Browse publications by year: 2021

Comparison of continuous sampling with active noise cancelation and sparse sampling for cortical and subcortical auditory functional MRI

Dewey RS, Hall DA, Plack CJ, Francis ST

Magn Reson Med, 2021 11;86(5):2577-2588.
PMID: 34196020 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.28902

PURPOSE: Detecting sound-related activity using functional MRI requires the auditory stimulus to be more salient than the intense background scanner acoustic noise. Various strategies can reduce the impact of scanner acoustic noise, including "sparse" temporal sampling with single/clustered acquisitions providing intervals without any background scanner acoustic noise, or active noise cancelation (ANC) during "continuous" temporal sampling, which generates an acoustic signal that adds destructively to the scanner acoustic noise, substantially reducing the acoustic energy at the participant's eardrum. Furthermore, multiband functional MRI allows multiple slices to be collected simultaneously, thereby reducing scanner acoustic noise in a given sampling period.
METHODS: Isotropic multiband functional MRI (1.5 mm) with sparse sampling (effective TR = 9000 ms, acquisition duration = 1962 ms) and continuous sampling (TR = 2000 ms) with ANC were compared in 15 normally hearing participants. A sustained broadband noise stimulus was presented to drive activation of both sustained and transient auditory responses within subcortical and cortical auditory regions.
RESULTS: Robust broadband noise-related activity was detected throughout the auditory pathways. Continuous sampling with ANC was found to give a statistically significant advantage over sparse sampling for the detection of the transient (onset) stimulus responses, particularly in the auditory cortex (P < .001) and inferior colliculus (P < .001), whereas gains provided by sparse over continuous ANC for detecting offset and sustained responses were marginal (p ~ 0.05 in superior olivary complex, inferior colliculus, medial geniculate body, and auditory cortex).
CONCLUSIONS: Sparse and continuous ANC multiband functional MRI protocols provide differing advantages for observing the transient (onset and offset) and sustained stimulus responses.

MeSH terms: Acoustic Stimulation; Brain Mapping; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Noise*
Deep-time convergent evolution in animal communication presented by shared adaptations for coping with noise in lizards and other animals

Ord TJ, Klomp DA, Summers TC, Diesmos A, Ahmad N, Das I

Ecol Lett, 2021 Sep;24(9):1750-1761.
PMID: 34196091 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13773

Convergence in communication appears rare compared with other forms of adaptation. This is puzzling, given communication is acutely dependent on the environment and expected to converge in form when animals communicate in similar habitats. We uncover deep-time convergence in territorial communication between two groups of tropical lizards separated by over 140 million years of evolution: the Southeast Asian Draco and Caribbean Anolis. These groups have repeatedly converged in multiple aspects of display along common environmental gradients. Robot playbacks to free-ranging lizards confirmed that the most prominent convergence in display is adaptive, as it improves signal detection. We then provide evidence from a sample of the literature to further show that convergent adaptation among highly divergent animal groups is almost certainly widespread in nature. Signal evolution is therefore curbed towards the same set of adaptive solutions, especially when animals are challenged with the problem of communicating effectively in noisy environments.

MeSH terms: Adaptation, Physiological; Adaptation, Psychological; Animals; Animal Communication; Biological Evolution; Lizards*; Phylogeny; Territoriality
Fulltext Molecular subversion of Cdc42 signalling in cancer

Murphy NP, Binti Ahmad Mokhtar AM, Mott HR, Owen D

Biochem Soc Trans, 2021 06 30;49(3):1425-1442.
PMID: 34196668 DOI: 10.1042/BST20200557

Cdc42 is a member of the Rho family of small GTPases and a master regulator of the actin cytoskeleton, controlling cell motility, polarity and cell cycle progression. This small G protein and its regulators have been the subject of many years of fruitful investigation and the advent of functional genomics and proteomics has opened up new avenues of exploration including how it functions at specific locations in the cell. This has coincided with the introduction of new structural techniques with the ability to study small GTPases in the context of the membrane. The role of Cdc42 in cancer is well established but the molecular details of its action are still being uncovered. Here we review alterations found to Cdc42 itself and to key components of the signal transduction pathways it controls in cancer. Given the challenges encountered with targeting small G proteins directly therapeutically, it is arguably the regulators of Cdc42 and the effector signalling pathways downstream of the small G protein which will be the most tractable targets for therapeutic intervention. These will require interrogation in order to fully understand the global signalling contribution of Cdc42, unlock the potential for mapping new signalling axes and ultimately produce inhibitors of Cdc42 driven signalling.

