Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 265 in total

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  1. Sirunyan AM, Tumasyan A, Adam W, Ambrogi F, Bergauer T, Dragicevic M, et al.
    Comput Softw Big Sci, 2020;4(1):10.
    PMID: 33196702 DOI: 10.1007/s41781-020-00041-z
    We describe a method to obtain point and dispersion estimates for the energies of jets arising from b quarks produced in proton-proton collisions at an energy of s = 13 TeV at the CERN LHC. The algorithm is trained on a large sample of simulated b jets and validated on data recorded by the CMS detector in 2017 corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 41 fb - 1 . A multivariate regression algorithm based on a deep feed-forward neural network employs jet composition and shape information, and the properties of reconstructed secondary vertices associated with the jet. The results of the algorithm are used to improve the sensitivity of analyses that make use of b jets in the final state, such as the observation of Higgs boson decay to b b ¯ .
  2. Wang Q, Wang J, Li N, Liu J, Zhou J, Zhuang P, et al.
    Molecules, 2022 Jan 10;27(2).
    PMID: 35056765 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27020444
    (1) Background: Orthosiphon stamineus Benth. is a traditional medicine used in the treatment of diabetes and chronic renal failure in southern China, Malaysia, and Thailand. Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disease and the number of diabetic patients in the world is increasing. This review aimed to systematically review the effects of O. stamineus in the treatment of diabetes and its complications and the pharmacodynamic material basis. (2) Methods: This systematic review was conducted following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), using the databases ScienceDirect, PubMed, and Web of Science. (3) Results: Thirty-one articles related to O. stamineus and diabetes were included. The mechanisms of O. stamineus in the treatment of diabetes and its complications mainly included inhibiting α-amylase and α-glucosidase activities, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, regulating lipid metabolism, promoting insulin secretion, ameliorating insulin resistance, increasing glucose uptake, promoting glycolysis, inhibiting gluconeogenesis, promoting glucagon-likepeptide-1 (GLP-1) secretion and antiglycation activity. Phenolic acids, flavonoids and triterpenoids might be the main components for hypoglycemia effects in O. stamineus. (4) Conclusion: O. stamineus could be an antidiabetic agent to treat diabetes and its complications. However, it needs further study on a pharmacodynamic substance basis and the mechanisms of effective constituents.
  3. Sirunyan AM, Tumasyan A, Adam W, Ambrogi F, Bergauer T, Brandstetter J, et al.
    Eur Phys J C Part Fields, 2020;80(3):237.
    PMID: 32215380 DOI: 10.1140/epjc/s10052-020-7773-5
    A search in an all-jet final state for new massive resonances decaying to W W , W Z , or Z Z boson pairs using a novel analysis method is presented. The analysis is performed on data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 77.3 fb - 1 recorded with the CMS experiment at the LHC at a centre-of-mass energy of 13  Te . The search is focussed on potential narrow-width resonances with masses above 1.2  Te , where the decay products of each W or Z boson are expected to be collimated into a single, large-radius jet. The signal is extracted using a three-dimensional maximum likelihood fit of the two jet masses and the dijet invariant mass, yielding an improvement in sensitivity of up to 30% relative to previous search methods. No excess is observed above the estimated standard model background. In a heavy vector triplet model, spin-1 Z ' and W ' resonances with masses below 3.5 and 3.8   Te , respectively, are excluded at 95% confidence level. In a bulk graviton model, upper limits on cross sections are set between 27 and 0.2 fb for resonance masses between 1.2 and 5.2   Te , respectively. The limits presented in this paper are the best to date in the dijet final state.
  4. Peng W, Ma NL, Zhang D, Zhou Q, Yue X, Khoo SC, et al.
    Environ Res, 2020 12;191:110046.
