Browse publications by year: 2019

  1. Othman N, Jamal R, Abu N
    Front Immunol, 2019;10:2103.
    PMID: 31555295 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.02103
    Exosomes, a category of small lipid bilayer extracellular vesicles that are naturally secreted by many cells (both healthy and diseased), carry cargo made up of proteins, lipids, DNAs, and RNAs; all of which are functional when transferred to their recipient cells. Numerous studies have demonstrated the powerful role that exosomes play in the mediation of cell-to-cell communication to induce a pro-tumoral environment to encourage tumor progression and survival. Recently, considerable interest has developed in regard to the role that exosomes play in immunity; with studies demonstrating the ability of exosomes to either metabolically alter immune players such as dendritic cells, T cells, macrophages, and natural killer cells. In this review, we summarize the recent literature on the function of exosomes in regulating a key process that has long been associated with the progression of cancer-inflammation and immunity.
    MeSH terms: Extracellular Vesicles; Cell Communication; Dendritic Cells; Inflammation; Killer Cells, Natural; Lipid Bilayers; Macrophages; Neoplastic Processes; RNA; T-Lymphocytes; Exosomes
  2. Mohd Nasir MZ, Malek KA
    Oman Med J, 2019 Sep;34(5):472-473.
    PMID: 31555427 DOI: 10.5001/omj.2019.86
  3. Khor PY, Mohd Aluwi MFF, Rullah K, Lam KW
    Eur J Med Chem, 2019 Dec 01;183:111704.
    PMID: 31557608 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2019.111704
    Curcumin is a small organic molecule with pleiotropic biological activities. However, its multiple structural-pharmacokinetic challenges prevent its development into a clinical drug. Various structural modifications have been made to improve its drug profile. In this review, we focus on the methods adopted in the synthesis of asymmetric curcumin derivatives and their biological activities and forecast the future of this exciting class of compounds in the field of medicine.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal/chemical synthesis; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal/pharmacology*; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal/chemistry; Antineoplastic Agents/chemical synthesis; Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology*; Antineoplastic Agents/chemistry; Carbonic Anhydrases/metabolism; Carbonic Anhydrase Inhibitors/chemical synthesis; Carbonic Anhydrase Inhibitors/pharmacology*; Carbonic Anhydrase Inhibitors/chemistry; Curcumin/chemical synthesis; Curcumin/pharmacology*; Curcumin/chemistry; Humans; Neoplasms/drug therapy*; Molecular Structure; Acute Lung Injury/drug therapy
  4. Hishamnuri WNAD, Nakagun S, Maezawa M, Sakaguchi K, Akiyama N, Watanabe KI, et al.
    J Vet Diagn Invest, 2019 Nov;31(6):852-855.
    PMID: 31551023 DOI: 10.1177/1040638719875501
    A 19-mo-old Holstein heifer was inactive and dyspneic. Physical examination revealed wheezing, exophthalmos, a cervical mass, and lymphadenopathy. Cytology of the cervical mass and lymph nodes showed predominantly large atypical lymphocytes. Lactate dehydrogenase and thymidine kinase activities were elevated. Although nested PCR for bovine leukemia virus (BLV) using blood was positive, quantitative PCR showed a low number of provirus copies. Autopsy revealed enlargement of most lymph nodes examined, as well as white masses of various sizes in muscles of the left hindlimb and thoracic and abdominal organs. Histopathology revealed severe infiltration with neoplastic lymphocytes in these organs. The cervical mass was immune-positive for B-cell markers. The final diagnosis was thymic B-cell lymphoma with BLV infection.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Leukemia Virus, Bovine/isolation & purification; Cattle; Cattle Diseases/diagnosis*; Cattle Diseases/pathology; Female; Thymus Neoplasms/diagnosis; Thymus Neoplasms/pathology; Thymus Neoplasms/veterinary*; Lymphoma, B-Cell/diagnosis*; Lymphoma, B-Cell/pathology; Enzootic Bovine Leukosis/diagnosis*; Enzootic Bovine Leukosis/pathology
  5. Wong MY, Govender NT, Ong CS
    BMC Res Notes, 2019 Sep 24;12(1):631.
    PMID: 31551084 DOI: 10.1186/s13104-019-4652-y
    OBJECTIVE: Basal stem rot disease causes severe economic losses to oil palm production in South-east Asia and little is known on the pathogenicity of the pathogen, the basidiomyceteous Ganoderma boninense. Our data presented here aims to identify both the house-keeping and pathogenicity genes of G. boninense using Illumina sequencing reads.

