Browse publications by year: 2019

  1. Kelly B, Vandevijvere S, Ng S, Adams J, Allemandi L, Bahena-Espina L, et al.
    Obes Rev, 2019 Nov;20 Suppl 2(Suppl 2):116-128.
    PMID: 30977265 DOI: 10.1111/obr.12840
    Restricting children's exposures to marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages is a global obesity prevention priority. Monitoring marketing exposures supports informed policymaking. This study presents a global overview of children's television advertising exposure to healthy and unhealthy products. Twenty-two countries contributed data, captured between 2008 and 2017. Advertisements were coded for the nature of foods and beverages, using the 2015 World Health Organization (WHO) Europe Nutrient Profile Model (should be permitted/not-permitted to be advertised). Peak viewing times were defined as the top five hour timeslots for children. On average, there were four times more advertisements for foods/beverages that should not be permitted than for permitted foods/beverages. The frequency of food/beverages advertisements that should not be permitted per hour was higher during peak viewing times compared with other times (P 
    MeSH terms: Advertising as Topic/statistics & numerical data*; Beverages*; Child; Food*; Humans; Television; Benchmarking
  2. Sirunyan AM, Tumasyan A, Adam W, Ambrogi F, Asilar E, Bergauer T, et al.
    Phys Rev Lett, 2019 Mar 29;122(12):121803.
    PMID: 30978057 DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.121803
    This Letter describes a search for Higgs boson pair production using the combined results from four final states: bbγγ, bbττ, bbbb, and bbVV, where V represents a W or Z boson. The search is performed using data collected in 2016 by the CMS experiment from LHC proton-proton collisions at sqrt[s]=13  TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9  fb^{-1}. Limits are set on the Higgs boson pair production cross section. A 95% confidence level observed (expected) upper limit on the nonresonant production cross section is set at 22.2 (12.8) times the standard model value. A search for narrow resonances decaying to Higgs boson pairs is also performed in the mass range 250-3000 GeV. No evidence for a signal is observed, and upper limits are set on the resonance production cross section.
    MeSH terms: Data Collection; Protons; United States; Vibration
  3. Puspitasari Y, Annas S, Adza-Rina MN, Zamri-Saad M
    Microb Pathog, 2019 Jun;131:170-174.
    PMID: 30978429 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2019.04.012
    Pasteurella multocida B:2 is a Gram-negative organism causing haemorrhagic septicaemia (HS) in buffaloes. It causes severe pulmonary infection, leading to infiltration of numerous macrophages and neutrophils. Despite the inflammatory response, buffaloes succumb to HS. This study aims to evaluate the in-vitro efficacy of macrophages and neutrophils of buffalo following exposure to P. multocida B:2. In-vitro infections were done using 107 cfu/ml of P. multocida B:2 for Group 1, Escherichia coli for Group 2 and Mannhaemia haemolytica A:2 for Group 3 cells. The inoculated cell cultures were harvested at 0, 30, 60 and 120 min post-exposure and the phagocytic, killing and cell death rates were determined. Both phagocytosis and killing rates of all bacteria increased over time. Phagocytosis involved between 71% and 73% neutrophils and between 60% and 64% macrophages at 120 min. Killing rate of all bacteria involved between 76% and 79% for neutrophils and between 70% and 74% for macrophages at 120 min. Death rate of neutrophils ranged between 67% in Group 3, and 88% in Group 1 at 120 min, significantly (p  0.05) than Group 2. Similar pattern was observed for death rate of macrophages. The phagocytosis and killing rates of P. multocida B:2 were similar to other bacterial species used in this study but more neutrophils and macrophages were dead following infection by P. multocida B:2 than M. haemolytica A:2.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Buffaloes/immunology*; Buffaloes/microbiology; Cattle; Cattle Diseases/immunology*; Cattle Diseases/microbiology; Cytoplasm/microbiology; Cytoplasm/physiology*; Escherichia coli; Macrophages; Neutrophils; Pasteurella Infections/immunology*; Pasteurella Infections/microbiology; Pasteurella Infections/veterinary*; Phagocytes/microbiology; Phagocytes/physiology*; Phagocytosis*; Time Factors; Cell Death; Pasteurella multocida/immunology*; Pasteurella multocida/pathogenicity; Mannheimia
