Browse publications by year: 2018

  1. Wong YM, Wu TY, Ling TC, Show PL, Lee SY, Chang JS, et al.
    J Biosci Bioeng, 2018 May;125(5):590-598.
    PMID: 29352712 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiosc.2017.12.012
    Three newly discovered H2 producing bacteria namely Clostridium perfringens strain JJC, Clostridium bifermentans strain WYM and Clostridium sp. strain Ade.TY originated from landfill leachate sludge have demonstrated highly efficient H2 production. The maximum H2 production attained from these isolates are in the descending order of strain C. perfringens strain JJC > C. bifermentans strain WYM > Clostridium sp. strain Ade.TY with yield of 4.68 ± 0.12, 3.29 ± 0.11, and 2.87 ± 0.10 mol H2/mol glucose, respectively. The result has broken the conventional theoretical yield of 4 mol H2/mol glucose. These isolates were thermodynamically favourable with Gibbs free energy between -33 and -35 kJ/mol (under process conditions: pH 6, 37 °C and 5 g/L glucose). All three isolates favour butyrate pathway for H2 production with the ratio of acetate and butyrate of 0.77, 0.65 and 0.80 for strain JJC, WYM and Ade.TY, respectively. This study reported provides a new insight on the potential of unique bacteria in H2 production.
    MeSH terms: Clostridium perfringens/classification*; Clostridium perfringens/isolation & purification; Clostridium perfringens/metabolism*; Fermentation; Glucose/metabolism; Hydrogen/metabolism*; Sewage/microbiology; Clostridium bifermentans/isolation & purification; Clostridium bifermentans/metabolism*
  2. Simkhada P, van Teijlingen E, Gurung M, Wasti SP
    BMC Int Health Hum Rights, 2018 01 18;18(1):4.
    PMID: 29347938 DOI: 10.1186/s12914-018-0145-7
    BACKGROUND: Nepal is a key supplier of labour for countries in the Middle East, India and Malaysia. As many more men than women leave Nepal to work abroad, female migrant workers are a minority and very much under-researched. The aim of the study was to explore the health problems of female Nepalese migrants working in the Middle-East and Malaysia.

    METHODS: The study was conducted among 1010 women who were registered as migrant returnees at an organisation called Pourakhi Nepal. Secondary data were extracted from the records of the organisation covering the five-year period of July 2009 to July 2014.

    RESULTS: The 1010 participants were aged 14 to 51 with a median age of 31 (IQR: 38-25) years. A quarter of respondents (24%) reported having experienced health problems while in the country of employment. Fever, severe illness and accidents were the most common health problems reported. Working for unlimited periods of time and not being able to change one's place of work were independently associated with a greater likelihood of health problems. Logistic regression shows that migrant women who are illiterate [OR = 1.56, 95% CI: 1.02 to 2.38, p = 0.042], who had changed their workplace [OR = 1.63, 95% CI: 1.14 to 2.32, p = 0.007], who worked unlimited periods of time [OR = 1.64, 95% CI: 1.44 to 1.93, p = 0.020], had been severely maltreated or tortured in the workplace [OR = 1.84, 95% CI: 1.15 to 2.92, p = 0.010], were not being paid on time [OR = 2.38, 95% CI: 1.60 to 3.55, p = 0.038] and migrant women who had family problems at home [OR = 3.48, CI 95%: 1.22 to 9.98, p = 0.020] were significantly associated with health problems in their host country in the Middle East.

    CONCLUSION: Female migrant workers face various work-related health risks, which are often related to exploitation. The Government of Nepal should initiate awareness campaigns about health risks and rights in relation to health care services in the host countries. Recruiting agencies/employers should provide information on health risks and training for preventive measures. Raising awareness among female migrant workers can make a change in their working lives.

