Browse publications by year: 2018

  1. Bhuvanendran S, Kumari Y, Othman I, Shaikh MF
    Front Pharmacol, 2018;9:665.
    PMID: 29988493 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2018.00665
    Embelin (2,5-dihydroxy-3-undecyl-1,4-benzoquinone) is one of the active components (2.3%) found in Embelia ribes Burm fruits. As determined via in vitro AChE inhibition assay, embelin can inhibit the acetylcholinesterase enzyme. Therefore, embelin can be utilized as a therapeutic compound, after further screening has been conducted for its use in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this study, the nootropic and anti-amnesic effects of embelin on scopolamine-induced amnesia in rats were evaluated. Rats were treated once daily with embelin (0.3 mg/kg, 0.6 mg/kg, 1.2 mg/kg) and donepezil (1 mg/kg) intraperitoneally (i.p.) for 17 days. During the final 9 days of treatment, a daily injection of scopolamine (1 mg/kg) was administered to induce cognitive deficits. Besides that, behavioral analysis was carried out to assess the rats' learning and memory functions. Meanwhile, hippocampal tissues were extracted for gene expression, neurotransmitter, and immunocytochemistry studies. Embelin was found to significantly improve the recognition index and memory retention in the novel object recognition (NOR) and elevated plus maze (EPM) tests, respectively. Furthermore, embelin at certain doses (0.3 mg/kg, 0.6 mg/kg, and 1.2 mg/kg) significantly exhibited a memory-enhancing effect in the absence of scopolamine, besides improving the recognition index when challenged with chronic scopolamine treatment. Moreover, in the EPM test, embelin treated rats (0.6 mg/kg) showed an increase in inflection ratio in nootropic activity. However, the increase was not significant in chronic scopolamine model. In addition, embelin contributed toward the elevated expression of BDNF, CREB1, and scavengers enzymes (SOD1 and CAT) mRNA levels. Next, pretreatment of rats with embelin mitigated scopolamine-induced neurochemical and histological changes in a manner comparable to donepezil. These research findings suggest that embelin is a nootropic compound, which also possesses an anti-amnesic ability that is displayed against scopolamine-induced memory impairment in rats. Hence, embelin could be a promising compound to treat AD.
  2. Tai MS, Yap JF, Goh CB
    J Pain Res, 2018;11:1255-1261.
    PMID: 29988763 DOI: 10.2147/JPR.S158151
    BACKGROUND: The literature on the dietary trigger factors of headache among the South East Asians is limited.

    OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to examine the dietary trigger factors of migraine and tension-type headache (TTH) in Malaysian patients, consisting of Malays, Chinese and Indians.

    METHODS: In this prospective cross-sectional study, patients presenting with migraine and TTH to a neurology clinic between April 2010 and June 2017 were recruited. The patients were given a comprehensive dietary list consisting of 25 specified types of food and drink items as well as other unspecified types of food and drink items which were possible dietary triggers. The data on these dietary triggers and missing meals were collected.

    RESULTS: A total of 684 patients with headache (319 migraine and 365 TTH patients) were recruited. One hundred and fifty-eight (23.1%) patients had missing meals as trigger. Two hundred and fifty-five (37.3%) patients had dietary triggers; 141 (44.2%) patients with migraine and 114 (31.2%) patients with TTH had dietary triggers. Eighty-four (52.8%) Malay, 28 (41.8%) Chinese, 25 (32.5%) Indian migraine patients and five (38.5%) migraine patients from other ethnic groups, had dietary triggers. Some 58 (40.0%) Malay, 27 (25.2%) Chinese, 22 (23.9%) Indian patients and 7 (29.2%) patients from other ethnic groups with TTH had dietary triggers. The most common dietary trigger factors were coffee (19.9%), chocolate (7.5%) and food rich in monosodium glutamate (5.6%). Logistic regression showed that chocolate (OR 2.16, 95% CI 1.06-4.41, p = 0.035) and coffee (OR 1.73, 95% CI 1.12-2.68, p = 0.014) were significantly associated with migraine compared to TTH.

