Browse publications by year: 2021

  1. Hassan J, Toh TH, Sivapunniam SK, Hasim R, Ghazali NF, Sulaiman S, et al.
    Pediatr Infect Dis J, 2021 08 01;40(8):774-781.
    PMID: 34250977 DOI: 10.1097/INF.0000000000003164
    BACKGROUND: Incorporating dengue vaccination within existing vaccination programs could help improve dengue vaccine coverage. We assessed the immunogenicity and safety of a quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine administered concomitantly or sequentially with a tetravalent dengue vaccine (CYD-TDV) in healthy children 9-13 years of age in Malaysia.

    METHODS: In this phase IIIb, open-label, multicenter study (NCT02993757), participants were randomized 1:1 to receive 3 CYD-TDV doses 6 months apart and 2 doses of quadrivalent HPV vaccine concomitantly with, or 1 month before (sequentially), the first 2 CYD-TDV doses. Only baseline dengue-seropositive participants received the 3 doses. Antibody levels were measured at baseline and 28 days after each injection using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for HPV-6, -9, -16 and -18, and the 50% plaque reduction neutralization test for the 4 dengue serotypes; immunogenicity results are presented for baseline dengue-seropositive participants. Safety was assessed throughout the study for all participants.

    RESULTS: At baseline, 197 of 528 (37.3%) randomized participants were dengue-seropositive [n = 109 (concomitant group) and n = 88 (sequential group)]. After the last HPV vaccine dose, antibody titers for HPV among baseline dengue-seropositive participants were similar between treatment groups, with between-group titer ratios close to 1 for HPV-6 and 0.8 for HPV-11, -16, and -18. After CYD-TDV dose 3, dengue antibody titers were similar between treatment groups for all serotypes [between-group ratios ranged from 0.783 (serotype 2) to 1.07 (serotype 4)]. No safety concerns were identified.

    CONCLUSIONS: The immunogenicity and safety profiles of CYD-TDV and quadrivalent HPV vaccines were unaffected when administered concomitantly or sequentially in dengue-seropositive children.

