Browse publications by year: 2019

  1. George A, Udani JK, Yusof A
    Pharm Biol, 2019 Dec;57(1):145-153.
    PMID: 30922154 DOI: 10.1080/13880209.2019.1585460
    CONTEXT: Phyllanthus amarus Schumach. and Thonn. (Euphorbiaceae) is traditionally known to improve general liver health. However, its effect on hangover is unknown.

    OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated PHYLLPRO™, a standardized ethanol extract of P. amarus leaves for protection against oxidative stress and recovery from hangover symptoms.

    MATERIAL AND METHODS: Ten days daily oral supplementation of 750 mg/day followed by intoxication was evaluated in a randomized placebo-controlled (containing only excipient), crossover study in 15 subjects (21-50 years old), for oxidative stress, liver damage, alleviating hangover symptoms (Hangover Severity Score: HSS) and mood improvement (Profile-of-Mood-Scores: POMS).

    RESULTS: PHYLLPRO™ was able to remove blood alcohol in the active group while the placebo group still had 0.05% at 12 h post-intoxication (p  0.05) from baseline to hour 22 was reported in the placebo group using POMS. Significant anti-inflammatory group effect favouring the active group, by the upregulation of cytokines IL-8 (p = 0.0014) and IL-10 (p = 0.0492) and immunomodulatory effects via IL-12p70 (p = 0.0304) were observed. The incidence of adverse events was similar between groups indicating the safety of PHYLLPRO™.

    DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Preliminary findings of PHYLLPRO™ in managing hangover, inflammation and liver functions following intoxication, is demonstrated. Future studies on PHYLLPRO™ in protecting against oxidative stress and hangover in larger populations is warranted.

    MeSH terms: Adult; Alcohol Drinking/adverse effects; Alcohol Drinking/blood; Ethanol/blood; Alcoholic Intoxication/blood; Alcoholic Intoxication/drug therapy*; Double-Blind Method; Female; Headache/blood; Headache/drug therapy; Headache/etiology; Humans; Male; Phytotherapy/methods*; Middle Aged; Placebos; Plant Extracts/pharmacology; Substance Withdrawal Syndrome/drug therapy*; Substance Withdrawal Syndrome/etiology; Biomarkers/blood; Cytokines/blood; Plant Leaves; Cross-Over Studies; Dietary Supplements; Phyllanthus*
  2. da Silva WR, Swami V, Nogueira Neves A, Marôco J, Ochner CN, Alvares Duarte Bonini Campos J
    Percept Mot Skills, 2019 Jun;126(3):462-476.
    PMID: 30922204 DOI: 10.1177/0031512519839537
    The Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ) is a widely used measure of body shape concerns that was originally designed for use with women but has more recently been used with boys and men. The latter use may be problematic, given that no previous study has demonstrated sex invariance for BSQ scores. To determine the extent to which BSQ scores are sex invariant, we asked Portuguese-speaking women ( n = 1,613) and men ( n = 871) to complete the full BSQ (34 items). Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that a hypothesized 32-item model of BSQ scores and shorter versions had acceptable fit indices in women and men, separately. However, multigroup confirmatory factor analysis showed that these BSQ model scores had configural but not metric, scalar, or strict sex invariance. Differential item analysis indicated significant item-functioning differences on 19 of the 32 retained BSQ items. Thus, BSQ scores are not sex invariant, making problematic the results of previous studies that have compared latent BSQ scores across sex.
  3. Ang KC, Bogdanova N, Markoff A, Ch'ng ES, Tang TH
    Fertil Steril, 2019 05;111(5):971-981.e2.
    PMID: 30922645 DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2019.01.015
    OBJECTIVE: To ascertain the magnitude and precision of the association between M2/ANXA5 haplotype and repeated pregnancy loss (RPL).

    DESIGN: Meta-analysis of odds ratios.

    SETTING: Not applicable.

    PATIENT(S): Subjects were women with RPL and their partners.

    INTERVENTION(S): Not applicable.

    MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): The association between M2/ANXA5 haplotype and RPL was evaluated in a meta-analysis of odds ratios. We further scrutinized this association according to [1] the sequence of miscarriages, [2] the number of consecutive losses, [3] the extent of excluding other pathologies of RPL, and [4] the timing of fetal loss.