    MeSH terms: Adult; Employment/statistics & numerical data*; Female; Health Services Accessibility; Health Status Indicators; Humans; Malaysia; Middle East; Nepal/ethnology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Transients and Migrants/statistics & numerical data*; Women's Health/statistics & numerical data*; Occupational Injuries
  3. Eseyin OA, Sattar MA, Rathore HA, Aigbe F, Afzal S, Ahmad A, et al.
    Pak J Pharm Sci, 2018 Jan;31(1):45-50.
    PMID: 29348083
    Telfairia occidentalis possesses high antioxidant activity. However, the antioxidant components of the plant have not yet been identified. This study was undertaken to identify the phenolics in the leaf of the plant. Extract and fractions of the leaf of the plant were analysed using the HPLC and GCMS. HPLC analysis revealed the presence of gallic acid (22.19μg/mg), catechin (29.17μg/mg), caffeic acid (9.17μg/mg), ferulic acid (0.94μg/mg), sinapic acid (1.91 μg/mg) and 4-hydroxy benzoic acid (43.86 μg/mg) in the aqueous extract. Phenolics fraction contained gallic acid (0.88 μg/mg), catechin (2.70μg/mg), caffeic acid (7.92μg/mg), ferulic acid (2.72μg/mg), benzoic acid (6.36μg/mg), p-coumaric acid (1.48μg/mg), quercetin (12.00μg/mg). Only caffeic acid (2.50μg/mg), ferulic acid (0.44μg/mg) and quercetin (8.50μg/mg) were detected in the flavonoid fraction. While GCMS analysis showed the presence of methylparaben; ethylparaben; benzoic acid; 4-hydroxy-2-methoxy-3,5,6-trimethyl-, methyl ester; 4-hydroxy-3-methoxy; phenol, 5-methoxy-2-(methoxymethyl)-; phenol, 5-methoxy-2, 3- dimethyl; and phenol, 2-(2-benzothiazolyl)-. This study is the first to reveal the identity of some phenolics components of the leaf of Telfairia occidentalis.
    MeSH terms: Antioxidants/isolation & purification*; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Flavonoids/isolation & purification*; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Phenols/isolation & purification*; Plant Leaves/chemistry*; Cucurbitaceae/chemistry*
  4. Chan YS, Cheah YH, Chong PZ, Khor HL, Teh WS, Khoo KS, et al.
    Pak J Pharm Sci, 2018 Jan;31(1):119-127.
    PMID: 29348093
    This study was conducted to investigate the antifungal potential and cytotoxicity of selected medicinal plants from Malaysia. The extracts from the stem of Cissus quadrangularis and the leaves of Asplenium nidus, Pereskia bleo, Persicaria odorata and Sauropus androgynus were assayed against six fungi using p-iodonitrotetrazolium-based on colorimetric broth microdilution method. All the plant extracts were found to be fungicidal against at least one type of fungus. The strongest fungicidal activity (minimum fungicidal concentration=0.16 mg/mL) were exhibited by the hexane extract of C. quadrangularis, the hexane, chloroform, ethanol and methanol extracts of P. bleo, the hexane and ethyl acetate extracts of P. odorata, and the water extract of A. nidus. In terms of cytotoxicity on the African monkey kidney epithelial (Vero) cells, the chloroform extract of P. odorata produced the lowest 50% cytotoxic concentration (100.3 ± 4.2 μ g/mL). In contrast, none of the water extracts from the studied plants caused significant toxicity on the cells. The water extract of A. nidus warrants further investigation since it showed the strongest fungicidal activity and the highest total activity (179.22 L/g) against Issatchenkia orientalis, and did not cause any toxicity to the Vero cells.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Antifungal Agents/isolation & purification; Antifungal Agents/pharmacology*; Antifungal Agents/toxicity*; Cercopithecus aethiops; Malaysia; Plant Extracts/isolation & purification; Plant Extracts/pharmacology*; Plant Extracts/toxicity*; Plants, Medicinal/growth & development; Plants, Medicinal/chemistry*; Solvents/chemistry*; Vero Cells/drug effects
  5. Azemi AK, Abd Rahim MH, Mamat SS, Mat Jais AM, Zakaria ZA
    Pak J Pharm Sci, 2018 Jan;31(1):143-151.
    PMID: 29348096