    DESCRIPTION: The hemibiotroph G. boninense establishes via root contact during early stage of colonization and subsequently kills the host tissue as the disease progresses. Information on the pathogenicity factors/genes that causes BSR remain poorly understood. In addition, the molecular expressions corresponding to G. boninense growth and pathogenicity are not reported. Here, six transcriptome datasets of G. boninense from two contrasting conditions (three biological replicates per condition) are presented. The first datasets, collected from a 7-day-old axenic condition provide an insight onto genes responsible for sustenance, growth and development of G. boninense while datasets of the infecting G. boninense collected from oil palm-G. boninense pathosystem (in planta condition) at 1 month post-inoculation offer a comprehensive avenue to understand G. boninense pathogenesis and infection especially in regard to molecular mechanisms and pathways. Raw sequences deposited in Sequence Read Archive (SRA) are available at NCBI SRA portal with PRJNA514399, bioproject ID.

    MeSH terms: Plant Diseases/microbiology; Virulence/genetics; Signal Transduction/genetics; Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial*; Plant Roots/microbiology; Gene Expression Profiling/methods*; Gene Expression Profiling/statistics & numerical data; Arecaceae/microbiology; Ganoderma/genetics*; Ganoderma/pathogenicity; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Axenic Culture/methods*
  6. Nagendrababu V, Aly Ahmed HM, Pulikkotil SJ, Veettil SK, Dharmarajan L, Setzer FC
    J Endod, 2019 Oct;45(10):1175-1183.e3.
    PMID: 31551112 DOI: 10.1016/j.joen.2019.06.008
    INTRODUCTION: This systematic review compared the anesthetic efficacy between Gow-Gates (GG), Vazirani-Akinosi (VA), and mental incisive (MI) nerve blocks (NBs) with inferior alveolar nerve blocks (IANBs) in mandibular teeth with irreversible pulpitis using meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis (TSA).

    METHODS: Studies were identified from 4 electronic databases up to June 2019. Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) comparing the anesthetic success rate of GG, VA, and MI NBs with IANBs in mandibular premolars and molars with irreversible pulpitis were included. The quality of selected RCTs was appraised using the revised Cochrane risk of bias tool. Random-effects meta-analyses of risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated, and random errors were evaluated by TSA. The quality of evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach.

    RESULTS: Five RCTs were included; 2 of them were classified as low risk of bias. No significant difference was observed in the anesthesia success rate compared between GG and IA NBs (RR = 1.10; 95% CI, 0.82-1.48; I2 = 0%). Similarly, no difference was evident between MINB and IANB (RR = 1.15; 95% CI, 0.97-1.36; I2 = 0%). Overall, the cumulative success rates for the 3 anesthetic techniques were low. TSA showed a lack of firm evidence for the results of the meta-analysis between GG NB and IANB. The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach evaluation showed that the evidence was of moderate quality for GG NB and IANB compared with low quality for MI and IA NBs. Because only 1 study was available comparing VA NB and IANB, a meta-analysis was not performed. The adverse effect associated with MI NB was swelling, whereas it was prolonged numbness for IANB.

    CONCLUSIONS: GG NB and IANB showed similar anesthetic efficacy compared with IANB in mandibular teeth with irreversible pulpitis. However, the success rates for each technique indicate the need for supplemental anesthesia. Further well-designed RCTs evaluating different anesthetic techniques with and without supplemental injection are required to provide stronger evidence.

