Browse publications by year: 2022

  1. Krishnamurthy K, Selvaraj N, Gupta P, Cyriac B, Dhurairaj P, Abdullah A, et al.
    Clin Anat, 2022 Sep;35(6):795-807.
    PMID: 35637557 DOI: 10.1002/ca.23916
    Medical education is changing at a fast pace. Students attend medical school with a high degree of technological literacy and a desire for a diverse educational experience. As a result, a growing number of medical schools are incorporating technology-enhanced active learning and multimedia education tools into their curriculum. Gamified training platforms include educational games, mobile medical apps, and virtual patient scenarios. We provide a systematic review of what is meant by gamification in this era. Specific educational games, mobile apps, and virtual simulations that may be used for preclinical and clinical training have been discovered and classified. The available data were presented in terms of the recognized platforms for medical education's possible benefits. Virtual patient simulations have been shown to enhance learning results in general. Gamification could improve learning, engagement, and cooperation by allowing for real-world application. They may also help with promoting risk-free healthcare decision-making, remote learning, learning analytics, and quick feedback. We account for Preclinical training which included 5 electronic games and 4 mobile apps, while clinical training included 5 electronic games, 10 mobile applications, and 12 virtual patient simulation tools. There were additionally nine more gamified virtual environment training products that were not commercially accessible. Many of these studies have shown that utilizing gamified media in medical education may confer advantages. This collection of hyperlinked resources may be utilized by medical students, practitioners, and instructors at all levels.
    MeSH terms: Curriculum; Education, Medical*; Humans; Schools, Medical; Students, Medical*
  2. Liu JW, Supandi F, Dhillon SK
    Folia Biol (Praha), 2022;68(1):1-15.
    PMID: 36201853
    Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is very common and accounts for most kidney cancer deaths. While many studies are being conducted in finding the prognostic signatures of ccRCC, we believe that ferroptosis, which involves programmed cell death dependent on iron accumulation, has therapeutic potential in ccRCC. Recent research has shown that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in ferroptosis-related tumour processes and are closely related to survival in patients with ccRCC. Hence, in this study we aim to further explore the role of ferroptosis-related lncRNAs (FRLs) in ccRCC, hoping to establish a signature to predict the survival outcome of ccRCC. We analysed transcriptome data from The Cancer Genome Atlas database (TCGA) and ferroptosis-related genes (FRGs) from FerrDb to identify FRLs using Pearson's correlation. Lasso Cox regression analysis and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models screened seventeen optimal FRLs for developing prognostic signatures. Kaplan-Meier survival curves and ROC curves were then plotted for validating the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the identified signatures. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis and CIBERSORT algorithm were deployed to explore the role of these FRLs in the tumour microenvironment. It was concluded that these models demonstrate excellent performance in predicting prognosis among patients with ccRCC, also indicating association with the clinicopathologic parameters such as tumour grade, tumour stage and tumour immune infiltration. In conclusion, our findings provide novel insights into ferroptosis-related lncRNAs in ccRCC, which are important targets for investigating the tumorigenesis of ccRCC.
    MeSH terms: Humans; Iron; Biomarkers, Tumor/genetics; Biomarkers, Tumor/metabolism; Tumor Microenvironment
  3. Fahrni ML, Priyanka, Choudhary OP
    Int J Surg, 2022 Sep;105:106832.
    PMID: 35963577 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijsu.2022.106832
    MeSH terms: Humans; Monkeypox virus*; Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical*; Monkeypox
  4. Lee-Ling C, Hui Yan T, Saupi N, Nazamid S, Sarbini SR
    J Sci Food Agric, 2022 Dec;102(15):7231-7238.
    PMID: 35760587 DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.12088
    BACKGROUND: Edible palm hearts (EPH), known as palmito, chonta or swamp cabbage in America or umbut in Malaysia, is a type of vegetable harvested from palm tree species. EPH is firm and smooth and described as having a flavor resembling artichoke. It has underlying prebiotic potential that selectively stimulates the growth and activity of beneficial colonic microbiota, thus enhancing the host's health. This study is the first to present results of EPH from local species such as oil palm (Elaeis guineensis), sago palm (Metroxylon sagu) and coconut (Cocos nucifera) using in vitro colonic fermentation with human fecal slurry. Samples obtained at 0, 6, 12 and 24 h were evaluated by bacterial enumeration using fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), and short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

