Browse publications by year: 2017

  1. Lee JY, Wong CP, Tan CSS, Nasir NH, Lee SWH
    BMJ Open Diabetes Res Care, 2017;5(1):e000365.
    PMID: 28761651 DOI: 10.1136/bmjdrc-2016-000365
    OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the beliefs, experience and diabetes management strategies of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) Muslim patients that chose to fast during Ramadan.
    RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A semistructured focus group interview was conducted with 53 participants with T2DM. Participants were purposefully sampled and asked to share their perspective on Ramadan fasting. All interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically.
    RESULTS: Participants reported optimism towards fasting during Ramadan, as they believed that fasting was beneficial to their overall well-being, and a time for family bonding. Most participants made limited attempts to discuss with their doctors on the decision to fast and self-adjusted their medication based on experience and symptoms during this period. They also reported difficulty in managing their diet, due to fear of hypoglycemia and the collective social aspect of fasting.
    CONCLUSION: Muslims are optimistic about their well-being when fasting during Ramadan. Many choose to fulfill their religious obligation despite being discouraged by their doctors. Collaboration with religious authorities should be explored to ensure patients receive adequate education before fasting during Ramadan.
    TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02189135; Results.
    MeSH terms: Adult; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Diet; Fear; Humans; Hypoglycemia; Islam; Malaysia; Physicians; Focus Groups; Qualitative Research
  2. Krackhardt F, Kočka V, Waliszewski MW, Utech A, Lustermann M, Hudec M, et al.
    Open Heart, 2017 06 06;4(2):e000592.
    PMID: 28761678 DOI: 10.1136/openhrt-2017-000592
    OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the safety and efficacy of a polymer-free sirolimus coated, ultrathin strut drug-eluting stent (PF-SES) in an unselected patient population with a focus on acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Furthermore, stable coronary artery disease (CAD) with short (≤6 months) versus long (>6 months) dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) were also studied.

    METHODS: Patients who received PF-SES were investigated in an unselected large-scale international, single-armed, multicenter, 'all comers' observational study. The primary endpoint was the 9-month target lesion revascularisation (TLR) rate, whereas secondary endpoints included the 9-month major adverse cardiac events (MACE) and procedural success rates. A priori defined subgroups such as patients with ACS, diabetes, lesion subsets and procedural characteristics relative to DAPT were investigated.

    RESULTS: A total of 2877 patients of whom 1084 had ACS were treated with PF-SES (1.31±0.75 stents per patient). At 9 months, the accumulated overall TLR rate was 2.3% (58/2513). There was no significant difference between ACS and stable CAD (2.6% vs 2.1%, p=0.389). However, the overall MACE rate was 4.3% (108/2513) with a higher rate in patients with ACS when compared with the stable CAD subgroup (6.1%, 58/947 vs 3.2%, 50/1566, p<0.001).

    CONCLUSIONS: PF-SES angioplasty is safe and effective in the daily clinical routine with low rates of TLR and MACE in an unselected patient population. Our data are in agreement with prior clinical findings that extended DAPT duration beyond 6 months do not improve clinical outcomes in patients with stable CAD (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT02629575).

    TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02629575.

