Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 76 in total

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  1. Xu H, Zhang F, Li W, Shi J, Johnson BA, Tan ML
    Environ Monit Assess, 2023 Dec 27;196(1):94.
    PMID: 38150164 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-023-12249-8
    This study analyzed the spatial-temporal change pattern and underlying factors in production-living-ecological space (PLES) of Nanchong City, China, over the past 20 years using historical land use data (2000, 2010, 2020). A land use transfer matrix was calculated from the historical land use maps, and spatial analysis was conducted to analyze changes in the land use dynamics degree, standard deviation ellipse, and center of gravity. The results showed that there was a rapid spatial evolution of the PLES in Nanchong from 2000 to 2010, followed by a stabilization in the second decade. The transfer of ecological-production space occurred mainly in the Jialing and Yilong River basins, while the reduction of production space and the increase of living space were most prominent in the intersection of three districts (Shunqing, Jialing, and Gaoping districts). The return of production-ecological space was observed in the south and northeast of Yingshan, and there was little notable transfer of other types. The distribution of production space in Nanchong evolved in a north-south to east-west trend, with the center of gravity moving from Yilong to Peng'an County. The living space and production space expanded in a north-south direction, and the center of gravity position was in Nanbu, indicating a more balanced growth or decrease in the last 20 years. The changes in the spatial-temporal pattern of PLES in Nanchong were attributed to the intertwined factors of national policies, economic development, population growth, and the natural environment. This study introduced a novel approach towards rational planning of land resources in Nanchong, which may facilitate more sustainable urban planning and development.
  2. Tan ML, Mohd Shukri IA, Ho JJ, O'Sullivan EJ, Omer-Salim A, McAuliffe FM
    Matern Child Nutr, 2023 Dec 15.
    PMID: 38100143 DOI: 10.1111/mcn.13608
    A breastfeeding-friendly city is one where there is an enabling environment to support breastfeeding throughout the first 2 years or more of a child's life. Indicators of a breastfeeding-friendly city have yet to be identified. What are the indicators or criteria used to define breastfeeding friendliness in a geographic area such as a city and the settings within, which we have classified as community, healthcare and workplace? Three major databases and grey literature were searched. Records were screened to identify publications describing criteria such as indicators or descriptions of a breastfeeding-friendly setting, defined as 'criteria-sets'. These criteria-sets were then categorized and summarized by settings. The search up to 2 September 2021 found 119 criteria-sets from a range of settings: geographic locations (n = 33), community entities (n = 24), healthcare facilities (n = 28), workplaces (n = 28) and others (n = 6). Overall, 15 community, 22 healthcare and 9 workplace related criteria were extracted from the criteria-sets. Criteria that were consistently present in all settings were policy, training & education, skilled breastfeeding support and physical infrastructure. Some criteria-sets of geographic locations contained criteria only from a single setting (e.g., the presence of breastfeeding-friendly cafes). Criteria-sets were present for all settings as defined in this review, but few were actual indicators. Specifically, there were no existing indicators of a breastfeeding-friendly city. Several common components of the criteria-sets were identified, and these could be used in developing indicators of a breastfeeding-friendly city. Future studies should determine which of these are important and how each can be measured.
  3. Li Z, Zhang F, Shi J, Chan NW, Tan ML, Kung HT, et al.
    Mar Pollut Bull, 2023 Nov;196:115653.
    PMID: 37879130 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115653
    Chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) occupies a critical part in biogeochemistry and energy flux of aquatic ecosystems. CDOM research spans in many fields, including chemistry, marine environment, biomass cycling, physics, hydrology, and climate change. In recent years, a series of remarkable research milestone have been achieved. On the basis of reviewing the research process of CDOM, combined with a bibliometric analysis, this study aims to provide a comprehensive review of the development and applications of remote sensing in monitoring CDOM from 2003 to 2022. The findings show that remote sensing data plays an important role in CDOM research as proven with the increasing number of publications since 2003, particularly in China and the United States. Primary research areas have gradually changed from studying absorption and fluorescence properties to optimization of remote sensing inversion models in recent years. Since the composition of oceanic and freshwater bodies differs significantly, it is important to choose the appropriate inversion method for different types of water body. At present, the monitoring of CDOM mainly relies on a single sensor, but the fusion of images from different sensors can be considered a major research direction due to the complex characteristics of CDOM. Therefore, in the future, the characteristics of CDOM will be studied in depth inn combination with multi-source data and other application models, where inversion algorithms will be optimized, inversion algorithms with low dependence on measured data will be developed, and a transportable inversion model will be built to break the regional limitations of the model and to promote the development of CDOM research in a deeper and more comprehensive direction.
  4. Wang W, Zhang F, Zhao Q, Liu C, Jim CY, Johnson VC, et al.
    J Environ Manage, 2023 Oct 01;343:118249.
    PMID: 37245314 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118249
    Understanding the main driving factors of oasis river nutrients in arid areas is important to identify the sources of water pollution and protect water resources. Twenty-seven sub-watersheds were selected in the lower oasis irrigated agricultural reaches of the Kaidu River watershed in arid Northwest China, divided into the site, riparian, and catchment buffer zones. Data on four sets of explanatory variables (topographic, soil, meteorological elements, and land use types) were collected. The relationships between explanatory variables and response variables (total phosphorus, TP and total nitrogen, TN) were analyzed by redundancy analysis (RDA). Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to quantify the relationship between explanatory as well as response variables and fit the path relationship among factors. The results showed that there were significant differences in the TP and TN concentrations at each sampling point. The catchment buffer exhibited the best explanatory power of the relationship between explanatory and response variables based on PLS-SEM. The effects of various land use types, meteorological elements (ME), soil, and topography in the catchment buffer were responsible for 54.3% of TP changes and for 68.5% of TN changes. Land use types, ME and soil were the main factors driving TP and TN changes, accounting for 95.56% and 94.84% of the total effects, respectively. The study provides a reference for river nutrients management in arid oases with irrigated agriculture and a scientific and targeted basis to mitigate water pollution and eutrophication of rivers in arid lands.
  5. 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.
  6. Alkoudmani RM, Ooi GS, Tan ML
    PMID: 37327997 DOI: 10.1016/j.japh.2023.06.007
    BACKGROUND: The world is moving fast towards digital transformation as we live in the artificial intelligence (AI) era. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerates this movement. Chatbots were used successfully to help researchers collect data for research purposes.

