Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 146 in total

Abstract:
Sort:
  1. Klionsky DJ, Abdelmohsen K, Abe A, Abedin MJ, Abeliovich H, Acevedo Arozena A, et al.
    Autophagy, 2016;12(1):1-222.
    PMID: 26799652 DOI: 10.1080/15548627.2015.1100356
  2. Wills C, Wang B, Fang S, Wang Y, Jin Y, Lutz J, et al.
    PLoS Comput Biol, 2021 Apr;17(4):e1008853.
    PMID: 33914731 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008853
    When Darwin visited the Galapagos archipelago, he observed that, in spite of the islands' physical similarity, members of species that had dispersed to them recently were beginning to diverge from each other. He postulated that these divergences must have resulted primarily from interactions with sets of other species that had also diverged across these otherwise similar islands. By extrapolation, if Darwin is correct, such complex interactions must be driving species divergences across all ecosystems. However, many current general ecological theories that predict observed distributions of species in ecosystems do not take the details of between-species interactions into account. Here we quantify, in sixteen forest diversity plots (FDPs) worldwide, highly significant negative density-dependent (NDD) components of both conspecific and heterospecific between-tree interactions that affect the trees' distributions, growth, recruitment, and mortality. These interactions decline smoothly in significance with increasing physical distance between trees. They also tend to decline in significance with increasing phylogenetic distance between the trees, but each FDP exhibits its own unique pattern of exceptions to this overall decline. Unique patterns of between-species interactions in ecosystems, of the general type that Darwin postulated, are likely to have contributed to the exceptions. We test the power of our null-model method by using a deliberately modified data set, and show that the method easily identifies the modifications. We examine how some of the exceptions, at the Wind River (USA) FDP, reveal new details of a known allelopathic effect of one of the Wind River gymnosperm species. Finally, we explore how similar analyses can be used to investigate details of many types of interactions in these complex ecosystems, and can provide clues to the evolution of these interactions.
  3. Zhong Y, Chu C, Myers JA, Gilbert GS, Lutz JA, Stillhard J, et al.
    Nat Commun, 2021 May 25;12(1):3137.
    PMID: 34035260 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23236-3
    Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) and ectomycorrhizal (EcM) associations are critical for host-tree performance. However, how mycorrhizal associations correlate with the latitudinal tree beta-diversity remains untested. Using a global dataset of 45 forest plots representing 2,804,270 trees across 3840 species, we test how AM and EcM trees contribute to total beta-diversity and its components (turnover and nestedness) of all trees. We find AM rather than EcM trees predominantly contribute to decreasing total beta-diversity and turnover and increasing nestedness with increasing latitude, probably because wide distributions of EcM trees do not generate strong compositional differences among localities. Environmental variables, especially temperature and precipitation, are strongly correlated with beta-diversity patterns for both AM trees and all trees rather than EcM trees. Results support our hypotheses that latitudinal beta-diversity patterns and environmental effects on these patterns are highly dependent on mycorrhizal types. Our findings highlight the importance of AM-dominated forests for conserving global forest biodiversity.
  4. Wen D, Cheng Z, Li J, Zheng X, Yao W, Dong X, et al.
    J Neurosci Methods, 2021 Nov 01;363:109353.
    PMID: 34492241 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2021.109353
    BACKGROUND: The application of deep learning models to electroencephalogram (EEG) signal classification has recently become a popular research topic. Several deep learning models have been proposed to classify EEG signals in patients with various neurological diseases. However, no effective deep learning model for event-related potential (ERP) signal classification is yet available for amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

    METHOD: This study proposed a single-scale multi-input convolutional neural network (SSMICNN) method to classify ERP signals between aMCI patients with T2DM and the control group. Firstly, the 18-electrode ERP signal on alpha, beta, and theta frequency bands was extracted by using the fast Fourier transform, and then the mean, sum of squares, and absolute value feature of each frequency band were calculated. Finally, these three features are converted into multispectral images respectively and used as the input of the SSMICNN network to realize the classification task.

