Browse publications by year: 2019

  1. Majeed K, Ahmed A, Abu Bakar MS, Indra Mahlia TM, Saba N, Hassan A, et al.
    Polymers (Basel), 2019 Sep 25;11(10).
    PMID: 31557811 DOI: 10.3390/polym11101557
    In recent years, there has been considerable interest in the use of natural fibers as potential reinforcing fillers in polymer composites despite their hydrophilicity, which limits their widespread commercial application. The present study explored the fabrication of nanocomposites by melt mixing, using an internal mixer followed by a compression molding technique, and incorporating rice husk (RH) as a renewable natural filler, montmorillonite (MMT) nanoclay as water-resistant reinforcing nanoparticles, and polypropylene-grafted maleic anhydride (PP-g-MAH) as a compatibilizing agent. To correlate the effect of MMT delamination and MMT/RH dispersion in the composites, the mechanical and thermal properties of the composites were studied. XRD analysis revealed delamination of MMT platelets due to an increase in their interlayer spacing, and SEM micrographs indicated improved dispersion of the filler(s) from the use of compatibilizers. The mechanical properties were improved by the incorporation of MMT into the PP/RH system and the reinforcing effect was remarkable as a result of the use of compatibilizing agent. Prolonged water exposure of the prepared samples decreased their tensile and flexural properties. Interestingly, the maximum decrease was observed for PP/RH composites and the minimum was for MMT-reinforced and PP-g-MAH-compatibilized PP/RH composites. DSC results revealed an increase in crystallinity with the addition of filler(s), while the melting and crystallization temperatures remained unaltered. TGA revealed that MMT addition and its delamination in the composite systems improved the thermal stability of the developed nanocomposites. Overall, we conclude that MMT nanoclay is an effective water-resistant reinforcing nanoparticle that enhances the durability, mechanical properties, and thermal stability of composites.
    MeSH terms: Bentonite; Blood Platelets; Crystallization; Excipients; Maleic Anhydrides; Manufactured Materials; Polymers; Polypropylenes; Oryza; Temperature; Water; Nanoparticles; Nanocomposites; Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions
  2. Giau VV, Bagyinszky E, Youn YC, An SSA, Kim S
    Int J Mol Sci, 2019 Sep 25;20(19).
    PMID: 31557888 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20194757
    The number of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) is rapidly increasing in Asia. Mutations in the amyloid protein precursor (APP), presenilin-1 (PSEN1), and presenilin-2 (PSEN2) genes can cause autosomal dominant forms of early-onset AD (EOAD). Although these genes have been extensively studied, variant classification remains a challenge, highlighting the need to colligate mutations across populations. In this study, we performed a genetic screening for mutations in the APP, PSEN1, and PSEN2 genes in 200 clinically diagnosed EOAD patients across four Asian countries, including Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Korea, between 2009 and 2018. Thirty-two (16%) patients presented pathogenic APP, PSEN1, or PSEN2 variants; eight (25%), 19 (59%), and five (16%) of the 32 patients presented APP, PSEN1, and PSEN2 variants, respectively. Among the 21 novel and known non-synonymous variants, five APP variants were found in Korean patients and one APP variant was identified in a Thai patient with EOAD. Nine, two, and one PSEN1 mutation was found in a Korean patient, Malaysian siblings, and a Thai patient, respectively. Unlike PSEN1 mutations, PSEN2 mutations were rare in patients with EOAD; only three variants were found in Korean patients with EOAD. Comparison of AD-causative point mutations in Asian countries; our findings explained only a small fraction of patients, leaving approximately 84% (p = 0.01) of autosomal dominant pedigrees genetically unexplained. We suggest that the use of high-throughput sequencing technologies for EOAD patients can potentially improve our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of AD.
    MeSH terms: Adult; Aged; Alleles; Alzheimer Disease/genetics*; Alzheimer Disease/epidemiology*; Asia/epidemiology; Female; Genotype; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Mutation*; Population Surveillance; Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor/genetics*; Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor/chemistry; Age of Onset; Amino Acid Substitution; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Asian Continental Ancestry Group/genetics*; Presenilin-1/genetics*; Presenilin-1/chemistry; Presenilin-2/genetics*; Presenilin-2/chemistry; Protein Domains
  3. Too CL, Tan LK, Heselynn H, Nor-Shuhaila S, Eashwary M, Wahinuddin S, et al.
    Hum Immunol, 2019 Nov;80(11):906-907.
