Browse publications by year: 2020

Fulltext Modulation of Crustacean Innate Immune Response by Amino Acids and Their Metabolites: Inferences From Other Species

Huang Z, Aweya JJ, Zhu C, Tran NT, Hong Y, Li S, et al.

Front Immunol, 2020;11:574721.
PMID: 33224140 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.574721

Aquaculture production of crustaceans (mainly shrimp and crabs) has expanded globally, but disease outbreaks and pathogenic infections have hampered production in the last two decades. As invertebrates, crustaceans lack an adaptive immune system and mainly defend and protect themselves using their innate immune system. The immune system derives energy and metabolites from nutrients, with amino acids constituting one such source. A growing number of studies have shown that amino acids and their metabolites are involved in the activation, synthesis, proliferation, and differentiation of immune cells, as well as in the activation of immune related signaling pathways, reduction of inflammatory response and regulation of oxidative stress. Key enzymes in amino acid metabolism have also been implicated in the regulation of the immune system. Here, we reviewed the role played by amino acids and their metabolites in immune-modulation in crustaceans. Information is inferred from mammals and fish where none exists for crustaceans. Research themes are identified and the relevant research gaps highlighted for further studies.

MeSH terms: Amino Acids/immunology*; Amino Acids/metabolism; Animals; Crustacea/immunology*; Crustacea/metabolism; Immune System/immunology*; Immune System/metabolism; Immunity, Innate*; Species Specificity; Signal Transduction
Fulltext The Effect of Lavender (Lavandula stoechas L.) on Reducing Labor Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Kazeminia M, Abdi A, Vaisi-Raygani A, Jalali R, Shohaimi S, Daneshkhah A, et al.

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2020;2020:4384350.
PMID: 33224252 DOI: 10.1155/2020/4384350

Background: Labor pain is one of the most severe pains, which most of women experience. By using novel supportive methods, the labor pain can be reduced, which makes this event pleasant and delightful. Several original studies have been conducted in regard to the effect of lavender on reducing labor pain, whose results are controversial. One of the applications of meta-analysis studies is to respond to these hypotheses and remove controversies; therefore, this study aimed to determine the effect of lavender on labor pain in Iran by using meta-analysis.
Methods: In this study, to find published articles electronically from 2006 to 2019, the published articles in national and international databases of SID, MagIran, IranMedex, IranDoc, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, Embase, ScienceDirect, Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science (ISI) were used. Heterogenic index between studies was determined by Cochrane test (Q)c and I2. Due to heterogeneity, the random effects model was used to estimate standardize difference of the mean score of lavender test in order to assess the labor pain between intervention and control group.
Results: In this meta-analysis and systematic review, finally 13 eligible articles met the inclusion criteria of the study. The sample size from original studies enrolled in the meta-analysis entered in the intervention group was 794 individuals and in the control group was 795 individuals. Mean score for pain in the control group was 7.2 ± 0.42 and in the intervention group was 5.4 ± 0.58 and this difference was statistically significant (p ≤ 0.001).
Conclusion: The results of this study showed that lavender can reduce labor pain, which can be considered by health policy makers and gynecologists.

MeSH terms: Female; Health Policy; Humans; Iran; Libraries; Pregnancy; Sudden Infant Death; Bibliometrics; Sample Size; Lavandula; Control Groups; PubMed; Labor Pain
Fulltext Nutraceutical Use among Patients with Chronic Disease Attending Outpatient Clinics in a Tertiary Hospital

Mahmood NA, Hassan MR, Ahmad S, Mohd Nawi H, Pang NTP, Syed Abdul Rahim SS, et al.

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2020;2020:9814815.
PMID: 33224262 DOI: 10.1155/2020/9814815

Food-drug interphase products, referring to nutraceuticals in this study, are a category of health products containing a combination of food ingredients with active substances for oral consumption. Many of these products are marketed as an alternative to prescription medicine to treat various ailments despite the lack of scientific evidence, influencing patients with chronic diseases to consume nutraceutical products. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with knowledge, attitude, and practice of nutraceutical use among patients with chronic disease attending to the outpatient clinic. This is a cross-sectional study involving patients with chronic disease at the outpatient specialist clinic. Samples were recruited from the outpatient clinic using convenience sampling. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire, which was self-constructed and validated. We found that the use of nutraceuticals was prevalent among 17.9% of respondents. More than half (60.9%) of the respondents have poor knowledge of nutraceutical and 53.1% of respondents have a positive attitude towards nutraceutical. Gender and morbidities were the factors associated with the practice of nutraceutical usage. Female patients are more likely to have increased use of nutraceutical than male patients and patients with multiple morbidities have higher odds of using nutraceutical than patients with single morbidities. There is a high number of patients who consume nutraceutical products and public knowledge of nutraceutical needs to be improved further. The government should develop appropriate regulation and monitoring of nutraceutical products.

