Browse publications by year: 2023

  1. Dewayani A, Afrida Fauzia K, Alfaray RI, Waskito LA, Doohan D, Rejeki PS, et al.
    PLoS One, 2023;18(5):e0284958.
    PMID: 37200323 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0284958
    INTRODUCTION: Inadequate antimicrobial treatment has led to multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria, including Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), which one of the notable pathogens in the stomach. Antibiotic-induced changes in the microbiota can negatively affect the host. This study aimed to determine the influence of H. pylori resistance on the diversity and abundance of the stomach microbiome.

    METHODS: Bacterial DNA was extracted from biopsy samples of patients presenting dyspepsia symptoms with H. pylori positive from cultures and histology. DNA was amplified from the V3-V4 regions of the 16S rRNA gene. In-vitro E-test was used to detect antibiotic resistance. Microbiome community analysis was conducted through α-diversity, β-diversity, and relative abundance.

    RESULTS: Sixty-nine H. pylori positive samples were eligible after quality filtering. Following resistance status to five antibiotics, samples were classified into 24 sensitive, 24 single resistance, 16 double resistance, 5 triple resistance. Samples were mostly resistant to metronidazole (73.33%; 33/45). Comparation of four groups displayed significantly elevated α-diversity parameters under the multidrug resistance condition (all P <0.05). A notable change was observed in triple-resistant compared to sensitive (P <0.05) and double-resistant (P <0.05) groups. Differences in β-diversity by UniFrac and Jaccard were not significant in terms of the resistance (P = 0.113 and P = 0.275, respectively). In the triple-resistant group, the relative abundance of Helicobacter genera was lower, whereas that of Streptococcus increased. Moreover, the linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) was associated with the presence of Corynebacterium and Saccharimonadales in the single-resistant group and Pseudomonas and Cloacibacterium in the triple-resistant group.

    CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the resistant samples showed a higher trend of diversity and evenness than the sensitive samples. The abundance of H. pylori in the triple-resistant samples decreased with increasing cohabitation of pathogenic bacteria, which may support antimicrobial resistance. However, antibiotic susceptibility determined by the E-test may not completely represent the resistance status.

    MeSH terms: Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology; Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use; Humans; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial
  2. Li X, Abdullah LC, Sobri S, Md Said MS, Hussain SA, Aun TP, et al.
    Water Air Soil Pollut, 2023;234(5):328.
    PMID: 37200574 DOI: 10.1007/s11270-023-06279-8
    Currently, air quality has become central to global environmental policymaking. As a typical mountain megacity in the Cheng-Yu region, the air pollution in Chongqing is unique and sensitive. This study aims to comprehensively investigate the long-term annual, seasonal, and monthly variation characteristics of six major pollutants and seven meteorological parameters. The emission distribution of major pollutants is also discussed. The relationship between pollutants and the multi-scale meteorological conditions was explored. The results indicate that particulate matter (PM), SO2 and NO2 showed a "U-shaped" variation, while O3 showed an "inverted U-shaped" seasonal variation. Industrial emissions accounted for 81.84%, 58% and 80.10% of the total SO2, NOx and dust pollution emissions, respectively. The correlation between PM2.5 and PM10 was strong (R = 0.98). In addition, PM only showed a significant negative correlation with O3. On the contrary, PM showed a significant positive correlation with other gaseous pollutants (SO2, NO2, CO). O3 is only negatively correlated with relative humidity and atmospheric pressure. These findings provide an accurate and effective countermeasure for the coordinated management of air pollution in Cheng-Yu region and the formulation of the regional carbon peaking roadmap. Furthermore, it can improve the prediction accuracy of air pollution under multi-scale meteorological factors, promote effective emission reduction paths and policies in the region, and provide references for related epidemiological research.

    SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11270-023-06279-8.

