Browse publications by year: 2017

  1. Patil PG, Nimbalkar-Patil S
    J Indian Prosthodont Soc, 2017 2 22;17(1):84-88.
    PMID: 28216851 DOI: 10.4103/0972-4052.176538
    INTRODUCTION: Maxillary obturator prosthesis is more frequent treatment modality than surgical reconstruction for maxillectomy in patients suffering from oral cancer. The obturators often become heavy and hence are hollowed out in the defect portion to reduce its weight as a standard practice.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: The processing technique described the incorporation of the preshaped "wax-bolus" during packing procedure of the Obturtor prosthesis and eliminated later by melting it once the curing procedure is completed.

    RESULTS: This article is a single step procedure resulting into the closed-hollow obturator as single unit with uniform wall thickness around the hollow space ensuring the least possible weight of the hollow obturator.

    CONCLUSION: This processing technique achieves predictable internal dimension of the hollow space providing uniform wall thickness of the obturator.

    MeSH terms: Humans; Maxillofacial Prosthesis; Mouth Neoplasms; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures; Prostheses and Implants; Prosthesis Implantation
  2. Koh KC, Gupta ED, Poovaneswaran S, Then SL, Teo MJ, Gan TY, et al.
    Indian J Palliat Care, 2017 Jan-Mar;23(1):46-52.
    PMID: 28216862 DOI: 10.4103/0973-1075.197961
    CONTEXT: The Palliative Care Outcome Scale (POS) is an easy-to-use assessment tool to evaluate the effectiveness of palliative care. There is no published literature on the use of POS as an assessment tool in Malaysia.

    AIM: To define the concordance in the assessment of quality of life between patients with advanced cancers and their palliative care nurses using a Malay version of the POS.

    SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This study was conducted in the palliative care unit of the Hospital Tuanku Ja'afar Seremban, Malaysia, from February 2014 to June 2014.

    SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We adapted and validated the English version of the 3-day recall POS into Malay and used it to define the concordance in the assessment of quality of life between patients and palliative care nurses. Forty patients with advanced stage cancers and forty palliative care nurses completed the Malay POS questionnaire.

    STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: The kappa statistical test was used to assess the agreement between patients and their palliative care nurses.

    RESULTS: Slight to fair concordance was found in all items, except for one item (family anxiety) where there was no agreement.

    CONCLUSIONS: The Malay version of the POS was well accepted and reliable as an assessment tool for evaluation of the effectiveness of palliative care in Malaysia. Slight to fair concordance was shown between the patients and their palliative care nurses, suggesting the needs for more training of the nurses.
    MeSH terms: Anxiety; Anxiety Disorders; Humans; Malaysia; Neoplasms; Palliative Care; Quality of Life; Surveys and Questionnaires
  3. Lai HY, Lim YY, Kim KH
    Pharmacogn Mag, 2017 2 22;13(49):31-37.
    PMID: 28216880 DOI: 10.4103/0973-1296.197659
    BACKGROUND: Blechnum orientale Linn. (Blechnaceae), a fern, is traditionally used in the treatment of various ailments, such as skin diseases, stomach pain, urinary bladder complaints, and also as a female contraceptive. Previously, we reported a strong radical scavenging activity, antibacterial activity and cytotoxicity against HT29 colon cancer cells by aqueous extract of B. orientale.

    OBJECTIVE: In this study, we attempted to isolate and identify the active compound from the aqueous extract of B. orientale.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: Aqueous extract of B. orientale was subjected to repeated MCI gel chromatography, Sephadex-LH-20, Chromatorex C18 and semi-preparative high performance liquid chromatography and was characterized using nuclear magnetic resonance and electrospray ionization mass-spectrometry spectroscopic methods. Antioxidant activity was determined using 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging assay. Antibacterial assays were conducted using disc diffusion whereas the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration were determined using the broth microdilution assay. Cytotoxicity was assessed using thiazolylblue tetrazoliumbromide.