MeSH terms: Optimism; Ambulatory Care Facilities; Chronic Disease; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Government; Humans; Interphase; Male; Morbidity; Outpatients; Surveys and Questionnaires; Prevalence; Dietary Supplements
Fulltext The Use of System Dynamics Methodology in Building a COVID-19 Confirmed Case Model

Mohd Yusoff MI

Comput Math Methods Med, 2020;2020:9328414.
PMID: 33224268 DOI: 10.1155/2020/9328414

Researchers used a hybrid model (a combination of health resource demand model and disease transmission model), Bayesian model, and susceptible-exposed-infectious-removed (SEIR) model to predict health service utilization and deaths and mixed-effect nonlinear regression. Further, they used the mixture model to predict the number of confirmed cases and deaths or to predict when the curve would flatten. In this article, we show, through scenarios developed using system dynamics methodology, besides close to real-world results, the detrimental effects of ignoring social distancing guidelines (in terms of the number of people infected, which decreased as the percentage of noncompliance decreased).

MeSH terms: Bayes Theorem; Computer Simulation; Health Resources; Humans; Models, Biological*; Software; Systems Analysis; Nonlinear Dynamics; Computational Biology; Systems Biology/methods; Mathematical Concepts; Pandemics/prevention & control; Pandemics/statistics & numerical data*
A new histological score grade for deep partial-thickness burn wound healing process

Guo HF, Mohd Ali R, Abd Hamid R, Chang SK, Zainal Z, Khaza'ai H

Int J Burns Trauma, 2020;10(5):218-224.
PMID: 33224609

Burns are injuries on the skin or other tissues. Burns are divided into superficial, partial, and full-thickness, characterized by the depth of the affected tissues. Histological analysis is critical to assess the burn wound healing process. Thus, a systematic evaluation system is imperative for burn research. In the present study, a total of thirty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups. Deep partial-thickness burn wound was induced on the dorsal part of the rats. Six animals from each group were sacrificed on the 3rd, 7th, 11th, 14th and 21st day post-burn, respectively. Half of the wound tissue was immediately fixed in buffered neutral formalin for hematoxylin & eosin staining. The healing of the epidermis was evaluated with scores ranging from 0 to 7 based on the state of crust on wound surface, the degree of epithelialization as well as the formation of rete ridges. Meanwhile, healing of the dermis was also evaluated with scores ranging from 0 to 7 according to the proportion of adipose cells, inflammatory cells and fibroblasts, the state of collagen deposition as well as the formation of hair follicles. Furthermore, temporal changes of histological score of epidermis and dermis in the skin tissue with deep partial-thickness burn was evaluated. In conclusion, a new comprehensive system for assessing microscopic changes in the healing process of deep partial-thickness burn wound in hematoxylin & eosin staining slides was established, which simplified the scoring process and helped to obtain reproducible and accurate results in the burn study.

MeSH terms: Animals; Collagen; Eosine Yellowish-(YS); Fibroblasts; Formaldehyde; Hematoxylin; Skin; Staining and Labeling; Wound Healing; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Hair Follicle; Dermis; Rats; Re-Epithelialization
Fulltext Prevalence of BRAFV600E mutation in Asian series of papillary thyroid carcinoma-a contemporary systematic review

