Browse publications by year: 2017

  1. Fulltext A New Technique for Solving Tightrope Cutout during Acromioclavicular Joint Fixation: A Case Report
    Ng BW, Abdullah AF, Nadarajah S
    Malays Orthop J, 2017 Mar;11(1):57-59.
    PMID: 28435576 MyJurnal DOI: 10.5704/MOJ.1703.003
    Acromioclavicular joint (ACJ) dissociation is one of the common injuries affecting adults. The stability of ACJ largely depends on the integrity of acromioclavicular ligament, coracoclavicular ligament, capsule, trapezius muscle and deltoid muscle. The injury has been classified by Rockwood into six types and treatment options can be guided by the classification. TightRope fixation is one of the many surgical procedures available to address acromioclavicular joint separation. It consists of tensioning of a no. 5 Fibrewire suture secured at both ends to low-profile metallic buttons. Despite various advantages of using this technique, complications such as suture cut-out, clavicle fracture and suture failure have been documented. The author presents a case of a type III acromioclavicular joint dissociation treated with TightRope which suture cutout was noted intra-operatively. Decision to amend the fixation using a cut one-third tubular plate as an additional anchor for the metallic button on the clavicle was made. Patient's progress was evaluated using the University of California at Los Angeles Shoulder Score (UCLA Shoulder Score) and significant improvement was noted six months post operatively. We propose this technique as a solution to the encountered problem.
    MeSH terms: Acromioclavicular Joint; Adult; Bone Plates; Clavicle; Humans; Ligaments, Articular; Shoulder; Shoulder Fractures; Sutures; Los Angeles; Deltoid Muscle; Superficial Back Muscles
  2. Fulltext Ulnar Osteotomy with 2-Pin Unilateral Gradual Distraction for Treatment of Chronic Monteggia Fracture: A Case Report
    Gooi SG, Wang CS, Saw A, Zulkiflee O
    Malays Orthop J, 2017 Mar;11(1):79-81.
    PMID: 28435583 MyJurnal DOI: 10.5704/MOJ.1703.015
    Missed Monteggia fracture leading to chronic radial head dislocation is a known complication. The surgical treatment options remain challenging. The aim of treatment is to reduce the radial head and to maintain the stability of the elbow in all ranges of motion. A few surgical techniques have been described with complications. We report the case of a 13 years old boy with chronic radial head dislocation as a result of an unrecognised Monteggia fracture-dislocation for eight years. We successfully reduced the radial head and corrected the cubital valgus from 45 degrees to 10 degrees with a proximal ulna osteotomy and gradual distraction with 2-pin Monotube external fixator. The correction was uneventful with good functional outcome.
    MeSH terms: Adolescent; Elbow; Elbow Joint; Humans; Male; Monteggia's Fracture; Osteotomy; Radius; Ulna; External Fixators
  3. Fulltext Intra-articular Entrapment of Medial Epicondyle Fracture Fragment in Elbow Joint Dislocation Causing Ulnar Neuropraxia: A Case Report
    Syed J, Zamri AR, Jamaluddin S, Ruben JK, Gopindran M
    Malays Orthop J, 2017 Mar;11(1):82-84.
    PMID: 28435584 MyJurnal DOI: 10.5704/MOJ.1703.016
    Traumatic elbow dislocations in children are rare but most of them are complex dislocations, and in such dislocations, medial humerus epicondyle fractureis the most common associated injury. Fracture incarceration in the elbow joint occurs in 5-18% of medial humerus epicondyle fractures but ulnar neuropraxia is very rare. Open reduction internal fixation is indicated in medial humerus epicondyle fracture with fracture incarceration, ulnar neuropraxia, marked instability or open fracture. Operative treatment options include fragment excision and sutures, closed or open reduction and Kirschner wire fixation, open reduction and suture fixation, open reduction and smooth pin fixation, and open reduction and screw fixation. However, ulnar nerve transposition is debatable as good outcome had been reported with and without nerve transposition. We report a case of a 13-year old boy, who presented with right elbow dislocation and intra-articular entrapment of medial humerus epicondyle fracture fragment, complicated with sensory ulnar neuropraxia, following a fall onto his right outstretched hand in a motor vehicle accident. The elbow joint was reduced using close manipulative reduction but the fracture fragment remained entrapped post-reduction. The patient then underwent open reduction and screw fixation of the medial humerus epicondyle fracture without ulnar nerve transposition. He had good functional outcome six weeks after surgical intervention, with complete recovery of ulnar neuropraxia six months later. Currently, he is doing well at school and is active with his sporting activity.