    PMID: 32841638 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.110046
    Locusts differ from ordinary grasshoppers in their ability to swarm over long distances and are among the oldest migratory pests. The ecology and biology of locusts make them among the most devastating pests worldwide and hence the calls for actions to prevent the next outbreaks. The most destructive of all locust species is the desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria). Here, we review the current locust epidemic 2020 outbreak and its causes and prevention including the green technologies that may provide a reference for future directions of locust control and food security. Massive locust outbreaks threaten the terrestrial environments and crop production in around 100 countries of which Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya are the most affected. Six large locust outbreaks are reported for the period from 1912 to 1989 all being closely related to long-term droughts and warm winters coupled with occurrence of high precipitation in spring and summer. The outbreaks in East Africa, India and Pakistan are the most pronounced with locusts migrating more than 150 km/day during which the locusts consume food equivalent to their own body weight on a daily basis. The plague heavily affects the agricultural sectors, which is the foundation of national economies and social stability. Global warming is likely the main cause of locust plague outbreak in recent decades driving egg spawning of up to 2-400,000 eggs per square meter. Biological control techniques such as microorganisms, insects and birds help to reduce the outbreaks while reducing ecosystem and agricultural impacts. In addition, green technologies such as light and sound stimulation seem to work, however, these are challenging and need further technological development incorporating remote sensing and modelling before they are applicable on large-scales. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, the 2020 locust outbreak is the worst in 70 years probably triggered by climate change, hurricanes and heavy rain and has affected a total of 70,000 ha in Somalia and Ethiopia. There is a need for shifting towards soybean, rape, and watermelon which seems to help to prevent locust outbreaks and obtain food security. Furthermore, locusts have a very high protein content and is an excellent protein source for meat production and as an alternative human protein source, which should be used to mitigate food security. In addition, forestation of arable land improves local climate conditions towards less precipitation and lower temperatures while simultaneously attracting a larger number of birds thereby increasing the locust predation rates.
  5. Heikal MY, Aminuddin BS, Jeevanan J, Chen HC, Sharifah S, Ruszymah BH
    Med J Malaysia, 2008 Jul;63 Suppl A:34.
    PMID: 19024970
    Normal tracheal mucociliary clearance is the key to maintaining the health and defense of respiratory airway. Therefore the present of cilia and mucous blanket are important for tracheal epithelium to function effectively. In the present study, we prepared a tissue engineered respiratory epithelium construct (TEREC) made of autologous respiratory epithelium cells, fibroblast and fibrin from sheep owns blood which replaced a created tracheal mucosal defect. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed encouraging result where immature cilia were present on the surface of TEREC. This result indicates that engineered respiratory epithelium was able to function as normal tissue.
  6. Tumasyan A, Adam W, Andrejkovic JW, Bergauer T, Chatterjee S, Damanakis K, et al.
    Eur Phys J C Part Fields, 2023;83(10):933.
    PMID: 37855556 DOI: 10.1140/epjc/s10052-023-11952-7
    A search for decays to invisible particles of Higgs bosons produced in association with a top-antitop quark pair or a vector boson, which both decay to a fully hadronic final state, has been performed using proton-proton collision data collected at s=13TeV by the CMS experiment at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138fb-1. The 95% confidence level upper limit set on the branching fraction of the 125GeV Higgs boson to invisible particles, B(H→inv), is 0.54 (0.39 expected), assuming standard model production cross sections. The results of this analysis are combined with previous B(H→inv) searches carried out at s=7, 8, and 13TeV in complementary production modes. The combined upper limit at 95% confidence level on B(H→inv) is 0.15 (0.08 expected).
  7. Khachatryan V, Sirunyan AM, Tumasyan A, Adam W, Asilar E, Bergauer T, et al.
    Eur Phys J C Part Fields, 2017;77(5):294.
    PMID: 28579921 DOI: 10.1140/epjc/s10052-017-4787-8
    A search for new phenomena is performed in final states containing one or more jets and an imbalance in transverse momentum in pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13[Formula: see text]. The analysed data sample, recorded with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC, corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 2.3[Formula: see text]. Several kinematic variables are employed to suppress the dominant background, multijet production, as well as to discriminate between other standard model and new physics processes. The search provides sensitivity to a broad range of new-physics models that yield a stable weakly interacting massive particle. The number of observed candidate events is found to agree with the expected contributions from standard model processes, and the result is interpreted in the mass parameter space of fourteen simplified supersymmetric models that assume the pair production of gluinos or squarks and a range of decay modes. For models that assume gluino pair production, masses up to 1575 and 975[Formula: see text] are excluded for gluinos and neutralinos, respectively. For models involving the pair production of top squarks and compressed mass spectra, top squark masses up to 400[Formula: see text] are excluded.