Rashid FA, Munkhdelger J, Fukuoka J, Bychkov A

Gland Surg, 2020 Oct;9(5):1878-1900.
PMID: 33224863 DOI: 10.21037/gs-20-430

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), the most common malignancy of the endocrine system, is frequently driven by BRAFV600E mutation, which was reported in 35-60% cases in Western series. Numerous studies have recently emerged from Asian countries and regions; however sufficient summary is lacking to date. BRAF mutation serves as a diagnostic and prognostic tool in thyroid cancer, therefore establishing a rate of BRAF on the national scale could be of practical significance. We performed systematic reviews of available literature to investigate the prevalence of BRAF mutation in series of PTC from various Asian countries and regions. Out of the total 3,966 reports identified via initial screening, 138 studies encompassing over 40,000 PTCs were included for the final analysis. A vast majority (90.2%) of PTCs with known BRAF status were from East Asia, including China, South Korea, and Japan, with BRAF mutation rates of 71.2%, 75.5%, and 70.6%, respectively. Less abundant Indian and Saudi Arabian series found 45.6% and 46.3% prevalence of BRAFV600E in PTC, respectively. Much limited evidence was available from Thailand, Iran, Kazakhstan, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Philippines, Vietnam, Iraq, and Myanmar. No relevant publications were found from other highly populated countries, such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Malaysia. After grouping by geographic region, we found that the highest rate of BRAFV600E was reported in the PTC series from East Asia (76.4%). Much lower rate (45-48%) was seen in PTC cohorts from South Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East while the Southeast Asian series were in between (57%). Further subgroup analysis revealed that studies employing fresh frozen tissue and fine-needle aspirates showed higher rates of BRAF compared to those used formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues. We found that the PTC series enrolled patients' cohorts after 2010 demonstrated a higher rate of BRAF compared to the earlier series. Finally, pediatric PTCs had lower BRAF prevalence compared to the baseline rate for the country. In conclusion, despite considerable among and within countries heterogeneity, the Asian PTC series showed a higher prevalence of BRAFV600E mutation than that in Western series. Causes of geographic heterogeneity, whether genuine (etiology, genetics) or methodology-related should be further investigated.
Fulltext Genomic data of two Bacillus and two Pseudomonas strains isolated from the acid mine drainage site at Mamut Copper Mine, Ranau, Malaysia

Low YY, Chin GJWL, Joseph CG, Musta B, Rodrigues KF

Data Brief, 2020 Dec;33:106486.
PMID: 33225029 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2020.106486

The genomic data of four bacteria strains isolated from the abandoned Mamut Copper Mine, an Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) site is presented in this report. Two of these strains belong to the genus Bacillus, while the other two belong to the genus Pseudomonas. The draft genome size of Pseudomonas sp. strain MCMY3 was 6,396,595 bp (GC: 63.3%), Bacillus sp. strain MCMY6 was 6,815,573 bp (GC: 35.2%), Bacillus sp. strain MCMY13 was 5,559,059 bp (GC: 35.5%) and Pseudomonas sp. strain MCMY15 was 7,381,777 bp (GC: 64.8%). These four genomes contained 493, 495, 495 and 579 annotated subsystems, respectively. The sequence data are available at GenBank sequence read archive with accessions numbers SRX7859406, SRX7859404, SRX7859405 and SRX7293032 for strains MCMY3, MCMY6, MCMY13 and MCMY15, respectively.

MeSH terms: Bacillus; Bacteria; Copper; Pseudomonas; Genomics; Databases, Nucleic Acid; Genome Size
Fulltext Reaction Mechanism of Wollastonite In Situ Mineral Carbonation for CO2 Sequestration: Effects of Saline Conditions, Temperature, and Pressure

Kashim MZ, Tsegab H, Rahmani O, Abu Bakar ZA, Aminpour SM

ACS Omega, 2020 Nov 17;5(45):28942-28954.
PMID: 33225124 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.0c02358

The research presented here investigates the reaction mechanism of wollastonite in situ mineral carbonation for carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration. Because wollastonite contains high calcium (Ca) content, it was considered as a suitable feedstock in the mineral carbonation process. To evaluate the reaction mechanism of wollastonite for geological CO2 sequestration (GCS), a series of carbonation experiments were performed at a range of temperatures from 35 to 90 °C, pressures from 1500 to 4000 psi, and salinities from 0 to 90,000 mg/L NaCl. The kinetics batch modeling results were validated with carbonation experiments at the specific pressure and temperature of 1500 psi and 65 °C, respectively. The results showed that the dissolution of calcium increases with increment in pressure and salinity from 1500 to 4000 psi and 0 to 90000 mg/L NaCl, respectively. However, the calcium concentration decreases by 49%, as the reaction temperature increases from 35 to 90 °C. Besides, it is clear from the findings that the carbonation efficiency only shows a small difference (i.e., ±2%) for changing the pressure and salinity, whereas the carbonation efficiency was shown to be enhanced by 62% with increment in the reaction temperature. These findings can provide information about CO2 mineralization of calcium silicate at the GCS condition, which may enable us to predict the fate of the injected CO2, and its subsurface geochemical evolution during the CO2-fluid-rock interaction.

