Browse publications by year: 2023

  1. Editorial: Intelligent computing in farmland water conservancy for smart agriculture
    Wu Y, Wan S, Palaiahnakote S
    Front Plant Sci, 2023;14:1236010.
    PMID: 37546278 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1236010
  2. Fulltext Sexual functioning and marital satisfaction among endometriosis patients in Malaysia: a cross-sectional study
    Rao SR, Sy-Cherng LW, Hafizz AMHA, Mamat Yusof MN, Shafiee MN
    Front Psychol, 2023;14:1224995.
    PMID: 37546442 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1224995
    Endometriosis affects the sexual functioning and marital satisfaction of couples in a complex manner due to its clinical presentation of the disease. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of sexual dysfunction and marital disharmony among women with endometriosis beyond their diagnosis and treatment. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among women with endometriosis in an endometriosis society at a Malaysian university hospital. Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected. Sexual function was measured using the Malay Version Female Sexual Function Index (MVFSFI), while marital satisfaction was evaluated with the Malay Version Golombok Rust Inventory for Marital Satisfaction (MVGRIMS). A total of 166 patients participated in this survey. The median age was 35 years (Interquartile range, IQR:32.00-39.25 years); 91.6% of participants were Malay. The median score of MVFSFI was 56.00 (IQR: 34.75-68.00). Most of the study subjects (n = 96) reported poor to very severe marital satisfaction problems, equivalent to MVGRIMS transformed score of more than 5. High levels of MVGRIMS scores have a moderately strong negative correlation with lower scores for most domains of the MVFSFI. In the stepwise multiple logistic regression, only MVFSFI total scores (p = 0.029), MVFSFI lubrication scores (p = 0.009), and MVFSFI satisfaction (p = 0.010) scores were significantly associated with poor marital satisfaction. Both sexual dysfunction and marital satisfactions commonly affect women with endometriosis and are closely interlinked. Targeted efforts should be made in multiple aspects to improve the quality of sexual functioning and marital satisfaction among endometriosis patients.
  3. Synthesis, anti-amoebic activity and molecular docking simulation of eugenol derivatives against Acanthamoeba sp
    Zamli KM, Hashim F, Razali SA, Yusoff HM, Mohamad H, Abdullah F, et al.
    Saudi Pharm J, 2023 Sep;31(9):101703.
    PMID: 37546528 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsps.2023.101703
    Amoebae of the genus Acanthamoeba can cause diseases such as amoebic keratitis and granulomatous amoebic encephalitis. Until now, treatment options for these diseases have not been fully effective and have several drawbacks. Therefore, research into new drugs is needed for more effective treatment of Acanthamoeba infections. Eugenol, a phenolic aromatic compound mainly derived from cloves, has a variety of pharmaceutical properties. In this study, nine eugenol derivatives (K1-K9), consisting of five new and four known compounds, were synthesized and screened for their antiamoebic properties against Acanthamoeba sp. The structure of these compounds was characterized spectroscopically by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis), 1H and 13C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and mass spectrometer (MS). The derived molecules were screened for antiamoebic activity by determining IC50 values based on 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and observation of amoeba morphological changes by light and fluorescence microscopy. Most of the tested compounds possessed strong to moderate cytotoxic effects against trophozoite cells with IC50 values ranging from 0.61 to 24.83 μg/mL. Observation of amoebae morphology by light microscopy showed that the compounds caused the transformed cells to be roundish and reduced in size. Furthermore, fluorescence microscopy observation using acridine orange (AO) and propidium iodide (PI) (AO/PI) staining showed that the cells have damaged membranes by displaying a green cytoplasm with orange-stained lysosomes. Acidification of the lysosomal structure indicated disruption of the internal structure of Acanthamoeba cells when treated with eugenol derivatives. The observed biological results were also confirmed by interaction simulations based on molecular docking between eugenol derivatives and Acanthamoeba profilin. These interactions could affect the actin-binding ability of the protein, disrupting the shape and mobility of Acanthamoeba. The overall results of this study demonstrate that eugenol derivatives can be considered as potential drugs against infections caused by Acanthamoeba.
  4. Fulltext Corrigendum: A systematic review and meta-analysis of interventions to decrease cyberbullying perpetration and victimization: an in-depth analysis within the Asia Pacific region
    Kamaruddin IK, Ma'rof AM, Mohd Nazan AIN, Ab Jalil H
    Front Psychiatry, 2023;14:1226698.
    PMID: 37547214 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1226698
    [This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1014258.].
  5. Genome assembly composition of the String "ACGT" array: a review of data structure accuracy and performance challenges
    Magdy Mohamed Abdelaziz Barakat S, Sallehuddin R, Yuhaniz SS, R Khairuddin RF, Mahmood Y
    PeerJ Comput Sci, 2023;9:e1180.
    PMID: 37547391 DOI: 10.7717/peerj-cs.1180
    BACKGROUND: The development of sequencing technology increases the number of genomes being sequenced. However, obtaining a quality genome sequence remains a challenge in genome assembly by assembling a massive number of short strings (reads) with the presence of repetitive sequences (repeats). Computer algorithms for genome assembly construct the entire genome from reads in two approaches. The de novo approach concatenates the reads based on the exact match between their suffix-prefix (overlapping). Reference-guided approach orders the reads based on their offsets in a well-known reference genome (reads alignment). The presence of repeats extends the technical ambiguity, making the algorithm unable to distinguish the reads resulting in misassembly and affecting the assembly approach accuracy. On the other hand, the massive number of reads causes a big assembly performance challenge.