    MeSH terms: Accidents; Adolescent; Bone Screws; Bone Wires; Child; Elbow; Elbow Joint; Fractures, Open; Humans; Humeral Fractures; Humerus; Male; Sutures; Ulnar Nerve; Motor Vehicles; Open Fracture Reduction
  4. Fulltext Perforators in the Leg: Why It Is Important for Orthopaedic Surgeons to Know
    Mohd-Yusof N, Ahmad-Alwi AA
    Malays Orthop J, 2017 Mar;11(1):85-87.
    PMID: 28435585 DOI: 10.5704/MOJ.1703.014
  5. Fulltext A two-dimensional coordination polymer: poly[[bis-[μ2-N-ethyl-N-(pyridin-4-ylmeth-yl)di-thio-carbamato-κ3N:S,S']cadmium(II)] 3-methyl-pyridine monosolvate]
    Arman HD, Poplaukhin P, Tiekink ERT
    Acta Crystallogr E Crystallogr Commun, 2017 Apr 01;73(Pt 4):488-492.
    PMID: 28435704 DOI: 10.1107/S2056989017003516
    The title compound, {[Cd(C9H11N2S2)2]·C6H7N} n , features two μ2-κ3-di-thio-carbamate ligands each of which chelates one CdII atom, via the S atoms, while simultaneously bridging to another via the pyridyl-N atom. The result is a two-dimensional coordination polymer extending parallel to the ab plane with square channels along the b axis. The CdII atom geometry is based on a distorted cis-N2S4 octa-hedron. The 3-methyl-pyridine mol-ecules reside in the channels aligned along the b axis, being held in place by methyl-ene-C-H⋯N(3-methyl-pyridine) and (3-methyl-pyridine)-C-H⋯π(pyrid-yl) inter-actions. Pyridyl-C-H⋯S and di-thio-carbamate-methyl-C-H⋯π(pyrid-yl) inter-actions provide connections between layers along the c axis.
  6. Fulltext A triclinic polymorph of tri-cyclo-hexyl-phosphane sulfide: crystal structure and Hirshfeld surface analysis
    Tan YJ, Yeo CI, Halcovitch NR, Jotani MM, Tiekink ERT
    Acta Crystallogr E Crystallogr Commun, 2017 Apr 01;73(Pt 4):493-499.
    PMID: 28435705 DOI: 10.1107/S205698901700353X
    The title compound, (C6H11)3PS (systematic name: tri-cyclo-hexyl-λ(5)-phosphane-thione), is a triclinic (P-1, Z' = 1) polymorph of the previously reported ortho-rhom-bic form (Pnma, Z' = 1/2) [Kerr et al. (1977 ▸). Can. J. Chem. 55, 3081-3085; Reibenspies et al. (1996 ▸). Z. Kristallogr. 211, 400]. While conformational differences exist between the non-symmetric mol-ecule in the triclinic polymorph, cf. the mirror-symmetric mol-ecule in the ortho-rhom-bic form, these differences are not chemically significant. The major feature of the mol-ecular packing in the triclinic polymorph is the formation of linear chains along the a axis sustained by methine-C-H⋯S(thione) inter-actions. The chains pack with no directional inter-actions between them. The analysis of the Hirshfeld surface for both polymorphs indicates a high degree of similarity, being dominated by H⋯H (ca 90%) and S⋯H/H⋯S contacts.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Bandages; Names; Phosphines; Thiones
  7. Fulltext A cinnamaldehyde Schiff base of S-(4-methyl-benz-yl) di-thio-carbazate: crystal structure, Hirshfeld surface analysis and computational study
    Yusof ENM, Tahir MIM, Ravoof TBSA, Tan SL, Tiekink ERT
    Acta Crystallogr E Crystallogr Commun, 2017 Apr 01;73(Pt 4):543-549.
