Browse publications by year: 2017

  1. Naidu J, Wong Zh, Palaniappan Sh, Ngiu ChS, Yaacob NY, Abdul Hamid H, et al.
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2017 04 01;18(4):933-939.
    PMID: 28545190
    Background and Aims: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are subjected to a large amount of ionizing
    radiation during the course of their illness. This may increase their risk of malignancy to a greater level than that due
    to the disease itself. In Caucasian patients with Crohn’s disease, this has been well documented and recommendations
    are in place to avoid high radiation imaging protocols. However, there are limited data available on radiation exposure
    in Asian IBD patients.We therefore sought to identify total radiation exposure and any differences between ethnically
    diverse ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD) patients at our centre along with determining factors that may
    contribute to any variation. Methods: The cumulative effective dose (CED) was calculated retrospectively from 2000
    to 2014 using data from our online radiology database and patients’ medical records. Total CED in the IBD population
    was measured. High exposure was defined as a radiation dose of greater than 0.2mSv (equivalent to slightly less than
    ½ a year of background radiation). Results: A total of 112 cases of IBD (36 CD and 76 UC) were reviewed. Our CD
    patients were diagnosed at an earlier age than our UC cases (mean age 26.1 vs 45.7). The total CED in our IBD population
    was 8.53 (95% CI: 4.53-12.52). Patients with CD were exposed to significantly higher radiation compared to those
    with UC. The mean CED was 18.6 (7.30-29.87) and 3.65 (1.74-5.56, p=0.01) for CD and UC patients respectively. 2
    patients were diagnosed as having a malignancy during follow up with respective CED values of 1.76mSv and 10mSv.
    Conclusions: CD patients, particularly those with complicated disease, received a higher frequency of diagnostic
    imaging over a shorter period when compared to UC patients. Usage of low radiation imaging protocols should be
    encouraged in IBD patients to reduce their risk of consequent malignancy.
    MeSH terms: Radiation Exposure; Adult; Background Radiation; Colitis, Ulcerative; Crohn Disease; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Medical Records; Neoplasms; Radiation Dosage; Radiography; Retrospective Studies; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
  2. Kian LK, Jawaid M, Ariffin H, Alothman OY
    Int J Biol Macromol, 2017 Oct;103:931-940.
    PMID: 28549863 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2017.05.135
    In this study, microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) was extracted from roselle fiber through acid hydrolysis treatment and its properties were compared with those of commercially available MCC. The physicochemical and morphological characteristics, elemental composition, size distribution, crystallinity and thermal properties of the obtained MCC were analyzed in this work. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis provided clear evidence that the characteristic peak of lignin was absent in the spectrum of the MCC prepared from roselle fiber. Rough surface and slight aggregation of MCC were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis showed that pure MCC with small quantities of residues and impurities was obtained, with a similar elemental composition to that of commercial MCC. A mean diameter of approximately 44.28μm was measured for MCC by using a particle size analyzer (PSA). X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed the crystallinity increased from 63% in roselle pulp to 78% in roselle MCC, the latter having a slightly higher crystallinity than that of commercial MCC (74%). TGA and DSC results indicated that the roselle MCC had better thermal stability than the roselle pulp, whereas it had poorer thermal stability in comparison with commercial MCC. Thus, the isolated MCC from roselle fibers will be going to use as reinforcing element in green composites and may be a precursor for future roselle derived nanocellulose, and thus a promising subject in nanocomposite research.
    MeSH terms: Cellulose/isolation & purification*; Cellulose/chemistry*; Surface Properties; Temperature; Hibiscus/chemistry*
  3. Navanesan S, Abdul Wahab N, Manickam S, Cheow YL, Sim KS
    Chem Biol Interact, 2017 Aug 01;273:37-47.
    PMID: 28578903 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbi.2017.05.022
    The active isolate of LF1 in Leptospermum javanicum was further looked into its capabilities in provoking an apoptotic reaction and suppressing the metastasis process in treated non-small lung cancer cells. LF1 underwent isolation and purification to yield a white powder which was identified as Betulinic acid (BA) via NMR, LCMS and IR spectroscopy. The isolate, BA, which produced an encouraging cytotoxic effect against non-small lung cancer cells (A549 and NCI-H1299) through the MTT assay, was further assessed with TUNEL, Sub-G1 population quantification, acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining as well as activated caspase-3 detection. The results pointed towards the induction of apoptosis as a result of increasing doses of BA, regardless of the p53 status in both cell lines. Treatment with BA also prevented an effective attachment of the invasive A549 cells onto a new culture surface in addition to diminishing the migratory potential of treated cells across a porous membrane. Further investigation through the ELISA detection and gelatin zymography showed an adverse effect to production of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) while the levels of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) were not negatively affected. The findings from this study validate the potential of L. javanicum as a potential anti-cancer treatment as stated in our previous study. The isolate, BA not only showed a capacity in inducing apoptotic cell death in non-small lung cancer cells, but managed to distort the ability of the cancer cells in effectively undergoing the metastasis process.
    MeSH terms: Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic/isolation & purification; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic/pharmacology*; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic/chemistry; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/drug therapy; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/pathology*; Cells, Cultured; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; Humans; Lung Neoplasms/drug therapy; Lung Neoplasms/pathology*; Neoplasm Metastasis/prevention & control*; Structure-Activity Relationship; Triterpenes/isolation & purification; Triterpenes/pharmacology*; Triterpenes/chemistry; Molecular Structure; Cell Death/drug effects; Apoptosis/drug effects*; Leptospermum/chemistry*; Cell Proliferation/drug effects
  4. Ho JPY, Merican AM, Hashim MS, Abbas AA, Chan CK, Mohamad JA
    J Arthroplasty, 2017 10;32(10):3176-3183.
    PMID: 28579444 DOI: 10.1016/j.arth.2017.04.060
    BACKGROUND: The posterior tibial slope (PTS) is an important consideration in knee arthroplasty. However, there is still no consensus for the optimal slope. The objectives of this study were (1) to reliably determine the native PTS in this population using 3-dimensional computed tomography scans and (2) to determine the normal reference range for PTS in this population.