    MeSH terms: Human Papillomavirus Recombinant Vaccine Quadrivalent, Types 6, 11, 16, 18/administration & dosage*; Human Papillomavirus Recombinant Vaccine Quadrivalent, Types 6, 11, 16, 18/immunology; Adolescent; Child; Female; Humans; Malaysia/epidemiology; Male; Immunization Programs/methods; Vaccines, Combined/administration & dosage*; Vaccines, Combined/immunology; Dengue Vaccines/administration & dosage*; Dengue Vaccines/immunology; Patient Safety*; Immunogenicity, Vaccine*
  2. Tee TY, Cader RA
    Acta Med Indones, 2021 Apr;53(2):208-212.
    PMID: 34251350
    Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura is a rare but life threatening medical condition. Early recognition and treatment of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura is important especially in patients who do not present with the classic pentad to reduce the high mortality. Herein, we describe a case of a patient who does not fulfil the classic pentad features thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura that was induced by dengue fever. The patients' initial full blood picture did not have all the typical features of microangiopathic haemolytic anaemia but there were fragmented red blood cells. However, even a small number of fragmented red blood cells in the peripheral blood should alert physicians of the possible diagnosis of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura together with other symptoms. Furthermore, signs and symptoms of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura and dengue fever can overlap such as fever, thrombocytopenia, neurological deficit mimicking dengue encephalopathy and dengue induced acute kidney injury.
    MeSH terms: Adult; Dengue/complications*; Humans; Male; Purpura, Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic/blood; Purpura, Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic/etiology*
  3. Zahari AI, Said J, Arshad R
    PMID: 34251611 DOI: 10.1007/s12124-021-09626-8
    The purpose of this paper is to understand the underlying components of integrity and examine its value. The approach is through identifying and expanding on the common values of integrity such as honesty, conscientiousness and principle. There is a need to find a common ground in the sense of giving specific values towards integrity. Current works of literature indicate that there is a gap in assigning the core values of integrity. This information was collected through a semi-structured qualitative interview with 15 experienced participants from a wide range of background and has extensive experience with the fields of integrity. Such samples are from academic experts, government practitioners, representatives of government agencies, and non-governmental organisations. The identified components are then projected and validated through this list of participants. One of the objectives of this study is to understand the components of integrity through the life experience of people who are commonly associated with the areas of "integrity". The common core values of integrity was identified through a process of systematic literature review and summarised in this study. Content analysis of the data identified multiple dimensions and sub-dimensions on integrity. The findings suggest that integrity is more than being honest, conscientious and with principle as other factors are determining factors of being a component of integrity. Values such as responsibility, sincerity, consistency, compliance, conscious, pride, social norms, ruling policies and awareness play a major role in the value of integrity. The paper builds a model of integrity components based on these interpreted values. This paper contributes to the growing interest in the concept of integrity and attempts to streamline the central components of integrity. The studies of integrity are timely contemporary issues which deserve scientific attention. The building of sophisticated models and empirical investigations in their own right are opportunities for society to improve on their understandings of human behaviour. The integrity model provides an opportunity and useful addition for governments, private institutions, and individuals to improve each of their core values towards integrity.
  4. Khalil I, Hashem A, Nath AR, Muhd Julkapli N, Yehye WA, Basirun WJ
    Mol Cell Probes, 2021 10;59:101758.
    PMID: 34252563 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcp.2021.101758
    Authentication, detection and quantification of ingredients, and adulterants in food, meat, and meat products are of high importance these days. The conventional techniques for the detection of meat species based on lipid, protein and DNA biomarkers are facing challenges due to the poor selectivity, sensitivity and unsuitability for processed food products or complex food matrices. On the other hand, DNA based molecular techniques and nanoparticle based DNA biosensing strategies are gathering huge attention from the scientific communities, researchers and are considered as one of the best alternatives to the conventional strategies. Though nucleic acid based molecular techniques such as PCR and DNA sequencing are getting greater successes in species detection, they are still facing problems from its point-of-care applications. In this context, nanoparticle based DNA biosensors have gathered successes in some extent but not to a satisfactory stage to mark with. In recent years, many articles have been published in the area of progressive nucleic acid-based technologies, however there are very few review articles on DNA nanobiosensors in food science and technology. In this review, we present the fundamentals of DNA based molecular techniques such as PCR, DNA sequencing and their applications in food science. Moreover, the in-depth discussions of different DNA biosensing strategies or more specifically electrochemical and optical DNA nanobiosensors are presented. In addition, the significance of DNA nanobiosensors over other advanced detection technologies is discussed, focusing on the deficiencies, advantages as well as current challenges to ameliorate with the direction for future development.
    MeSH terms: Allergens; DNA/genetics; Biosensing Techniques*; Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques; Electrochemical Techniques*
  5. Jameran AS, Cheah SK, Tzar MN, Musthafa QA, Low HJ, Maaya M, et al.
    J Crit Care, 2021 10;65:216-220.
    PMID: 34252648 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcrc.2021.06.018
    PURPOSE: Early detection of candidemia in critically ill patients is important for preemptive antifungal treatment. Our study aimed to identify the independent risk factors for the development of a new candidemia prediction score.

    METHODS: This single-centre retrospective observational study evaluated 2479 intensive care unit (ICU) cases from January 2016 to December 2018. A total of 76 identified candidemia cases and 76 matched control cases were analyzed. The patients' demographic characteristics and illness severity were analyzed, and possible risk factors for candidemia were investigated.

    RESULTS: Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified renal replacement therapy (RRT) (odds ratio [OR]: 52.83; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 7.82-356.92; P < 0.0001), multifocal Candida colonization (OR: 23.55; 95% CI: 4.23-131.05; P < 0.0001), parenteral nutrition (PN) (OR: 63.67; 95% CI: 4.56-889.77; P = 0.002), and acute kidney injury (AKI) (OR: 7.67; 95% CI: 1.24-47.30; P = 0.028) as independent risk factors. A new prediction score with a cut-off value of 5.0 (80.3% sensitivity and 77.3% specificity) was formulated from the logit model equation.

    CONCLUSIONS: Renal replacement therapy, AKI, PN, and multifocal Candida colonization were the independent risk factors for the new candidemia prediction score with high discriminatory performance and predictive accuracy.

