Browse publications by year: 2021

Fulltext Glycogenic hepatopathy in children with poorly controlled type 1 diabetes mellitus

Abu NA, Lim CB, Nor NSM

Clin Pediatr Endocrinol, 2021;30(2):93-97.
PMID: 33867669 DOI: 10.1297/cpe.30.93

Mauriac syndrome is a rare and underdiagnosed complication of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). It is characterized by growth retardation, delayed puberty, Cushingoid features, hepatomegaly, and increased transaminase levels. The term glycogenic hepatopathy has been used to describe patients with poorly controlled T1DM and glycogen overload in the hepatocytes but without all the features of Mauriac syndrome. Although rare, glycogenic hepatopathy is reported to be the main cause of hepatomegaly in young patients with T1DM. We report two cases of glycogenic hepatopathy in children with poorly controlled T1DM. Both children had hepatomegaly, elevated liver enzyme levels, and elevated lactate levels. A liver biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of glycogenic hepatopathy in both patients. In conclusion, hepatomegaly with elevated liver enzymes, negative infective and metabolic screenings and persistently elevated plasma lactate levels should raise the suspicion of glycogenic hepatopathy in poorly controlled T1DM. Early diagnosis and improvement in glycemic control are the mainstays of treatment, which can prevent long-term complications.

MeSH terms: Transaminases; Biopsy; Blood Glucose; Child; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1; Glycogen; Growth Disorders; Hepatomegaly; Humans; Lactates; Liver Diseases; Plasma; Puberty, Delayed; Hepatocytes; Early Diagnosis; Diabetes Complications
Fulltext Antiviral activity of fermented foods and their probiotics bacteria towards respiratory and alimentary tracts viruses

Muhialdin BJ, Zawawi N, Abdull Razis AF, Bakar J, Zarei M

Food Control, 2021 Sep;127:108140.
PMID: 33867696 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodcont.2021.108140

The recent COVID-19, a viral outbreak calls for a high demand for non-conventional antiviral agents that can reduce the risk of infections and promote fast recovery. Fermented foods and their probiotics bacteria have recently received increasing interest due to the reported potential of high antiviral activity. Several probiotics strains demonstrated broad range of antiviral activities and different mechanisms of action. This article will review the diversity, health benefits, interaction with immune system and antiviral activity of fermented foods and their probiotics bacteria. In addition, the mechanisms of action will be reviewed to determine the broad range potential antiviral activity against the respiratory and alimentary tracts viruses. The probiotics bacteria and bioactive compounds in fermented foods demonstrated antiviral activities against respiratory and alimentary tracts viruses. The mechanism of action was reported to be due to the stimulation of the immune system function via enhancing natural killers cell toxicity, enhance the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and increasing the cytotoxic of T lymphocytes (CD3+, CD16+, CD56+). However, further studies are highly recommended to determine the potential antiviral activity for traditional fermented foods.
Fulltext In Silico Identification of Multi-target Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Peptides from Quinoa Seed Proteins

Wong FC, Ong JH, Kumar DT, Chai TT

Int J Pept Res Ther, 2021;27(3):1837-1847.
PMID: 33867899 DOI: 10.1007/s10989-021-10214-y

Peptides are promising antagonists against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2). To expedite drug discovery, a computational approach is widely employed for the initial screening of anti-SARS-CoV-2 candidates. This study aimed to investigate the potential of peptides from quinoa seed proteins as multi-target antagonists against SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein receptor-binding domain, main protease, and papain-like protease. Five quinoa proteins were hydrolyzed in silico by papain and subtilisin. Among the 1465 peptides generated, seven could interact stably with the key binding residues and catalytic residues of the viral targets, mainly via hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions. The seven peptides were comparable or superior to previously reported anti-SARS-CoV-2 peptides based on docking scores. Key residues in the seven peptides contributing to binding to viral targets were determined by computational alanine scanning. The seven peptides were predicted in silico to be non-toxic and non-allergenic. The peptides ranged between 546.66 and 3974.87 g/mol in molecular mass, besides exhibiting basic and cationic properties (isoelectric points: 8.26-12.10; net charges: 0.1-4.0). Among the seven peptides, VEDKGMMHQQRMMEKAMNIPRMCGTMQRKCRMS was found to bind the largest number of key residues on the targets. In conclusion, seven putative non-toxic, non-allergenic, multi-target anti-SARS-CoV-2 peptides were identified from quinoa seed proteins. The in vitro and in vivo efficacies of the seven peptides against SARS-CoV-2 deserve attention in future bench-top testing.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10989-021-10214-y.
Fulltext Association between secondhand smoke exposure at home and cognitive performance among rural primary school children in Malaysia