    CONCLUSION: Chocolate and coffee significantly triggered migraine compared to TTH. Inter-ethnic differences were observed for dietary trigger factors.

  3. Phung CC, Yong YZ, Said MAM, Liew TS
    Zookeys, 2018.
    PMID: 29988791 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.769.25571
    This paper presents the first land snail species checklist for Gunung Kuang (Kuang Hill), a limestone hill located next to Gunung Kanthan that is recognised as one of the most important limestone hills for its diverse land snail fauna in Kinta Valley. Samplings were carried out at five plots in Gunung Kuang. This survey documented 47 land snail species, in which six species were identified as unique to Gunung Kuang. Approximately half of the land snails from Gunung Kanthan were found in Gunung Kuang. In addition, one of six unique species from Gunung Kanthan was also found in Gunung Kuang. These rich land snail species in Gunung Kuang are similar to other hills in Kinta Valley, but it is relatively lesser than the adjacent Gunung Kanthan. In view of Gunung Kuang's unique land snail species, and its location closest to disturbed Gunung Kanthan, Gunung Kuang should be considered in the conservation management plan for Gunung Kanthan.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Calcium Carbonate; Environment; Helix (Snails); Surveys and Questionnaires; Snails; Checklist
  4. Frias L, Stark DJ, Lynn MS, Nathan SK, Goossens B, Okamoto M, et al.
    Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl, 2018 Aug;7(2):141-146.
    PMID: 29988792 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2018.03.003
    Within host communities, related species are more likely to share common parasitic agents, and as a result, morphological similarities have led researchers to conclude that parasites infecting closely related hosts within a community represent a single species. However, genetic diversity within parasite genera and host range remain poorly investigated in most systems. Strongyloides is a genus of soil-transmitted nematode that has been reported from several primate species in Africa and Asia, and has been estimated to infect hundreds of millions of people worldwide, although no precise estimates are available. Here we describe a case of infection with a cryptic species of Strongyloides in a Bornean (Philippine) slow loris (Nycticebus menagensis) living within a diverse community of several primate species in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, Malaysian Borneo. Fresh fecal samples were collected from five primate species and nematode larvae cultured from these samples were selected for phylogenetic analyses. Sequences obtained for most larvae were identified as S. fuelleborni, grouping into three different clusters and showing no aggregation within specific hosts or geographic location. In contrast, a set of parasite sequences obtained from a slow loris clustered closely with S. stercoralis into a different group, being genetically distinct to sequences reported from other primate hosts, humans included. Our results suggest that although S. fuelleborni infects all haplorrhines sampled in this primate community, a different species might be infecting the slow loris, the only strepsirrhine in Borneo and one of the least studied primates in the region. Although more data are needed to support this conclusion, we propose that Strongyloides species in primates might be more diverse than previously thought, with potential implications for ecological and evolutionary host-parasite associations, as well as epidemiological dynamics.
    MeSH terms: Africa; Animals; Asia; Borneo; Ecology; Host-Parasite Interactions; Humans; Larva; Lorisidae; Parasites; Philippines; Phylogeny; Primates; Soil; Strongyloides; Genetic Variation; Host Specificity
  5. Mahmoud MA, Alsowaida Y, Alshammari T, Khan TM, Alrasheedy A, Hasssali MA, et al.
    Saudi Pharm J, 2018 01;26(1):144.
    PMID: 29988824 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsps.2017.07.009
    [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.jsps.2013.07.005.].
    MeSH terms: Humans
  6. Ankasha SJ, Shafiee MN, Wahab NA, Ali RAR, Mokhtar NM
    Oncol Rev, 2018 Jan 30;12(1):344.
    PMID: 29989022 DOI: 10.4081/oncol.2018.344
    MicroRNA (miRNA) is a small non-coding RNA with an established function to regulate genes at the post-transcriptional level leading to suppression or degradation of its messenger RNA expression (mRNA). Its dysregulation plays a vital role in a variety of biological and pathological processes including cancer. A lot of algorithms have been established to predict the target sites of miRNA, but experimentally identifying and validating its target region is still lacking. Guidance in experimental procedures is really needed to find genuine miRNA targets. Therefore, in this review, we provide an outline on the workflow in predicting and validating the targeted sites of miRNA using several methods as a guideline for the scientists. The final outcome of this type of experiment is essential to explore the major impact of miRNAmRNA interaction involved in the biological processes and to assist miRNA-based drug development in the future.
  7. Svensson MS, Nekaris KAI, Bearder SK, Bettridge CM, Butynski TM, Cheyne SM, et al.
    Am. J. Phys. Anthropol., 2018 07;166(3):563-577.
    PMID: 29989160 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23450
    OBJECTIVES: Synthesize information on sleep patterns, sleep site use, and daytime predation at sleep sites in lorisiforms of Asia and Africa (10 genera, 36 species), and infer patterns of evolution of sleep site selection.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted fieldwork in 12 African and six Asian countries, collecting data on sleep sites, timing of sleep and predation during daytime. We obtained additional information from literature and through correspondence. Using a phylogenetic approach, we established ancestral states of sleep site selection in lorisiforms and traced their evolution.