    RESULTS: A polymeric proanthocyanidin consisting of 2-12 epicatechin extension units and epigallocathecin terminal units linked at C4-C8 was elucidated. Bioactivity studies showed strong radical scavenging activity (IC50 = 5.6 ± 0.1 µg/mL), antibacterial activity (MIC = 31.3-62.5 µg/mL) against five gram-positive bacteria and selective cytotoxicity against HT29 colon cancer cells (IC50 = 7.0 ± 0.3 µg/mL).

    CONCLUSION: According to our results, the proanthocyanidin of B. orientale demonstrated its potential as a natural source of antioxidant with antibacterial and anti-cancer properties.

    SUMMARY: A bioactive proanthocyanidin was isolated from the aqueous extract of medicinal fern Blechnum orientale Linn and the structure was elucidated using NMR and ESI-MS spectral studies.The proanthocyanidin compound possessed strong radical scavenging activity (IC50 5.6 ± 0.1 µg/mL)The proanthocyaniding compound showed bactericidal activity against five gram-positive bacteria inclusive of MRSA (minimum inhibitory concentration, MIC and minimum bactericidal concentration, MBC 31.3-62.5 µg/mL).The proanthocyanidin compound is strongly cytotoxic towards cancer cells HT29 (IC50 7.0 ± 0.3 µg/mL), HepG2 (IC50 16 µg/mL) and HCT116 (IC50 20 µg/mL) while weakly cytotoxic towards the non-malignant Chang cells (IC50 48 µg/mL). Abbreviation used: CC: Column chromatography, DP: degree of polymerization, DPPH: 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, ESI-MS: electronsprayionisation mass-spectrometry, MBC: Minimum bactericidal concentration, MIC: Minimum inhibitory concentration, MTT: Thiazolyl Blue Tetrazolium Bromide, MRSA: methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, NMR: nuclear magnetic resonance, TLC: thin layer chromatography, PD: prodelphinidin.

