Browse publications by year: 2020

Fulltext Physical activity behaviour among women with gestational diabetes mellitus and early post-partum

Syazwani NH, Koh DCL, Shamsuddin K, Ahmad S

Movement Health & Exercise, 2020;9(1):19-29.
MyJurnal

Women with previous history of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have been found to have higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Participation in adequate physical activity during and after pregnancy has been found to mitigate this risk. The main purpose of this study was to determine the status of physical activity among women with recent GDM during pregnancy and 8-weeks post-partum. A secondary aim of the study was to explore factors associated with physical activity during and 8-weeks post-partum. Physical activity status was measured using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). The data were collected during pregnancy through a self-reported questionnaire (n=336) and via telephone interview 8-weeks post-partum (n=117). The results uncovered a significant association between physical activity and status of GDM during pregnancy. Women who reported higher physical activity participation during pregnancy were less likely to have GDM. However, there were no significant association between physical activity participation and GDM status post-partum. Age was associated with participation in physical activity during pregnancy. Self-efficacy and risk perception of developing T2DM were associated with physical activity participation at 8-weeks post-partum. In conclusion, this study highlighted the different factors that should be targeted (for during pregnancy and post-partum) to promote physical activity among this high-risk population.

MeSH terms: Adult; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Humans; Malaysia; Pregnancy; Surveys and Questionnaires; Risk Factors; Exercise; Diabetes, Gestational*; Self Efficacy; Postpartum Period; Self Report
Fulltext Comparison of execution times of Kaedah A for different movement trajectories using Virtual Sensei Lite

Mohd Firdaus Abdul Razak, Mohd Saiful Aizat Mohd Shafie, Muhamad Sharafee Shamsudin, Muhamad Faris Che Aminudin

Movement Health & Exercise, 2020;9(1):9-17.
MyJurnal

The main objective of this study is to compare the execution times produced by fending off techniques of Seni Silat Cekak Malaysia (SSCM), Kaedah A for different movement trajectories. Three kind of movement trajectories for Kaedah A were carried out, which were Trajectory A (normal path), Trajectory B (curve path) and Trajectory C (starting by pulling the hand to the back and continue as Trajectory A). The experiments were conducted using a motion capture system. The movement position of the left hand during the execution of Kaedah A were recorded by a Kinect sensor, prior to storing and processing via Virtual Sensei (VS) Lite software. A total of four (4) experienced practitioners from SSCM were selected to perform Kaedah A techniques. The data acquired were further analyzed to determine their kinematic characteristics. The results showed that the execution of Kaedah A using Trajectory A produced the shortest time and highest velocity with averages of 0.071±0.007s and 6.438±0.863ms-1 respectively, compared to Trajectory B (0.087±0.011s, 5.230±0.578 ms-1) and Trajectory C (0.149±0.015s, 2.903±0.273ms-1). Therefore, Trajectory A is considered to be more efficient than Trajectory B and Trajectory C in terms of execution times and maximum velocity produced by Kaedah A.

MeSH terms: Biomechanical Phenomena; Hand; Malaysia; Motion; Movement; Software
Fulltext Relative age effect in U-16 Asian Championship Soccer Tournament

Pathmanathan K. Suppiah, Jeffrey Low Fook Lee, Abdul Muiz Nor Azmi, Hasnol Noordin, Rabiu Muazu Musa

Movement Health & Exercise, 2020;9(1):1-8.
MyJurnal

Athletes born at the beginning of the year may present advantages in terms of physical characteristics, motor ability or cognitive knowledge that could increase their chances for selection against their peers. This circumstance could lead to the over-representation of older athletes in an age-defined competition, a phenomenon commonly referred to as relative age effect (RAE). Although, a number of studies have demonstrated that RAE is apparent in youth soccer, such studies rarely investigate the performance advantage that likely exists across the birth month of the athletes. The current study aims to determine the presence of RAE in the under 16 Asian Football Confederation Championship (AFC); investigate the effect of RAE on the team qualification success; as well as ascertain the existence of RAE in choice of playing position amongst the soccer players. Data for the 2018 AFC under 16 qualifications matches were obtained from the AFC. A total of 719 players from 32 countries participated in the qualification competitions. Chi-square for goodness fit is used to determine the existence of the RAE across the players’ month of birth while logistic regression is applied to analyze the differences of the quartiles’ distribution with respect to the quartile, qualification status (qualifier or non-qualifier) as well as the playing position of the players. The results demonstrate the presence of RAE in the AFC under 16 soccer tournaments [χ2(4) = 21.53; p < 0.001] with the largest number of older players dominating the qualified team. Likewise, a substantial difference is observed with regards to the quartile and various playing positions of the players at p < 0.05.