    RESULTS: All EPH samples revealed induction effects towards Bifidobacterium spp., Lactobacillus-Enterococcus and Bacteroidaceae/Prevotellaceae populations similar to those in inulin fermentation. A significant decrease (P ≤ 0.05) in pathogenic Clostridium histolyticum group was observed in the response of raw sago palm hearts. In general, all samples stimulate the production of SCFA. Particularly in the colonic fermentation of sago palm heart, acetate and propionate revealed the highest concentrations of 286.18 and 284.83 mmol L-1 in raw and cooked form, respectively.

    CONCLUSION: This study concluded that edible palm hearts can be a potential prebiotic ingredient that promotes human gastrointestinal health, as well as discovering a new direction towards an alternative source of functional foods. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

    MeSH terms: Bifidobacterium; Cocos; Fatty Acids, Volatile; Feces/microbiology; Fermentation; Humans; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; Arecaceae*; Prebiotics*
  5. Omar IS, Abd Jamil AH, Mat Adenan NA, Chung I
    PLoS One, 2022;17(7):e0270830.
    PMID: 35816477 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0270830
    Obese women have a higher risk of developing endometrial cancer (EC) than lean women. Besides affecting EC progression, obesity also affects sensitivity of patients to treatment including medroxprogesterone acetate (MPA). Obese women have a lower response to MPA with an increased risk for tumor recurrence. While MPA inhibits the growth of normal fibroblasts, human endometrial cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) were reported to be less responsive to MPA. However, it is still unknown how CAFs from obese women respond to progesterone. CAFs from the EC tissues of obese (CO) and non-obese (CN) women were established as primary cell models. MPA increased cell proliferation and downregulated stromal differentiation genes, including BMP2 in CO than in CN. Induction of IRS2 (a BMP2 regulator) mRNA expression by MPA led to activation of glucose metabolism in CO, with evidence of greater mRNA levels of GLUT6, GAPDH, PKM2, LDHA, and increased in GAPDH enzymatic activity. Concomitantly, MPA increased the mRNA expression of a fatty acid transporter, CD36 and lipid droplet formation in CO. MPA-mediated increase in glucose metabolism genes in CO was reversed with a progesterone receptor inhibitor, mifepristone (RU486), leading to a decreased proliferation. Our data suggests that PR signaling is aberrantly activated by MPA in CAFs isolated from endometrial tissues of obese women, leading to activation of IRS2 and glucose metabolism, which may lead to lower response and sensitivity to progesterone in obese women.
    MeSH terms: Acetates; Female; Glucose; Humans; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; Obesity/complications; Obesity/genetics; Obesity/metabolism; Phenotype; Progesterone/metabolism; Progesterone/pharmacology; Receptors, Progesterone/metabolism; RNA, Messenger/genetics; Mifepristone/pharmacology; Medroxyprogesterone Acetate; Insulin Receptor Substrate Proteins/genetics
  6. Sreeramareddy CT, Manoharan A
    Nicotine Tob Res, 2022 Jun 15;24(7):1095-1103.
    PMID: 35596725 DOI: 10.1093/ntr/ntab269
    INTRODUCTION: E-cigarette (EC) use is seldom reported from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We report the prevalence of "awareness" about EC, its use, and distribution of EC use by sociodemographic factors and cigarette smoking (CS) status.

    AIMS AND METHODS: We analyzed Global Adult Tobacco Survey data in Bangladesh, China, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, India, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Philippines, Romania, Russia, Senegal, Ukraine, Turkey, Uruguay, and Viet Nam during 2014-2018. The weighted prevalence of "awareness" (heard about), "ever" (even once), and "current" (daily/nondaily) EC use among never, current, and former cigarette smokers and quit ratios (past smokers/ever smokers) was estimated. Association of EC use with sociodemographic, and CS, was explored by multilevel regression.