  4. Inn FX, Md Noh UK, Jasman MH
    Urol Ann, 2017 2 22;9(1):83-85.
    PMID: 28216938 DOI: 10.4103/0974-7796.198902
    Ureteroscopy (URS) is commonly used by urologists to treat ureteral stones. It is a relatively low-risk procedure. Both urinary tract obstruction and contamination of instrument can cause candiduria post-URS, and this infection can be treated with an antifungal medication. Candidemia is known as hematogenous dissemination, and ocular tissue is a common invasion. However, endogenous endophthalmitis, due to postureteroscope candiduria, has not been reported up to date. This is a devastating complication that may lead to visual loss. Here, we describe a case of endogenous endophthalmitis as a consequence of candiduria after URS.
    MeSH terms: Candidiasis; Eye; Endophthalmitis; Ureteral Calculi; Ureteroscopy; Candidemia; Urologists
  5. Wee LH, Binti Ithnin AA, West R, Mohammad N, Chan CM, Hasan Nudin SS
    J Subst Use, 2017 Jan 02;22(1):47-52.
    PMID: 28217031 DOI: 10.3109/14659891.2016.1143045
    Introduction: Little is known about how smokers respond cognitively and emotionally to the experience of "late" relapse after the acute withdrawal phase. This study assessed the kinds of thoughts and feelings that emerge in order to provide a basis for quantitative research assessing prevalence of different types of response and implications for future quit attempts. Methods: Face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted among 14 people attending a quit smoking clinic in Malaysia who had relapsed after at least 6 weeks of abstinence. Transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis to enable emergence of important aspects of the experience. Results: Following relapse, smokers often engaged in rationalizations and activities to minimize worry about the harmful effects of smoking by switching to a lower-tar cigarette, reducing the number of cigarette smoked, attempting to reduce cigarette smoke inhalation, comparing themselves with other smokers, and minimizing the health risks associated with smoking. In some cases, smokers retained a "non-smoker" identity despite having relapsed. Conclusion: Smoking relapsers rationalize their failure to quit and minimize their health risk in order to protect their image as non-smokers while it remains a source of identity conflict.
    Study site: Quit Smoking Clinic, Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah, Selangor, Malaysia
    MeSH terms: Adult; Hospitals, General; Humans; Malaysia; Outpatient Clinics, Hospital; Smoking Cessation*; Qualitative Research
  6. Eu CS, Kumar SV, Ali S, Hassan SK
    Saudi J Anaesth, 2017 2 22;11(1):86-88.
    PMID: 28217061 DOI: 10.4103/1658-354X.197333
    The usage of epidural infusion for intraoperative and postoperative pain relief is widely used in certain pediatric anesthetic practice because of the effectiveness and advantages. However, there is drawback for these techniques due to its potential complications such as inadvertent intrathecal placement, local anesthetic toxicity, catheter migration, infection, and breakage of epidural catheter. Though occur infrequently, epidural catheters have been known to snap during insertion or removal. The retained catheter tip may lead to multiple complications, including nerve injury, infection, and even catheter migration. Although there are literatures recommend options for management of removal of retained catheter, there are limited reports of these occurrences, especially among children. We report a case of sequestrated sheared epidural catheter segment in a child, aiming to share this experience for the future management of patients under similar condition.
  7. Sharma A, Lal SK
    Front Microbiol, 2017;8:110.
    PMID: 28217114 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.00110
    Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne Flavivirus discovered in Uganda in the 1940s. To date, three major ZIKV outbreaks have been reported. ZIKV infections have known to be primarily asymptomatic while causing mild illness in a few cases. However, the recent emergence and spread of ZIKV in the Americas has resulted in the declaration of "Public Health Emergency of International Concern" due to the potential association between the infection and prenatal microcephaly or other brain anomalies. In Brazil, a 20-fold increase in prenatal microcephaly cases and 19% increase in Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) cases were reported in 2015, as compared to the preceding year. The probable deleterious effects of ZIKV infection prompt the urgent development of diagnostics and therapeutics. To this end, the existing evidences supporting the increasingly common prenatal microcephaly and GBS association and the current known ZIKV transmission dynamics, modes of detection (molecular and serology-based), and current control strategies are summarized in this review. This review also emphasizes the importance of understanding ZIKV transmission in order to design a sensitive yet cost and time-efficient detection technique. Development of an efficient detection technique would subsequently allow for better surveillance and control of ZIKV infection. Currently, limited literature is available on the pathogenesis of ZIKV, hence, focusing on the modes of ZIKV transmission could potentially contribute to the understanding of the disease spectrum and formulation of targeted treatment and control.