MeSH terms: Adolescent; Cognition; Football; Humans; Physical Examination; Probability; Soccer; Logistic Models; Athletic Performance; Athletes
Superhydrophobic surface coating on electrospun polypropylene membrane to treat high salinity water in membrane distillation

Chin JY, Teoh GH, Ahmad AL, Low SC

Water Sci Technol, 2020 Dec;82(12):2948-2961.
PMID: 33341784 DOI: 10.2166/wst.2020.528

Membrane distillation (MD) is an advantageous separation process compared with pressure-driven technologies and was subsequently introduced to treat aquaculture wastewater. Harnessing a superhydrophobic membrane in an MD process is of extreme importance to prevent membrane wetting. In this work, the electrospun polypropylene (PP) membrane was surface modified by depositing an additional coating of PP via the solvent-exchange method, thereby improving the membrane's superhydrophobicity. Layer-by-layer deposition of PP caused the formation of uniform polymer spherulites on the membrane surface, which levelled up the membrane's surface roughness. A superhydrophobic surface was achieved by applying a single-layered PP coating, with static water contact angle of 152.2° and sliding angle of 12.5°. While all membranes achieved almost perfect salt rejection (up to 99.99%), the MD permeate flux improved by 30%, average of 13.0 kg/m2h, when the single-layered PP-coated membrane was used to treat the high salinity water in both 2 and 60 hr MD processes. Further layers of coating resulted in larger size of PP spherulites with higher sliding angle, followed by lowered flux in MD. The evenness of the surface coating and the size of the aggregate PP spherulites (nano-scaled) are two predominant factors contributing to the superhydrophobicity character of a membrane.

MeSH terms: Membranes, Artificial; Polypropylenes; Water; Water Purification*; Salinity; Distillation*
Patient's satisfaction with facial appearance and psycho-social wellness after orthognathic surgery among Hong Kong Chinese using the FACE-Q

Tan SK, Leung WK, Tang ATH, Zwahlen RA

J Craniomaxillofac Surg, 2020 Dec;48(12):1106-1111.
PMID: 33041190 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcms.2020.09.012

PURPOSE: To assess and compare the changes in satisfaction with facial appearance and psycho-social well-being in dento-skeletal class II and III patients after orthognathic surgery with the FACE-Q among Hong Kong Chinese.
METHODS: The questionnaires for thirteen orthognathic-relevant FACE-Q scales, translated into Cantonese and validated, were administered to Hong Kong Chinese patients before and after orthognathic surgery in the short- and long-term, respectively. The assessed scales were categorized into four main domains: satisfaction with facial appearance, quality of life, patient's experience of care, and adverse effects.
RESULTS: Generally, highly significant (p

MeSH terms: Hong Kong; Humans; Personal Satisfaction; Quality of Life; Patient Satisfaction; Asian Continental Ancestry Group; Orthognathic Surgical Procedures*; Orthognathic Surgery*
Fulltext Innovative Self-Confidence Webinar Intervention for Depression in the Workplace: A Focus Group Study and Systematic Development