    METHODS: One hundred computed tomography scans of disease-free knees were analyzed. A 3-dimensional reconstructed image of the tibia was generated and aligned to its anatomic axis in the coronal and sagittal planes. The tibia was then rotationally aligned to the tibial plateau (tibial centroid axis) and PTS was measured from best-fit planes on the surface of the proximal tibia and individually for the medial and lateral plateaus. This was then repeated with the tibia rotationally aligned to the ankle (transmalleolar axis).

    RESULTS: When rotationally aligned to the tibial plateau, the mean PTS, medial PTS, and lateral PTS were 11.2° ± 3.0 (range, 4.7°-17.7°), 11.3° ± 3.2 (range, 2.7°-19.7°), and 10.9° ± 3.7 (range, 3.5°-19.4°), respectively. When rotationally aligned to the ankle, the mean PTS, medial PTS, and lateral PTS were 11.4° ± 3.0 (range, 5.3°-19.3°), 13.9° ± 3.7 (range, 3.1°-24.4°), and 9.7° ± 3.6 (range, 0.8°-17.7°), respectively.

    CONCLUSION: The PTS in the normal Asian knee is on average 11° (mean) with a reference range of 5°-17° (mean ± 2 standard deviation). This has implications to surgery and implant design.

    MeSH terms: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Ankle Joint; Female; Humans; Knee; Male; Middle Aged; Reference Values; Tomography, X-Ray Computed/methods; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee; Imaging, Three-Dimensional/methods; Asian Continental Ancestry Group/statistics & numerical data; Young Adult
  5. Veettil SK, Teerawattanapong N, Ching SM, Lim KG, Saokaew S, Phisalprapa P, et al.
    Onco Targets Ther, 2017;10:2689-2700.
    PMID: 28579807 DOI: 10.2147/OTT.S127335
    BACKGROUND: Protective effects of several chemopreventive agents (CPAs) against colorectal adenomas have been well documented in randomized controlled trials (RCTs); however, there is uncertainty regarding which agents are the most effective.

    METHODS: We searched for RCTs published up until September 2016. Retrieved trials were evaluated using risk of bias. We performed both pairwise analysis and network meta-analysis (NMA) of RCTs to compare the effects of CPAs on the recurrence of colorectal adenomas (primary outcome). Using NMA, we ranked CPAs based on efficacy.

    RESULTS: We identified 20 eligible RCTs enrolling 12,625 participants with a history of colorectal cancer or adenomas who were randomly assigned to receive either a placebo or one of 12 interventions. NMA using all trials demonstrated that celecoxib 800 mg/day (relative risk [RR] 0.61, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.45-0.83), celecoxib 400 mg/day (RR 0.70, 95% CI 0.55-0.87), low-dose aspirin (RR 0.75, 95% CI 0.59-0.96) and calcium (RR 0.81, 95% CI 0.69-0.96) were significantly associated with a reduction in the recurrence of any adenomas. NMA results were consistent with those from pairwise meta-analysis. The evidence indicated a high (celecoxib), moderate (low-dose aspirin) and low (calcium) Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) quality. NMA ranking showed that celecoxib 800 mg/day and celecoxib 400 mg/day were the best CPAs, followed by low-dose aspirin and calcium. Considering advanced adenoma recurrence, only celecoxib 800 mg/day and celecoxib 400 mg/day were demonstrated to have a protective effect (RR 0.37, 95% CI 0.27-0.52 vs RR 0.48, 95% CI 0.38-0.60, respectively).