  6. Venkatappa M, Sasaki N, Han P, Abe I
    Sci Total Environ, 2021 Nov 15;795:148829.
    PMID: 34252779 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148829
    While droughts and floods have intensified in recent years, only a handful of studies have assessed their impacts on croplands and production in Southeast Asia. Here, we used the Google Earth Engine to assess the droughts and floods and their impacts on croplands and crop production over 40 years from 1980 to 2019. Using the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) as the basis for determining the drought and flood levels, and crop damage levels, crop production loss in both the Monsoon Climate Region (MCR) and the Equatorial Climate Region (ECR) of Southeast Asia was assessed over 47,192 grid points with 10 × 10-kilometer resolution. We found that rainfed crops were severely affected by droughts in the MCR and floods in the ECR. About 9.42 million ha and 3.72 million ha of cropland was damaged by droughts and floods, respectively. We estimated a total loss of 20.64 million tons of crop production between 2015 and 2019. Rainfed crops in Thailand, Cambodia, and Myanmar were strongly affected by droughts, whereas Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia were more affected by floods over the same period. Accordingly, four levels of policy interventions were prioritized by considering the geolocated crop damage levels.
    MeSH terms: Crop Production; Thailand; Crops, Agricultural; Droughts*; Floods*; Climate Change; Search Engine
  7. Oguntade AS, Jin D, Islam N, Malouf R, Taylor H, Caleyachetty R, et al.
    Open Heart, 2021 Jun;8(1).
    PMID: 34168082 DOI: 10.1136/openhrt-2021-001632
    INTRODUCTION: Although there is strong evidence of an association between general adiposity and incidence of heart failure, previous systematic reviews and meta-analyses have not reliably assessed the association of heart failure risk with other aspects of body composition (such as body fat distribution or lean mass), or between body composition and risk of heart failure subtypes. We aim to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies to address these uncertainties, and inform efforts to prevent and treat heart failure.

    METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for Protocols statement was used as a template for this protocol. A systematic search of Medline, Embase and Global Health from database inception to present will be conducted to identify prospective studies reporting on the associations between major measures of body composition (body mass index, waist circumference, waist-hip ratio, total body fat, visceral adiposity tissue and lean mass) and risk of heart failure. Article screening and selection will be performed by two reviewers independently, and disagreements will be adjudicated by consensus or by a third reviewer. Data from eligible articles will be extracted, and article quality will be assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Relative risks (and 95% CIs) will be pooled in a fixed effect meta-analysis, if there is no prohibitive heterogeneity of studies as assessed using the Cochrane Q statistic and I2 statistic. Subgroup analyses will be by age, sex, ethnicity and heart failure subtypes. Publication bias in the meta-analysis will be assessed using Egger's test and funnel plots.

    ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This work is secondary analyses on published data and ethical approval is not required. We plan to publish results in an open-access peer-reviewed journal, present it at international and national conferences, and share the findings on social media.

    PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020224584.

    MeSH terms: Body Composition*; Heart Failure/etiology; Heart Failure/epidemiology*; Heart Failure/physiopathology; Humans; Obesity/complications*; Risk Factors; Global Health; Meta-Analysis as Topic; Incidence; Risk Assessment/methods*
  8. Thiagarajah R, Kandasamy R, Sellamuthu P
    J Korean Neurosurg Soc, 2021 Jul;64(4):543-551.
    PMID: 34237912 DOI: 10.3340/jkns.2020.0285
    OBJECTIVE: Hemorrhagic stroke (HS) and hypertensive retinopathy are known end organ damage of the brain and eye respectively, with HS having deleterious consequence to the patients. This study is to correlate between hypertensive retinopathy and HS in hypertensive disease.

    METHODS: A control group of hypertensive patients only, and an investigated group of hypertensive HS patients. Fundoscopic examination to determine the grade of retinopathy was performed and then divided into low or high severity hypertensive retinopathy. Clinical and radiological parameter included are demography, vital signs, Glasgow coma scale (GCS) on admission, clot volume, site of clot, Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) score and Glasgow outcome scale (GOS). Data were correlated with the severity of hypertensive retinopathy.

    RESULTS: Fifty patient in the control group and 51 patients in the investigated group were recruited. In the hypertensive HS group, 21 had low severity retinopathy (no or mild retinopathy) accounting for 41.2% and 30 patients had high severity (moderate or severe retinopathy). In the hypertensive patients 49 had low severity and one had high severity (p-value of 0.001). In HS group low severity showed better GCS score of 9-15 on admission (p-value of 0.003), clot volume less than 30 mL (p-value 0.001), and also a better 30 days mortality rate by using the ICH score (p-value 0.006), GOS score of 4 and 5 the low severity retinopathy fair better than the high severity retinopathy (p-value of 0.001), and the relative risk to develop HS in low severity and high severity retinopathy was 0.42 and 29.4, respectively.