    PMID: 28435717 DOI: 10.1107/S2056989017003991
    The title di-thio-carbazate ester (I), C18H18N2S2 [systematic name: (E)-4-methyl-benzyl 2-[(E)-3-phenyl-allyl-idene]hydrazinecarbodi-thio-ate, comprises an almost planar central CN2S2 residue [r.m.s. deviation = 0.0131 Å]. The methyl-ene(tolyl-4) group forms a dihedral angle of 72.25 (4)° with the best plane through the remaining non-hydrogen atoms [r.m.s. deviation = 0.0586 Å] so the mol-ecule approximates mirror symmetry with the 4-tolyl group bis-ected by the plane. The configuration about both double bonds in the N-N=C-C=C chain is E; the chain has an all trans conformation. In the crystal, eight-membered centrosymmetric thio-amide synthons, {⋯HNCS}2, are formed via N-H⋯S(thione) hydrogen bonds. Connections between the dimers via C-H⋯π inter-actions lead to a three-dimensional architecture. A Hirshfeld surface analysis shows that (I) possesses an inter-action profile similar to that of a closely related analogue with an S-bound benzyl substituent, (II). Computational chemistry indicates the dimeric species of (II) connected via N-H⋯S hydrogen bonds is about 0.94 kcal mol(-1) more stable than that in (I).
    MeSH terms: Amides; Esters; Hydrazines; Hydrogen Bonding; Molecular Conformation; Thiones
  8. Fulltext 1-Butyl-1-chloro-3-methyl-3H-2,1λ(4)-benzoxa-tellurole: crystal structure and Hirshfeld analysis
    Zukerman-Schpector J, Cunha R, Omori ÁT, Sousa Madureira L, Tiekink ERT
    Acta Crystallogr E Crystallogr Commun, 2017 Apr 01;73(Pt 4):564-568.
    PMID: 28435722 DOI: 10.1107/S2056989017003887
    Two independent mol-ecules comprise the asymmetric unit in the title benzoxatellurole compound, C12H17ClOTe. The mol-ecules, with the same chirality at the methine C atom, are connected into a loosely associated dimer by Te⋯O inter-actions, leading to a {⋯Te-O}2 core. The resultant C2ClO2 donor set approximates a square pyramid with the lone pair of electrons projected to occupy a position trans to the n-butyl substituent. Inter-estingly, the Te(IV) atoms exhibit opposite chirality. The major difference between the independent mol-ecules relates to the conformation of the five-membered chelate rings, which is an envelope with the O atom being the flap, in one mol-ecule and is twisted about the O-C(methine) bond in the other. No directional inter-molecular inter-actions are noted in the mol-ecular packing beyond the aforementioned Te⋯O secondary bonding. The analysis of the Hirshfeld surface reveals the dominance of H⋯H contacts, i.e. contributing about 70% to the overall surface, and clearly differentiates the immediate crystalline environments of the two independent mol-ecules in terms of both H⋯H and H⋯Cl/Cl⋯H contacts.
    MeSH terms: Chelating Agents; Electrons; Humans; Molecular Conformation; Object Attachment; Tissue Donors
  9. Fulltext Hydrazinium 2-amino-4-nitro-benzoate dihydrate: crystal structure and Hirshfeld surface analysis
    Wardell JL, Jotani MM, Tiekink ERT
    Acta Crystallogr E Crystallogr Commun, 2017 Apr 01;73(Pt 4):579-585.
    PMID: 28435725 DOI: 10.1107/S2056989017004352
    In the anion of the title salt hydrate, H5N2(+)·C7H5N2O4(-)·2H2O, the carboxyl-ate and nitro groups lie out of the plane of the benzene ring to which they are bound [dihedral angles = 18.80 (10) and 8.04 (9)°, respectively], and as these groups are conrotatory, the dihedral angle between them is 26.73 (15)°. An intra-molecular amino-N-H⋯O(carboxyl-ate) hydrogen bond is noted. The main feature of the crystal packing is the formation of a supra-molecular chain along the b axis, with a zigzag topology, sustained by charge-assisted water-O-H⋯O(carboxyl-ate) hydrogen bonds and comprising alternating twelve-membered {⋯OCO⋯HOH}2 and eight-membered {⋯O⋯HOH}2 synthons. Each ammonium-N-H atom forms a charge-assisted hydrogen bond to a water mol-ecule and, in addition, one of these forms a hydrogen bond with a nitro-O atom. The amine-N-H atoms form hydrogen bonds to carboxyl-ate-O and water-O atoms, and the amine N atom accepts a hydrogen bond from an amino-H atom. The hydrogen bonds lead to a three-dimensional architecture. An analysis of the Hirshfeld surface highlights the major contribution of O⋯H/H⋯O hydrogen bonding to the overall surface, i.e. 46.8%, compared with H⋯H contacts (32.4%).