    MeSH terms: Coronary Artery Disease; Diabetes Mellitus; Humans; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; Polymers; Dinucleoside Phosphates; Angioplasty; Sirolimus; Acute Coronary Syndrome; Drug-Eluting Stents
  3. Liew JWK, Fong MY, Lau YL
    PeerJ, 2017;5:e3577.
    PMID: 28761783 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3577
    Quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) has been an integral part of characterizing the immunity of Anopheles mosquitoes towards Plasmodium invasion. Two anti-Plasmodium factors of Anopheles, thioester-containing protein 1 (TEP1) and nitric oxide synthase (NOS), play a role in the refractoriness of Anopheles towards Plasmodium infection and are generally expressed during infection. However, these are less studied in Anopheles dirus, a dominant malaria vector in Southeast Asia. Furthermore, most studies used a single reference gene for normalization during gene expression analysis without proper validation. This may lead to erroneous quantification of expression levels. Therefore, the present study characterized and investigated the expression profiles of TEP1 and NOS of Anopheles dirus during P. berghei infection. Prior to that, the elongation factor 1-alpha (EF1), actin 1 (Act) and ribosomal protein S7 (S7) genes were validated for their suitability as a set of reference genes. TEP1 and NOS expressions in An. dirus were found to be significantly induced after P. berghei infection.
    MeSH terms: Actins; Animals; Anopheles; Asia, Southeastern; Disease Vectors; Malaria; Plasmodium; Ribosomal Proteins; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Nitric Oxide Synthase; Peptide Elongation Factor 1; Reverse Transcription; Mosquito Vectors
  4. Amini S, Alias H, Aizat-Juhari MA, Mat-Isa MN, Adam JH, Goh HH, et al.
    Genom Data, 2017 Dec;14:5-6.
    PMID: 28761813 DOI: 10.1016/j.gdata.2017.07.008
    Rafflesia cantleyi, known as one of the world's largest flowers, is a specialised holoparasite due to dramatic morphological modifications. It possesses highly reduced vegetative structure and only appears as a flower for sexual reproduction. Moreover, it has an unusual life cycle in that its floral bud development takes up to nine months. In order to fully understand the highly modified floral organ structure and long life cycle of R. cantleyi, we used Illumina sequencing technology (HiSeq) for sequence generation followed by de novo assembly of sequence reads. We obtained the RNA-seq data from three different stages of floral bud, representing the early, mid and advanced developmental stages. These data are available via BioProject accession number PRJNA378435. More than 10.3 Gb raw sequence data were generated, corresponding to 102,203,042 raw reads. Following removal of low-quality reads and trimming of adapter sequences, a total of 91,638,836 reads were obtained. De novo assembly of these sequences using Trinity resulted in 89,690 unique transcripts with an N50 of 1653 bp. The obtained transcriptomic data will be useful for further study to understand the molecular interactions that result in R. cantleyi floral development.
  5. Che Omar MT
    Adv Pharm Bull, 2017 Jun;7(2):299-312.
    PMID: 28761833 DOI: 10.15171/apb.2017.036
    Purpose: More than half of the diagnostic and therapeutic recombinant protein production depends on mammalian-based expression system. However, the generation of recombinant antibodies remains a challenge in mammalian cells due to the disulfide bond formation and reducing cytoplasm. Therefore, the production of functional recombinant antibodies in target cell line is necessary to be evaluated before used in therapeutic application such intrabodies against HIV-1. Methods: The work was to test expression of a single-chain variable fragment (scFv) antibody against HIV-1 Capsid p24 protein in a human mammalian-based expression system using HEK293T and Jurkat T cells as a model. Three expression plasmid vectors expressing scFv 183-H12-5C were generated and introduced into HEK293T. Expression of the scFv was analyzed, while ELISA and immunoblotting analysis verified its binding. The evaluation of the recombinant antibody was confirmed by HIV-1 replication and MAGI infectivity assay in Jurkat T cells. Results: Three plasmid vectors expressing scFv 183-H12-5C was successfully engineered in this study. Recombinant antibodies scFv (~29 kDa) and scFv-Fc (~52 kDa) in the cytoplasm of HEK293T were effectively obtained by transfected the cells with engineered pCDNA3.3-mu-IgGk-scFv 183-H12-5C and pCMX2.5-scFv 183-H12-5C-hIgG1-Fc plasmid vectors respectively. scFv and scFv-Fc are specifically bound recombinant p24, and HIV-1 derived p24 (gag) evaluated by ELISA and Western blot. Jurkat T cells transfected by pCDNA3.3-scFv 183-H12-5C inhibit the replication-competent NL4-3 viral infectivity up to 60%. Conclusion: Anti-p24 scFv 183-H12-5C antibody generated is suitable to be acted as intrabodies and may serve as a valuable tool for the development of antibody-based biotherapeutics against HIV-1.