  8. Feng X, Guo N, Chen H, Wang H, Yue L, Chen X, et al.
    Dalton Trans, 2017 Oct 24;46(41):14192-14200.
    PMID: 28990615 DOI: 10.1039/c7dt02974h
    A series of coordination polymers {[Ln(aobtc)(H2O)4]·Hbipy·H2O}n (H4aobtc = azoxybenzene-2,2',3,3'-tetracarboxylic acid, bipy = 4,4'-bipyridine, and Ln = Sm(1), Eu(2), Gd(3), Tb(4), Dy(5), Er(6)) have been synthesized and characterized systematically. The cationic Hbipy(+) guest incorporated polymers are isostructural sets, featuring a one-dimensional (1D) zigzag double chain edifice composed of binuclear clusters [Ln2(H4aobtc)2], with the Hbipy(+) guest being located on two sides. These 1D chains are further interlinked into a 2D layer structure, and further extended into a 3D framework through hydrogen bonding interactions. The luminescence emission spectra of polymers 2 and 3 are based on the H4aobtc acid ligands, while 1 and 4 display the characteristic f-f transitions of Ln(iii) ions. Magnetic measurements revealed the presence of ferromagnetic behavior in polymer 3. The magnetic behaviors of 4 and 6 are ascribed to the depopulation of the Stark levels and/or weak antiferromagnetic interactions within MOFs at lower temperature. Slow relaxation is observed through the alternating-current susceptibility measurements for 5 at lower temperature, and the coexistence of weak ferromagnetism corresponding to the spin-canting-like behavior.
  9. Naser E, Mackey S, Arthur D, Klainin-Yobas P, Chen H, Creedy DK
    Midwifery, 2012 Dec;28(6):e865-71.
    PMID: 22079015 DOI: 10.1016/j.midw.2011.10.003
    to explore the traditional birthing practices of Singaporean women.
  10. Chen H, Wang Z, Wu D, Jia H, Wen C, Rao H, et al.
    Math Biosci Eng, 2023 Jun 09;20(7):13267-13317.
    PMID: 37501488 DOI: 10.3934/mbe.2023592
    This paper presents an improved beluga whale optimization (IBWO) algorithm, which is mainly used to solve global optimization problems and engineering problems. This improvement is proposed to solve the imbalance between exploration and exploitation and to solve the problem of insufficient convergence accuracy and speed of beluga whale optimization (BWO). In IBWO, we use a new group action strategy (GAS), which replaces the exploration phase in BWO. It was inspired by the group hunting behavior of beluga whales in nature. The GAS keeps individual belugas whales together, allowing them to hide together from the threat posed by their natural enemy, the tiger shark. It also enables the exchange of location information between individual belugas whales to enhance the balance between local and global lookups. On this basis, the dynamic pinhole imaging strategy (DPIS) and quadratic interpolation strategy (QIS) are added to improve the global optimization ability and search rate of IBWO and maintain diversity. In a comparison experiment, the performance of the optimization algorithm (IBWO) was tested by using CEC2017 and CEC2020 benchmark functions of different dimensions. Performance was analyzed by observing experimental data, convergence curves, and box graphs, and the results were tested using the Wilcoxon rank sum test. The results show that IBWO has good optimization performance and robustness. Finally, the applicability of IBWO to practical engineering problems is verified by five engineering problems.
  11. Shen S, Deng L, Du Y, Gao J, Zhang C, Wang Y, et al.
    Int J Pharm, 2022 Dec 15;629:122385.