  4. Watari H, Nakajima H, Atsuumi W, Nakamura T, Nanya T, Ise Y, et al.
    PMID: 30978513 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpc.2019.04.003
    We screened 868 marine extracts in search of hematopoietic molecules resulted in findings of several extracts that proliferated Ba/F3-HuMpl cells but not the cells expressed with other hematopoietic cytokine receptors, EPO and G-CSF. Separation of the most potent extract of a Micronesian sponge Corticium sp., guided by the cell proliferation assay using Ba/F3-HuMpl cells resulted in an isolation of thrombocorticin (ThC), a novel 14 kDa protein as an active principal. ThC displayed concentration-dependent proliferation of Ba/F3-HuMpl cells, and had a stronger activity than that of eltrombopag, a small molecule drug used to treat thrombocytopenia. ThC induced phosphorylation of STAT5, suggesting that it activates Jak/STAT pathway as in the case of TPO. These results together indicated that ThC is a specific agonist for c-Mpl, although the size and shape differs largely from TPO. Here we present isolation, characterization and biological activity of ThC.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Cell Line; Porifera/chemistry*; Proteins/pharmacology*; Proteins/chemistry; Signal Transduction/drug effects; Mice; Receptors, Thrombopoietin/agonists*
  5. Chua LYW, Chua BL, Figiel A, Chong CH, Wojdyło A, Szumny A, et al.
    Molecules, 2019 04 09;24(7).
    PMID: 30970652 DOI: 10.3390/molecules24071397
    The preservation of active constituents in fresh herbs is affected by drying methods. An effective drying method for Strobilanthes crispus which is increasingly marketed as an important herbal tea remains to be reported. This study evaluated the effects of conventional and new drying technologies, namely vacuum microwave drying methods, on the antioxidant activity and yield of essential oil volatiles and phytosterols. These drying methods included convective drying (CD) at 40 °C, 50 °C, and 60 °C; vacuum microwave drying (VMD) at 6, 9, and 12 W/g; convective pre-drying and vacuum microwave finish drying (CPD-VMFD) at 50 °C and 9 W/g; and freeze-drying (FD). GC–MS revealed 33 volatiles, and 2-hexen-1-ol, 2-hexenal, 1-octen-3-ol, linalool, and benzaldehyde were major constituents. The compounds β-sitosterol and α-linolenic acid were the most abundant phytosterol and fatty acid, respectively, in fresh S. crispus. The highest phenolic content was achieved with CD at 60 °C. The highest antioxidant activity was obtained with CD at 40 °C and VMD at 9 W/g. On the contrary, the highest total volatiles and phytosterols were detected with CD at 50 °C and VMD at 9 W/g, respectively. This study showed that CD and VMD were effective in producing highly bioactive S. crispus. A suitable drying parameter level, irrespective of the drying method used, was an important influencing factor.
    MeSH terms: Antioxidants/analysis*; Freeze Drying; Microwaves*; Phytosterols/analysis*; Vacuum; Acanthaceae/chemistry*
  6. Boo YL, Liam CCK, Toh SG, Lim SM
    Hong Kong Med J, 2019 04;25(2):162-163.
    PMID: 30971509 DOI: 10.12809/hkmj187420
    MeSH terms: Adult; Humans; Imidazoles/adverse effects; Imidazoles/therapeutic use*; Liver Function Tests/trends; Male; Prednisolone/administration & dosage; Pyridazines/adverse effects; Pyridazines/therapeutic use*; Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive/drug therapy*; Protein Kinase Inhibitors/adverse effects; Protein Kinase Inhibitors/therapeutic use*; Drug-Induced Liver Injury/drug therapy; Drug-Induced Liver Injury/etiology*
  7. Lim LL, Tse G, Choi KC, Zhang J, Luk AOY, Chow E, et al.
    Sci Rep, 2019 Apr 10;9(1):5881.