    RESULTS: The results show that the SSMICNN can fuse MSI formed by different features, SSMICNN enriches the feature quantity of the neural network input layer and has excellent robustness, and the errors of SSMICNN can be simultaneously transmitted to the three convolution channels in the back-propagation phase. Comparison with Existing Method(s): SSMICNN could more effectively identify ERP signals from aMCI with T2DM from the control group compared to existing classification methods, including convolution neural network, support vector machine, and logistic regression.

    CONCLUSIONS: The combination of SSMICNN and MSI can be used as an effective biological marker to distinguish aMCI patients with T2DM from the control group.

  5. Cui Y, Hada K, Kawashima T, Kino M, Lin W, Mizuno Y, et al.
    Nature, 2023 Sep;621(7980):711-715.
    PMID: 37758892 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06479-6
    The nearby radio galaxy M87 offers a unique opportunity to explore the connections between the central supermassive black hole and relativistic jets. Previous studies of the inner region of M87 revealed a wide opening angle for the jet originating near the black hole1-4. The Event Horizon Telescope resolved the central radio source and found an asymmetric ring structure consistent with expectations from general relativity5. With a baseline of 17 years of observations, there was a shift in the jet's transverse position, possibly arising from an 8- to 10-year quasi-periodicity3. However, the origin of this sideways shift remains unclear. Here we report an analysis of radio observations over 22 years that suggests a period of about 11 years for the variation in the position angle of the jet. We infer that we are seeing a spinning black hole that induces the Lense-Thirring precession of a misaligned accretion disk. Similar jet precession may commonly occur in other active galactic nuclei but has been challenging to detect owing to the small magnitude and long period of the variation.
  6. Tang BH, Guan Z, Allegaert K, Wu YE, Manolis E, Leroux S, et al.
    Clin Pharmacokinet, 2021 11;60(11):1435-1448.
    PMID: 34041714 DOI: 10.1007/s40262-021-01033-x
    BACKGROUND: Population pharmacokinetic evaluations have been widely used in neonatal pharmacokinetic studies, while machine learning has become a popular approach to solving complex problems in the current era of big data.

    OBJECTIVE: The aim of this proof-of-concept study was to evaluate whether combining population pharmacokinetic and machine learning approaches could provide a more accurate prediction of the clearance of renally eliminated drugs in individual neonates.

    METHODS: Six drugs that are primarily eliminated by the kidneys were selected (vancomycin, latamoxef, cefepime, azlocillin, ceftazidime, and amoxicillin) as 'proof of concept' compounds. Individual estimates of clearance obtained from population pharmacokinetic models were used as reference clearances, and diverse machine learning methods and nested cross-validation were adopted and evaluated against these reference clearances. The predictive performance of these combined methods was compared with the performance of two other predictive methods: a covariate-based maturation model and a postmenstrual age and body weight scaling model. Relative error was used to evaluate the different methods.

    RESULTS: The extra tree regressor was selected as the best-fit machine learning method. Using the combined method, more than 95% of predictions for all six drugs had a relative error of < 50% and the mean relative error was reduced by an average of 44.3% and 71.3% compared with the other two predictive methods.

    CONCLUSION: A combined population pharmacokinetic and machine learning approach provided improved predictions of individual clearances of renally cleared drugs in neonates. For a new patient treated in clinical practice, individual clearance can be predicted a priori using our model code combined with demographic data.