    RESULTS: The ancestral lorisiform was a fur-clinger and used dense tangles and branches/forks as sleep sites. Use of tree holes and nests as sleep sites emerged ∼22 Mya (range 17-26 Mya) in Africa, and use of bamboo emerged ∼11 (7-14) Mya in Asia and later in Africa. Fur clinging and some sleep sites (e.g., tree holes, nests, but not bamboo or dense tangles) show strong phylogenetic signal. Nests are used by Galagoides, Paragalago, Galago and Otolemur; tree holes by Galago, Paragalago, Sciurocheirus and Perodicticus; tangles by Nycticebus, Loris, Galagoides, Galago, Euoticus, Otolemur, Perodicticus and Arctocebus; all but Sciurocheirus and Otolemur additionally sleep on branches/forks. Daytime predation may affect sleep site selection and sleep patterns in some species of Nycticebus, Galago, Galagoides, Otolemur and Perodicticus. Most lorisiforms enter their sleep sites around sunrise and leave around sunset; several are active during twilight or, briefly, during daytime.

    CONCLUSION: Variations in sleep behavior, sleep patterns and vulnerability to daytime predation provide a window into the variation that was present in sleep in early primates. Overall, lorisiforms use the daytime for sleeping and no species can be classified as cathemeral or polycyclic.

  8. Zhong XM, Dong M, Wang F, Zhang Q, Ungvari GS, Ng CH, et al.
    Psychogeriatrics, 2018 Sep;18(5):351-356.
    PMID: 29989257 DOI: 10.1111/psyg.12327
    BACKGROUND: The present study explored the patterns of physical comorbidities and their associated demographic and clinical factors in older psychiatric patients prescribed with antidepressants in Asia.

    METHODS: Demographic and clinical information of 955 older adults were extracted from the database of the Research on Asian Psychotropic Prescription Patterns for Antidepressants (REAP-AD) project. Standardized data collection procedure was used to record demographic and clinical data.

    RESULTS: Proportion of physical comorbidities in this cohort was 44%. Multiple logistic regression analyses showed that older age (OR = 1.7, P 