MeSH terms: Carbon Dioxide; Carbonates; Kinetics; Minerals; Sodium Chloride; Solubility; Temperature; Calcium Compounds; Silicates; Salinity
Fulltext Electrochemical Sodiation/Desodiation into Mn3O4 Nanoparticles

Mahamad Yusoff NF, Idris NH, Md Din MF, Majid SR, Harun NA, Rahman MM

ACS Omega, 2020 Nov 17;5(45):29158-29167.
PMID: 33225147 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.0c03888

Mn3O4 is considered to be a promising anode material for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) because of its low cost, high capacity, and enhanced safety. However, the inferior cyclic stability of the Mn3O4 anode is a major challenge for the development of SIBs. In this study, a one-step solvothermal method was established to produce nanostructured Mn3O4 with an average particle size of 21 nm and a crystal size of 11 nm. The Mn3O4 obtained exhibits a unique architecture, consisting of small clusters composed of numerous tiny nanoparticles. The Mn3O4 material could deliver high capacity (522 mAh g-1 at 100 mA g-1), reasonable cyclic stability (158 mAh g-1 after 200 cycles), and good rate capability (73 mAh g-1 at 1000 mA g-1) even without further carbon coating, which is a common exercise for most anode materials so far. The sodium insertion/extraction was also confirmed by a reversible conversion reaction by adopting an ex situ X-ray diffraction technique. This simple, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly synthesis technique with good electrochemical performance shows that the Mn3O4 nanoparticle anode has the potential for SIB development.

MeSH terms: Carbon; Conversion Disorder; Cost-Benefit Analysis; Electrodes; Oxides; Particle Size; Electric Power Supplies; Sodium; X-Ray Diffraction; Nanostructures; Nanoparticles
Fulltext First Report of Colletotrichum scovillei Causing Anthracnose Fruit Rot on Pepper in South Carolina, United States

Toporek SM, Keinath AP

Plant Dis, 2020 Nov 23.
PMID: 33225814 DOI: 10.1094/PDIS-08-20-1656-PDN

Anthracnose fruit rot caused by various Colletotrichum spp. is a serious disease for pepper (Capsicum annuum) growers, resulting in extensive fruit loss (Harp et al. 2008). Samples of five pepper fruits were obtained from two commercial farms in Lexington and Pickens counties, South Carolina, in August and September 2019, respectively. All fruits had two or more soft, sunken lesions covered with salmon-colored spore masses. Pieces of diseased tissue cut from the margins of lesions were surface disinfested in 0.6% sodium hypochlorite, rinsed in sterile deionized water, blotted dry, and placed on one-quarter-strength potato dextrose agar (PDA/4) amended with 100 mg chloramphenicol, 100 mg streptomycin sulfate, and 60.5 mg mefenoxam (0.25 ml Ridomil Gold EC) per liter. Two isolates of Colletotrichum sp. per fruit were preserved on dried filter paper and stored at 10º C. One additional isolate of Colletotrichum sp. had been collected from a jalapeño pepper fruit on a farm in Charleston County, South Carolina, in 1997. Colony morphology of three isolates, one per county, on Spezieller Nährstoffarmer Agar (SNA) was pale grey with a faint orange tint. All isolates readily produced conidia on SNA with an average length of 16.4 μm (std. dev. = 1.8 μm) and a width of 2.2 μm (std. dev. = 0.2 μm). Conidia were hyaline, smooth, straight, aseptate, cylindrical to fusiform with one or both ends slightly acute or round, matching the description of C. scovillei (Damm et al. 2012). The glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and beta-tubulin (TUB2) genes from three isolates were amplified and sequenced with the primer pairs GDF1/GDR1 and T1/Bt2b, respectively. Species within the C. acutatum clade can be readily distinguished with GAPDH or TUB2 (Cannon et al. 2012). The GAPDH and TUB2 sequences for all three isolates were 100% similar to each other and strain CBS 126529 (GAPDH accession number JQ948597; TUB2 accession number JQ949918) of C. scovillei (Damm et al. 2012). GAPDH and TUB2 sequences for each isolate were deposited in GenBank under the accessions MT826948-MT826950 and MT826951-MT826953, respectively. A pathogenicity test was conducted on jalapeño pepper fruits by placing a 10-ul droplet of a 5 x 105 conidial suspension of each isolate onto a wound made with a sterile toothpick. Control peppers were mock inoculated with 10 ul sterile distilled water. A humid chamber was prepared by placing moist paper towels on the bottom of a sealed crisper box. Inoculated peppers were placed on upside-down 60 ml plastic condiment cups. Three replicate boxes each containing all four treatments were prepared. The experiment was repeated once. After 7 days in the humid chamber at 26ºC, disease did not develop on control fruits, whereas soft, sunken lesions covered with salmon-colored spores developed on inoculated fruits. Lesions were measured and C. scovillei was re-isolated onto amended PDA/4 as previously described. Lesion length averaged 15.6 mm (std dev. = 4.1 mm) by 11.5 mm (std dev. = 2.0 mm). Colletotrichum sp. resembling the original isolate were recovered from all inoculated fruit, but not from non-inoculated fruit. C. scovillei has been reported in Brazil in South America and in China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand in Asia (Farr and Rossman 2020). This is the first report of C. scovillei as the casual organism of anthracnose fruit rot on pepper in South Carolina and the United States.
Fulltext Impact of periodontitis on quality of life among subjects with rheumatoid arthritis: a cross sectional study