    CONCLUSION: The available evidence from NMA suggests that celecoxib is more effective in reducing the risk of recurrence of colorectal adenomas, followed by low-dose aspirin and calcium. Since cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors (eg, celecoxib) are associated with important cardiovascular events and gastrointestinal harms, more attention is warranted toward CPAs with a favorable benefit-to-risk ratio, such as low-dose aspirin and calcium.

  6. Khachatryan V, Sirunyan AM, Tumasyan A, Adam W, Asilar E, Bergauer T, et al.
    Eur Phys J C Part Fields, 2017;77(5):294.
    PMID: 28579921 DOI: 10.1140/epjc/s10052-017-4787-8
    A search for new phenomena is performed in final states containing one or more jets and an imbalance in transverse momentum in pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13[Formula: see text]. The analysed data sample, recorded with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC, corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 2.3[Formula: see text]. Several kinematic variables are employed to suppress the dominant background, multijet production, as well as to discriminate between other standard model and new physics processes. The search provides sensitivity to a broad range of new-physics models that yield a stable weakly interacting massive particle. The number of observed candidate events is found to agree with the expected contributions from standard model processes, and the result is interpreted in the mass parameter space of fourteen simplified supersymmetric models that assume the pair production of gluinos or squarks and a range of decay modes. For models that assume gluino pair production, masses up to 1575 and 975[Formula: see text] are excluded for gluinos and neutralinos, respectively. For models involving the pair production of top squarks and compressed mass spectra, top squark masses up to 400[Formula: see text] are excluded.
  7. Ong KS, Cheow YL, Lee SM
    J Adv Res, 2017 Jul;8(4):393-398.
    PMID: 28580180 DOI: 10.1016/j.jare.2017.05.007
    The increase in prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria (ARB) is currently a serious threat, thus there is a need for new antimicrobial compounds to combat infections caused by these ARB. An antimicrobial-producing bacterium, Burkholderia paludis was recently isolated and was able to produce a type of siderophore with antimicrobial properties, later identified as pyochelin. The chelating ability of pyochelin has been well-characterized but not for its antimicrobial characteristics. It was found that pyochelin had MIC values (MBC values) of 3.13 µg/mL (6.26 µg/mL) and 6.26 µg/mL (25.00 µg/mL) against three Enterococcus strains and four Staphylococcus strains. Pyochelin was able to inhibit E. faecalis ATCC 700802 (a vancomycin-resistant strain) in a time and dose dependent manner via killing kinetics assay. It was demonstrated that pyochelin enhanced the production of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) over time, which subsequently caused a significant increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) production (a marker for lipid peroxidation) and ultimately led to cell death by disrupting the integrity of the bacterial membrane (validated via BacLight assay). This study has revealed the mechanism of action of pyochelin as an antimicrobial agent for the first time and has shown that pyochelin might be able to combat infections caused by E. faecalis in the future.
    MeSH terms: Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Anti-Infective Agents; Homicide; Kinetics; Malondialdehyde; Staphylococcus; Vancomycin; Lipid Peroxidation; Prevalence; Cell Death; Enterococcus; Siderophores; Reactive Oxygen Species; Burkholderia; Burkholderia cepacia complex; Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists
  8. Remali J, Loke KK, Ng CL, Aizat WM, Tiong J, Zin NM
    Genom Data, 2017 Sep;13:7-10.
    PMID: 28580299 DOI: 10.1016/j.gdata.2017.05.015
    Streptomyces sp. produces bioactive compounds with a broad spectrum of activities. Streptomyces kebangsaanesis SUK12 has been identified as a novel endophytic bacteria isolated from ethnomedicinal plant Portulaca olerace, and was found to produce the phenazine class of biologically active antimicrobial metabolites. The potential use of the phenazines has led to our research interest in determining the genome sequence of Streptomyces kebangsaanensis SUK12. This Whole Genome Shotgun project has been deposited at DDBJ/ENA/GenBank under the accession number PRJNA269542. The raw sequence data are available [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Traces/study/?acc=SRP105770].
  9. Kardi SN, Ibrahim N, Darzi GN, Rashid NAA, Villaseñor J
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2017 Aug;24(23):19444-19457.
    PMID: 28580546 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-017-9204-1
    This work studied the performance of a laboratory-scale microbial fuel cell (MFC) using a bioanode that consisted of treated clinoptilolite fine powder coated onto graphite felt (TC-MGF). The results were compared with another similar MFC that used a bare graphite felt (BGF) bioanode. The anode surfaces provided active sites for the adhesion of the bacterial consortium (NAR-2) and the biodegradation of mono azo dye C.I. Acid Red 27. As a result, bioelectricity was generated in both MFCs. A 98% decolourisation rate was achieved using the TC-MGF bioanode under a fed-batch operation mode. Maximum power densities for BGF and TC-MGF bioanodes were 458.8 ± 5.0 and 940.3 ± 4.2 mW m-2, respectively. GC-MS analyses showed that the dye was readily degraded in the presence of the TC-MGF bioanode. The MFC using the TC-MGF bioanode showed a stable biofilm with no biomass leached out for more than 300 h operation. In general, MFC performance was substantially improved by the fabricated TC-MGF bioanode. It was also found that the TC-MGF bioanode with the stable biofilm presented the nature of exopolysaccharide (EPS) structure, which is suitable for the biodegradation of the azo dye. In fact, the EPS facilitated the shuttling of electrons to the bioanode for the generation of bioelectricity.