Wan Mohd Yunus WMA, Musiat P, Brown JSL

Behav Sci (Basel), 2020 Dec 16;10(12).
PMID: 33339086 DOI: 10.3390/bs10120193

Brief face-to-face self-confidence workshops were effective in reducing depression among the public. Technological advances have enabled traditional face-to-face interventions to be adapted using unique technology-mediated platforms. This article details the formative development of a self-confidence web-based seminar (webinar) intervention for workplace depression. The first section discusses a qualitative study that explores the feasibility and acceptability of adapting the self-confidence workshops into a webinar platform on employees in the workplace. The second section describes the systematic development of this new webinar intervention informed by the qualitative study findings, a published systematic review, and previous face-to-face self-confidence workshops. The qualitative study involves three focus groups (n = 10) conducted in a small organization. Three themes were identified relevant to the running of the new self-confidence webinars in the workplace: personal (content, time and duration preference, features of the webinar, individual participation, personalization), interpersonal (stigma from others, engagement with participants/presenter, moderated interaction), and organizational (endorsement from management, work demand). For the intervention development, the format, structure, features, and content of the self-confidence webinar intervention are described. Features such as file sharing, virtual whiteboard, live chat, and poll are explained with the intervention primarily based on cognitive behavior therapy and coping flexibility concepts.

MeSH terms: Adaptation, Psychological; Depression; Feasibility Studies; Humans; Self Concept; Technology; Workplace; Focus Groups; Internet; Qualitative Research; Social Stigma
Fulltext Bioactive Compounds from the Bornean Endemic Plant Goniothalamus longistipetes

Teo SP, Bhakta S, Stapleton P, Gibbons S

Antibiotics (Basel), 2020 Dec 16;9(12).
PMID: 33339285 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics9120913

The present study aimed to screen plants for bioactive compounds with potential antibacterial activities. In our efforts to evaluate plants from Borneo, we isolated and elucidated the structures of four natural products from the bioactive fraction of a chloroform extract of Goniothalamus longistipetes using various chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques. The bioactive compounds were identified as a known styryllactone, (+)-altholactone ((2S,3R,3aS,7aS)-3-hydroxy-2-phenyl-2,3,3a,7a-tetrahydrobenzo-5(4H)-5-one) (1), a new styryllactone, (2S,3R,3aS,7aS)-3-hydroxy-2-phenyl-2,3,3a,7a-tetrahydrobenzo-5(4H)-5-one) (2) as well as a new alkaloid, 2,6-dimethoxyisonicotinaldehyde (3) and a new alkenyl-5-hydroxyl-phenyl benzoic acid (4). 1 and 4 showed broad-spectrum anti-bacterial activities against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria as well as acid-fast model selected for this study. Compound 2 only demonstrated activities against Gram-positive bacteria whilst 3 displayed selective inhibitory activities against Gram-positive bacterial strains. Additionally, their mechanisms of anti-bacterial action were also investigated. Using Mycobacterium smegmatis as a fast-growing model of tubercle bacilli, compounds 1, 2 and 4 demonstrated inhibitory activities against whole-cell drug efflux and biofilm formation; two key intrinsic mechanisms of antibiotic resistance. Interestingly, the amphiphilic compound 4 exhibited inhibitory activity against the conjugation of plasmid pKM101 in Escherichia coli using a plate conjugation assay. Plasmid conjugation is a mechanism by which Gram-positive and Gram-negative-bacteria acquire drug resistance and virulence. These results indicated that bioactive compounds isolated from Goniothalamus longistipetes can be potential candidates as 'hits' for further optimisation.

MeSH terms: Alkaloids; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bacteria; Biological Products; Borneo; Chloroform; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Pharmaceutical Preparations; Escherichia coli; Furans; Gram-Negative Bacteria; Gram-Positive Bacteria; Plant Extracts; Plasmids; Pyrones; Virulence; Biofilms; Benzoic Acid; Mycobacterium smegmatis; Goniothalamus
Fulltext Metabolic Profile of Scytalidium parasiticum-Ganoderma boninense Co-Cultures Revealed the Alkaloids, Flavonoids and Fatty Acids that Contribute to Anti-Ganoderma Activity

Ahmad R, Lim CK, Marzuki NF, Goh YK, Azizan KA, Goh YK, et al.

