Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 343 in total

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  1. Usman A, Razak IA, Fun HK, Chantrapromma S, Zhang Y, Xu JH
    Acta Crystallogr C, 2002 May;58(Pt 5):o287-8.
    PMID: 11983994
    In the title compound, C(18)H(13)BrClNO(3), the heterocyclic ring of the indole is distorted from planarity towards an envelope conformation. The orientations of the indole, oxetane, chloro and bromophenyl substituents are conditioned by the sp(3) states of the spiro-junction and the Cl-attached C atoms.
  2. Usman A, Razak IA, Fun HK, Chantrapromma S, Zhang Y, Xu JH
    Acta Crystallogr C, 2002 Apr;58(Pt 4):O239-41.
    PMID: 11932554
    The crystal of the title compound, C(20)H(17)NO(4), which was used for collecting intensity data was twinned. Each of the two crystallographically independent molecules in the asymmetric unit has a planar indole moiety perpendicular to a planar oxopropyl moiety. The distribution of the bonds at the central C atom joining the oxopropyl, phenyl and indole substituents is also planar. The packing is stabilized by intermolecular C-H* * *O interactions, as well as by dipole-dipole and van der Waals interactions.
  3. Usman A, Fun HK, Wang L, Zhang Y, Xu JH
    Acta Crystallogr C, 2003 Jun;59(Pt 6):o305-7.
    PMID: 12794346
    In the title compounds, C(21)H(18)N(2)O(4) and C(25)H(18)N(2)O(4), respectively, the five-membered ring of the indole system is almost planar. The oxetane and oxazole rings are individually planar. The orientations of the indole, oxetane, oxazole and phenyl moieties are conditioned by the sp(3) nature of the spiro-C atoms. In both compounds, the relative orientation of the indole and oxazole rings is opposite.
  4. Usman A, Razak IA, Fun HK, Chantrapromma S, Zhang Y, Xu JH
    Acta Crystallogr C, 2001 Dec;57(Pt 12):1438-40.
    PMID: 11740110
    In the title compound, C25H19NO4, the indole moiety is not completely planar, the heterocyclic ring being distorted very slightly towards a half-chair conformation. The benzoyl and 4-methoxyphenyl substituents are individually almost planar and are in a bisecting and nearly perpendicular configuration, respectively, with respect to the plane of the indole moiety. The molecular and packing structures in the crystal are stabilized by intramolecular and intermolecular C-H...O interactions.
  5. Usman A, Razak IA, Fun HK, Chantrapromma S, Zhang Y, Xu JH
    Acta Crystallogr C, 2002 Aug;58(Pt 8):o477-9.
    PMID: 12154304
    In the title compounds, C(24)H(17)NO(3), (I), and C(43)H(27)NO(5), (II), the dioxine ring is not planar and tends toward a boat conformation. The oxazoline ring adopts a twisted conformation in molecule (I) but is essentially planar in molecule (II). The configuration of the dioxine-oxazoline system is determined by the sp(3) state of the two shared atoms. The phenanthrene moiety is nearly coplanar with the dioxine ring, while the phenyl ring is perpendicular to the attached oxazole ring. The triclinic unit cell of (II) contains two crystallographically independent molecules related by a pseudo-inversion centre.
  6. Usman A, Razak IA, Fun HK, Chantrapromma S, Zhang Y, Xu JH
    Acta Crystallogr C, 2002 Sep;58(Pt 9):o543-4.
    PMID: 12205382
    In the title compound, C(24)H(17)NO(2)S, the dioxine and thiazoline rings are distorted from planarity towards a half-chair and an envelope conformation, respectively. The configurations of the dioxine ring, the thiazoline ring and the attached phenyl ring are conditioned by the sp(3) state of the two bridgehead C atoms. The phenanthrene system is nearly coplanar with the dioxine ring, while the attached phenyl ring is orthogonal to the thiazoline ring.
  7. Bai X, Xiao W, Soh KG, Agudamu, Zhang Y
    PLoS One, 2023;18(10):e0293483.
    PMID: 37883372 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0293483
    Healthy aging is a global goal to enhance the quality of life for older persons. This study evaluated the benefits of 12-week concurrent brisk walking and Taijiquan. Healthy Chinese women aged 60 years and above were enrolled to the control (n = 26) and intervention (n = 25) groups. Participants in the intervention group engaged in three exercise sessions per week for 12 weeks, whereas control group engaged in free-living activities. Each exercise session consisted of 20-45 minutes of walking and 20-45 minutes of Yang style 24-form Taijiquan. 12-week exercise improved (p < 0.05) the sit and reach test (within-group mean difference: +5.6 cm; Hedges' g = 0.77), handgrip strength (mean difference: +3.1 kg; g = 0.89), arm curl (mean difference: +2.1 repetitions; g = 0.69), chair stand (mean difference: +2.6 repetitions; g = 0.63), and one-legged standing (mean difference: +2.2 seconds; g = 1.07). There was no improvement in the circulatory health, body composition, or life satisfaction. Therefore, this concurrent brisk walking and Taijiquan training, which targets major whole-body muscle groups, could improve aging-critical flexibility, muscular fitness, and balance in older women. The exercise meets the current WHO guideline, is safe to perform, and could be campaigned as a health promotion for older persons.
  8. 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 ¯ .
  9. Zhao D, Kim MH, Pastor-Barriuso R, Chang Y, Ryu S, Zhang Y, et al.
    PLoS One, 2016;11(1):e0146057.
    PMID: 26731527 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0146057
    IMPORTANCE: Intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction or stabilization is the only proven method for glaucoma management. Identifying risk factors for IOP is crucial to understand the pathophysiology of glaucoma.