Ellis-Suriani Z, Norsa'adah B, Othman A, Siti-Azrin AH

Tob Induc Dis, 2021;19:27.
PMID: 33867904 DOI: 10.18332/tid/133638

INTRODUCTION: Secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure is linked to a series of serious health problems. Children may be particularly vulnerable to the effects of SHS exposure at home. This study aimed to determine the association between SHS exposure at home and cognitive performance in school children.
METHODS: A multistage sampling was performed across rural primary schools in Kuala Krai, Kelantan, Malaysia. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires and the children aged 10-11 years (n=312) were subjected to cognitive tests including digit span, letter-number sequencing, coding, and symbol search. Cognitive performance was tested using subscales derived from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children.
RESULTS: The prevalence of SHS exposure at home was 55.8%, where 11.9% of children lived with one smoker, while 43.9% of children lived with ≥2 smokers. There was a significant difference in the mean score of the combined cognitive tests between SHS-exposed and non-exposed children after adjustment for sex, parental educational level, family income and academic performance [Pillai's Trace=0.084, F statistic (df)=6.803 (4302), p<0.001].
CONCLUSIONS: More than half of the primary school children in rural Kuala Krai were exposed to SHS from at least one smoker at home. There was a significant association between SHS exposure at home and cognitive performance.

MeSH terms: Aged; Child; Cognition; Educational Status; Humans; Income; Malaysia; Neuropsychological Tests; Parents; Surveys and Questionnaires; Rural Population; Schools; Tobacco Smoke Pollution; Wechsler Scales; Prevalence
Fulltext Healthcare scheduling in optimization context: a review

Abdalkareem ZA, Amir A, Al-Betar MA, Ekhan P, Hammouri AI

Health Technol (Berl), 2021;11(3):445-469.
PMID: 33868893 DOI: 10.1007/s12553-021-00547-5

This paper offers a summary of the latest studies on healthcare scheduling problems including patients' admission scheduling problem, nurse scheduling problem, operation room scheduling problem, surgery scheduling problem and other healthcare scheduling problems. The paper provides a comprehensive survey on healthcare scheduling focuses on the recent literature. The development of healthcare scheduling research plays a critical role in optimizing costs and improving the patient flow, providing prompt administration of treatment, and the optimal use of the resources provided and accessible in the hospitals. In the last decades, the healthcare scheduling methods that aim to automate the search for optimal resource management in hospitals by using metaheuristics methods have proliferated. However, the reported results are disintegrated since they solved every specific problem independently, given that there are many versions of problem definition and various data sets available for each of these problems. Therefore, this paper integrates the existing results by performing a comprehensive review and analyzing 190 articles based on four essential components in solving optimization problems: problem definition, formulations, data sets, and methods. This paper summarizes the latest healthcare scheduling problems focusing on patients' admission scheduling problems, nurse scheduling problems, and operation room scheduling problems considering these are the most common issues found in the literature. Furthermore, this review aims to help researchers to highlight some development from the most recent papers and grasp the new trends for future directions.
Fulltext Investigation of fractal-fractional order model of COVID-19 in Pakistan under Atangana-Baleanu Caputo (ABC) derivative

Arfan M, Alrabaiah H, Rahman MU, Sun YL, Hashim AS, Pansera BA, et al.