  7. Xu S, Lan H, Teng Q, Li X, Jin Z, Qu Y, et al.
    Int J Biol Macromol, 2023 Aug 12;251:126286.
    PMID: 37579904 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.126286
    H7 avian influenza virus has caused multiple human infections and poses a severe public health threat. In response to the highly variable nature of AIVs, a novel, easily regenerated DNA vaccine has great potential in treating or preventing avian influenza pandemics. Nevertheless, DNA vaccines have many disadvantages, such as weak immunogenicity and poor in vivo delivery. To further characterize and solve these issues and develop a novel H7 AIV DNA vaccine with enhanced stability and immunogenicity, we constructed nine AIV DNA plasmids, and the immunogenicity screened showed that mice immunized with pβH7N2SH9 elicited stronger hemagglutination-inhibiting (HI) antibodies than other eight plasmid DNAs. Then, to address the susceptibility to degradation and low transfection rate of DNA vaccine in vivo, we developed pβH7N2SH9/DGL NPs by encapsulating the pβH7N2SH9 within the dendrigraft poly-l-lysines nanoparticles. As expected, these NPs exhibited excellent physical and chemical properties, were capable of promote lymphocyte proliferation, and induce stronger humoral and cellular responses than the naked pβH7N2SH9, including higher levels of HI antibodies than naked pβH7N2SH9, as well as the production of cytokines, namely, IL-2, IFN-α. Taken together, our results suggest that the construction of an immune-enhanced H7-AIV DNA nanovaccine may be a promising strategy against most influenza viruses.
  8. Weng Q, Goh SL, Wu J, Persson MSM, Wei J, Sarmanova A, et al.
    Br J Sports Med, 2023 Aug;57(15):990-996.
    PMID: 36593092 DOI: 10.1136/bjsports-2022-105898
    OBJECTIVE: Clinical guidelines recommend exercise as a core treatment for knee or hip osteoarthritis (OA). However, how its analgesic effect compares to analgesics, for example, oral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and paracetamol-the most commonly used analgesics for OA, remains unknown.

    DESIGN: Network meta-analysis.

    DATA SOURCES: PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane Library and Web of Science from database inception to January 2022.

    ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing exercise therapy with oral NSAIDs and paracetamol directly or indirectly in knee or hip OA.

    RESULTS: A total of n=152 RCTs (17 431 participants) were included. For pain relief, there was no difference between exercise and oral NSAIDs and paracetamol at or nearest to 4 (standardised mean difference (SMD)=-0.12, 95% credibility interval (CrI) -1.74 to 1.50; n=47 RCTs), 8 (SMD=0.22, 95% CrI -0.05 to 0.49; n=2 RCTs) and 24 weeks (SMD=0.17, 95% CrI -0.77 to 1.12; n=9 RCTs). Similarly, there was no difference between exercise and oral NSAIDs and paracetamol in functional improvement at or nearest to 4 (SMD=0.09, 95% CrI -1.69 to 1.85; n=40 RCTs), 8 (SMD=0.06, 95% CrI -0.20 to 0.33; n=2 RCTs) and 24 weeks (SMD=0.05, 95% CrI -1.15 to 1.24; n=9 RCTs).

    CONCLUSIONS: Exercise has similar effects on pain and function to that of oral NSAIDs and paracetamol. Given its excellent safety profile, exercise should be given more prominence in clinical care, especially in older people with comorbidity or at higher risk of adverse events related to NSAIDs and paracetamol.CRD42019135166.