    CONCLUSION: Hypertensive retinopathy screening could be used as an indicator in hypertensive patient, to evaluate the risk of developing hypertensive HS in the future.

  9. Arikrishnan S, Loh JS, Teo XW, Bin Norizan F, Low ML, Lee SH, et al.
    PMID: 34238173 DOI: 10.2174/1871520621666210708100019
    BACKGROUND: The lack of specificity, severe side effects, and development of drug resistance have largely limited the use of platinum-based compounds in cancer treatment. Therefore, copper complexes have emerged as potential alternatives to platinum-based compounds.

    OBJECTIVE: Ternary copper (II) complex incorporated with 1-10-phenanthroline and L-tyrosine was investigated for its anti-cancer effects in HT-29 colorectal cancer cells.

    METHODS: Cytotoxic effects of ternary copper (II) complex in HT-29 cells were evaluated using MTT assay, Real-Time Cell Analysis (RTCA), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay. Cell cycle analysis was performed using flow cytometry. Apoptosis induction was studied by Annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide (PI) staining and mitochondrial membrane potential analysis (JC-10 staining) using flow cytometry. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) were detected by DCFH-DA assay. The expression of proteins involved in the apoptotic signalling pathway (p53, caspases, and PARP-1) was evaluated by western blot analysis.

    RESULTS: Ternary copper (II) complex reduced the cell viability of HT-29 cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner, with IC50 of 2.4 ± 0.4 and 0.8 ± 0.04 µM at 24 and 48 hours, respectively. Cell cycle analysis demonstrated induction of S-phase cell cycle arrest. Morphological evaluation and Annexin V-FITC/PI flow cytometry analysis confirmed induction of apoptosis that was further supported by cleavage and activation of caspase-8, caspase-9, caspase-3, and PARP-1. Mutant p53 was also downregulated in a dose-dependent manner. No LDH release, mitochondrial membrane potential disruption, and ROS production were observed.

    CONCLUSION: Ternary copper (II) complex holds great potential to be developed for colorectal cancer treatment.