    MeSH terms: Amaranth Dye/isolation & purification*; Amaranth Dye/metabolism; Bacteria/metabolism; Biodegradation, Environmental*; Bioelectric Energy Sources/microbiology*; Electrodes/microbiology*; Graphite/chemistry*; Zeolites/chemistry*; Biofilms/growth & development
  10. Mohamed RA, Salleh AB, Leow ATC, Yahaya NM, Abdul Rahman MB
    Mol Biotechnol, 2017 Jul;59(7):284-293.
    PMID: 28580552 DOI: 10.1007/s12033-017-0012-0
    An enzyme with broad substrate specificity would be an asset for industrial application. T1 lipase apparently has the same active site residues as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) depolymerase. Sequences of both enzymes were studied and compared, and a conserved lipase box pentapeptide region around the nucleophilic serine was detected. The alignment of 3-D structures for both enzymes showed their active site residues were well aligned with an RMSD value of 1.981 Å despite their sequence similarity of only 53.8%. Docking of T1 lipase with P(3HB) gave forth high binding energy of 5.4 kcal/mol, with the distance of 4.05 Å between serine hydroxyl (OH) group of TI lipase to the carbonyl carbon of the substrate, similar to the native PhaZ7 Pl . This suggests the possible ability of T1 lipase to bind P(3HB) in its active site. The ability of T1 lipase in degrading amorphous P(3HB) was investigated on 0.2% (w/v) P(3HB) plate. Halo zone was observed around the colony containing the enzyme which confirms that T1 lipase is indeed able to degrade amorphous P(3HB). Results obtained in this study highlight the fact that T1 lipase is a versatile hydrolase enzyme which does not only record triglyceride degradation activity but amorphous P(3HB) degradation activity as well.
    MeSH terms: Carbon; Carboxylic Ester Hydrolases; Lipase; Serine; Substrate Specificity; Triglycerides; Catalytic Domain; Polyhydroxyalkanoates
  11. Bujang NB, Chee CF, Heh CH, Rahman NA, Buckle MJC
    PMID: 28580889 DOI: 10.1080/19440049.2017.1336674
    Adulteration of herbal health supplements with phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5) inhibitors and their analogues is becoming a worldwide problem. The aim of this study was to investigate herbal and food products sold in the Malaysian market for the presence of these adulterants. Sixty-two products that claim to enhance men's sexual health were sampled between April 2014 and April 2016. These products included unregistered products seized by the Pharmacy Enforcement Division of the Ministry of Health (n = 39), products sent to the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency for pre-registration testing (n = 9) and products investigated under the post-registration market surveillance programme (n = 14). The products were tested against an in-house spectral library consisting of 61 PDE-5 inhibitors and analogues using a validated liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry ion-trap-time-of-flight (LC-MS IT-TOF) method. Thirty-two (82%) of the unregistered products and two (14%) of the registered products were found to be adulterated with at least one PDE-5 inhibitor or analogue, while none of the pre-registration products contained adulterants. A total of 16 different adulterants were detected and 36% of the adulterated products contained a mixture of two or more adulterants. This study has demonstrated that the adulteration of unregistered herbal products in the Malaysian market is an alarming issue that needs to be urgently addressed by the relevant authorities.
    MeSH terms: Drug Contamination*; Food Contamination/analysis*; Humans; Malaysia; Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitors/analysis*; Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitors/chemistry*
  12. Teo CY, Tejo BA, Leow ATC, Salleh AB, Abdul Rahman MB
    Chem Biol Drug Des, 2017 Dec;90(6):1134-1146.
    PMID: 28581157 DOI: 10.1111/cbdd.13033
    Protein arginine deiminase type IV (PAD4) is responsible for the posttranslational conversion of peptidylarginine to peptidylcitrulline. Citrullinated protein is the autoantigen in rheumatoid arthritis, and therefore, PAD4 is currently a promising therapeutic target for the disease. Recently, we reported the importance of the furan ring in the structure of PAD4 inhibitors. In this study, the furan ring was incorporated into peptides to act as the "warhead" of the inhibitors for PAD4. IC50 studies showed that the furan-containing peptide-based inhibitors were able to inhibit PAD4 to a better extent than the furan-containing small molecules that were previously reported. The best peptide-based inhibitor inhibited PAD4 reversibly and competitively with an IC50 value of 243.2 ± 2.4 μm. NMR spectroscopy and NMR-restrained molecular dynamic simulations revealed that the peptide-based inhibitor had a random structure. Molecular docking studies showed that the peptide-based inhibitor entered the binding site and interacted with the essential amino acids involved in the catalytic activity. The peptide-based inhibitor could be further developed into a therapeutic drug for rheumatoid arthritis.
    MeSH terms: Amino Acid Sequence; Binding Sites; Circular Dichroism; Enzyme Inhibitors/chemical synthesis; Enzyme Inhibitors/metabolism; Enzyme Inhibitors/chemistry*; Furans/chemistry*; Humans; Kinetics; Peptides/chemical synthesis; Peptides/metabolism; Peptides/chemistry*; Drug Design; Protein Structure, Secondary; Protein Structure, Tertiary; Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular; Inhibitory Concentration 50; Molecular Docking Simulation
  13. Teoh LS, Foo SW, Mansurali VN, Ang EL, Md Noh UK, Bastion MC
    Asia Pac J Ophthalmol (Phila), 2017;6(4):318-325.
    PMID: 28581284 DOI: 10.22608/APO.2016206
    PURPOSE: To study the effects of intracameral phenylephrine 1.5% on corneal endothelial cell loss and morphological changes in patients who had uneventful phacoemulsification surgery.