    PMID: 30971731 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-42346-z
    We examined the temporal changes in obesity and sleep habits and their relationship in a prospective cohort of healthy Chinese adolescents. We collected data on anthropometric and questionnaire-measured sleep parameters in 2007-2008. 516 participants returned for examinations in 2013-2015. General obesity was defined as body mass index (BMI) ≥age- and sex-specific 95th percentile or ≥25 kg/m2 for participants aged <18 or ≥18 years, respectively. Central obesity was defined as waist circumference (WC) ≥ age- and sex-specific 90th percentile or using adult cut-offs. After a mean follow-up of 6.2 ± 0.5 years, the mean BMI increased from 18.5 ± 3.1 to 20.9 ± 3.4 kg/m2. The corresponding WC were 63.7 ± 8.9 and 69.8 ± 9.7 cm. General obesity rate increased from 8.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] 6.1-11.1) to 11.3% (8.7-14.4; p = 0.034). Central obesity rate decreased from 16.9% (13.7-20.4) to 13.5% (10.6-16.8; p = 0.034). During follow-up, more participants reported short sleep (<7 hours/day during weekday: 20.5% [17.1-24.2] vs. 15.3% [12.3-18.8]; p = 0.033) and bedtime after midnight (60.5% [56.2-64.8] vs. 16.2% [13.1-19.7]; p 
    MeSH terms: Adolescent; Child; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Hong Kong; Humans; Male; Obesity/pathology*; Prospective Studies; Risk Factors; Sleep*; Body Mass Index; Waist Circumference
  8. Sirunyan AM, Tumasyan A, Adam W, Ambrogi F, Asilar E, Bergauer T, et al.
    Eur Phys J C Part Fields, 2019;79(3):269.
    PMID: 30971865 DOI: 10.1140/epjc/s10052-019-6752-1
    Measurements are presented of associated production of a W boson and a charm quark ( W + c ) in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 Te . The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 35.7 fb - 1 collected by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC. The W bosons are identified by their decay into a muon and a neutrino. The charm quarks are tagged via the full reconstruction of D ∗ ( 2010 ) ± mesons that decay via D ∗ ( 2010 ) ± → D 0 + π ± → K ∓ + π ± + π ± . A cross section is measured in the fiducial region defined by the muon transverse momentum p T μ > 26 Ge , muon pseudorapidity | η μ | < 2.4 , and charm quark transverse momentum p T c > 5 Ge . The inclusive cross section for this kinematic range is σ ( W + c ) = 1026 ± 31 (stat) + 76 - 72 (syst) pb . The cross section is also measured differentially as a function of the pseudorapidity of the muon from the W boson decay. These measurements are compared with theoretical predictions and are used to probe the strange quark content of the proton.
  9. Ali HH, Lamsali H, Othman SN
    J Med Syst, 2019 Apr 10;43(5):139.
    PMID: 30972511 DOI: 10.1007/s10916-019-1263-z
    Hospital scheduling presents huge challenges for the healthcare industry. Various studies have been conducted in many different countries with focus on both elective and non-elective surgeries. There are important variables and factors that need to be taken into considerations. Different methods and approaches have also been used to examine hospital scheduling. Notwithstanding the continuous changes in modern healthcare services and, in particular, hospital operations, consistent reviews and further studies are still required. The importance of hospital scheduling, particularly, has become more critical as the trade-off between limited resources and overwhelming demand is becoming more evident. This situation is even more pressing in a volatile country where shootings and bombings in public areas happened. Hospital scheduling for elective surgeries in volatile country such as Iraq is therefore often interrupted by non-elective surgeries due to war-related incidents. Hence, this paper intends to address this issue by proposing a hospital scheduling model with focus on neuro-surgery department. The aim of the model is to maximize utilization of operating room while concurrently minimizing idle time of surgery. The study focused on neurosurgery department in Al-Shahid Ghazi Al-Hariri hospital in Baghdad, Iraq. In doing so, a Mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model is formulated where interruptions of non-elective surgery are incorporated into the main elective surgery based model. Computational experiment is then carried out to test the model. The result indicates that the model is feasible and can be solved in reasonable times. Nonetheless, its feasibility is further tested as the problems size and the computation times is getting bigger and longer. Application of heuristic methods is the way forward to ensure better practicality of the proposed model. In the end, the potential benefit of this study and the proposed model is discussed.
    MeSH terms: Armed Conflicts/statistics & numerical data*; Algorithms; Appointments and Schedules*; Hospitals, Public/organization & administration; Humans; Iraq; Models, Theoretical; Operating Rooms/organization & administration*; Personnel Staffing and Scheduling/organization & administration; Prospective Studies; Time Factors; Elective Surgical Procedures/statistics & numerical data*; Efficiency, Organizational/statistics & numerical data*; Quality Improvement/organization & administration
  10. Ithnin A, Zubir A, Awang N, Mohamad Sulaiman NN
    Pak J Biol Sci, 2019 Jan;22(3):143-147.