  8. Plissonneau C, Benevenuto J, Mohd-Assaad N, Fouché S, Hartmann FE, Croll D
    Front Plant Sci, 2017;8:119.
    PMID: 28217138 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2017.00119
    Epidemics caused by fungal plant pathogens pose a major threat to agro-ecosystems and impact global food security. High-throughput sequencing enabled major advances in understanding how pathogens cause disease on crops. Hundreds of fungal genomes are now available and analyzing these genomes highlighted the key role of effector genes in disease. Effectors are small secreted proteins that enhance infection by manipulating host metabolism. Fungal genomes carry 100s of putative effector genes, but the lack of homology among effector genes, even for closely related species, challenges evolutionary and functional analyses. Furthermore, effector genes are often found in rapidly evolving chromosome compartments which are difficult to assemble. We review how population and comparative genomics toolsets can be combined to address these challenges. We highlight studies that associated genome-scale polymorphisms with pathogen lifestyles and adaptation to different environments. We show how genome-wide association studies can be used to identify effectors and other pathogenicity-related genes underlying rapid adaptation. We also discuss how the compartmentalization of fungal genomes into core and accessory regions shapes the evolution of effector genes. We argue that an understanding of genome evolution provides important insight into the trajectory of host-pathogen co-evolution.
    MeSH terms: Chromosomes; Food Supply; Life Style; Virulence; Genome, Fungal; Ecosystem; Evolution, Molecular; Genomics; Genome-Wide Association Study; Epidemics; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing
  9. Tan SL, Lee SM, Heard PJ, Halcovitch NR, Tiekink ER
    Acta Crystallogr E Crystallogr Commun, 2017 Feb 01;73(Pt 2):213-218.
    PMID: 28217345 DOI: 10.1107/S2056989017000755
    The title compound, [Re(C3H6NS2)(C2H3N)(CO)3], features an octa-hedrally coordinated Re(I) atom within a C3NS2 donor set defined by three carbonyl ligands in a facial arrangement, an aceto-nitrile N atom and two S atoms derived from a symmetrically coordinating di-thio-carbamate ligand. In the crystal, di-thio-carbamate-methyl-H⋯O(carbon-yl) inter-actions lead to supra-molecular chains along [36-1]; both di-thio-carbamate S atoms participate in intra-molecular methyl-H⋯S inter-actions. Further but weaker aceto-nitrile-C-H⋯O(carbonyl) inter-actions assemble mol-ecules in the ab plane. The nature of the supra-molecular assembly was also probed by a Hirshfeld surface analysis. Despite their weak nature, the C-H⋯O contacts are predominant on the Hirshfeld surface and, indeed, on those of related [Re(CO)3(C3H6NS2)L] structures.
    MeSH terms: Carbamates; Carbon; Heterocyclic Compounds; Ligands; Names; Nitriles
  10. Mohamad R, Awang N, Kamaludin NF, Jotani MM, Tiekink ER
    Acta Crystallogr E Crystallogr Commun, 2017 Feb 01;73(Pt 2):260-265.
    PMID: 28217355 DOI: 10.1107/S2056989017001098
    The complete mol-ecule of the title compound, [Sn(C4H9)2(C5H10NOS2)2], is generated by a crystallographic mirror plane, with the SnIV atom and the two inner methyl-ene C atoms of the butyl ligands lying on the mirror plane; statistical disorder is noted in the two terminal ethyl groups, which deviate from mirror symmetry. The di-thio-carbamate ligand coordinates to the metal atom in an asymmetric mode with the resulting C2S4 donor set defining a skew trapezoidal bipyramidal geometry; the n-butyl groups are disposed to lie over the longer Sn-S bonds. Supra-molecular chains aligned along the a-axis direction and sustained by methyl-ene-C-H⋯S(weakly coordinating) inter-actions feature in the mol-ecular packing. A Hirshfeld surface analysis reveals the dominance of H⋯H contacts in the crystal.
    MeSH terms: Bandages; Biometry; Carbamates; Crystallography; Heterocyclic Compounds; Ligands; Metals
  11. Mat S, Ng CT, Tan MP
    J Rehabil Med, 2017 Mar 06;49(3):258-263.
    PMID: 28218341 DOI: 10.2340/16501977-2202
    OBJECTIVE: To compare the relationship between postural control and knee and hip osteoarthritis in older adults with and without a history of falls.