    DESIGN: A double-blind randomized controlled trial.

    METHODS: This study comprised 295 patients who were randomized into the intracameral (ICM) mydriatic group or topical mydriatic group. Central corneal endothelial cell density (ECD), coefficient of variation (CV), and percentage of hexagonal cells were measured preoperatively and postoperatively at 1 week, 6 weeks, and 3 months with specular microscope.

    RESULTS: There was no significant difference in endothelial cell density and endothelial cell loss between the topical and ICM mydriatic groups. At 3 months, the mean endothelial cell density in the ICM group was 2129.76 ± 423.53 cells/mm2 and 2100.54 ± 393.00 cells/mm2 in the topical group (P = 0.539). The endothelial cell loss was 18.60 ± 12.79% in the IC M group and 19.44 ± 11.24% in the topical group (P = 0.550). No significant difference was seen in the percentage of hexagonal cells and coefficient of variation of patients between the 2 groups.

    CONCLUSIONS: Intracameral phenylephrine was not associated with increased risk of postoperative endothelial cell loss or morphological changes. It can be safely injected into the anterior chamber for pupil dilatation before phacoemulsification cataract surgery.

    MeSH terms: Aged; Anterior Chamber; Cell Count; Double-Blind Method; Endothelium, Corneal/pathology*; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Injections; Intraoperative Period; Male; Mydriatics/administration & dosage; Phenylephrine/administration & dosage*; Prospective Studies; Phacoemulsification/methods*; Corneal Endothelial Cell Loss/diagnosis; Corneal Endothelial Cell Loss/etiology; Corneal Endothelial Cell Loss/prevention & control*
  14. Rozaila ZS, Khandaker MU, Abdul Sani SF, Sabtu SN, Amin YM, Maah MJ, et al.
    J Radiol Prot, 2017 Sep 25;37(3):761-779.
    PMID: 28581438 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6498/aa770e
    The sensitivity of a novel silica-based fibre-form thermoluminescence dosimeter was tested off-site of a rare-earths processing plant, investigating the potential for obtaining baseline measurements of naturally occurring radioactive materials. The dosimeter, a Ge-doped collapsed photonic crystal fibre (PCFc) co-doped with B, was calibrated against commercially available thermoluminescent dosimetry (TLD) (TLD-200 and TLD-100) using a bremsstrahlung (tube-based) x-ray source. Eight sampling sites within 1 to 20 km of the perimeter of the rare-earth facility were identified, the TLDs (silica- as well as TLD-200 and TLD-100) in each case being buried within the soil at fixed depth, allowing measurements to be obtained, in this case for protracted periods of exposure of between two to eight months. The values of the dose were then compared against values projected on the basis of radioactivity measurements of the associated soils, obtained via high-purity germanium gamma-ray spectrometry. Accord was found in relative terms between the TL evaluations at each site and the associated spectroscopic results. Thus said, in absolute terms, the TL evaluated doses were typically less than those derived from gamma-ray spectroscopy, by ∼50% in the case of PCFc-Ge. Gamma spectrometry analysis typically provided an upper limit to the projected dose, and the Marinelli beaker contents were formed from sieving to provide a homogenous well-packed medium. However, with the radioactivity per unit mass typically greater for smaller particles, with preferential adsorption on the surface and the surface area per unit volume increasing with decrease in radius, this made for an elevated dose estimate. Prevailing concentrations of key naturally occurring radionuclides in soil,226Ra,232Th and40K, were also determined, together with radiological dose evaluation. To date, the area under investigation, although including a rare-earth processing facility, gives no cause for concern from radiological impact. The current study reveals the suitability of the optical fibre based micro-dosimeter for all-weather monitoring of low-level environmental radioactivity.
    MeSH terms: Calibration; Environmental Monitoring/instrumentation*; Germanium/chemistry; Silicon Dioxide; Soil Pollutants, Radioactive/analysis*; Thermoluminescent Dosimetry/instrumentation*; Time Factors; Optical Fibers
  15. Reddy AVB, Yusop Z, Jaafar J, Bin Aris A, Abdul Majid Z
    J Sep Sci, 2017 Aug;40(15):3086-3093.
    PMID: 28581679 DOI: 10.1002/jssc.201700252