    RESULTS: Overall, prevalence of "awareness," "ever," and "current" ECs use was 19.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] 27.4, 31.1), 2.6% (95% CI 2.4, 2.8), and 0.7% (95% CI 0.6, 0.8), respectively. In most countries, "ever use" <10%, and "current use" was about 1% except Romania (4.4%) and Russia (3.5%). "Current use" was 0.1%, 2.9%, and 3.1% among never, current, and former smokers, respectively. "Current" and "ever" EC use was higher among current and former than never smokers (2.8% and 3.1% vs. 0.1%; 9.9% and 10.9% vs. 0.7%), respectively. Current EC use was associated with male sex, urban residence and younger age, higher education, and wealth. "Quit attempts" (aOR 1.3, 95% CI 1.2, 1.5) and cigarettes smoked per day (aOR 1.6, 95% CI 1.4, 1.9) were associated with "ever use."

    CONCLUSIONS: EC use was low in most countries. "Dual use" was common among current smokers and the quit ratio was higher among ECs users.

    IMPLICATIONS: EC use is increasing in high-income countries (HICs) where regulations on ECs are usually permissive. Evidence on the individual- or population-level impact of ECs on CS cessation is inconclusive. Little is known about the prevalence of EC use in LMICs where regulations are nonexistent or less restrictive. Studying the distribution of EC use rates by population subgroups, CS status, and quit ratios for CS among EC users will assist the formulation of EC regulatory policies. We provide comparable nationally representative prevalence estimates of "awareness" about and, use of ECs to serve as a benchmark for future monitoring. EC use was associated with the attempt to quit CS and smoking >10 cigarettes per day. However, "dual use" was common, and the quit ratio for CS was higher among EC users. EC use was very low relative to HICs. Nevertheless, comprehensive EC regulatory policies should be implemented to prevent the escalation of EC use by targeting population subgroups such as young adults, educated and wealthier individuals.

    MeSH terms: Developing Countries; Humans; Male; Surveys and Questionnaires; Young Adult; Tobacco Products*; Electronic Cigarettes*
  7. Ahsan A, Handika R, Qureshi F, Martokoesoemo DRS, Hindriyani M, Amalia N, et al.
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2022 Jun 01;23(6):1873-1878.
    PMID: 35763626 DOI: 10.31557/APJCP.2022.23.6.1873
    OBJECTIVE: The still debatable contribution of tobacco to the economy demands further discussion as tobacco remains controversial commodity due to its adverse health impacts. This paper aims to investigate the relationship between tobacco and the economy using macroeconomics indicators such as unemployment, inflation, and GDP growth. As a comparison, we include the tobacco price bands in USA because the sector is one of dominant affecting the economy and the price in some main areas in America is incredibly competitive.

    METHODS: This paper use tobacco data and Macroeconomics Indicators from Euromonitor International and World Bank Data. We extend linear regression models by controlling both the serial correlation and endogeneity bias problems. We also observe the properties in the ARMA(2,2) data generating process.

    RESULTS: We document that tobacco tends to affect the USA's future economy but not Indonesia. In our robustness check, we conduct a SUR analysis to control the contemporaneous correlations among Asian markets. We further document that tobacco variables tend not to affect the economy in the Asian markets.

    CONCLUSION: Our results show that the contribution of tobacco commodity to the economy is overstated. Therefore, the comprehensive and massive tobacco control implementations should be undertaken hence is relevant to put into actions.