  9. Alias N, Ali Umar A, Malek NAA, Liu K, Li X, Abdullah NA, et al.
    ACS Appl Mater Interfaces, 2021 Jan 20;13(2):3051-3061.
    PMID: 33410652 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c20137
    A deficiency in the photoelectrical dynamics at the interface due to the surface traps of the TiO2 electron transport layer (ETL) has been the critical factor for the inferiority of the power conversion efficiency (PCE) in the perovskite solar cells. Despite its excellent energy level alignment with most perovskite materials, its large density of surface defect as a result of sub lattice vacancies has been the critical hurdle for an efficient photovoltaic process in the device. Here, we report that atoms thick 2D TiS2 layer grown on the surface of a (001) faceted and single-crystalline TiO2 nanograss (NG) ETL have effectively passivated the defects, boosting the charge extractability, carrier mobility, external quantum efficiency, and the device stability. These properties allow the perovskite solar cells (PSCs) to produce a PCE as high as 18.73% with short-circuit current density (Jsc), open-circuit voltage (Voc), and fill-factor (FF) values as high as 22.04 mA/cm2, 1.13 V, and 0.752, respectively, a 3.3% improvement from the pristine TiO2-NG-based PSCs. The present approach should find an extensive application for controlling the photoelectrical dynamic deficiency in perovskite solar cells.
  10. Lim KY, Yasim-Anuar TAT, Sharip NS, Ujang FA, Husin H, Ariffin H, et al.
    Polymers (Basel), 2023 Mar 01;15(5).
    PMID: 36904501 DOI: 10.3390/polym15051258
    Lignin is a natural biopolymer with a complex three-dimensional network and it is rich in phenol, making it a good candidate for the production of bio-based polyphenol material. This study attempts to characterize the properties of green phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resins produced through phenol substitution by the phenolated lignin (PL) and bio-oil (BO), extracted from oil palm empty fruit bunch black liquor. Mixtures of PF with varied substitution rates of PL and BO were prepared by heating a mixture of phenol-phenol substitute with 30 wt.% NaOH and 80% formaldehyde solution at 94 °C for 15 min. After that, the temperature was reduced to 80 °C before the remaining 20% formaldehyde solution was added. The reaction was carried out by heating the mixture to 94 °C once more, holding it for 25 min, and then rapidly lowering the temperature to 60 °C, to produce the PL-PF or BO-PF resins. The modified resins were then tested for pH, viscosity, solid content, FTIR, and TGA. Results revealed that the substitution of 5% PL into PF resins is enough to improve its physical properties. The PL-PF resin production process was also deemed environmentally beneficial, as it met 7 of the 8 Green Chemistry Principle evaluation criteria.
  11. Li X, Hou Q, Yuan W, Zhan X, Yuan H
    J Orthop Surg Res, 2023 Dec 01;18(1):916.
    PMID: 38041147 DOI: 10.1186/s13018-023-04412-1
    BACKGROUND: Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is the main pathogenesis of low back pain. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been found to exert regulatory function in IDD. This study aimed to investigate the effect and potential mechanism of miR-96-5p in IDD.

    METHODS: In vitro cell model of IDD was established by treating human nucleus pulposus cells (HNPCs) with interleukin-1β (IL-1β). The level of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) was examined in the IDD cell model by Western blot and quantification real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The expression level of miR-96-5p was detected by RT-qPCR. Effects of PPARγ or/and PPARγ agonist on inflammatory factors, extracellular matrix (ECM), apoptosis, and nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) nuclear translocation were examined through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Western blot, flow cytometry assay, and immunofluorescence staining. The Starbase database and dual luciferase reporter assay were used to predict and validate the targeting relationship between miR-96-5p and PPARγ, and rescue assay was performed to gain insight into the role of miR-96-5p on IDD through PPARγ/NF-κB signaling.

    RESULTS: PPARγ expression reduced with concentration and time under IL-1β stimulation, while miR-96-5p expression showed the reverse trend (P 