Results Phys, 2021 May;24:104046.
PMID: 33868907 DOI: 10.1016/j.rinp.2021.104046

This manuscript addressing the dynamics of fractal-fractional type modified SEIR model under Atangana-Baleanu Caputo (ABC) derivative of fractional order y and fractal dimension p for the available data in Pakistan. The proposed model has been investigated for qualitative analysis by applying the theory of non-linear functional analysis along with fixed point theory. The fractional Adams-bashforth iterative techniques have been applied for the numerical solution of the said model. The Ulam-Hyers (UH) stability techniques have been derived for the stability of the considered model. The simulation of all compartments has been drawn against the available data of covid-19 in Pakistan. The whole study of this manuscript illustrates that control of the effective transmission rate is necessary for stoping the transmission of the outbreak. This means that everyone in the society must change their behavior towards self-protection by keeping most of the precautionary measures sufficient for controlling covid-19.
Fulltext High Levels of Antibiotic Resistance in Isolates From Diseased Livestock

Haulisah NA, Hassan L, Bejo SK, Jajere SM, Ahmad NI

Front Vet Sci, 2021;8:652351.
PMID: 33869326 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2021.652351

Overuse of antimicrobials in livestock health and production beyond therapeutic needs has been highlighted in recent years as one of the major risk factors for the acceleration of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of bacteria in both humans and animals. While there is an abundance of reports on AMR in clinical isolates from humans, information regarding the patterns of resistance in clinical isolates from animals is scarce. Hence, a situational analysis of AMR based on clinical isolates from a veterinary diagnostic laboratory was performed to examine the extent and patterns of resistance demonstrated by isolates from diseased food animals. Between 2015 and 2017, 241 cases of diseased livestock were received. Clinical specimens from ruminants (cattle, goats and sheep), and non-ruminants (pigs and chicken) were received for culture and sensitivity testing. A total of 701 isolates were recovered from these specimens. From ruminants, Escherichia coli (n = 77, 19.3%) predominated, followed by Staphylococcus aureus (n = 73, 18.3%). Antibiotic sensitivity testing (AST) revealed that E. coli resistance was highest for penicillin, streptomycin, and neomycin (77-93%). In addition, S. aureus was highly resistant to neomycin, followed by streptomycin and ampicillin (68-82%). More than 67% of E. coli isolates were multi-drug resistant (MDR) and only 2.6% were susceptible to all the tested antibiotics. Similarly, 65.6% of S. aureus isolates were MDR and only 5.5% were susceptible to all tested antibiotics. From non-ruminants, a total of 301 isolates were recovered. Escherichia coli (n = 108, 35.9%) and Staphylococcus spp. (n = 27, 9%) were the most frequent isolates obtained. For E. coli, the highest resistance was against amoxicillin, erythromycin, tetracycline, and neomycin (95-100%). Staphylococcus spp. had a high level of resistance to streptomycin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline and gentamicin (80-100%). The MDR levels of E. coli and Staphylococcus spp. isolates from non-ruminants were 72.2 and 74.1%, respectively. Significantly higher resistance level were observed among isolates from non-ruminants compared to ruminants for tetracycline, amoxicillin, enrofloxacin, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole.

MeSH terms: Acceleration; Amoxicillin; Ampicillin; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Cattle; Chickens; Erythromycin; Escherichia coli; Gentamicins; Goats; Humans; Laboratories; Neomycin; Penicillins; Risk Factors; Sheep; Staphylococcus; Staphylococcus aureus; Streptomycin; Swine; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Livestock
Fulltext Impact of intrapersonal and interpersonal emotional intelligence and self-directed learning on academic performance among pre-university science students

Okwuduba EN, Nwosu KC, Okigbo EC, Samuel NN, Achugbu C

Heliyon, 2021 Mar;7(3):e06611.
PMID: 33869848 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06611

Provision of equitable access to university education is the primary goal of pre-university education. Academically weak students stand to benefit more from pre-university program. However, available literature on effectiveness of the program revealed that high percentage of students still fail pre-university courses. Although the role of psycho-emotional factors on student academic performance has been highlighted, mechanism through which psycho-emotional factors impact on academic performance of pre-university science students is still not clear to offer adequate insights for proper intervention program. Therefore, we examined the pre-university students' academic performance in sciences in relation to Emotional Intelligence (EI) (Interpersonal EI and Intrapersonal EI) and Self-directed Learning (SDL). Specifically, a correlational study design was conducted to measure and gauge the level of relationships amongst Interpersonal EI, Intrapersonal EI, SDL and academic performance of pre-university students. The participants were 443 Nigerian students enrolled in pre-university science program. Students' self-report on EI and SDL were gathered and analyzed using SPSS 26 and AMOS 24. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis were performed to determine cross-cultural validity of the instruments in the Nigerian context. After controlling for gender and age, the hierarchical regression analysis reveals that student academic performance was positively predicted by perceived Interpersonal and Intrapersonal EI, whereas self-directed learning has an inconsistent predictive impact at different steps in the model. Overall, the predictor variables were able to explain substantial proportion of students' academic performance in pre-university program. Insightful suggestions were made.