  3. Sulaiman FN, Sultan Abdul Kader MI, Sawri Rajan R, Wan Abdul Halim WH
    Cureus, 2023 Apr;15(4):e37632.
    PMID: 37200640 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.37632
    Differential diagnosis of vision loss in a space-occupying lesion can be exhaustive. Olfactory groove meningioma (OGM) is a rare, benign, slow-growing tumour originating from the anterior cranial base. OGM is one of the differential diagnoses of intracranial tumours. We report a case of an OGM compressing the optic nerve and frontal lobe causing bilateral vision loss for six months. Multidisciplinary management by ophthalmologists, neurosurgeons, radiologists, and pathologists led to the diagnosis and tumour resection of OGM in the patient. Possible mechanisms of vision loss, imaging features, and treatment are discussed in this report.
  4. Ain Ibrahim NN, Kamal N, Mediani A, Sajak AAB, Lee SY, Shaari K, et al.
    Food Technol Biotechnol, 2023 Mar;61(1):107-117.
    PMID: 37200789 DOI: 10.17113/ftb.61.01.23.7711
    RESEARCH BACKGROUND: Curcuma species (Zingiberaceae) are well known medicinal herbs in India and Southeast Asia. Despite various findings reporting their beneficial biological activities, very little information has been recorded on the Curcuma caesia. Thus, this study aims to determine the phenolic content, antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of both rhizome and leaves of C. caesia.

    EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Rhizome and leaves of C. caesia were dried with oven (OD) and freeze (FD)-drying methods, and extracted with different Φ(ethanol,water)=100:0, 80:20, 50:50 and 0:100. The bioactivities of C. caesia extracts were evaluated using in vitro tests; total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant (DPPH and FRAP) and α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR)-based metabolomics approach was employed to differentiate the most active extracts based on their metabolite profiles and correlation with bioactivities.

    RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The FD rhizome extracted with Φ(ethanol,water)=100:0 was observed to have potent TPC expressed as gallic acid equivalents, FRAP expressed as Trolox equivalents and α-glucosidase inhibitory activity with values of (45.4±2.1) mg/g extract, (147.7±8.3) mg/g extract and (265.5±38.6) µg/mL (IC50), respectively. Meanwhile, for DPPH scavenging activity, the Φ(ethanol,water)=80:20 and 100:0 extracts of FD rhizome showed the highest activity with no significant difference between them. Hence, the FD rhizome extracts were selected for further metabolomics analysis. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed clear discrimination among the different extracts. Partial least square (PLS) analysis showed positive correlations of the metabolites, including xanthorrhizol derivative, 1-hydroxy-1,7-bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-(6E)-6-heptene-3,4-dione, valine, luteolin, zedoardiol, β-turmerone, selina-4(15),7(11)-dien-8-one, zedoalactone B and germacrone, with the antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibition activities, whereas curdione and 1-(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-7-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-(lE,6E)-1,6-heptadiene3,4-dione were correlated with α-glucosidase inhibitory activity.

    NOVELTY AND SCIENTIFIC CONTRIBUTION: C. caesia rhizome and leaf extracts contained phenolic compounds and had varies antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitory capacities. These findings strongly suggest that the rhizomes of C. caesia are an invaluable natural source of active ingredients for applications in pharmaceutical and food industries.

  5. Yussof NS, Ping TC, Boon TT, Utra U, Ramli ME
    Food Technol Biotechnol, 2023 Mar;61(1):39-50.
    PMID: 37200792 DOI: 10.17113/ftb.61.01.23.7538
    RESEARCH BACKGROUND: Various approaches have been used to present functional lipids including lycopene in a palatable food form to consumers. However, being highly hydrophobic, lycopene is insoluble in aqueous systems and has a limited bioavailability in the body. Lycopene nanodispersion is expected to improve the properties of lycopene, but its stability and bioaccessibility are also affected by emulsifier type and environmental conditions such as pH, ionic strength and temperature.

    EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: The influence of soy lecithin, sodium caseinate and soy lecithin/sodium caseinate at 1:1 ratio on the physicochemical properties and stability of lycopene nanodispersion prepared using the emulsification-evaporation methods before and after treatment at different pH, ionic strength and temperature were investigated. The in vitro bioaccessibility of the nanodispersions was also studied.

    RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Under neutral pH conditions, nanodispersion stabilized with soy lecithin had the highest physical stability and the smallest particle size (78 nm), the lowest polydispersity index (PDI) value (0.180) and highest zeta potential (-64 mV) but the lowest lycopene concentration (1.826 mg/100 mL). Conversely, nanodispersion stabilized with sodium caseinate had the lowest physical stability. Combining the soy lecithin with sodium caseinate at 1:1 ratio resulted in a physically stable lycopene nanodispersion with the highest lycopene concentration (2.656 mg/100 mL). The lycopene nanodispersion produced by soy lecithin also had high physical stability under different pH range (pH=2-8) where the particle size, PDI and zeta potential remained fairly consistent. The nanodispersion containing sodium caseinate was unstable and droplet aggregation occurred when the pH was reduced close to the isoelectric point of sodium caseinate (pH=4-5). The particle size and PDI value of nanodispersion stabilized with soy lecithin and sodium caseinate mixture increased sharply when the NaCl concentration increased above 100 mM, while the soy lecithin and sodium caseinate counterparts were more stable. All of the nanodispersions showed good stability with respect to temperature changes (30-100 °C) except for the one stabilized by sodium caseinate, which exhibited an increased particle size when heated to above 60 °C. The combination of soy lecithin and sodium caseinate was found to increase the bioaccessibility of the lycopene nanodispersion. The physicochemical properties, stability and extent of the lycopene nanodispersion digestion highly depend on the emulsifier type.

    NOVELTY AND SCIENTIFIC CONTRIBUTION: Producing a nanodispersion is considered one of the best ways to overcome the poor water solubility, stability and bioavailability issues of lycopene. Currently, studies related to lycopene-fortified delivery systems, particularly in the form of nanodispersion, are still limited. The information obtained on the physicochemical properties, stability and bioaccessibility of lycopene nanodispersion is useful for the development of an effective delivery system for various functional lipids.

  6. Rosley N, Hasnan N, Hamzaid NA, Davis GM, Manaf H
    Turk J Phys Med Rehabil, 2023 Mar;69(1):23-30.
    PMID: 37201013 DOI: 10.5606/tftrd.2023.9418
    OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to investigate the effects of combined progressive resistance training (PRT) and functional electrical stimulation-evoked leg cycling exercise (FES-LCE) on isometric peak torque and muscle volume in individuals with incomplete spinal cord injury.

    PATIENTS AND METHODS: In the single-blind, randomized controlled trial performed between April 2015 and August 2016, 28 participants were randomized between two exercise interventions (FES-LCE+PRT and FES-LCE alone), and training was conducted over 12 weeks. The isometric muscle peak torque and muscle volume for both lower limbs were measured at the baseline and after 6 and 12 weeks. Linear mixed-model analysis of variance was performed to test the effects of FES-LCE+PRT versus FES-LCE on each outcome measure over time via an intention-to-treat analysis.

    RESULTS: Twenty-three participants (18 males, 5 females; mean age: 33.4±9.7 years; range 21 to 50 years) completed study (10 in the FES-LCE+PRT group, and 13 in the FES-LCE group). The 12-week pre-and posttraining change for left hamstrings' muscle peak torque in the FES-LCE+PRT group (mean difference=4.5±7.9 Nm, 45% change, p<0.05) was consistently higher than that in the FES-LCE group (mean difference=2.4±10.3 Nm, 4% change; p<0.018). The improvement in the right quadriceps muscle's peak torque of the FES-LCE+PRT group (mean difference=19±7.6 Nm, 31% change, p<0.05) was more significant compared to the FES-LCE group. The left muscle volume showed a remarkable increase after 12 weeks in the FES-LCE+PRT group (mean difference=0.3±9.3 L, 7% change, p<0.05).

    CONCLUSION: The combination of PRT and FES-LCE was better in improving lower limb muscle strength and volume in chronic incomplete individuals with spinal cord injury.

