MyMedR

Displaying all 6 publications

Abstract:

Sort:

The molecular mechanisms of probiotic strains in improving ageing bone and muscle of d-galactose-induced ageing rats

Hor YY, Ooi CH, Lew LC, Jaafar MH, Lau AS, Lee BK, et al.

J Appl Microbiol, 2021 Apr;130(4):1307-1322.
PMID: 32638482 DOI: 10.1111/jam.14776

AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the molecular mechanisms of Lactobacillus strains in improving ageing of the musculoskeletal system.
METHODS AND RESULTS: The anti-ageing mechanism of three probiotics strains Lactobacillus fermentum DR9, Lactobacillus paracasei OFS 0291 and L. helveticus OFS 1515 were evaluated on gastrocnemius muscle and tibia of d-galactose-induced ageing rats. Upon senescence induction, aged rats demonstrated reduced antioxidative genes CAT and SOD expression in both bone and muscle compared to the young rats (P
Lactobacilli modulated AMPK activity and prevented telomere shortening in ageing rats

Lew LC, Hor YY, Jaafar MH, Lau ASY, Ong JS, Chuah LO, et al.

Benef Microbes, 2019 Dec 09;10(8):883-892.
PMID: 31965837 DOI: 10.3920/BM2019.0058

This study aimed to evaluate the anti-ageing effects of different strains of lactobacilli putative probiotics on an ageing rat model as induced by D-galactose and a high fat diet. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed with high fat diet (54% kcal fat) and injected with D-galactose daily for 12 weeks to induce ageing. The effects of putative probiotic strains on age-related impairment such as telomere length, plasma lipid peroxidation, hepatic 5'adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) expression, as well as endurance performance were evaluated. Administration of statin, Lactobacillus plantarum DR7 (LP-DR7), Lactobacillus fermentum DR9 (LF-DR9), and Lactobacillus reuteri 8513d (LR-8513d) significantly reduced the shortening of telomere and increased the expression of AMPK subunit-α1 (P<0.05). Plasma lipid peroxidation was lower (P<0.05) in groups administered with statin and LF-DR9 as compared to the control. AMPK subunit-α2 was elevated in rats administered with LP-DR7 as compared to the control (P<0.05). Using an in vivo ageing rat model, the current study has illustrated the potentials of lactobacilli putative probiotics in alleviation of age-related impairment in a strain-dependent manner.
Factors Related to, and Effective Interventions for, Vaccination Uptake Among Older Adults in Two Asia-Pacific Countries: A Rapid Review

Tong WT, Seth A, Ng MPE, Tong SC, Lau A, Chen TY, et al.

Asia Pac J Public Health, 2024 Nov;36(8):676-688.
PMID: 38869052 DOI: 10.1177/10105395241258530

This rapid review aimed to present a comprehensive overview of barriers, facilitators, and effective interventions that promote vaccination uptake by older adults in the Asia-Pacific region. Rapid review methodology was applied, using two databases (PubMed, Embase). Articles were included if studies were conducted in Australia, Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines; included human population ≥50 years of age, and was published from 2016 to August 2022. Related articles were not found from Indonesia and Philippines. A total of 23 articles met the inclusion criteria, with 19 reporting on barriers and facilitators, whereas, four articles reported effective interventions to promote vaccination uptake. Among the 19 studies that identified barriers and facilitators to vaccination uptake, the more common factors were social influences (n = 8/19), perceived benefits of vaccine (n = 7/19), and perceived vaccine safety (n = 6/19). Interventions that focused on supporting clinicians were found to be effective in leading them to recommend vaccinations among older adults, such as creating awareness on the low baseline vaccination rates among older adults, provision of structured health assessment, and nurse reminders. More studies are needed to ascertain the barriers and facilitators to uptake, as well as to identify effective interventions influencing vaccine uptake among older adults in the Asia-Pacific region.
Bifidobacterium longum BB536 alleviated upper respiratory illnesses and modulated gut microbiota profiles in Malaysian pre-school children

Lau AS, Yanagisawa N, Hor YY, Lew LC, Ong JS, Chuah LO, et al.

Benef Microbes, 2018 Jan 29;9(1):61-70.
PMID: 29065707 DOI: 10.3920/BM2017.0063

This 10-months randomised, double-blind, parallel and placebo-controlled study evaluated the effects of Bifidobacterium longum BB536 on diarrhoea and/or upper respiratory illnesses in 520 healthy Malaysian pre-school children aged 2-6 years old. The subjects randomly received a one-gram sachet containing either BB536 (5×109 cfu) or placebo daily. Data analysis was performed on 219 subjects who fully complied over 10-months (placebo n=110, BB536 n=109). While BB536 did not exert significant effects against diarrhoea in children, Poisson regression with generalised estimating equations model indicated significant intergroup difference in the mean number of times of respiratory illnesses over 10 months. The duration of sore throat was reduced by 46% (P=0.018), with marginal reduction for duration of fever (reduced by 27%, P=0.084), runny nose (reduced by 15%, P=0.087) and cough (reduced by 16%, P=0.087) as compared to the placebo. Principal coordinate analysis at genus level of the gut microbiota revealed significant differences between 0 and 10 months in the BB536 group (P<0.01) but not in placebo group (P>0.05). The abundance of the genus Faecalibacterium which is associated with anti-inflammatory and immuno-modulatory properties was significantly higher in the BB536 group (P<0.05) compared to the placebo group. Altogether, our present study illustrated the potential protective effects of BB536 against upper respiratory illnesses in pre-school Malaysian children, with gut microbiota modulating properties.
New tree height allometries derived from terrestrial laser scanning reveal substantial discrepancies with forest inventory methods in tropical rainforests