    METHOD: The repeat identification method was introduced for misassembly by prior identification of repetitive sequences, creating a repeat knowledge base to reduce ambiguity during the assembly process, thus enhancing the accuracy of the assembled genome. Also, hybridization between assembly approaches resulted in a lower misassembly degree with the aid of the reference genome. The assembly performance is optimized through data structure indexing and parallelization. This article's primary aim and contribution are to support the researchers through an extensive review to ease other researchers' search for genome assembly studies. The study also, highlighted the most recent developments and limitations in genome assembly accuracy and performance optimization.

    RESULTS: Our findings show the limitations of the repeat identification methods available, which only allow to detect of specific lengths of the repeat, and may not perform well when various types of repeats are present in a genome. We also found that most of the hybrid assembly approaches, either starting with de novo or reference-guided, have some limitations in handling repetitive sequences as it is more computationally costly and time intensive. Although the hybrid approach was found to outperform individual assembly approaches, optimizing its performance remains a challenge. Also, the usage of parallelization in overlapping and reads alignment for genome assembly is yet to be fully implemented in the hybrid assembly approach.

    CONCLUSION: We suggest combining multiple repeat identification methods to enhance the accuracy of identifying the repeats as an initial step to the hybrid assembly approach and combining genome indexing with parallelization for better optimization of its performance.