    PMID: 30972984 DOI: 10.3923/pjbs.2019.143.147
    BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Welding fume exposure has led to the respiratory problems among welders including cough, phlegm, chest illnesses, nausea and fatigue. Inadequate ventilation during welding works causes the situation to worsen. Welding fumes can cause a decrease in lung function among welders. Chronic exposure will lead to other health effects especially COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). The objective of this study is to determine the exposure of welding fumes (Cd, Fe, Pb and Zn) towards respiratory health including lung function test (FEV1, FVC, FEV1/FVC, PEFR) of workers in Lumut shipyard, Perak.

    MATERIAL AND METHODS: This research study the relationship between exposures of welding fumes towards lung function test among workers in Lumut shipyard, Perak. Lung function test was measured by spirometry among 30 welders and 31 non-welders. The concentration welding fume exposure was measured using OSHA ID-121 method. Sociodemographic data, respiratory symptoms and smoking habit data was analyzed based on the ATS 1987 questionnaire.

    RESULTS: The mean concentration for Pb in welding fumes was 2.752 mg m-3 which is above 0.5 mg m-3 PEL-TWA. The FEV1 and FVC readings showed significant different between welders and non-welders (p = 0.001). Cough and phlegm symptoms showed significant different between welders and non-welders (p = 0.001). Welders had higher prevalence in smoking habit than the non-welders. Chest illnesses symptom showed an association with the smoking habit (p = 0.01).

    CONCLUSION: There is relationship between welding fumes exposure on lung function test of workers in Lumut shipyard. Pb in welding fumes has high concentration and exceeded PEL-TWA level. The FEV1 and FVC in welders are lower than non-welder due to the fumes exposure. Welders showed higher respiratory symptoms than non-welders. Smoking habit is a contributing factor towards respiratory problem.
    MeSH terms: Adult; Air Pollutants*; Cadmium; Cross-Sectional Studies; Forced Expiratory Volume; Gases; Health Status; Humans; Iron; Lead; Lung/pathology*; Malaysia; Male; Middle Aged; Occupational Diseases/diagnosis; Occupational Diseases/epidemiology*; Surveys and Questionnaires; Respiratory Function Tests*; Smoking; Welding*; Zinc; Young Adult
  11. Lisuzzo L, Cavallaro G, Pasbakhsh P, Milioto S, Lazzara G
    J Colloid Interface Sci, 2019 Jul 01;547:361-369.
    PMID: 30974251 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2019.04.012
    The filling of halloysite nanotubes with active compounds solubilized in aqueous solvent was investigated theoretically and experimentally. Based on Knudsen thermogravimetric data, we demonstrated the water confinement within the cavity of halloysite. This process is crucial to properly describe the driving mechanism of halloysite loading. In addition, Knudsen thermogravimetric experiments were conducted on kaolinite nanoplates as well as on halloysite nanotubes modified with an anionic surfactant (sodium dodecanoate) in order to explore the influence of both the nanoparticle morphology and the hydrophobic/hydrophilic character of the lumen on the confinement phenomenon. The analysis of the desorption isotherms allowed us to determine the water adsorption properties of the investigated nanoclays. The pore sizes of the nanotubes' lumen was determined by combining the vapor pressure of the confined water with the nanoparticles wettability, which was studied through contact angle measurements. The thermodynamic description of the water confinement inside the lumen was correlated to the influence of the vacuum pumping in the experimental loading of halloysite. Metoprolol tartrate, salicylic acid and malonic acid were selected as anionic guest molecules for the experimental filling of the positively charged halloysite lumen. According to the filling mechanism induced by the water confinement, the vacuum operation and the reduced pressure enhanced the loading of halloysite nanotubes for all the investigated bioactive compounds. This work represents a further and crucial step for the development of halloysite based nanocarriers being that the filling mechanism of the nanotube's cavity from aqueous dispersions was described according to the water confinement process.
    MeSH terms: Adsorption; Aluminum Silicates; Kaolin; Lauric Acids; Malonates; Metoprolol; Solvents; Surface-Active Agents; Thermodynamics; Vacuum; Water; Wettability; Salicylic Acid; Nanotubes; Nanoparticles; Vapor Pressure; Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions
  12. Thuy Le MA, Fong SL, Lim KS, Gunadharma S, Sejahtera DP, Visudtibhan A, et al.
    Seizure, 2019 Jul;69:51-56.