Molecules, 2020 Dec 16;25(24).
PMID: 33339375 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25245965

In solving the issue of basal stem rot diseases caused by Ganoderma, an investigation of Scytalidium parasiticum as a biological control agent that suppresses Ganoderma infection has gained our interest, as it is more environmentally friendly. Recently, the fungal co-cultivation has emerged as a promising method to discover novel antimicrobial metabolites. In this study, an established technique of co-culturing Scytalidium parasiticum and Ganoderma boninense was applied to produce and induce metabolites that have antifungal activity against G. boninense. The crude extract from the co-culture media was applied to a High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) preparative column to isolate the bioactive compounds, which were tested against G. boninense. The fractions that showed inhibition against G. boninense were sent for a Liquid Chromatography-Time of Flight-Mass Spectrometry (LC-TOF-MS) analysis to further identify the compounds that were responsible for the microbicidal activity. Interestingly, we found that eudistomin I, naringenin 7-O-beta-D-glucoside and penipanoid A, which were present in different abundances in all the active fractions, except in the control, could be the antimicrobial metabolites. In addition, the abundance of fatty acids, such as oleic acid and stearamide in the active fraction, also enhanced the antimicrobial activity. This comprehensive metabolomics study could be used as the basis for isolating biocontrol compounds to be applied in oil palm fields to combat a Ganoderma infection.

MeSH terms: Alkaloids/isolation & purification; Alkaloids/pharmacology; Alkaloids/chemistry*; Antifungal Agents/analysis; Antifungal Agents/pharmacology; Antifungal Agents/chemistry*; Ascomycota/metabolism; Ascomycota/chemistry*; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Fatty Acids/isolation & purification; Fatty Acids/pharmacology; Fatty Acids/chemistry*; Flavonoids/isolation & purification; Flavonoids/pharmacology; Flavonoids/chemistry*; Discriminant Analysis; Least-Squares Analysis; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization; Principal Component Analysis; Ganoderma/drug effects; Ganoderma/metabolism; Ganoderma/chemistry*; Batch Cell Culture Techniques
Fulltext A Multi-Sensor Comparative Analysis on the Suitability of Generated DEM from Sentinel-1 SAR Interferometry Using Statistical and Hydrological Models

Mohammadi A, Karimzadeh S, Jalal SJ, Kamran KV, Shahabi H, Homayouni S, et al.

Sensors (Basel), 2020 Dec 16;20(24).
PMID: 33339435 DOI: 10.3390/s20247214

Digital elevation model (DEM) plays a vital role in hydrological modelling and environmental studies. Many essential layers can be extracted from this land surface information, including slope, aspect, rivers, and curvature. Therefore, DEM quality and accuracy will affect the extracted features and the whole process of modeling. Despite freely available DEMs from various sources, many researchers generate this information for their areas from various observations. Sentinal-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images are among the best Earth observations for DEM generation thanks to their availabilities, high-resolution, and C-band sensitivity to surface structure. This paper presents a comparative study, from a hydrological point of view, on the quality and reliability of the DEMs generated from Sentinel-1 data and DEMs from other sources such as AIRSAR, ALOS-PALSAR, TanDEM-X, and SRTM. To this end, pair of Sentinel-1 data were acquired and processed using the SAR interferometry technique to produce a DEM for two different study areas of a part of the Cameron Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia, a part of Sanandaj, Iran. Based on the estimated linear regression and standard errors, generating DEM from Sentinel-1 did not yield promising results. The river streams for all DEMs were extracted using geospatial analysis tool in a geographic information system (GIS) environment. The results indicated that because of the higher spatial resolution (compared to SRTM and TanDEM-X), more stream orders were delineated from AIRSAR and Sentinel-1 DEMs. Due to the shorter perpendicular baseline, the phase decorrelation in the created DEM resulted in a lot of noise. At the same time, results from ground control points (GCPs) showed that the created DEM from Sentinel-1 is not promising. Therefore, other DEMs' performance, such as 90-meters' TanDEM-X and 30-meters' SRTM, are better than Sentinel-1 DEM (with a better spatial resolution).

MeSH terms: Data Collection; Family Characteristics; Interferometry; Iran; Malaysia; Radar; Reference Standards; Reproducibility of Results; Linear Models; Geographic Information Systems; Rivers; Hydrology
Fulltext Estimating prevalence of subjective cognitive decline in and across international cohort studies of aging: a COSMIC study

Röhr S, Pabst A, Riedel-Heller SG, Jessen F, Turana Y, Handajani YS, et al.