Han PSH, Saub R, Baharuddin NA, Sockalingam S, Bartold PM, Vaithilingam RD

BMC Oral Health, 2020 11 23;20(1):332.
PMID: 33225923 DOI: 10.1186/s12903-020-01275-4

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to assess the impact of periodontitis (PD) on the health related quality of life (HRQoL) and oral health related QoL (OHRQoL) of subjects with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and PD.
METHODS: Subjects from dental and RA clinics were screened. Complete periodontal examinations were performed. Subjects were divided into 4 groups: RA-PD, RA, PD and healthy controls (HC). Questionnaires on characteristics and Malaysian versions of Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14(M)) and Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ-DI)) were answered.
RESULTS: A total of 187 subjects were included (29 RA-PD, 58 RA, 43 PD and 57 HC). OHIP-14(M) severity score was highest in the PD group (17.23 ± 10.36) but only significantly higher than the HC group (p

MeSH terms: Arthritis, Rheumatoid; Humans; Oral Health; Periodontitis; Quality of Life; Surveys and Questionnaires; Control Groups
Fulltext The effect of methadone on depression among addicts: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Mohammadi M, Kazeminia M, Abdoli N, Khaledipaveh B, Shohaimi S, Salari N, et al.

Health Qual Life Outcomes, 2020 Nov 23;18(1):373.
PMID: 33225933 DOI: 10.1186/s12955-020-01599-3

BACKGROUND: Opioids addiction and misuse are among the major problems in the world today. There have been several preliminary studies examining the effect of methadone on depression among addicts, however, these studies have reported inconsistent and even contradictory results. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to determine the effect of methadone on depression in addicts in Iran and around the world, using a meta-analysis approach.
METHODS: This study was a systematic review and meta-analysis including articles published in the SID, MagIran, IranMedex, IranDoc, Cochrane, Embase, ScienceDirect, Scopus, PubMed and Web of Science databases were searched systematically to find articles published from 2006 to March 2019. Heterogeneity index was determined using the Cochran's test (Qc) and I2. Considering heterogeneity of studies, the random effects model was used to estimate the standardized difference of mean score for depression. Subsequently, the level of depression reduction in Iran and worldwide in the intervention group before and after the testwas measured.
RESULTS: A total of 19 articles met the inclusion criteria, and were therefore selected for this systematic review and meta-analysis. The sample size of the intervention group in the selected studies was 1948. According to the meta-analysis results, the mean depression score in the intervention group was 26.4 ± 5.6 and 18.4 ± 2.6 before and after intervention respectively, indicating the reducing effect of methadone on depression, and this difference was statistically significant (P

MeSH terms: Depression/drug therapy*; Humans; Iran/epidemiology; Methadone/therapeutic use*; Opioid-Related Disorders/drug therapy*; Opioid-Related Disorders/psychology*; Opiate Substitution Treatment*
Fulltext Reproductive and behavioural risk factors of low birth weight among newborns in Al Thawra Hospital, Sana'a, Yemen

Idris I, Sheryan M, Ghazali Q, Nawi A

East Mediterr Health J, 2020 Nov 11;26(11):1415-1419.
PMID: 33226110 DOI: 10.26719/emhj.20.061

Background: Low birth weight can lead to infant death, especially during the first year of life.
Aims: To assess risk factors related to low birth weight babies in Sana'a, Yemen.
Methods: We conducted an unmatched case-control study of 252 women who came for delivery at Al Thawra Hospital, Sana'a, Yemen, between August and October 2016.
Results: Significant risk factors for low birth weight were: birth interval < 2 years; history of pre-eclampsia during current pregnancy; preterm gestational age < 37 weeks; and khat chewing or smoking during pregnancy. After controlling for all the confounders, only birth interval < 2 years was significantly associated with low birth weight.
Conclusion: Shorter birth interval is an important risk factor for low birth weight; therefore, improving maternal awareness of this should be emphasized during postnatal follow-up.

MeSH terms: Female; Hospitals*; Humans; Infant; Infant, Low Birth Weight*; Infant, Newborn; Pregnancy; Risk Factors; Yemen/epidemiology; Case-Control Studies
Fulltext No Evidence of Coronaviruses or Other Potentially Zoonotic Viruses in Sunda pangolins (Manis javanica) Entering the Wildlife Trade via Malaysia

Lee J, Hughes T, Lee MH, Field H, Rovie-Ryan JJ, Sitam FT, et al.