    PMID: 31558331 DOI: 10.1016/j.humimm.2019.09.005
    A total of 194 Southeast Asia Chinese from Peninsular Malaysia were genotyped for HLA-A, -B, -C -DRB1, and -DQB1 loci using polymerase chain reaction sequence-specific oligonucleotide probe hybridization methods. In this report, the HLA-B, HLA-DRB1 and HLA-DQB1 were in Hardy-Weinberg proportions (HWEP) (p > 0.05). We observed significant deviation from HWEP in HLA-A (p 
    MeSH terms: Alleles; Asia, Southeastern; Gene Frequency; Genetics, Population; Genotype*; Haplotypes; Histocompatibility Testing; Humans; Malaysia; HLA-A Antigens/genetics*; HLA-B Antigens/genetics*; HLA-C Antigens/genetics*; Asian Continental Ancestry Group*; HLA-DRB1 Chains/genetics*; HLA-DQ beta-Chains/genetics*
  4. Jankowski LG, Warner S, Gaither K, Lenchik L, Fan B, Lu Y, et al.
    J Clin Densitom, 2019 09 07;22(4):472-483.
    PMID: 31558404 DOI: 10.1016/j.jocd.2019.09.001
    In preparation for the International Society for Clinical Densitometry Position Development Conference (PDC) 2019 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, a cross-calibration and precision task force was assembled and tasked to review the literature, summarize the findings, and generate positions to answer 4 related questions provided by the PDC Steering Committee, which expand upon the current ISCD official positions on these subjects. (1) How should a provider with multiple dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scanners of the same make and model calculate least significant change (LSC)? (2) How should a provider with multiple DXA systems with the same manufacturer but different models calculate LSC? (3) How should a provider with multiple DXA systems from different manufacturers and models calculate LSC? (4) Are there specific phantom procedures that one can use to provide trustworthy in vitro cross calibration for same models, different models, and different makes? Based on task force deliberations and the resulting systematic literature reviews, 3 new positions were developed to address these more complex scenarios not addressed by current official positions on single scanner cross calibration and LSC. These new positions provide appropriate guidance to large multiple DXA scanner providers wishing to offer patients flexibility and convenience, and clearly define good clinical practice requirements to that end.
    MeSH terms: Calibration; Consensus Development Conferences as Topic*; Equipment Design; Humans; Osteoporosis/diagnosis*; Quality Assurance, Health Care*; Societies, Medical; Absorptiometry, Photon/instrumentation; Absorptiometry, Photon/standards*; Bone Density*
  5. Chin VL, Lim CL
    Stem Cell Investig, 2019;6:25.
    PMID: 31559312 DOI: 10.21037/sci.2019.08.08
    Cancer is a genetic disease which results in a functional imbalance between tumour-repressive and oncogenic signals. The WHO highlights the burden of this indomitable disease, listing it as the second leading cause of death globally. The major cause of cancer-related death is rarely the effect of the primary tumour itself, but rather, the devastating spread of cancer cells in metastases. Epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity (EMP)-termed as the ability of cells to maintain its plasticity and transit between epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET) states-plays a fundamental role in cancer metastasis. These cell transitions allow them migrate from the primary tumour and invade the secondary site. EMP is associated with migration, invasion, colonisation, self-renewal and drug resistance. This review briefly elucidates the mechanism of EMP and the association between cancer stem cells (CSCs) and circulating tumour cells (CTCs), biomarkers and signalling pathways involved in EMP as well as drug resistance and therapeutic targeting.
    MeSH terms: Cause of Death; Drug Resistance; Neoplastic Cells, Circulating; Oncogenes; Neoplastic Stem Cells; World Health Organization; Biomarkers; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition; Carcinogenesis
  6. Global Burden of Disease Cancer Collaboration, Fitzmaurice C, Abate D, Abbasi N, Abbastabar H, Abd-Allah F, et al.
    JAMA Oncol, 2019 Dec 01;5(12):1749-1768.
    PMID: 31560378 DOI: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2019.2996
    IMPORTANCE: Cancer and other noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are now widely recognized as a threat to global development. The latest United Nations high-level meeting on NCDs reaffirmed this observation and also highlighted the slow progress in meeting the 2011 Political Declaration on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases and the third Sustainable Development Goal. Lack of situational analyses, priority setting, and budgeting have been identified as major obstacles in achieving these goals. All of these have in common that they require information on the local cancer epidemiology. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study is uniquely poised to provide these crucial data.

    OBJECTIVE: To describe cancer burden for 29 cancer groups in 195 countries from 1990 through 2017 to provide data needed for cancer control planning.