  7. Zainuddin AH, Roslan MQJ, Razak MR, Yusoff FM, Haron DEM, Aris AZ
    Mar Pollut Bull, 2023 Jul;192:115019.
    PMID: 37201347 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115019
    Bisphenol analogues are prevalent globally because of rampant usage and imprecise processing techniques, prompting alerts about environmental and health hazards. The method employed in this study by solid phase extraction (SPE) and liquid chromatography-tandem quadrupole mass spectrometer (LC-MS/MS) for both quantification and qualitative analysis of the bisphenol compounds in the surface water samples. The coastal and estuarine surface water of Port Dickson and Lukut ranges from 1.32 ng/L to 1890.51 ng/L of bisphenol analogues. BPF mean concentration at 1143.88 ng/L is the highest, followed by BPA and BPS at 59.01 ng/L and 10.96 ng/L, respectively. Based on RQm for bisphenol analogues, the highest for BPF at 2.49 (RQ > 1, high risk), followed by BPS at 0.12 (0.1 
    MeSH terms: Benzhydryl Compounds/analysis; Chromatography, Liquid; Ecosystem*; Tandem Mass Spectrometry; Estuaries*
  8. Yeap JW, Ali IAH, Ibrahim B, Tan ML
    Pulm Pharmacol Ther, 2023 Aug;81:102218.
    PMID: 37201652 DOI: 10.1016/j.pupt.2023.102218
    COPD pathogenesis is frequently associated with endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER stress) progression. Targeting the major unfolded protein response (UPR) branches in the ER stress pathway may provide pharmacotherapeutic selection strategies for treating COPD and enable relief from its symptoms. In this study, we aimed to systematically review the potential role of the ER stress inhibitors of major UPR branches (IRE1, PERK, and ATF6) in COPD-related studies and determine the current stage of knowledge in this field. The systematic review was carried out adhering to the PRISMA checklist based on published studies obtained from specific keyword searches of three databases, namely PubMed, ScienceDirect and Springer Database. The search was limited to the year 2000-2022 which includes all in vitro studies, in vivo studies and clinical trials related to the application of ER stress inhibitors toward COPD-induced models and disease. The risk of bias was evaluated using the QUIN, SYRCLE, revised Cochrane risk of bias tool for randomized trials (RoB 2.0) and NIH tool respectively. A total of 7828 articles were screened from three databases and a final total of 37 studies were included in the review. The ER stress and UPR pathways are potentially useful to prevent COPD progression and attenuate the exacerbation of COPD and related symptoms. Interestingly, the off-target effects from inhibition of the UPR pathway may be desirable or undesirable depending on context and therapeutic applications. Targeting the UPR pathway could have complex consequences as the production of ER molecules involved in folding may be impaired which could continuously provoke misfolding of proteins. Although several emerging compounds were noted to be potentially useful for targeted therapy against COPD, clinical studies have yet to be thoroughly explored.
    MeSH terms: Humans; eIF-2 Kinase*; Unfolded Protein Response; Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress/physiology
  9. Faghihi H, Mozafari MR, Bumrungpert A, Parsaei H, Taheri SV, Mardani P, et al.
    Photodiagnosis Photodyn Ther, 2023 Jun;42:103614.
    PMID: 37201772 DOI: 10.1016/j.pdpdt.2023.103614
    The future of molecular-level therapy, efficient medical diagnosis, and drug delivery relies on the effective theragnostic function which can be achieved by the synergistic effect of fluorescent carbon dots (FCDs) liposomes (L) and nanoliposomes. FCDs act as the excipient navigation agent while liposomes play the role of the problem-solving agent, thus the term "theragnostic" would describe the effect of LFCDs properly. Liposomes and FCDs share some excellent at-tributes such as being nontoxic and biodegradable and they can represent a potent delivery system for pharmaceutical compounds. They enhance the therapeutic efficacy of drugs via stabilizing the encapsulated material by circumventing barriers to cellular and tissue uptake. These agents facilitate long-term drug biodistribution to the intended locations of action while eliminating systemic side effects. This manuscript reviews recent progress with liposomes, nanoliposomes (collectively known as lipid vesicles) and fluorescent carbon dots, by exploring their key characteristics, applications, characterization, performance, and challenges. An extensive and intensive understanding of the synergistic interaction between liposomes and FCDs sets out a new research pathway to an efficient and theragnostic / theranostic drug delivery and targeting diseases such as cancer.