  12. Li S, Lu BP, Feng J, Zhou JJ, Xie ZZ, Liang C, et al.
    Trop Biomed, 2020 Dec 01;37(4):852-863.
    PMID: 33612738 DOI: 10.47665/tb.37.4.852
    Fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase (FbA), a well characterized glycometabolism enzyme, has been found to participate in other important processes besides the classic catalysis. To understand the important functions of three fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolases from Clonorchis sinensis (CsFbAs, CsFbA-1/2/3) in host-parasite interplay, the open reading frames of CsFbAs were cloned into pET30a (+) vector and the resulting recombinant plasmids were transformed into Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) for expression of the proteins. Purified recombinant CsFbAs proteins (rCsFbAs) were approximately 45.0 kDa on 12% SDS-PAGE and could be probed with each rat anti-rCsFbAs sera by western blotting analysis. ELISA and ligand blot overlay indicated that rCsFbAs of 45.0 kDa as well as native CsFbAs of 39.5 kDa from total worm extracts and excretory-secretory products of Clonorchis sinensis (CsESPs) could bind to human plasminogen, and the binding could be efficiently inhibited by lysine analog ε-aminocaproic acid. Our results suggested that as both the components of CsESPs and the plasminogen binding proteins, three CsFbAs might be involved in preventing the formation of the blood clot so that Clonorchis sinensis could acquire enough nutrients from host tissue for their successful survival and colonization in the host. Our work will provide us with new information about the biological function of three CsFbAs and their roles in hostparasite interplay.
  13. Li Y, Ouyang Y, Wu H, Wang P, Huang Y, Li X, et al.
    Eur J Med Chem, 2022 Jan 15;228:113979.
    PMID: 34802838 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2021.113979
    The shortage of new antibiotics makes infections caused by gram-negative (G-) bacteria a significant clinical problem. The key enzymes involved in folate biosynthesis represent important targets for drug discovery, and new antifolates with novel mechanisms are urgently needed. By targeting to dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), a series of 1,3-diamino-7H-pyrrol[3,2-f]quinazoline (PQZ) compounds were designed, and exhibited potent antibacterial activities in vitro, especially against multi-drug resistant G- strains. Multiple experiments indicated that PQZ compounds contain a different molecular mechanism against the typical DHFR inhibitor, trimethoprim (TMP), and the thymidylate synthase (TS) was identified as another potential but a relatively weak target. A significant synergism between the representative compound, OYYF-175, and sulfamethoxazole (SMZ) was observed with a strong cumulative and significantly bactericidal effect at extremely low concentrations (2 μg/mL for SMZ and 0.03 pg/mL for OYYF-175), which could be resulted from the simultaneous inhibition of dihydropteroate synthase (DHPS), DHFR and TS. PQZ compounds exhibited therapeutic effects in a mouse model of intraperitoneal infections caused by Escherichia coli (E. coli). The co-crystal structure of OYYF-175-DHFR was solved and the detailed interactions were provided. The inhibitors reported represent innovative chemical structures with novel molecular mechanism of action, which will benefit the generation of new, efficacious bactericidal compounds.
  14. Ji L, Luo Y, Bee YM, Xia J, Nguyen KT, Zhao W, et al.
    J Diabetes, 2023 Jun;15(6):474-487.
    PMID: 37088916 DOI: 10.1111/1753-0407.13392
    The objective of this study was to provide recommendations regarding effectiveness, safety, optimal starting dose, optimal maintenance dose range, and target fasting plasma glucose of five basal insulins (glargine U-300, degludec U-100, glargine U-100, detemir, and insulin protamine Hagedorn) in insulin-naïve adult patients with type 2 diabetes in the Asia-Pacific region. Based on evidence from a systematic review, we developed an Asia-Pacific clinical practice guideline through comprehensive internal review and external review processes. We set up and used clinical thresholds of trivial, small, moderate, and large effects for different critical and important outcomes in the overall certainty of evidence assessment and balancing the magnitude of intervention effects when making recommendations, following GRADE methods (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation). The AGREE (Appraisal of Guidelines, Research and Evaluation) and RIGHT (Reporting Items for practice Guidelines in HealThcare) guideline reporting checklists were complied with. After the second-round vote by the working group members, all the recommendations and qualifying statements reached over 75% agreement rates. Among 44 contacted external reviewers, we received 33 clinicians' and one patient's comments. The overall response rate was 77%. To solve the four research questions, we made two strong recommendations, six conditional recommendations, and two qualifying statements. Although the intended users of this guideline focused on clinicians in the Asia-Pacific region, the eligible evidence was based on recent English publications. We believe that the recommendations and the clinical thresholds set up in the guideline can be references for clinicians who take care of patients with type 2 diabetes worldwide.
  15. Shi T, Li X, Zheng J, Duan Z, Ooi YY, Gao Y, et al.
    Cell Oncol (Dordr), 2023 Aug;46(4):969-985.
    PMID: 37014552 DOI: 10.1007/s13402-023-00791-z
    PURPOSE: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an aggressive disease with a high mortality rate, in which about 90% of patients harbor somatic oncogenic point mutations in KRAS. SPRY family genes have been recognized as crucial negative regulators of Ras/Raf/ERK signaling. Here, we investigate the expression and role of SPRY proteins in PDAC.