    PMID: 30974407 DOI: 10.1016/j.seizure.2019.04.002
    PURPOSE: This survey was performed to determine the availability of epilepsy surgery, and understand the limiting factors to epilepsy surgery in ASEAN countries with total of 640 million population.

    METHOD: A cross-sectional survey was completed by national representatives in all ASEAN countries (Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam).

    RESULTS: Overall facilities for initial epilepsy pre-surgical evaluation are available in most countries, but further non-invasive and invasive investigations are limited. Three countries (Brunei, Cambodia, and East Timor) have no epilepsy center, and 2 countries (Laos, Myanmar) have level 2 centers doing tumor surgery only. Level-3 epilepsy centers are available in 6 countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippine, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam); only 5 countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippine, Singapore, Thailand) has at least one level-4 epilepsy care facility. Indonesia with 261 million population only has one level 3 and another level 4 center. The costs of presurgical evaluation and brain surgery vary within and among the countries. The main barriers towards epilepsy surgery in ASEAN include lack of expertise, funding and facilities.

    CONCLUSIONS: Epilepsy surgery is underutilized in ASEAN with low number of level 3 centers, and limited availability of advanced presurgical evaluation. Lack of expertise, facilities and funding may be the key factors contributing to the underutilization.

    MeSH terms: Asia; Cross-Sectional Studies; Developing Countries*; Epilepsy/economics*; Epilepsy/surgery*; Humans; Patient Education as Topic/statistics & numerical data
  13. Ng CK, How KY, Tee KK, Chan KG
    Genes (Basel), 2019 04 08;10(4).
    PMID: 30965610 DOI: 10.3390/genes10040282
    Quorum sensing (QS) is a cell-to-cell communication system that uses autoinducers as signaling molecules to enable inter-species and intra-species interactions in response to external stimuli according to the population density. QS allows bacteria such as Acinetobacter baumannii to react rapidly in response to environmental changes and hence, increase the chances of survival. A. baumannii is one of the causative agents in hospital-acquired infections and the number of cases has increased remarkably in the past decade. In this study, A. baumannii strain 863, a multidrug-resistant pathogen, was found to exhibit QS activity by producing N-acyl homoserine lactone. We identified the autoinducer synthase gene, which we named abaI, by performing whole genome sequencing analysis of A. baumannii strain 863. Using high resolution tandem triple quadrupole mass spectrometry, we reported that abaI of A. baumannii strain 863 produced 3-hydroxy-dodecanoyl-homoserine lactone. A gene deletion mutant was constructed, which confirmed the functionality of abaI. A growth defect was observed in the QS-deficient mutant strain. Transcriptome profiling was performed to determine the possible genes regulated by QS. Four groups of genes that showed differential expression were discovered, namely those involved in carbon source metabolism, energy production, stress response and the translation process.
    MeSH terms: Acinetobacter Infections/genetics*; Acinetobacter Infections/microbiology; Acinetobacter Infections/pathology; Bacterial Proteins/genetics*; Cross Infection/genetics; Cross Infection/microbiology; Cross Infection/pathology; Humans; Recombination, Genetic/genetics; Transcription Factors/genetics*; Mutagenesis; Genome/genetics; Biofilms/drug effects; Biofilms/growth & development; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; Acinetobacter baumannii/genetics*; Acinetobacter baumannii/pathogenicity; Quorum Sensing/genetics; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; Transcriptome/genetics*
  14. Ahmad N, Colak B, Zhang DW, Gibbs MJ, Watkinson M, Becer CR, et al.
    Sensors (Basel), 2019 Apr 08;19(7).
    PMID: 30965649 DOI: 10.3390/s19071677
    Peptide cross-linked poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogel has been widely used for drug delivery and tissue engineering. However, the use of this material as a biosensor for the detection of collagenase has not been explored. Proteases play a key role in the pathology of diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. The detection of this class of enzyme using the degradable hydrogel film format is promising as a point-of-care device for disease monitoring. In this study, a protease biosensor was developed based on the degradation of a peptide cross-linked poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogel film and demonstrated for the detection of collagenase. The hydrogel was deposited on gold-coated quartz crystals, and their degradation in the presence of collagenase was monitored using a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). The biosensor was shown to respond to concentrations between 2 and 2000 nM in less than 10 min with a lower detection limit of 2 nM.