Alzheimers Res Ther, 2020 12 18;12(1):167.
PMID: 33339532 DOI: 10.1186/s13195-020-00734-y

BACKGROUND: Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) is recognized as a risk stage for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other dementias, but its prevalence is not well known. We aimed to use uniform criteria to better estimate SCD prevalence across international cohorts.
METHODS: We combined individual participant data for 16 cohorts from 15 countries (members of the COSMIC consortium) and used qualitative and quantitative (Item Response Theory/IRT) harmonization techniques to estimate SCD prevalence.
RESULTS: The sample comprised 39,387 cognitively unimpaired individuals above age 60. The prevalence of SCD across studies was around one quarter with both qualitative harmonization/QH (23.8%, 95%CI = 23.3-24.4%) and IRT (25.6%, 95%CI = 25.1-26.1%); however, prevalence estimates varied largely between studies (QH 6.1%, 95%CI = 5.1-7.0%, to 52.7%, 95%CI = 47.4-58.0%; IRT: 7.8%, 95%CI = 6.8-8.9%, to 52.7%, 95%CI = 47.4-58.0%). Across studies, SCD prevalence was higher in men than women, in lower levels of education, in Asian and Black African people compared to White people, in lower- and middle-income countries compared to high-income countries, and in studies conducted in later decades.
CONCLUSIONS: SCD is frequent in old age. Having a quarter of older individuals with SCD warrants further investigation of its significance, as a risk stage for AD and other dementias, and of ways to help individuals with SCD who seek medical advice. Moreover, a standardized instrument to measure SCD is needed to overcome the measurement variability currently dominant in the field.

MeSH terms: Aging; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Neuropsychological Tests; Cohort Studies; Prevalence
Fulltext Screening of native microalgae species for carbon fixation at the vicinity of Malaysian coal-fired power plant

Yahya L, Harun R, Abdullah LC

Sci Rep, 2020 12 18;10(1):22355.
PMID: 33339883 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-79316-9

Global warming has become a serious issue nowadays as the trend of CO2 emission is increasing by years. In Malaysia, the electricity and energy sector contributed a significant amount to the nation's CO2 emission due to fossil fuel use. Many research works have been carried out to mitigate this issue, including carbon capture and utilization (CCUS) technology and biological carbon fixation by microalgae. This study makes a preliminary effort to screen native microalgae species in the Malaysian coal-fired power plant's surrounding towards carbon fixation ability. Three dominant species, including Nannochloropsis sp., Tetraselmis sp., and Isochrysis sp. were identified and tested in the laboratory under ambient and pure CO2 condition to assess their growth and CO2 fixation ability. The results indicate Isochrysis sp. as the superior carbon fixer against other species. In continuation, the optimization study using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was carried out to optimize the operating conditions of Isochrysis sp. using a customized lab-scale photobioreactor under simulated flue gas exposure. This species was further acclimatized and tested under actual flue gas generated by the power plant. Isochrysis sp. had shown its capability as a carbon fixer with CO2 fixation rate of 0.35 gCO2/L day under actual coal-fired flue gas exposure after cycles of acclimatization phase. This work is the first to demonstrate indigenous microalgae species' ability as a carbon fixer under Malaysian coal-fired flue gas exposure. Thus, the findings shall be useful in exploring the microalgae potential as a biological agent for carbon emission mitigation from power plants more sustainably.

MeSH terms: Carbon/metabolism; Carbon Dioxide/adverse effects*; Carbon Dioxide/chemistry; Coal/adverse effects*; Fossil Fuels/adverse effects; Humans; Power Plants; Biomass; Global Warming; Carbon Cycle/genetics; Carbon Cycle/physiology*; Microalgae/genetics; Microalgae/metabolism*; Microalgae/chemistry; Photobioreactors
Tips for odontogenic infections

Bhatia S, Kohli S

Br Dent J, 2020 12;229(12):760-761.
PMID: 33339909 DOI: 10.1038/s41415-020-2516-4
MeSH terms: Humans; Sepsis*
Fulltext Residual analysis of chitosan-based agronanofungicides as a sustainable alternative in oil palm disease management

Maluin FN, Hussein MZ, Yusof NA, Fakurazi S, Maznah Z, Idris AS, et al.