MeSH terms: Animals; Humans; Actin Cytoskeleton/metabolism; Microtubules/metabolism; Mutation*; Neoplasms/drug therapy; Neoplasms/genetics*; Neoplasms/metabolism; Neoplasms/pathology; Protein Binding; Signal Transduction/drug effects; Signal Transduction/genetics*; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic*; cdc42 GTP-Binding Protein/genetics*; cdc42 GTP-Binding Protein/metabolism; cdc42 GTP-Binding Protein/chemistry; Membrane Microdomains/metabolism; Small Molecule Libraries/therapeutic use
Fulltext Classification of abnormal location in medium voltage switchgears using hybrid gravitational search algorithm-artificial intelligence

Illias HA, Lim MM, Abu Bakar AH, Mokhlis H, Ishak S, Amir MDM

PLoS One, 2021;16(7):e0253967.
PMID: 34197530 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0253967

In power system networks, automatic fault diagnosis techniques of switchgears with high accuracy and less time consuming are important. In this work, classification of abnormal location in switchgears is proposed using hybrid gravitational search algorithm (GSA)-artificial intelligence (AI) techniques. The measurement data were obtained from ultrasound, transient earth voltage, temperature and sound sensors. The AI classifiers used include artificial neural network (ANN) and support vector machine (SVM). The performance of both classifiers was optimized by an optimization technique, GSA. The advantages of GSA classification on AI in classifying the abnormal location in switchgears are easy implementation, fast convergence and low computational cost. For performance comparison, several well-known metaheuristic techniques were also applied on the AI classifiers. From the comparison between ANN and SVM without optimization by GSA, SVM yields 2% higher accuracy than ANN. However, ANN yields slightly higher accuracy than SVM after combining with GSA, which is in the range of 97%-99% compared to 95%-97% for SVM. On the other hand, GSA-SVM converges faster than GSA-ANN. Overall, it was found that combination of both AI classifiers with GSA yields better results than several well-known metaheuristic techniques.

MeSH terms: Algorithms; Artificial Intelligence*; Gravitation*; Humans; Electric Power Supplies/standards*; Sound; Temperature; Neural Networks (Computer); Support Vector Machine
Fulltext From the environment to the cells: An overview on pivotal factors which affect spreading and infection in COVID-19 pandemic

Zarei M, Rahimi K, Hassanzadeh K, Abdi M, Hosseini V, Fathi A, et al.

Environ Res, 2021 Oct;201:111555.
PMID: 34197816 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.111555

Several factors ranging from environmental risks to the genetics of the virus and that of the hosts, affect the spread of COVID-19. The impact of physicochemical variables on virus vitality and spread should be taken into account in experimental and clinical studies. Another avenue to explore is the effect of diet and its interaction with the immune system on SARS-CoV-2 infection and mortality rate. Past year have witnessed extensive studies on virus and pathophysiology of the COVID-19 disease and the cellular mechanisms of virus spreading. However, our knowledge has not reached a level where we plan an efficient therapeutic approach to prevent the virus entry to the cells or decreasing the spreading and morbidity in severe cases of disease. The risk of infection directly correlates with the control of virus spreading via droplets and aerosol transmission, as well as patient immune system response. A key goal in virus restriction and transmission rate is to understand the physicochemical structure of aerosol and droplet formation, and the parameters that affect the droplet-borne and airborne in different environmental conditions. The lifetime of droplets on different surfaces is described based on the contact angle. Hereby, we recommend regular use of high-quality face masks in high temperature and low humidity conditions. However, in humid and cold weather conditions, wearing gloves and frequently hand washing, gain a higher priority. Additionally, social distancing rules should be respected in all aforementioned conditions. We will also discuss different routes of SARS-CoV-2 entry into the cells and how multiple genetic factors play a role in the spread of the virus. Given the role of environmental and nutritional factors, we discuss and recommend some strategies to prevent the disease and protect the population against COVID-19. Since an effective vaccine can prevent the transmission of communicable diseases and abolish pandemics, we added a brief review of candidate SARS-CoV-2 vaccines.