  9. Balachanthar S, Zakaria NA, Lee LK
    Ecol Food Nutr, 2018 07 10;57(4):314-329.
    PMID: 29989434 DOI: 10.1080/03670244.2018.1492380
    Emergency food assistance forms an integral component of flood mitigation in Malaysia. A cross-sectional survey investigating emergency food assistance among 202 flood victims was conducted and alternative food assistance plan was developed using linear programming targeting post-disaster food requirement scenarios. From the study, the receipt of food aid was significantly associated with ethnicity, household income, residential area and evacuation into temporary shelters. Linear programming analysis identified nutritionally appropriate food assistance targeting mass feeding, emergency food basket, and immediate food requirement for as low as MYR 6.07 (1.55 USD), MYR 7.14 (1.82 USD), and MYR 8.00 (2.04 USD), respectively. This study provides nutritional guidelines for disaster food assistance policy.
    MeSH terms: Cost-Benefit Analysis; Cross-Sectional Studies; Family Characteristics; Humans; Malaysia; Nutrition Surveys; Nutritive Value; Socioeconomic Factors; Program Evaluation; Guidelines as Topic; Nutrition Policy; Cultural Competency*; Emergency Shelter/economics; Drinking Water; Meals
  10. Abdullah MF, Azfaralariff A, Lazim AM
    J Biomater Sci Polym Ed, 2018 10;29(14):1745-1763.
    PMID: 29989528 DOI: 10.1080/09205063.2018.1489023
    This research aims to compare the ability of smart hydrogel in removing the methylene blue prepared by using two different radiation methods. The extracted pectin from the dragon fruit peel (Hylocereus polyrhizus) was used with acrylic acid (AA) to produce a polymerized hydrogel through gamma and microwave radiation. The optimum hydrogel swelling capacity was obtained by varying the dose of radiation, pectin to AA ratio and pH used. From the array of samples, the ideal hydrogel was obtained at pH 8 with a ratio of 2:3 (pectin: AA) using 10 kGy and 400 W radiated gamma and microwave respectively. The performance of both hydrogels namely as Pc/AA(G) (gamma) and Pc/AA(Mw) (microwave) were investigated using methylene blue (MB) adsorption studies. In this study, three variables were manipulated, pH and MB concentration and hydrogel mass in order to find the optimum condition for the adsorption. Results showed that 20 mg of Pc/AA(G) performed the highest MB removal which was about 45% of 20 mg/L MB at pH 8. While 30 mg of Pc/AA(Mw) able to remove up to 35% of 20 mg/L MB at the same pH condition. To describe the adsorption mechanism, both kinetic models pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order were employed. The results from kinetic data showed that it fitted the pseudo-first-order as compared to pseudo-second-order model equation. This study provides alternative of green, facile and affective biomaterial for dye absorbents that readily available.
    MeSH terms: Acrylates/chemistry; Acrylic Resins/chemistry; Adsorption; Fruit/chemistry*; Gamma Rays; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Kinetics; Methylene Blue/isolation & purification*; Microwaves; Pectins/chemistry*; Water Pollutants, Chemical/isolation & purification*; Hydrogels/chemistry*; Polymerization; Tracheobionta/chemistry*
  11. Wong SK, Chin KY, Suhaimi FH, Ahmad F, Ima-Nirwana S
    Bone, 2018 11;116:8-21.
    PMID: 29990585 DOI: 10.1016/j.bone.2018.07.003
    Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with osteoporosis due to the underlying inflammatory and hormonal changes. Annatto tocotrienol has been shown to improve medical complications associated with MetS or bone loss in animal studies. This study aimed to investigate the effects of annatto tocotrienol as a single treatment for MetS and osteoporosis in high-carbohydrate high-fat (HCHF) diet-induced MetS animals. Three-month-old male Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups. The baseline group was euthanized at the onset of the study. The normal group received standard rat chow and tap water. The remaining groups received HCHF diet and treated with three different regimens orally daily: (a) tocopherol-stripped corn oil (the vehicle of tocotrienol), (b) 60 mg/kg annatto tocotrienol, and (c) 100 mg/kg annatto tocotrienol. At the end of the study, measurements of MetS parameters, body compositions, and bone mineral density were performed in animals before sacrifice. Upon euthanasia, blood and femur of the rats were harvested for the evaluations of bone microstructure, biomechanical strength, remodelling activities, hormonal changes, and inflammatory response. Treatment with annatto tocotrienol improved all MetS parameters (except abdominal obesity), trabecular bone microstructure, bone strength, increased osteoclast number, normalized hormonal changes and inflammatory response in the HCHF animals. In conclusion, annatto tocotrienol is a potential agent for managing MetS and osteoporosis concurrently. The beneficial effects of annatto tocotrienol may be attributed to its ability to prevent the hormonal changes and pro-inflammatory state in animals with MetS.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Bone Resorption/complications; Bone Resorption/drug therapy*; Carotenoids/administration & dosage; Carotenoids/therapeutic use; Dietary Carbohydrates; Hyperglycemia/complications; Hyperglycemia/drug therapy; Hypertension/complications; Hypertension/drug therapy; Inflammation/pathology; Male; Osteoblasts/drug effects; Osteoblasts/metabolism; Plant Extracts/administration & dosage; Plant Extracts/therapeutic use; Rats, Wistar; Leptin/metabolism; Tocotrienols/administration & dosage; Tocotrienols/pharmacology; Tocotrienols/therapeutic use*; Metabolic Syndrome X/complications; Metabolic Syndrome X/drug therapy*; Bixaceae/chemistry*; Adiponectin/metabolism; X-Ray Microtomography; Diet, High-Fat; Cancellous Bone/drug effects; Cancellous Bone/pathology; Cancellous Bone/diagnostic imaging