    An extremely sensitive and simple gas chromatography with mass spectrometry method was developed and completely validated for the analysis of five process-related impurities, viz., 4-hydroxy-l-phenylglycine, 4-hydroxyphenylacetonitrile, 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid, methyl-4-hydroxyphenylacetate, and 2-[4-{(2RS)-2-hydroxy-3-[(1-methylethyl)amino]propoxy}phenyl]acetonitrile, in atenolol. The separation of impurities was accomplished on a BPX-5 column with dimensions of 50 m × 0.25 mm i.d. and 0.25 μm film thickness. The method validation was performed following International Conference on Harmonisation guidelines in which the method was capable to quantitate 4-hydroxy-l-phenylglycine, 4-hydroxyphenylacetonitrile, and 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid at 0.3 ppm, and methyl-4-hydroxyphenylacetate and 2-[4-{(2RS)-2-hydroxy-3-[(1-methylethyl)amino]propoxy}phenyl]acetonitrile at 0.35 ppm with respect to 10 mg/mL of atenolol. The method was linear over the concentration range of 0.3-10 ppm for 4-hydroxy-l-phenylglycine, 4-hydroxyphenylacetonitrile, and 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid, and 0.35-10 ppm for methyl-4-hydroxyphenylacetate and 2-[4-{(2RS)-2-hydroxy-3-[(1-methylethyl)amino]propoxy}phenyl]acetonitrile. The correlation coefficient in each case was found ≥0.998. The repeatability and recovery values were acceptable, and found between 89.38% and 105.60% for all five impurities under optimized operating conditions. The method developed here is simple, selective, and sensitive with apparently better resolution than the reported methods. Hence, the method is a straightforward and good quality control tool for the quantitation of selected impurities at trace concentrations in atenolol.
    MeSH terms: Atenolol/analysis*; Drug Contamination*; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry*; Quality Control
  16. Poh AH, Moghavvemi M, Shafiei MM, Leong CS, Lau YL, Mahamd Adikan FR, et al.
    PLoS One, 2017;12(6):e0178766.
    PMID: 28582398 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0178766
    There are many products claiming to be an electronic solution towards repelling mosquitoes. Several reviews were published in debunking these claims. However, there is a lack of a systematic study on effects of electromagnetic (EM) or more specifically, radio frequency (RF) waves against mosquitoes due to the conclusions made in those years. Therefore, we attempt to establish a fundamental study on female Aedes Aegypti (Linnaeus) mosquitoes by quantifying the collective behavior of the mosquitoes against a continuous stream of low-powered RF signals via a broadband horn antenna using image processing methods. By examining the average lateral and vertical positions of the mosquitoes versus frequency and time, the data shows negligible consistency in the reactions of the mosquitoes toward the different frequencies ranging from 10 to 20,000.00 MHz, with a step of 10 MHz. This was done by examining 33 hours of spatiotemporal data, which was divided into three sessions. All three sessions showed totally different convolutions in the positions in arbitrary units based on the raster scan of the image processing output. Several frequencies apparently showed up to 0.2-70% shift in both lateral and vertical components along the spectrum, without repeatability for all three sessions. This study contributes to the following: A pilot study for establishing the collective effects of RF against mosquitoes, open-source use, and finally a low-cost and easily adaptable platform for the study of EM effects against any insects.
    MeSH terms: Aedes/physiology*; Aedes/radiation effects; Animals; Behavior, Animal/physiology*; Behavior, Animal/radiation effects; Female; Mosquito Control/instrumentation; Pilot Projects; Radio Waves
  17. Beshkar F, Zinatloo-Ajabshir S, Bagheri S, Salavati-Niasari M
    PLoS One, 2017;12(6):e0158549.
    PMID: 28582420 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0158549
    Highly photocatalytically active copper chromite nanostructured material were prepared via a novel simple hydrothermal reaction between [Cu(en)2(H2O)2]Cl2 and [Cr(en)3]Cl3.3H2O at low temperature, without adding any pH regulator or external capping agent. The as-synthesized nanostructured copper chromite was analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Results of the morphological investigation of the as-synthesized products illustrate that the shape and size of the copper chromite depended on the surfactant sort, reaction duration and temperature. Moreover, the photocatalytic behavior of as-obtained copper chromite was evaluated by photodegradation of acid blue 92 (anionic dye) as water pollutant.
    MeSH terms: Biodegradation, Environmental; Catalysis; Copper/chemistry*; Fresh Water/chemistry; Hot Temperature; Humans; Naphthalenes/isolation & purification*; Particle Size; Surface Properties; Temperature; Water Pollutants, Chemical/isolation & purification*; Chromium Compounds/chemistry*; Nanostructures/ultrastructure; Nanostructures/chemistry*; Photochemical Processes