    EVIDENCE REVIEW: We used the GBD study estimation methods to describe cancer incidence, mortality, years lived with disability, years of life lost, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs). Results are presented at the national level as well as by Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a composite indicator of income, educational attainment, and total fertility rate. We also analyzed the influence of the epidemiological vs the demographic transition on cancer incidence.

    FINDINGS: In 2017, there were 24.5 million incident cancer cases worldwide (16.8 million without nonmelanoma skin cancer [NMSC]) and 9.6 million cancer deaths. The majority of cancer DALYs came from years of life lost (97%), and only 3% came from years lived with disability. The odds of developing cancer were the lowest in the low SDI quintile (1 in 7) and the highest in the high SDI quintile (1 in 2) for both sexes. In 2017, the most common incident cancers in men were NMSC (4.3 million incident cases); tracheal, bronchus, and lung (TBL) cancer (1.5 million incident cases); and prostate cancer (1.3 million incident cases). The most common causes of cancer deaths and DALYs for men were TBL cancer (1.3 million deaths and 28.4 million DALYs), liver cancer (572 000 deaths and 15.2 million DALYs), and stomach cancer (542 000 deaths and 12.2 million DALYs). For women in 2017, the most common incident cancers were NMSC (3.3 million incident cases), breast cancer (1.9 million incident cases), and colorectal cancer (819 000 incident cases). The leading causes of cancer deaths and DALYs for women were breast cancer (601 000 deaths and 17.4 million DALYs), TBL cancer (596 000 deaths and 12.6 million DALYs), and colorectal cancer (414 000 deaths and 8.3 million DALYs).

    CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The national epidemiological profiles of cancer burden in the GBD study show large heterogeneities, which are a reflection of different exposures to risk factors, economic settings, lifestyles, and access to care and screening. The GBD study can be used by policy makers and other stakeholders to develop and improve national and local cancer control in order to achieve the global targets and improve equity in cancer care.

    MeSH terms: Disabled Persons; Humans; Neoplasms/epidemiology*; Global Health; Incidence; Quality-Adjusted Life Years; Global Burden of Disease
  7. Aoki T, Smith JA, Kasson MT, Freeman S, Geiser DM, Geering ADW, et al.
    Mycologia, 2019 09 27;111(6):919-935.
    PMID: 31560603 DOI: 10.1080/00275514.2019.1647074
    The Ambrosia Fusarium Clade (AFC) comprises at least 16 genealogically exclusive species-level lineages within clade 3 of the Fusarium solani species complex (FSSC). These fungi are either known or predicted to be farmed by Asian Euwallacea ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) in the tribe Xyleborini as a source of nutrition. To date, only 4 of the 16 AFC lineages have been described formally. In the absence of Latin binomials, an ad hoc nomenclature was developed to distinguish the 16 species lineages as AF-1 to AF-16. Herein, Fusarium species AF-3, AF-5, and AF-7 were formally described as F. floridanum, F. tuaranense, and F. obliquiseptatum, respectively. Fusarium floridanum farmed by E. interjectus on box elder (Acer negundo) in Gainesville, Florida, was distinguished morphologically by the production of sporodochial conidia that were highly variable in size and shape together with greenish-pigmented chlamydospores. Fusarium tuaranense was isolated from a beetle-damaged Paŕa rubber tree (Hevea brasiliense) in North Borneo, Malaysia, and was diagnosed by production of the smallest sporodochial conidia of any species within the AFC. Lastly, F. obliquiseptatum was farmed by an unnamed ambrosia beetle designated Euwallacea sp. 3 (E. fornicatus species complex) on avocado (Persea americana) in Queensland, Australia. It uniquely produces some clavate sporodochial conidia with oblique septa. Maximum likelihood analysis of a multilocus data set resolved these three novel AFC taxa as phylogenetically distinct species based on genealogical concordance. Particularly where introduced into exotic environments, these exotic mutualists pose a serious threat to the avocado industry, native forests, and urban landscapes in diverse regions throughout the world.
  8. Agi A, Junin R, Arsad A, Abbas A, Gbadamosi A, Azli NB, et al.
    PLoS One, 2019;14(9):e0220778.