    Channa striatus (Haruan) is Malaysian freshwater fish that is traditionally used to treat ailments related to wound and also ulcers. The aimed of the present study was to determine the mechanisms of anti-ulcer activity of chloroform: methanol extract of C. striatus fillet (CMCS) in rats. The antiulcer profile of CMCS, given orally in the doses of 50, 250 and 500mg/kg, was assessed using the ethanol- and indomethacin-induced gastric ulcer models. The mechanisms of antiulcer of CMCS were determined as follows; i) the antisecretory activity of CMCS was measured using the pyloric ligation rat model, and; ii) the role of nitric oxide (NO) and sulfhydryl compounds in the modulation of CMCS antiulcer activity were determined by pre-treating the rats with L-NAME or NEM, respectively, followed by the pre-treatment of rats with CMCS before subjecting the animals to the ethanol-induced gastric ulcer model. From the results obtained, CMCS exerted significant (P<0.05) antiulcer activity in both models of gastric ulcer wherein the macroscopic and microscopic analysis of the stomach supported the antiulcer claim. With regard to its antisecretory effect, CMCS did not change the volume and pH, but reduce the total acidity only at the lower doses of the gastric juice. Moreover, CMCS demonstrated antiulcer activity was reversed by NEM, but not affected by L-NAME. In conclusion, CMCS shows antiulcer activity that is modulated via its cytoprotective, but not antisecretory effect, and in the presence of sulfhysryl compounds, but not NO.
    MeSH terms: Methanol/chemistry*; Animals; Anti-Ulcer Agents/isolation & purification; Anti-Ulcer Agents/therapeutic use*; Anti-Ulcer Agents/toxicity; Chloroform/chemistry*; Disease Models, Animal; Male; Perciformes*; Stomach Ulcer/drug therapy; Tissue Extracts/isolation & purification; Tissue Extracts/therapeutic use*; Tissue Extracts/toxicity; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Muscle, Skeletal/chemistry*; Toxicity Tests, Acute
  6. Wong AP, Kassab YW, Mohamed AL, Abdul Qader AM
    Pak J Pharm Sci, 2018 Jan;31(1):237-244.
    PMID: 29348109
    Hypertension is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality. Worldwide, Hypertension is estimated to cause 7.5 million deaths, about 12.8% of the total of all deaths. This accounts for 57 million disability adjusted life years (DALYS) or 3.7% of total DALYS. This led WHO to set a target of 25% reduction in prevalence by 2025. To reach that, WHO has adopted non-conventional methods for the management of hypertension? Despite worldwide popularity of such non-conventional therapies, only small volume of evidence exists that supports its effectiveness. This review attempted to make a critical appraisal of the evidence, with the aim to (1) describe the therapeutic modalities frequently used, and (2) review the current level of evidence attributable to each modality. Databases from Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, PUBMED, and EMBASE were searched from 2005-2015. A total of 23 publications have been identified and selected. Out of these, 15 systematic reviews and/or meta-analysis of RCTs, 5 RCTs, 1 non-RCT, and 2 observational studies without control. Among those 23 publications, therapeutic modalities identified are: fish oil, qigong, yoga, coenzyme Q10, melatonin, meditation, vitamin D, vitamin C, monounsaturated fatty acids, dietary amino-acids, chiropractic, osteopathy, folate, inorganic nitrate, beetroot juice, beetroot bread, magnesium, and L-arginine. The followings were found to have weak or no evidence: fish oil, yoga, vitamin D, monounsaturated fatty acid, dietary amino-acids, and osteopathy. Those found to have significant reduction in blood pressure are: magnesium, qigong, melatonin, meditation, vitamin C, chiropractic, folate, inorganic nitrate, beetroot juice and L-arginine. Coenzyme Q10on the other hand, showed contradicting results were some studies found weak or no effect on blood pressure while others showed significant blood pressure reduction effect. By virtue of the research designs and methodologies, the evidence contributed from these studies is at level 1. Results from this review suggest that certain non-conventional therapies may be effective in treating hypertension and improving cardiac function and therefore considered as part of an evidence-based approach.