MeSH terms: Cross-Cultural Comparison; Factor Analysis, Statistical; Goals; Humans; Learning; Motivation; Nigeria; Regression Analysis; Students; Universities; Emotional Intelligence; Self Report
Fulltext Ultrasonic-Assisted Technique as a Novel Method for Removal of Naphthenic Acid from Model Oil Using Piperidinium-Based Ionic Liquids

Khaidzir S, Masri AN, Ruslan MSH, Abdul Mutalib MI

ACS Omega, 2021 Apr 13;6(14):9629-9637.
PMID: 33869943 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c00189

In this study, piperidinium-based ionic liquids (IL) containing trifluoromethanesulfonate, phenolate, and dicyanamide anions were synthesized. Using the ILs, extraction of naphthenic acid from highly acidic oil with a total acid number (TAN) of 1.44 was studied. Two agitation techniques have been implemented for the extraction process, which were mechanical stirring and ultrasonic-assisted irradiation. 1-Butyl-1-methylpiperidinium phenolate [BMPi][Phe] showed the best potential in extracting naphthenic acid from oil, with complete removal of naphthenic acid with IL-to-oil ratios of 0.010 and 0.0025 for the mechanical stirring method and the ultrasonic-assisted method, respectively. Ultrasonic-assisted extraction process shows very good potential in enhancing the extraction efficiency of naphthenic acid. Optimization and study on the effects of ultrasonic parameters, namely, IL-to-oil ratio, ultrasonic amplitude, and time, were studied through response surface methodology (RSM). Using [BMPi][Phe], the optimum conditions obtained are IL-to-oil ratio of 0.03, 53.91% of amplitude, and 4.29 min of extraction time. Under these optimum conditions, 100% removal of naphthenic acid was achieved.
Fulltext Recombinant Production and Characterization of an Extracellular Subtilisin-Like Serine Protease from Acinetobacter baumannii of Fermented Food Origin

Muhammed NS, Hussin N, Lim AS, Jonet MA, Mohamad SE, Jamaluddin H

Protein J, 2021 06;40(3):419-435.
PMID: 33870461 DOI: 10.1007/s10930-021-09986-5

Acinetobacter baumannii is a ubiquitous bacteria that is increasingly becoming a formidable nosocomial pathogen. Due to its clinical relevance, studies on the bacteria's secretory molecules especially extracellular proteases are of interest primarily in relation to the enzyme's role in virulence. Besides, favorable properties that extracellular proteases possess may be exploited for commercial use thus there is a need to investigate extracellular proteases from Acinetobacter baumannii to gain insights into their catalytic properties. In this study, an extracellular subtilisin-like serine protease from Acinetobacter baumannii designated as SPSFQ that was isolated from fermented food was recombinantly expressed and characterized. The mature catalytically active form of SPSFQ shared a high percentage sequence identity of 99% to extracellular proteases from clinical isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii and Klebsiella pneumoniae as well as a moderately high percentage identity to other bacterial proteases with known keratinolytic and collagenolytic activity. The homology model of mature SPSFQ revealed its structure is composed of 10 β-strands, 8 α-helices, and connecting loops resembling a typical architecture of subtilisin-like α/β motif. SPSFQ is catalytically active at an optimum temperature of 40 °C and pH 9. Its activity is stimulated in the presence of Ca2+ and severely inhibited in the presence of PMSF. SPSFQ also displayed the ability to degrade several tissue-associated protein substrates such as keratin, collagen, and fibrin. Accordingly, our study shed light on the catalytic properties of a previously uncharacterized extracellular serine protease from Acinetobacter baumannii that warrants further investigations into its potential role as a virulence factor in pathogenicity and commercial applications.

