Browse publications by year: 2021

  1. Maniam A, Zuhaimy H, Vendargon FMM, Othman O
    Cureus, 2021 Nov;13(11):e19450.
    PMID: 34912600 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.19450
    BACKGROUND: Chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) presenting with only ocular manifestations either at the initial stage of diagnosis or at relapse is uncommon. We report two cases of CML presenting with isolated visual symptoms.

    CASE SERIES: The first case is a 21-year-old healthy gentleman who presented with left eye painless loss of vision for a one-week duration. Visual acuity was 6/60 in the left eye and 6/6 in the right eye. There were scattered retinal haemorrhages in both eyes and a sub-macular bleed over the left eye. The full blood count revealed a high white cell count of 134.6 × 109/L. Peripheral blood smear showed hyper-leucocytosis with absolute eosinophilia and basophilia and the presence of blasts suggestive of CML thus chemotherapy was commenced. The second case is a 28-year-old in haematological, molecular, and cytogenic remission from CML for the past two years, presented with left eye painless vision loss for five days duration. Vision in the left eye was counting fingers. There was a large subretinal mass involving the left optic disc. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and orbit showed an elliptical orbital mass at the left globe posteriorly with diffuse thickening of the optic nerve. The patient was diagnosed as CML relapsed to the left optic nerve. He underwent intrathecal chemotherapy and orbital irradiation.

    CONCLUSION: Both these cases are unique since the manifestation of CML was with only ocular features at the time of presentation as per in the first case during the initial diagnosis and in the second case during relapse. This highlights that it is evident that the knowledge of ocular involvement in leukaemia is crucial since the eye is the only organ where leukemic infiltration to nerves and blood vessels can be observed directly. Recognizing fundus changes in leukaemia allows earlier diagnosis and prompt treatment. These case reports highlight the importance of recognizing early fundus changes, which should allow earlier diagnosis and treatment.

  2. Possiedi RD, Khoo LS, Mazzarone F, Viera da Costa CR, Stremel P
    World J Plast Surg, 2021 Sep;10(3):34-45.
    PMID: 34912665 DOI: 10.29252/wjps.10.3.34
    BACKGROUND: We aimed to compare inflammatory and intercellular transcription responses induced by surface textured (ST) implants versus foam covered (FC) silicone implants placed on the dorsal aspect of rats.

    METHODS: We utilized 80 female rats of the Wistar lineage. The rats were divided into four subgroups of 20 with one type of implant placed in the dorsum per rat. Analysis was carried out on peri-implant capsules at 90 d and at 180 d post-surgery with microscopic evaluation of inflammatory and immuno-histochemical response of NF-κB-p65 and α-SMA in fibroblasts. This study was carried out at the Evangelical Faculty of Parana and at the Ivo Pitanguy Institute, Brazil in 2015.

    RESULTS: The FC exhibited higher levels of acute and chronic inflammation on evaluation in both time frames. The capsule surrounding the ST implants was significantly thicker with well-organized collagen fibres. NFκB-p65 expression in the capsule surrounding the FC implant was more pronounced. There was higher and more significant α-SMA expression in the capsules of the surface textured (ST) silicone implants compared to the foam-covered (FC) silicone implants.

    CONCLUSION: Activation of NFκB-p65 plays a key role in the evolution of capsule formation and maintenance of inflammation by regulating the healing process. Similarly, higher and more prolonged levels of inflammation (increased NF-κB-p65 results in increased inflammation) and lower α-SMA (higher α-SMA is protective against capsular contracture) did not directly translate to a thicker capsule and ultimately, capsular contracture in foam covered silicone implants.