    MeSH terms: Carbon; Coloring Agents; Liposomes*; Tissue Distribution; Photosensitizing Agents
  10. Liu B, Lu Y, Deng H, Huang H, Wei N, Jiang Y, et al.
    Sci Total Environ, 2023 Sep 01;889:164173.
    PMID: 37201824 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164173
    Microplastic (MP) pollution is a serious global environmental problem, particularly in marine ecosystems. However, the pollution patterns of MPs in the ocean and atmosphere, particularly the sea-air interrelationship, remain unclear. Therefore, the abundance, distribution patterns, and sources of MPs in the seawater and atmosphere of the South China Sea (SCS) were comparatively investigated. The results showed that MPs were prevalent in the SCS with an average abundance of 103.4 ± 98.3 items/m3 in the seawater and 4.62 ± 3.60 items/100 m3 in the atmosphere. The spatial analysis indicated that the pollution patterns of seawater MPs were mainly determined by land-based discharge and sea surface currents, whereas atmospheric MPs were predominantly determined by air parcel trajectory and wind conditions. The highest MP abundance of 490 items/m3 in seawater was found at a station near Vietnam with current vortices. However, the highest MP abundance of 14.6 items/100 m3 in the atmosphere was found in air parcels with low-speed southerly winds from Malaysia. Similar MP compositions (e.g., polyethylene terephthalate, polystyrene, and polyethylene) were observed in the two environmental compartments. Furthermore, similar MP characteristics (e.g., shape, color, and size) in the seawater and atmosphere of the same region suggested a close relationship between the MPs in the two compartments. For this purpose, cluster analysis and calculation of the MP diversity integrated index were performed. The results showed an obvious dispersion between the two compartment clusters and a higher diversity integrated index of MPs in seawater than in the atmosphere, thus implying higher compositional diversity and more complex sources of MPs in seawater relative to the atmosphere. These findings deepen our understanding of MP fate and patterns in the semi-enclosed marginal sea environment and highlight the potential interrelationship of MPs in the air-sea system.
    MeSH terms: Atmosphere; China; Environmental Monitoring; Plastics; Seawater; Ecosystem
  11. Sergeeva IA, Klinov DV, Schäffer TE, Dubrovin EV
    Int J Biol Macromol, 2023 Jul 01;242(Pt 2):124835.
    PMID: 37201883 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.124835
    Though the capability of chromium treatment to improve the stability and mechanical properties of collagen fibrils is well-known, the influence of different chromium salts on collagen molecules (tropocollagen) is not well characterized. In this study, the effect of Cr3+ treatment on the conformation and hydrodynamic properties of collagen was studied using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). Statistical analysis of contours of adsorbed tropocollagen molecules using the two-dimensional worm-like chain model revealed a reduction of the persistence length (i.e., the increase of flexibility) from ≈72 nm in water to ≈56-57 nm in chromium (III) salt solutions. DLS studies demonstrated an increase of the hydrodynamic radius from ≈140 nm in water to ≈190 nm in chromium (III) salt solutions, which is associated with protein aggregation. The kinetics of collagen aggregation was shown to be ionic strength dependent. Collagen molecules treated with three different chromium (III) salts demonstrated similar properties such as flexibility, aggregation kinetics, and susceptibility to enzymatic cleavage. The observed effects are explained by a model that considers the formation of chromium-associated intra- and intermolecular crosslinks. The obtained results provide novel insights into the effect of chromium salts on the conformation and properties of tropocollagen molecules.
    MeSH terms: Collagen; Tropocollagen*; Water; Microscopy, Atomic Force/methods
  12. Pironi L, Jezerski D, Sobocki J, Lal S, Vanuytsel T, Theilla M, et al.
    Clin Nutr ESPEN, 2023 Jun;55:212-220.
    PMID: 37202049 DOI: 10.1016/j.clnesp.2023.03.008
    BACKGROUND AND AIMS: To investigate the incidence and the severity of COVID-19 infection in patients enrolled in the database for home parenteral nutrition (HPN) for chronic intestinal failure (CIF) of the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN).