    MeSH terms: Humans; Indonesia; Tobacco Industry*; Tobacco Use/adverse effects; Tobacco Use/epidemiology
  8. Khan S, Saleh T, Dorasamy M, Khan N, Tan Swee Leng O, Gale Vergara R
    F1000Res, 2022;11:971.
    PMID: 39258289 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.123098.1
    Background: Cybercrime is a fast-growing digital crime and legislation falling behind with the fast-moving advancement of technology. One important factor projected by literature in combating cybercrime is legislation. In order to combat cybercrime, the role of cybercrime legislation is a challenge that has not been clearly studied before. This paper thus aims to recapitulate the literature on cybercrime legislation in combating cybercrime. The literature in this context emphasises on existing studies relating to cybercrime legislation and addressing the importance of adequate and efficient responses in place in order to combat cybercrime efficiently. Methods: This paper finds an extensive literature review using the "Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis" method based on legislation to combat cybercrime and explains a systematic analysis of the legislation in most advanced countries in both technology and legal framework. The study was done by selecting keywords, validated by the experts to discover research trends of cybercrime legislation. A search was then run across seven academic databases, including the ACM Digital Library, Emerald, Hein Online, ProQuest, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Westlaw Asia. Initially, five hundred and forty-eight articles were retrieved and out of which seventy-two studies met the inclusion criteria and were fully reviewed. Results: The findings of the study revealed that comprehensive cybercrime legislation plays a vital role in combating cybercrime and cybercrime legislation should be strengthened, enhanced, and made up to date with the rapid advancement of technology in order to address the rising number of cybercrime. Discussion: This systematic review is timely and highlights future research directions to improve a comprehensive legal framework to combat the rising of cybercrime effectively. To fill the research gap, the findings also have fundamental practical implications for the policy makers, in enacting an up to date cybercrime legislation by highlighting the role of legislation in combating cybercrime.
  9. Khan S, Mishra J, Ahmed N, Onyige CD, Lin KE, Siew R, et al.
    Int J Disaster Risk Reduct, 2022 May;74:102903.
    PMID: 35313476 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2022.102903
    In today's information age, both excess and lack of information can cause a disaster. COVID-19 pandemic not only highlighted the significance of risk communication but also pointed out several unintended and distressing consequences due to information gaps and miscommunications. Despite facing a common threat, the local communities suffered differential impacts during the pandemic. This paper classifies the nature of risk communications experienced across different countries into three categories, namely: inadequate, ideal, and infodemic risk communication that influenced the local perceptions and responses. It further argues that inadequately planned risk communications tend to create new risks and compromise the efforts towards managing a disaster. As global risks are responded locally, there is a need for more inclusive and engaging risk communication that involves communities as responsible stakeholders who understand, plan, and respond to risks to increase their propensity for resilience during disasters and crisis situations.
  10. Soon JM, Vanany I, Abdul Wahab IR, Abdullah Sani N, Hamdan RH, Jamaludin MH
    Food Control, 2022 Aug;138:109029.
    PMID: 35449723 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodcont.2022.109029
    The threat of COVID-19 has altered consumers shopping behaviour and increased consumers' willingness to purchase food using online food delivery services. Consumers were more likely to practice strict hand hygiene measures and were concerned with food safety. Such behaviours were likely driven by the fear and threat of contracting COVID-19. This study aims to use Protective Motivation Theory (PMT) to investigate how COVID-19 affects food shopping and food safety behaviour. An online, cross-sectional study was conducted in Indonesia and Malaysia to determine the protective motivation to engage in three food shopping and hygiene practices such as i) Safe food shopping behaviour; ii) Hand hygiene and avoiding cross contamination; and iii) Use of online food delivery services. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Spearman rho's correlation and binary logistic regression. A total of 1180 responses were received of which 1129 were valid. Gender was identified as a significant predictor across all food safety behaviours during COVID-19. Response efficacy and self-efficacy were significant predictors for food shopping behaviour while perceived severity significantly predicted hand hygiene practices after shopping. Age, frequency of food preparation and shopping, perceived severity, perceived vulnerability, response efficacy and self-efficacy were significant predictors for use of online food delivery services. Our findings suggest that women were more likely to engage in protective measures during food shopping, carry out hand hygiene practices after shopping and use online food delivery services during COVID-19. Participants with higher response and self-efficacy scores were more likely to shop from markets or shops with high hygiene standards while participants who perceived COVID-19 as a serious threat were more likely to clean and sanitise their hands after shopping. Participants also believed that the use of online food delivery services helps to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection. However, foods should be purchased from trusted restaurants or takeaways. This is the first study to use Protection Motivation Theory to explore consumers' food shopping, hand hygiene and online food delivery practices during COVID-19.
  11. Balakrishnan V, Ng WZ, Soo MC, Han GJ, Lee CJ
    Int J Disaster Risk Reduct, 2022 Aug;78:103144.
    PMID: 35791376 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2022.103144