  12. Sharma M, Agarwal S, Acharya UR
    Comput Biol Med, 2018 09 01;100:100-113.
    PMID: 29990643 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2018.06.011
    Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep disorder caused due to interruption of breathing resulting in insufficient oxygen to the human body and brain. If the OSA is detected and treated at an early stage the possibility of severe health impairment can be mitigated. Therefore, an accurate automated OSA detection system is indispensable. Generally, OSA based computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system employs multi-channel, multi-signal physiological signals. However, there is a great need for single-channel bio-signal based low-power, a portable OSA-CAD system which can be used at home. In this study, we propose single-channel electrocardiogram (ECG) based OSA-CAD system using a new class of optimal biorthogonal antisymmetric wavelet filter bank (BAWFB). In this class of filter bank, all filters are of even length. The filter bank design problem is transformed into a constrained optimization problem wherein the objective is to minimize either frequency-spread for the given time-spread or time-spread for the given frequency-spread. The optimization problem is formulated as a semi-definite programming (SDP) problem. In the SDP problem, the objective function (time-spread or frequency-spread), constraints of perfect reconstruction (PR) and zero moment (ZM) are incorporated in their time domain matrix formulations. The global solution for SDP is obtained using interior point algorithm. The newly designed BAWFB is used for the classification of OSA using ECG signals taken from the physionet's Apnea-ECG database. The ECG segments of 1 min duration are decomposed into six wavelet subbands (WSBs) by employing the proposed BAWFB. Then, the fuzzy entropy (FE) and log-energy (LE) features are computed from all six WSBs. The FE and LE features are classified into normal and OSA groups using least squares support vector machine (LS-SVM) with 35-fold cross-validation strategy. The proposed OSA detection model achieved the average classification accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and F-score of 90.11%, 90.87% 88.88% and 0.92, respectively. The performance of the model is found to be better than the existing works in detecting OSA using the same database. Thus, the proposed automated OSA detection system is accurate, cost-effective and ready to be tested with a huge database.
    MeSH terms: Algorithms; Brain; Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted; Electrocardiography; Humans; Oxygen; Least-Squares Analysis; Human Body; Entropy; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive; Support Vector Machine
  13. Agatonovic-Kustrin S, Kettle C, Morton DW
    Biomed Pharmacother, 2018 Oct;106:553-565.
    PMID: 29990843 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2018.06.147
    An increase in dementia numbers and global trends in population aging across the world prompts the need for new medications to treat the complex biological dysfunctions, such as neurodegeneration associated with dementia. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. Cholinergic signaling, which is important in cognition, is slowly lost in AD, so the first line therapy is to treat symptoms with acetylcholinesterase inhibitors to increase levels of acetylcholine. Out of five available FDA-approved AD medications, donepezil, galantamine and rivastigmine are cholinesterase inhibitors while memantine, a N-methyl d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, blocks the effects of high glutamate levels. The fifth medication consists of a combination of donepezil and memantine. Although these medications can reduce and temporarily slow down the symptoms of AD, they cannot stop the damage to the brain from progressing. For a superior therapeutic effect, multi-target drugs are required. Thus, a Multi-Target-Directed Ligand (MTDL) strategy has received more attention by scientists who are attempting to develop hybrid molecules that simultaneously modulate multiple biological targets. This review highlights recent examples of the MTDL approach and fragment based strategy in the rational design of new potential AD medications.