Sci Rep, 2020 12 18;10(1):22323.
PMID: 33339951 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-79335-6

The nanoformulations of pesticides have shown great interest from many parties due to their slow release capability and site-specific delivery. Hence, in this work, a new nanoformulation of a fungicide, namely chitosan-hexaconazole nanoparticles with a mean diameter size of 18 nm was subjected to the residual analysis on oil palm tissue, leaf and palm oil (crude palm oil and crude palm kernel oil) using a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe (QuEChERS) method coupled with the gas chromatography-micro electron capture detector (GC-µECD). The chitosan-hexaconazole nanoparticles were applied using the trunk injection method at 4.5 g a.i./palm (standard single dose) and 9.0 g a.i./palm (double dose). The fungicide residue was analyzed at 0 (6 h after application), 1, 3, 7, 14, 30, 60, 90, and 120 days after treatment. The palm oil matrices; the crude palm oil (CPO) and crude palm kernel oil (CPKO) were found to be residue-free. However, it was observed that high accumulation of the fungicide in the stem tissue and leaf after the treatment using the chitosan-hexaconazole nanoparticles, which is good for better bioavailability for the treatment of the fungi, Ganoderma boninense. The dissipation kinetic at double dose treatment in the tissue and leaf was found to govern by the second-order kinetic with half-lives (t1/2) of 383 and 515 days, respectively.

MeSH terms: Fungicides, Industrial/pharmacology*; Fungicides, Industrial/chemistry; Pesticides/pharmacology*; Pesticides/chemistry; Triazoles/pharmacology; Triazoles/chemistry; Plant Leaves/drug effects; Plant Leaves/microbiology; Plant Leaves/chemistry; Ganoderma/drug effects; Ganoderma/pathogenicity; Chitosan/pharmacology*; Chitosan/chemistry; Nanoparticles/chemistry*
Fulltext HIV care models during the COVID-19 era

Guaraldi G, Milic J, Martinez E, Kamarulzaman A, Mussini C, Waters L, et al.

Clin Infect Dis, 2020 Dec 19.
PMID: 33340037 DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciaa1864

The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented global challenge that substantially risks reversing the progress in ending HIV. At the same time, it may offer the opportunity for a new era of HIV management. This viewpoint presents the impact of COVID-19 on HIV care, including the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) "three 90s" targets. It outlines how to enhance a patient-centered care approach, now known as the "fourth 90," by integrating face-to-face patient-physician and telemedicine encounters. It suggests a framework for prevention and treatment of multimorbidity and frailty, to achieve a good health-related quality of life and preserve intrinsic capacity in all people living with HIV.
Fulltext Viral Pandemics of the Last Four Decades: Pathophysiology, Health Impacts and Perspectives

Roychoudhury S, Das A, Sengupta P, Dutta S, Roychoudhury S, Choudhury AP, et al.

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2020 12 15;17(24).
PMID: 33333995 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17249411

The twenty-first century has witnessed some of the deadliest viral pandemics with far-reaching consequences. These include the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) (1981), Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV) (2002), Influenza A virus subtype H1N1 (A/H1N1) (2009), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) (2012) and Ebola virus (2013) and the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) (2019-present). Age- and gender-based characterizations suggest that SARS-CoV-2 resembles SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV with regard tohigher fatality rates in males, and in the older population with comorbidities. The invasion-mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV, involves binding of its spike protein with angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors; MERS-CoV utilizes dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4), whereas H1N1 influenza is equipped with hemagglutinin protein. The viral infections-mediated immunomodulation, and progressive inflammatory state may affect the functions of several other organs. Although no effective commercial vaccine is available for any of the viruses, those against SARS-CoV-2 are being developed at an unprecedented speed. Until now, only Pfizer/BioNTech's vaccine has received temporary authorization from the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. Given the frequent emergence of viral pandemics in the 21st century, proper understanding of their characteristics and modes of action are essential to address the immediate and long-term health consequences.