    MeSH terms: Amines; Anions; Benzene; Hydrogen Bonding; Sodium Chloride; Water; Sodium Chloride, Dietary; Influenza A Virus, H5N2 Subtype; Ammonium Compounds
  10. Fulltext N'-[1-(5-Bromo-2-hy-droxy-phen-yl)ethyl-idene]isonicotinohydrazide monohydrate: crystal structure and Hirshfeld surface analysis
    Lee SM, Halcovitch NR, Jotani MM, Tiekink ERT
    Acta Crystallogr E Crystallogr Commun, 2017 Apr 01;73(Pt 4):630-636.
    PMID: 28435737 DOI: 10.1107/S2056989017004790
    In the title isonicotinohydrazide hydrate, C14H12BrN3O2·H2O {systematic name: N'-[(1E)-1-(5-bromo-2-hy-droxy-phen-yl)ethyl-idene]pyridine-4-carbohydrazide monohydrate}, the central CN2O region of the organic mol-ecule is planar and the conformation about the imine-C=N bond is E. While an intra-molecular hy-droxy-O-H⋯N(imine) hydrogen bond is evident, the dihedral angle between the central residue and the benzene rings is 48.99 (9)°. Overall, the mol-ecule is twisted, as seen in the dihedral angle of 71.79 (6)° between the outer rings. In the crystal, hydrogen-bonding inter-actions, i.e. hydrazide-N-H⋯O(water), water-O-H⋯O(carbon-yl) and water-O-H⋯N(pyrid-yl), lead to supra-molecular ribbons along the a-axis direction. Connections between these, leading to a three-dimensional architecture, are mediated by Br⋯Br halogen bonding [3.5366 (3) Å], pyridyl-C-H⋯O(carbon-yl) as well as weak π-π inter-actions [inter-centroid separation between benzene rings = 3.9315 (12) Å]. The Hirshfeld surface analysis reveals the importance of hydrogen atoms in the supra-molecular connectivity as well as the influence of the Br⋯Br halogen bonding.
    MeSH terms: Benzene; Carbon; Halogens; Hydrazines; Hydrogen; Hydrogen Bonding; Imines; Molecular Conformation; Organic Chemicals; Pyridines; Water
  11. Fulltext Dynamic microbiome evolution in social bees
    Kwong WK, Medina LA, Koch H, Sing KW, Soh EJY, Ascher JS, et al.
    Sci Adv, 2017 Mar;3(3):e1600513.
    PMID: 28435856 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1600513
    The highly social (eusocial) corbiculate bees, comprising the honey bees, bumble bees, and stingless bees, are ubiquitous insect pollinators that fulfill critical roles in ecosystem services and human agriculture. Here, we conduct wide sampling across the phylogeny of these corbiculate bees and reveal a dynamic evolutionary history behind their microbiota, marked by multiple gains and losses of gut associates, the presence of generalist as well as host-specific strains, and patterns of diversification driven, in part, by host ecology (for example, colony size). Across four continents, we found that different host species have distinct gut communities, largely independent of geography or sympatry. Nonetheless, their microbiota has a shared heritage: The emergence of the eusocial corbiculate bees from solitary ancestors appears to coincide with the acquisition of five core gut bacterial lineages, supporting the hypothesis that host sociality facilitates the development and maintenance of specialized microbiomes.
    MeSH terms: Gastrointestinal Microbiome/physiology*; Animals; Bees/microbiology*; Species Specificity
  12. Fulltext Transcriptome profiling of sulfate deprivation responses in two agarophytes Gracilaria changii and Gracilaria salicornia (Rhodophyta)
    Lee WK, Namasivayam P, Ong Abdullah J, Ho CL
    Sci Rep, 2017 04 24;7:46563.