  6. Ling HL, Rahmat Z, Murad AMA, Mahadi NM, Illias RM
    Data Brief, 2017 Oct;14:35-40.
    PMID: 28761915 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2017.07.026
    Bacillus lehensis G1 is a cyclodextrin glucanotransferase (CGTase) producer, which can degrade starch into cyclodextrin. Here, we present the proteomics data of B. lehensis cultured in starch-containing medium, which is related to the article "Proteome-based identification of signal peptides for improved secretion of recombinant cyclomaltodextrin glucanotransferase in Escherichia coli" (Ling et. al, in press). This dataset was generated to better understand the secretion of proteins involved in starch utilization for bacterial sustained growth. A 2-DE proteomic technique was used and the proteins were tryptically digested followed by detection using MALDI-TOF/TOF. Proteins were classified into functional groups using the information available in SubtiList webserver (http://genolist.pasteur.fr/SubtiList/).
    MeSH terms: Bacillus; Cyclodextrins; Escherichia coli; Glucosyltransferases; Bodily Secretions; Starch; Trypsin; Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization; Proteome; Protein Sorting Signals; Proteomics
  7. Aziz NA, Huong KH, Sipaut CS, Amirul AA
    Bioprocess Biosyst Eng, 2017 Nov;40(11):1643-1656.
    PMID: 28762009 DOI: 10.1007/s00449-017-1820-0
    This study reports an efficient fed-batch strategy to improve poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate) [P(3HB-co-3HV-co-4HB)] terpolymer production by Cupriavidus sp. USMAA2-4 with enhanced mechanical properties in bioreactor. The cultivations have been performed by combining oleic acid with γ-butyrolactone at different concentration ratios with 1-pentanol at a fixed concentration. The batch and fed-batch fermentations have resulted in P(3HB-co-3HV-co-4HB) with compositions of 9-35 mol% 3HV and 4-24 mol% 4HB monomers. The DO-stat fed-batch fermentation strategies have significantly improved the production with a maximum 4.4-fold increment of cell dry weight (CDW). Besides, appropriate feeding of the substrates has resulted in an increment of terpolymer productivity from 0.086-0.347 g/L/h, with a significantly shortened cultivation time. The bacterial growth and terpolymer formation have been found to be affected by the concentration of carbon sources supplied. Characterization of P(3HB-co-3HV-co-4HB) has demonstrated that incorporation of 3HV and 4HB monomer has significantly improved the physical and thermodynamic properties of the polymers, by reducing the polymer's crystallinity. The tensile strength, Young's modulus of the terpolymer has been discovered to increase with the increase of M w. The fed-batch fermentation strategies employed in this study have resulted in terpolymers with a range of flexible materials having improved tensile strength and Young's modulus as compared to the terpolymer produced from batch fermentation. Possession of lower melting temperature indicates an enhanced thermal stability which broadens the polymer processing window.
  8. Lai NM, Ahmad Kamar A, Choo YM, Kong JY, Ngim CF
    Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2017 Aug 01;8(8):CD011891.
    PMID: 28762235 DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD011891.pub2
    BACKGROUND: Neonatal hyperbilirubinaemia is a common problem which carries a risk of neurotoxicity. Certain infants who have hyperbilirubinaemia develop bilirubin encephalopathy and kernicterus which may lead to long-term disability. Phototherapy is currently the mainstay of treatment for neonatal hyperbilirubinaemia. Among the adjunctive measures to compliment the effects of phototherapy, fluid supplementation has been proposed to reduce serum bilirubin levels. The mechanism of action proposed includes direct dilutional effects of intravenous (IV) fluids, or enhancement of peristalsis to reduce enterohepatic circulation by oral fluid supplementation.