    METHODS: Fallers were those with ≥ 2 falls or 1 injurious fall over 12 months. Non-fallers were volunteers with no falls in the past year. Radiological evidence of osteoarthritis with no reported symptoms was considered "asymptomatic osteoarthritis", while "symptomatic osteoarthritis" was defined as radiographic osteoarthritis with pain or stiffness. Dynamic postural control was quantified with the limits of stability test measured on a balance platform (Neurocom® Balancemaster, California, USA). Parameters assessed were end-point excursion, maximal excursion, and directional control.
    RESULTS: A total of 102 older individuals, mean age 73 years (standard deviation 5.7) years were included. The association between falls and poor performance in maximal excursion and directional control was confounded by age and comorbidities. In the same linear equation model with falls, symptomatic osteoarthritis remained independently associated with poor end-point excursion (β-coefficient (95% confidence interval) -6.80 (-12.14 to -1.42)).
    CONCLUSION: Poor performance in dynamic postural control (maximal excursion and directional control) among fallers was not accounted for by hip/knee osteoarthritis, but was confounded by old age and comorbidities. Loss of postural control due to hip/knee osteoarthritis is not a risk factor for falls among community-dwelling older adults.
    Study site: Departments of Emergency Medicine, Primary Care and Geriatric Medicine, in a teaching hospital in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
    MeSH terms: Accidental Falls*; Age Factors; Aged; Ambulatory Care Facilities; Postural Balance*; Female; Hospitals, University; Humans; Malaysia; Male; Outpatient Clinics, Hospital; Risk Factors; Sensation Disorders/etiology; Sensation Disorders/physiopathology*; Osteoarthritis, Hip/complications; Osteoarthritis, Hip/physiopathology*; Comorbidity; Linear Models; Osteoarthritis, Knee/complications; Osteoarthritis, Knee/physiopathology*
  12. Caini S, Masala G, Saieva C, Kvaskoff M, Savoye I, Sacerdote C, et al.
    Int J Cancer, 2017 May 15;140(10):2246-2255.
    PMID: 28218395 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.30659
    In vitro and animal studies suggest that bioactive constituents of coffee and tea may have anticarcinogenic effects against cutaneous melanoma; however, epidemiological evidence is limited to date. We examined the relationships between coffee (total, caffeinated or decaffeinated) and tea consumption and risk of melanoma in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). EPIC is a multicentre prospective study that enrolled over 500,000 participants aged 25-70 years from ten European countries in 1992-2000. Information on coffee and tea drinking was collected at baseline using validated country-specific dietary questionnaires. We used adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression models to calculate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for the associations between coffee and tea consumption and melanoma risk. Overall, 2,712 melanoma cases were identified during a median follow-up of 14.9 years among 476,160 study participants. Consumption of caffeinated coffee was inversely associated with melanoma risk among men (HR for highest quartile of consumption vs. non-consumers 0.31, 95% CI 0.14-0.69) but not among women (HR 0.96, 95% CI 0.62-1.47). There were no statistically significant associations between consumption of decaffeinated coffee or tea and the risk of melanoma among both men and women. The consumption of caffeinated coffee was inversely associated with melanoma risk among men in this large cohort study. Further investigations are warranted to confirm our findings and clarify the possible role of caffeine and other coffee compounds in reducing the risk of melanoma.
    MeSH terms: Adult; Aged; Coffee*; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Neoplasms/epidemiology*; Neoplasms/prevention & control*; Prognosis; Prospective Studies; Surveys and Questionnaires; Registries; Risk Factors; Tea*; Anticarcinogenic Agents*; Risk Assessment
  13. Vishwam T, Shihab S, Murthy VRK, Tiong HS, Sreehari Sastry S
    PMID: 28219039 DOI: 10.1016/j.saa.2017.02.023
    Complex dielectric permittivity measurements of propylene glycol (PG) in ethanol at various mole fractions were measured by using open-ended coaxial probe technique at different temperatures in the frequency range 0.02
    MeSH terms: Ethanol; Antibodies, Monoclonal; Gases; Hydrogen Bonding; Temperature; Thermodynamics; Propylene Glycol
  14. Yin Wei CC, Haw SS, Bashir ES, Beng SL, Shanmugam R, Keong KM
    J Orthop Surg (Hong Kong), 2017 01;25(1):2309499017690656.
    PMID: 28219305 DOI: 10.1177/2309499017690656
    OBJECTIVE: To compare construct stiffness of cortical screw (CS)-rod transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) construct (G2) versus pedicle screw (PS)-rod TLIF construct (G1) in the standardized porcine lumbar spine.