    MeSH terms: Anesthesia, Dental*; Anesthetics*; Anesthetics, Local; Double-Blind Method; Humans; Mandibular Nerve; Nerve Block*
  7. Seah CS, Kasim S, Saedudin RR, Md Fudzee MF, Mohamad MS, Hassan R, et al.
    Pak J Pharm Sci, 2019 May;32(3 Special):1395-1408.
    PMID: 31551221
    Numerous cancer studies have combined different datasets for the prognosis of patients. This study incorporated four networks for significant directed random walk (sDRW) to predict cancerous genes and risk pathways. The study investigated the feasibility of cancer prediction via different networks. In this study, multiple micro array data were analysed and used in the experiment. Six gene expression datasets were applied in four networks to study the effectiveness of the networks in sDRW in terms of cancer prediction. The experimental results showed that one of the proposed networks is outstanding compared to other networks. The network is then proposed to be implemented in sDRW as a walker network. This study provides a foundation for further studies and research on other networks. We hope these finding will improve the prognostic methods of cancer patients.
    MeSH terms: Algorithms; Humans; Neoplasms/genetics*; Random Allocation; Biomarkers, Tumor/genetics; Reproducibility of Results; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic*; Computational Biology/methods*; Databases, Genetic; Microarray Analysis; Transcriptome; Protein Interaction Maps/genetics
  8. Borges FK, Devereaux PJ, Cuerden M, Bhandari M, Guerra-Farfán E, Patel A, et al.
    BMJ Open, 2019 Sep 24;9(9):e033150.
    PMID: 31551393 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-033150
    INTRODUCTION: Inflammation, dehydration, hypotension and bleeding may all contribute to the development of acute kidney injury (AKI). Accelerated surgery after a hip fracture can decrease the exposure time to such contributors and may reduce the risk of AKI.

    METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Hip fracture Accelerated surgical TreaTment And Care tracK (HIP ATTACK) is a multicentre, international, parallel-group randomised controlled trial (RCT). Patients who suffer a hip fracture are randomly allocated to either accelerated medical assessment and surgical repair with a goal of surgery within 6 hours of diagnosis or standard care where a repair typically occurs 24 to 48 hours after diagnosis. The primary outcome of this substudy is the development of AKI within 7 days of randomisation. We anticipate at least 1998 patients will participate in this substudy.

    ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: We obtained ethics approval for additional serum creatinine recordings in consecutive patients enrolled at 70 participating centres. All patients provide consent before randomisation. We anticipate reporting substudy results by 2021.

    TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02027896; Pre-results.