    OBJECTIVE: To examine the associations of change in body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and percent fat mass with change in intraocular pressure (IOP) in a large sample of Korean adults.

    DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Cohort study of 274,064 young and middle age Korean adults with normal fundoscopic findings who attended annual or biennial health exams from January 1, 2002 to Feb 28, 2010 (577,981 screening visits).

    EXPOSURES: BMI, waist circumference, and percent fat mass.

    MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): At each visit, IOP was measured in both eyes with automated noncontact tonometers.

    RESULTS: In multivariable-adjusted models, the average increase in IOP (95% confidence intervals) over time per interquartile increase in BMI (1.26 kg/m2), waist circumference (6.20 cm), and percent fat mass (3.40%) were 0.18 mmHg (0.17 to 0.19), 0.27 mmHg (0.26 to 0.29), and 0.10 mmHg (0.09 to 0.11), respectively (all P < 0.001). The association was stronger in men compared to women (P < 0.001) and it was only slightly attenuated after including diabetes and hypertension as potential mediators in the model.

    CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Increases in adiposity were significantly associated with an increase in IOP in a large cohort of Korean adults attending health screening visits, an association that was stronger for central obesity. Further research is needed to understand better the underlying mechanisms of this association, and to establish the role of weight gain in increasing IOP and the risk of glaucoma and its complications.