    METHODS: Expression of SPRY genes in human and mice PDAC was analyzed using The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus datasets, and by immunohistochemistry analysis. Gain-of-function, loss-of-function of Spry1 and orthotopic xenograft model were adopted to investigate the function of Spry1 in mice PDAC. Bioinformatics analysis, transwell and flowcytometry analysis were used to identify the effects of SPRY1 on immune cells. Co-immunoprecipitation and K-ras4B G12V overexpression were used to identify molecular mechanism.

    RESULTS: SPRY1 expression was remarkably increased in PDAC tissues and positively associated with poor prognosis of PDAC patients. SPRY1 knockdown suppressed tumor growth in mice. SPRY1 was found to promote CXCL12 expression and facilitate neutrophil and macrophage infiltration via CXCL12-CXCR4 axis. Pharmacological inhibition of CXCL12-CXCR4 largely abrogated the oncogenic functions of SPRY1 by suppressing neutrophil and macrophage infiltration. Mechanistically, SPRY1 interacted with ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1 to induce activation of nuclear factor κB signaling and ultimately increase CXCL12 expression. Moreover, SPRY1 transcription was dependent on KRAS mutation and was mediated by MAPK-ERK signaling.

    CONCLUSION: High expression of SPRY1 can function as an oncogene in PDAC by promoting cancer-associated inflammation. Targeting SPRY1 might be an important approach for designing new strategy of tumor therapy.