    MeSH terms: Acetylcholinesterase/metabolism; Acetylcholinesterase/chemistry; Alzheimer Disease/drug therapy*; Alzheimer Disease/enzymology; Alzheimer Disease/pathology; Alzheimer Disease/psychology; Animals; Binding Sites; Brain/drug effects*; Brain/enzymology; Brain/pathology; Butyrylcholinesterase/metabolism; Cholinesterase Inhibitors/metabolism; Cholinesterase Inhibitors/pharmacology*; Cholinesterase Inhibitors/chemistry; Drug Therapy, Combination; Humans; Ligands; Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors/pharmacology; Protein Conformation; Structure-Activity Relationship; Drug Design*; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate/antagonists & inhibitors; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate/metabolism; Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists/pharmacology; Nootropic Agents/metabolism; Nootropic Agents/pharmacology*; Nootropic Agents/chemistry; GPI-Linked Proteins/antagonists & inhibitors; GPI-Linked Proteins/metabolism; GPI-Linked Proteins/chemistry; Molecular Targeted Therapy/methods*
  14. Rapalli VK, Singhvi G, Dubey SK, Gupta G, Chellappan DK, Dua K
    Biomed Pharmacother, 2018 Oct;106:707-713.
    PMID: 29990862 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2018.06.136
    Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune skin disorder affecting 2-3% of the world population. It has characteristic features such as increased keratinocyte proliferation and production of inflammatory mediators. The treatment involves various strategies including topical, systemic, phototherapy and biologics. Topical therapies are preferred for mild to moderate psoriasis conditions over the systemic therapies which are ideal in severe disease conditions. The systemic therapies include immunosuppressants, biological agents and recently approved phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4) inhibitors. There are various limitations associated with the existing therapies where the new findings in the pathogenesis of psoriasis are paving a path for newer therapeutics to target at the molecular level. Various small molecules, PDE-4 inhibitors, biologics, and immunomodulator proved efficacious including the new molecules targeting Janus kinases (JAK) inhibitors that are under investigation. Furthermore, the role of genetic and miRNAs in psoriasis is still not completely explored and may further help in improving the treatment efficacy. This review provides an insight into various emerging therapies along with currently approved treatments for psoriasis.
    MeSH terms: Administration, Cutaneous; Animals; Biological Products/administration & dosage*; Biological Products/adverse effects; Biological Products/chemistry; Dermatologic Agents/administration & dosage*; Dermatologic Agents/adverse effects; Dermatologic Agents/chemistry; Drug Carriers; Drug Compounding; Gene Expression Regulation; Humans; Psoriasis/drug therapy*; Psoriasis/enzymology; Psoriasis/genetics; Psoriasis/pathology; Skin/drug effects*; Skin/enzymology; Skin/pathology; Drug Design; Signal Transduction/drug effects; MicroRNAs/genetics; MicroRNAs/metabolism; Medication Adherence; Molecular Targeted Therapy/adverse effects; Molecular Targeted Therapy/methods*
  15. Shaffril HAM, Krauss SE, Samsuddin SF
    Sci Total Environ, 2018 Dec 10;644:683-695.
    PMID: 29990916 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.06.349
    Climate change in Asia is affecting farmers' daily routines. Much of the focus surrounding climate change has targeted the economic and environmental repercussions on farming. Few systematic reviews have been carried out on the social impacts of climate change among farmers in Asia. The present article set out to analyse the existing literature on Asian farmers' adaptation practices towards the impacts of climate change. Guided by the PRISMA Statement (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses) review method, a systematic review of the Scopus and Web of Science databases identified 38 related studies. Further review of these articles resulted in six main themes - crop management, irrigation and water management, farm management, financial management, physical infrastructure management and social activities. These six themes further produced a total of 35 sub-themes. Several recommendations are highlighted related to conducting more qualitative studies, to have specific and a standard systematic review method for guide research synthesis in context of climate change adaptation and to practice complimentary searching techniques such as citation tracking, reference searching, snowballing and contacting experts.
    MeSH terms: Farmers/psychology*; Agriculture/methods*; Agriculture/trends; Asia; Humans; Climate Change*
  16. Amarnath Praphakar R, Jeyaraj M, Ahmed M, Suresh Kumar S, Rajan M
    Int J Biol Macromol, 2018 Oct 15;118(Pt B):1627-1638.
    PMID: 29981824 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2018.07.008
    Recently, drug functionalized biodegradable polymers have been appreciated to be imperative to fabricate multi-drug delivery nanosystems for sustainable drug release. In this work, amphiphilic chitosan-grafted-(cetyl alcohol-maleic anhydride-pyrazinamide) (CS-g-(CA-MA-PZA)) was synthesized by multi-step reactions. The incorporation of rifampicin (RF) and entrapment of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) on CS-g-(CA-MA-PZA) polymer was carried out by dialysis technique. From the FT-IR experiment, the polymer modification, incorporation of drugs and the entrapment of Ag NPs on micelles were confirmed. The surface morphology of Ag NPs, polymeric system and drug loaded micelles was described by SEM, TEM and AFM techniques. In addition, the controlled release behaviour of CS-g-(CA-MA-PZA) micelles was studied by UV-Vis spectroscopy. In vitro cell viability, cell apoptosis and cellular uptake experiments shows that multi-drug delivery system could enhance the biocompatibility and higher the cytotoxicity effect on the cells. Since the prepared amphiphilic polymeric micelles exhibit spotty features and the system is a promising strategy for a novel candidate for immediate therapeutically effects for alveolar macrophages.