    PMID: 28436444 DOI: 10.1038/srep46563
    Seaweeds survive in marine waters with high sulfate concentration compared to those living at freshwater habitats. The cell wall polymer of Gracilaria spp. which supplies more than 50% of the world agar is heavily sulfated. Since sulfation reduces the agar quality, it is interesting to investigate the effects of sulfate deprivation on the sulfate contents of seaweed and agar, as well as the metabolic pathways of these seaweeds. In this study, two agarophytes G. changii and G. salicornia were treated under sulfate deprivation for 5 days. The sulfate contents in the seaweed/agar were generally lower in sulfate-deprivated samples compared to those in the controls, but the differences were only statistically significant for seaweed sample of G. changii and agar sample of G. salicornia. RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) of sulfate-deprivated and untreated seaweed samples revealed 1,292 and 3,439 differentially expressed genes (DEGs; ≥1.5-fold) in sulfate-deprivated G. changii and G. salicornia, respectively, compared to their respective controls. Among the annotated DEGs were genes involved in putative agar biosynthesis, sulfur metabolism, metabolism of sulfur-containing amino acids, carbon metabolism and oxidative stress. These findings shed light on the sulfate deprivation responses in agarophytes and help to identify candidate genes involved in agar biosynthesis.
    MeSH terms: Agar; Amino Acids; Carbon; Cell Wall; Fresh Water; Polymers; Seaweed; Sulfates; Sulfur; Sequence Analysis, RNA; Ecosystem; Oxidative Stress; Chenopodiaceae; Gracilaria; Metabolic Networks and Pathways
  13. Designing CO2-resistant oxygen-selective mixed ionic-electronic conducting membranes: guidelines, recent advances, and forward directions
    Zhang C, Sunarso J, Liu S
    Chem Soc Rev, 2017 Apr 24.
    PMID: 28436504 DOI: 10.1039/c6cs00841k
    CO2 resistance is an enabling property for the wide-scale implementation of oxygen-selective mixed ionic-electronic conducting (MIEC) membranes in clean energy technologies, i.e., oxyfuel combustion, clean coal energy delivery, and catalytic membrane reactors for greener chemical synthesis. The significant rise in the number of studies over the past decade and the major progress in CO2-resistant MIEC materials warrant systematic guidelines on this topic. To this end, this review features the pertaining aspects in addition to the recent status and advances of the two most promising membrane materials, perovskite and fluorite-based dual-phase materials. We explain how to quantify and design CO2 resistant membranes using the Lewis acid-base reaction concept and thermodynamics perspective and highlight the relevant characterization techniques. For perovskite materials, a trade-off generally exists between CO2 resistance and O2 permeability. Fluorite materials, despite their inherent CO2 resistance, typically have low O2 permeability but this can be improved via different approaches including thin film technology and the recently developed minimum internal electronic short-circuit second phase and external electronic short-circuit decoration. We then elaborate the two main future directions that are centralized around the development of new oxide compositions capable of featuring simultaneously high CO2 resistance and O2 permeability and the exploitation of phase reactions to create a new conductive phase along the grain boundaries of dual-phase materials. The final part of the review discusses various complimentary characterization techniques and the relevant studies that can provide insights into the degradation mechanism of oxide-based materials upon exposure to CO2.
  14. Convolutional neural network regression for short-axis left ventricle segmentation in cardiac cine MR sequences
    Tan LK, Liew YM, Lim E, McLaughlin RA
    Med Image Anal, 2017 Apr 12;39:78-86.
    PMID: 28437634 DOI: 10.1016/j.media.2017.04.002
    Automated left ventricular (LV) segmentation is crucial for efficient quantification of cardiac function and morphology to aid subsequent management of cardiac pathologies. In this paper, we parameterize the complete (all short axis slices and phases) LV segmentation task in terms of the radial distances between the LV centerpoint and the endo- and epicardial contours in polar space. We then utilize convolutional neural network regression to infer these parameters. Utilizing parameter regression, as opposed to conventional pixel classification, allows the network to inherently reflect domain-specific physical constraints. We have benchmarked our approach primarily against the publicly-available left ventricle segmentation challenge (LVSC) dataset, which consists of 100 training and 100 validation cardiac MRI cases representing a heterogeneous mix of cardiac pathologies and imaging parameters across multiple centers. Our approach attained a .77 Jaccard index, which is the highest published overall result in comparison to other automated algorithms. To test general applicability, we also evaluated against the Kaggle Second Annual Data Science Bowl, where the evaluation metric was the indirect clinical measures of LV volume rather than direct myocardial contours. Our approach attained a Continuous Ranked Probability Score (CRPS) of .0124, which would have ranked tenth in the original challenge. With this we demonstrate the effectiveness of convolutional neural network regression paired with domain-specific features in clinical segmentation.