    METHODS: Six porcine lumbar spines (L2-L5) were separated into 12 functional spine units. Bilateral total facetectomies and interlaminar decompression were performed for all specimens. Non-destructive loading to assess stiffness in lateral bending, flexion and extension as well as axial rotation was performed using a universal material testing machine.

    RESULTS: PS and CS constructs were significantly stiffer than the intact spine except in axial rotation. Using the normalized ratio to the intact spine, there is no significant difference between the stiffness of PS and CS: flexion (1.41 ± 0.27, 1.55 ± 0.32), extension (1.98 ± 0.49, 2.25 ± 0.44), right lateral flexion (1.93 ± 0.57, 1.55 ± 0.30), left lateral flexion (2.00 ± 0.73, 2.16 ± 0.20), right axial rotation (0.99 ± 0.21, 0.83 ± 0.26) and left axial rotation (0.96 ± 0.22, 0.92 ± 0.25).

    CONCLUSION: The CS-rod TLIF construct provided comparable construct stiffness to a traditional PS-rod TLIF construct in a 'standardized' porcine lumbar spine model.

    MeSH terms: Animals; Bone Screws*; Lumbar Vertebrae/surgery*; Spinal Fusion/instrumentation*; Swine; Range of Motion, Articular; Weight-Bearing; Tissue Culture Techniques; Pedicle Screws*
  15. Chin YW, Lai PS, Chia YC
    BMC Fam Pract, 2017 02 20;18(1):25.
    PMID: 28219325 DOI: 10.1186/s12875-017-0601-9
    BACKGROUND: Several disease specific instruments have been developed to identify and assess diabetes distress. In Malaysia, the Problem Areas in Diabetes Scale has been validated in Malay, but it does not have specific domains to assess the different areas of diabetes-related distress. Hence, we decided to use the Diabetes Distress Scale instead. To date, only the Malay version of the Diabetes Distress Scale has been validated in Malaysia. However, English is widely spoken by Malaysians, and is an important second language in Malaysia. Therefore, our aim was to determine the validity and reliability of the English version of the Diabetes Distress Scale among patients with type 2 diabetes in Malaysia.
    METHODS: The Diabetes Distress Scale was administered to 114 patients with type 2 diabetes, who could understand English, at baseline and 4 weeks later, at a primary care clinic in Malaysia. To assess for convergent validity, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale was administered at baseline. Discriminative validity was assessed by analysing the total diabetes distress scores of participants with poor (HbA1c > 7.0%) and good glycaemic control (HbA1c ≤ 7.0%).
    RESULTS: The majority of our participants were male 65(57.0%), with a median duration of diabetes of 9.5 years. Exploratory factor analysis showed that the Diabetes Distress Scale had 4 subscales, as per the original Diabetes Distress Scale. The overall Cronbach's α was 0.920 (range = 0.784-0.859 for each subscale). The intraclass correlation ranged from 0.436 to 0.643 for test-retest. The Diabetes Distress Scale subscales were significantly correlated with the different subscales of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (spearman's rho range = 0.427-0.509, p 
    MeSH terms: Aged; Ambulatory Care Facilities; Anxiety/diagnosis*; Anxiety/psychology; Depression/diagnosis*; Depression/psychology; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/psychology*; Factor Analysis, Statistical; Female; Humans; Malaysia; Male; Middle Aged; Stress, Psychological/diagnosis*; Stress, Psychological/psychology; Translations; Reproducibility of Results
  16. Ho WK, Chai HH, Kendabie P, Ahmad NS, Jani J, Massawe F, et al.
    BMC Genomics, 2017 02 20;18(1):192.
    PMID: 28219341 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-016-3393-8
    BACKGROUND: Bambara groundnut [Vigna subterranea (L) Verdc.] is an indigenous legume crop grown mainly in subsistence and small-scale agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa for its nutritious seeds and its tolerance to drought and poor soils. Given that the lack of ex ante sequence is often a bottleneck in marker-assisted crop breeding for minor and underutilised crops, we demonstrate the use of limited genetic information and resources developed within species, but linked to the well characterised common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) genome sequence and the partially annotated closely related species; adzuki bean (Vigna angularis) and mung bean (Vigna radiata). From these comparisons we identify conserved synteny blocks corresponding to the Linkage Groups (LGs) in bambara groundnut genetic maps and evaluate the potential to identify genes in conserved syntenic locations in a sequenced genome that underlie a QTL position in the underutilised crop genome.