    The spread of fake news increased dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide. This study aims to synthesize the extant literature to understand the magnitude of this phenomenon in the wake of the pandemic in 2021, focusing on the motives and sociodemographic profiles, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based tools developed, and the top trending topics related to fake news. A scoping review was adopted targeting articles published in five academic databases (January 2021-November 2021), resulting in 97 papers. Most of the studies were empirical in nature (N = 69) targeting the general population (N = 26) and social media users (N = 13), followed by AI-based detection tools (N = 27). Top motives for fake news sharing include low awareness, knowledge, and health/media literacy, Entertainment/Pass Time/Socialization, Altruism, and low trust in government/news media, whilst the phenomenon was more prominent among those with low education, males and younger. Machine and deep learning emerged to be the widely explored techniques in detecting fake news, whereas top topics were related to vaccine, virus, cures/remedies, treatment, and prevention. Immediate intervention and prevention efforts are needed to curb this anti-social behavior considering the world is still struggling to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
  12. Rusli R, Mohammad MZ, Azreena Kamaluddin N, Bakar H, Hafzi Md Isa M
    Case Stud Transp Policy, 2022 Dec;10(4):2244-2250.
    PMID: 36268008 DOI: 10.1016/j.cstp.2022.10.006
    The rapid development of e-commerce and the spread of the COVID-19 virus created many new jobs opportunity including food delivery riders known as P-Hailing riders. The number of food delivery riders has increased drastically, especially in Malaysia. Consequently, the number of food delivery riders involved in traffic crashes also increased. This study aimed to examine the characteristics of food delivery riders involved in traffic crashes during delivery and to compare with the characteristics of food delivery riders without any traffic crash history. This paper explores and compares general characteristics, previous experience of working and receiving traffic tickets, and knowledge of road safety. Due to unavailable official records about the number of active food delivery riders in Malaysia, this study focuses on riders who registered as members of the Malaysian P-Hailing Association, PENGHANTAR. A total of 225 food delivery riders participated in the online survey conducted through Google Form. Categorical data analysis techniques were used to examine the different characteristics of food delivery riders with and without traffic crash experiences. Results show that the odds ratio of young and full-time riders are respectively about 2.05 times and 1.79 times higher than being involved in traffic crashes. Other factors that increase the odds of being involved in traffic crashes include having more than two years of experience in delivery, an average distance travelled of>100 km a day, working previously in the food and grocery sector, and without working experience. The findings from this study will help related agencies to design and develop awareness programs targeting this group of riders.
  13. Chopra H, Dhawan M, Bibi S, Baig AA, Kushwah AS, Kaur M, et al.
    Int J Surg, 2022 Sep;105:106896.
    PMID: 36089263 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijsu.2022.106896
    MeSH terms: Humans; Vaccines*; Monkeypox*
  14. Mohd Ariff NS, Abdul Halim Zaki I, Mohd Noordin Z, Md Hussin NS, Goh KW, Ming LC, et al.
    J Clin Med, 2022 Oct 08;11(19).
    PMID: 36233801 DOI: 10.3390/jcm11195934
    Background: Thrombotic conditions triggered by SARS-CoV-2 virus can result in high mortality, especially in pregnant women as they are already in a hypercoagulability state. This thereby leads to excessive inflammation that will increase the risk of thromboembolic (TE) complications. Objective: The aim of this study is to review the prevalence of thromboembolic complications such as deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and intervillous thrombosis, and their preventive strategies among pregnant women infected with COVID-19. Method: The articles were retrieved from online databases PubMed and ScienceDirect published from February 2020 to April 2022. Findings: A total of 5249 participants including 5128 pregnant women and 121 placentas from 19 studies were identified for having TE complications after being infected with COVID-19. The types of TE complications that developed within pregnant women were disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) (n = 44, 0.86%), unmentioned thromboembolic complications (TE) (n = 14, 0.27%), intervillous thrombosis (IVT) (n = 9, 0.18%), pulmonary embolism (PE) (n = 6, 0.12%), COVID-19 associated coagulopathy (CAC) (n = 5, 0.10%), and deep venous thrombosis (DVT) (n = 2, 0.04%). Whereas the prevalence of TE complications reported from studies focusing on placenta were IVT (n = 27, 22.3%), subchorionic thrombus (SCT) (n = 9, 7.44%), and placental thrombosis (n = 5, 4.13%). Thromboprophylaxis agent used among pregnant women include low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) at prophylactic dose (n = 9). Conclusions: The prevalence of thromboembolic complications among pregnant women infected by COVID-19 is low with DIC being the most common form and placental thrombosis being the least common form of TE complications that occurred within pregnant women infected with COVID-19. Anticoagulation, in particular LMWH (variable dose), is frequently used to prevent TE complications.
  15. Matsimbe J, Dinka M, Olukanni D, Musonda I
    Materials (Basel), 2022 Oct 08;15(19).
    PMID: 36234318 DOI: 10.3390/ma15196979
    Geopolymer is an inorganic material formed through the chemical reaction of an aluminosilicate precursor and an alkaline or acidic activating solution. It is seen as a green new alternative binder to ordinary Portland cement (OPC) for sustainable infrastructure development. The strength of the unary or blended geopolymer product is dependent on the composition and properties of the polymeric gel influenced by the ratios of Al2O3/SiO2, CaO/SiO2, CaO/(SiO2 + Al2O3), Na2SiO3/NaOH, SiO2/Na2O, and liquid/binder (L/B). Essential scientific inquiry has been progressively addressed by utilizing expert assessment and research metrics. The network visualization of bibliometric co-occurrence and co-citations is of particular significance. The present study aims to highlight the trends and progress of the most influential publication sources, keywords, authors, articles, and countries in geopolymer research in the last 10 years. Bibliometric data were retrieved through Scopus and visualized in VOSviewer to create bibliometric networks. The yearly distribution and growth trends (April 2011-2022) of geopolymer, geopolymer mortar, and geopolymer concrete before (after) applying inclusion criteria were from 754 to 9887 (5186), 47 to 1374 (866), and 145 to 3721 (2253), respectively, attributed to the discoveries in more precursor materials such as laterite and the growing interest in fire and heat-resistant structures, water and wastewater treatment, cement and concrete, and brick manufacturing. The top three journals in terms of prestige for geopolymer publications were the Journal of Hazardous Materials with an impact factor equal to 14.224 and h-index equal to 307, Cement and Concrete Research with an impact factor equal to 11.958 and h-index equal to 239, and the Journal of Cleaner Production with an impact factor equal to 11.072 and h-index equal to 232. The top three journals in terms of average citation per document were Cement and Concrete Research (135.75), Materials and Design (75), and Cement and Concrete Composites (68.35). Keywords such as "geopolymers", "inorganic polymer", "geopolymer", "compressive strength", "fly ash", and "geopolymer concrete" had the highest occurrences in publications. John Provis-University of Sheffield, Prinya Chindaprasirt-Khon Kaen University, and Jay Sanjayan-Swinburne University of Technology had the highest total citations of 6377, 5626, and 4311, respectively. The highest number of publications were from China, India, Australia, the United States of America, and Malaysia. The bibliometric findings from this study can act as a tool for academicians and policymakers to exchange research expertise, collaborate on novel geopolymer research, and create innovative joint ventures.