  3. Jia H, Zhao B, Zhang F, Santhanam RK, Wang X, Lu J
    Front Oncol, 2021;11:785455.
    PMID: 34912721 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.785455
    Polysaccharides are the main active ingredients of ginseng. To extract the most effective polysaccharides against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), we isolated and characterized the polysaccharides from the mountain cultivated ginseng (MCG) and compared their composition and cytotoxic effect with cultivated ginseng (CG) polysaccharide against HepG2 cell lines for the first time. MCG polysaccharides and CG polysaccharides were fractionated into two fractions such as MTPS-1, MTPS-2 and CTPS-1, CTPS-2 by salting out, respectively. Compared to CG, MCG possessed appreciable cytotoxic effect against HepG2 cells among that MTPS-1 possess fortified effect. Then, MTPS-1 was selected for further isolation process and seven acidic polysaccharides (MCGP-1-MCGP-7) were obtained using ethanol precipitation, ion-exchange, and gel permeation chromatography techniques. Structural characteristics of the polysaccharides (MCGP-1-MCGP-7) were done by adapting methylation/GC-MS and NMR analysis. Overall, MCGP-3 polysaccharide was found to possess significant cytotoxic effect against HepG2 cells with the IC50 value.
  4. Tay E, Khaing T, Yin W, Posas E, Kao P, Buddhari W, et al.
    AsiaIntervention, 2021 Jul;7(1):54-59.
    PMID: 34913003 DOI: 10.4244/AIJ-D-18-00053
    Aims: The aim of the study was to report the clinical experience, 30-day mortality and acute outcomes of patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in the Asia Pacific region.

    Methods and results: The Asia Pacific TAVI registry is an international, multicentre, prospective, observational registry managed under the auspices of the Asian Pacific Society of Interventional Cardiology (APSIC). Patients undergoing TAVI in seven centres from Hong Kong, Japan, Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan, treated with TAVI devices for severe symptomatic aortic stenosis, were assessed. This first review presents the acute results and 30-day mortality. A multivariable analysis was also performed to identify independent predictors of early all-cause mortality. The enrolment was from 2009 to 2017 and a total of 1,125 patients were recruited. The 30-day mortality rate was 2.5%. Baseline logistic EuroSCORE more than 16 was independently associated with a 2.8-times increased risk of 30-day all-cause mortality (p=0.016). Post-procedural stroke (HR 4.9, p=0.008) was also associated with increased mortality.

    Conclusions: This initial report of the Asia Pacific TAVI registry demonstrated good acute success and low 30-day mortality. The preprocedural logistic EuroSCORE and post-procedural stroke incidence were strongly associated with acute mortality. Further attempts to reduce post-procedural stroke should be explored.

  5. Nor AM, Mohamad AM, Elagili F, Hamdan A
    ANZ J Surg, 2021 12;91(12):2855-2856.
    PMID: 34913562 DOI: 10.1111/ans.17303
    MeSH terms: Connective Tissue Diseases*; Humans; Polyps*; Prisoners*; Skin Neoplasms*
  6. Al-Timemy AH, Mosa ZM, Alyasseri Z, Lavric A, Lui MM, Hazarbassanov RM, et al.
    Transl Vis Sci Technol, 2021 12 01;10(14):16.
    PMID: 34913952 DOI: 10.1167/tvst.10.14.16
    Purpose: To develop and assess the accuracy of a hybrid deep learning construct for detecting keratoconus (KCN) based on corneal topographic maps.

    Methods: We collected 3794 corneal images from 542 eyes of 280 subjects and developed seven deep learning models based on anterior and posterior eccentricity, anterior and posterior elevation, anterior and posterior sagittal curvature, and corneal thickness maps to extract deep corneal features. An independent subset with 1050 images collected from 150 eyes of 85 subjects from a separate center was used to validate models. We developed a hybrid deep learning model to detect KCN. We visualized deep features of corneal parameters to assess the quality of learning subjectively and computed area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), confusion matrices, accuracy, and F1 score to evaluate models objectively.

    Results: In the development dataset, 204 eyes were normal, 123 eyes were suspected KCN, and 215 eyes had KCN. In the independent validation dataset, 50 eyes were normal, 50 eyes were suspected KCN, and 50 eyes were KCN. Images were annotated by three corneal specialists. The AUC of the models for the two-class and three-class problems based on the development set were 0.99 and 0.93, respectively.

    Conclusions: The hybrid deep learning model achieved high accuracy in identifying KCN based on corneal maps and provided a time-efficient framework with low computational complexity.

    Translational Relevance: Deep learning can detect KCN from non-invasive corneal images with high accuracy, suggesting potential application in research and clinical practice to identify KCN.