    OBJECTIVES: To assess the risks and benefits of fluid supplementation compared to standard fluid management in term and preterm newborn infants with unconjugated hyperbilirubinaemia who require phototherapy.

    SEARCH METHODS: We used the standard search strategy of Cochrane Neonatal to search the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; 2017, Issue 5), MEDLINE via PubMed (1966 to 7 June 2017), Embase (1980 to 7 June 2017), and CINAHL (1982 to 7 June 2017). We also searched clinical trials databases, conference proceedings, and the reference lists of retrieved articles for randomised controlled trials and quasi-randomised trials.

    SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomised controlled trials that compared fluid supplementation against no fluid supplementation, or one form of fluid supplementation against another.

    DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: We extracted data using the standard methods of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group using the Covidence platform. Two review authors independently assessed the eligibility and risk of bias of the retrieved records. We expressed our results using mean difference (MD), risk difference (RD), and risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

    MAIN RESULTS: Out of 1449 articles screened, seven studies were included. Three articles were awaiting classification, among them, two completed trials identified from the trial registry appeared to be unpublished so far.There were two major comparisons: IV fluid supplementation versus no fluid supplementation (six studies) and IV fluid supplementation versus oral fluid supplementation (one study). A total of 494 term, healthy newborn infants with unconjugated hyperbilirubinaemia were evaluated. All studies were at high risk of bias for blinding of care personnel, five studies had unclear risk of bias for blinding of outcome assessors, and most studies had unclear risk of bias in allocation concealment. There was low- to moderate-quality evidence for all major outcomes.In the comparison between IV fluid supplementation and no supplementation, no infant in either group developed bilirubin encephalopathy in the one study that reported this outcome. Serum bilirubin was lower at four hours postintervention for infants who received IV fluid supplementation (MD -34.00 μmol/L (-1.99 mg/dL), 95% CI -52.29 (3.06) to -15.71 (0.92); participants = 67, study = 1) (low quality of evidence, downgraded one level for indirectness and one level for suspected publication bias). Beyond eight hours postintervention, serum bilirubin was similar between the two groups. Duration of phototherapy was significantly shorter for fluid-supplemented infants, but the estimate was affected by heterogeneity which was not clearly explained (MD -10.70 hours, 95% CI -15.55 to -5.85; participants = 218; studies = 3; I² = 67%). Fluid-supplemented infants were less likely to require exchange transfusion (RR 0.39, 95% CI 0.21 to 0.71; RD -0.01, 95% CI -0.04 to 0.02; participants = 462; studies = 6; I² = 72%) (low quality of evidence, downgraded one level due to inconsistency, and another level due to suspected publication bias), and the estimate was similarly affected by unexplained heterogeneity. The frequencies of breastfeeding were similar between the fluid-supplemented and non-supplemented infants in days one to three based on one study (estimate on day three: MD 0.90 feeds, 95% CI -0.40 to 2.20; participants = 60) (moderate quality of evidence, downgraded one level for imprecision).One study contributed to all outcome data in the comparison of IV versus oral fluid supplementation. In this comparison, no infant in either group developed abnormal neurological signs. Serum bilirubin, as well as the rate of change of serum bilirubin, were similar between the two groups at four hours after phototherapy (serum bilirubin: MD 11.00 μmol/L (0.64 mg/dL), 95% CI -21.58 (-1.26) to 43.58 (2.55); rate of change of serum bilirubin: MD 0.80 μmol/L/hour (0.05 mg/dL/hour), 95% CI -2.55 (-0.15) to 4.15 (0.24); participants = 54 in both outcomes) (moderate quality of evidence for both outcomes, downgraded one level for indirectness). The number of infants who required exchange transfusion was similar between the two groups (RR 1.60, 95% CI 0.60 to 4.27; RD 0.11, 95% CI -0.12 to 0.34; participants = 54). No infant in either group developed adverse effects including vomiting or abdominal distension.

    AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: There is no evidence that IV fluid supplementation affects important clinical outcomes such as bilirubin encephalopathy, kernicterus, or cerebral palsy in healthy, term newborn infants with unconjugated hyperbilirubinaemia requiring phototherapy. In this review, no infant developed these bilirubin-associated clinical complications. Low- to moderate-quality evidence shows that there are differences in total serum bilirubin levels between fluid-supplemented and control groups at some time points but not at others, the clinical significance of which is uncertain. There is no evidence of a difference between the effectiveness of IV and oral fluid supplementations in reducing serum bilirubin. Similarly, no infant developed adverse events or complications from fluid supplementation such as vomiting or abdominal distension. This suggests a need for future research to focus on different population groups with possibly higher baseline risks of bilirubin-related neurological complications, such as preterm or low birthweight infants, infants with haemolytic hyperbilirubinaemia, as well as infants with dehydration for comparison of different fluid supplementation regimen.