MeSH terms: Humans; Masks; Pandemics*
Fulltext Iron-based metal-organic framework: Synthesis, structure and current technologies for water reclamation with deep insight into framework integrity

Joseph J, Iftekhar S, Srivastava V, Fallah Z, Zare EN, Sillanpää M

Chemosphere, 2021 Dec;284:131171.
PMID: 34198064 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.131171

Water is a supreme requirement for the existence of life, the contamination from the point and non-point sources are creating a great threat to the water ecosystem. Advance tools and techniques are required to restore the water quality and metal-organic framework (MOFs) with a tunable porous structure, striking physical and chemical properties are an excellent candidate for it. Fe-based MOFs, which developed rapidly in recent years, are foreseen as most promising to overcome the disadvantages of traditional water depolluting practices. Fe-MOFs with low toxicity and preferable stability possess excellent performance potential for almost all water remedying techniques in contrast to other MOF structures, especially visible light photocatalysis, Fenton, and Fenton-like heterogeneous catalysis. Fe-MOFs become essential tool for water treatment due to their high catalytic activity, abundant active site and pollutant-specific adsorption. However, the structural degradation under external chemical, photolytic, mechanical, and thermal stimuli is impeding Fe-MOFs from further improvement in activity and their commercialization. Understanding the shortcomings of structural integrity is crucial for large-scale synthesis and commercial implementation of Fe-MOFs-based water treatment techniques. Herein we summarize the synthesis, structure and recent advancements in water remediation methods using Fe-MOFs in particular more attention is paid for adsorption, heterogeneous catalysis and photocatalysis with clear insight into the mechanisms involved. For ease of analysis, the pollutants have been classified into two major classes; inorganic pollutants and organic pollutants. In this review, we present for the first time a detailed insight into the challenges in employing Fe-MOFs for water remediation due to structural instability.

MeSH terms: Iron; Water; Ecosystem; Water Purification*
Slippery membrane surface tuning with polypropylene coating to treat real aquaculture wastewater in membrane distillation

Chin JY, Teoh GH, Ahmad AL, Low SC

Sci Total Environ, 2021 Nov 10;794:148657.
PMID: 34198076 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148657

Surging growth of aquaculture industry has alarmed the public when the wastewater discharged had an adverse effect on the environment. This current study is a pioneer in the use of membrane distillation (MD) to treat real aquaculture wastewater. In addition to excellent hydrophobicity, the slippery surface of membrane used for MD is another key factor that enhances the performance of MD. The slippery surface of the membrane was tuned by layering high-viscosity and low-viscosity polypropylene (PP) polymers on the electrospun membrane by solvent-exchanged method. While the high-viscosity PP coating (PP/HV) rendered the membrane surface slippery, the low-viscosity PP coating (PP/LV) caused the fish farm wastewater to have stick-slip movement on the membrane surface. In the long-term 70-hour direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) separation, PP/HV and PP/LV membranes can perfectly eliminate the undesirable components in the fish farm wastewater. The PP/HV membrane has registered a flux of 19.1 kg/m2·h, while the flux of PP/LV membrane was only 7.3 kg/m2·h. The PP/HV membrane also showed excellent anti-scaling properties in relative to the PP/LV membrane. This is because the PP/HV membrane promotes effortless gliding of the feed water along the surface of the membrane, while the surface of the PP/LV membrane has a static water boundary. Therefore, it can be concluded that the application of MD using the membrane coated with high-viscosity PP polymer is a feasible technology for the treatment of aquaculture wastewater.

MeSH terms: Membranes, Artificial; Polypropylenes; Aquaculture; Water Purification*; Distillation*; Waste Water
A rhodamine based chemosensor for solvent dependent chromogenic sensing of cobalt (II) and copper (II) ions with good selectivity and sensitivity: Synthesis, filter paper test strip, DFT calculations and cytotoxicity

Chan WC, Saad HM, Sim KS, Lee VS, Ang CW, Yeong KY, et al.

Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc, 2021 Jun 23;262:120099.
PMID: 34198119 DOI: 10.1016/j.saa.2021.120099

A new chemosensor 1 was synthesized by reacting rhodamine B hydrazide and 2,3,4-trihydroxybenzaldehyde, which was then characterized by spectroscopic techniques and single crystal X-ray crystallography. Sensor 1 has the ability to sense Co2+/Cu2+ ions by "naked-eye" with an apparent colour change from colourless to pink in different solvent system, MeCN and DMF respectively. Furthermore, it can selectively detect Co2+/Cu2+ among wide range of different metal ions, and it exhibits low detection limit of 4.425 × 10-8 M and 1.398 × 10-7 M respectively. Binding mode of the two complexes were determined to be 1:1 stoichiometry for Co2+ complex and 1:2 stoichiometry for Cu2+ complex through Job's plot, IR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and 1H NMR spectroscopy. Moreover, reversibility of the sensor 1 as copper (II) ion detector was determined by using EDTA and the results showed that sensor 1 can be reused for at least 6 cycles. Other than that, a low cost chemosensor test strips were fabricated for the convenient "naked-eye" detection of Co2+ and Cu2+ in pure aqueous media. The MTT assay was conducted in order to determine the cytotoxicity of sensor 1 towards human cell lines.
Fulltext Effect of decomposing oil palm trunk fibers on plant growth and soil microbial community composition

Uke A, Nakazono-Nagaoka E, Chuah JA, Zain NA, Amir HG, Sudesh K, et al.

J Environ Manage, 2021 Oct 01;295:113050.
PMID: 34198177 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113050

Oil palm trunks (OPT) are logged for replantation and the fiber residues are disposed of into the palm plantation area. The fiber residues are expected to increase soil fertility through recycling of carbon and minerals via fiber decomposition. This study investigated the effects of OPT fiber disposal and other lignocellulosic biomass on plant growth and microbial diversity in the soil environment. Four treatment plots were tested: (A) soil+OPT fiber (1:20), (B) soil+sugarcane bagasse (1:20), (C) soil+cellulose powder (1:20), and (D) unamended soil as a negative control. Low plant height, decreased chlorophyll content, and low biomass was observed in corn grown on soil mixed with OPT fiber, cellulose, and sugarcane bagasse, when compared with those of the control. The plants grown with OPT fiber were deficient in total nitrogen and magnesium when compared with those without fiber amendment, which suggested that nitrogen and minerals in soil might be taken up by changing microflora because of the OPT fibers presence. To confirm differences in the soil microflora, metagenomics analysis was performed on untreated soil and soil from each lignocellulose treatment. The microflora of soils mixed with OPT fiber, cellulose and sugarcane bagasse revealed substantial increases in bacteria such as families Cytophagaceae and Oscillospiraceae, and two major fungal genera, Trichoderma and Trichocladium, that are involved in lignocellulose degradation. OPT fiber resulted in a drastic increase in the ratios and amounts of Trichocladium in the soil when compared with those of cellulose and sugarcane bagasse. These results indicate that unregulated disposal of OPT fiber into plantation areas could result in nutrient loss from soil by increasing the abundance of microorganisms involved in lignocellulose decomposition.

MeSH terms: Humans; Soil; Soil Microbiology; Trichoderma*; Biomass; Saccharum*; Microbiota*
In situ functionalizing calcium phosphate biomaterials with curcumin for the prevention of bacterial biofilm infections

Lee WH, Rohanizadeh R, Loo CY

Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces, 2021 Oct;206:111938.
PMID: 34198233 DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2021.111938