    MeSH terms: Humans; Retrospective Studies; Corneal Topography
  7. Moo EK, Al-Saffar Y, Le T, A Seerattan R, Pingguan-Murphy B, K Korhonen R, et al.
    J Orthop Res, 2021 Dec 16.
    PMID: 34914129 DOI: 10.1002/jor.25243
    Degeneration of articular cartilage is often triggered by a small tissue crack. As cartilage structure and composition change with age, the mechanics of cracked cartilage may depend on the tissue age, but this relationship is poorly understood. Here, we investigated cartilage mechanics and crack deformation in immature and mature cartilage exposed to a full-thickness tissue crack using indentation testing and histology, respectively. When a cut was introduced, tissue cracks opened wider in the mature cartilage compared to the immature cartilage. However, the opposite occurred upon mechanical indentation over the cracked region. Functionally, the immature-cracked cartilages stress-relaxed faster, experienced increased tissue strain, and had reduced instantaneous stiffness, compared to the mature-cracked cartilages. Taken together, mature cartilage appears to withstand surface cracks and maintains its mechanical properties better than immature cartilage and these superior properties can be explained by the structure of their collagen fibrous network.
  8. May Z, Alam MK, Nayan NA, Rahman NAA, Mahmud MS
    PLoS One, 2021;16(12):e0261040.
    PMID: 34914761 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0261040
    Corrosion in carbon-steel pipelines leads to failure, which is a major cause of breakdown maintenance in the oil and gas industries. The acoustic emission (AE) signal is a reliable method for corrosion detection and classification in the modern Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) system. The efficiency of this system in detection and classification mainly depends on the suitable AE features. Therefore, many feature extraction and classification methods have been developed for corrosion detection and severity assessment. However, the extraction of appropriate AE features and classification of various levels of corrosion utilizing these extracted features are still challenging issues. To overcome these issues, this article proposes a hybrid machine learning approach that combines Wavelet Packet Transform (WPT) integrated with Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) for multiresolution feature extraction and Linear Support Vector Classifier (L-SVC) for predicting corrosion severity levels. A Laboratory-based Linear Polarization Resistance (LPR) test was performed on carbon-steel samples for AE data acquisition over a different time span. AE signals were collected at a high sampling rate with a sound well AE sensor using AEWin software. Simulation results show a linear relationship between the proposed approach-based extracted AE features and the corrosion process. For multi-class problems, three corrosion severity stages have been made based on the corrosion rate over time and AE activity. The ANOVA test results indicate the significance within and between the feature-groups where F-values (F-value>1) rejects the null hypothesis and P-values (P-value<0.05) are less than the significance level. The utilized L-SVC classifier achieves higher prediction accuracy of 99.0% than the accuracy of other benchmarked classifiers. Findings of our proposed machine learning approach confirm that it can be effectively utilized for corrosion detection and severity assessment in SHM applications.
    MeSH terms: Machine Learning*; Acoustics/instrumentation*; Algorithms*; Corrosion; Fourier Analysis; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted*; Models, Statistical*; Wavelet Analysis*; Support Vector Machine*
  9. Tan P, Li H, Wang J, Gopinath SCB
    Biotechnol Appl Biochem, 2021 Dec;68(6):1236-1242.
    PMID: 33043496 DOI: 10.1002/bab.2045
    Recent developments in nanotechnology promoted the production of nanomaterials with various shapes and sizes by utilizing interdisciplinary researches of biology, chemistry, and material science toward the clinical perspectives. In particular, gold and silver (Ag) are noble metals that exhibit tunable and unique plasmonic properties for the downstream applications. Ag exhibits higher thermal and electrical conductivities, and more efficient in the electron transfer than gold with sharper extinction bands. In addition, modified Ag nanoparticle is more stable in water and air. With all these above features, Ag is an attractive tool in various fields, including diagnosis, drug delivery, environmental, electronics, and as antimicrobial agent. In particular, applications of Ag nanoparticle in the fields of biosensor and imaging are prominent in recent days. Enhancing the specific detection of clinical markers with Ag nanoparticle has been proved by several studies. This review discussed the constructive application of Ag nanoparticle in biosensor and bioimaging for the detection of small molecule to larger whole cell in the perspectives of diagnosing diseases.
  10. Virani SS, Alonso A, Aparicio HJ, Benjamin EJ, Bittencourt MS, Callaway CW, et al.
    Circulation, 2021 Feb 23;143(8):e254-e743.
    PMID: 33501848 DOI: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000000950
    BACKGROUND: The American Heart Association, in conjunction with the National Institutes of Health, annually reports the most up-to-date statistics related to heart disease, stroke, and cardiovascular risk factors, including core health behaviors (smoking, physical activity, diet, and weight) and health factors (cholesterol, blood pressure, and glucose control) that contribute to cardiovascular health. The Statistical Update presents the latest data on a range of major clinical heart and circulatory disease conditions (including stroke, congenital heart disease, rhythm disorders, subclinical atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, heart failure, valvular disease, venous disease, and peripheral artery disease) and the associated outcomes (including quality of care, procedures, and economic costs).