  18. Qattan MY, Bakker EY, Rajendran R, Chen DW, Saha V, Liu J, et al.
    PLoS One, 2017;12(6):e0178606.
    PMID: 28582465 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0178606
    Glucocorticoids (GCs) and topoisomerase II inhibitors are used to treat acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) as they induce death in lymphoid cells through the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and p53 respectively. Mechanisms underlying ALL cell death and the contribution of the bone marrow microenvironment to drug response/resistance remain unclear. The role of the microenvironment and the identification of chemoresistance determinants were studied by transcriptomic analysis in ALL cells treated with Dexamethasone (Dex), and Etoposide (Etop) grown in the presence or absence of bone marrow conditioned media (CM). The necroptotic (RIPK1) and the apoptotic (caspase-8/3) markers were downregulated by CM, whereas the inhibitory effects of chemotherapy on the autophagy marker Beclin-1 (BECN1) were reduced suggesting CM exerts cytoprotective effects. GCs upregulated the RIPK1 ubiquitinating factor BIRC3 (cIAP2), in GC-sensitive (CEM-C7-14) but not in resistant (CEM-C1-15) cells. In addition, CM selectively affected GR phosphorylation in a site and cell-specific manner. GR is recruited to RIPK1, BECN1 and BIRC3 promoters in the sensitive but not in the resistant cells with phosphorylated GR forms being generally less recruited in the presence of hormone. FACS analysis and caspase-8 assays demonstrated that CM promoted a pro-survival trend. High molecular weight proteins reacting with the RIPK1 antibody were modified upon incubation with the BIRC3 inhibitor AT406 in CEM-C7-14 cells suggesting that they represent ubiquitinated forms of RIPK1. Our data suggest that there is a correlation between microenvironment-induced ALL proliferation and altered response to chemotherapy.
    MeSH terms: Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology*; Azocines/pharmacology; Benzhydryl Compounds/pharmacology; Bone Marrow Cells/pathology; Bone Marrow Cells/secretion; Cell Line; Dexamethasone/pharmacology; Etoposide/pharmacology; Glucocorticoids/pharmacology*; Humans; Necrosis/chemically induced; Necrosis/genetics; Necrosis/metabolism; Necrosis/pathology; Phosphorylation/drug effects; Receptors, Glucocorticoid/antagonists & inhibitors; Receptors, Glucocorticoid/genetics; Receptors, Glucocorticoid/metabolism; Signal Transduction; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic*; Culture Media, Conditioned/pharmacology; Apoptosis/drug effects; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm/genetics*; K562 Cells; Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases/antagonists & inhibitors; Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases/genetics; Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases/metabolism; Cell Line, Tumor; Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins/antagonists & inhibitors; Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins/genetics; Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins/metabolism; Caspase 3/genetics; Caspase 3/metabolism; Caspase 8/genetics; Caspase 8/metabolism; Receptor-Interacting Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases/genetics; Receptor-Interacting Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolism; Topoisomerase II Inhibitors/pharmacology*; Tumor Microenvironment/drug effects*; Tumor Microenvironment/genetics; Transcriptome; Beclin-1/genetics; Beclin-1/metabolism
  19. Yue Z, Ma C, Lim KS, Xiao B, Wu Q, Shu Y, et al.
    Epilepsy Behav, 2017 07;72:150-155.
    PMID: 28582727 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2017.04.028
    PURPOSE: Epilepsy is a significant yet seriously underappreciated public health issue in Mainland China. The stigma and discrimination toward people with epilepsy (PWE) and their families are especially severe in China based on cultural misconceptions which cause tremendous psychological, economic and social burdens. It is imperative to formulate a targeted public intervention to eliminate knowledge gaps and correct these misconceptions of epilepsy. However, to date, the essential tools that may drive such an intervention by measuring the public perspective on PWEs is lacking in China. The goal of this study is to test the reliability and validity of a Simplified Chinese version of the "Public Attitude Toward Epilepsy" scale (PATE) in Mainland China which can be used to understand the content and identify the possible sources of stigma to better inform the design and focus of future stigma reduction interventions.