  15. Ternary natural deep eutectic solvent (NADES) infused phthaloyl starch as cost efficient quasi-solid gel polymer electrolyte
    Selvanathan V, Azzahari AD, Abd Halim AA, Yahya R
    Carbohydr Polym, 2017 Jul 01;167:210-218.
    PMID: 28433156 DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2017.03.023
    A first-of-its-kind, eco-friendly quasi-solid bioelectrolyte derived from potato starch was prepared. Starch was chemically modified via phthaloylation to synthesize amorphous, hydrophobic starch derivative and the attachment of the phthaloyl group was confirmed via FTIR which showed phthalate ester peak at 1715cm-1; and 1H NMR peaks between 7.30-7.90ppm attributed to the aromatic protons of the phthaloyl group. The resulting starch derivative was then infused with ternary natural deep eutectic solvent (NADES) made from different molar ratios of choline chloride, urea and glycerol. Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) revealed that the highest ionic conductivity was obtained by the system consisting of NADES with choline chloride:urea:glycerol in molar ratios of 4:6:2, with a magnitude of 2.86mScm-1, hence validating the prospects of the materials to be further experimented as an alternative electrolyte in various electrochemical devices.
  16. Descriptions of the female and larva of Simulium (Gomphostilbia) udomi (Diptera: Simuliidae) from Thailand, and its transfer to the Simulium asakoae species-group
    Saeung A, Srisuka W, Low VL, Maleewong W, Takaoka H
    Acta Trop, 2017 Aug;172:14-19.
    PMID: 28433572 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2017.04.014
    The female and larva of Simulium (Gomphostilbia) udomi Takaoka & Choochote from Thailand are described for the first time. The female of this species is similar to those of S. (G.) asakoae Takaoka & Davies from Peninsular Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong and Vietnam, and S. (G.) chiangdaoense Takaoka & Srisuka from Thailand. The larva of this species is similar to S. (G.) curtatum Jitklang et al. and S. (G.) nr. asakoae 2 from Thailand in having a medium-long postgenal cleft. Taxonomic notes are given to separate this species from these related species. The COI gene sequence of S. (G.) udomi is compared with those of eight species of the S. asakoae species-group and three species of the S. ceylonicum species-group. This species is transferred from the S. ceylonicum species-group to the S. asakoae species-group based on the adult female and male morphological characters, comparisons of the genetic distances and phylogenetic relationships inferred from the COI gene sequences.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Female; Larva/anatomy & histology; Male; Simuliidae/classification*; Thailand; Vietnam
  17. Letter to the editor on the article "Impact on the upper airway space of different types of orthognathic surgery for the correction of skeletal class III malocclusion: A systematic review and meta-analysis"
    Tan SK, Leung WK, Tang ATH, Zwahlen RA
    Int J Surg, 2017 09;45:156-157.
    PMID: 28433756 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijsu.2017.03.083
    MeSH terms: Humans; Malocclusion, Angle Class III/surgery*; Mandible/surgery; Orthognathic Surgical Procedures; Orthognathic Surgery*
  18. A distributed framework for health information exchange using smartphone technologies
    Abdulnabi M, Al-Haiqi A, Kiah MLM, Zaidan AA, Zaidan BB, Hussain M
    J Biomed Inform, 2017 05;69:230-250.