  16. Abdullah-Zawawi MR, Govender N, Harun S, Muhammad NAN, Zainal Z, Mohamed-Hussein ZA
    Plants (Basel), 2022 Oct 05;11(19).
    PMID: 36235479 DOI: 10.3390/plants11192614
    In higher plants, the complexity of a system and the components within and among species are rapidly dissected by omics technologies. Multi-omics datasets are integrated to infer and enable a comprehensive understanding of the life processes of organisms of interest. Further, growing open-source datasets coupled with the emergence of high-performance computing and development of computational tools for biological sciences have assisted in silico functional prediction of unknown genes, proteins and metabolites, otherwise known as uncharacterized. The systems biology approach includes data collection and filtration, system modelling, experimentation and the establishment of new hypotheses for experimental validation. Informatics technologies add meaningful sense to the output generated by complex bioinformatics algorithms, which are now freely available in a user-friendly graphical user interface. These resources accentuate gene function prediction at a relatively minimal cost and effort. Herein, we present a comprehensive view of relevant approaches available for system-level gene function prediction in the plant kingdom. Together, the most recent applications and sought-after principles for gene mining are discussed to benefit the plant research community. A realistic tabulation of plant genomic resources is included for a less laborious and accurate candidate gene discovery in basic plant research and improvement strategies.
  17. Elizar E, Zulkifley MA, Muharar R, Zaman MHM, Mustaza SM
    Sensors (Basel), 2022 Sep 28;22(19).
    PMID: 36236483 DOI: 10.3390/s22197384
    In general, most of the existing convolutional neural network (CNN)-based deep-learning models suffer from spatial-information loss and inadequate feature-representation issues. This is due to their inability to capture multiscale-context information and the exclusion of semantic information throughout the pooling operations. In the early layers of a CNN, the network encodes simple semantic representations, such as edges and corners, while, in the latter part of the CNN, the network encodes more complex semantic features, such as complex geometric shapes. Theoretically, it is better for a CNN to extract features from different levels of semantic representation because tasks such as classification and segmentation work better when both simple and complex feature maps are utilized. Hence, it is also crucial to embed multiscale capability throughout the network so that the various scales of the features can be optimally captured to represent the intended task. Multiscale representation enables the network to fuse low-level and high-level features from a restricted receptive field to enhance the deep-model performance. The main novelty of this review is the comprehensive novel taxonomy of multiscale-deep-learning methods, which includes details of several architectures and their strengths that have been implemented in the existing works. Predominantly, multiscale approaches in deep-learning networks can be classed into two categories: multiscale feature learning and multiscale feature fusion. Multiscale feature learning refers to the method of deriving feature maps by examining kernels over several sizes to collect a larger range of relevant features and predict the input images' spatial mapping. Multiscale feature fusion uses features with different resolutions to find patterns over short and long distances, without a deep network. Additionally, several examples of the techniques are also discussed according to their applications in satellite imagery, medical imaging, agriculture, and industrial and manufacturing systems.
    MeSH terms: Algorithms; Diagnostic Imaging; Semantics; Neural Networks (Computer)
  18. Li Y, Liu B, Zhao P, Peng L, Luo Z
    Front Psychol, 2022;13:1027725.
    PMID: 36262434 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1027725
    To encourage the building of a development route for ecological civilization construction which commensurates with China's unique national conditions, early demonstration and pilot ecological civilization zones should be built. This study aims to investigate the effects of ecological civilization construction policies on regional total factor productivity, green total factor productivity, and the methods of action by using panel data from 30 provinces in Mainland China from 2005 to 2020. Our findings indicate that the pilot eco-civilization policies have a more significant effect on the promotion of green total factor production, while the effect on total factor productivity is average. Furthermore, the main purpose of the ecological civilization construction pilot is to improve the level of green innovation, optimise the industrial structure and promote the allocation of factors to achieve a win-win situation for regional economic development and green benefits. Moreover, under different levels of economic growth, the pilot eco-civilization policies have a more significant effect on the promotion of green total factor at various stages of economic growth and industrialization. There are also clear discrepancies in how well ecological civilization construction programmes are implemented. Thus, in order to support high-quality regional economic development, it is crucial to continue to advance and promote the pilot eco-civilization initiatives.
  19. Chong SC, Sukor N, Robert SA, Ng KF, Kamaruddin NA
    Front Endocrinol (Lausanne), 2022;13:1012412.
    PMID: 36267570 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.1012412
    BACKGROUND: In contrast to Western population, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) levels are preserved in some East Asian population with type 2 diabetes (T2D), explaining why dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) inhibitors are more effective in East Asians. We assessed whether differences in endogenous GLP-1 levels resulted in different treatment responses to DPP-IV inhibitors in prediabetes and T2D.