MeSH terms: Cloning, Molecular; Recombinant Proteins/biosynthesis; Recombinant Proteins/genetics; Recombinant Proteins/isolation & purification; Recombinant Proteins/chemistry; Subtilisins/biosynthesis; Subtilisins/genetics; Subtilisins/isolation & purification; Subtilisins/chemistry; Acinetobacter baumannii/enzymology; Acinetobacter baumannii/genetics*
Liquid triphasic systems as sustainable downstream processing of Chlorella sp. biorefinery for potential biofuels and feed production

Koyande AK, Chew KW, Show PL, Munawaroh HSH, Chang JS

Bioresour Technol, 2021 Aug;333:125075.
PMID: 33872996 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.125075

Microalgae are potential sustainable renewable sources of energy but are highly underutilized due to the expensive and time-consuming downstream processing. This study aims at curbing these obstacles by extracting multiple components with a single processing unit. In this work, an ultrasound-assisted liquid triphasic flotation system was incorporated to extract proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates by phase separation. The parameters involved were optimized and the final recovery efficiency of proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates was determined. A control run involving conventional three-phase partitioning and a 15-fold scale-up system with the recycling of phase components were also performed. Gas Chromatograph and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy were used to examine the potential of extracted products as a source of biofuel. This biorefinery approach is crucial in commercializing microalgae for biodiesel and bioethanol generation with a side product of purified proteins as feed.

MeSH terms: Chlorella*; Lipids; Biomass; Biofuels; Microalgae*
Superwetting materials for hydrophilic-oleophobic membrane in oily wastewater treatment

Wan Ikhsan SN, Yusof N, Aziz F, Ismail AF, Jaafar J, Wan Salleh WN, et al.

J Environ Manage, 2021 Jul 15;290:112565.
PMID: 33873023 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112565

The vast amount of oily wastewater released to the environment through industrialization has worsened the water quality in recent years, posing adverse impacts on general human health. Oil emulsified in water is one of the most difficult mixtures to be treated, making it imperative for new technology to be explored to address this issue. The use of conventional water treatment such as flotation, coagulation, precipitation, adsorption, and chemical treatment have low separation efficiencies and high energy costs, and are not applicable to the separation of oil/water emulsions. Therefore, there is a demand for more efficient methods and materials for the separations of immiscible oil/water mixtures and emulsions. Superwetting materials that can repel oil, while letting water pass through have been widely explored to fit into this concern. These materials usually make use of simultaneous hydrophilic/oleophobic mechanisms to allow a solid surface to separate oily emulsion with little to no use of energy. Also, by integrating specific wettability concepts with appropriate pore scale, solid surfaces may achieve separation of multifarious oil/water mixtures namely immiscible oil/water blends and consolidated emulsions. In this review, materials used to impart superwetting in solid surfaces by focusing on superhydrophilic/superoleophobic wetting properties of the materials categorized into fluorinated and non-fluorinated surface modification are summarized. In each material, its background, mechanism, fabricating processes, and their effects on solid surface's wetting capability are elaborated in detail. The materials reviewed in this paper are mainly organic and green, suggesting the alternative material to replace the fluorine group that is widely used to achieve oleophobicity in oily wastewater treatment.

MeSH terms: Humans; Oils*; Wettability; Water Purification*; Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; Waste Water
Fulltext Association of Pre-diagnostic Antibody Responses to Escherichia coli and Bacteroides fragilis Toxin Proteins with Colorectal Cancer in a European Cohort

Butt J, Jenab M, Werner J, Fedirko V, Weiderpass E, Dahm CC, et al.