  10. Choo SW, Chong JL, Gaubert P, Hughes AC, O'Brien S, Chaber AL, et al.
    Sci Total Environ, 2022 Feb 14.
    PMID: 35176378 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153666
  11. Xu X, Shen Y, Zhang Y, Li Q, Wang W, Chen L, et al.
    Front Plant Sci, 2022;13:1075353.
    PMID: 36684775 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1075353
    In 2003, Kandelia obovata was identified as a new mangrove species differentiated from Kandelia candel. However, little is known about their chloroplast (cp) genome differences and their possible ecological significance. In this study, 25 whole cp genomes, with seven samples of K. candel from Malaysia, Thailand, and Bangladesh and 18 samples of K. obovata from China, were sequenced for comparison. The cp genomes of both species encoded 128 genes, namely 83 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes, but the cp genome size of K. obovata was ~2 kb larger than that of K. candle due to the presence of more and longer repeat sequences. Of these, tandem repeats and simple sequence repeats exhibited great differences. Principal component analysis based on indels, and phylogenetic tree analyses constructed with homologous protein genes from the single-copy genes, as well as 38 homologous pair genes among 13 mangrove species, gave strong support to the separation of the two species within the Kandelia genus. Homologous genes ndhD and atpA showed intraspecific consistency and interspecific differences. Molecular dynamics simulations of their corresponding proteins, NAD(P)H dehydrogenase chain 4 (NDH-D) and ATP synthase subunit alpha (ATP-A), predicted them to be significantly different in the functions of photosynthetic electron transport and ATP generation in the two species. These results suggest that the energy requirement was a pivotal factor in their adaptation to differential environments geographically separated by the South China Sea. Our results also provide clues for future research on their physiological and molecular adaptation mechanisms to light and temperature.
  12. Cui J, Zhou F, Gao M, Zhang L, Zhang L, Du K, et al.
    Environ Pollut, 2018 Oct;241:810-820.
    PMID: 29909307 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2018.06.028
    Six different approaches are applied in the present study to apportion the sources of precipitation nitrogen making use of precipitation data of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN, including NO3- and NH4+), dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) and δ15N signatures of DIN collected at six sampling sites in the mountain region of Southwest China. These approaches include one quantitative approach running a Bayesian isotope mixing model (SIAR model) and five qualitative approaches based on in-situ survey (ISS), ratio of NH4+/NO3- (RN), principal component analysis (PCA), canonical-correlation analysis (CCA) and stable isotope approach (SIA). Biomass burning, coal combustion and mobile exhausts in the mountain region are identified as major sources for precipitation DIN while biomass burning and volatilization sources such as animal husbandries are major ones for DON. SIAR model results suggest that mobile exhausts, biomass burning and coal combustion contributed 25.1 ± 14.0%, 26.0 ± 14.1% and 27.0 ± 12.6%, respectively, to NO3- on the regional scale. Higher contributions of both biomass burning and coal combustion appeared at rural and urban sites with a significant difference between Houba (rural) and the wetland site (p 
  13. Tang W, Bai X, Zhou Y, Sonne C, Wu M, Lam SS, et al.
    Nat Food, 2024 Jan;5(1):72-82.
    PMID: 38177223 DOI: 10.1038/s43016-023-00910-x
    Dietary exposure to methylmercury (MeHg) causes irreversible damage to human cognition and is mitigated by photolysis and microbial demethylation of MeHg. Rice (Oryza sativa L.) has been identified as a major dietary source of MeHg. However, it remains unknown what drives the process within plants for MeHg to make its way from soils to rice and the subsequent human dietary exposure to Hg. Here we report a hidden pathway of MeHg demethylation independent of light and microorganisms in rice plants. This natural pathway is driven by reactive oxygen species generated in vivo, rapidly transforming MeHg to inorganic Hg and then eliminating Hg from plants as gaseous Hg°. MeHg concentrations in rice grains would increase by 2.4- to 4.7-fold without this pathway, which equates to intelligence quotient losses of 0.01-0.51 points per newborn in major rice-consuming countries, corresponding to annual economic losses of US$30.7-84.2 billion globally. This discovered pathway effectively removes Hg from human food webs, playing an important role in exposure mitigation and global Hg cycling.
  14. Zhao D, Kim MH, Pastor-Barriuso R, Chang Y, Ryu S, Zhang Y, et al.
    Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 2014 Oct;55(10):6244-50.
    PMID: 25183763 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.14-14151
    To examine the longitudinal association between age and intraocular pressure (IOP) in a large sample of Korean men and women.
  15. 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.
  16. Xue Q, Zhang Y
    Zootaxa, 2015;3974(1):135-9.
    PMID: 26249890 DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3974.1.11
    A new species, Busoniomimus umbellatus sp. nov. is described and illustrated from Malaysia. In addition the female of B. hainanensis Zhang & Li is described from China. A key is provided to males of this genus.
  17. Tong WK, Dai C, Hu J, Li J, Gao MT, You X, et al.
    Sci Total Environ, 2024 Jan 10;907:168099.
    PMID: 37884130 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168099
    Nanobubbles (NBs), given their unique properties, could theoretically be paired with rhamnolipids (RL) to tackle polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon contamination in groundwater. This approach may overcome the limitations of traditional surfactants, such as high toxicity and low efficiency. In this study, the remediation efficiency of RL, with or without NBs, was assessed through soil column experiments (soil contaminated with phenanthrene). Through the analysis of the two-site non-equilibrium diffusion model, there was a synergistic effect between NBs and RL. The introduction of NBs led to a reduction of up to 24.3 % in the total removal time of phenanthrene. The direct reason for this was that with NBs, the retardation factor of RL was reduced by 1.9 % to 15.4 %, which accelerated the solute replacement of RL. The reasons for this synergy were multifaceted. Detailed analysis reveals that NBs improve RL's colloidal stability, increase its absolute zeta potential, and reduce its soil adsorption capacity by 13.3 %-19.9 %. Furthermore, NBs and their interaction with RL substantially diminish the surface tension, contact angle, and dynamic viscosity of the leaching solution. These changes in surface thermodynamic and rheological properties significantly enhance the migration efficiency of the eluent. The research outcomes facilitate a thorough comprehension of NBs' attributes and their relevant applications, and propose an eco-friendly method to improve the efficiency of surfactant remediation.
  18. Zou JJ, Dai C, Hu J, Tong WK, Gao MT, Zhang Y, et al.
    Sci Total Environ, 2024 Apr 20;922:171201.
    PMID: 38417506 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171201
    Mycelial pellets formed by Penicillium thomii ZJJ were applied as efficient biosorbents for the removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are a type of ubiquitous harmful hydrophobic pollutants. The live mycelial pellets were able to remove 93.48 % of pyrene at a concentration of 100 mg/L within 48 h, demonstrating a maximum adsorption capacity of 285.63 mg/g. Meanwhile, the heat-killed one also achieved a removal rate of 65.01 %. Among the six typical PAHs (pyrene, phenanthrene, fluorene, anthracene, fluoranthene, benzo[a]pyrene), the mycelial pellets preferentially adsorbed the high molecular weight PAHs, which also have higher toxicity, resulting in higher removal efficiency. The experimental results showed that the biosorption of mycelial pellets was mainly a spontaneous physical adsorption process that occurred as a monolayer on a homogeneous surface, with mass transfer being the key rate-limiting step. The main adsorption sites on the surface of mycelia were carboxyl and N-containing groups. Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) produced by mycelial pellets could enhance adsorption, and its coupling with dead mycelia could achieve basically the same removal effect to that of living one. It can be concluded that biosorption by mycelial pellets occurred due to the influence of electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions, consisting of five steps. Furthermore, the potential applicability of mycelial pellets has been investigated considering diverse factors. The mycelia showed high environmental tolerance, which could effectively remove pyrene across a wide range of pH and salt concentration. And pellets diameters and humic acid concentration had a significant effect on microbial adsorption effect. Based on a cost-effectiveness analysis, mycelium pellets were found to be a low-cost adsorbent. The research outcomes facilitate a thorough comprehension of the adsorption process of pyrene by mycelial pellets and their relevant applications, proposing a cost-effective method without potential environmental issues (heat-killed mycelial pellets plus EPS) to removal PAHs.
  19. Shankar RR, Zeitler P, Deeb A, Jalaludin MY, Garcia R, Newfield RS, et al.
    Pediatr Diabetes, 2022 Mar;23(2):173-182.
    PMID: 34779087 DOI: 10.1111/pedi.13279
    OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy and safety of DPP-4 inhibition with sitagliptin in youth with type 2 diabetes (T2D).