This study developed a novel bioactive bone substitute (hydroxyapatite, HA) with improved anti-biofilm activity by functionalizing with curcumin (anti-biofilm compound) which provide sufficient flux of curcumin concentration for 14 days. The released curcumin acts to inhibit biofilm formation and control the number of viable planktonic cells simultaneously. To prepare curcumin-functionalized HA, different concentrations of curcumin (up to 3% w/v) were added simultaneously during the precipitation process of HA. The highest loading (50 mg/g HA) of curcumin onto HA was achieved with 2% w/v of curcumin. Physicochemical characterizations of curcumin-functionalized HA composites revealed that curcumin was successfully incorporated onto HA. Curcumin was sustainably released over 14 days, while higher curcumin release was observed in acidic condition (pH 4.4) compared to physiological (pH 7.4). The cytotoxicity assays revealed that no significant difference on bone cells growth on curcumin-functionalized HA and non-functionalized HA. Curcumin-functionalized HA was effective to inhibit bacterial cell attachment and subsequent biofilm maturation stages. The anti-biofilm effect was stronger against Staphylococcus aureus compared to Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The curcumin-functionalized HA composite significantly delayed the maturation of S. aureus compared to non-functionalized HA in which microcolonies of cells only begin to appear at 96 h. Up to 3.0 log reduction in colony forming unit (CFU)/mL of planktonic cells was noted at 24 h of incubation for both microorganisms. Thus, in this study we have suggested that curcumin loaded HA could be an alternative antimicrobial agent to control the risk of infections in post-surgical implants.

MeSH terms: Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology; Biocompatible Materials/pharmacology; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Staphylococcus aureus*; Durapatite; Biofilms
Resource recovery from industrial effluents through the cultivation of microalgae: A review

Ali S, Paul Peter A, Chew KW, Munawaroh HSH, Show PL

Bioresour Technol, 2021 Jun 26;337:125461.
PMID: 34198241 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.125461

Industrial effluents such as pharmaceutical residues, pesticides, dyes, and metal processes holds abundant value-added products (VAPs), where its recovery has become essential. The purpose of such recovery is for sustainable treatment, which is an approach that considers the economic, social, and environmental aspects. Microalgae with its potential in the recovery process from effluents, can reduce energy usage of waste management strategies and regenerate nutrients such as carbon, phosphorus, and nitrogen. Microalgae cultures offer the use of inorganic materials by microalgae for their growth and the help of bacteria to produce biomass, thus, resulting in the absence of secondary emissions due to its ability to eliminate volatile organic compounds. Moreover, recovered bioactive compounds are transformed into bioethanol, bio-fertilizers, biopolymer, health supplements and animal feed. Therefore, it is significant to focus on an economical and efficient utilization of microalgae in recovering nutrients that can be further used in various commercial applications.
Fulltext High-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation at dorsolateral prefrontal cortex for migraine prevention: A protocol for a systematic review of controlled trials

Mohamad Safiai NI, Mohamad NA, Basri H, Inche Mat LN, Hoo FK, Abdul Rashid AM, et al.

PLoS One, 2021;16(6):e0251528.
PMID: 34138860 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0251528

BACKGROUND: Migraine may lead to a negative impact on the patients' quality of life with a subsequent substantial burden to society. Therapy options for treatment and prevention of migraine have progressed over the years and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is one of the promising non-pharmacological options. It induces and alters electric current in the brain via repetitive non-invasive brain stimulation in high frequency. In migraine patients, two common stimulation sites are the M1 cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). The mechanism on how rTMS exerts therapeutic effects on migraine is not fully established, but the main postulation is that the neuromodulation via high-frequency rTMS (hf-rTMS) might inhibit pain perception. However, evidence from studies has been conflicting, thus the usefulness of hf-rTMS as migraine preventive treatment is still uncertain at this moment.
METHODS: This is a systematic review protocol describing essential reporting items based on the PRISMA for systematic review protocols (PRISMA-P) (Registration number: CRD42020220636). We aim to review the effectiveness, tolerability, and safety of hf-rTMS at DLPFC in randomised controlled trials (RCTs) as migraine prophylactic treatment. We will search Scopus, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature Plus, PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Biomed Central for relevant articles from randomised controlled clinical trials that used hf-rTMS applied at DLPFC for the treatment of migraine. The risk of bias will be assessed using the version 2 "Risk of bias" tool from Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions Version 6.1. We will investigate the evidence on efficacy, tolerability and safety and we will compare the outcomes between the hf-rTMS intervention and sham groups.
DISCUSSION: This systematic review will further determine the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of hf-rTMS applied at DLPFC for migraine prophylaxis. It will provide additional data for health practitioners and policymakers about the usefulness of hf-rTMS for migraine preventive treatment.