    MeSH terms: Administration, Oral; Bilirubin/blood; Breast Feeding/statistics & numerical data; Cerebral Palsy/prevention & control; Exchange Transfusion, Whole Blood/statistics & numerical data; Fluid Therapy/adverse effects*; Fluid Therapy/methods; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Kernicterus/prevention & control*; Peristalsis; Time Factors; Hyperbilirubinemia, Neonatal/blood; Hyperbilirubinemia, Neonatal/therapy*; Administration, Intravenous
  9. Chee KY, Yee OK, Gaillard F, Velakoulis D, Mohd Zain NR, Yogendren L, et al.
    Aust N Z J Psychiatry, 2017 Dec;51(12):1252-1253.
    PMID: 28762277 DOI: 10.1177/0004867417722642
    MeSH terms: Alzheimer Disease/genetics*; Alzheimer Disease/physiopathology*; Female; Humans; Middle Aged; Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor/genetics*; Age of Onset; Presenilin-2/genetics*
  10. Loewen SP, Paterson AR, Loh SY, Rogers MF, Hindmarch CCT, Murphy D, et al.
    Exp Physiol, 2017 11 01;102(11):1373-1379.
    PMID: 28762571 DOI: 10.1113/EP086436
    NEW FINDINGS: What is the topic of this review? We describe roles of crucial signalling molecules in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus and highlight recent data suggesting sex-specific changes in the expression of crucial signalling molecules and their receptors, which may underlie sex differences in both cardiovascular and metabolic function. What advances does it highlight? This review highlights the integrative capacity of the paraventricular nucleus in mediating cardiovascular and metabolic effects by integrating information from multiple signalling molecules. It also proposes that these signalling molecules have sex-specific differential gene expression, indicating the importance of considering these differences in our ongoing search to understand the female-male differences in the regulation of crucial autonomic systems. Many traditional cardiovascular hormones have been implicated in metabolic function. Conversely, many hormones traditionally involved in metabolic regulation have an effect on cardiovascular function. Many of these signalling molecules exert such effects through specific actions in the paraventricular nucleus, an integrative autonomic control centre located in the hypothalamus. Here, we focus on four cardiovascular/metabolic peptide hormones that signal within the paraventricular nucleus, namely angiotensin II, orexin, adiponectin and nesfatin-1. Each of these hormones has specific electrophysiological effects on paraventricular nucleus neurons that can be related to its physiological actions. In addition, we introduce preliminary transcriptomic data indicating that the genes for some of these hormones and their receptors have sex-specific differential expression.
    MeSH terms: Orexins/genetics; Orexins/metabolism*; Angiotensin II/genetics; Angiotensin II/metabolism*; Animals; Calcium-Binding Proteins/genetics; Calcium-Binding Proteins/metabolism*; Cardiovascular System/metabolism*; DNA-Binding Proteins/genetics; DNA-Binding Proteins/metabolism*; Female; Gene Expression Regulation; Humans; Male; Nerve Tissue Proteins/genetics; Nerve Tissue Proteins/metabolism*; Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus/metabolism*; Sex Factors; Adiponectin/genetics; Adiponectin/metabolism*; Transcriptome
  11. Jaaz AH, Hasan HA, Sopian K, Kadhum AAH, Gaaz TS, Al-Amiery AA
    Materials (Basel), 2017 Aug 01;10(8).
    PMID: 28763048 DOI: 10.3390/ma10080888
    This paper discusses the effect of jet impingement of water on a photovoltaic thermal (PVT) collector and compound parabolic concentrators (CPC) on electrical efficiency, thermal efficiency and power production of a PVT system. A prototype of a PVT solar water collector installed with a jet impingement and CPC has been designed, fabricated and experimentally investigated. The efficiency of the system can be improved by using jet impingement of water to decrease the temperature of the solar cells. The electrical efficiency and power output are directly correlated with the mass flow rate. The results show that electrical efficiency was improved by 7% when using CPC and jet impingement cooling in a PVT solar collector at 1:00 p.m. (solar irradiance of 1050 W/m² and an ambient temperature of 33.5 °C). It can also be seen that the power output improved by 36% when using jet impingement cooling with CPC, and 20% without CPC in the photovoltaic (PV) module at 1:30 p.m. The short-circuit current ISC of the PV module experienced an improvement of ~28% when using jet impingement cooling with CPC, and 11.7% without CPC. The output of the PV module was enhanced by 31% when using jet impingement cooling with CPC, and 16% without CPC.
    MeSH terms: Cold Temperature; Electricity; Solar Energy; Sunlight; Temperature; Water
  12. Paul S, Das S, Tanvir EM, Hossen MS, Saha M, Afroz R, et al.
    Biomed Pharmacother, 2017 Oct;94:256-264.
    PMID: 28763749 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2017.07.080