    MeSH terms: Adult; Female; Humans; Male; Patient Care Planning/standards; Risk Factors; Multicenter Studies as Topic; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Risk Assessment/methods
  9. Crous PW, Carnegie AJ, Wingfield MJ, Sharma R, Mughini G, Noordeloos ME, et al.
    Persoonia, 2019 Jun;42:291-473.
    PMID: 31551622 DOI: 10.3767/persoonia.2019.42.11
    Novel species of fungi described in this study include those from various countries as follows: Australia, Chaetomella pseudocircinoseta and Coniella pseudodiospyri on Eucalyptus microcorys leaves, Cladophialophora eucalypti, Teratosphaeria dunnii and Vermiculariopsiella dunnii on Eucalyptus dunnii leaves, Cylindrium grande and Hypsotheca eucalyptorum on Eucalyptus grandis leaves, Elsinoe salignae on Eucalyptus saligna leaves, Marasmius lebeliae on litter of regenerating subtropical rainforest, Phialoseptomonium eucalypti (incl. Phialoseptomonium gen. nov.) on Eucalyptus grandis × camaldulensis leaves, Phlogicylindrium pawpawense on Eucalyptus tereticornis leaves, Phyllosticta longicauda as an endophyte from healthy Eustrephus latifolius leaves, Pseudosydowia eucalyptorum on Eucalyptus sp. leaves, Saitozyma wallum on Banksia aemula leaves, Teratosphaeria henryi on Corymbia henryi leaves. Brazil, Aspergillus bezerrae, Backusella azygospora, Mariannaea terricola and Talaromyces pernambucoensis from soil, Calonectria matogrossensis on Eucalyptus urophylla leaves, Calvatia brasiliensis on soil, Carcinomyces nordestinensis on Bromelia antiacantha leaves, Dendryphiella stromaticola on small branches of an unidentified plant, Nigrospora brasiliensis on Nopalea cochenillifera leaves, Penicillium alagoense as a leaf endophyte on a Miconia sp., Podosordaria nigrobrunnea on dung, Spegazzinia bromeliacearum as a leaf endophyte on Tilandsia catimbauensis, Xylobolus brasiliensis on decaying wood. Bulgaria, Kazachstania molopis from the gut of the beetle Molops piceus. Croatia, Mollisia endocrystallina from a fallen decorticated Picea abies tree trunk. Ecuador, Hygrocybe rodomaculata on soil. Hungary, Alfoldia vorosii (incl. Alfoldia gen. nov.) from Juniperus communis roots, Kiskunsagia ubrizsyi (incl. Kiskunsagia gen. nov.) from Fumana procumbens roots. India, Aureobasidium tremulum as laboratory contaminant, Leucosporidium himalayensis and Naganishia indica from windblown dust on glaciers. Italy, Neodevriesia cycadicola on Cycas sp. leaves, Pseudocercospora pseudomyrticola on Myrtus communis leaves, Ramularia pistaciae on Pistacia lentiscus leaves, Neognomoniopsis quercina (incl. Neognomoniopsis gen. nov.) on Quercus ilex leaves. Japan, Diaporthe fructicola on Passiflora edulis × P. edulis f. flavicarpa fruit, Entoloma nipponicum on leaf litter in a mixed Cryptomeria japonica and Acer spp. forest. Macedonia, Astraeus macedonicus on soil. Malaysia, Fusicladium eucalyptigenum on Eucalyptus sp. twigs, Neoacrodontiella eucalypti (incl. Neoacrodontiella gen. nov.) on Eucalyptus urophylla leaves. Mozambique, Meliola gorongosensis on dead Philenoptera violacea leaflets. Nepal, Coniochaeta dendrobiicola from Dendriobium lognicornu roots. New Zealand, Neodevriesia sexualis and Thozetella neonivea on Archontophoenix cunninghamiana leaves. Norway, Calophoma sandfjordenica from a piece of board on a rocky shoreline, Clavaria parvispora on soil, Didymella finnmarkica from a piece of Pinus sylvestris driftwood. Poland, Sugiyamaella trypani from soil. Portugal, Colletotrichum feijoicola from Acca sellowiana. Russia, Crepidotus tobolensis on Populus tremula debris, Entoloma ekaterinae, Entoloma erhardii and Suillus gastroflavus on soil, Nakazawaea ambrosiae from the galleries of Ips typographus under the bark of Picea abies. Slovenia, Pluteus ludwigii on twigs of broadleaved trees. South Africa, Anungitiomyces stellenboschiensis (incl. Anungitiomyces gen. nov.) and Niesslia stellenboschiana on Eucalyptus sp. leaves, Beltraniella pseudoportoricensis on Podocarpus falcatus leaf litter, Corynespora encephalarti on Encephalartos sp. leaves, Cytospora pavettae on Pavetta revoluta leaves, Helminthosporium erythrinicola on Erythrina humeana leaves, Helminthosporium syzygii on a Syzygium sp. bark canker, Libertasomyces aloeticus on Aloe sp. leaves, Penicillium lunae from Musa sp. fruit, Phyllosticta lauridiae on Lauridia tetragona leaves, Pseudotruncatella bolusanthi (incl. Pseudotruncatellaceae fam. nov.) and Dactylella bolusanthi on Bolusanthus speciosus leaves. Spain, Apenidiella foetida on submerged plant debris, Inocybe grammatoides on Quercus ilex subsp. ilex forest humus, Ossicaulis salomii on soil, Phialemonium guarroi from soil. Thailand, Pantospora chromolaenae on Chromolaena odorata leaves. Ukraine, Cadophora helianthi from Helianthus annuus stems. USA, Boletus pseudopinophilus on soil under slash pine, Botryotrichum foricae, Penicillium americanum and Penicillium minnesotense from air. Vietnam, Lycoperdon vietnamense on soil. Morphological and culture characteristics are supported by DNA barcodes.
  10. Chang YK, Chen FT, Kuan G, Wei GX, Chu CH, Yan J, et al.
    Front Aging Neurosci, 2019;11:227.
    PMID: 31551753 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2019.00227
    Objective: This study investigated whether acute exercise duration affects inhibition in late middle-aged adults. Methods: Over four separate days, 40 late middle-aged adults completed, in a counterbalanced order, three exercise sessions consisting of single bouts of moderate-to-vigorous intensity cycling, with the main acute exercise durations being 10, 20, and 45 min, and a control session consisting of 30 min of reading. Their inhibition performance was then evaluated by administration of the Stroop test following each session. Results: The participants had shorter mean response times for both the congruent and neutral conditions of the Stroop following the acute exercise lasting 20 min than they did after the control session. The acute exercise lasting 20 min also resulted in shorter response times for both conditions of the Stroop than the acute exercise lasting only 10 min. Meanwhile, the acute exercise lasting 45 min resulted in a shorter mean response time for the neutral Stroop condition than did the control session. Finally, the acute exercise lasting 20 min resulted in the shortest mean response time of all four sessions for the Stroop incongruent condition. Conclusion: The above findings suggest that the moderate-to-vigorous intensity acute exercise lasting 20 min facilitated multiple cognitive function domains in general, whereas the exercise sessions of shorter and longer duration had negligible effects on executive function in the late middle-aged adults. These results highlight the need to consider the duration of any moderate-to-vigorous intensity exercise when developing acute exercise programs to facilitate executive function in aged populations.