    MeSH terms: Complementary Therapies/methods*; Humans; Hypertension/drug therapy; Hypertension/therapy*; Yoga; Evidence-Based Medicine; Dietary Supplements*; Qigong
  7. Masiran R, Hussin NS
    BMJ Case Rep, 2018 Jan 17;2018.
    PMID: 29348292 DOI: 10.1136/bcr-2017-223430
    A middle-aged man who has been enduring financial constraint experienced a period of irritability, increased goal-directed activities and insomnia occurring along with extreme jealousy with his current wife. The episode was followed by depressed mood and non-prominent auditory hallucination. His previous history revealed a forensic psychiatry case of a murder he committed 20 years ago.
    MeSH terms: Affective Disorders, Psychotic/psychology*; Depression/psychology*; Hallucinations/psychology*; Homicide/psychology*; Humans; Jealousy*; Male; Middle Aged; Unemployment/psychology
  8. Shima K, Yamada T, Okuda T, Fletcher C, Kassim AR
    Sci Rep, 2018 01 18;8(1):1024.
    PMID: 29348596 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-19250-z
    Selective logging that is commonly conducted in tropical forests may change tree species diversity. In rarely disturbed tropical forests, locally rare species exhibit higher survival rates. If this non-random process occurs in a logged forest, the forest will rapidly recover its tree species diversity. Here we determined whether a forest in the Pasoh Forest Reserve, Malaysia, which was selectively logged 40 years ago, recovered its original species diversity (species richness and composition). To explore this, we compared the dynamics of secies diversity between unlogged forest plot (18.6 ha) and logged forest plot (5.4 ha). We found that 40 years are not sufficient to recover species diversity after logging. Unlike unlogged forests, tree deaths and recruitments did not contribute to increased diversity in the selectively logged forests. Our results predict that selectively logged forests require a longer time at least than our observing period (40 years) to regain their diversity.
    MeSH terms: Malaysia; Trees*; Tropical Climate; Ecosystem*; Biodiversity*; Forests*
  9. Chee YC, Chee YN
    IDCases, 2018;11:51-52.
    PMID: 29349040 DOI: 10.1016/j.idcr.2018.01.001
    Burkholderia pseudomallei is recognized to cause severe and fatal infections. Most of the infections caused by this facultative intracellular gram-negative bacterium are pneumonia, soft tissue, genito-urinary and central nervous system infection. We report an unusual case of primary prostatic abscess complicated by perianal abscess caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei. Melioidosis related anorectal infections have not been previously reported in the literature.
    MeSH terms: Abscess; Anus Diseases; Central Nervous System Infections; Communicable Diseases; Humans; Male; Melioidosis; Pneumonia; Prostatic Diseases; Burkholderia pseudomallei
  10. Hadibarata T, Syafiuddin A, Al-Dhabaan FA, Elshikh MS, Rubiyatno
    Bioprocess Biosyst Eng, 2018 May;41(5):621-632.
    PMID: 29349549 DOI: 10.1007/s00449-018-1897-0
    Herein, we systematically reported the capability of T. harzianum RY44 for decolorization of Mordant orange-1. The fungi strains were isolated from the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia tropical rain forest. For initial screening, the decolorization was conducted using 50 strains of the fungi for 20 days incubation time and the best performance was selected. Then, the decolorization capability and fungal biomass were evaluated using different dye concentrations, namely, 0, 50, 75 and 100 ppm. Effects of the carbon sources (fructose, glucose, and galactose), nitrogen sources (ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate and yeast extract), surfactant (tween 80), aromatic compounds (benzoic acid, catechol and salicylic acid), and pH on the decolorization efficiency were examined. This study has found that the employed carbon sources, nitrogen sources, and aromatic compounds strongly enhance the decolorization efficiency. In addition, increasing the surfactant volume and pH generally decreased the decolorization efficiencies from 19.5 to 9.0% and 81.7 to 60.5%, respectively. In the mechanism philosophy, the present work has found that Mordant orange-1 were initially degraded by T. harzianum RY44 to benzoic acid and finally transformed into salicylic acid.