    OBJECTIVE: To implement a chatbot on the Facebook® platform to establish connections with healthcare professionals who had subscribed to the chatbot, provide medical and pharmaceutical educational content, and collect data for online pharmacy research projects. Facebook® was chosen because it has billions of daily active users which offers a massive potential audience for research projects.

    PRACTICE DESCRIPTION: The chatbot was successfully implemented on the Facebook® platform following three consecutive steps. Firstly, the ChatPion script was installed on the Pharmind website to establish the chatbot system. Secondly, the PharmindBot application was developed on Facebook®. Finally, the PharmindBot app was integrated with the chatbot system.

    PRACTICE INNOVATION: The chatbot responds automatically to public comments and sends subscribers private responses using artificial intelligence. The chatbot collected quantitative and qualitative data with minimal costs.

    EVALUATION METHODS: The chatbot's auto-reply function was tested using a post published on a specific page on Facebook®. Testers were asked to leave pre-defined keywords to test its functionality. The chatbot's ability to collect and save data was tested by asking testers to fill out an online survey within Facebook Messenger® for quantitative data and answer pre-defined questions for qualitative data.

    RESULTS: The chatbot was tested on 1000 subscribers who interacted with it. Almost all testers (n = 990, 99%) obtained a successful private reply from the chatbot after sending a pre-defined keyword. Also, the chatbot replied privately to almost all public comments (n = 985, 98.5%) which helped to increase the organic reach and to establish a connection with the chatbot subscribers. No missing data was found when the chatbot was used to collect quantitative and qualitative data.

    CONCLUSIONS: The chatbot reached thousands of healthcare professionals and provided them with automated responses. At a low cost, the chatbot was able to gather both qualitative and quantitative data without relying on Facebook® ads to reach the intended audience. The data collection was efficient and effective. Using chatbots by pharmacy and medical researchers will help do more feasible online studies using AI to advance healthcare research.