MeSH terms: Humans; Quality of Life; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Prefrontal Cortex
Fulltext Association of sociodemographic and environmental factors with spatial distribution of tuberculosis cases in Gombak, Selangor, Malaysia

Mohidem NA, Osman M, Hashim Z, Muharam FM, Mohd Elias S, Shaharudin R

PLoS One, 2021;16(6):e0252146.
PMID: 34138899 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0252146

Tuberculosis (TB) cases have increased drastically over the last two decades and it remains as one of the deadliest infectious diseases in Malaysia. This cross-sectional study aimed to establish the spatial distribution of TB cases and its association with the sociodemographic and environmental factors in the Gombak district. The sociodemographic data of 3325 TB cases such as age, gender, race, nationality, country of origin, educational level, employment status, health care worker status, income status, residency, and smoking status from 1st January 2013 to 31st December 2017 in Gombak district were collected from the MyTB web and Tuberculosis Information System (TBIS) database at the Gombak District Health Office and Rawang Health Clinic. Environmental data consisting of air pollution such as air quality index (AQI), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulphur dioxide (SO2), and particulate matter 10 (PM10,) were obtained from the Department of Environment Malaysia from 1st July 2012 to 31st December 2017; whereas weather data such as rainfall were obtained from the Department of Irrigation and Drainage Malaysia and relative humidity, temperature, wind speed, and atmospheric pressure were obtained from the Malaysia Meteorological Department in the same period. Global Moran's I, kernel density estimation, Getis-Ord Gi* statistics, and heat maps were applied to identify the spatial pattern of TB cases. Ordinary least squares (OLS) and geographically weighted regression (GWR) models were used to determine the spatial association of sociodemographic and environmental factors with the TB cases. Spatial autocorrelation analysis indicated that the cases was clustered (p<0.05) over the five-year period and year 2016 and 2017 while random pattern (p>0.05) was observed from year 2013 to 2015. Kernel density estimation identified the high-density regions while Getis-Ord Gi* statistics observed hotspot locations, whereby consistently located in the southwestern part of the study area. This could be attributed to the overcrowding of inmates in the Sungai Buloh prison located there. Sociodemographic factors such as gender, nationality, employment status, health care worker status, income status, residency, and smoking status as well as; environmental factors such as AQI (lag 1), CO (lag 2), NO2 (lag 2), SO2 (lag 1), PM10 (lag 5), rainfall (lag 2), relative humidity (lag 4), temperature (lag 2), wind speed (lag 4), and atmospheric pressure (lag 6) were associated with TB cases (p<0.05). The GWR model based on the environmental factors i.e. GWR2 was the best model to determine the spatial distribution of TB cases based on the highest R2 value i.e. 0.98. The maps of estimated local coefficients in GWR models confirmed that the effects of sociodemographic and environmental factors on TB cases spatially varied. This study highlighted the importance of spatial analysis to identify areas with a high TB burden based on its associated factors, which further helps in improving targeted surveillance.

MeSH terms: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Air Pollution/adverse effects; Air Pollution/analysis; Child; Child, Preschool; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Humans; Infant; Malaysia/epidemiology; Male; Middle Aged; Socioeconomic Factors; Young Adult; Spatial Analysis
Recognition of S100 proteins by Signal Inhibitory Receptor on Leukocytes-1 negatively regulates human neutrophils

Rumpret M, von Richthofen HJ, van der Linden M, Westerlaken GHA, Talavera Ormeño C, Low TY, et al.