    METHODS: The American Heart Association, through its Statistics Committee, continuously monitors and evaluates sources of data on heart disease and stroke in the United States to provide the most current information available in the annual Statistical Update. The 2021 Statistical Update is the product of a full year's worth of effort by dedicated volunteer clinicians and scientists, committed government professionals, and American Heart Association staff members. This year's edition includes data on the monitoring and benefits of cardiovascular health in the population, an enhanced focus on social determinants of health, adverse pregnancy outcomes, vascular contributions to brain health, the global burden of cardiovascular disease, and further evidence-based approaches to changing behaviors related to cardiovascular disease.

    RESULTS: Each of the 27 chapters in the Statistical Update focuses on a different topic related to heart disease and stroke statistics.

    CONCLUSIONS: The Statistical Update represents a critical resource for the lay public, policy makers, media professionals, clinicians, health care administrators, researchers, health advocates, and others seeking the best available data on these factors and conditions.

    MeSH terms: American Heart Association; Blood Pressure; Cholesterol/blood; Diabetes Mellitus/epidemiology; Diabetes Mellitus/pathology; Heart Diseases/economics; Heart Diseases/mortality; Heart Diseases/epidemiology*; Heart Diseases/pathology; Hospitalization/statistics & numerical data; Humans; Obesity/epidemiology; Obesity/pathology; Risk Factors; Smoking; United States/epidemiology; Health Behavior; Exercise; Prevalence; Stroke/economics; Stroke/mortality; Stroke/epidemiology*; Stroke/pathology; Global Burden of Disease; Healthy Diet
  11. Karanth L, Abas AB
    Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2021 Dec 09;12(12):CD011059.
    PMID: 34881425 DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD011059.pub4
    BACKGROUND: Bleeding disorders are uncommon but may pose significant bleeding complications during pregnancy, labour and following delivery for both the woman and the foetus. While many bleeding disorders in women tend to improve in pregnancy, thus decreasing the haemorrhagic risk to the mother at the time of delivery, some do not correct or return quite quickly to their pre-pregnancy levels in the postpartum period. Therefore, specific measures to prevent maternal bleeding and foetal complications during childbirth, are required. The safest method of delivery to reduce morbidity and mortality in these women is controversial. This is an update of a previously published review.

    OBJECTIVES: To assess the optimal mode of delivery in women with, or carriers of, bleeding disorders.

    SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Cystic Fibrosis and Genetic Disorders Coagulopathies Trials Register, compiled from electronic database searches and handsearching of journals and conference abstract books. We also searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register as well as trials registries and the reference lists of relevant articles and reviews. Date of last search of the Group's Trials Registers: 21 June 2021.

    SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials and quasi-randomised controlled clinical trials investigating the optimal mode of delivery in women with, or carriers of, any type of bleeding disorder during pregnancy were eligible for the review.

    DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: No trials matching the selection criteria were eligible for inclusion.

    MAIN RESULTS: No trials matching the selection criteria were eligible for inclusion.

    AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: The review did not identify any randomised controlled trials investigating the safest mode of delivery and associated maternal and foetal complications during delivery in women with, or carriers of, a bleeding disorder. In the absence of high quality evidence, clinicians need to use their clinical judgement and lower level evidence (e.g. from observational trials, case studies) to decide upon the optimal mode of delivery to ensure the safety of both mother and foetus. Given the ethical considerations, the rarity of the disorders and the low incidence of both maternal and foetal complications, future randomised controlled trials to find the optimal mode of delivery in this population are unlikely to be carried out. Other high quality controlled studies (such as risk allocation designs, sequential design, and parallel cohort design) are needed to investigate the risks and benefits of natural vaginal and caesarean section in this population or extrapolation from other clinical conditions that incur a haemorrhagic risk to the baby, such as platelet alloimmunisation.