  7. Hashim NS, Tan ML, Ooi KL, Sulaiman SF
    Nat Prod Res, 2023 Jun;37(12):2009-2012.
    PMID: 35997235 DOI: 10.1080/14786419.2022.2112038
    Cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) leaf is traditionally used to treat skin infections. Although many flavonols have been identified from its leaf extract, their inhibitory effects on skin pathogens are not yet determined. The aims of this study were to determine the antimicrobial (against skin pathogenic microbes) and antioxidant activities of four flavonol glycosides from the crude extract and three flavonol aglycones from the hydrolyzed extract. The hydrolyzed extract was found to show higher activities than the crude extract. Myricetin showed the highest activity against all the tested bacteria and yeast with the lowest Minimum Inhibition Concentration (MIC) of 7.81 μg/mL on Corynebacterium minutissimum ATCC23348. Myricetin also exhibited good primary antioxidant activities with the effective concentration with 50% of activity (EC50) values ranged between 2.23 μg/mL and 6.40 μg/mL. The highest secondary antioxidant activity was indicated by myricetin-3-O-rhamnoside. Thus, myricetin can be considered as a bioactive compound of the hydrolyzed extract.
  8. He X, Zhang F, Cai Y, Tan ML, Chan NW
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2023 Jun;30(30):75511-75531.
    PMID: 37222898 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-27702-x
    This study aims to understand the factors and mechanisms influencing the spatio-temporal changes of fractional vegetation cover (FVC) in the northern slopes of the Tianshan Mountains. The MOD13Q1 product data between June and September (peak of plants growing) during the 2001-2020 period was incorporated into the pixel dichotomy model to calculate the vegetation cover changes. Then, the principal component analysis method was used to identify the primary driving factors affecting the change in vegetation cover from the natural, human, and economic perspectives. Finally, the partial correlation coefficients of FVC with temperature and precipitation were further calculated based on the pixel scale. The findings indicate that (1) FVC in the northern slopes of the Tianshan Mountains ranged from 0.37 to 0.47 during the 2001-2020 period, with an obvious inter-annual variation and an overall upward trend of about 0.4484/10 a. Although the vegetation cover had some changes over time, it was generally stable, and the area of strong variation only accounted for 0.58% of the total. (2) The five grades of vegetation cover were distributed spatially similarly, but the area-weighted gravity center for each vegetation class shifted significantly. The FVC under different land use/land cover types and elevations was obviously different, and as elevation increased, vegetation coverage presented a trend of a "∩"-shape change. (3) According to the results of principal component analysis, human activities, economic growth, and natural climate were the main driving factors that caused the changes in vegetation cover, and the cumulative contribution of the three reached 89.278%. In addition, when it came to climatic factors, precipitation had a greater driving force on the vegetation cover change, followed by temperature and sunshine hours. (4) Overall, precipitation and temperature were correlated positively with FVC, with the average correlation coefficient values of 0.089 and 0.135, respectively. Locally, the correlations vary greatly under different LULC and altitudes. This research can provide some scientific basis and reference for the vegetation evolution pattern and ecological civilization construction in the region.
  9. Halder B, Ahmadianfar I, Heddam S, Mussa ZH, Goliatt L, Tan ML, et al.
    Sci Rep, 2023 May 17;13(1):7968.
    PMID: 37198391 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-34774-9
    Climatic condition is triggering human health emergencies and earth's surface changes. Anthropogenic activities, such as built-up expansion, transportation development, industrial works, and some extreme phases, are the main reason for climate change and global warming. Air pollutants are increased gradually due to anthropogenic activities and triggering the earth's health. Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), Carbon Monoxide (CO), and Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) are truthfully important for air quality measurement because those air pollutants are more harmful to the environment and human's health. Earth observational Sentinel-5P is applied for monitoring the air pollutant and chemical conditions in the atmosphere from 2018 to 2021. The cloud computing-based Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform is applied for monitoring those air pollutants and chemical components in the atmosphere. The NO2 variation indicates high during the time because of the anthropogenic activities. Carbon Monoxide (CO) is also located high between two 1-month different maps. The 2020 and 2021 results indicate AQI change is high where 2018 and 2019 indicates low AQI throughout the year. The Kolkata have seven AQI monitoring station where high nitrogen dioxide recorded 102 (2018), 48 (2019), 26 (2020) and 98 (2021), where Delhi AQI stations recorded 99 (2018), 49 (2019), 37 (2020), and 107 (2021). Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, and Chennai recorded huge fluctuations of air pollutants during the study periods, where ~ 50-60% NO2 was recorded as high in the recent time. The AOD was noticed high in Uttar Pradesh in 2020. These results indicate that air pollutant investigation is much necessary for future planning and management otherwise; our planet earth is mostly affected by the anthropogenic and climatic conditions where maybe life does not exist.
  10. Liu C, Zhang F, Jim CY, Johnson VC, Tan ML, Shi J, et al.
    Sci Total Environ, 2023 Mar 29;878:163127.
    PMID: 37001663 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163127
    Suspended particulate matter (SPM) in the brackish Ebinur Lake of arid northwest China profoundly affect its water quality and watershed habitat quality. However, the actual driving mechanisms of the Lake's SPM changes remain unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore the controlling factors driving the variability of SPM in the Ebinur Lake. This study constructed month-by-month SPM maps of Ebinur Lake based on time-series remote-sensing imageries and SPM inversion model. Thirty-four factors that might influence SPM changes were extracted, and the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), suitable for complex relationships and factor interactions, was applied to identify the relative influence of each factor quantitatively. The results showed: (1) a clear increasing trend of SPM concentration in Ebinur Lake from 2011 to 2020; (2) that SPM changes were influenced by external and internal factors, explaining 48.2 % and 46.9 % of the changes, respectively; (3) that, to the external factors, meteorological factors exerted the greatest influence on SPM (relative contribution of 38.9 %); that, to the internal factors, water salinity imposed the greatest influence on SPM (relative contribution of 43.3 %); (4) that, among the meteorological factors, the measured variable Alashankou wind speed expressed the most significant positive effect on SPM (weighting coefficient of 0.894), and sulfate generated the strongest positive effect on SPM (weighting coefficient of 0.791) among the water salinity factors. Hence, the quantitative identification of drivers of SPM changes in Ebinur Lake could provide a new perspective to investigate the driving mechanisms of lake water quality in arid areas and inform their sustainable restoration and management.
  11. 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.
  12. Tao H, Hashim BM, Heddam S, Goliatt L, Tan ML, Sa'adi Z, et al.
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2023 Mar;30(11):30984-31034.
    PMID: 36441299 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-24153-8
    Urban areas are quickly established, and the overwhelming population pressure is triggering heat stress in the metropolitan cities. Climate change impact is the key aspect for maintaining the urban areas and building proper urban planning because spreading of the urban area destroyed the vegetated land and increased heat variation. Remote sensing-based on Landsat images are used for investigating the vegetation circumstances, thermal variation, urban expansion, and surface urban heat island or SUHI in the three megacities of Iraq like Baghdad, Erbil, and Basrah. Four satellite imageries are used aimed at land use and land cover (LULC) study from 1990 to 2020, which indicate the land transformation of those three major cities in Iraq. The average annually temperature is increased during  30 years like Baghdad (0.16 °C), Basrah (0.44 °C), and Erbil (0.32 °C). The built-up area is increased 147.1 km2 (Erbil), 217.86 km2 (Baghdad), and 294.43 km2 (Erbil), which indicated the SUHI affects the entire area of the three cities. The bare land is increased in Baghdad city, which indicated the local climatic condition and affected the livelihood. Basrah City is affected by anthropogenic activities and most areas of Basrah were converted into built-up land in the last 30 years. In Erbil, agricultural land (295.81 km2) is increased. The SUHI study results indicated the climate change effect in those three cities in Iraq. This study's results are more useful for planning, management, and sustainable development of urban areas.
  13. Chee SY, Tan ML, Tew YL, Sim YK, Yee JC, Chong AKM