    RESULT(S): Fourteen individual studies (n = 4,664 subjects) were included in this meta-analysis. The results show that women with the M2/ANXA5 haplotype have 1.54 times (95% confidence interval, 1.08-2.20) the odds of having associated RPL compared with women with the normal haplotype, regardless of consecutive or nonconsecutive pregnancy losses. Acknowledging the clinical heterogeneity among the studies, this significant association comes with a caveat that the lower bound of the confidence interval is close to unity. In couple populations (n = 2,449), M2/ANXA5 haplotype subjects have an odds ratio of 1.48 (95% confidence interval, 1.14-1.91) of experiencing RPL, which suggests contributions from paternal M2/ANXA5 carriers in RPL.

    CONCLUSION(S): This meta-analysis ascertains that women with the M2/ANXA5 haplotype have a higher risk of experiencing RPL, especially consecutive early idiopathic RPL. Male partners with the M2/ANXA5 haplotype partly contribute to this risk. Hence, screening for the M2/ANXA5 haplotype as a panel of laboratory investigations for RPL is recommended.

    MeSH terms: Abortion, Habitual/diagnosis*; Abortion, Habitual/genetics*; Abortion, Habitual/epidemiology; Female; Haplotypes/genetics*; Humans; Male; Pregnancy; Annexin A5/genetics*; Genetic Association Studies/methods*
  4. Dieng H, The CC, Satho T, Miake F, Wydiamala E, Kassim NFA, et al.
    Acta Trop, 2019 Jun;194:93-99.
    PMID: 30922800 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2019.03.027
    Sound and its reception are crucial for reproduction, survival, and population maintenance of many animals. In insects, low-frequency vibrations facilitate sexual interactions, whereas noise disrupts the perception of signals from conspecifics and hosts. Despite evidence that mosquitoes respond to sound frequencies beyond fundamental ranges, including songs, and that males and females need to struggle to harmonize their flight tones, the behavioral impacts of music as control targets remain unexplored. In this study, we examined the effects of electronic music (Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites by Skrillex) on foraging, host attack, and sexual activities of the dengue vector Aedes aegypti. Adults were presented with two sound environments (music-off or music-on). Discrepancies in visitation, blood feeding, and copulation patterns were compared between environments with and without music. Ae. aegypti females maintained in the music-off environment initiated host visits earlier than those in the music-on environment. They visited the host significantly less often in the music-on than the music-off condition. Females exposed to music attacked hosts much later than their non-exposed peers. The occurrence of blood feeding activity was lower when music was being played. Adults exposed to music copulated far less often than their counterparts kept in an environment where there was no music. In addition to providing insight into the auditory sensitivity of Ae. aegypti to sound, our results indicated the vulnerability of its key vectorial capacity traits to electronic music. The observation that such music can delay host attack, reduce blood feeding, and disrupt mating provides new avenues for the development of music-based personal protective and control measures against Aedes-borne diseases.
    MeSH terms: Aedes; Animals; Copulation; Dengue; Disease Vectors; Female; Male; Music; Reproduction; Sexual Behavior; Sound; Vibration
  5. Hempolchom C, Reamtong O, Sookrung N, Srisuka W, Sakolvaree Y, Chaicumpa W, et al.
    Acta Trop, 2019 Jun;194:82-88.
    PMID: 30922801 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2019.03.026
    Although several studies have reported pharmacological and immunological activity, as well as the role of black flies in transmitting pathogens to vertebrate hosts through salivary glands (SG) during blood feeding, SG proteomes of the anthropophilic black flies in Thailand have never been reported. Therefore, this study determined the SG proteomes of female S. nigrogilvum and S. nodosum. Sodium dodecylsulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and two-dimensional (2-DE) gels containing separated SG proteins of individual species were subjected to liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LCMS/MS) and an orthologous protein search from eukaryotic organism, nematocera and simuliidae databases for total protein identification. SDS-PAGE and protein staining revealed at least 13 and 9 major protein bands in the SGs of female S. nigrogilvum and S. nodosum, respectively, as well as several minor ones. The 2-DE demonstrated a total of 56 and 41 protein spots for S. nigrogilvum and S. nodosum, respectively. Most of the proteins obtained in both species were enzymes involved in blood feeding, including proteases, apyrases, hyaluronidases, aminopeptidase and elastase. The results obtained in this study provided a new body of knowledge for a better understanding on the role of salivary gland proteins in these black fly species in Thailand.
    MeSH terms: Aminopeptidases; Animals; Apyrase; Chromatography, Liquid; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; Female; Gels; Hyaluronoglucosaminidase; Pancreatic Elastase; Peptide Hydrolases; Endopeptidases; Salivary Glands; Salivary Proteins and Peptides; Simuliidae; Sodium; Staining and Labeling; Thailand; Vertebrates; Antigens, CD; Proteome; Tandem Mass Spectrometry