Gut Microbes, 2021;13(1):1-14.
PMID: 33874856 DOI: 10.1080/19490976.2021.1903825

Experimental evidence has implicated genotoxic Escherichia coli (E. coli) and enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis (ETBF) in the development of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, evidence from epidemiological studies is sparse. We therefore assessed the association of serological markers of E. coli and ETBF exposure with odds of developing CRC in the European Prospective Investigation into Nutrition and Cancer (EPIC) study.Serum samples of incident CRC cases and matched controls (n = 442 pairs) were analyzed for immunoglobulin (Ig) A and G antibody responses to seven E. coli proteins and two isoforms of the ETBF toxin via multiplex serology. Multivariable-adjusted conditional logistic regression analyses were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association of sero-positivity to E. coli and ETBF with CRC.The IgA-positivity of any of the tested E. coli antigens was associated with higher odds of developing CRC (OR: 1.42; 95% CI: 1.05-1.91). Dual-positivity for both IgA and IgG to E. coli and ETBF was associated with >1.7-fold higher odds of developing CRC, with a significant association only for IgG (OR: 1.75; 95% CI: 1.04, 2.94). This association was more pronounced when restricted to the proximal colon cancers (OR: 2.62; 95% CI: 1.09, 6.29) compared to those of the distal colon (OR: 1.24; 95% CI: 0.51, 3.00) (pheterogeneity = 0.095). Sero-positivity to E. coli and ETBF was associated with CRC development, suggesting that co-infection of these bacterial species may contribute to colorectal carcinogenesis. These findings warrant further exploration in larger prospective studies and within different population groups.

MeSH terms: Adult; Aged; Antibodies, Bacterial/blood*; Antigens, Bacterial/immunology; Bacterial Toxins/immunology*; Bacteroides Infections/immunology; Colon/microbiology*; Escherichia coli/immunology*; Escherichia coli Infections/immunology; Europe/epidemiology; Female; Humans; Male; Metalloendopeptidases/immunology*; Middle Aged; Prospective Studies; Biomarkers, Tumor/blood; Colorectal Neoplasms/immunology*; Colorectal Neoplasms/microbiology*; Odds Ratio
Cutaneous Mastocytosis in a Pediatric Dental Patient: Multidisciplinary Approach to Oral Management

Sanusi SY, Hallett KB

J Dent Child (Chic), 2021 Jan 15;88(1):62-65.
PMID: 33875055

Mastocytosis is a heterogeneous disease of bone marrow origin, characterized by local or diffuse increased growth and accumulation of clonal mast cells in the skin and/or in internal organs. The skin is the organ most frequently involved, but others may be affected as well. The purpose of this article is to present the oral management of a child with urticaria pigmentosa/maculopapulous cutaneous mastocytosis requiring dental treatment under general anesthesia. The multidisciplinary team approach involving the relevant medical specialists is discussed to emphasize the significance of coordinated patient management.

MeSH terms: Child; Humans; Mast Cells; Mastocytosis*
Carrier-Gas Induced Changes in the Structural, Stoichiometric and Photocatalytic Characteristics of Gallium Oxide Nanostructures

Jubu PR, Yam FK

J Nanosci Nanotechnol, 2021 Oct 01;21(10):5266-5274.
PMID: 33875117 DOI: 10.1166/jnn.2021.19456

Ga₂O₃/ITO/glass photoelectrodes prepared by the CVD method has rarely been tested in the electrochemical cell for water splitting. In this study, we investigate the photoelectrolytic performance of Ga₂O₃/ITO-glass photocatalysts produced by the high-temperature CVD route. The changing of N₂ carrier gas flow rate from 0 to 1800 seem induces change in the materials properties. XRD signal strength of the produced bi-phase Ga₂O₃ is observed to deteriorate, while diffraction line width broadens with increasing N₂ supply. Films show a combination of nanoclumps and nanostrips morphology. Ga/O ratio decreases, while the optical bandgap gradually increases from 4.37 to 4.42 eV with increasing O content and crystallite size. Photoluminescence measurements show UV, blue, green and red emissions, respectively. Linear sweep voltammetry of the electrodes in 0.1 M KOH electrolyte shows improvement in photocurrent density from 160 to 257 μA/cm² versus Ag/AgCl at 1 V bias, and a maximum photon-to-current conversion efficiency 0.06%.

MeSH terms: Cardiovascular Diseases; Color; Electrodes; Glass; Mass Media; Silver; Temperature; Water
Over 30 years of HABs in the Philippines and Malaysia: What have we learned?

Yñiguez AT, Lim PT, Leaw CP, Jipanin SJ, Iwataki M, Benico G, et al.