  10. Alam T, Almutairi AF, Samsuzzaman M, Cho M, Islam MT
    Sci Rep, 2021 Jul 08;11(1):14087.
    PMID: 34238984 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-93537-6
    This research article presents a design and performance analysis of a metamaterial inspired ultra-high frequency (UHF) compact planar patch antenna for the CubeSat communication system that could be smoothly integrated with commercially available 2U Cube Satellite structure and onboard subsystem. The proposed antenna consists of two layers, one is two different width meander line antenna patch with partial ground plane and another layer is 3 × 2 near-zero-indexed metamaterial (NZIM) metamaterial array structure with ground plane. The NZIM array layer has been utilized to minimize the coupling effect with Cube Satellite structure and improve the frequency stability with enhanced antenna gain and efficiency. The fabricated antenna can operate within the lower UHF frequency band of 443.5-455 MHz. with an average peak gain of 2.5 dB. The designed antenna impedance stability characteristic has been explored after integration with the 2U Cube Satellite body layout. Besides, the antenna communication performance has been verified using 2U Cube Satellite free space path loss investigation. Small antenna volume with trade-off between the antenna size and performance are the key advantages of the proposed design, as the antenna occupies only 80 × 40 × 3.35 mm3 space of the 2U Cube Satellite body structure and the geometrical parameters can be designed to provide the best performance between 449 and 468.5 MHz.
  11. Khashi'ie NS, Waini I, Arifin NM, Pop I
    Sci Rep, 2021 Jul 08;11(1):14128.
    PMID: 34238991 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-93644-4
    The proficiency of hybrid nanofluid from Cu-Al2O3/water formation as the heat transfer coolant is numerically analyzed using the powerful and user-friendly interface bvp4c in the Matlab software. For that purpose, the Cu-Al2O3/water nanofluid flow between two parallel plates is examined where the lower plate can be deformed while the upper plate moves towards/away from the lower plate. Other considerable factors are the wall mass suction/injection and the magnetic field that applied on the lower plate. The reduced ordinary (similarity) differential equations are solved using the bvp4c application. The validation of this novel model is conducted by comparing a few of numerical values for the reduced case of viscous fluid. The results imply the potency of this heat transfer fluid which can enhance the heat transfer performance for both upper and lower plates approximately by 7.10% and 4.11%, respectively. An increase of squeezing parameter deteriorates the heat transfer coefficient by 4.28% (upper) and 5.35% (lower), accordingly. The rise of suction strength inflates the heat transfer at the lower plate while the presence of the magnetic field shows a reverse result.
  12. Kundu R, Basak H, Singh PK, Ahmadian A, Ferrara M, Sarkar R
    Sci Rep, 2021 Jul 08;11(1):14133.
    PMID: 34238992 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-93658-y
    COVID-19 has crippled the world's healthcare systems, setting back the economy and taking the lives of several people. Although potential vaccines are being tested and supplied around the world, it will take a long time to reach every human being, more so with new variants of the virus emerging, enforcing a lockdown-like situation on parts of the world. Thus, there is a dire need for early and accurate detection of COVID-19 to prevent the spread of the disease, even more. The current gold-standard RT-PCR test is only 71% sensitive and is a laborious test to perform, leading to the incapability of conducting the population-wide screening. To this end, in this paper, we propose an automated COVID-19 detection system that uses CT-scan images of the lungs for classifying the same into COVID and Non-COVID cases. The proposed method applies an ensemble strategy that generates fuzzy ranks of the base classification models using the Gompertz function and fuses the decision scores of the base models adaptively to make the final predictions on the test cases. Three transfer learning-based convolutional neural network models are used, namely VGG-11, Wide ResNet-50-2, and Inception v3, to generate the decision scores to be fused by the proposed ensemble model. The framework has been evaluated on two publicly available chest CT scan datasets achieving state-of-the-art performance, justifying the reliability of the model. The relevant source codes related to the present work is available in: GitHub.
    MeSH terms: Humans; Sensitivity and Specificity; Tomography, X-Ray Computed/methods*; Reproducibility of Results; Neural Networks (Computer)*; Early Diagnosis; Datasets as Topic
  13. Zhao WX, Peng MY, Liu F
    Front Psychol, 2021;12:586839.
    PMID: 34239469 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.586839
    Unable to keep pace with the expectations of employers and societies that are constantly changing around the world, higher education policy and talent training have given rise to a gap between university education and employment. However, the higher education and industrial needs derived from technological progress have changed the development in country. This study aims to verify the learning method of Taiwanese vs. Malaysian university students and examines the relationship between teacher knowledge transfer and student employability from the perspective of a social cognitive career theory. In this study, 619 copies of questionnaires from the Taiwanese sample group and 443 copies of questionnaires from the Malaysian sample group were collected in total to compare the two sample groups in the development of student employability. The results indicate that teacher knowledge transfer has significant positive correlations with self-efficacy and a deep approach to learning and student employability, and the self-efficacy and a deep approach to learning have significant positive correlations with student employability in the Taiwanese sample. In Malaysia, except for the path between teacher knowledge transfer and student employability, all paths were significant and positively related. Finally, according to our results and findings, this study proposes several insights with practical and theoretical implications for future study.
  14. Lee KW, Devaraj NK, Ching SM, Veettil SK, Hoo FK, Deuraseh I, et al.
    Oman Med J, 2021 May;36(3):e273.
    PMID: 34239714 DOI: 10.5001/omj.2021.62
    Objectives: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a common problem associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). There have been anecdotal reports of the efficacy of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2Is) in improving liver function parameters in those with concomitant T2DM and NAFLD/NASH. We sought to systematically evaluate the evidence of SGLT2Is in improving liver function parameters in T2DM patients with NAFLD, considering the risks of random error based on trial sequential analysis (TSA). We also performed a meta-analysis based on a random-effects model.

    Methods: A systematic literature search was performed using the Medline, Cochrane, and Embase databases from inception to 20 October 2018. Primary outcome for meta-analyses was the changes in hepatic enzyme levels (alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase). We also performed a meta-analysis on changes in insulin resistance, glycemic, and lipid parameters using SGLT2Is as a secondary objective.

    Results: Eight eligible randomized controlled studies were eligible for analysis. Meta-analysis showed the efficacy of two SLT2Is, dapagliflozin, and canagliflozin in reducing these enzymes level. TSA showed that canagliflozin significantly reduced the gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase level by weighted mean difference (-5.474, 95% confidence interval (CI): -6.289??-4.659) compared to others comparators, and the evidence is conclusive. Dapagliflozin also had a statistically significant reduction in glycated hemoglobin, which is a parameter of glycemic control and homeostatic model assessment for insulin sensitivity (HOMA-IR), which is a parameter of insulin sensitivity by a weight mean difference, -0.732 (95% CI: -1.087??-0.378) and -0.804 (95% CI: -1.336??0.272), respectively.