  11. Amen OM, Sarker SD, Ghildyal R, Arya A
    Front Pharmacol, 2019;10:977.
    PMID: 31551782 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2019.00977
    Obesity has been implicated as a risk factor for insulin resistance and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Although the association between obesity and CVD is a well-established phenomenon, the precise mechanisms remain incompletely understood. This has led to a relative paucity of therapeutic measures for the prevention and treatment of CVD and associated metabolic disorders. Recent studies have shed light on the pivotal role of prolonged endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS)-initiated activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR), the ensuing chronic low-grade inflammation, and altered insulin signaling in promoting obesity-compromised cardiovascular system (CVS). In this aspect, potential ways of attenuating ERS-initiated UPR signaling seem a promising avenue for therapeutic interventions. We review intersecting role of obesity-induced ERS, chronic inflammation, insulin resistance, and oxidative stress in the discovery of targeted therapy. Moreover, this review highlights the current progress and strategies on therapeutics being explored in preclinical and clinical research to modulate ERS and UPR signaling.
  12. Chin CF, Teoh EY, Chee MJY, Al-Obaidi JR, Rahmad N, Lawson T
    Protein J, 2019 12;38(6):704-715.
    PMID: 31552579 DOI: 10.1007/s10930-019-09868-x
    Mango (Mangifera indica L.) is an economically important fruit. However, the marketability of mango is affected by the perishable nature and short shelf-life of the fruit. Therefore, a better understanding of the mango ripening process is of great importance towards extending its postharvest shelf life. Proteomics is a powerful tool that can be used to elucidate the complex ripening process at the cellular and molecular levels. This study utilized 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2D-GE) coupled with MALDI-TOF/TOF to identify differentially abundant proteins during the ripening process of the two varieties of tropical mango, Mangifera indica cv. 'Chokanan' and Mangifera indica cv 'Golden Phoenix'. The comparative analysis between the ripe and unripe stages of mango fruit mesocarp revealed that the differentially abundant proteins identified could be grouped into the three categories namely, ethylene synthesis and aromatic volatiles, cell wall degradation and stress-response proteins. There was an additional category for differential proteins identified from the 'Chokanan' variety namely, energy and carbohydrate metabolism. However, of all the differential proteins identified, only methionine gamma-lyase was found in both 'Chokanan' and 'Golden Phoenix' varieties. Six differential proteins were selected from each variety for validation by analysing their respective transcript expression using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). The results revealed that two genes namely, glutathione S-transferase (GST) and alpha-1,4 glucan phosphorylase (AGP) were found to express in concordant with protein abundant. The findings will provide an insight into the fruit ripening process of different varieties of mango fruits, which is important for postharvest management.
    MeSH terms: Fruit/metabolism*; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Mangifera/metabolism*; Proteomics/methods
  13. Mohamad Hanif EA
    Mol Biol Rep, 2019 Dec;46(6):6617-6624.
    PMID: 31552595 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-019-05079-w
    FEC chemo-resistance in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) remains a challenge. Therefore it is crucial to determine the right treatment regime by understanding molecular mechanisms of driver regulators involved in the progression of TNBCs. This study aims to understand SETD1A mechanisms in TNBC development in two TNBC cell lines. SETD1A was transiently transfected in MDA-MB-468 (FEC good prognosis) and Hs578T (FEC poor prognosis). Regulation of potential targets miR205, EMT marker ZEB1 and LRG1 and proliferative marker Ki-67 were tested by RqPCR to elucidate SETD1A interactions. This study displayed significant recovery of miR205 with SETD1A depletion and reduction of ZEB1 in MDA-MB-468. However, ZEB1 remained unchanged in Hs578T indicating ZEB1 regulation may be outcompeted by other mechanisms associated with aggressive cell line characteristics and the expression of endogenous ZEB1 was relatively high in Hs578T. Elevation of LRG1 and declined Ki-67 were observed by SETD1A knocked down. Enhanced expression was observed by LRG1 in Hs578T and not in MDA-MB-468 suggesting LRG1 contributed to distinct poor FEC outcome in TNBCs. The underlying mechanism of SETD1A in miR205/ZEB1/Ki-67/LRG1 axis needs further evaluation. Whether abrogation of the pathway is indeed associated with transcriptional or post-transcriptional activation in TNBC cell lines models, clearly validation in clinical samples is warranted to achieve its prognostic and therapeutic values in TNBCs.
    MeSH terms: Female; Glycoproteins/genetics*; Humans; Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase/genetics*; Transfection; Down-Regulation; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; MicroRNAs/genetics*; Epigenesis, Genetic; Cell Line, Tumor; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition; Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms/genetics*
  14. Subramanian S, Patil SS, Ponnusamy S, Hasamnis AA, Loh KY, Santosh N
    Indian J Public Health, 2019 9 26;63(3):220-226.
    PMID: 31552852 DOI: 10.4103/ijph.IJPH_278_18
    Background: Whole-grain consumption is associated with several health benefits. Little is known, however, about whole-grain consumption patterns in medical students in Malaysia.