MeSH terms: Female; HIV; Humans; Male; Public Health; Virus Diseases/epidemiology*; Virus Diseases/physiopathology; Comorbidity; Ebolavirus; SARS Virus; History, 20th Century; History, 21st Century; Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype; Pandemics/history*; Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus
Fulltext The prevalence of stress, anxiety and depression within front-line healthcare workers caring for COVID-19 patients: a systematic review and meta-regression

Salari N, Khazaie H, Hosseinian-Far A, Khaledi-Paveh B, Kazeminia M, Mohammadi M, et al.

Hum Resour Health, 2020 12 17;18(1):100.
PMID: 33334335 DOI: 10.1186/s12960-020-00544-1

BACKGROUND: Stress, anxiety, and depression are some of the most important research and practice challenges for psychologists, psychiatrists, and behavioral scientists. Due to the importance of issue and the lack of general statistics on these disorders among the Hospital staff treating the COVID-19 patients, this study aims to systematically review and determine the prevalence of stress, anxiety and depression within front-line healthcare workers caring for COVID-19 patients.
METHODS: In this research work, the systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression approaches are used to approximate the prevalence of stress, anxiety and depression within front-line healthcare workers caring for COVID-19 patients. The keywords of prevalence, anxiety, stress, depression, psychopathy, mental illness, mental disorder, doctor, physician, nurse, hospital staff, 2019-nCoV, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2 and Coronaviruses were used for searching the SID, MagIran, IranMedex, IranDoc, ScienceDirect, Embase, Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science (ISI) and Google Scholar databases. The search process was conducted in December 2019 to June 2020. In order to amalgamate and analyze the reported results within the collected studies, the random effects model is used. The heterogeneity of the studies is assessed using the I2 index. Lastly, the data analysis is performed within the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software.
RESULTS: Of the 29 studies with a total sample size of 22,380, 21 papers have reported the prevalence of depression, 23 have reported the prevalence of anxiety, and 9 studies have reported the prevalence of stress. The prevalence of depression is 24.3% (18% CI 18.2-31.6%), the prevalence of anxiety is 25.8% (95% CI 20.5-31.9%), and the prevalence of stress is 45% (95% CI 24.3-67.5%) among the hospitals' Hospital staff caring for the COVID-19 patients. According to the results of meta-regression analysis, with increasing the sample size, the prevalence of depression and anxiety decreased, and this was statistically significant (P

MeSH terms: Adult; Anxiety/etiology; Anxiety/epidemiology*; Mental Disorders/etiology; Mental Disorders/epidemiology*; Depression/etiology; Depression/epidemiology*; Female; Health Personnel/psychology; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Nurses/psychology; Personnel, Hospital/psychology*; Physicians/psychology; Stress, Psychological/etiology; Stress, Psychological/epidemiology*; Prevalence
Fulltext CO2 utilization as a soft oxidant for the synthesis of styrene from ethylbenzene over Co3O4 supported on magnesium aluminate spinel: role of spinel activation temperature

Madduluri VR, Marella RK, Hanafiah MM, Lakkaboyana SK, Suresh Babu G

Sci Rep, 2020 Dec 17;10(1):22170.
PMID: 33335173 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-79188-z