    Conclusions: This study indicated that canagliflozin effectively improves liver function parameters among patients with diabetes, while dapagliflozin is more effective in improving glycemic indices and insulin sensitivity.

  15. Hostettler IC, Jayashankar N, Bikis C, Wanderer S, Nevzati E, Karuppiah R, et al.
    Front Bioeng Biotechnol, 2021;9:659413.
    PMID: 34239858 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.659413
    Background and purpose: Tumorous lesions developing in the cerebellopontine angle (CPA) get into close contact with the 1st (cisternal) and 2nd (meatal) intra-arachnoidal portion of the facial nerve (FN). When surgical damage occurs, commonly known reconstruction strategies are often associated with poor functional recovery. This article aims to provide a systematic overview for translational research by establishing the current evidence on available clinical studies and experimental models reporting on intracranial FN injury. Methods: A systematic literature search of several databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Medline) was performed prior to July 2020. Suitable articles were selected based on predefined eligibility criteria following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Included clinical studies were reviewed and categorized according to the pathology and surgical resection strategy, and experimental studies according to the animal. For anatomical study purposes, perfusion-fixed adult New Zealand white rabbits were used for radiological high-resolution imaging and anatomical dissection of the CPA and periotic skull base. Results: One hundred forty four out of 166 included publications were clinical studies reporting on FN outcomes after CPA-tumor surgery in 19,136 patients. During CPA-tumor surgery, the specific vulnerability of the intracranial FN to stretching and compression more likely leads to neurapraxia or axonotmesis than neurotmesis. Severe FN palsy was reported in 7 to 15 % after vestibular schwannoma surgery, and 6% following the resection of CPA-meningioma. Twenty-two papers reported on experimental studies, out of which only 6 specifically used intracranial FN injury in a rodent (n = 4) or non-rodent model (n = 2). Rats and rabbits offer a feasible model for manipulation of the FN in the CPA, the latter was further confirmed in our study covering the radiological and anatomical analysis of perfusion fixed periotic bones. Conclusion: The particular anatomical and physiological features of the intracranial FN warrant a distinguishment of experimental models for intracranial FN injuries. New Zealand White rabbits might be a very cost-effective and valuable option to test new experimental approaches for intracranial FN regeneration. Flexible and bioactive biomaterials, commonly used in skull base surgery, endowed with trophic and topographical functions, should address the specific needs of intracranial FN injuries.
  16. Navien TN, Yeoh TS, Anna A, Tang TH, Citartan M
    World J Microbiol Biotechnol, 2021 Jul 09;37(8):131.
    PMID: 34240263 DOI: 10.1007/s11274-021-03097-0
    Mosquito-borne diseases are a major threat to public health. The shortcomings of diagnostic tools, especially those that are antibody-based, have been blamed in part for the rising annual morbidity and mortality caused by these diseases. Antibodies harbor a number of disadvantages that can be clearly addressed by aptamers as the more promising molecular recognition elements. Aptamers are defined as single-stranded DNA or RNA oligonucleotides generated by SELEX that exhibit high binding affinity and specificity against a wide variety of target molecules based on their unique structural conformations. A number of aptamers were developed against mosquito-borne pathogens such as Dengue virus, Zika virus, Chikungunya virus, Plasmodium parasite, Francisella tularensis, Japanese encephalitis virus, Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus, Rift Valley fever virus and Yellow fever virus. Intrigued by these achievements, we carry out a comprehensive overview of the aptamers developed against these mosquito-borne infectious agents. Characteristics of the aptamers and their roles in diagnostic, therapeutic as well as other applications are emphasized.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Humans; Malaria/parasitology; Malaria/transmission; Culicidae/microbiology; Culicidae/virology; Plasmodium/genetics*; Virus Diseases/transmission; Virus Diseases/virology; Viruses/genetics*; SELEX Aptamer Technique/methods*; Aptamers, Nucleotide/genetics
  17. Reeves A, Seluakumaran K, Scharf B
    J Acoust Soc Am, 2021 05;149(5):3352.
    PMID: 34241123 DOI: 10.1121/10.0004786