    Increases in the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) have aroused strong interest in identifying antioxidants from natural sources for use in preventive medicine. Citrus macroptera (C. macroptera), commonly known as "Satkara", is an important herbal and medicinal plant reputed for its antioxidant, nutritious and therapeutic uses. The aim of the present study was to investigate the cardio-protective effects of ethanol extracts of C. macroptera peel and pulp against isoproterenol (ISO)-induced myocardial infarction (MI) in rats. Male albino Wistar rats (n=36) were pre-treated with peel and pulp extracts (500mg/kg) for 45days. They received a challenge with ISO (85mg/kg) on the 44th and 45th days. Our findings indicated that subcutaneous injection of ISO induced severe myocardial injuries associated with oxidative stress, as confirmed by elevated lipid peroxidation (LPO) and decreased cellular reduced glutathione (GSH) and anti-peroxidative enzymes, including glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase and glutathione-S-transferase, compared with levels observed in control animals. Pre-treatment with C. macroptera peel and pulp extracts prior to ISO administration however, significantly improved many of the investigated biochemical parameters, i.e., cardiac troponin I, cardiac marker enzymes, lipid profile and oxidative stress markers. The fruit peel extract showed stronger cardio-protective effects than the pulp extract. The biochemical findings were further confirmed by histopathological examinations. Overall, the increased endogenous antioxidant enzyme activity against heightened oxidative stress in the myocardium is strongly suggestive of the cardio-protective potential of C. macroptera.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Antioxidants/metabolism; Cardiotonic Agents/isolation & purification; Cardiotonic Agents/therapeutic use*; Citrus/chemistry*; Disease Models, Animal; Fruit/chemistry; Isoproterenol/pharmacology*; Male; Myocardial Infarction/drug therapy*; Myocardial Infarction/enzymology; Myocardial Infarction/pathology; Plant Extracts/isolation & purification; Plant Extracts/therapeutic use*; Rats, Wistar; Oxidative Stress/drug effects
  13. Jayaprakash PT
    Forensic Sci Int, 2017 Sep;278:411.e1-411.e8.
    PMID: 28754256 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2017.04.021
    Often cited reliability test on video superimposition method integrated scaling face-images in relation to skull-images, tragus-auditory meatus relationship in addition to exocanthion-Whitnall's tubercle relationship when orientating the skull-image and wipe mode imaging in addition to mix mode imaging when obtaining skull-face image overlay and evaluating the goodness of match. However, a report that found higher false positive matches in computer assisted superimposition method transited from the above foundational concepts and relied on images of unspecified sizes that are lesser than 'life-size', frontal plane landmarks in the skull- and face- images alone for orientating the skull-image and mix images alone for evaluating the goodness of match. Recently, arguing the use of 'life-size' images as 'archaic', the authors who tested the reliability in the computer assisted superimposition method have denied any method transition. This article describes that the use of images of unspecified sizes at lesser than 'life-size' eliminates the only possibility to quantify parameters during superimposition which alone enables dynamic skull orientation when overlaying a skull-image with a face-image in an anatomically acceptable orientation. The dynamic skull orientation process mandatorily requires aligning the tragus in the 2D face-image with the auditory meatus in the 3D skull-image for anatomically orientating the skull-image in relation to the posture in the face-image, a step not mentioned by the authors describing the computer assisted superimposition method. Furthermore, mere reliance on mix type images during image overlay eliminates the possibility to assess the relationship between the leading edges of the skull- and face-image outlines as also specific area match among the corresponding craniofacial organs during superimposition. Indicating the possibility of increased false positive matches as a consequence of the above method transitions, the need for testing the reliability in the superimposition method adopting concepts that are considered safe is stressed.
    MeSH terms: Face/anatomy & histology*; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted*; Photography*; Skull/anatomy & histology*; Software; Reproducibility of Results; Forensic Anthropology/methods; Imaging, Three-Dimensional; Anatomic Landmarks*
  14. Bosch J, Eikelboom JW, Connolly SJ, Bruns NC, Lanius V, Yuan F, et al.
    Can J Cardiol, 2017 08;33(8):1027-1035.
    PMID: 28754388 DOI: 10.1016/j.cjca.2017.06.001
    BACKGROUND: Long-term aspirin prevents vascular events but is only modestly effective. Rivaroxaban alone or in combination with aspirin might be more effective than aspirin alone for vascular prevention in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) or peripheral artery disease (PAD). Rivaroxaban as well as aspirin increase upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding and this might be prevented by proton pump inhibitor therapy.