Eur J Immunol, 2021 Jun 19.
PMID: 34145909 DOI: 10.1002/eji.202149278

Signal inhibitory receptor on leukocytes-1 (SIRL-1) is an inhibitory receptor with a hitherto unknown ligand, and is expressed on human monocytes and neutrophils. SIRL-1 inhibits myeloid effector functions such as reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. In this study, we identify S100 proteins as SIRL-1 ligands. S100 proteins are composed of two calcium-binding domains. Various S100 proteins are damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) released from damaged cells, after which they initiate inflammation by ligating activating receptors on immune cells. We now show that the inhibitory SIRL-1 recognizes individual calcium-binding domains of all tested S100 proteins. Blocking SIRL-1 on human neutrophils enhanced S100 protein S100A6-induced ROS production, showing that S100A6 suppresses neutrophil ROS production via SIRL-1. Taken together, SIRL-1 is an inhibitory receptor recognizing the S100 protein family of DAMPs. This may help limit tissue damage induced by activated neutrophils.
Fulltext Revolutionizing polymer-based nanoparticle-linked vaccines for targeting respiratory viruses: A perspective

Chan Y, Ng SW, Singh SK, Gulati M, Gupta G, Chaudhary SK, et al.

Life Sci, 2021 Sep 01;280:119744.
PMID: 34174324 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2021.119744

Viral respiratory tract infections have significantly impacted global health as well as socio-economic growth. Respiratory viruses such as the influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and the recent SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19) typically infect the upper respiratory tract by entry through the respiratory mucosa before reaching the lower respiratory tract, resulting in respiratory disease. Generally, vaccination is the primary method in preventing virus pathogenicity and it has been shown to remarkably reduce the burden of various infectious diseases. Nevertheless, the efficacy of conventional vaccines may be hindered by certain limitations, prompting the need to develop novel vaccine delivery vehicles to immunize against various strains of respiratory viruses and to mitigate the risk of a pandemic. In this review, we provide an insight into how polymer-based nanoparticles can be integrated with the development of vaccines to effectively enhance immune responses for combating viral respiratory tract infections.

MeSH terms: Animals; Drug Carriers/chemistry; Humans; Influenza, Human/prevention & control; Influenza, Human/virology; Orthomyxoviridae Infections/prevention & control; Orthomyxoviridae Infections/virology; Polymers/chemistry*; Respiratory Tract Infections/prevention & control*; Respiratory Tract Infections/virology*; Viral Vaccines/administration & dosage*; Viral Vaccines/therapeutic use; Coronavirus Infections/prevention & control; Coronavirus Infections/virology; Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections/prevention & control; Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections/virology; Nanoparticles/chemistry*
Fulltext Prevalence of nocturia among community-dwelling adults: a population-based study in Malaysia

Yow HY, Tiong JJL, Mai CW, van der Werf E, Zainuddin ZM, Toh CC, et al.

BMC Urol, 2021 Jun 29;21(1):95.
PMID: 34187440 DOI: 10.1186/s12894-021-00860-1

BACKGROUND: Nocturia is widely prevalent condition with detrimental effects on quality of life and general health. In Malaysia, there is a lack of up-to-date prevalence study on nocturia. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of nocturia and awareness pertaining to nocturia among Malaysian adults.
METHODS: A cross-sectional population-based study was conducted among Malaysian adults aged ≥ 18 years old. The data was collected by mixed mode self-administered questionnaire from May 2019 to September 2019. Nocturia was defined as one or more voids at night.
RESULTS: There were a total of 4616 respondents with 74.5% of response rate. The overall prevalence of nocturia among Malaysian adults was found to be 57.3%. In multivariate analysis, respondents aged 31-40 (1.91 [1.52-2.40]) or > 60 years old (2.03 [1.48-2.71]), and those who presented with hypertension (2.84 [2.28-3.53]), diabetes mellitus (1.78 [1.42-2.25]), renal disease (3.58 [1.93-6.63]) or overactive bladder (1.61 [1.10-2.35]) were associated with higher prevalence of nocturia. A significantly lower disease prevalence (p

MeSH terms: Adolescent; Adult; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Humans; Malaysia/epidemiology; Male; Middle Aged; Prevalence; Nocturia/etiology; Nocturia/epidemiology*; Young Adult; Independent Living; Self Report
Fulltext War against COVID-19: looming threat of XDR typhoid battle in Pakistan

Tanveer M, Ahmed A, Siddiqui A, Rehman IU, Hashmi FK

Public Health, 2021 09;198:e15-e16.
PMID: 34187703 DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2021.05.019
MeSH terms: Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use; Humans; Pakistan/epidemiology; Salmonella typhi; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial
Pharmacogenetics: a perspective and preparedness of Pharm-D and medical students in Jordan

Zawiah M, Yousef AM, Al-Ashwal FY, Abduljabbar R, Al-Jamei S, Hayat Khan A, et al.