Ecohealth, 2020 09;17(3):406-418.
PMID: 33226526 DOI: 10.1007/s10393-020-01503-x

The legal and illegal trade in wildlife for food, medicine and other products is a globally significant threat to biodiversity that is also responsible for the emergence of pathogens that threaten human and livestock health and our global economy. Trade in wildlife likely played a role in the origin of COVID-19, and viruses closely related to SARS-CoV-2 have been identified in bats and pangolins, both traded widely. To investigate the possible role of pangolins as a source of potential zoonoses, we collected throat and rectal swabs from 334 Sunda pangolins (Manis javanica) confiscated in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah between August 2009 and March 2019. Total nucleic acid was extracted for viral molecular screening using conventional PCR protocols used to routinely identify known and novel viruses in extensive prior sampling (> 50,000 mammals). No sample yielded a positive PCR result for any of the targeted viral families-Coronaviridae, Filoviridae, Flaviviridae, Orthomyxoviridae and Paramyxoviridae. In the light of recent reports of coronaviruses including a SARS-CoV-2-related virus in Sunda pangolins in China, the lack of any coronavirus detection in our 'upstream' market chain samples suggests that these detections in 'downstream' animals more plausibly reflect exposure to infected humans, wildlife or other animals within the wildlife trade network. While confirmatory serologic studies are needed, it is likely that Sunda pangolins are incidental hosts of coronaviruses. Our findings further support the importance of ending the trade in wildlife globally.

MeSH terms: Animals; Animals, Wild/virology*; Disease Reservoirs/virology; Malaysia; Zoonoses/virology*; Polymerase Chain Reaction
Potential muscle activity disturbance in Penaeus monodon during Acute Hepatopancreatic Necrosis Disease (AHPND) infection: Inference through gene expression, calcium concentration, and MicroRNA

Soo TCC, See SA, Bhassu S

J Invertebr Pathol, 2020 11;177:107497.
PMID: 33130047 DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2020.107497

Global shrimp aquaculture farmers have suffered major economic losses due to disease outbreaks. A notable shrimp disease is Acute Hepatopancreatic Necrosis Disease (AHPND), which is caused by a new strain of Vibrio parahaemolyticus bacteria (VpAHPND) that mainly inhabits the shrimp gut and damages the hepatopancreas. Fewer studies have investigated whether this disease will affect shrimp muscle functioning or cause any muscle damage. We challenged Penaeus monodon shrimp with VpAHPND bacteria using an immersion method. Expression of Dystrophin gene, an important regulatory gene for maintenance of muscle integrity, was quantified from muscle samples using qRT-PCR. Additional verification was conducted by determining calcium concentration and bta-miR-4286 and dre-miR-107b miRNAs expression. P. monodon dystrophin gene demonstrated the highest expression level during AHPND infection when muscle calcium concentration was detected at its lowest level at 6 h post-infection (hpi). The highest muscle calcium concentration, determined at 36 hpi, was supported by higher bta-miR-4286 miRNA expression and lower dre-miR-107b miRNA expression in VpAHPND-infected samples compared to uninfected samples at the same time point. We deduced an interactive relationship between dystrophin gene expression, calcium concentration, and miRNA expression in P. monodon muscle tissues triggered by the invading VpAHPND bacterium.

MeSH terms: Animals; Calcium/metabolism*; Muscles/microbiology; Muscles/physiology; Vibrio parahaemolyticus/physiology*; Gene Expression*; Penaeidae/microbiology; Penaeidae/physiology*; MicroRNAs/metabolism*
Role of nanocatalyst in the treatment of organochlorine compounds - A review

El-Sheikh MA, Hadibarata T, Yuniarto A, Sathishkumar P, Abdel-Salam EM, Alatar AA

Chemosphere, 2020 Nov 04.
PMID: 33220978 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.128873

Since a few centuries ago, organochlorine compounds (OCs) become one of the threatened contaminants in the world. Due to the lipophilic and hydrophobic properties, OCs always discover in fat or lipid layers through bioaccumulation and biomagnification. The OCs are able to retain in soil, sediment and water for long time as it is volatile, OCs will evaporate from soil and condense in water easily and frequently, which pollute the shelter of aquatic life and it affects the function of organs and damage system in human body. Photocatalysis that employs the usage of semiconductor nanophotocatalyst and solar energy can be the possible alternative for current conventional water remediation technologies. With the benefits of utilizing renewable energy, no production of harmful by-products and easy operation, degradation of organic pollutants in rural water bodies can be established. Besides, nanophotocatalyst that is synthesized with nanotechnology outnumbered conventional catalyst with larger surface area to volume ratio, thus higher photocatalytic activity is observed. In contrast, disadvantages particularly no residual effect in water distribution network, requirement of post-treatment and easily affected by various factors accompanied with photocatalysis method cannot be ignored. These various factors constrained the photocatalytic efficiency via nanocatalysts which causes the full capacity of solar photocatalysis has yet to be put into practice. Therefore, further modifications and research are still required in nanophotocatalysts' synthesis to overcome limitations such as large band gaps and photodecontamination.