    METHODS: Cardiovascular Outcomes for People Using Anticoagulation Strategies (COMPASS) is a double-blind superiority trial comparing rivaroxaban 2.5 mg twice daily combined with aspirin 100 mg once daily or rivaroxaban 5 mg twice daily vs aspirin 100 mg once daily for prevention of myocardial infarction, stroke, or cardiovascular death in patients with stable CAD or PAD. Patients not taking a proton pump inhibitor were also randomized, using a partial factorial design, to pantoprazole 40 mg once daily or placebo. The trial was designed to have at least 90% power to detect a 20% reduction in each of the rivaroxaban treatment arms compared with aspirin and to detect a 50% reduction in upper GI complications with pantoprazole compared with placebo.

    RESULTS: Between February 2013 and May 2016, we recruited 27,395 participants from 602 centres in 33 countries; 17,598 participants were included in the pantoprazole vs placebo comparison. At baseline, the mean age was 68.2 years, 22.0% were female, 90.6% had CAD, and 27.3% had PAD.

    CONCLUSIONS: COMPASS will provide information on the efficacy and safety of rivaroxaban, alone or in combination with aspirin, in the long-term management of patients with stable CAD or PAD, and on the efficacy and safety of pantoprazole in preventing upper GI complications in patients receiving antithrombotic therapy.

    MeSH terms: Anticoagulants/therapeutic use*; Cardiovascular Diseases/prevention & control*; Humans; Thrombolytic Therapy/standards*; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic/methods*; Practice Guidelines as Topic*
  15. Pang NTP, Mohamad Isa MF, Suarn Singh V, Masiran R
    BMJ Case Rep, 2017 Jul 27;2017.
    PMID: 28754761 DOI: 10.1136/bcr-2017-221048
    A young male presented with many years of delusions and hallucinations, with concurrent heroin use and subsequent amphetamine uses. There were no depressive or manic symptoms and psychotic symptoms prior to the amphetamine use. After the trials of two atypical antipsychotics and later clozapine due to treatment resistance, adherence and functionality were poor and there was still persistent drug use. As a result, a long acting injectable adjunct was commenced, but only minimal effects were observed. However after initiation of directly observed treatment of clozapine with methadone, there has been functional and clinical response and drug use has ceased.
    MeSH terms: Adult; Clozapine/therapeutic use*; Drug Administration Schedule; Heroin Dependence/drug therapy; Heroin Dependence/psychology*; Humans; Male; Methadone/therapeutic use*; Schizophrenia/drug therapy*; Schizophrenia/physiopathology; Social Environment; Antipsychotic Agents/therapeutic use*; Treatment Outcome; Directly Observed Therapy*; Medication Adherence/psychology*; Opiate Substitution Treatment/methods*
  16. Venketasubramanian N, Anderson C, Mehndiratta M, Lin RT, Tan KS, Huang CY
    Stroke, 2017 09;48(9):e252-e254.
    PMID: 28754827 DOI: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.117.017044
    MeSH terms: Asia; Cooperative Behavior; Education, Medical, Continuing/organization & administration*; Financing, Organized; Health Policy; Humans; Quality of Health Care*; Societies, Medical/organization & administration*; Stroke*
  17. Mirsafian H, Ripen AM, Leong WM, Chear CT, Bin Mohamad S, Merican AF
    Sci Rep, 2017 07 28;7(1):6836.
    PMID: 28754963 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-06342-5
    X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) is a rare genetic disorder, caused by mutations in BTK (Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase) gene. Deep high-throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) approach was utilized to explore the possible differences in transcriptome profiles of primary monocytes in XLA patients compared with healthy subjects. Our analysis revealed the differences in expression of 1,827 protein-coding genes, 95 annotated long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and 20 novel lincRNAs between XLA patients and healthy subjects. GO and KEGG pathway analysis of differentially expressed (DE) protein-coding genes showed downregulation of several innate immune-related genes and upregulation of oxidative phosphorylation and apoptosis-related genes in XLA patients compared to the healthy subjects. Moreover, the functional prediction analysis of DE lncRNAs revealed their potential role in regulating the monocytes cell cycle and apoptosis in XLA patients. Our results suggested that BTK mutations may contribute to the dysregulation of innate immune system and increase susceptibility to apoptosis in monocytes of XLA patients. This study provides significant finding on the regulation of BTK gene in monocytes and the potential for development of innovative biomarkers and therapeutic monitoring strategies to increase the quality of life in XLA patients.
    MeSH terms: Adult; Agammaglobulinemia/genetics*; Agammaglobulinemia/immunology; Humans; Immunity, Innate*; Male; Monocytes/metabolism; Oxidative Phosphorylation; Case-Control Studies; Apoptosis; Genetic Diseases, X-Linked/genetics*; Genetic Diseases, X-Linked/immunology; Transcriptome*
  18. Lin C, Wei Z, Cheng KK, Xu J, Shen G, She C, et al.
    Sci Rep, 2017 07 28;7(1):6820.
    PMID: 28754994 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-07306-5
    Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine therapy that has been found useful for treating various diseases. The treatments involve the insertion of fine needles at acupoints along specific meridians (meridian specificity). This study aims to investigate the metabolic basis of meridian specificity using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR)-based metabolomics. Electro-acupuncture (EA) stimulations were performed at acupoints of either Stomach Meridian of Foot-Yangming (SMFY) or Gallbladder Meridian of Foot-Shaoyang (GMFS) in healthy male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. 1H-NMR spectra datasets of serum, urine, cortex, and stomach tissue extracts from the rats were analysed by multivariate statistical analysis to investigate metabolic perturbations due to EA treatments at different meridians. EA treatment on either the SMFY or GMFS acupoints induced significant variations in 31 metabolites, e.g., amino acids, organic acids, choline esters and glucose. Moreover, a few meridian-specific metabolic changes were found for EA stimulations on the SMFY or GMFS acupoints. Our study demonstrated significant metabolic differences in response to EA stimulations on acupoints of SMFY and GMFS meridians. These results validate the hypothesis that meridian specificity in acupuncture is detectable in the metabolome and demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of a metabolomics approach in understanding the mechanism of acupuncture.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Blood/metabolism; Brain/metabolism; Gastric Mucosa/metabolism; Male; Urea/metabolism; Electroacupuncture/adverse effects; Electroacupuncture/methods*; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Rats; Metabolome*
  19. Chew EK, Lee KY, Lau EV
    J Colloid Interface Sci, 2017 Nov 15;506:452-459.
    PMID: 28755640 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2017.07.078
    HYPOTHESIS: The effects of varying carbon chain lengths (CCLs) and concentrations of aqueous solutions of imidazolium based ionic liquids on bubble particle attachment (BPA) will provide a better understanding in catering for the varying degrees of surface activities in the application of the flotation technology. The general trends of this study should also be applicable to homologous series of other cationic surfactants and ionic liquids.