    MeSH terms: Blood Coagulation Disorders*; Cesarean Section; Female; Fetus; Humans; Infant; Labor, Obstetric*; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Hematologic*
  12. Nair HK, Ahmad NW, Ismail AA, Alabed AAA, Zheming BO, Kaur G, et al.
    J Wound Care, 2021 12 01;30(Sup12):S30-S36.
    PMID: 34882006 DOI: 10.12968/jowc.2021.30.Sup12.S30
    OBJECTIVE: Maggot debridement therapy (MDT) has seen a resurgence in recent years in the treatment of hard-to-heal wounds, as a result of rising antibiotic resistance. The sterilised larvae of Lucilia cuprina have been used in MDT in Malaysia since 2003, with encouraging results for the treatment of hard-to-heal diabetic wounds. We report a case series of 30 patients selected from our clinic by convenient sampling with diabetic lower limb ulcers treated with MDT. The average age of patients receiving MDT was >50 years. Of the 30 patients in the study, nine were female and 21 were male. All patients had underlying diabetes, two patients had leg ulcers and 28 patients had diabetic foot ulcers. Sterilised Lucilia cuprina larvae were applied via a standard method of 10 maggots per square centimetre and dressed with sterile gauze. The study endpoint was defined as ≤5% coverage with slough or necrotic tissue following three successive applications of MDT. In this study, maximum debridement of wounds was achieved in 96.6% (29 patients) of our patients, with ≤5% coverage with slough or necrotic tissue, in addition to a reduction in wound-related pain, as assessed by a visual analogue scale. No adverse events were reported. The findings of this study support the use of MDT as a safe, efficacious, and cost-effective method of managing diabetic wounds.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Debridement; Diabetes Mellitus*; Female; Humans; Larva; Leg Ulcer*; Male; Middle Aged; Wound Healing
  13. Gowda ST, Latson L, Sivakumar K, Hiremath G, Crystal M, Law M, et al.
    Circ Cardiovasc Interv, 2021 12;14(12):e009750.
    PMID: 34903033 DOI: 10.1161/CIRCINTERVENTIONS.120.009750
    BACKGROUND: Coronary artery fistulas (CAFs) presenting in infancy are rare, and data regarding postclosure sequelae and follow-up are limited.

    METHODS: A retrospective review of all the neonates and infants (<1 year) was conducted from the CAF registry for CAF treatment. The CAF type (proximal or distal), size, treatment method, and follow-up angiography were reviewed to assess outcomes and coronary remodeling.

    RESULTS: Forty-eight patients were included from 20 centers. Of these, 30 were proximal and 18 had distal CAF; 39 were large, 7 medium, and 2 had small CAF. The median age and weight was 0.16 years (0.01-1) and 4.2 kg (1.7-10.6). Heart failure was noted in 28 of 48 (58%) patients. Transcatheter closure was performed in 24, surgical closure in 18, and 6 were observed medically. Procedural success was 92% and 94 % for transcatheter closure and surgical closure, respectively. Follow-up data were obtained in 34 of 48 (70%) at a median of 2.9 (0.1-18) years. Angiography to assess remodeling was available in 20 of 48 (41%). I. Optimal remodeling (n=10, 7 proximal and 3 distal CAF). II. Suboptimal remodeling (n=7) included (A) symptomatic coronary thrombosis (n=2, distal CAF), (B) asymptomatic coronary thrombosis (n=3, 1 proximal and 2 distal CAF), and (C) partial thrombosis with residual cul-de-sac (n=1, proximal CAF) and vessel irregularity with stenosis (n=1, distal CAF). Finally, (III) persistent coronary artery dilation (n=4). Antiplatelets and anticoagulation were used in 31 and 7 patients post-closure, respectively. Overall, 7 of 10 (70%) with proximal CAF had optimal remodeling, but 5 of 11 (45%) with distal CAF had suboptimal remodeling. Only 1 of 7 patients with suboptimal remodeling were on anticoagulation.