Pharmacogenet Genomics, 2021 Aug 01;31(6):125-132.
PMID: 34187984 DOI: 10.1097/FPC.0000000000000430

BACKGROUND: Pharmacogenetics (PGx) science has evolved significantly with a huge number of studies exploring the effect of genetic variants on interindividual variability of drug response. In this study, we assessed the knowledge, attitudes and preparedness of Pharm-D vs. medical students toward PGx.
METHOD: A paper-based cross-sectional survey was performed. A pilot-tested questionnaire consisting of 21 questions (demographics 5, knowledge 6, attitude 6, and preparedness 4) was administered to 900 healthcare students at different years of study. Descriptive and inferential analyses were used.
RESULTS: Out of the 900 students approached, 852 (94.7%) completed the questionnaire. The overall students' mean (SD) percentage knowledge score (PKS) was poor [46.7% (18.7)]. The mean (SD) attitude and preparedness scores for all students were 4.68 (1.32), and 1.9 (1.40), respectively, indicating overall positive attitudes, but low preparedness to apply PGx to clinical care. Pharm-D students' overall PKS was significantly higher than medical students (P

MeSH terms: Attitude of Health Personnel; Cross-Sectional Studies; Humans; Jordan; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Surveys and Questionnaires; Students, Medical*
Fulltext Investigating transportation research based on social media analysis: a systematic mapping review

Zayet TMA, Ismail MA, Varathan KD, Noor RMD, Chua HN, Lee A, et al.

Scientometrics, 2021;126(8):6383-6421.
PMID: 34188335 DOI: 10.1007/s11192-021-04046-2

Social media is a pool of users' thoughts, opinions, surrounding environment, situation and others. This pool can be used as a real-time and feedback data source for many domains such as transportation. It can be used to get instant feedback from commuters; their opinions toward the transportation network and their complaints, in addition to the traffic situation, road conditions, events detection and many others. The problem is in how to utilize social media data to achieve one or more of these targets. A systematic review was conducted in the field of transportation-related research based on social media analysis (TRR-SMA) from the years between 2008 and 2018; 74 papers were identified from an initial set of 703 papers extracted from 4 digital libraries. This review will structure the field and give an overview based on the following grounds: activity, keywords, approaches, social media data and platforms and focus of the researches. It will show the trend in the research subjects by countries, in addition to the activity trends, platforms usage trend and others. Further analysis of the most employed approach (Lexicons) and data (text) will be also shown. Finally, challenges and future works are drawn and proposed.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11192-021-04046-2.
Fulltext Design and simulation of mechanical ventilators

El-Hadj A, Kezrane M, Ahmad H, Ameur H, Bin Abd Rahim SZ, Younsi A, et al.

Chaos Solitons Fractals, 2021 Sep;150:111169.
PMID: 34188366 DOI: 10.1016/j.chaos.2021.111169

During this period of COVID-19 pandemic, the lack of medical equipment (like ventilators) leads to complications arising in the medical field. A low-cost ventilator seems to be an alternative substitute to fill the lacking. This paper presents a numerical analysis for predicting the delivered parameters of a low-cost mechanical ventilator. Based on several manufactured mechanical ventilators, two proposed designs are investigated in this study. Fluid-structure interaction (FSI) analysis is used for solving any problems with the first design, and computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analysis with moving boundary is used for solving any issues with the second design. For this purpose, ANSYS Workbench platform is used to solve the set of equations. The results showed that the Ambu-bag-based mechanical ventilator exhibited difficulties in controlling ventilation variables, which certainly will cause serious health problems such as barotrauma. The mechanical ventilator based on piston-cylinder is more satisfactory with regards to delivered parameters to the patient. The ways to obtain pressure control mode (PCM) and volume control mode (VCM) are identified. Finally, the ventilator output is highly affected by inlet flow, length of the cylinder, and piston diameter.

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