    METHODS: The standard procedure of cross-cultural adaptation was used in the translation process. Subjects from different economic and social backgrounds were enrolled by convenience sampling in central China. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were used to check the underlying factor structure of the items. Furthermore, Cronbach's alpha was utilized to assess internal consistency.

    RESULTS: 199 respondents were included in the final analysis. Content validity of this Chinese PATE was assessed to be adequate for assessing public attitudes toward epilepsy among the mainland Chinese. Two factors were extracted from the data by exploratory factor analysis; confirmatory factor analysis further confirmed good consistency of theoretical constructs between the original Public Attitudes Toward Epilepsy scale and our Chinese PATE. Our Chinese PATE presented excellent internal consistency (α=0.853-0.909).

    CONCLUSION: This version of the Chinese PATE showed acceptable psychometric properties, indicating that it can be implemented in surveying public attitudes toward epilepsy in Mainland China.
    MeSH terms: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Attitude; China; China/epidemiology; Cross-Cultural Comparison; Epilepsy/epidemiology*; Epilepsy/psychology*; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Public Opinion*; Surveys and Questionnaires/standards*; Random Allocation; Translating*; Reproducibility of Results; Asian Continental Ancestry Group/psychology*; Young Adult; Social Stigma
  20. Alam J, Jantan I, Bukhari SNA
    Biomed Pharmacother, 2017 Aug;92:615-633.
    PMID: 28582758 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2017.05.055
    An autoimmune disease is defined as a clinical syndrome resulted from an instigation of both T cell and B cell or individually, in the absence of any present infection or any sort of distinguishable cause. Clonal deletion of auto reactive cells remains the central canon of immunology for decades, keeping the role of T cell and B cell aside, which are actually the guards to recognize the entry of foreign body. According to NIH, 23.5 million Americans are all together affected by these diseases. They are rare, but with the exception of RA. Rheumatoid arthritis is chronic and systemic autoimmune response to the multiple joints with unknown ethology, progressive disability, systemic complications, early death and high socioeconomic costs. Its ancient disease with an old history found in North American tribes since 1500 BCE, but its etiology is yet to be explored. Current conventional and biological therapies used for RA are not fulfilling the need of the patients but give only partial responses. There is a lack of consistent and liable biomarkers of prognosis therapeutic response, and toxicity. Rheumatoid arthritis is characterized by hyperplasic synovium, production of cytokines, chemokines, autoantibodies like rheumatoid factor (RF) and anticitrullinated protein antibody (ACPA), osteoclastogensis, angiogenesis and systemic consequences like cardiovascular, pulmonary, psychological, and skeletal disorders. Cytokines, a diverse group of polypeptides, play critical role in the pathogenesis of RA. Their involvement in autoimmune diseases is a rapidly growing area of biological and clinical research. Among the proinflammatory cytokines, IL-1α/β and TNF-α trigger the intracellular molecular signalling pathway responsible for the pathogenesis of RA that leads to the activation of mesenchymal cell, recruitment of innate and adaptive immune system cells, activation of synoviocytes which in term activates various mediators including tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-8 (IL-8), resulting in inflamed synovium, increase angiogenesis and decrease lymphangiogensis. Their current pharmacotherapy should focus on their three phases of progression i.e. prearthritis phase, transition phase and clinical phase. In this way we will be able to find a way to keep the balance between the pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines that is believe to be the dogma of pathogenesis of RA. For this we need to explore new agents, whether from synthetic or natural source to find the answers for unresolved etiology of autoimmune diseases and to provide a quality of life to the patients suffering from these diseases specifically RA.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/drug therapy*; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/etiology*; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/metabolism; Autoantibodies/immunology; Autoantibodies/metabolism; Glucocorticoids/pharmacology; Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use; Humans; Signal Transduction/drug effects; Signal Transduction/physiology; Cytokines/antagonists & inhibitors; Cytokines/physiology*; Antirheumatic Agents/pharmacology; Antirheumatic Agents/therapeutic use*
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