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  1. Abdul Basit M, Abdul Kadir A, Loh TC, Abdul Aziz S, Salleh A, Kaka U, et al.
    Animals (Basel), 2020 Jul 16;10(7).
    PMID: 32708616 DOI: 10.3390/ani10071209
    This research was conducted to estimate the effects of Persicaria odorata leaf meal (POLM) on haematological indices, serum biochemical attributes, and internal organs parameters, including histomorphological features of the liver, in broiler chickens. A total of 120 one-day-old male broiler chicks (Cobb-500) were randomly allocated into four experimental groups. The dietary treatments were basal diet (BD), which served as the control (C), along with BD + 2 g/kg POLM (Po2), BD + 4 g/kg POLM (Po4), BD + 8 g/kg POLM (Po8), which were the supplemented groups. The body weight gain (BWG) showed a linear increase and feed conversion ratio (FCR) showed a linear decrease with increasing POLM dosage at day 42 (p ˂ 0.05) and for the overall growth performance period (p ˂ 0.01). On day 21 and day 42, the values of red blood cells (RBCs), white blood cells (WBCs), haemoglobin (Hb), and packed cell volume (PCV) showed linear increases (p ˂0.05) as the dosage of POLM increased in the diet. On day 21, dietary supplementation of POLM linearly decreased (p ˂ 0.05) the serum activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aspartate aminotransaminase (AST), alanine aminotransaminase (ALT), and serum levels of urea and creatinine. On the other hand, serum levels of total protein (TP), albumin, and globulin showed a linear increase (p ˂ 0.05) as the POLM dosage increased. On day 42, the serum activity of AST and ALT and serum levels of glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, urea, and creatinine showed linear decreases (p ˂ 0.05) with increased levels of POLM in the diet. However, POLM supplementation linearly increased (p ˂ 0.05) the serum levels of TP and globulin. Dietary inclusion of POLM did not influence the organ parameters and showed no adverse effects on the liver histomorphology. In conclusion, supplementation of POLM increased the growth performance, improving haematological indices and serum biochemistry profiles of broiler chickens without any deleterious effects on the liver histomorphology. The results of the present study provide evidence that POLM can be safely used at a dose rate of 8 g/kg of feed as an alternative to conventional antimicrobial growth promoters (AGPs).
  2. Ahad A, Tahir M, Aman Sheikh M, Ahmed KI, Mughees A, Numani A
    Sensors (Basel), 2020 Jul 21;20(14).
    PMID: 32708139 DOI: 10.3390/s20144047
    Smart health-care is undergoing rapid transformation from the conventional specialist and hospital-focused style to a distributed patient-focused manner. Several technological developments have encouraged this rapid revolution of health-care vertical. Currently, 4G and other communication standards are used in health-care for smart health-care services and applications. These technologies are crucial for the evolution of future smart health-care services. With the growth in the health-care industry, several applications are expected to produce a massive amount of data in different format and size. Such immense and diverse data needs special treatment concerning the end-to-end delay, bandwidth, latency and other attributes. It is difficult for current communication technologies to fulfil the requirements of highly dynamic and time-sensitive health care applications of the future. Therefore, the 5G networks are being designed and developed to tackle the diverse communication needs of health-care applications in Internet of Things (IoT). 5G assisted smart health-care networks are an amalgamation of IoT devices that require improved network performance and enhanced cellular coverage. Current connectivity solutions for IoT face challenges, such as the support for a massive number of devices, standardisation, energy-efficiency, device density, and security. In this paper, we present a comprehensive review of 5G assisted smart health-care solutions in IoT. We present a structure for smart health-care in 5G by categorizing and classifying existing literature. We also present key requirements for successful deployment of smart health-care systems for certain scenarios in 5G. Finally, we discuss several open issues and research challenges in 5G smart health-care solutions in IoT.
  3. Zakaria MA, Rajab NF, Chua EW, Selvarajah GT, Masre SF
    Cancer Invest, 2020 Sep;38(8-9):445-462.
    PMID: 32713210 DOI: 10.1080/07357907.2020.1802474
    Tissues become more rigid during tumorigenesis and have been identified as a driving factor for tumor growth. Here, we highlight the concept of tissue rigidity, contributing factors that increase tissue rigidity, and mechanisms that promote tumor growth initiated by increased tissue rigidity. Various factors lead to increased tissue rigidity, promoting tumor growth by activating focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and Rho-associated kinase (ROCK). Consequently, result in recruitment of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and tumor protection from immunosurveillance. We also discussed the rationale for targeting tumor tissue rigidity and its potential for cancer treatment.
  4. Roselan MA, Ashari SE, Faujan NH, Mohd Faudzi SM, Mohamad R
    Molecules, 2020 Jun 04;25(11).
    PMID: 32512808 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25112616
    Tyrosinase inhibitors have become increasingly important targets for hyperpigmentation disease treatment. Kojic monooleate (KMO), synthesized from the esterification of kojic acid and oleic acid, has shown a better depigmenting effect than kojic acid. In this study, the process parameters include the speed of high shear, the time of high shear and the speed of the stirrer in the production of nanoemulsion containing KMO was optimized using Response Surface Methodology (RSM), as well as evaluated in terms of its physicochemical properties, safety and efficacy. The optimized condition for the formulation of KMO nanoemulsion was 8.04 min (time of high shear), 4905.42 rpm (speed of high shear), and 271.77 rpm (speed of stirrer), which resulted in a droplet size of 103.97 nm. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that the fitness of the quadratic polynomial fit the experimental data with large F-values (148.79) and small p-values (p < 0.0001) and an insignificant lack of fit. The optimized nanoemulsion containing KMO with a pH value of 5.75, showed a high conductivity value (3.98 mS/cm), which indicated that the nanoemulsion containing KMO was identified as an oil-in-water type of nanoemulsion. The nanoemulsion remains stable (no phase separation) under a centrifugation test and displays accelerated stability during storage at 4, 25 and 45 °C over 90 days. The cytotoxicity assay showed that the optimized nanoemulsion was less toxic, with a 50% inhibition of cell viability (IC50) > 500 μg/mL, and that it can inhibit 67.12% of tyrosinase activity. This study reveals that KMO is a promising candidate for the development of a safe cosmetic agent to prevent hyperpigmentation.
  5. Ab Aziz MF, Hayat MN, Kaka U, Kamarulzaman NH, Sazili AQ
    Foods, 2020 Jun 04;9(6).
    PMID: 32512753 DOI: 10.3390/foods9060741