  6. Web content topic modeling using LDA and HTML tags
    Altarturi HHM, Saadoon M, Anuar NB
    PeerJ Comput Sci, 2023;9:e1459.
    PMID: 37547394 DOI: 10.7717/peerj-cs.1459
    An immense volume of digital documents exists online and offline with content that can offer useful information and insights. Utilizing topic modeling enhances the analysis and understanding of digital documents. Topic modeling discovers latent semantic structures or topics within a set of digital textual documents. The Internet of Things, Blockchain, recommender system, and search engine optimization applications use topic modeling to handle data mining tasks, such as classification and clustering. The usefulness of topic models depends on the quality of resulting term patterns and topics with high quality. Topic coherence is the standard metric to measure the quality of topic models. Previous studies build topic models to generally work on conventional documents, and they are insufficient and underperform when applied to web content data due to differences in the structure of the conventional and HTML documents. Neglecting the unique structure of web content leads to missing otherwise coherent topics and, therefore, low topic quality. This study aims to propose an innovative topic model to learn coherence topics in web content data. We present the HTML Topic Model (HTM), a web content topic model that takes into consideration the HTML tags to understand the structure of web pages. We conducted two series of experiments to demonstrate the limitations of the existing topic models and examine the topic coherence of the HTM against the widely used Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) model and its variants, namely the Correlated Topic Model, the Dirichlet Multinomial Regression, the Hierarchical Dirichlet Process, the Hierarchical Latent Dirichlet Allocation, the pseudo-document based Topic Model, and the Supervised Latent Dirichlet Allocation models. The first experiment demonstrates the limitations of the existing topic models when applied to web content data and, therefore, the essential need for a web content topic model. When applied to web data, the overall performance dropped an average of five times and, in some cases, up to approximately 20 times lower than when applied to conventional data. The second experiment then evaluates the effectiveness of the HTM model in discovering topics and term patterns of web content data. The HTM model achieved an overall 35% improvement in topic coherence compared to the LDA.
  7. An artificial intelligence-based classifier for musical emotion expression in media education
    Lian J
    PeerJ Comput Sci, 2023;9:e1472.
    PMID: 37547395 DOI: 10.7717/peerj-cs.1472
    Music can serve as a potent tool for conveying emotions and regulating learners' moods, while the systematic application of emotional assessment can help to improve teaching efficiency. However, existing music emotion analysis methods based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) rely primarily on pre-marked content, such as lyrics and fail to adequately account for music signals' perception, transmission, and recognition. To address this limitation, this study first employs sound-level segmentation, data frame processing, and threshold determination to enable intelligent segmentation and recognition of notes. Next, based on the extracted audio features, a Radial Basis Function (RBF) model is utilized to construct a music emotion classifier. Finally, correlation feedback was used to label the classification results further and train the classifier. The study compares the music emotion classification method commonly used in Chinese music education with the Hevner emotion model. It identifies four emotion categories: Quiet, Happy, Sad, and Excited, to classify performers' emotions. The testing results demonstrate that audio feature recognition time is a mere 0.004 min, with an accuracy rate of over 95%. Furthermore, classifying performers' emotions based on audio features is consistent with conventional human cognition.
  8. MGACA-Net: a novel deep learning based multi-scale guided attention and context aggregation for localization of knee anterior cruciate ligament tears region in MRI images
    Awan MJ, Mohd Rahim MS, Salim N, Nobanee H, Asif AA, Attiq MO
    PeerJ Comput Sci, 2023;9:e1483.
    PMID: 37547408 DOI: 10.7717/peerj-cs.1483
    Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears are a common knee injury that can have serious consequences and require medical intervention. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the preferred method for ACL tear diagnosis. However, manual segmentation of the ACL in MRI images is prone to human error and can be time-consuming. This study presents a new approach that uses deep learning technique for localizing the ACL tear region in MRI images. The proposed multi-scale guided attention-based context aggregation (MGACA) method applies attention mechanisms at different scales within the DeepLabv3+ architecture to aggregate context information and achieve enhanced localization results. The model was trained and evaluated on a dataset of 917 knee MRI images, resulting in 15265 slices, obtaining state-of-the-art results with accuracy scores of 98.63%, intersection over union (IOU) scores of 95.39%, Dice coefficient scores (DCS) of 97.64%, recall scores of 97.5%, precision scores of 98.21%, and F1 Scores of 97.86% on validation set data. Moreover, our method performed well in terms of loss values, with binary cross entropy combined with Dice loss (BCE_Dice_loss) and Dice_loss values of 0.0564 and 0.0236, respectively, on the validation set. The findings suggest that MGACA provides an accurate and efficient solution for automating the localization of ACL in knee MRI images, surpassing other state-of-the-art models in terms of accuracy and loss values. However, in order to improve robustness of the approach and assess its performance on larger data sets, further research is needed.
  9. Fulltext Intestinal stem cells and gut microbiota therapeutics: hype or hope?
    Ahmad Sophien AN, Jusop AS, Tye GJ, Tan YF, Wan Kamarul Zaman WS, Nordin F
    Front Med (Lausanne), 2023;10:1195374.
    PMID: 37547615 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2023.1195374
    The vital role of the intestines as the main site for the digestion and absorption of nutrients for the body continues subconsciously throughout one's lifetime, but underneath all the complex processes lie the intestinal stem cells and the gut microbiota that work together to maintain the intestinal epithelium. Intestinal stem cells (ISC) are multipotent stem cells from which all intestinal epithelial cells originate, and the gut microbiota refers to the abundant collection of various microorganisms that reside in the gastrointestinal tract. Both reside in the intestines and have many mechanisms and pathways in place with the ultimate goal of co-managing human gastrointestinal tract homeostasis. Based on the abundance of research that is focused on either of these two topics, this suggests that there are many methods by which both players affect one another. Therefore, this review aims to address the relationship between ISC and the gut microbiota in the context of regenerative medicine. Understanding the principles behind both aspects is therefore essential in further studies in the field of regenerative medicine by making use of the underlying designed mechanisms.
  10. Fulltext Enabling Factors for the Successful Implementation of the CBAHI Accreditation Program
    Alsaedi A, Sukeri S, Yaccob NM
    J Multidiscip Healthc, 2023;16:2189-2199.
    PMID: 37547805 DOI: 10.2147/JMDH.S422174
    BACKGROUND: Healthcare organizations worldwide tend to implement hospital accreditation programs to improve the quality of care they provide. However, the literature shows inconsistent findings on the impact of such programs on the quality of care due to improper implementation of accreditation programs.