    METHODS: Period of observation: March 1st, 2020 March 1st, 2021.

    INCLUSION CRITERIA: patients included in the database since 2015 and still receiving HPN on March 1st, 2020 as well as new patients included in the database during the period of observation. Data related to the previous 12 months and recorded on March 1st 2021: 1) occurrence of COVID-19 infection since the beginning of the pandemic (yes, no, unknown); 2) infection severity (asymptomatic; mild, no-hospitalization; moderate, hospitalization no-ICU; severe, hospitalization in ICU); 3) vaccinated against COVID-19 (yes, no, unknown); 4) patient outcome on March 1st 2021: still on HPN, weaned off HPN, deceased, lost to follow up.

    RESULTS: Sixty-eight centres from 23 countries included 4680 patients. Data on COVID-19 were available for 55.1% of patients. The cumulative incidence of infection was 9.6% in the total group and ranged from 0% to 21.9% in the cohorts of individual countries. Infection severity was reported as: asymptomatic 26.7%, mild 32.0%, moderate 36.0%, severe 5.3%. Vaccination status was unknown in 62.0% of patients, non-vaccinated 25.2%, vaccinated 12.8%. Patient outcome was reported as: still on HPN 78.6%, weaned off HPN 10.6%, deceased 9.7%, lost to follow up 1.1%. A higher incidence of infection (p = 0.04), greater severity of infection (p 

    MeSH terms: Humans
  13. Jamil N, Zainal ZA, Alias SH, Chong LY, Hashim R
    Res Social Adm Pharm, 2023 Aug;19(8):1131-1145.
    PMID: 37202279 DOI: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2023.05.006
    BACKGROUND: Self-management interventions often employ behaviour change techniques in order to produce desired target behaviours that are necessary for day-to-day living with a chronic disease. Despite the large number of self-management interventions for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), previously reported interventions have been typically delivered by healthcare providers other than the pharmacist.

    OBJECTIVE: This systematic review examined the components of pharmacists-delivered COPD self-management interventions according to an established taxonomy of behaviour change techniques (BCTs).

    METHODS: A systematic search was conducted on PubMed, ScienceDirect, OVID, and Google Scholar from January 2011 to December 2021 for studies of pharmacist-delivered self-management interventions in COPD patients.

    RESULTS: A total of seventeen studies of intervention were eligible for inclusion in the narrative review. Interventions were educational and were delivered individually and face-to-face for the first session. Across studies, pharmacists spent an average of 35 min on the first meeting and had an average of 6 follow-up sessions. Recurrent BCTs in pharmacist interventions were "Information on the health consequence", "Feedback on behaviour", "Instruction on how to perform a behaviour", "Demonstration of the behaviour" and "Behavioural practice/rehearsal".

    CONCLUSIONS: Pharmacists have provided interventions towards improving health behaviours, especially on adherence and usage of inhaler devices for patients with COPD. Future self-management interventions should be designed using the identified BCTs for the improvement of COPD self-management and disease outcomes.