    METHODS: A prospective 12-week study using linagliptin 5mg once daily in 50 subjects (28 prediabetes and 22 T2D) who were stratified into high versus low fasting GLP-1 groups. A 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed at week 0 and 12. Primary outcomes were changes in HbA1c, fasting and post-OGTT glucose after 12 weeks. Secondary outcomes included changes in insulin resistance and beta cell function indices.

    RESULTS: There was a greater HbA1c reduction in subjects with high GLP-1 compared to low GLP-1 levels in both the prediabetes and T2D populations [least-squares mean (LS-mean) change of -0.33% vs. -0.11% and -1.48% vs. -0.90% respectively)]. Linagliptin significantly reduced glucose excursion by 18% in high GLP-1 compared with 8% in low GLP-1 prediabetes groups. The reduction in glucose excursion was greater in high GLP-1 compared to low GLP-1 T2D by 30% and 21% respectively. There were significant LS-mean between-group differences in fasting glucose (-0.95 mmol/L), 2-hour glucose post-OGTT (-2.4 mmol/L) in the high GLP-1 T2D group. Improvement in insulin resistance indices were seen in the high GLP-1 T2D group while high GLP-1 prediabetes group demonstrated improvement in beta cell function indices. No incidence of hypoglycemia was reported.

    CONCLUSIONS: Linagliptin resulted in a greater HbA1c reduction in the high GLP-1 prediabetes and T2D compared to low GLP-1 groups. Endogenous GLP-1 level play an important role in determining the efficacy of DPP-IV inhibitors irrespective of the abnormal glucose tolerance states.