    MeSH terms: Azo Compounds/metabolism*; Trichoderma/isolation & purification; Trichoderma/metabolism*
  11. Khanam R, Kumar R, Hejazi II, Shahabuddin S, Meena R, Jayant V, et al.
    Apoptosis, 2018 02;23(2):113-131.
    PMID: 29349707 DOI: 10.1007/s10495-018-1439-x
    Piperazine scaffolds or 2-azetidinone pharmacophores have been reported to show anti-cancer activities and apoptosis induction in different types of cancer cells. However, the mechanistic studies involve in induction of apoptosis addressing these two moieties for human cervical cancer cells remain uncertain. The present study emphasizes on the anti-proliferating properties and mechanism involved in induction of apoptosis for these structurally related azoles derivatives in HeLa cancer cells. 1-Phenylpiperazine clubbed with 2-azetidione derivatives (5a-5h) were synthesized, characterized using various spectroscopic techniques and evaluated for their in-vitro anti-proliferative activities and induction of apoptosis. Further, we also evaluated oxidative stress generated by these synthetic derivatives (5a-5h). Cell viability studies revealed that among all, the compound N-(3-chloro-2-(3-nitrophenyl)-4-oxoazetidin-1-yl)-2-(4-phenylpiperazin-1-yl) acetamide 5e remarkably inhibited the growth of HeLa cells in a concentration dependent manner having IC50 value of 29.44 ± 1.46 µg/ml. Morphological changes, colonies suppression and inhibition of migration clearly showed the antineoplasicity in HeLa cells treated with 5e. Simultaneously, phosphatidylserine externalization, DNA fragmentation and cell-cycle arrest showed ongoing apoptosis in the HeLa cancer cells induced by compound 5e in concentration dependent manner. Additionally, generation of intracellular ROS along with the decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential supported that compound 5e caused oxidative stress resulting in apoptosis through mitochondria mediated pathway. Elevation in the level of cytochrome c and upregulation in expression of caspase-3 clearly indicated the involvement of the intrinsic pathway of programmed cell death. In brief; compound 5e could serve as a promising lead for the development of an effective antitumor agent.
    MeSH terms: Antineoplastic Agents/chemical synthesis; Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology*; Antineoplastic Agents/chemistry; Azetidines/chemical synthesis; Azetidines/pharmacology*; Azetidines/chemistry; Cell Movement/drug effects; Cell Survival/drug effects; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/genetics; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/metabolism; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/physiopathology*; Female; HeLa Cells; Humans; Mitochondria/drug effects*; Mitochondria/genetics; Mitochondria/metabolism; Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism; Oxidative Stress/drug effects; Cell Proliferation/drug effects; Caspase 3/genetics; Caspase 3/metabolism; DNA Fragmentation/drug effects; Cell Cycle Checkpoints/drug effects
  12. Baig MR, Buzayan MM, Yunus N
    J Investig Clin Dent, 2018 May;9(2):e12320.
    PMID: 29349910 DOI: 10.1111/jicd.12320
    AIM: The aim of the present study was to assess the accuracy of multi-unit dental implant casts obtained from two elastomeric impression materials, vinyl polyether silicone (VPES) and polyether (PE), and to test the effect of splinting of impression copings on the accuracy of implant casts.

