Browse publications by year: 2017

  1. Bhaskaran D
    BJOG, 2017 Feb;124(3):525.
    PMID: 28120546 DOI: 10.1111/1471-0528.14295
    MeSH terms: Defamation*; Health Personnel/legislation & jurisprudence*; Humans; Malaysia; Physician-Patient Relations*; Social Media/legislation & jurisprudence; Social Media/ethics*
  2. Donaghue K, Jeanne Wong SL
    Curr Diabetes Rev, 2017;13(6):533-543.
    PMID: 28120713 DOI: 10.2174/1573399813666170124095113
    BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) as a result of macrovascular changes is the leading cause of mortality in patients with type 1 diabetes (T1DM). While CVD complications are seen predominantly in adulthood, the atherosclerotic process begins in childhood and is accelerated in patients with T1DM. This review focuses on the epidemiology of traditional CVD risk factors in adolescents with T1DM, its association with markers of CVD and an overview of studies looking into each individual risk factor.

    CONCLUSION: The risk factors that are reviewed here are hypertension, dyslipidemia, smoking, obesity, lack of exercise, hyperglycemia and diabetic nephropathy. We highlight the importance of early identification, and interventions, which include optimizing glycemic control, pharmacotherapy, regular physical activity and dietary changes.

    MeSH terms: Adolescent; Cardiovascular Diseases/etiology; Cardiovascular Diseases/epidemiology*; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/complications*; Diabetic Nephropathies/complications; Humans; Hyperglycemia/complications; Hypertension/complications; Obesity/complications; Risk Factors; Smoking/adverse effects; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Dyslipidemias/complications; Sedentary Lifestyle
  3. Mohd Khalid H, Jauhari I, Mohamad Wali HA, Abdulrazzaq Mahmod S
    Biomed Mater, 2017 01 25;12(1):015019.
    PMID: 28120816 DOI: 10.1088/1748-605X/aa4f8b
    In this in vivo study, Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were used to investigate the bioactivity as well as the microstructural and mechanical properties of Ti-6Al-4V samples embedded with hydroxyapatite (HA) using two different coating methods-superplastic embedment (SPE) and superplastic deformation (SPD). The HA layer thickness for the SPE and SPD samples increased from 249.1  ±  0.6 nm to 874.8  ±  13.7 nm, and from 206.1  ±  5.8 nm to 1162.7  ±  7.9 nm respectively, after 12 weeks of implantation. The SPD sample exhibited much faster growth of newly formed HA compared to SPE. The growth of the newly formed HA was strongly dependent on the degree of HA crystallinity in the initial HA layer. After 12 weeks of implantation, the surface hardness value of the SPE and SPD samples decreased from 661  ±  0.4 HV to 586  ±  1.3 HV and from 585  ±  6.6 HV to 425  ±  86.9 HV respectively. The decrease in surface hardness values was due to the newly formed HA layer that was more porous than the initial HA layer. However, the values were still higher than the substrate surface hardness of 321  ±  28.8 HV. Wear test results suggest that the original HA layers for both samples were still strongly intact, and to a certain extent the newly grown HA layers also were strongly bound with the original HA layers. This study confirms the bioactivity and mechanical stability of the HA layer on both samples in vivo.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Biomechanical Phenomena; Hardness Tests; Male; Materials Testing; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Surface Properties; Titanium/chemistry*; X-Ray Diffraction; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Durapatite/chemistry*; Bone Substitutes/chemistry; Prostheses and Implants*; Coated Materials, Biocompatible/chemistry*; Rats
  4. Bergmann MM, Hernandez V, Bernigau W, Boeing H, Chan SS, Luben R, et al.
    Eur J Clin Nutr, 2017 04;71(4):512-518.
    PMID: 28120853 DOI: 10.1038/ejcn.2016.271
    BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The role of long-term alcohol consumption for the risk of developing ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) is unclear. For the first time, to prospectively assess the role of pre-disease alcohol consumption on the risk of developing UC or CD.