    Objectives: The study was conducted to assess whole-grain intake pattern and factors influencing intake among Malaysian medical students.

    Methods: A cross-sectional study investigating whole-grain intake among 151 medical students in a private medical university in Malaysia was conducted from January to June 2018. A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess sociodemographic variables, the whole-grain intake pattern and the knowledge and attitudes toward whole-grain intake. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS software. Chi-square test and multivariable logistic regression were used.

    Results: The prevalence of reported whole-grain intake in the past 3 months was 51%. Chinese ethnicity, readiness to adhere to Malaysian food pyramid, and self-preparation of food, and eating at home were significantly associated with whole-grain consumption. However, the primary determinants of food choice such as education, knowledge, and affordability did not seem to influence whole-grain consumption. Whole-grain consumption is relatively low among Malaysian medical students. Cultural background and self-belief influence this practice despite being from the medical fraternity.

    Conclusions: Efforts are needed to bridge the knowledge-practice gap by assessing the barriers to whole-grain consumption to design effective initiatives to promote an increase in whole-grain consumption.

    MeSH terms: Whole Grains*; Cross-Sectional Studies; Cultural Characteristics; Diet*; Female; Humans; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*; Life Style; Malaysia; Male; Socioeconomic Factors; Students, Medical/statistics & numerical data*; Young Adult
  15. Rahim AA, Chacko TV
    Indian J Public Health, 2019 9 26;63(3):261-264.
    PMID: 31552860 DOI: 10.4103/ijph.IJPH_117_19
    Asia Pacific region has been witnessing numerous public health emergencies in recent years with the Nipah outbreak in North Kerala (2018), India, needs special mention. Threats posed and experiences gained have compelled health systems to draft frameworks nationally and internationally for preparedness, outbreak response, and recovery. Our failure to obtain comprehensive guiding frameworks for application in the Indian context for Ebola, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, Influenza A (H1N1), and Nipah outbreaks led us to the search outside India for frameworks that have worked in the past. A thorough review of the WHO, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Malaysian framework was done to identify explicit components and replicable objectives to the national context. In the absence of a specific framework, Nipah recovery and response experience that worked in Kerala outbreak (2018) was compared against novel H1N1 (2015) guidelines at national level. This article provides the groundwork and insights as a value addition toward an India-specific framework of action for response and recovery for Nipah outbreaks in future.
    MeSH terms: Communicable Disease Control/organization & administration*; Disaster Planning/organization & administration*; Disease Outbreaks; Humans; India/epidemiology; Influenza, Human/epidemiology*; Guidelines as Topic; Henipavirus Infections/epidemiology*; Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype
  16. Ge N, Brugge WR, Saxena P, Sahai A, Adler DG, Giovannini M, et al.
    Endosc Ultrasound, 2019 9 26;8(6):418-427.
    PMID: 31552915 DOI: 10.4103/eus.eus_61_19
    Background and Objectives: Currently, pancreatic cystic lesions (PCLs) are recognized with increasing frequency and have become a more common finding in clinical practice. EUS is challenging in the diagnosis of PCLs and evidence-based decisions are lacking in its application. This study aimed to develop strong recommendations for the use of EUS in the diagnosis of PCLs, based on the experience of experts in the field.