  6. Emami Moghaddam SA, Harun R, Mokhtar MN, Zakaria R
    Int J Biol Macromol, 2019 Jul 01;132:592-599.
    PMID: 30922914 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2019.03.191
    This research aimed to improve the stability of Chlorella-Alginate Beads (CABs) by zeolite molecular sieves 13X. Dissolution time of synthesized Zeolite-Algal-Alginate Beads (ZABs) in a chelating agent revealed a significant improvement on the beads stability (78.5 ± 0.5 min) compared to the control beads (51.5 ± 0.5 min) under the optimum conditions of zeolite/alginate (1.5:1), pH 5 and 2% of beads. Monitoring cell growth during 5 days of incubation showed good biocompatibility of zeolite 13X. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicated rough surface and spherical shapes of ZABs. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) of ZABs confirmed the presence of zeolite 13X within the matrix. The zeta potential value of ZABs indicated that the beads were relatively stable. The findings of this research showed that zeolite molecular sieves 13X have the potential to improve the stability of algal-alginate beads compared to common beads.
    MeSH terms: Alginates; Chelating Agents; Chlorella; Hexuronic Acids; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Solubility; Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; Zeolites
  7. Sohni S, Hashim R, Nidaullah H, Lamaming J, Sulaiman O
    Int J Biol Macromol, 2019 Jul 01;132:1304-1317.
    PMID: 30922916 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2019.03.151
    The utilization of renewable and functional group enriched nano-lignin as bio-additve in fabricating composite has become the focus of attention worldwide. Herein, lignin nanoparticles in the form of hollow spheres with the diameter of the order of 138 ± 39 nm were directly prepared from agro-industrial waste (palm kernel shell) using recyclable tetrahydrofuran in an acidified aqueous system without any chemical modification steps. We then fabricated a new chitosan/nano-lignin composite material as highly efficient sorbent, as demonstrated by efficient removal (~83%) of methylene blue (MB) dye under natural pH conditions. The adsorption process obeyed pseudo-second-order kinetics and adequate fitting of the adsorption data using Langmuir model suggested a monolayer adsorption with a maximum adsorption capacity of 74.07 mg g-1. Moreover, thermodynamic study of the system revealed spontaneous and endothermic nature of the sorption process. Further studies revealed that chitosan composite with nano-lignin showed better performance in dye decontamination compared to native chitosan and chitosan/bulk lignin composite. This could essentially be attributed to synergistic effects of size particularity (nano-effect) and incorporated functionalities due to lignin nanoparticles. Recyclability study performed in four repeated adsorption/regeneration cycles revealed recyclable nature of as-prepared composite, whilst adsorption experiments using spiked real water samples indicated recoveries as high as 89%. Based on this study, as-prepared bio-nanocomposite may thus be considered as an efficient and reusable adsorptive platform for the decontamination of water supplies.
    MeSH terms: Adsorption; Coloring Agents/isolation & purification*; Coloring Agents/chemistry*; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Industrial Waste; Lignin/chemistry*; Methylene Blue/isolation & purification; Methylene Blue/chemistry; Solutions; Thermodynamics; Water/chemistry*; Water Pollutants, Chemical/isolation & purification*; Water Pollutants, Chemical/chemistry*; Water Purification; Chitosan/chemistry*; Nanocomposites/chemistry
  8. T-Johari SAT, Hashim F, Ismail WI, Ali AM
    Int J Cell Biol, 2019;2019:3059687.
    PMID: 30923553 DOI: 10.1155/2019/3059687
    Combination of natural products with chemodrugs is becoming a trend in discovering new therapeutics approach for enhancing the cancer treatment process. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the cytotoxic and apoptosis induction of Gelam honey (GH) combined with or without 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) on HT-29 cells. The cell viability was determined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay to assess cytotoxicity. Morphological changes and apoptosis were determined by the inverted microscope, Annexin V-FITC, and DNA fragmentation via flow cytometric analysis, respectively. Our results demonstrate that combined treatment revealed a remarkable and concentration-dependent cytotoxic effect on HT-29 cells in comparison with GH and 5-FU alone. Flow cytometry analysis showed that early apoptosis event was more pronounced in combined treatment. In addition, compared to 5-FU alone, apoptosis of HT-29 cells treated with combinations of GH and 5-FU demonstrated increasing percentages of fragmented DNA. Our results suggest that GH has a synergistic cytotoxic effect with 5-FU in HT-29 cell lines in vitro. Although the actions of the molecular mechanisms are not yet clear, the results reveal that the combination of GH and 5-FU could have the potential as a therapeutic agent.
    MeSH terms: Biological Products; Cell Survival; Combined Modality Therapy; DNA; Flow Cytometry; Fluorouracil; Honey; Humans; Fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate; Apoptosis; Annexin A5; HT29 Cells; DNA Fragmentation
  9. Turagam N, Mudrakola DP, Yelamanchi RS, Deepthi M, Natarajan M