    MeSH terms: Behavior Therapy/methods; Humans; Learning; Pharmacists
  14. Lilyasari O, Goo HW, Siripornpitak S, Abdul Latiff H, Ota H, Caro-Dominguez P
    Pediatr Radiol, 2023 Sep;53(10):2120-2133.
    PMID: 37202498 DOI: 10.1007/s00247-023-05660-3
    Anomalous pulmonary venous connections represent a heterogeneous group of congenital heart diseases in which a part or all pulmonary venous flow drains directly or indirectly into the right atrium. Clinically, anomalous pulmonary venous connections may be silent or have variable consequences, including neonatal cyanosis, volume overload and pulmonary arterial hypertension due to the left-to-right shunt. Anomalous pulmonary venous connections are frequently associated with other congenital cardiac defects and their accurate diagnosis is crucial for treatment planning. Therefore, multimodality diagnostic imaging, comprising a combination (but not all) of echocardiography, cardiac catheterization, cardiothoracic computed tomography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, helps identify potential blind spots relevant to each imaging modality before treatment and achieve optimal management and monitoring. For the same reasons, diagnostic imaging evaluation using a multimodality fashion should be used after treatment. Finally, those interpreting the images should be familiar with the various surgical approaches used to repair anomalous pulmonary venous connections and the common postoperative complications.
    MeSH terms: Heart; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Tomography, X-Ray Computed
  15. Srivathsan A, Ang Y, Heraty JM, Hwang WS, Jusoh WFA, Kutty SN, et al.
    Nat Ecol Evol, 2023 Jul;7(7):1012-1021.
    PMID: 37202502 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02066-0
    Most of arthropod biodiversity is unknown to science. Consequently, it has been unclear whether insect communities around the world are dominated by the same or different taxa. This question can be answered through standardized sampling of biodiversity followed by estimation of species diversity and community composition with DNA barcodes. Here this approach is applied to flying insects sampled by 39 Malaise traps placed in five biogeographic regions, eight countries and numerous habitats (>225,000 specimens belonging to >25,000 species in 458 families). We find that 20 insect families (10 belonging to Diptera) account for >50% of local species diversity regardless of clade age, continent, climatic region and habitat type. Consistent differences in family-level dominance explain two-thirds of variation in community composition despite massive levels of species turnover, with most species (>97%) in the top 20 families encountered at a single site only. Alarmingly, the same families that dominate insect diversity are 'dark taxa' in that they suffer from extreme taxonomic neglect, with little signs of increasing activities in recent years. Taxonomic neglect tends to increase with diversity and decrease with body size. Identifying and tackling the diversity of 'dark taxa' with scalable techniques emerge as urgent priorities in biodiversity science.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Diptera*; Insects*; Ecosystem; Biodiversity; Body Size
  16. Chang CH, Few LL, Lim BH, Yvonne-Tee GB, Chew AL, See Too WC
    Parasitol Res, 2023 Jul;122(7):1651-1661.
    PMID: 37202563 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-023-07869-5
    The de novo biosynthesis of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine in Entamoeba histolytica is largely dependent on the CDP-choline and CDP-ethanolamine pathways. Although the first enzymes of these pathways, EhCK1 and EhCK2, have been previously characterized, their enzymatic activity was found to be low and undetectable, respectively. This study aimed to identify the unusual characteristics of these enzymes in this deadly parasite. The discovery that EhCKs prefer Mn2+ over the typical Mg2+ as a metal ion cofactor is intriguing for CK/EK family of enzymes. In the presence of Mn2+, the activity of EhCK1 increased by approximately 108-fold compared to that in Mg2+. Specifically, in Mg2+, EhCK1 exhibited a Vmax and K0.5 of 3.5 ± 0.1 U/mg and 13.9 ± 0.2 mM, respectively. However, in Mn2+, it displayed a Vmax of 149.1 ± 2.5 U/mg and a K0.5 of 9.5 ± 0.1 mM. Moreover, when Mg2+ was present at a constant concentration of 12 mM, the K0.5 value for Mn2+ was ~ 2.4-fold lower than that in Mn2+ alone, without affecting its Vmax. Although the enzyme efficiency of EhCK1 was significantly improved by about 25-fold in Mn2+, it is worth noting that its Km for choline and ATP were higher than in equimolar of Mg2+ in a previous study. In contrast, EhCK2 showed specific activity towards ethanolamine in Mn2+, exhibiting Michaelis-Menten kinetic with ethanolamine (Km = 312 ± 27 µM) and cooperativity with ATP (K0.5 = 2.1 ± 0.2 mM). Additionally, we investigated the effect of metal ions on the substrate recognition of human choline and ethanolamine kinase isoforms. Human choline kinase α2 was found to absolutely require Mg2+, while choline kinase β differentially recognized choline and ethanolamine in Mg2+ and Mn2+, respectively. Finally, mutagenesis studies revealed that EhCK1 Tyr129 was critical for Mn2+ binding, while Lys233 was essential for substrate catalysis but not metal ion binding. Overall, these findings provide insight into the unique characteristics of the EhCKs and highlight the potential for new approaches to treating amoebiasis. Amoebiasis is a challenging disease for clinicians to diagnose and treat, as many patients are asymptomatic. However, by studying the enzymes involved in the CDP-choline and CDP-ethanolamine pathways, which are crucial for de novo biosynthesis of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine in Entamoeba histolytica, there is great potential to discover new therapeutic approaches to combat this disease.
    MeSH terms: Adenosine Triphosphate; Amebiasis*; Choline/metabolism; Choline Kinase/metabolism; Cytidine Diphosphate Choline/metabolism; Ethanolamines/metabolism; Humans; Kinetics; Phosphatidylcholines; Phosphatidylethanolamines/metabolism; Ethanolamine; Protein Isoforms
  17. Riaz S, Khamis MFB, Ahmad WMABW, Abdullah JY, Alam MK
    PMID: 37202588 DOI: 10.1007/s12024-023-00651-0
    In this study, we aimed to compare the cusp and crown areas of the maxillary first premolar (PM1), second premolar (PM2), and first molar (M1) in males and females in the Malay population and to formulate sex prediction models. For this purpose, the maxillary posterior teeth of 176 dental cast samples (from 88 males and 88 females) were selected and transformed to two-dimensional digital models using 2D-Hirox KH-7700. Cusp and crown area measurements were obtained using Hirox software by tracing the outermost circumference of the tooth cusps. Statistical analysis included independent t-tests, logistic regression analysis, and receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves as well as determination of sensitivity and specificity; analysis was performed with SPSS version 26.0. The significance threshold was set at 0.05. All crown and cusp area measurements were significantly larger in males than in females (p 
  18. Efendi D, Apriliyasari RW, Prihartami Massie JGE, Wong CL, Natalia R, Utomo B, et al.
    BMC Nurs, 2023 May 19;22(1):170.
    PMID: 37202768 DOI: 10.1186/s12912-023-01312-x
    BACKGROUND: In the healthcare systems of the world, reinforcing the competence and professionalism of nurses has become a concern. Gaining clinical nursing competence in the healthcare system requires more effort, and additional training is required. Medical education and training have begun using digital technologies, such as virtual reality (VR). The purpose of this research was to examine the efficacy of VR in terms of cognitive, emotional, and psychomotor outcomes and learning satisfaction in nurses.