    PURPOSE: This study explored the enabling factors for the effective implementation of the Saudi Central Board for Accreditation of Healthcare Institutions (CBAHI) program in the Ministry of Health (MOH) hospitals in Madinah, Saudi Arabia.

    METHODS: This qualitative study involved 22 professionals from five CBAHI-accredited MOH hospitals in Madinah, Saudi Arabia. A purposive sampling technique was applied, and data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews. A thematic analysis approach was applied to the interview transcripts.

    RESULTS: Four themes and 11 subthemes emerged. The emerging themes included the development of human capital, resolving quality management issues, ensuring the availability of resources, and strategizing CBAHI-specific solutions.

    CONCLUSION: The current study fills this knowledge gap by identifying the factors leading to the effective implementation of the CBAHI accreditation program in the MOH hospitals. Only the effective execution of the CBAHI will increase healthcare quality and, as a result, justify the significant resources and efforts invested in these programs. Future research should replicate similar study in other governments or private hospitals.

  11. Fulltext Toward a Roadmap for Best Practices in Pediatric Preventive Cardiology: A Science Advisory From the American Heart Association
    Perak AM, Baker-Smith C, Hayman LL, Khoury M, Peterson AL, Ware AL, et al.
    Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes, 2023 Sep;16(9):e000120.
    PMID: 37548024 DOI: 10.1161/HCQ.0000000000000120
    Cardiovascular disease risk factors are highly prevalent among youth in the United States and Canada. Pediatric preventive cardiology programs have independently developed and proliferated to address cardiovascular risk factors in youth, but there is a general lack of clarity on best practices to optimize and sustain desired outcomes. We conducted surveys of pediatric cardiology division directors and pediatric preventive cardiology clinicians across the United States and Canada to describe the current landscape and perspectives on future directions for the field. We summarize the data and conclude with a call to action for various audiences who seek to improve cardiovascular health in youth, reduce the burden of premature cardiovascular disease, and increase healthy longevity. We call on heart centers, hospitals, payers, and policymakers to invest resources in the important work of pediatric preventive cardiology programs. We urge professional societies to advocate for pediatric preventive cardiology and provide opportunities for training and cross-pollination across programs. We encourage researchers to close evidence gaps. Last, we invite pediatric preventive cardiology clinicians to collaborate and innovate to advance the practice of pediatric preventive cardiology.
    MeSH terms: Adolescent; American Heart Association; Canada; Child; Humans; Surveys and Questionnaires; United States/epidemiology
  12. Left bundle branch area pacing for heart failure patients requiring cardiac resynchronization therapy: A meta-analysis
    Jin C, Dai Q, Li P, Lam P, Cha YM
    J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, 2023 Sep;34(9):1933-1943.
    PMID: 37548113 DOI: 10.1111/jce.16013
    INTRODUCTION: Left bundle branch area pacing (LBBP) is a novel conduction system pacing method to achieve effective physiological pacing and an alternative to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) with biventricular pacing (BVP) for patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). We conduted this meta-analysis and systemic review to review current data comparing BVP and LBBP in patients with HFrEF and indications for CRT.