    J Int Soc Prev Community Dent, 2019 02 14;9(1):94-98.
    PMID: 30923701 DOI: 10.4103/jispcd.JISPCD_220_18
    Denture esthetics as defined by Glossary of prosthodontics terms the effect produced by a dental prosthesis that affects the beauty and attractiveness of the person. [1] Removable partial dentures (RPDs) are the widely accepted and treatment of choice for most cases as it is both effective and affordable. Partially edentulous treatment planning includes both esthetics and masticatory function. A prosthesis that is highly esthetic will improve patient's motivation and acceptance. It is a very wrong notion to expect that patients will tolerate unesthetic partial dentures because good masticatory capability has been achieved. Esthetics plays a vital role in the success of partial dentures, and the length and mobility of the patient's lips play a significant role in achieving it. [2] Patients with short lips or highly mobile lips pose problems as esthetics are compromised because most clasp arms, denture borders, and other components will show when the patient smiles or speaks. [3] RPDs can easily look artificial; hence, special emphasis should aim toward restoring function, phonetics, esthetics with a long-term benefits which requires meticulous attention during fabrication. This case reports is an esthetic clasp designed for a cast partial denture for a young girl for esthetic and function.
    MeSH terms: Attention; Beauty; Denture, Partial; Denture, Partial, Removable; Female; Humans; Lip; Motivation; Phonetics; Prosthodontics
  10. Golime R, Chandra B, Palit M, Dubey DK
    Arch Toxicol, 2019 06;93(6):1473-1484.
    PMID: 30923868 DOI: 10.1007/s00204-019-02435-4
    Humans are constantly exposed to a wide range of reactive and toxic chemicals from the different sources in everyday life. Identification of the exposed chemical helps in the detection and understanding the exposure associated adverse health effects. Covalent adducts of proteins and DNA formed after xenobiotics exposure may serve as readily measurable indicators of these exposures. Measuring the exposed chemicals with focus on adducts resulting from the nucleophilic interactions with blood proteins is useful in the development of diagnostic markers. Particularly, the most abundant proteins such as albumin and hemoglobin acts as dominant scavengers for many reactive chemicals in blood and can serve as excellent diagnostic candidates to determine the type of chemical exposure. This review focuses on the potential application of an adductomics approach for the screening of bimolecular adducts of chemical warfare agents (CWAs). Recent incidents of CWAs use in Syria, Malaysia, and the UK illustrate the continuing threat of chemical warfare agents in the modern world. Detection of CWAs and their metabolites in blood or in other body fluids of victims depends on immediate access to victims. Concentrations of intact CWAs in body fluids of surviving victims may decline rapidly within a few days. Certain CWAs, particularly nerve agents and vesicants, form covalent bonds with certain amino acids to form CWA-protein adducts. Proteins that are abundant in the blood, including albumin and hemoglobin, may carry these adducts longer after the original exposure. We searched MEDLINE and ISI Web of Science databases using the key terms "adductomics" "adducts of CWAs," "CWAs adducts detection in the biological samples," "protein adducts of CWAs," alone and in combination with the keywords "detection" "intoxication" "exposure" "adverse effects" and "toxicity." We also included non-peer-reviewed sources such as text books, relevant newspaper reports, and applicable Internet resources. We screened bibliographies of identified articles for additional relevant studies including non-indexed reports. These searches produced 1931 citations of which only relevant and nonduplicate citations were considered for this review. The analysis of biomedical samples has several purposes including detecting and identifying the type of chemical agent exposed, understanding the biological mechanism, assists in giving adequate treatment, determining the cause of death and providing evidence in a court of justice for forensic investigations. Rapid advances in the mass spectrometry to acquire high-quality data with greater resolution enabled the analysis of protein and DNA adducts of xenobiotics including CWAs and place the rapidly advancing 'adductomics' next to the other "-omics" technologies. Adductomics can serve as a powerful bioanalytical tool for the verification of CWAs exposure. This review mostly describes the protein adducts for nerve agents and vesicants, outlines the procedures for measuring adducts, and suggests the evolving (or future) use of adducts in the detection and verification of CWAs.
    MeSH terms: Chemical Warfare*; Chemical Warfare Agents/toxicity*; Humans; Mass Screening; DNA Adducts/chemistry*
  11. Ku SW, Jiamsakul A, Joshi K, Pasayan MKU, Widhani A, Chaiwarith R, et al.
    J Int AIDS Soc, 2019 Mar;22(3):e25264.
    PMID: 30924281 DOI: 10.1002/jia2.25264
    INTRODUCTION: Cotrimoxazole (CTX) is recommended as prophylaxis against Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia, malaria and other serious bacterial infections in HIV-infected patients. Despite its in vitro activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the effects of CTX preventive therapy on tuberculosis (TB) remain unclear.