    METHOD: The study searched eight databases (Cochrane library, EBSCOHost, Embase, OVID MEDLINE, ProQuest, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) for articles that met these criteria: (i) nursing staff, (ii) any virtual reality technology intervention for education, all levels of immersion, [1] randomized control trial and quasi-experiment study, and (iv) published articles and unpublished theses. The standardized mean difference was measured. The random effect model was applied to measure the main outcome of the study with a significance level of p 

  19. Bin Ahmad MZ, Mat Nasir N, Md Yasin M, Yusof ANM, Bakrin IH, Lim SC
    Am J Case Rep, 2023 May 19;24:e940148.
    PMID: 37202915 DOI: 10.12659/AJCR.940148
    BACKGROUND This case illustrates the challenges in diagnosing linear scleroderma (LS) in a child who presented to a primary care setting. Diagnosis of LS is easily missed due to the lack of prominent symptoms, subtle visible skin changes, and under-recognition of this condition. CASE REPORT A 7-year-old boy presented with a linear, painless, non-itchy rash at the center of his forehead, which has been present for 6 months. The rash extends vertically from the hairline to the bridge of the nose. The color gradually evolved from reddish to purplish-grey and shiny within 3 months. He had underlying eczema, allergic rhinitis, and allergic conjunctivitis since birth. His condition remained unrecognized despite consultations with various medical specialties, including family medicine specialist, ophthalmologist, otorhinolaryngologist, and a general pediatrician. Six months after the onset of his lesion, he was subsequently referred to a pediatric dermatologist and pediatric rheumatologist, who made the diagnosis of LS. Laboratory investigations for autoimmune disease showed that negative antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and inflammatory markers, including erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP), were normal. Skin biopsy provided a tissue confirmation of the diagnosis. MRI of the lesion showed no extension into the underlying muscle or bone erosions. The patient was initially treated with intravenous (IV) methylprednisolone for 3 days, followed by oral methotrexate weekly and prednisolone. The lesion improved after 1 month of treatment, and after 15 months it was less pigmented and less noticeable. CONCLUSIONS LS is the commonest form of localized scleroderma in children. LS on the forehead can erode into the underlying tissues and is sometimes associated with extensive hemifacial atrophy. Treatment should be instituted early to prevent late irreversible fibrotic sequelae. This report aims to highlight the importance of early diagnosis and treatment of an uncommon but potentially disfiguring condition.
    MeSH terms: Child; Exanthema*; Humans; Male; Methotrexate/therapeutic use; Methylprednisolone; Primary Health Care
  20. Binns C, Low WY
    Asia Pac J Public Health, 2023 May;35(4):241-243.
    PMID: 37202919 DOI: 10.1177/10105395231174135
    MeSH terms: Ethanol; Drama*; Humans; Television
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