    PMID: 36375685 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2022.122385
    Wound dressings can be applied over the wound sites to provide long-lasting wound management and improve wound healing. Biological wound dressings are superior to synthetic materials due to biodegradability and biocompatibility. These biomaterials have demonstrated huge potential in the field of wound dressings. Applying bibliometric analysis combined with results-based descriptions to characterize the research status, hotspots, and cutting-edge topics, this study is the first in-depth qualitative, quantitative, data-driven overview of biological wound dressings research in recent decades. Filtered data were used to construct co-citation, heatmaps, bi-clustering, strategy maps, and other analyses and visualization. The results show that research on biological wound dressings has progressed considerably in the last 5 years with extensive global collaboration. A clear knowledge base has been developed. Chitosan hydrogels, bacterial cellulose, active agents (silver nanoparticles, growth factors, curcumin, etc.), and electrospinning fibers stand out as research hotspots. The research frontiers include novel starting materials, precise and controlled release systems, and clinical and regenerative medicine applications. We interpreted an overview of the excavated topics and expected the findings here to provide a guide and inspire innovations for developing the next generation wound dressings.
  12. Yue X, Ling Ma N, Zhong J, Yang H, Chen H, Yang Y, et al.
    Environ Res, 2024 Jan 15;241:117474.
    PMID: 37879390 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117474
    Here, we collected 154 plant species in China ancient forests looking for novel efficient bioactive compounds for cancer treatments. We found 600 bioactive phyto-chemicals that induce apoptosis of liver cancer cell in vitro. First, we screen the plant extract's in vitro cytotoxicity inhibition of cancer cell growth using in vitro HepG2 cell lines and MTT cytotoxicity. The results from these initial MTT in vitro cytotoxicity tests show that the most efficient plants towards hepatoma cytoxicity is Cephalotaxus sinensis, mint bush (Elsholtzia stauntonii) and winged spindle tree (Euonymus alatus). We then used in cell-counting kit-8 (CCK-8) to further understand in vivo tumor growth using nude mice and GC-MS and LC-QTOF-MS to analyze the composition of compounds in the extracts. Extracted chemically active molecules analyzed by network pharmacology showed inhibition on the growth of liver cancer cells by acting on multiple gene targets, which is different from the currently used traditional drugs acting on only one target of liver cancer cells. Extracts from Cephalotaxus sinensis, mint bush (Elsholtzia stauntonii) and winged spindle tree (Euonymus alatus) induce apoptosis in hepatoma cancer cell line HepG2 with a killing rate of more than 83% and a tumor size decrease by 62-67% and a killing rate of only 6% of normal hepatocyte LO2. This study highlight efficient candidate species for cancer treatment providing a basis for future development of novel plant-based drugs to help meeting several of the UN SDGs and planetary health.
  13. Gao X, Xue Z, Ma Q, Guo Q, Xing L, Santhanam RK, et al.
    J Food Biochem, 2020 02;44(2):e13126.
    PMID: 31877235 DOI: 10.1111/jfbc.13126
    Garlic protein (GP) was enzymatically hydrolyzed using pepsin and trypsin followed by the evaluation of antioxidant and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activities of GP and its hydrolysates. The antihypertensive effects of GP and its hydrolysates were determined in vivo. The results showed that GP and its hydrolysates namely GPH-P (pepsin) and GPH-T (trypsin) possessed appreciable antioxidant and ACE inhibitory activities. The ACE inhibitory activity of GP, GPH-T, and GPH-P was in consistent with their antioxidant activities. GP and its hydrolysates offered significant protective effects against H2 O2 -induced oxidative damage (p 
  14. Gao X, Santhanam RK, Xue Z, Jia Y, Wang Y, Lu Y, et al.
    J Food Sci, 2020 Apr;85(4):1060-1069.