    MeSH terms: Dynamic Light Scattering; Antitubercular Agents/administration & dosage*; Antitubercular Agents/chemistry; Cell Line; Drug Compounding; Fatty Alcohols/chemistry; Humans; Maleic Anhydrides/chemistry; Micelles; X-Ray Diffraction; Drug Delivery Systems*; Apoptosis; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; Microscopy, Atomic Force
  17. Ali H, Muhammad A, Bala NS, Wang G, Chen Z, Peng Z, et al.
    Mol Phylogenet Evol, 2018 10;127:1000-1009.
    PMID: 29981933 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2018.07.003
    Wolbachia pipientis is a diverse, ubiquitous and most prevalent intracellular bacterial group of alpha-Proteobacteria that is concerned with many biological processes in arthropods. The coconut hispine beetle (CHB), Brontispa longissima (Gestro) is an economically important pest of palm cultivation worldwide. In the present study, we comprehensively surveyed the Wolbachia-infection prevalence and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) polymorphism in CHB from five different geographical locations, including China's Mainland and Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. A total of 540 sequences were screened in this study through three different genes, i.e., cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI), Wolbachia outer surface protein (wsp) and multilocus sequencing type (MLST) genes. The COI genetic divergence ranges from 0.08% to 0.67%, and likewise, a significant genetic diversity (π = 0.00082; P = 0.049) was noted within and between all analyzed samples. In the meantime, ten different haplotypes (H) were characterized (haplotype diversity = 0.4379) from 21 different locations, and among them, H6 (46 individuals) have shown a maximum number of population clusters than others. Subsequently, Wolbachia-prevalence results indicated that all tested specimens of CHB were found positive (100%), which suggested that CHB was naturally infected with Wolbachia. Wolbachia sequence results (wsp gene) revealed a high level of nucleotide diversity (π = 0.00047) under Tajima's D test (P = 0.049). Meanwhile, the same trend of nucleotide diversity (π = 0.00041) was observed in Wolbachia concatenated MLST locus. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis (wsp and concatenated MLST genes) revealed that all collected samples of CHB attributed to same Wolbachia B-supergroup. Our results strongly suggest that Wolbachia bacteria and mtDNA were highly concordant with each other and Wolbachia can affect the genetic structure and diversity within the CHB populations.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Beetles/genetics*; Beetles/microbiology*; Cocos/parasitology*; DNA, Mitochondrial/genetics*; Far East; Geography; Haplotypes/genetics; Phylogeny; Polymorphism, Genetic; Likelihood Functions; Wolbachia/classification; Wolbachia/genetics*; Genomics*; Multilocus Sequence Typing
  18. Boodhun M, Mohammad N, Adnan A, Wan Ghazali WS
    BMJ Case Rep, 2018 Jul 06;2018.
    PMID: 29982177 DOI: 10.1136/bcr-2018-224355
    We present a case of a 62-year-old woman with end-stage renal disease who displayed a persistent left superior vena cava detected following placement of haemodialysis catheter through the left internal jugular vein (IJV). The diagnosis was confirmed by left internal jugular vein cathetogram, computed tomography (CT) thorax and transthoracic echocardiography. The catheter was removed without immediate complications. She remained well during the outpatient follow-up.
    MeSH terms: Anti-Bacterial Agents/administration & dosage; Catheterization, Central Venous/adverse effects*; Corynebacterium Infections/diagnosis; Corynebacterium Infections/drug therapy; Echocardiography; Female; Renal Dialysis/adverse effects; Humans; Kidney Failure, Chronic/therapy; Middle Aged; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Vancomycin/administration & dosage; Vena Cava, Superior/abnormalities*; Incidental Findings; Catheter-Related Infections/diagnosis; Catheter-Related Infections/drug therapy
  19. Mrkobrada M, Chan MTV, Cowan D, Spence J, Campbell D, Wang CY, et al.
    BMJ Open, 2018 07 06;8(7):e021521.
    PMID: 29982215 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-021521
    OBJECTIVES: Covert stroke after non-cardiac surgery may have substantial impact on duration and quality of life. In non-surgical patients, covert stroke is more common than overt stroke and is associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia. Little is known about covert stroke after non-cardiac surgery.NeuroVISION is a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study that will characterise the association between perioperative acute covert stroke and postoperative cognitive function.

    SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: We are recruiting study participants from 12 tertiary care hospitals in 10 countries on 5 continents.

    PARTICIPANTS: We are enrolling patients ≥65 years of age, requiring hospital admission after non-cardiac surgery, who have an anticipated length of hospital stay of at least 2 days after elective non-cardiac surgery that occurs under general or neuraxial anaesthesia.

    PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Patients are recruited before elective non-cardiac surgery, and their cognitive function is measured using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) instrument. After surgery, a brain MRI study is performed between postoperative days 2 and 9 to determine the presence of acute brain infarction. One year after surgery, the MoCA is used to assess postoperative cognitive function. Physicians and patients are blinded to the MRI study results until after the last patient follow-up visit to reduce outcome ascertainment bias.We will undertake a multivariable logistic regression analysis in which the dependent variable is the change in cognitive function 1 year after surgery, and the independent variables are acute perioperative covert stroke as well as other clinical variables that are associated with cognitive dysfunction.

    CONCLUSIONS: The NeuroVISION study will characterise the epidemiology of covert stroke and its clinical consequences. This will be the largest and the most comprehensive study of perioperative stroke after non-cardiac surgery.

    TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT01980511; Pre-results.

    MeSH terms: Aged; Cognition; Female; Humans; Length of Stay/statistics & numerical data*; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Postoperative Complications/physiopathology*; Prospective Studies; Surgical Procedures, Operative/adverse effects*; Stroke/physiopathology*; Perioperative Period; Mild Cognitive Impairment/etiology; Mild Cognitive Impairment/physiopathology*
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