    METHODS: Forty direct impressions of a mandibular reference model fitted with six dental implants and multibase abutments were made using VPES and PE, and implant casts were poured (N = 20). The VPES and PE groups were split into four subgroups of five each, based on splinting type: (a) no splinting; (b) bite registration polyether; (c) bite registration addition silicone; and (d) autopolymerizing acrylic resin. The accuracy of implant-abutment replica positions was calculated on the experimental casts, in terms of interimplant distances in the x, y, and z-axes, using a coordinate measuring machine; values were compared with those measured on the reference model. Data were analyzed using non-parametrical Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests at α = .05.

    RESULTS: The differences between the two impression materials, VPES and PE, regardless of splinting type, were not statistically significant (P>.05). Non-splinting and splinting groups were also not significantly different for both PE and VPES (P>.05).

    CONCLUSIONS: The accuracy of VPES impression material seemed comparable with PE for multi-implant abutment-level impressions. Splinting had no effect on the accuracy of implant impressions.

    MeSH terms: Dental Impression Materials/chemistry*; Dental Impression Technique*; Dental Models*; Humans; Jaw Relation Record/methods; Mandible; Polymers/chemistry*; Surface Properties; Dental Implants*; Dental Prosthesis Design*
  13. Almaslami F, Aljunid SM, Ghailan K
    J Int Med Res, 2018 Apr;46(4):1537-1544.
    PMID: 29350090 DOI: 10.1177/0300060517749329
    Objectives To assess the demographic characteristics and outcomes of couples undergoing in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment at a private hospital in Al Qassim district, Saudi Arabia. Methods For this retrospective study, information was extracted from the hospital electronic database and IVF unit medical records. Results 2259 couples underwent 2703 IVF/ICSI cycles during 2014 to 2016. The utilization rate was approximately 1000 cycle per million of inhabitants. Mean ages ± standard deviation (SD) for women and men were 32.9 ± 5.7 and 39.2 ± 7.4 years, respectively. More couples were diagnosed with secondary infertility (55.2%) than primary infertility (44.8%). Male factor was the commonest single indication for IVF (36.2%). Mean ± SD infertility duration was 4.70 ± 4.03 years. Overall, 949 couples had a successful pregnancy. Age-specific pregnancy rates (PR) were highest for women <35 years (39.8%) and lowest for women >40 years (11.6%). Male age and infertility duration had no effect on PR but sperm source (fresh vs. frozen) and female age had significant impacts. However, fresh sperm was used in 90.6% cycles whereas frozen sperm was used in 9.4% cycles. Conclusions IVF treatment outcomes in the Al Qassim district are within the boundaries of average international success rates. Infertile couples seeking IVF services should be counselled with regard to important prognostic factors.
    MeSH terms: Adult; Demography*; Female; Fertilization in Vitro*; Humans; Infertility, Male/therapy; Male; Pregnancy; Saudi Arabia; Logistic Models; Treatment Outcome; Pregnancy Rate
  14. Zhang J, Chu R, Chen Y, Jiang H, Zhang Y, Huang NM, et al.
    Nanotechnology, 2018 Jan 19.
    PMID: 29350621 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/aaa94c
    Binder-free nickle cobaltite on carbon nanofiber (NiCo2O4@CNF) anode for lithium ion batteries was prepared via a two-step procedure of electrospinning and electrodeposition. The CNF was obtained by annealing the electrospun poly-acrylonitrile (PAN) in the nitrogen (N2). The NiCo2O4 nanostructures were then grown on the CNF by electrodeposition, followed by annealing in the air. Experimental results showed vertically aligned NiCo2O4 nanosheets were uniformly grown on the surface of CNF, forming an interconnected network. The NiCo2O4@CNF possessed considerable lithium storage capacity and cycling stability. It exhibited a high reversible capacity of 778 mAhg-1 after 300 cycles at a current density of 0.25 C (1 C = 890 mAg-1) with an average capacity loss rate of 0.05% per cycle. The NiCo2O4@CNF had considerable rate capacities, delivering a capacity of 350 mAhg-1 at a current density of 2.0 C. The outstanding electrochemical performance could be mainly attributed to these following reasons. (1) The nanoscale structure of NiCo2O4 could not only shorten the diffusion path of lithium ions and electrons but also increase the specific surface area, providing more active sites for electrochemical reactions. (2) The CNF with considerable mechanical strength and electrical conductivity could function as anchor the NiCo2O4 nanostructure and ensure an efficient electron transfer. (3) The porous structure resulted in high specific surface area and effective buffer the volume changes during the repeated charge-discharge processes. Compared with the conventional hydrothermal method, the electrodeposition could significantly simplify the preparation of NiCo2O4, with shorter preparation period and lower energy consumption. This work provided an alternative strategy to obtain high performance anode for the lithium ion batteries.
  15. Al-Sowygh ZH, Ghani SMA, Sergis K, Vohra F, Akram Z
    Clin Implant Dent Relat Res, 2018 Jun;20(3):345-351.
    PMID: 29350883 DOI: 10.1111/cid.12584
    BACKGROUND: A close relationship between poor glycemic control and peri-implant break down has been demonstrated. It is hypothesized that levels of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in peri-implant sulcular fluid (PISF) are higher with increased glycemic levels in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients.

    PURPOSE: In the present study, we examined the clinical and radiographic peri-implant parameters and levels of AGEs among different glycemic levels in diabetic patients and assessed whether the levels of AGEs correlate with clinical peri-implant parameters.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety-three patients who participated in this study were divided into four groups; Group-1: HbA1c 6.1%-8%; Group-2: HbA1c 8.1%-10%; Group-3: HbA1c > 10%; Group-4: non-diabetic individuals with HbA1c  .05). Mean levels of AGEs in PISF were significantly higher in relation to higher levels of HbA1c levels. Significant positive correlations were found between AGEs and PD (P = .0221) and CBL (P = .0425); and significant negative correlation was found for PI (P = .0376) in patients with HbA1c levels >10%, respectively.

    CONCLUSIONS: Clinical and radiographic peri-implant parameters were poor and levels of AGEs were significantly high in patients with high glycemic levels. These findings suggest that AGEs may be considered as potential marker of inflammation in diabetic individuals with peri-implantitis.

  16. Mohamed Tap F, Abd Majid FA, Ismail HF, Wong TS, Shameli K, Miyake M, et al.
    Molecules, 2018 Jan 19;23(1).
    PMID: 29351216 DOI: 10.3390/molecules23010073
    Phospholipase A2 (Pla2) is an enzyme that induces inflammation, making Pla2 activity an effective approach to reduce inflammation. Therefore, investigating natural compounds for this Pla2 inhibitory activity has important therapeutic potential. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential in bromelain-phytochemical complex inhibitors via a combination of in silico and in vitro methods. Bromelain-amenthoflavone displays antagonistic effects on Pla2. Bromelian-asiaticoside and bromelain-diosgenin displayed synergistic effects at high concentrations of the combined compounds, with inhibition percentages of more than 70% and 90%, respectively, and antagonistic effects at low concentrations. The synergistic effect of the bromelain-asiaticoside and bromelain-diosgenin combinations represents a new application in treating inflammation. These findings not only provide significant quantitative data, but also provide an insight on valuable implications for the combined use of bromelain with asiaticoside and diosgenin in treating inflammation, and may help researchers develop more natural bioactive compounds in daily foods as anti-inflammatory agent.
    MeSH terms: Anti-Inflammatory Agents/pharmacology; Anti-Inflammatory Agents/chemistry; Bromelains/pharmacology; Bromelains/chemistry*; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Hydrogen Bonding; Molecular Conformation; Structure-Activity Relationship; Molecular Structure; Phospholipases A2/metabolism*; Phospholipases A2/chemistry*; Molecular Dynamics Simulation; Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; Molecular Docking Simulation; Phytochemicals/pharmacology; Phytochemicals/chemistry*; Phospholipase A2 Inhibitors/pharmacology*; Phospholipase A2 Inhibitors/chemistry*
  17. Aqra I, Herawan T, Abdul Ghani N, Akhunzada A, Ali A, Bin Razali R, et al.
    PLoS One, 2018;13(1):e0179703.
    PMID: 29351287 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0179703
    Designing an efficient association rule mining (ARM) algorithm for multilevel knowledge-based transactional databases that is appropriate for real-world deployments is of paramount concern. However, dynamic decision making that needs to modify the threshold either to minimize or maximize the output knowledge certainly necessitates the extant state-of-the-art algorithms to rescan the entire database. Subsequently, the process incurs heavy computation cost and is not feasible for real-time applications. The paper addresses efficiently the problem of threshold dynamic updation for a given purpose. The paper contributes by presenting a novel ARM approach that creates an intermediate itemset and applies a threshold to extract categorical frequent itemsets with diverse threshold values. Thus, improving the overall efficiency as we no longer needs to scan the whole database. After the entire itemset is built, we are able to obtain real support without the need of rebuilding the itemset (e.g. Itemset list is intersected to obtain the actual support). Moreover, the algorithm supports to extract many frequent itemsets according to a pre-determined minimum support with an independent purpose. Additionally, the experimental results of our proposed approach demonstrate the capability to be deployed in any mining system in a fully parallel mode; consequently, increasing the efficiency of the real-time association rules discovery process. The proposed approach outperforms the extant state-of-the-art and shows promising results that reduce computation cost, increase accuracy, and produce all possible itemsets.
    MeSH terms: Algorithms; Databases, Factual; Data Mining/methods*; Datasets as Topic*
  18. Islam KMM, Asadullah MN
    PLoS One, 2018;13(1):e0190807.
    PMID: 29351305 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0190807