    CONCLUSIONS: Neonates/infants with hemodynamically significant CAF can be treated by transcatheter or surgical closure with excellent procedural success. Patients with distal CAF are at higher risk for suboptimal remodeling. Postclosure anticoagulation and follow-up coronary anatomic evaluation are warranted.

    MeSH terms: Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Registries; Retrospective Studies; Vascular Fistula*; Treatment Outcome; Coronary Angiography
  14. Shaiful Bahari I, Norhayati MN, Nik Hazlina NH, Mohamad Shahirul Aiman CAA, Nik Muhammad Arif NA
    BMC Pregnancy Childbirth, 2021 Dec 13;21(1):823.
    PMID: 34903212 DOI: 10.1186/s12884-021-04301-7
    BACKGROUND: Over the last two decades, there has been significant growth in public, political, and academic awareness of polygamy. Polygamous families have distinct household problems, usually stemming from jealousy between co-wives over the husband's affections and resources. This study aimed to ascertain the psychological impact of polygamous marriage on women and children worldwide.

    METHODS: A systematic search was performed in MEDLINE (PubMed), Scopus, CINAHL (EBSCOhost), Google Scholar, and ProQuest using search terms such as "marriage" and "polygamy." Studies published from the inception of the respective databases until April 2021 were retrieved to assess their eligibility for inclusion in this study. The Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist was used for data extraction and the quality assessment of the included studies. The generic inverse variance and odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using RevMan software.

    RESULTS: There were 24 studies fulfilling the eligibility criteria, and 23 studies had a low risk of bias. The pooled meta-analysis showed women in polygamous marriages had a 2.25 (95% CI: 1.20, 4.20) higher chance of experiencing depression than in monogamous marriages. Children with polygamous parents had a significantly higher Global Severity Index with a mean difference of 0.21 (95% CI: 0.10, 0.33) than those with monogamous parents.

    CONCLUSIONS: The psychological impact of polygamous marriage on women and children was found to be relatively higher than monogamous marriage. Awareness of the proper practices for polygamy should be strengthened so that its adverse effects can be minimized. The agencies involved in polygamous practices should broaden and enhance their understanding of the correct practice of polygamy.