    MeSH terms: Cross-Linking Reagents/chemistry; Peptides/chemistry*; Polyethylene Glycols/chemistry; Biosensing Techniques*; Collagenases/isolation & purification*; Collagenases/chemistry; Hydrogel/chemistry*; Limit of Detection; Quartz Crystal Microbalance Techniques
  15. Yaacob LH, Abdul Mokti S, Muhammad J
    J Women Aging, 2019 04 09;32(5):537-545.
    PMID: 30967095 DOI: 10.1080/08952841.2019.1593799
    Urinary incontinence (UI) is common in women in postmenopausal age, but many women delay seeking treatment. The objective of this study is to determine health-seeking behavior of postmenopausal women with UI and its associated factors. This is a cross-sectional study involving 348 postmenopausal women from the outpatient clinic using personal data forms and a validated UI questionnaire. A total of 348 menopausal women were involved in the study. Only 13.17% of patients with UI sought treatment. Factors associated with seeking treatment were age of menopause and severity of UI. More health education needs to be done among these patients.
    MeSH terms: Age Factors; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Humans; Malaysia/epidemiology; Menopause/psychology*; Middle Aged; Patient Acceptance of Health Care*; Quality of Life; Surveys and Questionnaires; Severity of Illness Index; Urinary Incontinence/epidemiology; Urinary Incontinence/psychology*; Prevalence; Postmenopause/psychology
  16. Ogiri IA, Sidique SF, Talib MA, Abdul-Rahim AS, Radam A
    Waste Manag Res, 2019 Jul;37(7):755-762.
    PMID: 30967098 DOI: 10.1177/0734242X19842328
    To encourage recycling in Malaysian households, a waste separation at source programme was implemented that made it mandatory for households to sort their waste into different categories before leaving it out for collection. Penalties designed to act as a deterrent are imposed on households that fail to sort their waste appropriately. But does this deterrence motivate compliance with the programme directives? This study employs the deterrence theory to investigate if deterrence alone is sufficient to motivate households to actively participate in recycling. A total of 866 questionnaires were administered in person in households in Putrajaya and Melaka. Data were analysed using structural equation modelling. The results of the structural model reveal that just 25% of the variance in compliance is explained by the severity of the sanction, and the perceived certainty of penalty imposed. Perceived severity of sanction (β = 0.149, p = 0.012) and perceived certainty of sanction (β = 0.383, p = 0.000) were found to contribute significantly to compliance behaviour to the programme directives. However, deterrence alone cannot motivate household participation in waste separation at source because it only explains 25% of compliance behaviour. The present study provides information that could allow policymakers to understand recycling habits better and implement more effective compliance strategies.
    MeSH terms: Family Characteristics*; Malaysia; Surveys and Questionnaires; Recycling*
  17. Zhang Y, Liu W, Lin Y, Ng YK, Li S
    BMC Genomics, 2019 Apr 04;20(Suppl 2):186.
    PMID: 30967119 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-019-5470-2
    BACKGROUND: Recent advances in genome analysis have established that chromatin has preferred 3D conformations, which bring distant loci into contact. Identifying these contacts is important for us to understand possible interactions between these loci. This has motivated the creation of the Hi-C technology, which detects long-range chromosomal interactions. Distance geometry-based algorithms, such as ChromSDE and ShRec3D, have been able to utilize Hi-C data to infer 3D chromosomal structures. However, these algorithms, being matrix-based, are space- and time-consuming on very large datasets. A human genome of 100 kilobase resolution would involve ∼30,000 loci, requiring gigabytes just in storing the matrices.

    RESULTS: We propose a succinct representation of the distance matrices which tremendously reduces the space requirement. We give a complete solution, called SuperRec, for the inference of chromosomal structures from Hi-C data, through iterative solving the large-scale weighted multidimensional scaling problem.

    CONCLUSIONS: SuperRec runs faster than earlier systems without compromising on result accuracy. The SuperRec package can be obtained from http://www.cs.cityu.edu.hk/~shuaicli/SuperRec .

    MeSH terms: Algorithms*; Chromatin/genetics; Chromatin/chemistry*; Chromosomes, Human/genetics; Chromosomes, Human/chemistry*; Computer Simulation; Humans; Models, Molecular; Nucleic Acid Conformation; Genome, Human*; Computational Biology/methods*
  18. Teppone M
    J Integr Med, 2019 Jul;17(4):229-237.