    METHODS: Adults living with HIV enrolled in a regional observational cohort in Asia who had initiated combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) were included in the analysis. Factors associated with new TB diagnoses after cohort entry and survival after cART initiation were analysed using Cox regression, stratified by site.

    RESULTS: A total of 7355 patients from 12 countries enrolled into the cohort between 2003 and 2016 were included in the study. There were 368 reported cases of TB after cohort entry with an incidence rate of 0.99 per 100 person-years (/100 pys). Multivariate analyses adjusted for viral load (VL), CD4 count, body mass index (BMI) and cART duration showed that CTX reduced the hazard for new TB infection by 28% (HR 0.72, 95% CI l 0.56, 0.93). Mortality after cART initiation was 0.85/100 pys, with a median follow-up time of 4.63 years. Predictors of survival included age, female sex, hepatitis C co-infection, TB diagnosis, HIV VL, CD4 count and BMI.

    CONCLUSIONS: CTX was associated with a reduction in the hazard for new TB infection but did not impact survival in our Asian cohort. The potential preventive effect of CTX against TB during periods of severe immunosuppression should be further explored.

    MeSH terms: Adult; Asia/epidemiology; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Tuberculosis/etiology; Tuberculosis/mortality; Tuberculosis/epidemiology; Tuberculosis/prevention & control*; Cohort Studies; HIV Infections/complications*; HIV Infections/drug therapy; Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination/therapeutic use*; Anti-HIV Agents/therapeutic use; Viral Load; Anti-Retroviral Agents/therapeutic use
  12. Mohamad Shah NS, Sulong S, Wan Sulaiman WA, Halim AS
    Mol Genet Genomic Med, 2019 May;7(5):e635.
    PMID: 30924295 DOI: 10.1002/mgg3.635
    BACKGROUND: Nonsyndromic cleft lip and/or palate is one of the most common human birth defects worldwide that affects the lip and/or palate. The incidence of clefts varies among populations through ethnic, race, or geographical differences. The focus on Malay nonsyndromic cleft lip and/or palate (NSCL/P) is because of a scarce report on genetic study in relation to this deformity in Malaysia. We are interested to discuss about the genes that are susceptible to cause orofacial cleft formation in the family.