    Using government secondary school English language textbooks from Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan and Bangladesh, we conducted a quantitative content analysis in order to identify gender stereotypes in school education. In total, 21 categories of exclusion and quality of representation were used to study gender stereotypes. Our analysis confirms a pro-male bias in textbooks: the aggregate female share is 40.4% in textual and pictorial indicators combined. Female occupations are mostly traditional and less prestigious while the characters are predominantly introverted and passive in terms of personality traits. Women are also shown to be mostly involved in domestic and in-door activities while men have a higher presence in professional roles. Systematic underrepresentation of females is evident regardless of whether we look at the text or pictures. A cross-country analysis shows that the female share in picture content is only 35.2% in Malaysia and Bangladesh. Overall, the proportion of female to male characters (text and pictures combined) is balanced in Malaysia and Indonesia (44.4% and 44.1% respectively) while this share is only 24.4% and 37.3% in Pakistani and Bangladeshi textbooks respectively. The finding of underrepresentation of women in Pakistani textbooks, in terms of quality and quantity, is robust to the selection of province-, grade- and subject-specific textbooks, as well as the range and type of categories used.
    MeSH terms: Bangladesh; Curriculum; Education; Female; Humans; Indonesia; Islam; Malaysia; Male; Pakistan; Schools*; Social Change; Social Class; Textbooks as Topic*
  19. Sabry AH, W Hasan WZ, Ab Kadir MZA, Radzi MAM, Shafie S
    PLoS One, 2018;13(1):e0191478.
    PMID: 29351554 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0191478
    The power system always has several variations in its profile due to random load changes or environmental effects such as device switching effects when generating further transients. Thus, an accurate mathematical model is important because most system parameters vary with time. Curve modeling of power generation is a significant tool for evaluating system performance, monitoring and forecasting. Several numerical techniques compete to fit the curves of empirical data such as wind, solar, and demand power rates. This paper proposes a new modified methodology presented as a parametric technique to determine the system's modeling equations based on the Bode plot equations and the vector fitting (VF) algorithm by fitting the experimental data points. The modification is derived from the familiar VF algorithm as a robust numerical method. This development increases the application range of the VF algorithm for modeling not only in the frequency domain but also for all power curves. Four case studies are addressed and compared with several common methods. From the minimal RMSE, the results show clear improvements in data fitting over other methods. The most powerful features of this method is the ability to model irregular or randomly shaped data and to be applied to any algorithms that estimating models using frequency-domain data to provide state-space or transfer function for the model.
    MeSH terms: Algorithms*; Models, Theoretical*; Solar Energy/statistics & numerical data; Wind; Least-Squares Analysis; Mathematical Concepts; Renewable Energy/statistics & numerical data*
  20. George P, Vicknasingam B, Thurairajasingam S, Ramasamy P, Mohd Yusof H, Yasin MABM, et al.
    Drug Alcohol Rev, 2018 Jan;37(1):147-151.
    PMID: 27859761 DOI: 10.1111/dar.12456
    INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: Opioid dependence remains the main type of illicit substance used in Malaysia, which has an estimated 187 771 opiate users. There are currently 333 active methadone maintenance treatment centres nationwide. Although methadone has proven to be an effective maintenance therapy, it has clinical concerns which can have an impact on its effectiveness and safety.

    DESIGN, METHODS AND RESULTS: A case series of seven patients from Malaysian private and public hospital settings who had an adverse reaction with methadone is discussed.

    DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Despite methadone being an effective therapy for opioid dependence, there is a need for other alternative effective therapies, such as naltrexone, buprenorphine and the co-formulation of buprenorphine-naloxone, to be made available to physicians in both public and private sectors. There is need for individual treatment consideration to avoid adverse effects, drug-drug interactions, overdosing and in the presence of co-morbidities. An emphasis on safe storage of takeaway methadone is also needed. [George P, Vicknasingam B, Thurairajasingam S, Ramasamy P, Mohd Yusof H, Yasin MABM, Shah ZUBS. Methadone complications amongst opioid-dependent patients in Malaysia: A case series. Drug Alcohol Rev 2018;37:147-151].

    MeSH terms: Adult; Child, Preschool; Edema/chemically induced; Female; Humans; Malaysia; Male; Methadone/adverse effects*; Methadone/therapeutic use; Opioid-Related Disorders/drug therapy*; Narcotics/adverse effects*; Narcotics/therapeutic use; Pruritus/chemically induced; Opiate Substitution Treatment/adverse effects*; Drug Overdose
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