    PMID: 32147838 DOI: 10.1111/1750-3841.15084
    Inonotus obliquus is a traditional mushroom well known for its therapeutic value. In this study, various solvent fractions of I. obliquus were preliminarily screened for their antioxidant, α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition properties. To improve the drug delivery, the active fraction (ethyl acetate fraction) of I. obliquus was synthesized into fungisome (ethyl acetate phophotidyl choline complex, EAPC) and its physical parameters were assessed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), Scanning electron microscope (SEM), and ς potential analysis. Then normal human hepatic L02 cells was used to evaluate the cytotoxicity of EAPC. The results showed that EA fraction possesses significant free radical scavenging, α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition properties. FTIR, SEM, and HPLC analysis confirmed the fungisome formation. The particle size of EAPC was 102.80 ± 0.42 nm and the ς potential was -54.30 ± 0.61 mV. The percentage of drug entrapment efficiency was 97.13% and the drug release rates of EAPC in simulated gastric fluid and simulated intestinal fluid were 75.04 ± 0.29% and 93.03 ± 0.36%, respectively. EAPC was nontoxic to L02 cells, however it could selectively fight against the H2 O2 induced oxidative damage in L02 cells. This is the first study to provide scientific information to utilize the active fraction of I. obliquus as fungisome. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Inonotus obliquus (IO) is a traditional medicinal fungus. The extracts of IO have obvious antioxidant and hypoglycemic activities. Ethyl acetate (EA) fraction of IO was encapsulated in liposomes to form EAPC. EAPC has a sustained-release effect. It has nontoxic to L02 cells and could protect L02 cells from oxidative damage caused by hydrogen peroxide. This study could provide new ideas for the treatment of diabetes.
  15. Munirah S, Samsudin OC, Chen HC, Salmah SH, Aminuddin BS, Ruszymah BH
    J Bone Joint Surg Br, 2007 Aug;89(8):1099-109.
    PMID: 17785753
    Ovine articular chondrocytes were isolated from cartilage biopsy and culture expanded in vitro. Approximately 30 million cells per ml of cultured chondrocytes were incorporated with autologous plasma-derived fibrin to form a three-dimensional construct. Full-thickness punch hole defects were created in the lateral and medial femoral condyles. The defects were implanted with either an autologous 'chondrocyte-fibrin' construct (ACFC), autologous chondrocytes (ACI) or fibrin blanks (AF) as controls. Animals were killed after 12 weeks. The gross appearance of the treated defects was inspected and photographed. The repaired tissues were studied histologically and by scanning electron microscopy analysis. All defects were assessed using the International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) classification. Those treated with ACFC, ACI and AF exhibited median scores which correspond to a nearly-normal appearance. On the basis of the modified O'Driscoll histological scoring scale, ACFC implantation significantly enhanced cartilage repair compared to ACI and AF. Using scanning electron microscopy, ACFC and ACI showed characteristic organisation of chondrocytes and matrices, which were relatively similar to the surrounding adjacent cartilage. Implantation of ACFC resulted in superior hyaline-like cartilage regeneration when compared with ACI. If this result is applicable to humans, a better outcome would be obtained than by using conventional ACI.
  16. Sarin SK, Kumar M, Lau GK, Abbas Z, Chan HL, Chen CJ, et al.
    Hepatol Int, 2016 Jan;10(1):1-98.
    PMID: 26563120 DOI: 10.1007/s12072-015-9675-4
    Worldwide, some 240 million people have chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV), with the highest rates of infection in Africa and Asia. Our understanding of the natural history of HBV infection and the potential for therapy of the resultant disease is continuously improving. New data have become available since the previous APASL guidelines for management of HBV infection were published in 2012. The objective of this manuscript is to update the recommendations for the optimal management of chronic HBV infection. The 2015 guidelines were developed by a panel of Asian experts chosen by the APASL. The clinical practice guidelines are based on evidence from existing publications or, if evidence was unavailable, on the experts' personal experience and opinion after deliberations. Manuscripts and abstracts of important meetings published through January 2015 have been evaluated. This guideline covers the full spectrum of care of patients infected with hepatitis B, including new terminology, natural history, screening, vaccination, counseling, diagnosis, assessment of the stage of liver disease, the indications, timing, choice and duration of single or combination of antiviral drugs, screening for HCC, management in special situations like childhood, pregnancy, coinfections, renal impairment and pre- and post-liver transplant, and policy guidelines. However, areas of uncertainty still exist, and clinicians, patients, and public health authorities must therefore continue to make choices on the basis of the evolving evidence. The final clinical practice guidelines and recommendations are presented here, along with the relevant background information.