Harmful Algae, 2021 02;102:101776.
PMID: 33875175 DOI: 10.1016/j.hal.2020.101776

In the Southeast Asian region, the Philippines and Malaysia are two of the most affected by Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs). Using long-term observations of HAB events, we determined if these are increasing in frequency and duration, and expanding across space in each country. Blooms of Paralytic Shellfish Toxin (PST)-producing species in the Philippines did increase in frequency and duration during the early to mid-1990s, but have stabilized since then. However, the number of sites affected by these blooms continue to expand though at a slower rate than in the 1990s. Furthermore, the type of HABs and causative species have diversified for both toxic blooms and fish kill events. In contrast, Malaysia showed no increasing trend in the frequency of toxic blooms over the past three decades since Pyrodinium bahamense was reported in 1976. However, similar to the Philippines, other PST producers such as Alexandrium minutum and Alexandrium tamiyavanichii have become a concern. No amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP) has been confirmed in either Philippines or Malaysia thus far, while ciguatera fish poisoning cases are known from the Philippines and Malaysia but the causative organisms remain poorly studied. Since the 1990s and early 2000s, recognition of the distribution of other PST-producing species such as species of Alexandrium and Gymnodinium catenatum in Southeast Asia has grown, though there has been no significant expansion in the known distributions within the last decade. A major more recent problem in the two countries and for Southeast Asia in general are the frequent fish-killing algal blooms of various species such as Prorocentrum cordatum, Margalefidinium polykrikoides, Chattonella spp., and unarmored dinoflagellates (e.g., Karlodinium australe and Takayama sp.). These new sites affected and the increase in types of HABs and causative species could be attributed to various factors such as introduction through mariculture and eutrophication, and partly because of increased scientific awareness. These connections still need to be more concretely investigated. The link to the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) should also be better understood if we want to discern how climate change plays a role in these patterns of HAB occurrences.

MeSH terms: Animals; Dinoflagellida*; Malaysia; Philippines; Shellfish Poisoning*; Harmful Algal Bloom
Innervation of the scrotum by the anterior division of the obturator nerve - a rare variation

Nayak SB, Vasudeva SK

Morphologie, 2021 Apr 16.
PMID: 33875370 DOI: 10.1016/j.morpho.2021.03.005

The scrotum is supplied by ilioinguinal, genital branch of genitofemoral, perineal branch of the posterior cutaneous nerve of the thigh and the posterior scrotal branches of the pudendal nerve. We report an extremely rare innervation of the anterior part of the scrotum by the anterior division of the right obturator nerve. The genital branch of genitofemoral nerve did not reach the scrotum. The ilioinguinal nerve did not supply the scrotum. The anterior division of the obturator nerve gave a branch which ascended superomedially in the thigh, crossed superficial to the spermatic cord and communicated with the right ilioinguinal nerve. As it crossed the spermatic cord, it gave a scrotal branch which descended over the spermatic cord and ramified to supply the anterior part of the scrotum. Knowledge of this variation could be important to anaesthesiologists, urologists and surgeons in general.

MeSH terms: Genitalia; Humans; Lumbosacral Plexus; Male; Obturator Nerve; Perineum; Scrotum; Spermatic Cord; Thigh; Lower Extremity; Pudendal Nerve; Surgeons; Urologists
Fulltext Development and virtual validation of a novel digital workflow to rehabilitate palatal defects by using smartphone-integrated stereophotogrammetry (SPINS)

Farook TH, Jamayet NB, Asif JA, Din AS, Mahyuddin MN, Alam MK

Sci Rep, 2021 04 19;11(1):8469.
PMID: 33875672 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-87240-9

Palatal defects are rehabilitated by fabricating maxillofacial prostheses called obturators. The treatment incorporates taking deviously unpredictable impressions to facsimile the palatal defects into plaster casts for obturator fabrication in the dental laboratory. The casts are then digitally stored using expensive hardware to prevent physical damage or data loss and, when required, future obturators are digitally designed, and 3D printed. Our objective was to construct and validate an economic in-house smartphone-integrated stereophotogrammetry (SPINS) 3D scanner and to evaluate its accuracy in designing prosthetics using open source/free (OS/F) digital pipeline. Palatal defect models were scanned using SPINS and its accuracy was compared against the standard laser scanner for virtual area and volumetric parameters. SPINS derived 3D models were then used to design obturators by using (OS/F) software. The resultant obturators were virtually compared against standard medical software designs. There were no significant differences in any of the virtual parameters when evaluating the accuracy of both SPINS, as well as OS/F derived obturators. However, limitations in the design process resulted in minimal dissimilarities. With further improvements, SPINS based prosthetic rehabilitation could create a viable, low cost method for rural and developing health services to embrace maxillofacial record keeping and digitised prosthetic rehabilitation.