MeSH terms: Environmental Pollutants; Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; Lipids; Semiconductors; Soil; Solar Energy; Sunlight; Water; Water Supply; Human Body; Nanotechnology
Fulltext Mechanistic Approaches of Internalization, Subcellular Trafficking, and Cytotoxicity of Nanoparticles for Targeting the Small Intestine

Madni A, Rehman S, Sultan H, Khan MM, Ahmad F, Raza MR, et al.

AAPS PharmSciTech, 2020 Nov 22;22(1):3.
PMID: 33221968 DOI: 10.1208/s12249-020-01873-z

Targeting the small intestine employing nanotechnology has proved to be a more effective way for site-specific drug delivery. The drug targeting to the small intestine can be achieved via nanoparticles for its optimum bioavailability within the systemic circulation. The small intestine is a remarkable candidate for localized drug delivery. The intestine has its unique properties. It has a less harsh environment than the stomach, provides comparatively more retention time, and possesses a greater surface area than other parts of the gastrointestinal tract. This review focuses on elaborating the intestinal barriers and approaches to overcome these barriers for internalizing nanoparticles and adopting different cellular trafficking pathways. We have discussed various factors that contribute to nanocarriers' cellular uptake, including their surface chemistry, surface morphology, and functionalization of nanoparticles. Furthermore, the fate of nanoparticles after their uptake at cellular and subcellular levels is also briefly explained. Finally, we have delineated the strategies that are adopted to determine the cytotoxicity of nanoparticles.

MeSH terms: Animals; Biological Availability; Biological Transport; Drug Carriers/chemistry*; Humans; Intestine, Small/drug effects*; Intestine, Small/metabolism; Subcellular Fractions/metabolism*; Drug Delivery Systems*; Nanoparticles/toxicity; Nanoparticles/chemistry*
Identification of reference genes for real-time polymerase chain reaction gene expression studies in Nile rats fed Water-Soluble Palm Fruit Extract

Leow SS, Lee WK, Khoo JS, Teoh S, Hoh CC, Fairus S, et al.

Mol Biol Rep, 2020 Dec;47(12):9409-9427.
PMID: 33222119 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-020-06003-3

The Nile rat (Arvicanthis niloticus) is a novel diurnal carbohydrate-sensitive rodent useful for studies on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and the metabolic syndrome. Hepatic responses to T2DM and any interventions thereof can be evaluated via transcriptomic gene expression analysis. However, the study of gene expression via real-time reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) requires identification of stably expressed reference genes for accurate normalisation. This study describes the evaluation and identification of stable reference genes in the livers from Control Nile rats as well as those supplemented with Water-Soluble Palm Fruit Extract, which has been previously shown to attenuate T2DM in this animal model. Seven genes identified as having stable expression in RNA-Sequencing transcriptome analysis were chosen for verification using real-time RT-qPCR. Six commonly used reference genes from previous literature and two genes from a previous microarray gene expression study in Nile rats were also evaluated. The expression data of these 15 candidate reference genes were analysed using the RefFinder software which incorporated analyses performed by various algorithms. The Hpd, Pnpla6 and Vpp2 genes were identified as the most stable across the 36 samples tested. Their applicability was demonstrated through the normalisation of the gene expression profiles of two target genes, Cela1 and Lepr. In conclusion, three novel reference genes which can be used for robust normalisation of real-time RT-qPCR data were identified, thereby facilitating future hepatic gene expression studies in the Nile rat.

MeSH terms: Administration, Oral; Algorithms; Animals; Animal Feed*; Fruit/chemistry*; Liver/metabolism; Male; Plant Extracts/administration & dosage*; Plant Extracts/chemistry*; Software; Solubility; Water/chemistry*; Gene Expression/drug effects*; Dietary Supplements; Genes, Essential; Gene Expression Profiling; Murinae/genetics*; Transcriptome/drug effects; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods*; Phoeniceae/chemistry*
A dose-response and meta-analysis of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) supplementation on testosterone levels: perinatal prediction of randomized clinical trials

Li Y, Ren J, Li N, Liu J, Tan SC, Low TY, et al.