  17. Low EV, Lee M, Bauer C, Fisher-Hoch SP, McCormick JB, Abughosh S, et al.
    Metab Syndr Relat Disord, 2022 Oct;20(8):440-450.
    PMID: 35819796 DOI: 10.1089/met.2021.0151
    Background: This retrospective cohort study aimed to examine the interaction effect between puberty stage and weight status on individual and clustering of cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRFs) among Mexican American children and adolescents. A total of 333 children and adolescents (aged 8-18 years) enrolled in the Cameron County Hispanic Cohort (CCHC) from 2014 to 2020 were included in the study. Methods: CCHC is a longitudinal, randomly recruited cohort based on the United States Census tracts/blocks of Mexican Americans living on the Texas-Mexico border. Individual CMRFs, including high blood pressure, central obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and insulin resistance (IR) were assessed. Clustering of CMRFs is defined as the presence of three or more individual CMRFs. Puberty stages were assessed using the Tanner criteria. Multivariable logistic regressions were conducted to assess the association of puberty, weight status, and the interaction of the two main exposures with individual and clustering of CMRFs. Results: We observed that weight status had a dominant effect on all CMRF measures. The effect was especially prominent on central obesity and clustering of CMRFs. There were 95.4% of children with central obesity and 98.4% of those with clustering of CMRF were either overweight or obese. Entering puberty was associated with an increased risk of having IR [Tanner stage 2 vs. 1: odds ratio (OR) = 3.25, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.28-8.27; Tanner stage 3 vs. 1: OR = 3.50, 95% CI 1.45-8.46] and hypertriglyceridemia (Tanner stage 2 vs. 1: OR = 2.67, 95% CI 1.11-6.45). However, the effects were not observed among those reaching the end of puberty (Tanner stage 4 and 5). Conclusions: A significant interaction effect between weight status and puberty was not detected on any individual CMRF and in the clustering of CMRFs. Other factors positively associated with individual CMRFs, especially IR, were being female and having a family history of diabetes.
  18. Mente A, Dehghan M, Rangarajan S, McQueen M, Dagenais G, Wielgosz A, et al.
    Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol, 2017 10;5(10):774-787.
    PMID: 28864143 DOI: 10.1016/S2213-8587(17)30283-8
    BACKGROUND: The relation between dietary nutrients and cardiovascular disease risk markers in many regions worldwide is unknown. In this study, we investigated the effect of dietary nutrients on blood lipids and blood pressure, two of the most important risk factors for cardiovascular disease, in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries.

    METHODS: We studied 125 287 participants from 18 countries in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia in the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study. Habitual food intake was measured with validated food frequency questionnaires. We assessed the associations between nutrients (total fats, saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, carbohydrates, protein, and dietary cholesterol) and cardiovascular disease risk markers using multilevel modelling. The effect of isocaloric replacement of saturated fatty acids with other fats and carbohydrates was determined overall and by levels of intakes by use of nutrient density models. We did simulation modelling in which we assumed that the effects of saturated fatty acids on cardiovascular disease events was solely related to their association through an individual risk marker, and then compared these simulated risk marker-based estimates with directly observed associations of saturated fatty acids with cardiovascular disease events.

    FINDINGS: Participants were enrolled into the study from Jan 1, 2003, to March 31, 2013. Intake of total fat and each type of fat was associated with higher concentrations of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, but also with higher HDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1), and lower triglycerides, ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol, ratio of triglycerides to HDL cholesterol, and ratio of apolipoprotein B (ApoB) to ApoA1 (all ptrend<0·0001). Higher carbohydrate intake was associated with lower total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and ApoB, but also with lower HDL cholesterol and ApoA1, and higher triglycerides, ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol, ratio of triglycerides to HDL cholesterol, and ApoB-to-ApoA1 ratio (all ptrend<0·0001, apart from ApoB [ptrend=0·0014]). Higher intakes of total fat, saturated fatty acids, and carbohydrates were associated with higher blood pressure, whereas higher protein intake was associated with lower blood pressure. Replacement of saturated fatty acids with carbohydrates was associated with the most adverse effects on lipids, whereas replacement of saturated fatty acids with unsaturated fats improved some risk markers (LDL cholesterol and blood pressure), but seemed to worsen others (HDL cholesterol and triglycerides). The observed associations between saturated fatty acids and cardiovascular disease events were approximated by the simulated associations mediated through the effects on the ApoB-to-ApoA1 ratio, but not with other lipid markers including LDL cholesterol.