    Storage temperature and duration plays an important role in meat processing. Observations in poultry processing plants have shown a serious deviation in storage condition compared to the recommended procedures. Furthermore, there is still a paucity of evidence on the effects of storage temperature and duration on meat quality and microbial population. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of different temperature and duration during storage on physico-chemical properties and microbiological quality of broiler chicken Pectoralis major muscle. Eighty birds were slaughtered and processed, following which the packed boneless breast (PBB) (each bird was to provide two breast muscle samples; left breast and right breast) was divided into four groups, each consisted of 40 PBB. Each group was subsequently assigned to storage either at 4 °C, -10 °C, -18 °C or -40 °C, for 24 h before 20 PBB samples from each group were transported to the respective laboratory for meat quality and microbiological analysis. The remaining 20 PBB from each storage temperature were stored for 72 h before being transported for analysis. Results have shown significant increases in drip loss and cooking loss as the storage temperature decreases. Similarly, storage duration significantly affected cooking loss, of which, samples stored for 72 h exhibited higher cooking loss compared to those stored for 24 h. For color, significant differences were only observed in lightness (L*) and redness (a*) values. Longer duration of storage had significantly improved tenderness whereby, samples that have been stored for a shorter duration presented higher pH values. Populations of coliform and Salmonella decreased significantly with decreasing temperature and increasing storage duration.
  6. Raza SA, Shah N, Qureshi MA, Qaiser S, Ali R, Ahmed F
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2020 Sep;27(25):32034-32047.
    PMID: 32506406 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-09520-7
    Financial development is identified as one of the significant factors that affect energy consumption and has been widely discussed in the literature. However, the association between financial development and renewable energy consumption is still at its earlier stage and is limitedly explored. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the non-linear association between financial development and renewable energy consumption in the top renewable energy consumption countries. The study utilized the newly introduced econometric technique panel smooth transition regression (PSTR) model with two regimes on annual panel data consisted of years 1997-2017. The result confirmed that all the financial development indicators increase renewable energy consumption but affect renewable energy consumption differently. Moreover, the economic growth and industrial structure showed a positive and significant association in both regimes, whereas the population showed a negative relationship with renewable energy consumption in a low growth regime but the association becomes positive in high growth regimes. The study suggested several policies for the top renewable consumption countries.
  7. Al Amin M, Mahfujur Rahman M, Razimi MSA, Chowdhury ZZ, Hussain MNM, Desa MNM
    J Food Compost Anal, 2020 Sep;92:103565.
    PMID: 32546895 DOI: 10.1016/j.jfca.2020.103565
    Determination of feline meat in food products is an important issue for social, health, economic and religious concern. Hence this paper documented the application of species specific polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (SP-PCR-RFLP) assay targeting a short-fragments (69 bp) of mitochondrial cytochrome b (cytb) gene to screen feline meat in commercial meat products using lab-on-a-chip. The SP-PCR assay proved its specificity theoretically and experimentally while testing with different common animal, aquatic and plant species of DNA. The feline specific (69 bp, 43- and 26-bp) characteristic molecular DNA pattern was observed by SP-PCR and RFLP analysis. For assay performance, it was tested in three different types of commercial dummy meat products such as frankfurters, nuggets and meatballs and digested with AluI-restriction enzyme. The highest sensitivity of the assay using lab-on-a-chip was as low as 0.1 pg or 0.01 % (w/w) in commercial dummy meat products. We have also applied this assay to screen three important commercial meat products of six different brand from six supermarket chains located at three different states of Malaysia. Thus total 378 samples were tested to validate the specificity, sensitivity, stability of the assay and utilization of it for commercial meat product screening.
  8. Hashimi AS, Nohan MANM, Chin SX, Khiew PS, Zakaria S, Chia CH
    Nanomaterials (Basel), 2020 Jun 12;10(6).
    PMID: 32545513 DOI: 10.3390/nano10061153
    : Hydrogen (H2) is a clean energy carrier which can help to solve environmental issues with the depletion of fossil fuels. Sodium borohydride (NaBH4) is a promising candidate material for solid state hydrogen storage due to its huge hydrogen storage capacity and nontoxicity. However, the hydrolysis of NaBH4 usually requires expensive noble metal catalysts for a high H2 generation rate (HGR). Here, we synthesized high-aspect ratio copper nanowires (CuNWs) using a hydrothermal method and used them as the catalyst for the hydrolysis of NaBH4 to produce H2. The catalytic H2 generation demonstrated that 0.1 ng of CuNWs could achieve the highest volume of H2 gas in 240 min. The as-prepared CuNWs exhibited remarkable catalytic performance: the HGR of this study (2.7 × 1010 mL min-1 g-1) is ~3.27 × 107 times higher than a previous study on a Cu-based catalyst. Furthermore, a low activation energy (Ea) of 42.48 kJ mol-1 was calculated. Next, the retreated CuNWs showed an outstanding and stable performance for five consecutive cycles. Moreover, consistent catalytic activity was observed when the same CuNWs strip was used for four consecutive weeks. Based on the results obtained, we have shown that CuNWs can be a plausible candidate for the replacement of a costly catalyst for H2 generation.
  9. Yeoh SY, Lubowa M, Tan TC, Murad M, Mat Easa A
    Food Chem, 2020 Dec 15;333:127425.
    PMID: 32683254 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2020.127425
    Zero-salted yellow alkaline noodles (YAN) were immersed in solutions of resistant starch HYLON™ VII (HC) or fruit coating Semperfresh™ (SC) containing a range of salt (NaCl) between 10 and 30% (w/v). The objective was to evaluate the effect of salt-coatings on the textural, handling, cooking, and sensory properties of YAN. Increasing salt in the coatings caused a reduction in optimum cooking time, cooking loss and increase in cooking yield. The mechanical and textural parameters, sensory hardness, springiness and overall sensory acceptability of the salt-coated noodles however decreased with increasing salt application. HC-Na10 and SC-Na10 showed the highest textural and mechanical parameters, sensory hardness and springiness. The differences in the parameters were attributed mainly to the water absorption properties of starch that was affected by salt application. Thus, the quality of salt-coated noodles was dependent mainly on the amounts of salt applied in the coatings rather than on the types of coatings used.
  10. Baljon KJ, Romli MH, Ismail AH, Khuan L, Chew BH
    BMJ Open, 2020 06 15;10(6):e033844.
    PMID: 32540887 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-033844
    INTRODUCTION: Labour pain is among the severest pains primigravidae may experience during pregnancy. Failure to address labour pain and anxiety may lead to abnormal labour. Despite the many complementary non-pharmacological approaches to coping with labour pain, the quality of evidence is low and best approaches are not established. This study protocol describes a proposed investigation of the effects of a combination of breathing exercises, foot reflexology and back massage (BRM) on the labour experiences of primigravidae.

    METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This randomised controlled trial will involve an intervention group receiving BRM and standard labour care, and a control group receiving only standard labour care. Primigravidae of 26-34 weeks of gestation without chronic diseases or pregnancy-related complications will be recruited from antenatal clinics. Eligible and consenting patients will be randomly allocated to the intervention or the control group stratified by intramuscular pethidine use. The BRM intervention will be delivered by a trained massage therapist. The primary outcomes of labour pain and anxiety will be measured during and after uterine contractions at baseline (cervical dilatation 6 cm) and post BRM hourly for 2 hours. The secondary outcomes include maternal stress hormone (adrenocorticotropic hormone, cortisol and oxytocin) levels, maternal vital signs (V/S), fetal heart rate, labour duration, Apgar scores and maternal satisfaction. The sample size is estimated based on the between-group difference of 0.6 in anxiety scores, 95% power and 5% α error, which yields a required sample size of 154 (77 in each group) accounting for a 20% attrition rate. The between-group and within-group outcome measures will be examined with mixed-effect regression models, time series analyses and paired t-test or equivalent non-parametric tests, respectively.

    ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethical Committee for Research Involving Human Subjects of the Ministry of Health in the Saudi Arabia (H-02-K-076-0319-109) on 14 April 2019, and from the Ethics Committee for Research Involving Human Subjects (JKEUPM) Universiti Putra Malaysia on 23 October 2019, reference number: JKEUPM-2019-169. Written informed consent will be obtained from all participants. Results from this trial will be presented at regional, national and international conferences and published in indexed journals.

    TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN87414969, registered 3 May 2019.

  11. Anuar MF, Fen YW, Zaid MHM, Omar NAS, Khaidir REM
    Materials (Basel), 2020 Jun 04;13(11).
    PMID: 32512704 DOI: 10.3390/ma13112555
    In this work, waste coconut husk ash was used to prepare a ZnO-SiO2 composite. Solid-state technique was used to fabricate the composite due to its producibility, simple procedure as well as lower production cost. At high sintering temperatures ranging from 600 °C to 1000 °C, the X-ray diffraction (XRD) peaks of the Zn2SiO4 showed high intensity, which indicated high crystallinity. Furthermore, the formation of broad bands of ZnO4, Si-O-Si, and SiO4 were detected by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and the bands became narrower with the increment of sintering temperature. Besides, the morphological image from field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) showed the formation of densely packed grains and smooth surface composite with the increase of sintering temperature. Upon obtaining the absorbance spectrum from Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, the optical band gap was calculated to be 4.05 eV at 1000 °C. The correlation between the structural and optical properties of ZnO-SiO2 composite was discussed in detail.
  12. Bakar NA, Jayah NI, Mohamed NR, Ali SM, Nasir SH, Hashim R, et al.
    J World Fed Orthod, 2020 03;9(1):3-8.
    PMID: 32672665 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejwf.2019.11.004
    INTRODUCTION: Gingivitis is one of the commonest problems faced by patients with fixed appliances (FA) as there is close relation between the appliances to gingival sulcus. Stichopus horrens (SH) is a sea cucumber from the Indo-Pacific that has medical healing properties which have been traditionally used.

    OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of toothpaste containing aqueous SH extract on plaque-induced gingivitis following orthodontic bond-up and to identify the optimal concentration of SH.

    METHODS: A single-centred; triple-blinded randomized controlled trial conducted in 40 patients with FA. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the four groups with toothpaste which has concentration of SH extract of 0%, 3%, 6% or 9%. The statistician, the participants and the researchers involved in data collection were kept blinded from the allocation. Gingival Index (GI) and Bleeding on Probing (BOP) for each group were taken at day 0,7,14 and 30.