    PMID: 31560699 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0220778
    Ascorbic acid was used for the first time to synthesize cellulose nanoparticles (CNP) extracted from okra mucilage. The physical properties of the CNP including their size distribution, and crystalline structures were investigated. The rheological properties of the cellulose nanofluid (CNF) were compared with the bulk okra mucilage and commercial polymer xanthan. The interfacial properties of the CNF at the interface of oil-water (O/W) system were investigated at different concentrations and temperatures. The effects of the interaction between the electrolyte and ultrasonic were determined. Core flooding experiment was conducted at reservoir condition to justify the effect of the flow behaviour and disperse phase behaviour of CNF on additional oil recovery. The performance of the CNF was compared to conventional EOR chemical. The combined method of ultrasonic, weak-acid hydrolysis and nanoprecipitation were effective in producing spherical and polygonal nanoparticles with a mean diameter of 100 nm, increased yield of 51% and preserved crystallinity respectively. The zeta potential result shows that the CNF was stable, and the surface charge signifies long term stability of the fluid when injected into oil field reservoirs. The CNF, okra and xanthan exhibited shear-thinning and pseudoplastic behaviour. The IFT decreased with increase in concentration of CNF, electrolyte and temperature. The pressure drop data confirmed the stability of CNF at 120°C and the formation of oil bank was enough to increase the oil recovery by 20%. CNF was found to be very effective in mobilizing residual oil at high-temperature high-pressure (HTHP) reservoir condition. The energy and cost estimations have shown that investing in ultrasonic-assisted weak-acid hydrolysis is easier, cost-effective, and can reduce energy consumption making the method economically advantageous compared to conventional methods.
    MeSH terms: Cellulose/chemistry*; Models, Theoretical; Oils/chemistry*; Particle Size; Polymers/chemistry; Rheology*; Temperature; Nanoparticles/ultrastructure; Nanoparticles/chemistry*; Physical Phenomena
  9. Wong SHM, Kong WY, Fang CM, Loh HS, Chuah LH, Abdullah S, et al.
    Crit Rev Oncol Hematol, 2019 Nov;143:81-94.
    PMID: 31561055 DOI: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2019.08.008
    Apoptosis is an ordered and orchestrated cellular process that occurs in physiological and pathological conditions. Resistance to apoptosis is a hallmark of virtually all malignancies. Despite being a cause of pathological conditions, apoptosis could be a promising target in cancer treatment. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL), also known as Apo-2 ligand (Apo2L), is a member of TNF cytokine superfamily. It is a potent anti-cancer agent owing to its specific targeting towards cancerous cells, while sparing normal cells, to induce apoptosis. However, resistance occurs either intrinsically or after multiple treatments which may explain why cancer therapy fails. This review summarizes the apoptotic mechanisms via extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic pathways, as well as the apoptotic resistance mechanisms. It also reviews the current clinically tested recombinant human TRAIL (rhTRAIL) and TRAIL receptor agonists (TRAs) against TRAIL-Receptors, TRAIL-R1 and TRAIL-R2, in which the outcomes of the clinical trials have not been satisfactory. Finally, this review discusses the current strategies in overcoming resistance to TRAIL-induced apoptosis in pre-clinical and clinical settings.
    MeSH terms: Humans; Neoplasms/drug therapy*; Neoplasms/metabolism; Recombinant Proteins/pharmacology; Recombinant Proteins/therapeutic use; Signal Transduction/drug effects; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Apoptosis/drug effects; Receptors, TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand/agonists*; TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand/pharmacology; TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand/therapeutic use*; Tumor Necrosis Factor Decoy Receptors/agonists
  10. Wei LK, Quan LS
    Comput Biol Chem, 2019 Dec;83:107116.
    PMID: 31561071 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2019.107116
    According to the Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment, ischemic stroke is classified into five subtypes. However, the predictive biomarkers of ischemic stroke subtypes are still largely unknown. The utmost objective of this study is to map, construct and analyze protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks for all subtypes of ischemic stroke, and to suggest the predominant biological pathways for each subtypes. Through 6285 protein data retrieved from PolySearch2 and STRING database, the first PPI networks for all subtypes of ischemic stroke were constructed. Notably, F2 and PLG were identified as the critical proteins for large artery atherosclerosis (LAA), lacunar, cardioembolic, stroke of other determined etiology (SOE) and stroke of undetermined etiology (SUE). Gene ontology and DAVID analysis revealed that GO:0030193 regulation of blood coagulation and GO:0051917 regulation of fibrinolysis were the important functional clusters for all the subtypes. In addition, inflammatory pathway was the key etiology for LAA and lacunar, while FOS and JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathways might contribute to cardioembolic stroke. Due to many risk factors associated with SOE and SUE, the precise etiology for these two subtypes remained to be concluded.