    SUBJECTS/METHODS: Nested within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC-IBD), incident UC and CD cases and matched controls where included. At recruitment, participants completed validated food frequency and lifestyle questionnaires. Alcohol consumption was classified as either: non-use, former, light (⩽0.5 and 1 drink per week), below the recommended limits (BRL) (⩽1 and 2 drinks per day), moderate (⩽2.5 and 5 drinks per day), or heavy use (>2.5 and >5 drinks per day) for women and men, respectively; and was expressed as consumption at enrolment and during lifetime. Conditional logistic regression was applied adjusting for smoking and education, taking light users as the reference.

    RESULTS: Out of 262 451 participants in six countries, 198 UC incident cases/792 controls and 84 CD cases/336 controls were included. At enrolment, 8%/27%/32%/23%/11% UC cases and 7%/29%/40%/19%/5% CD cases were: non-users, light, BRL, moderate and heavy users, respectively. The corresponding figures for lifetime non-use, former, light, BRL, moderate and heavy use were: 3%/5%/23%/44%/19%/6% and 5%/2%/25%/44%/23%/1% for UC and CD cases, respectively. There were no associations between any categories of alcohol consumption and risk of UC or CD in the unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios.

    CONCLUSION: There was no evidence of associations between alcohol use and the odds of developing either UC or CD.

    MeSH terms: Adult; Aged; Alcohol Drinking/adverse effects*; Colitis, Ulcerative/etiology*; Colitis, Ulcerative/epidemiology; Crohn Disease/etiology*; Crohn Disease/epidemiology; Europe/epidemiology; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Prospective Studies; Risk Factors; Incidence; Logistic Models; Odds Ratio; Case-Control Studies; Young Adult
  5. Gani P, Sunar NM, Matias-Peralta H, Mohamed RMSR, Latiff AAA, Parjo UK
    Int J Phytoremediation, 2017 Jul 03;19(7):679-685.
    PMID: 28121457 DOI: 10.1080/15226514.2017.1284743
    This study was undertaken to analyze the efficiency of Botryococcus sp. in the phycoremediation of domestic wastewater and to determine the variety of hydrocarbons derived from microalgal oil after phycoremediation. The study showed a significant (p < 0.05) reduction of pollutant loads of up to 93.9% chemical oxygen demand, 69.1% biochemical oxygen demand, 59.9% total nitrogen, 54.5% total organic carbon, and 36.8% phosphate. The average dry weight biomass produce was 0.1 g/L of wastewater. In addition, the dry weight biomass of Botryococcus sp. was found to contain 72.5% of crude oil. The composition analysis using Gas Chromatogram - Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) found that phthalic acid, 2-ethylhexyltridecyl ester (C29H48O4), contributed the highest percentage (71.6%) of the total hydrocarbon compounds to the extracted algae oil. The result of the study suggests that Botryococcus sp. can be used for effective phycoremediation, as well as to provide a sustainable hydrocarbon source as a value-added chemical for the bio-based plastic industry.
    MeSH terms: Biodegradation, Environmental*; Fresh Water; Hydrocarbons/metabolism*; Biomass; Microalgae*; Waste Water*
  6. Taqui SN, Yahya R, Hassan A, Nayak N, Syed AA
    Int J Phytoremediation, 2017 Jul 03;19(7):686-694.
    PMID: 28121459 DOI: 10.1080/15226514.2017.1284746
    Fennel seed spent (FSS)-an inexpensive nutraceutical industrial spent has been used as an efficient biosorbent for the removal of Congo red (CR) from aqueous media. Results show that the conditions for maximum adsorption would be pH 2-4 and 30°C were ideal for maximum adsorption. Based on regression fitting of the data, it was determined that the Sips isotherm (R2 = 0.994, χ2 = 0.5) adequately described the mechanism of adsorption, suggesting that the adsorption occurs homogeneously with favorable interaction between layers with favorable interaction between layers. Thermodynamic analysis showed that the adsorption is favorable (negative values for ΔG°) and endothermic (ΔH° = 12-20 kJ mol-1) for initial dye concentrations of 25, 50, and 100 ppm. The low ΔH° value indicates that the adsorption is a physical process involving weak chemical interactions like hydrogen bonds and van der Waals interactions. The kinetics revealed that the adsorption process showed pseudo-second-order tendencies with the equal influence of intraparticle as well as film diffusion. The scanning electron microscopy images of FSS show a highly fibrous matrix with a hierarchical porous structure. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis of the spent confirmed the presence of cellulosic and lignocellulosic matter, giving it both hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties. The investigations indicate that FSS is a cost-effective and efficient biosorbent for the remediation of toxic CR dye.
    MeSH terms: Adsorption; Biodegradation, Environmental*; Congo Red/chemistry*; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Kinetics; Temperature; Thermodynamics; Water Pollutants, Chemical/chemistry*; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; Water Purification*; Dietary Supplements; Foeniculum*
  7. Adnan AI, Hanapi ZM, Othman M, Zukarnain ZA
    PLoS One, 2017;12(1):e0170273.
    PMID: 28121992 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0170273
    Due to the lack of dependency for routing initiation and an inadequate allocated sextant on responding messages, the secure geographic routing protocols for Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) have attracted considerable attention. However, the existing protocols are more likely to drop packets when legitimate nodes fail to respond to the routing initiation messages while attackers in the allocated sextant manage to respond. Furthermore, these protocols are designed with inefficient collection window and inadequate verification criteria which may lead to a high number of attacker selections. To prevent the failure to find an appropriate relay node and undesirable packet retransmission, this paper presents Secure Region-Based Geographic Routing Protocol (SRBGR) to increase the probability of selecting the appropriate relay node. By extending the allocated sextant and applying different message contention priorities more legitimate nodes can be admitted in the routing process. Moreover, the paper also proposed the bound collection window for a sufficient collection time and verification cost for both attacker identification and isolation. Extensive simulation experiments have been performed to evaluate the performance of the proposed protocol in comparison with other existing protocols. The results demonstrate that SRBGR increases network performance in terms of the packet delivery ratio and isolates attacks such as Sybil and Black hole.
    MeSH terms: Aggression; Algorithms*; Computer Simulation; Software; Geographic Information Systems/economics
  8. Che CC, Hairi NN, Chong MC
    J Adv Nurs, 2017 Sep;73(9):2049-2064.
    PMID: 28122163 DOI: 10.1111/jan.13265
    AIMS: To review systematically the psychometric properties of instruments used to measure intention to work with older people.

    BACKGROUND: Nursing students are part of the future healthcare workforce; thus, being aware of their intention to work with older people would give valuable insights to nursing education and practice. Despite a plethora of research on measuring intention to work with older people, a valid and reliable instrument has not been identified.

    DESIGN: A systematic literature review of evidence and psychometric properties.

    DATA SOURCES: Eight database searches were conducted between 2006 - 2016.

    REVIEW METHODS: English articles were selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The COSMIN checklist was used to assess instruments reporting a psychometric evaluation of validity and reliability.

    RESULTS: Of 41 studies identified for full text review, 36 met the inclusion criteria. Seven different types of instruments were identified for psychometric evaluation. Measures of reliability were reported in eight papers and validity in five papers. Evidence for each measurement property was limited, with each instrument demonstrating a lack of information on measurement properties. Based on the COSMIN checklist, the overall quality of the psychometric properties was rated as poor to good.

    CONCLUSION: No single instrument was found to be optimal for use. Studies of high methodological quality are needed to properly assess the measurement properties of the instruments that are currently available. Until such studies are available, we recommend using existing instruments with caution.

    MeSH terms: Adult; Career Choice*; Female; Geriatric Nursing/education*; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Psychometrics/instrumentation*; Psychometrics/methods*; Surveys and Questionnaires; Students, Nursing/psychology*; Reproducibility of Results
  9. Nekouei F, Kargarzadeh H, Nekouei S, Keshtpour F, Makhlouf AS
    Anal Bioanal Chem, 2017 Feb;409(4):1079-1092.
    PMID: 27815609 DOI: 10.1007/s00216-016-0026-7
    A new method was developed for the efficient spectrophotometric determination of methylene blue (MB) dye in solutions. The method is based on a combined dispersive solid phase and cloud point extraction using Cu(OH)2 nanoflakes (as an adsorbent). Cu(OH)2 nanoflakes were synthesized by facile and fast methods and characterized using various techniques. The developed method is based on the adsorption of MB on the Cu(OH)2 nanoflakes and transfer into a surfactant-rich phase using Triton X-114 as a nonionic surfactant. Subsequently, MB dye is desorbed from Cu(OH)2 nanoflakes using a mixture of nitric acid and methanol solution and determined by UV-Vis spectrophotometry. The effects of pH, amount of Cu(OH)2 nanoflakes, volume (concentration of Triton X-114), and temperature were investigated by designing experiments using response surface methodology (RSM). A quadratic model was utilized to predict the variables. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied for the analysis of variables and their interactions, and optimal conditions were established. The results demonstrated logical agreement between experimental and predicted values of the response owing to high F value, low P value, and low lack-of-fit. The calibration graph was linear in the range of 2.0-350.0 μg L-1 of MB dye with a correlation coefficient (R) of 0.9996. The limits of detection and quantification were found to be 0.65 and 2.05 μg L-1, respectively. The developed method was successfully applied to different water samples, thereby confirming the applicability of the approach. Graphical Abstract Proposed procedure.
  10. Murugan K, Wei J, Alsalhi MS, Nicoletti M, Paulpandi M, Samidoss CM, et al.
    Parasitol Res, 2017 Feb;116(2):495-502.
    PMID: 27815736 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-016-5310-0
    A main challenge in parasitology is the development of reliable tools to prevent or treat mosquito-borne diseases. We investigated the toxicity of magnetic nanoparticles (MNP) produced by Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense (strain MSR-1) on chloroquine-resistant (CQ-r) and sensitive (CQ-s) Plasmodium falciparum, dengue virus (DEN-2), and two of their main vectors, Anopheles stephensi and Aedes aegypti, respectively. MNP were studied by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. They were toxic to larvae and pupae of An. stephensi, LC50 ranged from 2.563 ppm (1st instar larva) to 6.430 ppm (pupa), and Ae. aegypti, LC50 ranged from 3.231 ppm (1st instar larva) to 7.545 ppm (pupa). MNP IC50 on P. falciparum were 83.32 μg ml(-1) (CQ-s) and 87.47 μg ml(-1) (CQ-r). However, the in vivo efficacy of MNP on Plasmodium berghei was low if compared to CQ-based treatments. Moderate cytotoxicity was detected on Vero cells post-treatment with MNP doses lower than 4 μg ml(-1). MNP evaluated at 2-8 μg ml(-1) inhibited DEN-2 replication inhibiting the expression of the envelope (E) protein. In conclusion, our findings represent the first report about the use of MNP in medical and veterinary entomology, proposing them as suitable materials to develop reliable tools to combat mosquito-borne diseases.
    MeSH terms: Aedes/drug effects; Aedes/physiology; Animals; Anopheles/drug effects; Anopheles/physiology; Cercopithecus aethiops; Chloroquine/pharmacology*; Dengue Virus/drug effects*; Dengue Virus/physiology; Drug Resistance; Insecticides/pharmacology*; Plasmodium falciparum/drug effects*; Plasmodium falciparum/physiology; Vero Cells; Magnetite Nanoparticles/toxicity*; Mosquito Vectors/drug effects*; Mosquito Vectors/physiology
  11. Metzger FG, Ehlis AC, Haeussinger FB, Schneeweiss P, Hudak J, Fallgatter AJ, et al.
    Neuroscience, 2017 02 20;343:85-93.
    PMID: 27915210 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.11.032
    Since functional imaging of whole body movements is not feasible with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the present study presents in vivo functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) as a suitable technique to measure body movement effects on fronto-temporo-parietal cortical activation in single- and dual-task paradigms. Previous fNIRS applications in studies addressing whole body movements were typically limited to the assessment of prefrontal brain areas. The current study investigated brain activation in the frontal, temporal and parietal cortex of both hemispheres using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) with two large 4×4 probe-sets with 24 channels each during single and dual gait tasks. 12 young healthy adults were measured using fNIRS walking on a treadmill: the participants performed two single-task (ST) paradigms (walking at different speeds, i.e. 3 and 5km/h) and a dual task (DT) paradigm where a verbal fluency task (VFT) had to be executed while walking at 3km/h. The results show an increase of activation in Broca's area during the more advanced conditions (ST 5km/h vs. ST 3km/h, DT vs. ST 3km/h, DT vs. 5km/h), while the corresponding area on the right hemisphere was also activated. DT paradigms including a cognitive task in conjunction with whole body movements elicit wide-spread cortical activation patterns across fronto-temporo-parietal areas. An elaborate assessment of these activation patterns requires more extensive fNIRS assessments than the traditional prefrontal investigations, e.g. as performed with portable fNIRS devices.
    MeSH terms: Adult; Cerebral Cortex/physiology*; Feasibility Studies; Female; Humans; Male; Nasal Provocation Tests; Pilot Projects; Speech/physiology*; Walking/physiology*; Walking/psychology; Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared; Young Adult; Functional Neuroimaging
  12. Ya'cob Z, Takaoka H, Low VL, Sofian-Azirun M
    Acta Trop, 2017 Mar;167:31-39.
    PMID: 27986545 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2016.12.009
    In recent decades, the numbers of cryptic taxa have increased significantly with current progress in DNA barcoding, yet, most of these cryptic taxa have not been formally named and recognized as valid species. To address this issue, we provide a guide for applying the procedure of describing new cryptic species in the family Simuliidae. Simulium (Simulium) vanluni from Pahang, Peninsular Malaysia, previously treated as S. nobile De Meijere, is described as a new species by using an integrated morpho-taxonomical and genetic approach. This new species is morphologically identical to S. nobile from Java and S. kiuliense Smart & Clifford from Borneo, but their distinctiveness is supported by an expanded multigene phylogeny analysis.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Larva/anatomy & histology; Larva/genetics; Malaysia; Pupa/anatomy & histology; Pupa/genetics; Simuliidae/anatomy & histology; Simuliidae/classification*; Simuliidae/genetics; Species Specificity
  13. Cheah CF, Kofler M, Schiefecker AJ, Beer R, Klug G, Pfausler B, et al.
    Neurocrit Care, 2017 04;26(2):284-291.
    PMID: 28000134 DOI: 10.1007/s12028-016-0334-y
    BACKGROUND: Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TC) is a well-known complication after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage and has been rarely described in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI).

    METHODS: Case report and review of literature.

    RESULTS: Here, we report a 73-year-old woman with mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) presenting in cardiogenic shock. Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TC) was diagnosed by repeated echocardiography. Cardiovascular support by inotropic agents led to hemodynamic stabilization after initiation of levosimendan. Cardiac function fully recovered within 21 days. We performed an in-depth literature review and identified 16 reported patients with TBI and TC. Clinical course and characteristics are discussed in the context of our patient.

    CONCLUSION: Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is under-recognized after TBI and may negatively impact outcome if left untreated.

    MeSH terms: Aged; Female; Humans; Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy/etiology*; Brain Injuries, Traumatic/complications*
  14. Tong CV, Loh LT, Hussein Z
    QJM, 2017 01;110(1):55.
    PMID: 28011854 DOI: 10.1093/qjmed/hcw207
    MeSH terms: Denosumab*; Humans; Hypercalcemia; Palliative Care; Parathyroid Neoplasms*; Bone Density Conservation Agents; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
  15. Putri LK, Ng BJ, Ong WJ, Lee HW, Chang WS, Chai SP
    ACS Appl Mater Interfaces, 2017 Feb 08;9(5):4558-4569.
    PMID: 28068056 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.6b12060
    Owing to its superior properties and versatility, graphene has been proliferating the energy research scene in the past decade. In this contribution, nitrogen (N-) and boron (B-) doped reduced graphene oxide (rGO) variants were investigated as a sole photocatalyst for the green production of H2 and their properties with respect to photocatalysis were elucidated for the first time. N- and B-rGOs were facilely prepared via the pyrolysis of graphene oxide with urea and boron anhydride as their respective dopant source. The pyrolysis temperature was varied (600-800 °C for N-rGO and 800-1000 °C for B-rGO) in order to modify dopant loading percentage (%) which was found to be influential to photocatalytic activity. N-rGO600 (8.26 N at%) and B-rGO1000 (3.59 B at%), which holds the highest at% from each of their party, exhibited the highest H2 activity. Additionally, the effects of the nature of N and B bonding configuration in H2 photoactivity were also examined. This study demonstrates the importance of dopant atoms in graphene, rendering doping as an effective strategy to bolster photocatalytic activity for standalone graphene derivative photocatalysts.
  16. Ooi TC, Chan KM, Sharif R
    Nutr Cancer, 2017 Feb-Mar;69(2):201-210.
    PMID: 28094570 DOI: 10.1080/01635581.2017.1265132
    Cancer is one of the major causes of death worldwide, and the incidence and mortality rates of cancer are expected to rise tremendously in the near future. Despite a better understanding of cancer biology and advancement in cancer management, current strategies in cancer treatment remain costly and ineffective. Hence, instead of putting more efforts to search for new cancer cures, attention has now been shifted to the development of cancer chemopreventive agents as a preventive measure for cancer formation. It is well known that neoplastic transformation of cells is multifactorial, and the occurrence of oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, and genomic instability events has been implicated in the carcinogenesis of cells. Zinc l-carnosine (ZnC), which is clinically used as gastric ulcer treatment in Japan, has been suggested to have the potential in preventing cancer development. Multiple studies have revealed that ZnC possesses potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and genomic stability enhancement effects. Thus, this review provides some mechanistic insight into the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and genomic stability enhancement effects of ZnC in relevance to its chemopreventive potential.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal/pharmacology*; Antioxidants/pharmacology*; Carnosine/analogs & derivatives*; Carnosine/pharmacology; Humans; Neoplasms/prevention & control*; Organometallic Compounds/pharmacology*; Anticarcinogenic Agents/pharmacology*; Zinc Compounds/pharmacology; Genomic Instability
  17. Abd Ghani A, Adachi S, Shiga H, Neoh TL, Adachi S, Yoshii H
    Biosci Biotechnol Biochem, 2017 Apr;81(4):705-711.
    PMID: 28114864 DOI: 10.1080/09168451.2017.1281721
    Encapsulating fish oil by spray drying with an adequate wall material was investigated to determine if stable powders containing emulsified fish-oil-droplets can be formed. In particular, the dextrose equivalent (DE) of maltodextrin (MD) affects the powder structure, surface-oil ratio, and oxidative stability of fish oil. The carrier solution was prepared using MD with different DEs (DE = 11, 19, and 25) and sodium caseinate as the wall material and the emulsifier, respectively. The percentage of microcapsules having a vacuole was 73, 39, and 38% for MD with DE = 11, 19, and 25, respectively. Peroxide values (PVs) were measured for the microcapsules incubated at 60 °C. The microcapsules prepared with MD of DE = 25 and 19 had lower PVs than those prepared with MD of DE = 11. The difference in PV can be ascribed to the difference in the surface-oil ratio of the spray-dried microcapsules.
    MeSH terms: Capsules; Caseins; Desiccation; Emulsions; Fish Oils; Glucose; Peroxides; Polysaccharides; Powders; Vacuoles; Oxidative Stress; Emulsifying Agents
  18. Hs AS, Rashid A
    BMC Med Ethics, 2017 01 23;18(1):3.
    PMID: 28114911 DOI: 10.1186/s12910-016-0161-x
    BACKGROUND: In this study, medical errors are defined as unintentional patient harm caused by a doctor's mistake. This topic, due to limited research, is poorly understood in Malaysia. The objective of this study was to determine the proportion of doctors intending to disclose medical errors, and their attitudes/perception pertaining to medical errors.

    METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary public hospital from July- December 2015 among 276 randomly selected doctors. Data was collected using a standardized and validated self-administered questionnaire intending to measure disclosure and attitudes/perceptions. The scale had four vignettes in total two medical and two surgical. Each vignette consisted of five questions and each question measured the disclosure. Disclosure was categorised as "No Disclosure", "Partial Disclosure" or "Full Disclosure". Data was keyed in and analysed using STATA v 13.0.

    RESULTS: Only 10.1% (n = 28) intended to disclose medical errors. Most respondents felt that they possessed an attitude/perception of adequately disclosing errors to patients. There was a statistically significant difference (p 

    MeSH terms: Adult; Attitude of Health Personnel*; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Hospitals; Humans; Malaysia; Male; Physician-Patient Relations*; Physicians; Surveys and Questionnaires; Truth Disclosure*; Medical Errors*; Intention*
  19. Mot YY, Othman I, Sharifah SH
    Stem Cell Res Ther, 2017 01 23;8(1):5.
    PMID: 28114965 DOI: 10.1186/s13287-016-0457-2
    BACKGROUND: Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) and Ophiophagus hannah L-amino acid oxidase (Oh-LAAO) have been reported to exhibit antimicrobial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Published data have indicated that synergistic antibacterial effects could be achieved by co-administration of two or more antimicrobial agents. However, this hypothesis has not been proven in a cell- and protein-based combination. In this study, we investigate if co-administration of adipose-derived MSCs and Oh-LAAO into a mouse model of MRSA-infected wounds would be able to result in a synergistic antibacterial effect.

    METHODS: MSCs and Oh-LAAO were isolated and characterized by standard methodologies. The effects of the experimental therapies were evaluated in C57/BL6 mice. The animal study groups consisted of full-thickness uninfected and MRSA-infected wound models which received Oh-LAAO, MSCs, or both. Oh-LAAO was administered directly on the wound while MSCs were delivered via intradermal injections. The animals were housed individually with wound measurements taken on days 0, 3, and 7. Histological analyses and bacterial enumeration were performed on wound biopsies to determine the efficacy of each treatment.

    RESULTS: Immunophenotyping and differentiation assays conducted on isolated MSCs indicated expression of standard cell surface markers and plasticity which corresponds to published data. Characterization of Oh-LAAO by proteomics, enzymatic, and antibacterial assays confirmed the identity, purity, and functionality of the enzyme prior to use in our subsequent studies. Individual treatments with MSCs and Oh-LAAO in the infected model resulted in reduction of MRSA load by one order of magnitude to the approximate range of 6 log10 colony-forming units (CFU) compared to untreated controls (7.3 log10 CFU). Similar wound healing and improvements in histological parameters were observed between the two groups. Co-administration of MSCs and Oh-LAAO reduced bacterial burden by approximately two orders of magnitude to 5.1 log10 CFU. Wound closure measurements and histology analysis of biopsies obtained from the combinational therapy group indicated significant enhancement in the wound healing process compared to all other groups.

    CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated that co-administration of MSCs and Oh-LAAO into a mouse model of MRSA-infected wounds exhibited a synergistic antibacterial effect which significantly reduced the bacterial count and accelerated the wound healing process.

    MeSH terms: Adipose Tissue/cytology; Animals; Cell Differentiation; Cells, Cultured; Disease Models, Animal; Male; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Skin Diseases/microbiology; Skin Diseases/pathology; Skin Diseases/therapy*; Staphylococcal Infections/microbiology; Staphylococcal Infections/pathology; Staphylococcal Infections/therapy*; Immunophenotyping; Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation*; L-Amino Acid Oxidase/isolation & purification; L-Amino Acid Oxidase/pharmacology*; Mice; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus/drug effects; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells/cytology; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells/metabolism
  20. Oladzadabbasabadi N, Ebadi S, Mohammadi Nafchi A, Karim AA, Kiahosseini SR
    Carbohydr Polym, 2017 Mar 15;160:43-51.
    PMID: 28115099 DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2016.12.042
    The aim of this study was development a composite film based on sago starch and κ-carrageenan to find a gelatin alternative in the pharmaceutical capsules processing. Hydrolyzed-Hydroxypropylated (dually modified) sago starch was mixed with κ-carrageenan (0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1%). The drying kinetics, thermomechanical, physicochemical, and barrier properties of composite films were estimated and compared with bovine gelatin. Results show that drying kinetics and mechanical properties of the composite films were comparable to those of gelatin. The water vapor permeability and moisture content of the composite films were lower than those of gelatin. The solubility of the composite films was higher than that of gelatin, and the composite films were more stable at higher relative humidity than were the gelatin films. These results show that dually modified sago starch in combination with κ-carrageenan has properties similar to those of gelatin, thus proposed system can be used in pharmaceutical capsules processes.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Capsules; Carrageenan/chemistry*; Cattle; Chemistry, Pharmaceutical*; Gelatin/chemistry; Permeability; Solubility; Starch/chemistry*
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