    MeSH terms: Adolescent; Adult; Child; Child, Preschool; Family Relations/psychology*; Female; Humans; Infant; Male; Marriage/psychology*; Mental Health; Parent-Child Relations*; Quality of Life; Self Concept; Spouses/psychology*
  15. Wei H, Dai J, Mahariq I, Ghasemi A, Mouldi A, Brahmia A
    Int J Hydrogen Energy, 2021 Dec 09.
    PMID: 34903909 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2021.12.044
    In this work, an innovative integrated system that is incorporated from solid oxide electrolysis cells and an oxygen separator membrane is assessed and optimized from the techno-economic aspects to respond to oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen demands for hospitals and other health care applications. Besides, a parametric comparison is conducted to apprehend the weights of parameters changes on the performance of criteria. Relying on the assessments, from the hydrogen production of 1 kg/s, 23.19 kg/s of oxygen, and 50.22 kg/s of nitrogen are produced. The parametric study shows that by raising the working temperature of the electrolyzer, the cell voltage variation has descending trend and the power consumption of the system is decreased by 19%. Finally, the results of multi-criteria optimization on the Pareto front reveal that in the optimal case, the system payback period is attained at about 5.32 years and the exergy efficiency of 92.47%, which are improved 16.6% and 16.2% compared to the base case, sequentially. Consequently, this system is proposed to consider as a cost-effective and reliable option towards its vital and valuable productions, in the pandemic period and after's.
  16. Majumder MAA, Gaur U, Singh K, Kandamaran L, Gupta S, Haque M, et al.
    World J Radiol, 2021 Nov 28;13(11):354-370.
    PMID: 34904050 DOI: 10.4329/wjr.v13.i11.354
    Radiology education and training is of paramount clinical importance given the prominence of medical imaging utilization in effective clinical practice. The incorporation of basic radiology in the medical curriculum has continued to evolve, focusing on teaching image interpretation skills, the appropriate ordering of radiological investigations, judicious use of ionizing radiation, and providing exposure to interventional radiology. Advancements in radiology have been driven by the digital revolution, which has, in turn, had a positive impact on radiology education and training. Upon the advent of the corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, many training institutions and hospitals adhered to directives which advised rescheduling of non-urgent outpatient appointments. This inevitably impacted the workflow of the radiology department, which resulted in the reduction of clinical in-person case reviews and consultations, as well as in-person teaching sessions. Several medical schools and research centers completely suspended face-to-face academic activity. This led to challenges for medical teachers to complete the radiology syllabus while ensuring that teaching activities continued safely and effectively. As a result, online teaching platforms have virtually replaced didactic face-to-face lectures. Radiology educators also sought other strategies to incorporate interactive teaching sessions while adopting the e-learning approach, as they were cognizant of the limitations that this may have on students' clinical expertise. Migration to online methods to review live cases, journal clubs, simulation-based training, clinical interaction, and radiology examination protocolling are a few examples of successfully addressing the limitations in reduced clinical exposure. In this review paper, we discuss (1) The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on radiology education, training, and practice; (2) Challenges and strategies involved in delivering online radiology education for undergraduates and postgraduates during the COVID-19 pandemic; and (3) Difference between the implementation of radiology education during the COVID-19 pandemic and pre-COVID-19 era.
  17. Ahmad WMAW, Yaqoob MA, Noor NFM, Ghazali FMM, Rahman NA, Tang L, et al.
    Biomed Res Int, 2021;2021:5436894.
    PMID: 34904115 DOI: 10.1155/2021/5436894
    Background: Cancer is primarily caused by smoking, alcohol, betel quit, a series of genetic alterations, and epigenetic abnormalities in signaling pathways, which result in a variety of phenotypes that favor the development of OSCC. Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common type of oral cancer, accounting for 80-90% of all oral malignant neoplasms. Oral cancer is relatively common, and it is frequently curable when detected and treated early enough. The tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) staging system is used to determine patient prognosis; however, geographical inaccuracies frequently occur, affecting management.

    Objective: To determine the additional relationship between factors discovered by searching for sociodemographic and metastasis factors, as well as treatment outcomes, which could help improve the prediction of the survival rate in cancer patients. Material and Methods. A total of 56 patients were recruited from the ambulatory clinic at the Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). In this retrospective study, advanced computational statistical modeling techniques were used to evaluate data descriptions of several variables such as treatment, age, and distant metastasis. The R-Studio software and syntax were used to implement and test the hazard ratio. The statistics for each sample were calculated using a combination model that included methods such as bootstrap and multiple linear regression (MLR).

    Results: The statistical strategy showed R demonstrates that regression modeling outperforms an R-squared. It demonstrated that when data is partitioned into a training and testing dataset, the hybrid model technique performs better at predicting the outcome. The variable validation was determined using the well-established bootstrap-integrated MLR technique. In this case, three variables are considered: age, treatment, and distant metastases. It is important to note that three things affect the hazard ratio: age (β 1: -0.006423; p < 2e - 16), treatment (β 2: -0.355389; p < 2e - 16), and distant metastasis (β 3: -0.355389; p < 2e - 16). There is a 0.003469102 MSE for the linear model in this scenario.

    Conclusion: In this study, a hybrid approach combining bootstrapping and multiple linear regression will be developed and extensively tested. The R syntax for this methodology was designed to ensure that the researcher completely understood the illustration. In this case, a hybrid model demonstrates how this critical conclusion enables us to better understand the utility and relative contribution of the hybrid method to the outcome. The statistical technique used in this study, R, demonstrates that regression modeling outperforms R-squared values of 0.9014 and 0.00882 for the predicted mean squared error, respectively. The conclusion of the study establishes the superiority of the hybrid model technique used in the study.