    MeSH terms: Brain Ischemia/classification*; Brain Ischemia/genetics; Brain Ischemia/metabolism; Humans; Protein Binding; Proteins/analysis*; Proteins/genetics; Proteins/metabolism; Biomarkers/analysis; Biomarkers/metabolism; Stroke/classification*; Stroke/genetics; Stroke/metabolism; Databases, Protein; Gene Regulatory Networks; Protein Interaction Maps*; Gene Ontology
  11. Mohd Nasir FA, Praveena SM, Aris AZ
    Ecotoxicol Environ Saf, 2019 Dec 15;185:109681.
    PMID: 31561079 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2019.109681
    Studies on the occurrence of pharmaceutical residues in drinking water were conducted especially in developed countries. However, limited studies reported the occurrence of pharmaceutical residues in developing countries. Thus, this study is conducted to fill the knowledge gap of pharmaceutical residue occurrences in developing countries, particularly in Malaysia, along with public awareness level and its potential human health risk. This study investigates public awareness level of drinking water quality and pharmaceutical handling, the occurrence of nine pharmaceutical residues (amoxicillin, caffeine, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, dexamethasone, diclofenac, nitrofurazone, sulfamethoxazole, and triclosan) and potential human health risks in drinking water from Kajang (Malaysia) using commercially competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. In general, the public awareness level of Kajang population showed poor knowledge (82.02%), and less positive attitude (98.88%) with a good practice score (57.3%). Ciprofloxacin was detected at the highest concentration (0.667 ng/L) while amoxicillin was at the lowest concentration (0.001 ng/L) in drinking water from Kajang (Malaysia). Nevertheless, all the reported occurrences were lower than previous studies conducted elsewhere. There was no appreciable potential human health risk for all the pharmaceutical residues as the risk quotient (RQ) values were less than 1 (RQ 
    MeSH terms: Pharmaceutical Preparations/analysis*; Environmental Monitoring/methods*; Humans; Malaysia; Water Pollutants, Chemical/analysis*; Risk Assessment; Water Quality*; Drinking Water/standards; Drinking Water/chemistry*
  12. Hasan SI, Mohd Hairi F, Ahmad Tajuddin NA, Amer Nordin AS
    BMJ Open, 2019 Sep 27;9(9):e030670.
    PMID: 31562154 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-030670
    OBJECTIVES: Healthcare providers are ideally positioned to advise their patients to quit smoking by providing effective smoking cessation intervention. Thus, we evaluate the effectiveness of a 1-day training programme in changing the knowledge, attitude and self-efficacy of healthcare providers in smoking cessation intervention.

    METHODS: A prepost study design was conducted in 2017. The 8-hour Smoking Cessation Organising, Planning and Execution (SCOPE) training comprised lectures, practical sessions and role-play sessions to 218 healthcare providers. A validated evaluation tool, Providers' Smoking Cessation Training Evaluation, was administered to assess the impact of training on knowledge, attitude and self-efficacy on smoking cessation intervention.

    RESULTS: After SCOPE training, the knowledge score increased significantly from 7.96±2.34 to 10.35±1.57 (p<0.001). Attitude and self-efficacy in smoking cessation intervention also increased significantly from 34.32±4.12 to 37.04±3.92 (p<0.001) and 40.31±8.61 to 54.67±7.45 (p<0.001) respectively. Pretraining and post-training scores improved significantly for all professions, and each measure, particularly self-efficacy.

    CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that SCOPE training could improve healthcare providers' knowledge, attitude and self-efficacy on smoking cessation intervention. Future training is recommended to equip healthcare providers with current knowledge, positive attitude and high self-efficacy to integrate what they have learned into practice successfully.

    MeSH terms: Adult; Female; Health Personnel/education*; Humans; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*; Male; Program Evaluation; Smoking Cessation/methods*; Self Efficacy
  13. Dehhaghi M, Tabatabaei M, Aghbashlo M, Kazemi Shariat Panahi H, Nizami AS
    J Environ Manage, 2019 Dec 01;251:109597.