    Sci Total Environ, 2023 Feb 01;858(Pt 2):159889.
    PMID: 36328260 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159889
    Cities all over the world are edging further into the ocean. Coastal reclamation is a global conservation issue with implications for ocean life, ecosystems, and human well-being. Using Malaysia as a case study, the coastal reclamation trends over three decades (1991-2021) were mapped using Landsat images and Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) via the Google Earth Engine platform. The changes in drivers and impacts of these coastal expansions throughout the decades were also reviewed. Twelve out of the 14 states in Malaysia had planned, active, or completed reclamations on their shorelines. Between 1991 and 2021, an absolute area of 82.64 km2 has been or will be reclaimed should all the projects be completed. The most reported driver for coastal expansion in Malaysia is for development and modernization (41 %), followed by rise in human population (20 %), monetary gains from the development of prime land (15 %), and agriculture and aquaculture activities (9 %). Drivers such as reduction of construction costs, financial advantage of prime land, oil and gas, advancement of technology, and tourism (Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H)) had only started occurring within the last decade, while others have been documented since the 1990's. Pollution is the most reported impact (24 %) followed by disruption of livelihoods, sources of income and human well-being (21 %), destruction of natural habitats (17 %), decrease in biodiversity (11 %), changes in landscapes (10 %), erosion / accretion (8 %), threat to tourism industry (6 %), and exposure to wave surges (3 %). Of these, changes in landscape, shoreline alignment, seabed contour, and coastal groundwater, as well as wave surges had only started to surface as impacts in the last two decades. Efforts to protect existing natural coastal and marine ecosystems, restore degraded ones, and fund endeavours that emphasize nature is needed to support sustainable development goals for the benefit of future generations.
  14. Kabir MH, Nur-E-Alam SM, Datta A, Tan ML, Rahman MS
    PLoS One, 2023;18(9):e0292254.
    PMID: 37773932 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0292254
    The use of pheromone traps can minimize the excess application of synthetic insecticides, while can also benefit the environment. The use of pheromone traps has been promoted and suggested to vegetable farmers of Bangladesh for widespread adoption. However, the majority of farmers have continued to spray insecticides instead of using pheromone traps. The present study investigated the factors influencing farmers' adoption, dis-adoption, and non-adoption behavior of pheromone traps for managing insect pests. Primary data were collected from 438 vegetable growers. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multinomial logistic regression. About 27% of the farmers abandoned the technique shortly after it was adopted as it was time-consuming to manage insect pests. Marginal effect analysis revealed that the likelihood of continued adoption was 34.6% higher for farmers who perceived that pheromone traps were useful in controlling insect pests. In contrast, the likelihood of dis-adoption was 16.5% and 10.4% higher for farmers who maintained communication with private pesticide company agents and neighbor farmers, respectively. Extension services by government extension personnel might be encouraged and maintained as a key component in increasing farmer awareness regarding the use of pheromone trap. Strategies to promote pheromone traps in vegetable production should highlight the positive impacts to farmers and the environment, as this would most likely lead to their continued and widespread use after initial adoption.
  15. Yang B, Tan ML, Zhang R, Singh D, Leong Bin Abdullah MFI
    PLoS One, 2023;18(6):e0287466.
    PMID: 37352311 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0287466
    BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa Korth.) is widely use worldwide despite its addictive potential. Although psychostimulant use has been linked to occurrence of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, data is lacking on how regular kratom use affects ER stress. This case-control study first determined differences in ER stress sensor protein expression (BiP, sXBP1, ATF4, CHOP, JNK, and p-JNK) between regular kratom users and healthy controls. Second, it evaluated the association between kratom use characteristics, targeted ER stress sensor protein expression, and "kratom use disorder" diagnosed with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders 5th Edition (DSM-5) among regular kratom users.