    INTERPRETATION: Our data are at odds with current recommendations to reduce total fat and saturated fats. Reducing saturated fatty acid intake and replacing it with carbohydrate has an adverse effect on blood lipids. Substituting saturated fatty acids with unsaturated fats might improve some risk markers, but might worsen others. Simulations suggest that ApoB-to-ApoA1 ratio probably provides the best overall indication of the effect of saturated fatty acids on cardiovascular disease risk among the markers tested. Focusing on a single lipid marker such as LDL cholesterol alone does not capture the net clinical effects of nutrients on cardiovascular risk.

    FUNDING: Full funding sources listed at the end of the paper (see Acknowledgments).

  19. Mohd Heikal MY, Aminuddin BS, Jeevanan J, Chen HC, Sharifah SH, Ruszymah BH
    Cells Tissues Organs (Print), 2010;192(5):292-302.
    PMID: 20616535 DOI: 10.1159/000318675
    The objective of this study was to regenerate the tracheal epithelium using autologous nasal respiratory epithelial cells in a sheep model. Respiratory epithelium and fibroblast cells were harvested from nasal turbinates and cultured for 1 week. After confluence, respiratory epithelium and fibroblast cells were suspended in autologous fibrin polymerized separately to form a tissue-engineered respiratory epithelial construct (TEREC). A 3 × 2 cm² tracheal mucosal defect was created, and implanted with TEREC and titanium mesh as a temporary scaffold. The control groups were divided into 2 groups: polymerized autologous fibrin devoid of cells (group 1), and no construct implanted (group 2). All sheep were euthanized at 4 weeks of implantation. Gross observation of the trachea showed minimal luminal stenosis formation in the experimental group compared to the control groups. Macroscopic evaluation revealed significant mucosal fibrosis in control group 1 (71.8%) as compared to the experimental group (7%). Hematoxylin and eosin staining revealed the presence of minimal overgrowth of fibrous connective tissue covered by respiratory epithelium. A positive red fluorescence staining of PKH26 on engineered tissue 4 weeks after implantation confirmed the presence of cultured nasal respiratory epithelial cells intercalated with native tracheal epithelial cells. Scanning electron microscopy showed the presence of short microvilli representing immature cilia on the surface of the epithelium. Our study showed that TEREC was a good replacement for a tracheal mucosal defect and was able to promote natural regenesis of the tracheal epithelium with minimal fibrosis. This study highlighted a new technique in the treatment of tracheal stenosis.
  20. Tumasyan A, Adam W, Bergauer T, Dragicevic M, Del Valle AE, Frühwirth R, et al.
    Phys Rev Lett, 2023 Aug 04;131(5):051901.
    PMID: 37595238 DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.131.051901
    The structure of nucleons is multidimensional and depends on the transverse momenta, spatial geometry, and polarization of the constituent partons. Such a structure can be studied using high-energy photons produced in ultraperipheral heavy-ion collisions. The first measurement of the azimuthal angular correlations of exclusively produced events with two jets in photon-lead interactions at large momentum transfer is presented, a process that is considered to be sensitive to the underlying nuclear gluon polarization. This study uses a data sample of ultraperipheral lead-lead collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 0.38  nb^{-1}, collected with the CMS experiment at the LHC. The measured second harmonic of the correlation between the sum and difference of the two jet transverse momentum vectors is found to be positive, and rising, as the dijet transverse momentum increases. A well-tuned model that has been successful at describing a wide range of proton scattering data from the HERA experiments fails to describe the observed correlations, suggesting the presence of gluon polarization effects.
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