    MeSH terms: Linagliptin/therapeutic use; Blood Glucose; Dipeptidyl-Peptidases and Tripeptidyl-Peptidases; Hemoglobin A, Glycosylated; Humans; Insulin Resistance*; Prospective Studies; Glucagon-Like Peptide 1; Dipeptidyl-Peptidase IV Inhibitors*
  20. Jacob LE, Krishnan M, Mathew A, Mathew AL, Baby TK, Krishnan A
    J Midlife Health, 2022;13(2):100-106.
    PMID: 36276621 DOI: 10.4103/jmh.jmh_91_21
    Xerostomia is defined as the subjective complaint of a dry mouth. Xerostomia is common in menopausal women owing to the hormonal changes which take place during midlife. Studies show a higher incidence of oral cancer in the postmenopausal period which substantiates the theory of estrogen deficiency in carcinogenesis. Radiotherapy in the treatment of these cancers can lead to oral dryness. Other etiological factors of xerostomia include systemic diseases commonly occurring in middle-aged individuals and xerogenic drugs. Saliva plays a pivotal role in the maintenance of oropharyngeal health and xerostomia can severely impair the quality of life. The aim of this review was to provide vital information pertaining to the etiology, signs, diagnosis, and treatment of xerostomia with an emphasis on midlife health. The articles for this review were obtained from PubMed Central, Google Scholar, EBSCO, Science Direct, Medknow, Scopus, EMBASE, Web of Science, and authorized textbooks published between 1988 and 2021.
External Links