    METHODS: In total, 60 regular kratom users and 50 healthy control-group participants were recruited and administered a sociodemographic and clinical characteristics questionnaire. While participants who used kratom were also administered a kratom use characteristics questionnaire. Blood samples were collected from all participants, and targeted ER stress sensor protein expression was determined via Western blot analysis.

    RESULTS: The study's findings revealed first that kratom users registered significantly higher protein expression in all targeted ER stress sensors compared to the control group. Second, higher protein expression of CHOP (B = 5.061, standard error [SE] = 2.547, Wald = 3.948, adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 5.382, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.071 to 9.656, p = 0.047) and p-JNK (B = 5.795, SE = 2.635, Wald = 4.544, AOR = 17.025, 95% CI = 1.395 to 24.123, p = 0.017) increased the odds of kratom use disorder occurrence. Kratom use characteristics and other ER stress sensor protein expression were not associated with kratom use disorder.

    CONCLUSION: Regular kratom use may induce protracted ER stress, leading to the decompensation of the unfolded protein response to maintain ER homeostasis. This effect may be linked to kratom use disorder occurrence.

  16. Tan ML, Rahman S, Robinson F, Sani MHM
    Pharm Pract (Granada), 2023;21(1):2779.
    PMID: 37090453 DOI: 10.18549/PharmPract.2023.1.2779
    INTRODUCTION: Self-Medication, which is a practice to self-treat using medicine without consulting a medical practitioner or a doctor, is a common practice and the Pandemic Covid-19 may have caused people to resort to self-medication in order to reduce the infectivity of the Covid-19.

    OBJECTIVE: To validate and develop an instrument in Bahasa Melayu to assess the psychological distress and self-medication during pandemic Covid-19 in WP Labuan.

    METHODS: A pilot study was conducted among 160 participants in WP Labuan. Reliability testing on internal consistency and content validity was performed on the adapted Covid-19 Peritraumatic Distress Index (CPDI) as well as domain on knowledge, practice and attitude of self-medication.

    RESULT: A panel of seven experts evaluated the research instrument for content validity and it was found to have good content item validity. The CPDI domain showed good internal consistency of Cronbach's Alpha of 0.919. The mean (SD) CPDI score of the respondents in WP Labuan was 32.55 (15.98). 64.2% of the respondents experienced psychological distress. The variable for Area (town/countryside) was found to be statistically significant (p<0.05) to be associated with self-medication during the pandemic.

    CONCLUSION: The instrument established sound reliability and validity and therefore, can be an effective tool for assessing psychological distress and self-medication in the Malaysian population.

  17. Fan PY, Chun KP, Tan ML, Mah DN, Mijic A, Strickert G, et al.
    PLoS One, 2023;18(9):e0289780.
    PMID: 37682889 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0289780
    The importance of easy wayfinding in complex urban settings has been recognized in spatial planning. Empirical measurement and explicit representation of wayfinding, however, have been limited in deciding spatial configurations. Our study proposed and tested an approach to improving wayfinding by incorporating spatial analysis of urban forms in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Great Bay Area in China. Wayfinding was measured by an indicator of intelligibility using spatial design network analysis. Urban spatial configurations were quantified using landscape metrics to describe the spatial layouts of local climate zones (LCZs) as standardized urban forms. The statistical analysis demonstrated the significant associations between urban spatial configurations and wayfinding. These findings suggested, to improve wayfinding, 1) dispersing LCZ 1 (compact high-rise) and LCZ 2 (compact mid-rise) and 2) agglomerating LCZ 3 (compact low-rise), LCZ 5 (open mid-rise), LCZ 6 (open low-rise), and LCZ 9 (sparsely built). To our knowledge, this study is the first to incorporate the LCZ classification system into the wayfinding field, clearly providing empirically-supported solutions for dispersing and agglomerating spatial configurations. Our findings also provide insights for human-centered spatial planning by spatial co-development at local, urban, and regional levels.
  18. Foong SC, Foong WC, Tan ML, Ho JJ, Omer-Salim A
    Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2022 Sep 01;19(17).
    PMID: 36078639 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191710914
    With a focus on traditional practices rather than evidence-based practices, breastfeeding support is sub-optimal in confinement centres (CCs). We used a participatory, needs-based approach to develop a training module for CC staff adopting Kern's six-step approach as our conceptual framework. Of 46 identified CCs, 25 accepted our invitation to a dialogue aimed at establishing relationships and understanding their needs. An interactive training workshop was developed from the dialogue's findings. The workshop, attended by 32 CCs (101 participants), was conducted four times over a four-month period. Questions raised by the participants reflected deficits in understanding breastfeeding concepts and erroneous cultural beliefs. Correct answers rose from 20% pre-test to 51% post-test. Post-workshop feedback showed that participants appreciated the safe environment to ask questions, raise concerns and correct misconceptions. An interview conducted 14 months later showed that while some CCs improved breastfeeding support, others made no change due to conflict between breastfeeding and traditional postnatal practices, which was aggravated by a lack of support due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A participatory approach established a trustful learning environment, helping CCs appreciate the value of learning and adopting new concepts. However, cultural perceptions take time to change, hence continuous training and support are vital for sustained changes.
  19. Fauzi NAM, Tan ML, Hamid SBS, Singh D, Abdullah MFILB
    J Addict Med, 2022 2 28;16(6):e374-e381.
    PMID: 35220333 DOI: 10.1097/ADM.0000000000000988
    OBJECTIVES: This study determined the association between expression of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress sensor mRNA in the peripheral leukocytes and the patterns of kratom use and evaluated the correlations between the levels of the ER stress sensor mRNA and the severity of kratom dependence and kratom induced depressive symptoms among people who use kratom (PWUK).

