontics/methods; Humans; Root Canal Therapy/methods; Biofilms*
  14. Gharaei N, Abu Bakar K, Mohd Hashim SZ, Hosseingholi Pourasl A, Siraj M, Darwish T
    Sensors (Basel), 2017 Aug 11;17(8).
    PMID: 28800121 DOI: 10.3390/s17081858
    Network lifetime and energy efficiency are crucial performance metrics used to evaluate wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Decreasing and balancing the energy consumption of nodes can be employed to increase network lifetime. In cluster-based WSNs, one objective of applying clustering is to decrease the energy consumption of the network. In fact, the clustering technique will be considered effective if the energy consumed by sensor nodes decreases after applying clustering, however, this aim will not be achieved if the cluster size is not properly chosen. Therefore, in this paper, the energy consumption of nodes, before clustering, is considered to determine the optimal cluster size. A two-stage Genetic Algorithm (GA) is employed to determine the optimal interval of cluster size and derive the exact value from the interval. Furthermore, the energy hole is an inherent problem which leads to a remarkable decrease in the network's lifespan. This problem stems from the asynchronous energy depletion of nodes located in different layers of the network. For this reason, we propose Circular Motion of Mobile-Sink with Varied Velocity Algorithm (CM2SV2) to balance the energy consumption ratio of cluster heads (CH). According to the results, these strategies could largely increase the network's lifetime by decreasing the energy consumption of sensors and balancing the energy consumption among CHs.
    MeSH terms: Algorithms; Longevity; Cluster Analysis; Benchmarking
  15. Bindal P, Bindal U, Lin CW, Kasim NHA, Ramasamy TSAP, Dabbagh A, et al.
    Technol Health Care, 2017 Dec 04;25(6):1041-1051.
    PMID: 28800347 DOI: 10.3233/THC-170922
    Dental stem cells isolated for human dental pulp are an excellent source for regenerative medicine and dentistry. Simulation of clinical scenario is one of the crucial challenges for evaluation of the efficacy of DPSCs in various regenerative therapies. In this study we evaluated the viability of DPSCs after treatment with artificial bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS) as the main component responsible for inducing inflammatory response in majority of the inflammatory conditions in clinical scenario. Although a number of studies have previously treated stem cells with LPS from bacteria, however the accuracy level of the outcome was not established. Here we have analyzed the outcome using adaptive neuro-fuzzy inferences system (ANFIS) to predict the viability of human DPSCs after treatment with bacterial LPS.
    MeSH terms: Algorithms; Cell Differentiation; Dental Pulp/physiology*; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Humans; Inflammation/physiopathology*; Lipopolysaccharides/pharmacology*; Models, Biological; Stem Cells/physiology*; Time Factors; Neural Networks (Computer)*; Cell Proliferation
  16. Selvarajoo PD, Haque RA, Haziz UFM, Avicor SW, Wajidi MFF, Razali MR
    J Inorg Biochem, 2017 10;175:232-238.
    PMID: 28800547 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2017.07.030
    New synthesized bis-imidazolium salts that are linked by xylyl derivatives moiety, 1-4 was reacted with Ag2O to facilitate the formation of dinuclear Ag(I)-N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes, 5-8, respectively. All the synthesized ligand salts and complexes were characterized by1H and13C NMR, FTIR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Molecular structures of compounds 3, 5, and 7 were elucidated by single crystal X-ray diffraction analyses. Larvicidal studies against the Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus were carried out on all synthesized compounds following the World Health Organization standard larval susceptibility test. All the imidazolium salts were found inactive while the activity of the dinuclear Ag(I)-NHC complexes on mosquito larvae are varies with the nature of the ligands. Complex 7 has high activity on Ae. aegypti and Cx. quinquefasciatus, emphasising its potential as a larvicidal compound.
    MeSH terms: Aedes/growth & development*; Animals; Culex/growth & development*; Larva/growth & development
  17. Loh HS, Green BJ, Yusibov V
    Curr Opin Virol, 2017 10;26:81-89.
    PMID: 28800551 DOI: 10.1016/j.coviro.2017.07.019
    Production of proteins in plants for human health applications has become an attractive strategy attributed by their potentials for low-cost production, increased safety due to the lack of human or animal pathogens, scalability and ability to produce complex proteins. A major milestone for plant-based protein production for use in human health was achieved when Protalix BioTherapeutics produced taliglucerase alfa (Elelyso®) in suspension cultures of a transgenic carrot cell line for the treatment of patients with Gaucher's disease, was approved by the USA Food and Drug Administration in 2012. In this review, we are highlighting various approaches for plant-based production of proteins and recent progress in the development of plant-made therapeutics and biologics for the prevention and treatment of human diseases.
    MeSH terms: Biological Products/metabolism*; Biotechnology/methods; Genetic Vectors*; Humans; Plant Viruses/genetics*; Recombinant Proteins/genetics; Recombinant Proteins/metabolism*; Technology, Pharmaceutical/methods; Plants, Genetically Modified/genetics*; Plants, Genetically Modified/virology*
  18. Praveena SM, Omar NA
    Food Chem, 2017 Nov 15;235:203-211.
    PMID: 28554627 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2017.05.049
    Heavy metal in rice studies has attracted a greater concern worldwide. However, there have been limited studies on marketed rice samples although it represents a vital ingestion portion for a real estimation of human health risk. This study was aimed to determine both total and bioaccessible of trace elements and heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Co, Al, Zn, As, Pb and Fe) in 22 varieties of cooked rice using an inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy. Both total and bioaccessible of trace elements and heavy metals were digested using closed-nitric acid digestion and Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu (RIVM) in vitro digestion model, respectively. Human health risks via Health Risk Assessment (HRA) were conducted to understand exposure risks involving adults and children representing Malaysian population. Zinc was the highest while As was the lowest contents for total and in their bioavailable forms. Four clusters were identified: (1) Pb, As, Co, Cd and Cr; (2) Cu and Al; (3) Fe and (4) Zn. For HRA, there was no any risks found from single element exposure. While potential carcinogenic health risks present for both adult and children from single As exposure (Life time Cancer Risk, LCR>1×10(-4)). Total Hazard Quotient values for adult and children were 27.0 and 18.0, respectively while total LCR values for adult and children were 0.0049 and 0.0032, respectively.
    MeSH terms: Environmental Monitoring; Humans; Oryza/chemistry*; Soil Pollutants; Risk Assessment; Metals, Heavy/analysis*
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