    RESULTS: 9% of SH-containing toothpaste (SHCT) showed most substantial result as there were significance difference of GI (P = 0.020) from Day 7 to 14 and from Day 0 to 14 (P = 0.020). There was also significance difference of BOP from Day 0 to 14 (P = 0.022) and from Day 0 to 30 (P = 0.027). Significant difference was seen in 3% of SHCT group with the decrease of GI (P = 0.004) from Day 1 to 14. There were no significant difference noted for 0% and 6% SHCT.

    CONCLUSION: The 9% SHCT is the most effective concentration to reduce both the gingival inflammation (up to day 14) and bleeding on probing (up to day 30).

  13. Yahaya MS, Salisi MS, Md Isa NM, Meng GY, Haron A
    Future Sci OA, 2020 Jun 02;6(6):FSO580.
    PMID: 32670608 DOI: 10.2144/fsoa-2020-0037
    BACKGROUND: A number of factors are known to reduce fertility rate in animals and one of the important categories of such factors is chromosome anomalies. They can occur with or without causing phenotypic abnormalities on animals; in some cases, they may directly affect meiosis, gametogenesis and the viability of conceptus. In many instances, balanced structural rearrangements can be transmitted to offspring, affecting fertility in subsequent generations.

    AIM: This work investigated the occurrence of chromosome aberrations in Rusa timorensis, Rusa unicolor and Axis axis raised in a nucleus deer farm in Malaysia with a history of declining fertility of unknown origin.

    MATERIALS & METHODS: Blood samples were collected from 60 animals through venipuncture, cultured for 72 h and arrested at metaphase. SmartType® and Ideokar® software were used to karyotype the chromosomes.

    RESULTS: We found 15 out of the 60 animals screened from both sexes harbor some form of chromosome aberration. Chromosomal aberrations exist at the rate of 25% and may not be unconnected with the observed reduced fertility on the farm. Further investigations should be carried out, especially on the offspring of the studied animals to transmission of these aberrations. The animals that are confirmed to transmit the chromosomal aberrations should be culled to arrest the propagation of their abnormalities.

  14. Ahmad AA, Ubaidah Mustapa Kamal MA, Ruslan SR, Abdullah S, Ahmad AR
    J Shoulder Elbow Surg, 2020 Nov;29(11):2319-2325.
    PMID: 32499198 DOI: 10.1016/j.jse.2020.03.003
    BACKGROUND: Fixation of clavicle fractures has now become a more popular option as it provides better outcome compared with conservative management. Wide-awake local anesthesia no tourniquet (WALANT) has been effectively used in plating of distal radius and olecranon fractures. This paper expands the usage of WALANT into the shoulder girdle, namely plating of the clavicle that has not been described. The operation is typically performed under general anesthesia.

    METHODS: We report a case series of 16 patients who successfully underwent fixation of the clavicle under the wide-awake technique. The clavicle fractures were grouped under the AO Fracture Classification. The WALANT solution comprised 1% lidocaine, 1:100,000 epinephrine, and 10:1 sodium bicarbonate. A total of 40 mL was injected in each patient with 10 mL subcutaneously along the clavicle followed by 30 mL subperiosteally at multiple intervals and directions.

    RESULTS: The Numerical Pain Rating Score was 0 during WALANT injection and during surgery except for 2 patients with Numerical Pain Rating Scores of 1 and 2, respectively, during reduction.

    CONCLUSION: We conclude that clavicle plating under WALANT is a good alternative option of anesthesia.

  15. Nizar MHA, Chan CK, Khalil A, Yusof AKM, Lai KW
    Curr Med Imaging, 2020;16(5):584-591.
    PMID: 32484093 DOI: 10.2174/1573405615666190114151255
    BACKGROUND: Valvular heart disease is a serious disease leading to mortality and increasing medical care cost. The aortic valve is the most common valve affected by this disease. Doctors rely on echocardiogram for diagnosing and evaluating valvular heart disease. However, the images from echocardiogram are poor in comparison to Computerized Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging scan. This study proposes the development of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) that can function optimally during a live echocardiographic examination for detection of the aortic valve. An automated detection system in an echocardiogram will improve the accuracy of medical diagnosis and can provide further medical analysis from the resulting detection.

    METHODS: Two detection architectures, