Browse publications by year: 2018

  1. Mohd Razali Md Razak, Zaleha Kassim
    ASM Science Journal, 2018;11(2):56-66.
    MyJurnal
    Nowadays, the numbers of wild horseshoe crab harvested for study are increasing. However, general information on Tachyplues gigas satiation level, gut transit time, defecation pattern and acclimation period in captivity during holding period are still scanty. The aims of this study are to identify T. gigas food intake, gut transit time and defecation pattern during the rearing period by introducing the crabs with gastropod (Turritella sp.), crustacean (Squilla sp.) and bivalve (Meretrix meretrix ) in several feed ratios; 0.2%, 0.6%, 1.0%, 1.4%, 1.8% and 2.2% expressed of crabs’ body weight. The defecation of T. gigas was monitored for every three hours after being fed to measure their gut transit time and defecation pattern. Male crabs did not significantly eat until two weeks in captivity, while the females started to eat in the early first week after being harvested from the wild. The satiation levels of the females (gastropod: 1.8%±0.04; crustacean: 1.7%±0.08; bivalve: 1.8%±0.06) were significantly higher than the males’ (gastropod: 1.7%±0.08; crustacean: 1.4%±0.02; bivalve: 1.6%±0.05) for all feed types. Gut transit time of the males were significantly longer than the females’. Male crabs took shorter time (1±0 hr) to achieve their satiation than female crabs (2±0 hrs). This study provides useful information for T. gigas rearing activity and for designing a better rearing system.
  2. Mohamed A, Leeson P, Lewandowski AJ
    J Physiol, 2018 12;596(23):5505-5506.
    PMID: 29660821 DOI: 10.1113/JP276067
    MeSH terms: Animals; Female; Heart Ventricles; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Pregnancy; Pulmonary Artery; Sheep; Ventricular Remodeling*; Parturition; Premature Birth*
  3. Tan JK, Jaafar F, Makpol S
    BMC Complement Altern Med, 2018 Nov 29;18(1):314.
    PMID: 30497457 DOI: 10.1186/s12906-018-2383-6
    BACKGROUND: Replicative senescence of human diploid fibroblasts (HDFs) has been used as a model to study mechanisms of cellular aging. Gamma-tocotrienol (γT3) is one of the members of vitamin E family which has been shown to increase proliferation of senescent HDFs. However, the modulation of protein expressions by γT3 in senescent HDFs remains to be elucidated. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in young and senescent HDFs; and in vehicle- and γT3-treated senescent HDFs using label-free quantitative proteomics.

    METHODS: Whole proteins were extracted and digested in-gel with trypsin. Peptides were detected by Orbitrap liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. Mass spectra were identified and quantitated by MaxQuant software. The data were further filtered and analyzed statistically using Perseus software to identify DEPs. Functional annotations of DEPs were performed using Panther Classification System.

    RESULTS: A total of 1217 proteins were identified in young and senescent cells, while 1218 proteins in vehicle- and γT3-treated senescent cells. 11 DEPs were found in young and senescent cells which included downregulation of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) receptor beta and upregulation of tubulin beta-2A chain protein expressions in senescent cells. 51 DEPs were identified in vehicle- and γT3-treated senescent cells which included upregulation of 70 kDa heat shock protein, triosephosphate isomerase and malate dehydrogenase protein expressions in γT3-treated senescent cells.

    CONCLUSIONS: PDGF signaling and cytoskeletal structure may be dysregulated in senescent HDFs. The pro-proliferative effect of γT3 on senescent HDFs may be mediated through the stimulation of cellular response to stress and carbohydrate metabolism. The expressions and roles of these proteins in relation to cellular senescence are worth further investigations. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD009933.

    MeSH terms: Chromans/pharmacology*; Diploidy*; Fibroblasts/cytology; Fibroblasts/drug effects*; Fibroblasts/metabolism*; Fibroblasts/chemistry; Humans; Proteins/genetics; Proteins/metabolism; Proteins/chemistry*; Mass Spectrometry; Vitamin E/analogs & derivatives*; Vitamin E/pharmacology; Cell Aging/drug effects*; Proteomics
  4. Ahmed MA, Chu KB, Vythilingam I, Quan FS
    Malar J, 2018 Nov 29;17(1):442.
    PMID: 30497496 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-018-2583-z
    BACKGROUND: The C-terminal 42 kDa domain of Plasmodium knowlesi merozoite surface protein 1 (PkMSP1) is a potential asexual blood-stage vaccine candidate, however, only a limited number of clinical isolates have been analysed from Malaysia and no inter-country comparative diversity study has been conducted. In the present study, nucleotide diversity, haplotypes and natural selection levels of pkmsp1 in clinical samples from geographically distinct regions of Malaysia and Thailand were investigated. The overall population structure of the parasite from the region was determined.

    METHODS: Eleven full-length pkmsp1 sequences obtained from clinical isolates of Malaysia along with the H-strain were downloaded from the database for domain wise characterization of pkmsp1 gene. Additionally, 76 pkmsp-142 sequences from Thailand and Malaysia were downloaded from the database for intra and inter-population analysis. DnaSP 5.10 and MEGA 5.0 software were used to determine genetic diversity, polymorphism, haplotypes and natural selection. Genealogical relationships were determined using haplotype network tree in NETWORK software v5.0. Population genetic differentiation index (FST) of parasites were analysed using Arlequin v3.5.

    RESULTS: Sequence analysis of 11 full-length pkmsp1 sequences along with the H-strain identified 477 (8.4%) polymorphic sites, of which 107 were singleton sites. The overall diversity observed in the full-length genes were high in comparison to its ortholog pvmsp1 and the 4 variable domains showed extensive size variations. The nucleotide diversity was low towards the pkmsp1-42 compared to the conserved domains. The 19 kDa domain was less diverse and completely conserved among isolates from Malaysian Borneo. The nucleotide diversity of isolates from Peninsular Malaysia and Thailand were higher than Malaysian Borneo. Network analysis of pkmsp1-42 haplotypes showed geographical clustering of the isolates from Malaysian Borneo and grouping of isolates from Peninsular Malaysia and Thailand. Population differentiation analysis indicated high FST values between parasite populations originating from Malaysian Borneo, Peninsular Malaysia and Thailand attributing to geographical distance. Moderate genetic differentiation was observed for parasite populations from Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia. Evidence of population expansion and purifying selection were observed in all conserved domains with strongest selection within the pkmsp1-42 domain.

    CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to report on inter country genetic diversity and population structure of P. knowlesi based on msp1. Strong evidence of negative selection was observed in the 42 kDa domain, indicating functional constrains. Geographical clustering of P. knowlesi and moderate to high genetic differentiation values between populations identified in this study highlights the importance of further evaluation using larger number of clinical samples from Southeast Asian countries.

    MeSH terms: Female; Genetics, Population*; Haplotypes; Humans; Malaria/parasitology*; Malaysia; Male; Selection, Genetic; Thailand; Genetic Variation*; Plasmodium knowlesi/classification*; Plasmodium knowlesi/genetics*; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Computational Biology; Merozoite Surface Protein 1/genetics*
  5. Braae UC, Hung NM, Satrija F, Khieu V, Zhou XN, Willingham AL
    Parasit Vectors, 2018 Nov 29;11(1):613.
    PMID: 30497522 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-018-3203-z
    BACKGROUND: Due to the relative short life span and the limited spatial movement, porcine cysticercosis is an excellent indicator of current local active transmission. The aim of this study was to map at province-level, the occurrence of T. solium and T. asiatica in pigs and areas at risk of transmission to pigs in East and Southeast Asia, based on the density of extensive pig production systems and confirmed reports of porcine cysticercosis.

    METHODS: This study covered East and Southeast Asia, which consist of the following countries: Brunei, Cambodia, China, East Timor, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, North Korea, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam. Literature searches were carried out to identify current epidemiological data on the occurrence of porcine cysticercosis caused by T. solium and T. asiatica infections. Modelled densities of pigs in extensive production systems were mapped and compared to available data on porcine cysticercosis.

    RESULTS: Porcine cysticercosis was confirmed to be present during the period 2000 to 2018 in eight out of the 16 countries included in this study. Taenia solium porcine cysticercosis was confirmed from all eight countries, whereas only one country (Laos) could confirm the presence of T. asiatica porcine cysticercosis. Province-level occurrence was identified in five countries (Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam) across 19 provinces. Smallholder pig keeping is believed to be widely distributed throughout the region, with greater densities predicted to occur in areas of China, Myanmar, Philippines and Vietnam.

    CONCLUSIONS: The discrepancies between countries reporting taeniosis and the occurrence of porcine cysticercosis, both for T. solium and T. asiatica, suggests that both parasites are underreported. More epidemiological surveys are needed to determine the societal burden of both parasites. This study highlights a straightforward approach to determine areas at risk of porcine cysticercosis in the absence of prevalence data.

    MeSH terms: Animals; Asia, Southeastern/epidemiology; Cysticercosis/epidemiology; Cysticercosis/parasitology*; Cysticercosis/veterinary*; Far East/epidemiology; Humans; Swine; Swine Diseases/epidemiology; Swine Diseases/parasitology*; Taenia/classification; Taenia/genetics; Taenia/isolation & purification*; Taenia solium/classification; Taenia solium/genetics; Taenia solium/isolation & purification*
  6. Rasouli E, Basirun WJ, Rezayi M, Shameli K, Nourmohammadi E, Khandanlou R, et al.
    Int J Nanomedicine, 2018;13:6903-6911.
    PMID: 30498350 DOI: 10.2147/IJN.S158083
    Introduction: In the present research, we report a quick and green synthesis of magnetite nanoparticles (Fe3O4-NPs) in aqueous solution using ferric and ferrous chloride, with different percentages of natural honey (0.5%, 1.0%, 3.0% and 5.0% w/v) as the precursors, stabilizer, reducing and capping agent, respectively. The effect of the stabilizer on the magnetic properties and size of Fe3O4-NPs was also studied.

    Methods: The nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.

    Results: The XRD analysis indicated the presence of pure Fe3O4-NPs while the TEM images indicated that the Fe3O4-NPs are spherical with a diameter range between 3.21 and 2.22 nm. The VSM study demonstrated that the magnetic properties were enhanced with the decrease in the percentage of honey. In vitro viability evaluation of Fe3O4-NPs performed by using the MTT assay on the WEHI164 cells demonstrated no significant toxicity in higher concentration up to 140.0 ppm, which allows them to be used in some biological applications such as drug delivery.

    Conclusion: The presented synthesis method can be used for the controlled synthesis of Fe3O4-NPs, which could be found to be important in applications in biotechnology, biosensor and biomedicine, magnetic resonance imaging and catalysis.

    MeSH terms: Cell Survival; Ferric Compounds/chemistry*; Fibrosarcoma/drug therapy; Fibrosarcoma/pathology*; Tumor Cells, Cultured; Magnetite Nanoparticles/administration & dosage*; Magnetite Nanoparticles/chemistry*
  7. Ooi BK, Chan KG, Goh BH, Yap WH
    Front Pharmacol, 2018;9:1308.
    PMID: 30498447 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2018.01308
    Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are closely linked to cellular oxidative stress and inflammation. This may be resulted from the imbalance generation of reactive oxygen species and its role in promoting inflammation, thereby contributing to endothelial dysfunction and cardiovascular complications. Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a transcription factor that plays a significant role in regulating expression of antioxidant and cytoprotective enzymes in response to oxidative stress. Natural products have emerged as a potential source of bioactive compounds which have shown to protect against atherogenesis development by activating Nrf2 signaling. This review aims to provide a comprehensive summary of the published data on the function, regulation and activation of Nrf2 as well as the molecular mechanisms of natural products in regulating Nrf2 signaling. The beneficial effects of using natural bioactive compounds as a promising therapeutic approach for the prevention and treatment of CVDs are reviewed.
  8. Shah NM, Chong SE, Yusoff SM, Mazlan MZ, Johan KB, Azman N, et al.
    BMC Hematol, 2018;18:34.
    PMID: 30498571 DOI: 10.1186/s12878-018-0126-z
    Background: Massive bleeding is one of the commonest salvageable causes of death. The search for an ideal haemostatic agent during massive bleeding is still ongoing. One of the novel haemostatic medications is recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa). To date, the usage of rFVIIa during massive haemorrhage among non-haemophiliac patients remains off-label. The aim of this study is to report our experience in using rFVIIa to treat refractory bleeding.

    Methods: Medical records of all patients treated with rFVIIa for massive bleeding over an eleven-year period in a single institution were recorded. Treatment indications, 24-h and 30-day mortality, changes in transfusion needs and coagulation profiles after rFVIIa administration were analysed.

    Results: rFVIIa were administered in 76 patients. Of these, 41 (53.9%) were non-surgical bleeding, followed by 22 patients (28.9%) with trauma, other surgery bleedings in 9 patients (11.8%) and 4 patients (5.4%) with peripartum haemorrhage. Total survival rate was 78.9% within 24 h and 44.7% over 30 days. Among all these patients who had received rFVIIa due to life-threatening haemorrhage, blood and blood product requirements were significantly reduced (P 

  9. Chen L, Yao XJ, Xu SJ, Yang H, Wu CL, Lu J, et al.
    Arch Virol, 2018 Nov 29.
    PMID: 30498962 DOI: 10.1007/s00705-018-4112-3
    Coxsackievirus A16 (CV-A16) of the genotypes B1a and B1b have co-circulated in mainland China in the past decades. From 2013 to 2017, a total of 3,008 specimens from 3,008 patients with mild hand, foot, and mouth disease were collected in the present study. Viral RNA was tested for CV-A16 by a real-time RT-PCR method, and complete VP1 sequences and full-length genome sequences of CV-A16 strains from this study were determined by RT-PCR and sequencing. Sequences were analyzed using a series of bioinformatics programs. The detection rate for CV-A16 was 4.1%, 25.9%, 10.6%, 28.1% and 12.9% in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively. Overall, the detection rate for CV-A16 was 16.5% (497/3008) in this 5-year period in Shenzhen, China. One hundred forty-two (142/155, 91.6%) of the 155 genotype B1 strains in the study belonged to subgenotype B1b, and 13 (13/155, 8.4%) strains belonged to subgenotype B1a. Two strains (CVA16/Shenzhen174/CHN/2017 and CVA16/Shenzhen189/CHN/2017) could not be assigned to a known genotype. Phylogenetic analysis of these two strains and other Chinese CV-A16 strains indicated that these two CV-A16 strains clustered independently in a novel clade whose members differed by 8.4%-11.8%, 8.4%-12.1%, and 14.6%-14.8% in their nucleotide sequences from those of Chinese B1a, B1b, and genotype D strains, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis of global CV-A16 strains further indicated that the two novel CV-A16 strains from this study grouped in a previously uncharacterized clade, which was designated as the subgenogroup B3 in present study. Meanwhile, phylogenetic reconstruction revealed two other new genotypes, B1d and B4, which included a Malaysian strain and two American strains, respectively. The complete genome sequences of the two novel CV-A16 strains showed the highest nucleotide sequence identity of 92.3% to the Malaysian strain PM-15765-00 from 2000. Comparative analysis of amino acid sequences of the two novel CV-A16 strains and their relatives suggested that variations in the nonstructural proteins may play an important role in the evolution of modern CV-A16.
    MeSH terms: Amino Acid Sequence; Base Sequence; China; Genotype; Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease; Humans; Phylogeny; RNA, Viral; United States; Computational Biology; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
  10. Akinyoyenu Afolabi Festus, Ismail Said
    MyJurnal
    The contribution of attitudinal factors to the morphology of urban vegetation in cities
    has received very scanty attention. Most researchers in the developing countries
    including Nigeria focus on urbanisation, without paying significant attention to
    attitudinal factors. However, a lot of socioeconomic adjustments take place in cities in
    these countries, which result in the depletion of urban vegetation. The necessity to
    determine the contribution of attitudinal factors to the reduction in Akure urban
    vegetation has called for this study. The study analysed the contribution of attitudinal
    factors to the reduction of urban vegetation in the city. Previous studies on the city’s
    land use and land cover changes seemed to ascribe the city’s falling greenery to
    urbanisation only, without considering the contribution of attitudinal factors to the
    process. The paper posits that the indicators of attitudinal factors need to be properly
    understood in order to design appropriate policies to curb the phenomenon. Data
    were sourced through self-administered questionnaire from 317 participants. The data
    were analysed with SPSS Version 20 for the descriptive analysis, and Structural
    Equation Modelling (SEM), for the determination of the dominant factors. The KaiserMeyer-Olkin
    measure of sampling adequacy showed that the research instrument was
    internally consistent. Confirmatory factor analysis also achieved satisfactory goodness
    of fit indices. It was revealed that eight dominant attitudinal factors contributed to the
    reduction of urban vegetation in the city. These include misuse of road setback (0.72),
    not enough enlightenment or publicity (0.72), and failure of town planning authorities
    to enforce urban tree planting (0.72.) This shows that attitudinal factors contributed
    significantly to the depletion of urban vegetation in the city. The necessity for mass
    education and enlightenment towards behaviour change and pro-environmental
    behaviour, is stressed.
  11. Wan Maisarah Mukhtar, Alia Athira Tarmuji, Noor Syuhaida Mohamed, Muhammad Syahir Jafree
    MyJurnal
    With the increasing demand for greater quality of transferred data, the optical cable
    lines are reaching their limits of transfer capacities. The alternative for more effective
    usage is by introducing the Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM)
    integrated with optical amplifier to optimize the output signal. This study was
    performed theoretically with an assistance of OptiSystem 9.0 simulation software to
    develop higher transfer speed of 32 channels DWDM network system by employing
    hybrid optical amplifiers. Three types of optical amplifiers had been introduced such
    as Erbium Doped Fiber Amplifier (EDFA), Semiconductor Optical Amplifier (SOA) and
    Dynamic RAMAN amplifier. The optimum performance of DWDM system was obtained
    by employed hybrid EDFA-Raman amplifier which resulted the best transmission signal
    received with maximum Qfactor=43.0579 a.u. The hybrid EDFA-Raman produced
    better stability than EDFA-SOA where the received signals were only fluctuated within
    ±3.73 a.u. In comparison with other types of configuration, namely EDFA-SOA and
    RAMAN-SOA; the value of maximum Q-factor experienced about 50% of increment. In
    conclusion, the development of high performance and excellent stability of 32-
    channels DWDM optical network system can be achieved by introduced hybrid
    amplifier of EDFA-RAMAN.
  12. Mohamad SNH, Muhamad II, Mohd Jusoh YM, Khairuddin N
    J Food Sci Technol, 2018 Dec;55(12):5161-5165.
    PMID: 30483013 DOI: 10.1007/s13197-018-3327-3
    Dielectric properties study is important in understanding the interaction between materials within electromagnetic field. By knowing and understanding the dielectric properties of materials, an efficient and effective microwave heating process and products can be designed. In this study, the dielectric properties of several encapsulation wall materials were measured using open-ended coaxial probe method. This method was selected due to its simplicity and high accuracy. All materials exhibited similar behavior. The result inferred that β-cyclodextrin (BC), starch (S), Arabic (GA) and maltodextrin (M) with various dextrose equivalent exhibited effective encapsulation wall materials in microwave encapsulation-drying technique owing to loss tangent values which were higher than 0.1 at general application frequency of 2.45 GHz. Thus, these were found to be suitable as wall material to encapsulate the selected core material in this microwave encapsulation-drying method. On contrary, sodium caseinate showed an ineffective wall material to be used in microwave encapsulation-drying. The differences in the values of dielectric constant, loss factor and loss tangent were found to be contributed by frequency, composition and bulk density.
    MeSH terms: Caseins; Desiccation; Electromagnetic Fields; Glucose; Heating; Microwaves; Polysaccharides; Starch; beta-Cyclodextrins
  13. Tiong V, Shu MH, Wong WF, AbuBakar S, Chang LY
    Front Microbiol, 2018;9:2747.
    PMID: 30483242 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.02747
    Nipah virus (NiV) can infect multiple organs in humans with the central nervous system (CNS) being the most severely affected. Currently, it is not fully understood how NiV spreads throughout the body. NiV has been shown to infect certain leukocyte populations and we hypothesized that these infected cells could cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB), facilitating NiV entry into the CNS. Here, three leukocyte types, primary immature dendritic cells (iDC), primary monocytes (pMO), and monocytic cell line (THP-1), were evaluated for permissiveness to NiV. We found only iDC and THP-1 were permissive to NiV. Transendothelial migration of mock-infected and NiV-infected leukocytes was then evaluated using an in vitro BBB model established with human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMEC). There was approximately a threefold increase in migration of NiV-infected iDC across endothelial monolayer when compared to mock-infected iDC. In contrast, migration rates for pMO and THP-1 did not change upon NiV infection. Across TNF-α-treated endothelial monolayer, there was significant increase of almost twofold in migration of NiV-infected iDC and THP-1 over mock-infected cells. Immunofluorescence analysis showed the migrated NiV-infected leukocytes retained their ability to infect other cells. This study demonstrates for the first time that active NiV infection of iDC and THP-1 increased their transendothelial migration activity across HBMEC and activation of HBMEC by TNF-α further promoted migration. The findings suggest that NiV infection of leukocytes to disseminate the virus via the "Trojan horse" mechanism is a viable route of entry into the CNS.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Blood-Brain Barrier; Brain; Cell Line; Central Nervous System; Dendritic Cells; Fluorescent Antibody Technique; Horses; Humans; Leukocytes; Monocytes; Permissiveness; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; Endothelial Cells; Nipah Virus; Henipavirus Infections; Transendothelial and Transepithelial Migration
  14. Kalidasan V, Joseph N, Kumar S, Awang Hamat R, Neela VK
    PMID: 30483485 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2018.00401
    Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is a multi-drug-resistant global opportunistic nosocomial pathogen, which possesses a huge number of virulence factors and antibiotics resistance characteristics. Iron has a crucial contribution toward growth and development, cell growth and proliferation, and pathogenicity. The bacterium found to acquire iron for its cellular process through the expression of two iron acquisition systems. Two distinct pathways for iron acquisition are encoded by the S. maltophilia genome-a siderophore-and heme-mediated iron uptake system. The entAFDBEC operon directs the production of the enterobactin siderophore of catecholate in nature, while heme uptake relies on hgbBC and potentially hmuRSTUV operon. Fur and sigma factors are regulators of S. maltophilia under iron-limited condition. Iron potentially act as a signal which plays an important role in biofilm formation, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), extracellular enzymes production, oxidative stress response, diffusible signal factor (DSF) and siderophore production in S. maltophilia. This review summarizes the current knowledge of iron acquisition in S. maltophilia and the critical role of iron in relation to its pathogenicity.
    MeSH terms: Bacterial Proteins/genetics; Biological Transport; Heme/metabolism; Humans; Iron/metabolism*; Virulence; Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; Siderophores/metabolism; Oxidative Stress; Biofilms/growth & development; Stenotrophomonas maltophilia/genetics; Stenotrophomonas maltophilia/growth & development; Stenotrophomonas maltophilia/metabolism*; Stenotrophomonas maltophilia/pathogenicity; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; Virulence Factors/metabolism*
  15. Goh KL
    JGH Open, 2018 Apr;2(2):33.
    PMID: 30483560 DOI: 10.1002/jgh3.12050
  16. Goh KL
    JGH Open, 2018 Jun;2(3):79.
    PMID: 30483567 DOI: 10.1002/jgh3.12066
  17. Goh KL
    JGH Open, 2018 Aug;2(4):113.
    PMID: 30483573 DOI: 10.1002/jgh3.12080
  18. Goh KL
    JGH Open, 2018 Oct;2(5):171.
    PMID: 30483584 DOI: 10.1002/jgh3.12107
  19. Wong Z, Mok CZ, Majid HA, Mahadeva S
    JGH Open, 2018 Oct;2(5):178-181.
    PMID: 30483586 DOI: 10.1002/jgh3.12069
    Background: The efficacy and acceptance of a low fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols (FODMAP) diet in Asian adults with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) remain uncertain. We aimed to describe our early experience in a single center with a dedicated gastroenterology dietetic service.