    METHODS: We searched PubMed/Medline, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library from the inception of the database to November 2022. All studies that compared LBBP with BVP in patients with HFrEF and indications for CRT were included. Two reviewers performed study selection, data abstraction, and risk of bias assessment. We calculated risk ratios (RRs) with the Mantel-Haenszel method and mean difference (MD) with inverse variance using random effect models. We assessed heterogeneity using the I2 index, with I2  > 50% indicating significant heterogeneity.

    RESULTS: Ten studies (9 observational studies and 1 randomized controlled trial; 616 patients; 15 centers) published between 2020 and 2022 were included. We observed a shorter fluoroscopy time (MD: 9.68, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.49-14.87, I2  = 95%, p 

    MeSH terms: Bundle of His; Cardiac Pacing, Artificial; Electrocardiography; Humans; Stroke Volume; Ventricular Function, Left; Treatment Outcome; Ventricular Septum*
  13. Influence of exercise intensity and hypoxic exposure on physiological, perceptual and biomechanical responses to treadmill running
    Li Tee CC, Chong MC, Sundar V, Chok CL, Md Razali MR, Yeo WK, et al.
    Eur J Sport Sci, 2023 Aug;23(8):1581-1590.
    PMID: 35912915 DOI: 10.1080/17461391.2022.2109066
    Acute physiological, perceptual and biomechanical consequences of manipulating both exercise intensity and hypoxic exposure during treadmill running were determined. On separate days, eleven trained individuals ran for 45 s (separated by 135 s of rest) on an instrumented treadmill at seven running speeds (8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20 km.h-1) in normoxia (NM, FiO2 = 20.9%), moderate hypoxia (MH, FiO2 = 16.1%), high hypoxia (HH, FiO2 = 14.1%) and severe hypoxia (SH, FiO2 = 13.0%). Running mechanics were collected over 20 consecutive steps (i.e. after running ∼25 s), with concurrent assessment of physiological (heart rate and arterial oxygen saturation) and perceptual (overall perceived discomfort, difficulty breathing and leg discomfort) responses. Two-way repeated-measures ANOVA (seven speeds × four conditions) were used. There was a speed × condition interaction for heart rate (p = 0.045, ηp2 = 0.22), with lower values in NM, MH and HH compared to SH at 8 km.h-1 (125 ± 12, 125 ± 11, 128 ± 12 vs 132 ± 10 b.min-1). Overall perceived discomfort (8 and 16 km.h-1; p = 0.019 and p = 0.007, ηp2  = 0.21, respectively) and perceived difficulty breathing (all speeds; p = 0.023, ηp2  = 0.37) were greater in SH compared to MH, whereas leg discomfort was not influenced by hypoxic exposure. Minimal difference was observed in the twelve kinetics/kinematics variables with hypoxia (p > 0.122; ηp2 = 0.19). Running at slower speeds in combination with severe hypoxia elevates physiological and perceptual responses without a corresponding increase in ground reaction forces.Highlights The extent to which manipulating hypoxia severity (between normoxia and severe hypoxia) and running speed (from 8 to 20 km.h-1) influence acute physiological and perceptual responses, as well as kinetic and kinematic adjustments during treadmill running was determined.Running at slower speeds in combination with severe hypoxia elevates heart rate, while this effect was not apparent at faster speeds.Arterial oxygen saturation was increasingly lower as running speed and hypoxic severity increased.Overall perceived discomfort (8 and 16 km.h-1) and perceived difficulty breathing (all speeds) were lower in moderate hypoxia than in severe hypoxia, whereas leg discomfort remained unchanged with hypoxic exposure.
    MeSH terms: Anoxia*; Humans; Oxygen Consumption
  14. Fulltext Quantitative analysis of MR T2 relaxation times in neck muscles
    Phua CS, Moffat B, Paul E, Ang M, Law M, Bertram K, et al.
    Magn Reson Imaging, 2023 Nov;103:156-161.
    PMID: 37517766 DOI: 10.1016/j.mri.2023.07.013
    T2 relaxation times (T2 times) are different between resting and exercised muscles and between muscles of healthy subjects and subjects with muscle pathology. However, studies specifically focusing on neck muscles are lacking. Furthermore, normative neck muscle T2 times are not well defined and methodology used to analyse T2 times in neck muscles is not robust. We analysed T2 times in key neck muscles and explored factors affecting variability between muscles. 20 healthy subjects were recruited. Two circular regions of interest (ROIs) were drawn in two mutually exclusive regions within neck muscles on T2 weighted images and values averaged. ROI measurements were performed by a co-investigator, supervised by a neuro-radiologist. For the first ten subjects, measurements were done from C1-T1. For the remaining subjects, ROIs were drawn at two pre-determined levels. Two MRIs were repeated at 31 degrees acquisition to evaluate the effect of muscle fibre orientation. ROI values were translated into T2 times. Results showed semispinalis capitis had the longest T2 times (range 46.88-51.42 ms), followed by splenius capitis (range 47.37-48.33 ms), trapezius (range 45.27-47.46 ms), levator scapulae (range 43.17-45.63 ms) and sternocleidomastoid (range 38.45-42.91 ms). T2 times did not vary along length of muscles and were unaffected by muscle fibre orientation (P > 0.05). T2 times of splenius capitis correlated significantly with age at C2/C3 and C5/C6 levels and trapezius at C7/T1 level. Gender did not influence relaxation times (P > 0.05). In conclusion, results of normative neck muscle T2 time values and factors influencing the T2 times could serve as a reference for future MR analysis of neck muscles. The methodology used may also be useful for related studies of neck muscles.