Exp Gerontol, 2020 11;141:111110.
PMID: 33045358 DOI: 10.1016/j.exger.2020.111110

BACKGROUND: Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) has been aggressively sold as a dietary supplement to boost testosterone levels although the impact of DHEA supplementation on testosterone levels has not been fully established. Therefore, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs to investigate the effect of oral DHEA supplementation on testosterone levels.
METHODS: A systematic literature search was performed in Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, and PubMed databases up to February 2020 for RCTs that investigated the effect of DHEA supplementation on testosterone levels. The estimated effect of the data was calculated using the weighted mean difference (WMD). Subgroup analysis was performed to identify the source of heterogeneity among studies.
RESULTS: Overall results from 42 publications (comprising 55 arms) demonstrated that testosterone level was significantly increased after DHEA administration (WMD: 28.02 ng/dl, 95% CI: 21.44-34.60, p = 0.00). Subgroup analyses revealed that DHEA increased testosterone level in all subgroups, but the magnitude of increment was higher in females compared to men (WMD: 30.98 ng/dl vs. 21.36 ng/dl); DHEA dosage of ˃50 mg/d compared to ≤50 mg/d (WMD: 57.96 ng/dl vs. 19.43 ng/dl); intervention duration of ≤12 weeks compared to ˃12 weeks (WMD: 44.64 ng/dl vs. 19 ng/dl); healthy participants compared to postmenopausal women, pregnant women, non-healthy participants and androgen-deficient patients (WMD: 52.17 ng/dl vs. 25.04 ng/dl, 16.44 ng/dl and 16.47 ng/dl); and participants below 60 years old compared to above 60 years old (WMD: 31.42 ng/dl vs. 23.93 ng/dl).
CONCLUSION: DHEA supplementation is effective for increasing testosterone levels, although the magnitude varies among different subgroups. More study needed on pregnant women and miscarriage.

MeSH terms: Androgens*; Dehydroepiandrosterone; Female; Humans; Male; Pregnancy; Testosterone; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Dietary Supplements*
Fulltext Contrasting Associations Between Diabetes and Cardiovascular Mortality Rates in Low-, Middle-, and High-Income Countries: Cohort Study Data From 143,567 Individuals in 21 Countries in the PURE Study

Anjana RM, Mohan V, Rangarajan S, Gerstein HC, Venkatesan U, Sheridan P, et al.

Diabetes Care, 2020 12;43(12):3094-3101.
PMID: 33060076 DOI: 10.2337/dc20-0886

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to compare cardiovascular (CV) events, all-cause mortality, and CV mortality rates among adults with and without diabetes in countries with differing levels of income.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study enrolled 143,567 adults aged 35-70 years from 4 high-income countries (HIC), 12 middle-income countries (MIC), and 5 low-income countries (LIC). The mean follow-up was 9.0 ± 3.0 years.
RESULTS: Among those with diabetes, CVD rates (LIC 10.3, MIC 9.2, HIC 8.3 per 1,000 person-years, P < 0.001), all-cause mortality (LIC 13.8, MIC 7.2, HIC 4.2 per 1,000 person-years, P < 0.001), and CV mortality (LIC 5.7, MIC 2.2, HIC 1.0 per 1,000 person-years, P < 0.001) were considerably higher in LIC compared with MIC and HIC. Within LIC, mortality was higher in those in the lowest tertile of wealth index (low 14.7%, middle 10.8%, and high 6.5%). In contrast to HIC and MIC, the increased CV mortality in those with diabetes in LIC remained unchanged even after adjustment for behavioral risk factors and treatments (hazard ratio [95% CI] 1.89 [1.58-2.27] to 1.78 [1.36-2.34]).
CONCLUSIONS: CVD rates, all-cause mortality, and CV mortality were markedly higher among those with diabetes in LIC compared with MIC and HIC with mortality risk remaining unchanged even after adjustment for risk factors and treatments. There is an urgent need to improve access to care to those with diabetes in LIC to reduce the excess mortality rates, particularly among those in the poorer strata of society.

MeSH terms: Adult; Aged; Cardiovascular Diseases/mortality*; Developing Countries/statistics & numerical data*; Diabetes Mellitus/epidemiology*; Female; Humans; Income/statistics & numerical data; Male; Middle Aged; Mortality; Poverty/statistics & numerical data; Prospective Studies; Risk Factors; Rural Population/statistics & numerical data; Cohort Studies; Developed Countries/statistics & numerical data*

External Links