    A contralateral "cue" tone presented in continuous broadband noise both lowers the threshold of a signal tone by guiding attention to it and raises its threshold by interference. Here, signal tones were fixed in duration (40 ms, 52 ms with ramps), frequency (1500 Hz), timing, and level, so attention did not need guidance. Interference by contralateral cues was studied in relation to cue-signal proximity, cue-signal temporal overlap, and cue-signal order (cue after: backward interference, BI; or cue first: forward interference, FI). Cues, also ramped, were 12 dB above the signal level. Long cues (300 or 600 ms) raised thresholds by 5.3 dB when the signal and cue overlapped and by 5.1 dB in FI and 3.2 dB in BI when cues and signals were separated by 40 ms. Short cues (40 ms) raised thresholds by 4.5 dB in FI and 4.0 dB in BI for separations of 7 to 40 ms, but by ∼13 dB when simultaneous and in phase. FI and BI are comparable in magnitude and hardly increase when the signal is close in time to abrupt cue transients. These results do not support the notion that masking of the signal is due to the contralateral cue onset/offset transient response. Instead, sluggish attention or temporal integration may explain contralateral proximal interference.
    MeSH terms: Acoustic Stimulation; Auditory Threshold; Cues*; Perceptual Masking*; Time Factors
  18. Sirunyan AM, Tumasyan A, Adam W, Andrejkovic JW, Bergauer T, Chatterjee S, et al.
    Phys Rev Lett, 2021 Jun 25;126(25):252003.
    PMID: 34241504 DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.252003
    The Ξ_{b}^{-}π^{+}π^{-} invariant mass spectrum is investigated with an event sample of proton-proton collisions at sqrt[s]=13  TeV, collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC in 2016-2018 and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 140  fb^{-1}. The ground state Ξ_{b}^{-} is reconstructed via its decays to J/ψΞ^{-} and J/ψΛK^{-}. A narrow resonance, labeled Ξ_{b}(6100)^{-}, is observed at a Ξ_{b}^{-}π^{+}π^{-} invariant mass of 6100.3±0.2(stat)±0.1(syst)±0.6(Ξ_{b}^{-})  MeV, where the last uncertainty reflects the precision of the Ξ_{b}^{-} baryon mass. The upper limit on the Ξ_{b}(6100)^{-} natural width is determined to be 1.9  MeV at 95% confidence level. The low Ξ_{b}(6100)^{-} signal yield observed in data does not allow a measurement of the quantum numbers of the new state. However, following analogies with the established excited Ξ_{c} baryon states, the new Ξ_{b}(6100)^{-} resonance and its decay sequence are consistent with the orbitally excited Ξ_{b}^{-} baryon, with spin and parity quantum numbers J^{P}=3/2^{-}.
  19. Sirunyan AM, Tumasyan A, Adam W, Andrejkovic JW, Bergauer T, Chatterjee S, et al.
    Phys Rev Lett, 2021 Jun 25;126(25):252002.
    PMID: 34241533 DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.252002
    A fiducial cross section for Wγ production in proton-proton collisions is measured at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV in 137  fb^{-1} of data collected using the CMS detector at the LHC. The W→eν and μν decay modes are used in a maximum-likelihood fit to the lepton-photon invariant mass distribution to extract the combined cross section. The measured cross section is compared with theoretical expectations at next-to-leading order in quantum chromodynamics. In addition, 95% confidence level intervals are reported for anomalous triple-gauge couplings within the framework of effective field theory.
  20. Godman B, Fadare J, Kwon HY, Dias CZ, Kurdi A, Dias Godói IP, et al.
    J Comp Eff Res, 2021 Aug;10(12):1019-1052.
    PMID: 34241546 DOI: 10.2217/cer-2020-0273
    Aim: Global expenditure on medicines is rising up to 6% per year driven by increasing prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and new premium priced medicines for cancer, orphan diseases and other complex areas. This is difficult to sustain without reforms. Methods: Extensive narrative review of published papers and contextualizing the findings to provide future guidance. Results: New models are being introduced to improve the managed entry of new medicines including managed entry agreements, fair pricing approaches and monitoring prescribing against agreed guidance. Multiple measures have also successfully been introduced to improve the prescribing of established medicines. This includes encouraging greater prescribing of generics and biosimilars versus originators and patented medicines in a class to conserve resources without compromising care. In addition, reducing inappropriate antibiotic utilization. Typically, multiple measures are the most effective. Conclusion: Multiple measures will be needed to attain and retain universal healthcare.
    MeSH terms: Health Expenditures; Humans; Policy Making; Drugs, Generic; Biosimilar Pharmaceuticals*
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