    PMID: 31563049 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.109597
    Anaerobic digestion (AD) of organic wastes is among the most promising approaches used for the simultaneous treatment of various waste streams, environment conservation, and renewable bioenergy generation (biomethane). Among the latest innovations investigated to enhance the overall performance of this process both qualitatively and quantitatively, the application of some nanoparticles (NPs) has attracted a great deal of attention. Typically, the NPs of potential benefit to the AD process could be divided into three groups: (i) zero-valent iron (ZVI) NPs, (ii) metallic and metal oxides NPs, and (iii) carbon-based NPs. The present review focuses on the latest findings reported on the application of these NPs in AD process and presents their various mechanisms of action leading to higher or lower biogas production rates. Among the NPs studies, ZVI NPs could be regarded as the most promising nanomaterials for enhancing biogas production through stabilizing the AD process as well as by stimulating the growth of beneficial microorganisms to the AD process and the enzymes involved. Future research should focus on various attributes of NPs when used as additives in biogas production, including facilitating mixing and pumping operations, enriching the population and diversity of beneficial microorganisms for AD, improving biogas release, and inducing the production and activity of AD-related enzymes. The higher volume of methane-enriched biogas would be translated into higher returns on investment and could therefore, result in further growth of the biogas production industry. Nevertheless, efforts should be devoted to decreasing the price of NPs so that the enhanced biogas and methane production (by over 90%, compared to control) would be more economically justified, facilitating the large-scale application of these compounds. In addition to economic considerations, environmental issues are also regarded as major constraints which should be addressed prior to widespread implementation of NP-augmented AD processes. More specifically, the fate of NPs augmented in AD process should be scrutinized to ensure maximal beneficial impacts while adverse environmental/health consequences are minimized.
    MeSH terms: Anaerobiosis; Methane; Bioreactors; Nanostructures*; Biofuels*
  14. Nayak DR, Dash R, Majhi B, Acharya UR
    Comput Med Imaging Graph, 2019 10;77:101656.
    PMID: 31563069 DOI: 10.1016/j.compmedimag.2019.101656
    Binary classification of brain magnetic resonance (MR) images has made remarkable progress and many automated systems have been developed in the last decade. Multiclass classification of brain MR images is comparatively more challenging and has great clinical significance. Hence, it has recently become an active area of research in biomedical image processing. In this paper, an automated multiclass brain MR classification framework is proposed to categorize the MR images into five classes such as brain stroke, degenerative disease, infectious disease, brain tumor, and normal brain. A texture based feature descriptor is proposed using curvelet transform and Tsallis entropy to extract salient features from MR images. The potential of Tsallis entropy features is compared with Shannon entropy features. A kernel extension of random vector functional link network (KRVFL) is used to perform multiclass classification and improve the generalization performance at faster training speed. To validate the proposed method, two standard multiclass brain MR datasets (MD-1 and MD-2) are used. The proposed system obtained classification accuracies of 97.33% and 94.00% for MD-1 and MD-2 datasets respectively using 5-fold cross validation approach. The experimental results demonstrated the effectiveness of our system compared to the state-of-the-art schemes and hence, can be utilized as a supportive tool by physicians to verify their screening.
  15. Abdul-Hamid NA, Abas F, Ismail IS, Tham CL, Maulidiani M, Mediani A, et al.
    Food Res Int, 2019 11;125:108565.
    PMID: 31554083 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2019.108565
    Inflammation has been revealed to play a central role in the onset and progression of many illnesses. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) based metabolomics method was adopted to evaluate the effects of Phoenix dactylifera seeds, in particular the Algerian date variety of Deglet on the metabolome of the LPS-IFN-γ-induced RAW 264.7 cells. Variations in the extracellular and intracellular profiles emphasized the differences in the presence of tyrosine, phenylalanine, alanine, proline, asparagine, isocitrate, inosine and lysine. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed noticeable clustering patterns between the treated and induced RAW cells based on the metabolic profile of the extracellular metabolites. However, the effects of treatment on the intracellular metabolites appears to be less distinct as suggested by the PCA and heatmap analyses. A clear group segregation was observed for the intracellular metabolites from the treated and induced cells based on the orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) score plot. Likewise, 11 of the metabolites in the treated cells were significantly different from those in the induced groups, including amino acids and succinate. The enrichment analysis demonstrated that treatment with Deglet seed extracts interfered with the energy and of amino acids metabolism. Overall, the obtained data reinforced the possible application of Deglet seeds as a functional food with anti-inflammatory properties.
    MeSH terms: RAW 264.7 Cells; Animals; Lipopolysaccharides; Plant Extracts/pharmacology*; Seeds*; Principal Component Analysis; Mice; Metabolomics/methods*; Phoeniceae*; Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy/methods*
  16. Kinfe TM, Buchfelder M, Chaudhry SR, Chakravarthy KV, Deer TR, Russo M, et al.
    Int J Mol Sci, 2019 Sep 24;20(19).