    METHODS: A total of 20 PWUK and 20 age matched non-kratom using healthy controls were recruited. Data collected from PWUK included patterns of kratom use, severity of kratom dependence, and severity of depressive symptoms during abstinence from kratom. The mRNA expression of binding immunoglobulin protein ( BiP ), X-box binding protein 1, activating transcription factor 4, and C/-EBP homologous protein ( CHOP ) (major indicators of ER stress response) were analyzed using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction in leucocyte-derived total RNA sample of the participants.

    RESULTS: PWUK regardless of their pattern of kratom use recorded significantly higher expression of BiP mRNA compared with controls. Expression of CHOP mRNA was only significantly higher in those who first consumed kratom at the age of 18 years and above and those who have been using kratom for longer than 6 years, compared with controls. Higher expression of BiP , ATF4 , and CHOP mRNA were significantly positive correlated with greater severity of kratom dependence. Although only higher expression of BiP and CHOP mRNA were significantly positively correlated with greater severity of depressive symptoms.

    CONCLUSIONS: Regular kratom consumption may activate the ER stress pathway and there may be a link between altered ER stress response and kratom dependence and kratom induced depressive symptoms.

  20. Liu C, Zhang F, Wang X, Chan NW, Rahman HA, Yang S, et al.
    PMID: 34993791 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-17886-5
    Surface water quality deterioration is commonly associated with environmental changes and human activities. Although some research has been carried out to evaluate the relationship between various influencing factors and water quality, there is still very little scientific understanding on how to accurately define the key factors of water quality deterioration. This study aims to quantify the impact of environmental factors and land use land cover (LULC) changes on water quality in the Ebinur Lake Watershed, Xinjiang, China. A total of 20 water parameters were used to calculate the Environment Water Quality Index (CWQI). Meanwhile, the partial least squares-structural equation model (PLS-SEM) was used to quantify the impact of eleven factors influencing water quality in the watershed. About 33.3% of the monitoring points that located mostly in the downstream region with dominant anthropogenic activities were detected as poor quality. There were no obvious temporal changes in water quality from 2016 to 2019. The PLS-SEM simulation shows that the latent variable "land use/cover types" (path coefficient =  - 0.600) and "Environmental factor" (path coefficient =  - 0.313) are two major factors affected water quality in the Ebinur Lake Watershed, with a strong explanatory power to water quality change (R2 = 0.727). In the latent variable "Environmental factors", the "NDVI" and "night light brightness value" have a great influence on water quality, with the weights of 0.451 and 0.427, respectively. Correspondingly, the "farmland" and "forest land" within the latent variable of "Land use/cover type" have a considerable impact water quality, with the weights of 0.361 and - 0.340, respectively. In conclusion, the influence of anthropogenic activities on surface water quality of the Ebinur Lake Watershed is greater than that of environmental factors. Compared with the traditional multivariate statistical method, PLS-SEM provides a new insight for quantifying the complex relationship between different influencing factors and water quality.
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