    MeSH terms: Humans; Rest; Healthy Volunteers
  15. Distraction descriptor for brainprint authentication modelling using probability-based Incremental Fuzzy-Rough Nearest Neighbour
    Liew SH, Choo YH, Low YF, Nor Rashid F'
    Brain Inform, 2023 Aug 05;10(1):21.
    PMID: 37542531 DOI: 10.1186/s40708-023-00200-z
    This paper aims to design distraction descriptor, elicited through the object variation, to refine the granular knowledge incrementally, using the proposed probability-based incremental update strategy in Incremental Fuzzy-Rough Nearest Neighbour (IncFRNN) technique. Most of the brainprint authentication models were tested in well-controlled environments to minimize the influence of ambient disturbance on the EEG signals. These settings significantly contradict the real-world situations. Thus, making use of the distraction is wiser than eliminating it. The proposed probability-based incremental update strategy is benchmarked with the ground truth (actual class) incremental update strategy. Besides, the proposed technique is also benchmarked with First-In-First-Out (FIFO) incremental update strategy in K-Nearest Neighbour (KNN). The experimental results have shown equivalence discriminatory performance in both high distraction and quiet conditions. This has proven that the proposed distraction descriptor is able to utilize the unique EEG response towards ambient distraction to complement person authentication modelling in uncontrolled environment. The proposed probability-based IncFRNN technique has significantly outperformed the KNN technique for both with and without defining the window size threshold. Nevertheless, its performance is slightly worse than the actual class incremental update strategy since the ground truth represents the gold standard. In overall, this study demonstrated a more practical brainprint authentication model with the proposed distraction descriptor and the probability-based incremental update strategy. However, the EEG distraction descriptor may vary due to intersession variability. Future research may focus on the intersession variability to enhance the robustness of the brainprint authentication model.
  16. A variable dimensional chaotic map-based medical image encryption algorithm with multi-mode
    Zhang B, Rahmatullah B, Wang SL, Almutairi HM, Xiao Y, Liu X, et al.
    Med Biol Eng Comput, 2023 Nov;61(11):2971-3002.
    PMID: 37542682 DOI: 10.1007/s11517-023-02874-3
    Since the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine or non-face-to-face medicine has increased significantly. In practice, various types of medical images are essential to achieve effective telemedicine. Medical image encryption algorithms play an irreplaceable role in the fast and secure transmission and storage of these medical images. However, most of the existing medical image encryption algorithms are full encryption algorithms, which are inefficient and time-consuming, so they are not suitable for emergency medical scenarios. To improve the efficiency of encryption, a small number of works have focused on partial or selective encryption algorithms for medical images, in which different levels of encryption strategies were adopted for different information content regions of medical images. However, these encryption algorithms have inadequate security more or less. In this paper, based on the Logistic map, we designed an improved variable dimension map. Then, an encryption algorithm for medical images was proposed based on it. This algorithm has two modes: (1) full encryption mode and (2) semi-full encryption mode, which can better adapt to different medical scenarios, respectively. In full encryption mode, all pixels of medical images are encrypted by using the confusion-diffusion structure. In semi-full encryption mode, the region of interest of medical images is extracted. The confusion was first adopted to encrypt the region of interest, and then, the diffusion was adopted to encrypt the entire image. In addition, no matter which encryption mode is used, the algorithm provides the function of medical image integrity verification. The proposed algorithm was simulated and analyzed to evaluate its effectiveness. The results show that in semi-full encryption mode, the algorithm has good security performance and lower time consumption; while in full encryption mode, the algorithm has better security performance and is acceptable in time.
    MeSH terms: Algorithms; Diagnostic Imaging*; Humans; Computer Security*; Pandemics
  17. Synthesis, biological evaluation, and molecular modelling of novel quinoxaline-isoxazole hybrid as anti-hyperglycemic
    Phongphane L, Mohd Radzuan SN, Abu Bakar MH, Che Omar MT, Supratman U, Harneti D, et al.
    Comput Biol Chem, 2023 Oct;106:107938.
    PMID: 37542847 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2023.107938
    In our effort to develop potent anti-hyperglycemic compounds with inhibitory activity against α-amylase and α-glucosidase, a series of novel quinoxaline-isoxazole moieties were synthesized. The novel quinoxaline-isoxazole derivatives were assessed in vitro for their anti-hyperglycemic activities on α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitions. The results revealed promising IC50 values compared to acarbose as a positive control for α-amylase and α-glucosidase. Among them, N-Ethyl-7-chloro-3-((3-phenylisoxazol-5-yl)methoxy)quinoxalin-2-amine 5b showed dual inhibitory with IC50 of 24.0 µM for α-amylase and 41.7 µM for α-glucosidase. In addition, N-Ethyl-7-methoxy-3-((3-(2-chlorophenyl)isoxazol-5-yl)methoxy)quinoxalin-2-amine 5j also had dual bioactivities against α-amylase and α-glucosidase with IC50 of 17.0 and 40.1 µM, respectively. Nevertheless, two more compounds N-Ethyl-7-cyano-3-((3-phenylisoxazol-5-yl)methoxy)quinoxaline-2-amine 5e showed strong mono-inhibition for α-glucosidase with IC50 of 16.6 µM followed by N-Ethyl-7-methoxy-3-((3-phenylisoxazol-5-yl)methoxy)quinoxalin-2-amine 5 f with IC50 of 18.6 µM. The molecular docking study for α-glucosidase inhibitor provided the binding energy ranging from 8.3 to 9.1 kcal/mol and α-amylase inhibitor showed the binding energy score at 8.4 and 8.5 kcal/mol. The dual inhibitions nature of 5b and 5j were further analyzed and confirmed via molecular dynamics including the stability of the compound, interaction energy, binding free energy, and the interaction residue analysis using the MM-GBSA approach. The results showed that compound 5j was the most potent compound. Lastly, the drug-likeness properties were also evaluated with all synthesized compounds 5a-5j and the results reveal that all potent compounds meet Lipinski's rules of five.
    MeSH terms: alpha-Amylases; Structure-Activity Relationship; Molecular Structure; Molecular Docking Simulation; Glycoside Hydrolase Inhibitors/chemistry
  18. Host, season, habitat and climatic factors as drivers of Asian rodent tick (Ixodes granulatus) (Acari: Ixodidae) occurrence and abundance in Southeast Asia
    Kwak ML, Hitch AT, Borthwick SA, Low DHW, Markowsky G, McInnes D, et al.
    Acta Trop, 2023 Oct;246:106992.
    PMID: 37543183 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2023.106992
    The Asian rodent tick (Ixodes granulatus) occurs throughout much of Asia, it frequently bites humans, and zoonotic pathogens, such as Borrelia burgdorferi (sensu lato) and Rickettsia honei, have been detected within it. Unfortunately, the ecology of I. granulatus remains poorly known, including drivers of its abundance and the interaction ecology with its sylvatic hosts. To elucidate the ecology of this medically important species, the habitat preferences of I. granulatus were assessed in Singapore and Malaysia. Ixodes granulatus showed strong associations with old forest habitats, though across different age classes of old forest there was limited variation in abundance. Ixodes granulatus was absent from other habitats including young forest, scrubland, and parks/gardens. Within its sylvatic rodent hosts, a range of factors were found to be statistically significant predictors of I. granulatus load and/or infestation risk, including sex and body condition index. Male rodents were significantly more likely to be infested and to have higher loads than females, similarly, animals with a lower body condition index were significantly more likely to be infested. Proactive public health efforts targeted at preventing bites by this tick should carefully consider its ecology to minimise ecological overlap between humans and I. granulatus.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Female; Humans; Malaysia; Male; Rodentia; Seasons; Ecosystem; Ixodidae*
  19. Clinical efficacy of a gentle anti-dandruff itch-relieving shampoo formulation
    Lim DZJ, Lim FC, Tey HL
    Int J Cosmet Sci, 2023 Dec;45(6):769-774.
    PMID: 37539788 DOI: 10.1111/ics.12885
    Dandruff is a common scalp condition affecting almost half of the world's population. Despite its high prevalence, the exact pathophysiology is not well established and is understood to be multifactorial, with factors such as fungal colonization, sebaceous gland activity and individual factors being implicated. There is a need for an effective and safe shampoo that can target the above factors. Hence, we have developed a shampoo formulation with properties of oil control, moisturizing, non-irritative, anti-fungal, anti-microbial and itch-relieving. In this interventional, open-label study, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of this shampoo in reducing the clinical signs of dandruff and pruritus in patients with pre-existing mild-to-moderate dandruff over a course of 21-day treatment duration through self-assessment and objective clinical evaluations. After continued use of the shampoo, there was a significant decrease in the adherent and loose scalp flaking scores. Mean pruritus scores also decreased significantly across the 21-day time points. There were also no adverse events or skin intolerances reported. This study showed that our shampoo formulation has led to a significant reduction in both adherent and loose scalp flaking and pruritus when used in individuals suffering from mild to moderate dandruff. As such, it is an ideal shampoo, which can be used to effectively control dandruff.
    MeSH terms: Humans; Organometallic Compounds*; Pruritus; Pyridines; Dermatitis, Seborrheic*; Treatment Outcome
  20. Efficacy of Interventions in Reducing the Risks of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Healthcare Workers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
    Abdul Halim NSS, Mohd Ripin Z, Ridzwan MIZ
    Workplace Health Saf, 2023 Dec;71(12):557-576.
    PMID: 37539959 DOI: 10.1177/21650799231185335
    BACKGROUND: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are prevalent among healthcare professionals, including nurses, therapists, doctors, and paramedics, due to the potential injuries incurred during patient transfer and handling. This review aimed to assess the effectiveness of existing interventions in reducing the risks of WMSDs in this population.