    Methods: Consecutive patients with IBS referred to our dedicated Dietetic Gastroenterology Clinic between February 2016 and May 2016 were screened. A low FODMAP diet was instituted as per standard protocol. Data on demographic and clinical variables were obtained from patients' records and prospective telephone interviews.

    Results: A total of 16 patients, with a median age of 67 ± 13.57 years; female gender n = 10 (62.5%); ethnicity: Chinese n = 8 (50%), Indian n = 5 (31.25%), and Malay n = 3 (18.75%) with IBS, were included in the study. Compliance with the low FODMAP diet was complete in 8 of 16 (50%) patients, partial in 4 of 16 (25%), and 4 of 16 (25%) could not comply with the diet at all. Improvement in symptoms were reported in 11 of 16 (68.8%) patients. Among patients who complied (complete/partial) with the low FODMAP diet, predominant symptom improvement was reported as follows: abdominal pain 3 of 5 (60%), abdominal bloating/distension 7 of 10 (70%), and flatulence 7 of 8 (87.5%). Patients with the IBS-D subtype appeared to have the greatest improvement in stool consistency (87.5% IBS-D vs 12.5% non-IBS-D, P = 0.009).

    Conclusion: Based on our pilot observational study of a relatively small sample of Asian IBS patients, compliance with a low FODMAP diet appears to be low. Further larger studies are required to verify our observation.

    Study site: Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC)
    MeSH terms: Gastroenterology; Hospitals, University; Observational Study
  20. Wong SW, Ting YW, Chan WK
    JGH Open, 2018 Oct;2(5):235-241.
    PMID: 30483595 DOI: 10.1002/jgh3.12070
    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) encompasses a spectrum of liver pathology that is characterized by the excessive accumulation of fat in the liver attributable to overnutrition and is strongly associated with the metabolic syndrome. Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis is the more severe form of NAFLD that is defined histologically by the presence of lobular inflammation and hepatocyte ballooning. Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis patients have a greater tendency to develop advanced liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and HCC. This review focuses on the epidemiology of NAFLD-related HCC and its implications. NAFLD has been estimated to contribute to 10-12% of HCC cases in Western populations and 1-6% of HCC cases in Asian populations. NAFLD-related HCC is expected to increase in Asian populations, in line with the increased prevalence of NALFD similar to that of Western populations in recent years. The increasing burden of NAFLD-related HCC over time has been demonstrated in studies from both Western and Asian populations. Certain factors such as ethnicity, obesity, and diabetes mellitus appear to have an incremental effect on the risk of developing HCC among NAFLD patients. The difficulty in identifying NAFLD patients with cirrhosis and the possibility of HCC developing in noncirrhotic NAFLD patients are challenges that need to be addressed. Further understanding of these gaps may contribute to better surveillance strategies for the early detection of HCC in NAFLD patients to reduce the mortality and improve the survival of these patients.
    MeSH terms: Diabetes Mellitus; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular; Humans; Inflammation; Liver Cirrhosis; Liver Neoplasms; Obesity; Prevalence; Hepatocytes; Early Detection of Cancer; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
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