    METHODS: Genome-wide linkage analysis was carried out on eight large extended families of NSCL/P with the total of 91 individuals among Malay population using microarray platform. Based on linkage analyses findings, copy number variation (CNV) of LPHN2, SATB2, PVRL3, COL21A1, and TOX3 were identified in four large extended families that showed linkage evidence using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) as for a validation purpose. Copy number calculated (CNC) for each genes were determined with Applied Biosystems CopyCallerTM Software v2.0. Normal CNC of the target sequence expected was set at two.

    RESULTS: Genome-wide linkage analysis had discovered several genes including TOX3 and COL21A1 in four different loci 4p15.2-p16.1, 6p11.2-p12.3, 14q13-q21, and 16q12.1. There was significant decreased, p 

    MeSH terms: Cleft Lip/genetics*; Cleft Lip/pathology; Cleft Palate/genetics*; Cleft Palate/pathology; Female; High Mobility Group Proteins; Humans; Malaysia; Male; Pedigree; Receptors, Progesterone/genetics*; Transcription Factors/genetics; Trans-Activators; Fibrillar Collagens/genetics*; Matrix Attachment Region Binding Proteins/genetics; Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; DNA Copy Number Variations
  13. Tan SS, Yanagisawa S, Inagaki K, Kassim MB, Morikawa Y
    Phys Chem Chem Phys, 2019 Mar 29.
    PMID: 30924474 DOI: 10.1039/c8cp05016c
    This work presents an interpretation of the origin of changes in absorption spectra upon one-electron oxidation and reduction of two ruthenium polypyridyl complexes based on a combination of UV-Vis spectroelectrochemical experiments and theoretical calculations using the Gaussian 09 program. A bis-chelating ligand containing a p-bromobenzoylthiourea unit connected to 1,10-phenanthroline (phen-p-BrBT) has been prepared. Complexation of phen-p-BrBT to ruthenium bis-diimine centres, Ru(N-N)2 [N-N = 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy) or 1,10-phenanthroline (phen)], affords octahedral Ru(ii) tris-diimine complexes that are synthesised and structurally characterised. The two complexes exhibit similar MLCT bands and electronic energy levels owing to the similar electronic structures of the bpy and phen ligands. However, [Ru(phen)2(phen-p-BrBT)]2+ exhibits a slightly broader visible region MLCT (metal-to-ligand-charge transfer) band than [Ru(bpy)2(phen-p-BrBT)]2+ as expected from a slightly more delocalised π-electron system in the phen diimine ligands. In addition, the π → π* absorption in the UV is blue-shifted for [Ru(phen)2(phen-p-BrBT)]2+ relative to that for [Ru(bpy)2(phen-p-BrBT)]2+, because of greater stabilisation of the bpy HOMO relative to that of phen. The extra C-C bond in phen produces greater delocalisation of electron density leading to a blue-shift in the π → π* transition. The MLCT band is blue-shifted and diminished in intensity upon oxidation due to stabilisation of the Ru d-orbitals by removal of one electron. A new broad absorption band appears in the UV region upon reduction. The new transition is attributed to a blue-shift of the first MLCT transition for [Ru(bpy)2(phen-p-BrBT)]2+ and a red-shift of the second MLCT transition for [Ru(phen)2(phen-p-BrBT)]2+. The new transitions originate from destabilisation or stabilisation of the ligand LUMO orbitals relative to the Ru d-orbitals. A red-shift of the UV band in the initial complex also contributes to the new band produced upon reduction of [Ru(bpy)2(phen-p-BrBT)]2+. The new band does not involve an n(C[double bond, length as m-dash]S) → π* transition. Although both complexes show subtle differences in behaviour, their spectral changes are distinct, and the origin of changes in their absorption spectra upon oxidation and reduction is successfully interpreted.
  14. Allotey P, Tan DT, Kirby T, Tan LH
    Health Syst Reform, 2019;5(1):66-77.
    PMID: 30924744 DOI: 10.1080/23288604.2018.1541497
    Community engagement describes a complex political process with dynamic negotiation and renegotiation of power and authority between providers and recipients of health care in order to achieve a shared goal of universal health care coverage. Though examples exist of community engagement projects, there is very little guidance on how to implement and embed community engagement as a concerted, integrated, strategic, and sustained component of health systems. Through a series of case studies, this article explores the factors that enable community engagement particularly with a direct impact on health systems.
    MeSH terms: Consumer Participation/methods*; Delivery of Health Care; Health Plan Implementation/methods*; Humans; Politics; Universal Coverage*
  15. Ibrahim IA, Ting HN, Moghavvemi M
    J Int Adv Otol, 2019 Apr;15(1):87-93.
    PMID: 30924771 DOI: 10.5152/iao.2019.4553
    OBJECTIVES: This study uses a new approach for classifying the human ethnicity according to the auditory brain responses (electroencephalography [EEG] signals) with a high level of accuracy. Moreover, the study presents three different algorithms used to classify the human ethnicity using auditory brain responses. The algorithms were tested on Malays and Chinese as a case study.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: The EEG signal was used as a brain response signal, which was evoked by two auditory stimuli (Tones and Consonant Vowels stimulus). The study was carried out on Malaysians (Malay and Chinese) with normal hearing and with hearing loss. A ranking process for the subjects' EEG data and the nonlinear features was used to obtain the maximum classification accuracy.