    METHODS: Four databases including PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, and ScienceDirect were searched to identify randomized and nonrandomized controlled trials, as well as studies with pre-post design. Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed the quality of the included studies using the Effective Public Health Practice Project criteria. A meta-analysis was performed to obtain quantitative results.

    RESULTS: A total of 40 studies were included in the review. Among the interventions, motorized assistive devices showed the most significant relative reduction in WMSD risks (p < .0000; standardized mean difference [SMD] = -3.32, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [-4.53, -2.12]), followed by combined interventions of cognitive and exercise (p < .0001; SMD = -0.62, 95% CI = [-0.91, -0.33]), combined intervention of cognitive and assistive device intervention (p = .02; SMD = -0.77, 95% CI = [-1.42, -0.12]), nonmotorized assistive device (p = .02; SMD = -0.63, 95% CI = [-1.15, -0.12]), cognitive intervention (p < .0001; SMD = -0.62, 95% CI = [-0.91, -0.33]), and physical exercise (p = .06; SMD = -0.16, 95% CI = [-0.32, 0.00]) intervention.

    CONCLUSION: The overall evidence indicates that interventions have a significant effect in reducing the risk of WMSDs among healthcare workers, with motorized assistive devices showing the most promising results. The findings from this review can provide valuable guidance for hospital administrators, policymakers, and other experts in implementing effective strategies to prevent WMSDs among healthcare professionals.

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