    EXPERIMENTS: Zeta potentials of small air bubbles and bunker oil drops dispersed in aqueous solutions of n-methylimidazolium chloride ionic liquids (n=0, 2, 3, 6, 8, 10, 12) of concentrations ranging from 1000PPM to 8000PPM, as were interfacial tensions of these solutions with bunker oil (180cst) and contact angles made by air bubbles at interfaces between these solutions and thin layers of bunker oil on flat solid surfaces were investigated. Finally, interparticle forces analysis using the Derjaguin-Landau, Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) theory is also included.

    FINDINGS: Analysis using the DLVO theory showed attractive forces between the oil particles and micro-bubbles are significantly more prevalent in short CCLs solutions of imidazolium-based ILs in low concentrations, namely [C0mim][Cl] and [C2mim][Cl] at a maximum zeta potential difference of 75.3mV. The results from CA measurements follows similarly whereby low concentrations of ILs with short CCLs were in favor for the bubble-particle attachment process with angles ranging between 93.95° for [C0mim][Cl] and 97.28° for [C2mim][Cl]. IFT which is important in reducing coalescence for the preferential BPA process to occur in flotation decreases with an increase of CCL and concentration of IL.

  20. Venkateskumar K, Parasuraman S, Gunasunderi R, Sureshkumar K, Nayak MM, Shah SAA, et al.
    AAPS PharmSciTech, 2017 Aug;18(6):2085-2094.
    PMID: 28004342 DOI: 10.1208/s12249-016-0686-9
    The dissolution and subsequent oral bioavailability of acyclovir (ACY) is limited by its poor aqueous solubility. An attempt has been made in this work to provide mechanistic insights into the solubility enhancement and dissolution of ACY by using the water-soluble carrier polyethylene glycol 6000 (PEG6000). Solid dispersions with varying ratios of the drug (ACY) and carrier (PEG6000) were prepared and evaluated by phase solubility, in vitro release studies, kinetic analysis, in situ perfusion, and in vitro permeation studies. Solid state characterization was done by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis, and surface morphology was assessed by polarizing microscopic image analysis, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance analysis. Thermodynamic parameters indicated the solubilization effect of the carrier. The aqueous solubility and dissolution of ACY was found to be higher in all samples. The findings of XRD, DSC, FTIR and NMR analysis confirmed the formation of solid solution, crystallinity reduction, and the absence of interaction between the drug and carrier. SEM and AFM analysis reports ratified the particle size reduction and change in the surface morphology in samples. The permeation coefficient and amount of ACY diffused were higher in samples in comparison to pure ACY. Stability was found to be higher in dispersions. The results suggest that the study findings provided clear mechanical insights into the solubility and dissolution enhancement of ACY in PEG6000, and such findings could lay the platform for resolving the poor aqueous solubility issues in formulation development.
External Links