    RESULTS: The study formulated the classification of Normal Hearing Ethnicity Index and Sensorineural Hearing Loss Ethnicity Index. These indices classified the human ethnicity according to brain auditory responses by using numerical values of response signal features. Three classification algorithms were used to verify the human ethnicity. Support Vector Machine (SVM) classified the human ethnicity with an accuracy of 90% in the cases of normal hearing and sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL); the SVM classified with an accuracy of 84%.

    CONCLUSION: The classification indices categorized or separated the human ethnicity in both hearing cases of normal hearing and SNHL with high accuracy. The SVM classifier provided a good accuracy in the classification of the auditory brain responses. The proposed indices might constitute valuable tools for the classification of the brain responses according to the human ethnicity.

    MeSH terms: Acoustic Stimulation/methods; Adult; Algorithms; Audiometry, Pure-Tone/methods; China/ethnology; China/epidemiology; Electroencephalography/instrumentation*; Ethnic Groups/statistics & numerical data; Evoked Potentials, Auditory/physiology*; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural/diagnosis; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural/ethnology; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural/physiopathology*; Humans; Language; Malaysia/ethnology; Male; Middle Aged; Noise/adverse effects; Speech Perception/physiology; Hearing Loss/physiopathology*; Support Vector Machine/standards
  16. Zakaria MN
    J Int Adv Otol, 2019 Apr;15(1):182-183.
    PMID: 30924773 DOI: 10.5152/iao.2019.5959
    MeSH terms: Audiology; Humans; Mass Screening/methods; Psychometrics/methods; Surveys and Questionnaires/standards*; Sound Localization/physiology*; Reproducibility of Results
  17. Hassan MA, Ahmad Farid MA, Shirai Y, Ariffin H, Othman MR, Samsudin MH, et al.
    Biotechnol J, 2019 Jun;14(6):e1800394.
    PMID: 30925022 DOI: 10.1002/biot.201800394
    Oil palm biomass is widely known for its potential as a renewable resource for various value-added products due to its lignocellulosic content and availability. Oil palm biomass biorefinery is an industry that comes with sociopolitical benefits through job opportunities, as well as potential environmental benefits. Many studies have been conducted on the technological advancements of oil-palm biomass-derived renewable materials, which are discussed comprehensively in this review. Recent technological developments have made it possible to bring new and innovative technologies to commercialization, such as compost, biocharcoal, biocomposites, and bioplastics.
    MeSH terms: Industrial Development; Environment; Industry; Biomass
  18. Vardar E, Vythilingam G, Pinnagoda K, Engelhardt EM, Zambelli PY, Hubbell JA, et al.
    Biomaterials, 2019 06;206:41-48.
    PMID: 30925287 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2019.03.030
    Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is a life changing condition, affecting 20 million women worldwide. In this study, we developed a bioactive, injectable bulking agent that consists of Permacol™ (Medtronic, Switzerland) and recombinant insulin like growth factor-1 conjugated fibrin micro-beads (fib_rIGF-1) for its bulk stability and capacity to induce muscle regeneration. Therefore, Permacol™ formulations were injected in the submucosal space of rabbit bladders. The ability of a bulking material to form a stable and muscle-inducing bulk represents for us a promising therapeutic approach to achieve a long-lasting treatment for SUI. The fib_rIGF-1 showed no adverse effect on human smooth muscle cell metabolic activity and viability in vitro based on AlamarBlue assays and Live/Dead staining. Three months after