MeSH terms: Smartphone/statistics & numerical data*; Humans; Mouth Diseases/rehabilitation*; Palate/surgery*; Photogrammetry/methods*; Computer-Aided Design; Prostheses and Implants/statistics & numerical data*; Imaging, Three-Dimensional/methods*; Workflow
Fulltext Characterization of bacterial communities associated with blood-fed and starved tropical bed bugs, Cimex hemipterus (F.) (Hemiptera): a high throughput metabarcoding analysis

Lim L, Ab Majid AH

Sci Rep, 2021 Apr 19;11(1):8465.
PMID: 33875727 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-87946-w

With the development of new metagenomic techniques, the microbial community structure of common bed bugs, Cimex lectularius, is well-studied, while information regarding the constituents of the bacterial communities associated with tropical bed bugs, Cimex hemipterus, is lacking. In this study, the bacteria communities in the blood-fed and starved tropical bed bugs were analysed and characterized by amplifying the v3-v4 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene region, followed by MiSeq Illumina sequencing. Across all samples, Proteobacteria made up more than 99% of the microbial community. An alpha-proteobacterium Wolbachia and gamma-proteobacterium, including Dickeya chrysanthemi and Pseudomonas, were the dominant OTUs at the genus level. Although the dominant OTUs of bacterial communities of blood-fed and starved bed bugs were the same, bacterial genera present in lower numbers were varied. The bacteria load in starved bed bugs was also higher than blood-fed bed bugs.

MeSH terms: Animals; Bacteria/classification*; Bacteria/genetics; Bacteria/isolation & purification*; Bedbugs/microbiology*; Blood/microbiology*; DNA/analysis; DNA/genetics*; Feeding Behavior*; Starvation*; DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic
Smartphone-controlled patch electro-acupuncture versus conventional pain relief during colonoscopy: a randomized controlled trial

Joan Gan CY, Chan KK, Tan JH, Tan Chor Lip H, Louis Ling LL, Mohd Azman ZA

ANZ J Surg, 2021 06;91(6):E375-E381.
PMID: 33876547 DOI: 10.1111/ans.16870

BACKGROUND: Smartphone-controlled patch electro-acupuncture (SCEA) is a novel device which gives the same analgesic effect as with conventional acupuncture. There are no published articles in the English literature on the use of this device as a primary mode of pain relief during colonoscopy. Primary aims of this study were to investigate the efficacy of SCEA as a substitute for pain relief during colonoscopy.
METHODS: Thirty-seven patients were randomized to receive SCEA (n = 19) or placebo (n = 18) during colonoscopy. Additional rescue sedation was administered to patients if they had pain or discomfort during the procedure. Visual analogue scale was used to quantify the intensity of pain from the beginning to end of the procedure. Other variables analysed were the amount of sedation used, duration from start to caecal intubation, length of time for completion of colonoscopy and recovery time to home discharge.
RESULTS: Patients who received SCEA had a lower median pain score of 4.6 (interquartile range 5.7) compared to the placebo group of 6.0 (interquartile range 3.2). Statistical analysis comparing the groups revealed a non-significant P-value of 0.12, although more than 90% of the patients indicated willingness for SCEA as the primary analgesia if they were to repeat the procedure. Throughout the study, there were no adverse complications that occurred during the use of SCEA.
CONCLUSIONS: Even though this study did not demonstrate, a significance in pain reduction, SCEA remains a safe modality which, more than 90% of patients favoured as a substitute for pain relief during colonoscopy.

MeSH terms: Smartphone*; Colonoscopy; Humans; Pain; Acupuncture Therapy*; Pain Management

External Links