    Methods: A survey regarding the practice of EUS in the evaluation of PCLs was drafted by the committee member of the International Society of EUS Task Force (ISEUS-TF). It was disseminated to experts of EUS who were also members of the ISEUS-TF. In some cases, percentage agreement with some statements was calculated; in others, the options with the greatest numbers of responses were summarized.

    Results: Fifteen questions were extracted and disseminated among 60 experts for the survey. Fifty-three experts completed the survey within the specified time frame. The average volume of EUS cases at the experts' institutions is 988.5 cases per year.

    Conclusion: Despite the limitations of EUS alone in the morphologic diagnosis of PCLs, the results of the survey indicate that EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration is widely expected to become a more valuable method.

    MeSH terms: Pancreas; Surveys and Questionnaires; Endosonography; Committee Membership; Biopsy, Fine-Needle
  17. Westbury MV, Petersen B, Lorenzen ED
    PLoS One, 2019;14(9):e0222004.
    PMID: 31553763 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0222004
    Fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) and blue whales (B. musculus) are the two largest species on Earth and are widely distributed across the world's oceans. Hybrids between these species appear to be relatively widespread and have been reported in both the North Atlantic and North Pacific; they are also relatively common, and have been proposed to occur once in every thousand fin whales. However, despite known hybridization, fin and blue whales are not sibling species. Rather, the closest living relative of fin whales are humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). To improve the quality of fin whale data available for analysis, we assembled and annotated a fin whale nuclear genome using in-silico mate pair libraries and previously published short-read data. Using this assembly and genomic data from a humpback, blue, and bowhead whale, we investigated whether signatures of introgression between the fin and blue whale could be found. We find no signatures of contemporary admixture in the fin and blue whale genomes, although our analyses support ancestral gene flow between the species until 2.4-1.3 Ma. We propose the following explanations for our findings; i) fin/blue whale hybridization does not occur in the populations our samples originate from, ii) contemporary hybrids are a recent phenomenon and the genetic consequences have yet to become widespread across populations, or iii) fin/blue whale hybrids are under large negative selection, preventing them from backcrossing and contributing to the parental gene pools.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Computer Simulation; Female; Genetics, Population; Hybridization, Genetic; Male; Models, Genetic; Phylogeny; Species Specificity; Genomics/statistics & numerical data; Balaenoptera/classification; Balaenoptera/genetics*; Fin Whale/classification; Fin Whale/genetics*; Humpback Whale/classification; Humpback Whale/genetics; Gene Flow
  18. Ng CH, Lee SL, Tnah LH, Ng KKS, Lee CT, Diway B, et al.
    J Hered, 2019 12 17;110(7):844-856.
    PMID: 31554011 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esz052
    Southeast Asian rainforests at upper hill elevations are increasingly vulnerable to degradation because most lowland forest areas have been converted to different land uses. As such, understanding the genetics of upper hill species is becoming more crucial for their future management and conservation. Shorea platyclados is an important, widespread upper hill dipterocarp in Malaysia. To elucidate the genetic structure of S. platyclados and ultimately provide guidelines for a conservation strategy for this species, we carried out a comprehensive study of the genetic diversity and demographic history of S. platyclados. Twenty-seven populations of S. platyclados across its range in Malaysia were genotyped at 15 polymorphic microsatellite loci and sequenced at seven noncoding chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) regions. A total of 303 alleles were derived from the microsatellite loci, and 29 haplotypes were identified based on 2892 bp of concatenated cpDNA sequences. The populations showed moderately high genetic diversity (mean HE = 0.680 for microsatellite gene diversity and HT = 0.650 for total haplotype diversity) and low genetic differentiation (FST = 0.060). Bayesian clustering divided the studied populations into two groups corresponding to western and eastern Malaysia. Bottleneck analysis did not detect any recent bottleneck events. Extended Bayesian skyline analyses showed a model of constant size for the past population history of this species. Based on our findings, priority areas for in situ and ex situ conservation and a minimum population size are recommended for the sustainable utilization of S. platyclados.
    MeSH terms: Alleles; Bayes Theorem; Conservation of Natural Resources; Genetics, Population*; Haplotypes*; Genetic Variation*; DNA, Chloroplast; Microsatellite Repeats; Dipterocarpaceae/classification*; Dipterocarpaceae/genetics*; Rainforest
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