    RESULTS: Two individual intraspecific linkage maps consisting of DArTseq markers were constructed in two bambara groundnut (2n = 2x = 22) segregating populations: 1) The genetic map of Population IA was derived from F2lines (n = 263; IITA686 x Ankpa4) and covered 1,395.2 cM across 11 linkage groups; 2) The genetic map of Population TD was derived from F3lines (n = 71; Tiga Nicuru x DipC) and covered 1,376.7 cM across 11 linkage groups. A total of 96 DArTseq markers from an initial pool of 142 pre-selected common markers were used. These were not only polymorphic in both populations but also each marker could be located using the unique sequence tag (at selected stringency) onto the common bean, adzuki bean and mung bean genomes, thus allowing the sequenced genomes to be used as an initial 'pseudo' physical map for bambara groundnut. A good correspondence was observed at the macro synteny level, particularly to the common bean genome. A test using the QTL location of an agronomic trait in one of the bambara groundnut maps allowed the corresponding flanking positions to be identified in common bean, mung bean and adzuki bean, demonstrating the possibility of identifying potential candidate genes underlying traits of interest through the conserved syntenic physical location of QTL in the well annotated genomes of closely related species.

    CONCLUSIONS: The approach of adding pre-selected common markers in both populations before genetic map construction has provided a translational framework for potential identification of candidate genes underlying a QTL of trait of interest in bambara groundnut by linking the positions of known genetic effects within the underutilised species to the physical maps of other well-annotated legume species, without the need for an existing whole genome sequence of the study species. Identifying the conserved synteny between underutilised species without complete genome sequences and the genomes of major crops and model species with genetic and trait data is an important step in the translation of resources and information from major crop and model species into the minor crop species. Such minor crops will be required to play an important role in future agriculture under the effects of climate change.