Terryn L, Calders K, Meunier F, Bauters M, Boeckx P, Brede B, et al.

Glob Chang Biol, 2024 Aug;30(8):e17473.
PMID: 39155688 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.17473

Tree allometric models, essential for monitoring and predicting terrestrial carbon stocks, are traditionally built on global databases with forest inventory measurements of stem diameter (D) and tree height (H). However, these databases often combine H measurements obtained through various measurement methods, each with distinct error patterns, affecting the resulting H:D allometries. In recent decades, terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) has emerged as a widely accepted method for accurate, non-destructive tree structural measurements. This study used TLS data to evaluate the prediction accuracy of forest inventory-based H:D allometries and to develop more accurate pantropical allometries. We considered 19 tropical rainforest plots across four continents. Eleven plots had forest inventory and RIEGL VZ-400(i) TLS-based D and H data, allowing accuracy assessment of local forest inventory-based H:D allometries. Additionally, TLS-based data from 1951 trees from all 19 plots were used to create new pantropical H:D allometries for tropical rainforests. Our findings reveal that in most plots, forest inventory-based H:D allometries underestimated H compared with TLS-based allometries. For 30-metre-tall trees, these underestimations varied from -1.6 m (-5.3%) to -7.5 m (-25.4%). In the Malaysian plot with trees reaching up to 77 m in height, the underestimation was as much as -31.7 m (-41.3%). We propose a TLS-based pantropical H:D allometry, incorporating maximum climatological water deficit for site effects, with a mean uncertainty of 19.1% and a mean bias of -4.8%. While the mean uncertainty is roughly 2.3% greater than that of the Chave2014 model, this model demonstrates more consistent uncertainties across tree size and delivers less biased estimates of H (with a reduction of 8.23%). In summary, recognizing the errors in H measurements from forest inventory methods is vital, as they can propagate into the allometries they inform. This study underscores the potential of TLS for accurate H and D measurements in tropical rainforests, essential for refining tree allometries.
Parenting measurement, normativeness, and associations with child outcomes: Comparing evidence from four non-Western cultures

Ren H, Hart CH, Cheah CSL, Porter CL, Nelson DA, Yavuz-Müren HM, et al.

Dev Sci, 2024 Sep;27(5):e13388.
PMID: 36929667 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13388

This study compared parenting across four non-Western cultures to test cross-cultural commonality and specificity principles in three aspects: measurement properties, parenting normativeness, and their associations with child outcomes. Both mothers and fathers (N = 1509 dyads) with preschool-aged children (M = 5.00 years; 48% girls) from urban areas of four countries (Malaysia, N = 372; China, N = 441; Turkey, N = 402; and Japan, N = 294) reported on four parenting constructs (authoritative, authoritarian, group harmony socialization, and intrusive control) and their sub-dimensions using modified culturally relevant measures. Teachers reported on children's internalizing, externalizing, and prosocial behaviors. The commonality principle was supported by two sets of findings: (1) full measurement invariance was established for most parenting constructs and sub-dimensions, except that intrusive control only reached partial scalar invariance, and (2) no variations were found in associations between parenting and any child outcomes across cultures or parent gender at the construct level for all four parenting constructs and at the sub-dimensional level for authoritarian and intrusive control sub-dimensions. The specificity principle was supported by the other two sets of findings: (1) cross-cultural differences in parenting normativeness did not follow the pattern of economic development but yielded culture-specific patterns, and (2) at the sub-dimensional level, the authoritative parenting and group harmony socialization sub-dimensions were differently associated with child outcomes across cultures and/or parent gender. The findings suggested that examining specific dimensions rather than broad parenting constructs is necessary to reflect cultural specificities and nuances. Our study provided a culturally-invariant instrument and a three-step guide for future parenting research to examine cross-cultural commonalities/specificities. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: This is the first study to use an instrument with measurement invariance across multiple non-Western cultures to examine the commonality and specificity principles in parenting. Measurement invariance was achieved across cultures for authoritative and authoritarian parenting, group harmony socialization, intrusive control, and their sub-dimensions, supporting the commonality principle. Cross-cultural differences in parenting normativeness did not follow the pattern of economic development but yielded culture-specific patterns, supporting the specificity principle. Both commonalities and specificities were manifested in associations between parenting and child outcomes across cultures.