    PMID: 31554241 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20194737
    Chronic pain is a devastating condition affecting the physical, psychological, and socioeconomic status of the patient. Inflammation and immunometabolism play roles in the pathophysiology of chronic pain disorders. Electrical neuromodulation approaches have shown a meaningful success in otherwise drug-resistant chronic pain conditions, including failed back surgery, neuropathic pain, and migraine. A literature review (PubMed, MEDLINE/OVID, SCOPUS, and manual searches of the bibliographies of known primary and review articles) was performed using the following search terms: chronic pain disorders, systemic inflammation, immunometabolism, prediction, biomarkers, metabolic disorders, and neuromodulation for chronic pain. Experimental studies indicate a relationship between the development and maintenance of chronic pain conditions and a deteriorated immunometabolic state mediated by circulating cytokines, chemokines, and cellular components. A few uncontrolled in-human studies found increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines known to drive metabolic disorders in chronic pain patients undergoing neurostimulation therapies. In this narrative review, we summarize the current knowledge and possible relationships of available neurostimulation therapies for chronic pain with mediators of central and peripheral neuroinflammation and immunometabolism on a molecular level. However, to address the needs for predictive factors and biomarkers, large-scale databank driven clinical trials are needed to determine the clinical value of molecular profiling.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Humans; Pain Measurement; Signal Transduction*; Biomarkers*; Inflammation Mediators/blood; Inflammation Mediators/metabolism; Leptin/metabolism*; Metabolic Networks and Pathways*; Chronic Pain/diagnosis; Chronic Pain/etiology*; Chronic Pain/metabolism*; Chronic Pain/therapy; Pain Management
  17. Akbar N, Siddiqui R, Sagathevan K, Iqbal M, Khan NA
    Antibiotics (Basel), 2019 Sep 24;8(4).
    PMID: 31554316 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics8040164
    For the past few decades, there has been limited progress in the development of novel antibacterials. Previously, we postulated that the gut microbiota of animals residing in polluted environments are a forthcoming supply of antibacterials. Among various species, the water monitor lizard is an interesting species that feeds on organic waste and the carcass of wild animals. Gut microbiota of the water monitor lizard were sequestered, identified and cultivated in RPMI-1640 to produce conditioned medium (CM). Next, the antimicrobial properties of CM were evaluated versus a selection of Gram-negative (Escherichia coli K1, Serratia marcescens,Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella enterica and Klebsiella pneumoniae) and Gram-positive bacteria (Streptococcus pyogenes, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus cereus). CM were partially characterized by heat inactivation at 95°C for 10 min and tested against P. aeruginosa and S. pyogenes. CM were also tested against immortalized human keratinocytes (HaCaT) cells lines. The results demonstrated that gut microbiota isolated from water monitor lizard produced molecules with remarkable bactericidal activities. To determine the identity of the active molecules, CM were subjected to Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry. Several molecules were identified belonging to the classes of flavonoids, terpenoids, alkaloids, polyhydroxy alkaloids, polyacetylenes, bisphenols, amides, oxylipin and pyrazine derivatives with known broad-spectrum antimicrobial, anti-tumour, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic attributes. Furthermore, the detailed analysis of these molecules could lead us to develop effective therapeutic antibacterials.
    MeSH terms: Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Animals; Animals, Wild; Antioxidants; Bacillus cereus; Flavonoids; Humans; Klebsiella pneumoniae; Methicillin; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Serratia marcescens; Streptococcus pyogenes; Culture Media, Conditioned; Salmonella enterica; Oxylipins; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus
  18. Sharif Nia H, Rezapour M, Allen KA, Pahlevan Sharif S, Jafari A, Torkmandi H, et al.
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2019 09 01;20(9):2803-2809.
    PMID: 31554380 DOI: 10.31557/APJCP.2019.20.9.2803
    Objectives: The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) was specifically created to assess
    depression in cancer patients. However, to date, the CES-D has not been validated in Farsi. Therefore, this study aimed to
    assess the psychometric properties of the CES-D in Iranian cancer patients. Methods: During a three-month period
    (October to December, 2015), a total of 380 cancer patients completed a Farsi version of the CES-D. The construct
    validity of the scale was evaluated by exploratory factor analysis. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha
    and McDonald Omega. All of the statistical procedure were run by SPSS 22 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Results:
    The construct validity of the CES-D determined three factors (somatic affect, negative affect, and positive affect),
    which explained 65.60% of the total variance. The internal consistency was greater than 0.70. Conclusion: Findings
    revealed that the Farsi version of the CES-D has acceptable validity and reliability, which can be used to measure
    depression in Iranian cancer patients.