    MeSH terms: Cell Survival/physiology*; Humans; Lymphatic Metastasis/pathology; Malaysia; Mouth Neoplasms/mortality*; Mouth Neoplasms/pathology; Prognosis; Retrospective Studies; Risk Factors; Survival Rate; Multivariate Analysis; Linear Models; Proportional Hazards Models
  18. Sanachai K, Mahalapbutr P, Sanghiran Lee V, Rungrotmongkol T, Hannongbua S
    J Phys Chem B, 2021 Dec 23;125(50):13644-13656.
    PMID: 34904832 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c07060
    Global public health has been a critical problem by the sudden increase of the COVID-19 outbreak. The papain-like protease (PLpro) of SARS-CoV-2 is a key promising target for antiviral drug development since it plays a pivotal role in viral replication and innate immunity. Here, we employed the all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and binding free energy calculations based on MM-PB(GB)SA and SIE methods to elucidate and compare the binding behaviors of five inhibitors derived from peptidomimetic inhibitors (VIR250 and VIR251) and naphthalene-based inhibitors (GRL-0617, compound 3, and compound Y96) against SARS-CoV-2 PLpro. The obtained results revealed that all inhibitors interacting within the PLpro active site are mostly driven by vdW interactions, and the hydrogen bond formation in residues G163 and G271 with peptidomimetics and the Q269 residue with naphthalene-based inhibitors was essential for stabilizing the protein-ligand complexes. Among the five studied inhibitors, VIR250 exhibited the most binding efficiency with SARS-CoV-2 PLpro, and thus, it was chosen for the rational drug design. Based on the computationally designed ligand-protein complexes, the replacement of aromatic rings including heteroatoms (e.g., thiazolopyridine) at the P2 and P4 sites could help to improve the inhibitor-binding efficiency. Furthermore, the hydrophobic interactions with residues at P1-P3 sites can be increased by enlarging the nonpolar moieties (e.g., ethene) at the N-terminal of VIR250. We expect that the structural data obtained will contribute to the development of new PLpro inhibitors with more inhibitory potency for COVID-19.
    MeSH terms: Aniline Compounds; Benzamides; Humans; Naphthalenes; Papain; Drug Design
  19. Numan A, Singh S, Zhan Y, Li L, Khalid M, Rilla K, et al.
    Mikrochim Acta, 2021 12 14;189(1):27.
    PMID: 34905090 DOI: 10.1007/s00604-021-05127-y
    Change in the level of human prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a major element in the development and progression of prostate cancer (PCa). Most of the methodologies are currently restricted to their application in routine clinical screening due to the scarcity of adequate screening tools, false reading, long assay time, and cost. Innovative techniques and the integration of knowledge from a variety of domains, such as materials science and engineering, are needed to provide sustainable solutions. The convergence of precision point-of-care (POC) diagnostic techniques, which allow patients to respond in real time to changes in PSA levels, provides promising possibilities for quantitative and quantitative detection of PSA. This solution could be interesting and relevant for use in PCa diagnosis at the POC. The approaches enable low-cost real-time detection and are simple to integrate into user-friendly sensor devices. This review focuses on the investigations, prospects, and challenges associated with integrating engineering sciences with cancer biology to develop nanotechnology-based tools for PCa diagnosis. This article intends to encourage the development of new nanomaterials to construct high-performance POC devices for PCa detection. Finally, the review concludes with closing remarks and a perspective forecast.
  20. Shamaki GR, Markson F, Soji-Ayoade D, Agwuegbo CC, Bamgbose MO, Tamunoinemi BM
    Curr Probl Cardiol, 2021 Dec 11.
    PMID: 34906615 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpcardiol.2021.101082
    Peripheral arterial disease is estimated to affect more than 200 million people worldwide. Although more than 50% of those affected are asymptomatic, it accounts for 3%-4% of amputations and a crude 5-year death rate of 82.4 deaths per 1000 patient-years when adjusted for duration of follow-up. Additionally, peripheral artery disease is often an indicator of obstructive atherosclerotic disease involvement of cerebral and coronary vessels, consequently increasing the risk of stroke, cardiovascular death, and myocardial infarction in these patient populations. The management of peripheral arterial disease includes conservative therapies, pharmacological treatments, interventional and surgical revascularization of blood vessels. Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty with balloons and stents has improved clinical outcomes compared to medical treatment alone. Despite these advances, the prevalence of peripheral arterial disease remains high. This review article aims to provide focused, up-to-date information on the clinical course, diagnosis, medical and interventional approach of the management of peripheral artery disease.
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