    PMID: 28433825 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbi.2017.04.013
    Nationwide health information exchange (NHIE) continues to be a persistent concern for government agencies, despite the many efforts and the conceived benefits of sharing patient data among healthcare providers. Difficulties in ensuring global connectivity, interoperability, and concerns on security have always hampered the government from successfully deploying NHIE. By looking at NHIE from a fresh perspective and bearing in mind the pervasiveness and power of modern mobile platforms, this paper proposes a new approach to NHIE that builds on the notion of consumer-mediated HIE, albeit without the focus on central health record banks. With the growing acceptance of smartphones as reliable, indispensable, and most personal devices, we suggest to leverage the concept of mobile personal health records (PHRs installed on smartphones) to the next level. We envision mPHRs that take the form of distributed storage units for health information, under the full control and direct possession of patients, who can have ready access to their personal data whenever needed. However, for the actual exchange of data with health information systems managed by healthcare providers, the latter have to be interoperable with patient-carried mPHRs. Computer industry has long ago solved a similar problem of interoperability between peripheral devices and operating systems. We borrow from that solution the idea of providing special interfaces between mPHRs and provider systems. This interface enables the two entities to communicate with no change to either end. The design and operation of the proposed approach is explained. Additional pointers on potential implementations are provided, and issues that pertain to any solution to implement NHIE are discussed.
    MeSH terms: Smartphone*; Humans; Medical Records Systems, Computerized; Health Records, Personal; Health Information Exchange*
  19. Automated detection of premature delivery using empirical mode and wavelet packet decomposition techniques with uterine electromyogram signals
    Acharya UR, Sudarshan VK, Rong SQ, Tan Z, Lim CM, Koh JE, et al.
    Comput Biol Med, 2017 06 01;85:33-42.
    PMID: 28433870 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2017.04.013
    An accurate detection of preterm labor and the risk of preterm delivery before 37 weeks of gestational age is crucial to increase the chance of survival rate for both mother and the infant. Thus, the uterine contractions measured using uterine electromyogram (EMG) or electro hysterogram (EHG) need to have high sensitivity in the detection of true preterm labor signs. However, visual observation and manual interpretation of EHG signals at the time of emergency situation may lead to errors. Therefore, the employment of computer-based approaches can assist in fast and accurate detection during the emergency situation. This work proposes a novel algorithm using empirical mode decomposition (EMD) combined with wavelet packet decomposition (WPD), for automated prediction of pregnant women going to have premature delivery by using uterine EMG signals. The EMD is performed up to 11 levels on the normal and preterm EHG signals to obtain the different intrinsic mode functions (IMFs). These IMFs are further subjected to 6 levels of WPD and from the obtained coefficients, eight different features are extracted. From these extracted features, only the significant features are selected using particle swarm optimization (PSO) method and selected features are ranked by Bhattacharyya technique. All the ranked features are fed to support vector machine (SVM) classifier for automated differentiation and achieved an accuracy of 96.25%, sensitivity of 95.08%, and specificity of 97.33% using only ten EHG signal features. Our proposed algorithm can be used in gynecology departments of hospitals to predict the preterm or normal delivery of pregnant women.
    MeSH terms: Electromyography/methods*; Female; Humans; Obstetric Labor, Premature/diagnosis*; Obstetric Labor, Premature/physiopathology; Pregnancy; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted*; Uterine Contraction/physiology*; Uterus/physiology*
  20. Changes in rumen protozoal community by condensed tannin fractions of different molecular weights from a Leucaena leucocephala hybrid in vitro
    Saminathan M, Gan HM, Abdullah N, Wong CMVL, Ramiah SK, Tan HY, et al.
    J Appl Microbiol, 2017 Apr 23.
    PMID: 28434189 DOI: 10.1111/jam.13477
    AIMS: To evaluate the effects of condensed tannins (CTs) fractions of differing molecular weights (MWs) from a Leucaena leucocephala hybrid-Rendang on the rumen protozoal community in vitro.

    METHODS AND RESULTS: The effects of unfractionated CTs (F0) and CT fractions of different MWs (F1 > F2 > F3 > F4 > F5) on protozoal population and community were evaluated in vitro using rumen microbes and ground guinea grass as the substrate. Higher-MW CT fractions F1 and F2 significantly (P 

    MeSH terms: Animals; Diet; Poaceae; Methane; Molecular Weight; Rumen; Ruminants; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Guinea; Ciliophora; Euryarchaeota; Genes, rRNA; Proanthocyanidins; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
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