    MeSH terms: Depressive Disorder/diagnosis*; Depressive Disorder/epidemiology*; Depressive Disorder/psychology; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Iran/epidemiology; Male; Middle Aged; Neoplasms/physiopathology; Neoplasms/psychology*; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychometrics/methods*; Surveys and Questionnaires; Epidemiologic Studies
  19. Che Mohamed N, Moey SF, Lim BC
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2019 09 01;20(9):2865-2873.
    PMID: 31554389 DOI: 10.31557/APJCP.2019.20.9.2865
    Background: Early detection of breast cancer is essential in improving overall women’s health. The researchers
    sought to develop a comprehensive measure that combined the basic components of the health belief model (HBM)
    with a focus on breast self-examination (BSE) and screening mammogram amongst women. Methods: Questionnaire
    items were developed following a review of relevant literature of HBM on BSE and screening mammogram. The
    sampling frame for the study was Malaysian women aged 35 to 70 years old, living in Kuantan, Pahang and able to
    read or write in Bahasa Malaysia or English. As such, 103 women were randomly selected to participate in the study.
    Tests of validity using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and reliability were subsequently performed to determine the
    psychometric properties of the questionnaire. Results: The EFA revealed nine factors (self-efficacy of mammogram,
    perceived barriers of BSE and mammogram, perceived susceptibility of breast cancer, perceived severity of breast
    cancer, cues to action for mammogram screening, perceived benefits of BSE, health motivation, perceived benefits
    of mammogram and self-efficacy of BSE) containing 54 items that jointly accounted for 74.2% of the observed
    variance. All nine factors have good internal consistency with Cronbach’s alpha ≥ 0.8. Fifty-four items remained in
    the final questionnaire after deleting 13 problematic items. The scale also showed good convergent and discriminant
    validity. Conclusion: The findings showed that the designed questionnaire was a valid and reliable instrument for the
    study involving women in Kuantan, Pahang. The instrument can help to assess women’s beliefs on BSE adoption and
    mammogram screening in health care practice and research.
    MeSH terms: Adult; Aged; Breast Neoplasms/diagnosis*; Breast Neoplasms/epidemiology*; Breast Neoplasms/psychology; Culture; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*; Malaysia/epidemiology; Mammography/psychology*; Middle Aged; Motivation; Prognosis; Psychometrics; Surveys and Questionnaires; Health Behavior*; Women's Health; Breast Self-Examination/psychology*; Early Detection of Cancer/psychology*
  20. Hicks CC, Cohen PJ, Graham NAJ, Nash KL, Allison EH, D'Lima C, et al.
    Nature, 2019 10;574(7776):95-98.
    PMID: 31554969 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1592-6
    Micronutrient deficiencies account for an estimated one million premature deaths annually, and for some nations can reduce gross domestic product1,2 by up to 11%, highlighting the need for food policies that focus on improving nutrition rather than simply increasing the volume of food produced3. People gain nutrients from a varied diet, although fish-which are a rich source of bioavailable micronutrients that are essential to human health4-are often overlooked. A lack of understanding of the nutrient composition of most fish5 and how nutrient yields vary among fisheries has hindered the policy shifts that are needed to effectively harness the potential of fisheries for food and nutrition security6. Here, using the concentration of 7 nutrients in more than 350 species of marine fish, we estimate how environmental and ecological traits predict nutrient content of marine finfish species. We use this predictive model to quantify the global spatial patterns of the concentrations of nutrients in marine fisheries and compare nutrient yields to the prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies in human populations. We find that species from tropical thermal regimes contain higher concentrations of calcium, iron and zinc; smaller species contain higher concentrations of calcium, iron and omega-3 fatty acids; and species from cold thermal regimes or those with a pelagic feeding pathway contain higher concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids. There is no relationship between nutrient concentrations and total fishery yield, highlighting that the nutrient quality of a fishery is determined by the species composition. For a number of countries in which nutrient intakes are inadequate, nutrients available in marine finfish catches exceed the dietary requirements for populations that live within 100 km of the coast, and a fraction of current landings could be particularly impactful for children under 5 years of age. Our analyses suggest that fish-based food strategies have the potential to substantially contribute to global food and nutrition security.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Bayes Theorem; Calcium/analysis; Child, Preschool; Dietary Proteins/analysis; Fish Products/analysis; Fish Products/economics; Fishes/classification; Fishes/metabolism*; Food Supply*; Humans; Infant; Iron/analysis; Nutritional Status*; Selenium/analysis; Vitamin A/analysis; Zinc/analysis; Fatty Acids, Omega-3/analysis; Micronutrients/analysis; Micronutrients/deficiency*; Micronutrients/metabolism*; Internationality*
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