Magnesium aluminate spinel (MgAl2O4) supported Co3O4 catalysts are synthesized and tested for the oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of ethylbenzene using CO2 as a soft oxidant. The effect of spinel calcination temperature on the catalytic performance has been systematically investigated. With an increase in the activation temperature from 600 to 900 °C, the active presence of a single-phase MgAl2O4 spinel is observed. A catalyst series consisting of MgAl2O4 spinel with varying Co loadings (10-20 wt%) were prepared and systematically distinguished by ICP, XRD, BET, TPR, NH3-TPD, UV-Vis DRS, FT-IR, XPS, SEM, and TEM. Among the tested cobalt catalysts, 15Co/800MA sample derived by calcination of MgAl2O4 support at 800 °C exhibits the most excellent catalytic performance with the maximum ethylbenzene conversion (≥ 82%). Also, high yields of styrene (≥ 81%) could be consistently achieved on the same active catalyst. Further, the catalyst exhibited almost stable activity during 20 h time-on-stream with a slow decrease in the ethylbenzene conversion from 82 to 59%. However, the selectivity of styrene (98%) stayed almost constant during the reaction. Activation of the MgAl2O4 spinel at 800 °C facilitates a dramatic chemical homogeneity for the alignment of Co3O4 nanoparticles on the surface of the active catalyst. Moreover, the isolated Co3O4 clusters have a strong chemical/electronic interaction with the Mg2+ and Al3+ ions on the support perform a crucial role to achieve the maximum catalytic activity.
Fulltext Geochemical and organic petrographic characteristics of high bituminous shales from Gurha mine in Rajasthan, NW India

Singh AK, Hakimi MH, Kumar A, Ahmed A, Abidin NSZ, Kinawy M, et al.

Sci Rep, 2020 12 17;10(1):22108.
PMID: 33335176 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-78906-x

A high bituminous shale horizon from the Gurha mine in the Bikaner sub-basin of the Rajasthan District, NW India, was studied using a collection of geochemical and petrological techniques. This study investigated the nature and environmental conditions of the organic matter and its relation to the unconventional oil-shale resources of the bituminous shale. The analyzed shales have high total organic carbon and total sulfur contents, suggesting that these shale sediments were deposited in a paralic environment under reducing conditions. The dominant presence of organic matter derived from phytoplankton algae suggests warm climatic marine environment, with little connection to freshwater enhancing the growth of algae and other microorganisms. The analyzed bituminous shales have high aquatic-derived alginite organic matters, with low Pr/Ph, Pr/n-C17, and Ph/n-C18 ratios. It is classified as Type II oil-prone kerogen, consistent with high hydrogen index value. Considering the maturity indicators of geochemical Tmax (

MeSH terms: Biological Phenomena; Carbon; Family Characteristics; Fresh Water; Heating; Hydrogen; India; Industrial Oils; Minerals; Physiological Phenomena; Phytoplankton; Sulfur
Author Correction: Factors influencing riverine utilization patterns in two sympatric macaques

Otani Y, Bernard H, Wong A, Tangah J, Tuuga A, Hanya G, et al.

Sci Rep, 2020 Dec 17;10(1):22372.
PMID: 33335180 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-79259-1
Fulltext Modelling of hydrogen sulfide fate and emissions in extended aeration sewage treatment plant using TOXCHEM simulations

Zwain HM, Nile BK, Faris AM, Vakili M, Dahlan I

Sci Rep, 2020 12 17;10(1):22209.
PMID: 33335267 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-79395-8

Odors due to the emission of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) have been a concern in the sewage treatment plants over the last decades. H2S fate and emissions from extended aeration activated sludge (EAAS) system in Muharram Aisha-sewage treatment plant (MA-STP) were studied using TOXCHEM model. Sensitivity analysis at different aeration flowrate, H2S loading rate, wastewater pH, wastewater temperature and wind speed were studied. The predicted data were validated against actual results, where all the data were validated within the limits, and the statistical evaluation of normalized mean square error (NMSE), geometric variance (VG), and correlation coefficient (R) were close to the ideal fit. The results showed that the major processes occurring in the system were degradation and emission. During summer (27 °C) and winter (12 °C), about 25 and 23%, 1 and 2%, 2 and 2%, and 72 and 73% were fated as emitted to air, discharged with effluent, sorbed to sludge, and biodegraded, respectively. At summer and winter, the total emitted concentrations of H2S were 6.403 and 5.614 ppm, respectively. The sensitivity results indicated that aeration flowrate, H2S loading rate and wastewater pH highly influenced the emission and degradation of H2S processes compared to wastewater temperature and wind speed. To conclude, TOXCHEM model successfully predicted the H2S fate and emissions in EAAS system.

MeSH terms: Biodegradation, Environmental; Humans; Hydrogen Sulfide; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Patient Discharge; Seasons; Sewage; Temperature; Wind; Waste Water

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