  16. Qin D, Gong Q, Li X, Gao Y, Gopinath SCB, Chen Y, et al.
    Biotechnol Appl Biochem, 2023 Apr;70(2):553-559.
    PMID: 35725894 DOI: 10.1002/bab.2377
    Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a highly infectious bacterium and the major cause of pneumonia especially in school-going children. Mycoplasma pneumoniae affects the respiratory tract, and 25% of patients experience health-related problems. It is important to have a suitable method to detect M. pneumoniae, and gold nanoparticle (GNP)-based colorimetric biosensing was used in this study to identify the specific target DNA for M. pneumoniae. The color of GNPs changes due to negatively charged GNPs in the presence of positively charged monovalent (Na+ ) ions from NaCl. This condition is reversed in the presence of a single-stranded oligonucleotide, as it attracts GNPs but not in the presence of double-stranded DNA. Single standard capture DNA was mixed with optimal target DNA that cannot be adsorbed by GNPs; under this condition, GNPs are not stabilized and aggregate at high ionic strength (from 100 mM). Without capture DNA, the GNPs that were stabilized by capture DNA (from 1 μM) became more stable under high ionic conditions and retaining their red color. The GNPs turned blue in the presence of target DNA at concentrations of 1 pM, and the GNPs retained a red color when there was no target in the solution. This method is useful for the simple, easy, and accurate identification of M. pneumoniae target DNA at higher discrimination and without involving sophisticated equipment, and this method provides a diagnostic for M. pneumoniae.
  17. Yang S, Tan ML, Song Q, He J, Yao N, Li X, et al.
    J Environ Manage, 2023 Mar 15;330:117244.
    PMID: 36621311 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.117244
    Global climate change has led to an increase in both the frequency and magnitude of extreme events around the world, the risk of which is especially imminent in tropical regions. Developing hydrological models with better capabilities to simulate streamflow, especially peak flow, is urgently needed to facilitate water resource planning and management as well as climate change mitigation efforts in the tropics. In view of the need, this paper explores the feasibility of improving streamflow simulation performance in the tropical Kelantan River Basin (KRB) of Peninsular Malaysia through coupling a conceptual process-based hydrological model - Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) with a deep learning model - Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (Bi-LSTM) in two ways. All SWAT parameters were set as their default values in one hybrid model (SWAT-D-LSTM), whereas three most sensitive SWAT parameters were calibrated in the other hybrid model (SWAT-T-LSTM). Comparison of daily streamflow simulation results have shown that SWAT-T-LSTM consistently performs better than SWAT-D-LSTM as well as the stand-alone SWAT and Bi-LSTM model throughout the simulation period. Particularly, SWAT-T-LSTM performs considerably better than the other three models in simulating daily peak flow. Based on the latest projection results of five GCMs from the Sixth Phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6) under three emission scenarios (SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP5-8.5), the best-performed SWAT-T-LSTM was run to assess the potential impacts of climate change on streamflow in the KRB. Ensemble assessment results have concluded that both average and extreme streamflow is much likely to increase considerably in the already wet northeast monsoon season from November to January, which has surely raised the alarm for more frequent flood occurrence in the KRB.
  18. Hantoko D, Li X, Pariatamby A, Yoshikawa K, Horttanainen M, Yan M
    J Environ Manage, 2021 May 15;286:112140.
    PMID: 33652254 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112140
    The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed a global emergency and also has raised issues with waste management practices. This study emphasized the challenges of increased waste disposal during the COVID-19 crisis and its response practices. Data obtained from the scientific research papers, publications from the governments and multilateral organizations, and media reports were used to quantify the effect of the pandemic towards waste generation. A huge increase in the amount of used personal protective equipments (facemasks, gloves, and other protective stuffs) and wide distribution of infectious wastes from hospitals, health care facilities, and quarantined households was found. The amount of food and plastic waste also increased during the pandemic. These factors caused waste treatment facilities to be overwhelmed, forcing emergency treatment and disposals (e.g., co-disposal in a municipal solid waste incinerator, cement kilns, industrial furnaces, and deep burial) to ramp up processing capacity. This paper discussed the ways the operation of those facilities must be improved to cope with the challenge of handling medical waste, as well as working around the restrictions imposed due to COVID-19. The study also highlights the need for short, mid, and longer-term responses towards waste management during the pandemic. Furthermore, the practices discussed in this paper may provide an option for alternative approaches and development of sustainable strategies for mitigating similar pandemics in the future.
  19. Li X, Tan CP, Liu YF, Xu YJ
    J Agric Food Chem, 2020 Dec 16;68(50):14728-14738.
    PMID: 33289375 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.0c07378
    The intestine is an important digestive organ of the human body, and its barrier is the guardian of the body from the external environment. The impairment of the intestinal barrier is believed to be an important determinant in various foodborne diseases. Food hazards can lead to the occurrence of many foodborne diseases represented by inflammation. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms of the impact of the food hazards on intestinal barriers is essential for promoting human health. This review examined the relationship between food hazards and the intestinal barrier in three aspects: apoptosis, imbalance of gut microbiota, and pro-inflammatory cytokines. The mechanism of dysfunctional gut microbiota caused by food hazards was also discussed. This review discusses the interaction among food hazards, intestinal barrier, and foodborne diseases and, thus, offers a new thought to deal with foodborne disease.
  20. Li X, Liu YJ, Nian BB, Cao XY, Tan CP, Liu YF, et al.
    Food Chem, 2022 Mar 30;373(Pt B):131285.
    PMID: 34740049 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.131285
    The digestion behavior of epoxy triglyceride, the main cytotoxic product of deep-frying oil, remains unknown, which may affect its biosafety. In this study, epoxy triglyceride (EGT) and triglyceride (GT) were used to reveal the effect of epoxy group on digestion. Digestibility rate analysis showed that the free fatty acids release rate of EGT was slower. To clarify this phenomenon, binding ability with salt ions in digestive juice and particle size were also been studied. Cluster size analysis indicated that epoxy group increased triglyceride particle size, resulting in smaller contact area between EGT and lipase. Interface behaviors displayed EGT decreased binding ability with salt ions in digestive juice. Spectroscopic analysis showed EGT caused the red shift of lipase peak, indicating that epoxy group changed lipase structure. Molecular dynamics simulation suggested EGT leads to loosen lipase structure. In conclusion, this study highlights that epoxy group could weaken the triglyceride digestion.
Related Terms
Filters
Contact Us

Please provide feedback to Administrator (afdal@afpm.org.my)

External Links