    MeSH terms: Chromosome Mapping*; Genetic Markers/genetics; Genetic Linkage; Phylogeny; Synteny*; Vigna/genetics*
  17. Rahiman SSF, Morgan M, Gray P, Shaw PN, Cabot PJ
    Peptides, 2017 04;90:48-54.
    PMID: 28219695 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2017.02.004
    Dynorphin 1-17 (DYN 1-17) is biotransformed rapidly to a range of fragments in rodent inflamed tissue with dynorphin 3-14 (DYN 3-14) being the most stable and prevalent. DYN 1-17 has been shown previously to be involved in the regulation of inflammatory response following tissue injury, in which the biotransformation fragments of DYN 1-17 may possess similar features. This study investigated the effects of DYN 3-14 on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nuclear factor-kappaB/p65 (NF-κB/p65) nuclear translocation and the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1beta (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in differentiated THP-1 cells. Treatment with DYN 3-14 (10nM) resulted in 35% inhibition of the LPS-induced nuclear translocation of NF-κB/p65. Furthermore, DYN 3-14 modulated both IL-1β and TNF-α release; inhibiting IL-1β and paradoxically augmenting TNF-α release in a concentration-independent manner. A number of opioids have been implicated in the modulation of the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), highlighting the complexity of their immunomodulatory effects. To determine whether DYN 3-14 modulates TLR4, HEK-Blue™-hTLR4 cells were stimulated with LPS in the presence of DYN 3-14. DYN 3-14 (10μM) inhibited TLR4 activation in a concentration-dependent fashion by suppressing the LPS signals around 300-fold lower than LPS-RS, a potent TLR4 antagonist. These findings indicate that DYN 3-14 is a potential TLR4 antagonist that alters cellular signaling in response to LPS and cytokine release, implicating a role for biotransformed endogenous opioid peptides in immunomodulation.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Cell Line; Dynorphins/administration & dosage*; Dynorphins/immunology; Humans; Inflammation/chemically induced; Inflammation/drug therapy*; Inflammation/genetics; Lipopolysaccharides/toxicity; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/genetics; Signal Transduction/drug effects; NF-kappa B/genetics; Protein Transport/drug effects; Toll-Like Receptor 4/antagonists & inhibitors; Toll-Like Receptor 4/genetics*; Transcription Factor RelA/genetics*; Interleukin-1beta/genetics; Immunomodulation/drug effects
  18. Gorain B, Tekade M, Kesharwani P, Iyer AK, Kalia K, Tekade RK
    Drug Discov Today, 2017 04;22(4):652-664.
    PMID: 28219742 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2016.12.007
    To avoid tissue rejection during organ transplantation, research has focused on the use of tissue engineering to regenerate required tissues or organs for patients. The biomedical applications of hyperbranched, multivalent, structurally uniform, biocompatible dendrimers in tissue engineering include the mimicking of natural extracellular matrices (ECMs) in the 3D microenvironment. Dendrimers are unimolecular architects that can incorporate a variety of biological and/or chemical substances in a 3D architecture to actively support the scaffold microenvironment during cell growth. Here, we review the use of dendritic delivery systems in tissue engineering. We discuss the available literature, highlighting the 3D architecture and preparation of these nanoscaffolds, and also review challenges to, and advances in, the use dendrimers in tissue engineering. Advances in the manufacturing of dendritic nanoparticles and scaffold architectures have resulted in the successful incorporation of dendritic scaffolds in tissue engineering.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Biocompatible Materials/administration & dosage; Humans; Regeneration/drug effects; Drug Delivery Systems/methods; Tissue Engineering/methods; Dendrimers/therapeutic use*; Nanoparticles/administration & dosage*; Tissue Scaffolds
  19. Raghavendra U, Rajendra Acharya U, Gudigar A, Hong Tan J, Fujita H, Hagiwara Y, et al.
    Ultrasonics, 2017 05;77:110-120.
    PMID: 28219805 DOI: 10.1016/j.ultras.2017.02.003
    Thyroid is a small gland situated at the anterior side of the neck and one of the largest glands of the endocrine system. The abrupt cell growth or malignancy in the thyroid gland may cause thyroid cancer. Ultrasound images distinctly represent benign and malignant lesions, but accuracy may be poor due to subjective interpretation. Computer Aided Diagnosis (CAD) can minimize the errors created due to subjective interpretation and assists to make fast accurate diagnosis. In this work, fusion of Spatial Gray Level Dependence Features (SGLDF) and fractal textures are used to decipher the intrinsic structure of benign and malignant thyroid lesions. These features are subjected to graph based Marginal Fisher Analysis (MFA) to reduce the number of features. The reduced features are subjected to various ranking methods and classifiers. We have achieved an average accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of 97.52%, 90.32% and 98.57% respectively using Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier. The achieved maximum Area Under Curve (AUC) is 0.9445. Finally, Thyroid Clinical Risk Index (TCRI) a single number is developed using two MFA features to discriminate the two classes. This prototype system is ready to be tested with huge diverse database.
    MeSH terms: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Child; Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted*; Diagnosis, Differential; Female; Humans; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted/methods*; Male; Middle Aged; Retrospective Studies; Sensitivity and Specificity; Thyroid Neoplasms/pathology*; Ultrasonography/methods*; Fractals; Support Vector Machine
  20. Che Rahim MJ, Mohammad N, Besari AM, Wan Ghazali WS
    BMJ Case Rep, 2017 Feb 20;2017.
    PMID: 28219910 DOI: 10.1136/bcr-2016-218480
    We report a case of severe Plasmodium knowlesi and dengue coinfection in a previously healthy 59-year-old Malay man who presented with worsening shortness of breath, high-grade fever with chills and rigors, dry cough, myalgia, arthralgia, chest discomfort and poor appetite of 1 week duration. There was a history mosquito fogging around his neighbourhood in his hometown. Further history revealed that he went to a forest in Jeli (northern part of Kelantan) 3 weeks prior to the event. Initially he was treated as severe dengue with plasma leakage complicated with type 1 respiratory failure as evidenced by positive serum NS1-antigen and thrombocytopenia. Blood for malarial parasite (BFMP) was sent for test as there was suspicion of malaria due to persistent thrombocytopenia despite recovering from dengue infection and the presence of a risk factor. The test revealed high count of malaria parasite. Confirmatory PCR identified the parasite to be Plasmodium knowlesi Intravenous artesunate was administered to the patient immediately after acquiring the BFMP result. Severe malaria was complicated with acute kidney injury and septicaemic shock. Fortunately the patient made full recovery and was discharged from the ward after 2 weeks of hospitalisation.
    MeSH terms: Dengue/complications*; Humans; Malaria/complications*; Malaria/parasitology; Male; Middle Aged; Severity of Illness Index; Shock, Septic/parasitology; Plasmodium knowlesi*; Acute Kidney Injury/parasitology; Coinfection/complications*
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