    PMID: 30967348 DOI: 10.1016/j.joim.2019.03.008
    Throughout human history, doctors and healers have gathered and refined the knowledge inherited from the previous generations. Different methods of effective therapy have been designed during various historical periods; when each was developed, it was considered "modern scientific medicine" for their time. Mankind has gone through natural and social disasters and survived; hence, history has proved there was no time when medical knowledge was erroneous or ineffective. Classic medicine has grown to be divided into narrow, specialized branches, causing it to lose its holistic approach and general view on health, sickness and therapeutic methods. Many of traditional medicine's effective methods have been forgotten and removed from the mainstream medicine. It would be good for modern medical education to incorporate the general knowledge of historically effective therapeutic modalities and study practical cases. Medical students should be taught how to choose a "good method" or "good medicine" independent of when that method or remedy was discovered. However, he has to keep in mind the primary goal of medicine: "I will use treatment to help the sick according to my ability and judgment…"(from Hippocratic Oath).
    MeSH terms: History of Medicine*; Homeopathy/history*; Humans; History, 15th Century; History, 16th Century; History, 17th Century; History, 18th Century; History, 19th Century; History, Ancient; History, Medieval
  19. Leung AKC, Hon KL, Leong KF
    Hong Kong Med J, 2019 04;25(2):134-141.
    PMID: 30967519 DOI: 10.12809/hkmj187785
    Rubella is generally a mild and self-limited disease in children. During pregnancy, rubella can have potentially devastating effects on the developing fetus. Postnatal rubella is transmitted primarily by inhalation of virus-laden airborne droplets or direct contact with infected nasopharyngeal secretions. In susceptible pregnant women, the virus may cross the placenta and spread through the vascular system of the developing fetus. Postnatally acquired rubella typically begins with fever and lymphadenopathy, followed by an erythematous, maculopapular rash. The rash classically begins on the face, spreads cephalocaudally, becomes generalised within 24 hours, and disappears within 3 days. Maternal rubella, especially during early pregnancy, may lead to miscarriage, intrauterine fetal death, premature labour, intrauterine growth retardation, and congenital rubella syndrome. Cataracts, congenital heart defects, and sensorineural deafness are the classic triad of congenital rubella syndrome and they typically occur if the fetal infection occurs in the first 11 weeks of gestation. Laboratory confirmation of rubella virus infection can be based on a positive serological test for rubella-specific immunoglobulin M antibody; a four-fold or greater increase in rubella-specific immunoglobulin G titres between acute and convalescent sera; or detection of rubella virus RNA by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Treatment is mainly symptomatic. Universal childhood immunisation and vaccination of all susceptible patients with rubella vaccine to decrease circulation of the virus are cornerstones to prevention of rubella and, more importantly, congenital rubella syndrome.
    MeSH terms: Child; Child, Preschool; Female; Humans; Immunization; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Male; Pregnancy; Prognosis; Rubella/epidemiology*; Rubella/prevention & control*; Rubella Syndrome, Congenital/epidemiology*; Rubella Syndrome, Congenital/prevention & control*; Rubella Vaccine*; Rubella virus
  20. Lin R, Hu E, Liu M, Wang Y, Cheng H, Wu J, et al.
    Nat Commun, 2019 04 09;10(1):1650.
    PMID: 30967531 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09248-0
    Despite the importance of studying the instability of delithiated cathode materials, it remains difficult to underpin the degradation mechanism of lithium-rich cathode materials due to the complication of combined chemical and structural evolutions. Herein, we use state-of-the-art electron microscopy tools, in conjunction with synchrotron X-ray techniques and first-principle calculations to study a 4d-element-containing compound, Li2Ru0.5Mn0.5O3. We find surprisingly, after cycling, ruthenium segregates out as metallic nanoclusters on the reconstructed surface. Our calculations show that the unexpected ruthenium metal segregation is due to its thermodynamic insolubility in the oxygen deprived surface. This insolubility can disrupt the reconstructed surface, which explains the formation of a porous structure in this material. This work reveals the importance of studying the thermodynamic stability of the reconstructed film on the cathode materials and offers a theoretical guidance for choosing manganese substituting elements in lithium-rich as well as stoichiometric layer-layer compounds for stabilizing the cathode surface.
    MeSH terms: Electrodes; Ions; Lithium; Manganese; Microscopy, Electron; Oxygen; Ruthenium; Thermodynamics; X-Rays; Synchrotrons
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