injection of fib_rIGF-1 together with Permacol™ into the rabbit bladder wall, we observed a smooth muscle tissue like formation within the injected materials. Positive staining for alpha smooth muscle actin, calponin, and caldesmon demonstrated a contractile phenotype of the newly formed smooth muscle tissue. Moreover, the fib_rIGF-1 treated group also improved the neovascularization at the injection site, confirmed by CD31 positive staining compared to bulks made of PermacolTM only. The results of this study encourage us to further develop this injectable, bioactive bulking material towards a future therapeutic approach for a minimal invasive and long-lasting treatment of SUI.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Biocompatible Materials/therapeutic use*; Biocompatible Materials/chemistry; Female; Fibrin/chemistry; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Rabbits; Urinary Incontinence, Stress/metabolism; Urinary Incontinence, Stress/therapy*; Urinary Tract/cytology; Urinary Tract/metabolism; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle/cytology; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle/metabolism; Mice
  19. Tran HN, Nguyen DT, Le GT, Tomul F, Lima EC, Woo SH, et al.
    J Hazard Mater, 2019 07 05;373:258-270.
    PMID: 30925385 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.03.018
    An attempt has been made in this review to provide some insights into the possible adsorption mechanisms of hexavalent chromium onto layered double hydroxides-based adsorbents by critically examining the past and present literature. Layered double hydroxides (LDH) nanomaterials are typical dual-electronic adsorbents because they exhibit positively charged external surfaces and abundant interlayer anions. A high positive zeta potential value indicates that LDH has a high affinity to Cr(VI) anions in solution through electrostatic attraction. The host interlayer anions (i.e., Cl-, NO3-, SO42-, and CO32-) provide a high anion exchange capacity (53-520 meq/100 g) which is expected to have an excellent exchangeable capacity to Cr(VI) oxyanions in water. Regarding the adsorption-coupled reduction mechanism, when Cr(VI) anions make contact with the electron-donor groups in the LDH, they are partly reduced to Cr(III) cations. The reduced Cr(III) cations are then adsorbed by LDH via numerous interactions, such as isomorphic substitution and complexation. Nonetheless, the adsorption-coupled reduction mechanism is greatly dependent on: (1) the nature of divalent and trivalent salts utilized in LDH preparation, and the types of interlayer anions (i.e., guest intercalated organic anions), and (3) the adsorption experiment conditions. The low Brunauer-Emmett-Teller specific surface area of LDH (1.80-179 m2/g) suggests that pore filling played an insignificant role in Cr(VI) adsorption. The Langmuir maximum adsorption capacity of LDH (Qomax) toward Cr(VI) was significantly affected by the natures of used inorganic salts and synthetic methods of LDH. The Qomax values range from 16.3 mg/g to 726 mg/g. Almost all adsorption processes of Cr(VI) by LDH-based adsorbent occur spontaneously (ΔG° <0) and endothermically (ΔH° >0) and increase the randomness (ΔS° >0) in the system. Thus, LDH has much potential as a promising material that can effectively remove anion pollutants, especially Cr(VI) anions in industrial wastewater.
    MeSH terms: Adsorption; Cations; Chromium; Electrons; Environmental Pollutants; Hydroxides; Salts; Water; Nanostructures; Waste Water
  20. Seak CJ, Goh ZNL, Seak JC, Seak CK, Li CH
    J Clin Psychopharmacol, 2019 3 30;39(3):285-287.
    PMID: 30925501 DOI: 10.1097/JCP.0000000000001036
    MeSH terms: Varenicline/adverse effects*; Angioedema/chemically induced*; Female; Humans; Middle Aged
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