    STUDY DESIGN: This was a 54-week, double-blind, randomized, controlled clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of DPP-4 inhibition with sitagliptin 100 mg once daily as initial oral therapy in youth with T2D. The 190 participants, aged 10-17 years, had HbA1c 6.5%-10% (7.0%-10% if on insulin). All were negative for pancreatic autoantibodies and overweight/obese at screening or diagnosis. The trial was placebo controlled for the first 20 weeks, after which metformin replaced placebo. The primary efficacy endpoint was change from baseline in HbA1c at Week 20.

    RESULTS: Treatment groups were well balanced at baseline (mean ± SD HbA1c = 7.5% ± 1.0, BMI percentile = 97.1% ± 6.8, age = 14.0 years ± 2.0 [57.4% <15], 60.5% female). At Week 20, least squares mean changes from baseline in HbA1c were -0.01% (sitagliptin) and 0.18% (placebo); between-group difference (95% CI) = -0.19% (-0.68, 0.30), p = 0.448. At Week 54, the changes in HbA1c were 0.45% (sitagliptin) and -0.11 (placebo/metformin). There were no notable between-group differences in the adverse event profiles through Week 54.

    CONCLUSIONS: DPP-4 inhibition with sitagliptin did not provide significant improvement in glycemic control. In this study, sitagliptin was generally well tolerated with a safety profile similar to that reported in adults. (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01485614; EudraCT: 2011-002528-42).

  20. Zhang Y, Kuhn SK, Jobson L, Haque S
    BMC Psychiatry, 2019 11 14;19(1):361.
    PMID: 31727046 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-019-2346-6
    BACKGROUND: Patients suffering from schizophrenia spectrum disorders demonstrate various cognitive deficiencies, the most pertinent one being impairment in autobiographical memory. This paper reviews quantitative research investigating deficits in the content, and characteristics, of autobiographical memories in individuals with schizophrenia. It also examines if the method used to activate autobiographical memories influenced the results and which theoretical accounts were proposed to explain the defective recall of autobiographical memories in patients with schizophrenia.

    METHODS: PsycINFO, Web of Science, and PubMed databases were searched for articles published between January 1998 and December 2018. Fifty-seven studies met the inclusion criteria. All studies implemented the generative retrieval strategy by inducing memories through cue words or pictures, the life-stage method, or open-ended retrieval method. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Statement guidelines were followed for this review.

    RESULTS: Most studies reported that patients with schizophrenia retrieve less specific autobiographical memories when compared to a healthy control group, while only three studies indicated that both groups performed similarly on memory specificity. Patients with schizophrenia also exhibited earlier reminiscence bumps than those for healthy controls. The relationship between comorbid depression and autobiographical memory specificity appeared to be independent because patients' memory specificity improved through intervention, but their level of depression remained unchanged. The U-shaped retrieval pattern for memory specificity was not consistent. Both the connection between the history of attempted suicide and autobiographical memory specificity, and the relationship between psychotic symptoms and autobiographical memory specificity, remain inconclusive. Patients' memory specificity and coherence improved through cognitive training.

    CONCLUSIONS: The overgeneral recall of autobiographical memory by patients with schizophrenia could be attributed to working memory, the disturbing concept of self, and the cuing method implemented. The earlier reminiscence bump for patients with schizophrenia may be explained by the premature closure of the identity formation process due to the emergence of psychotic symptoms during early adulthood. Protocol developed for this review was registered in PROSPERO (registration no: CRD42017062643).

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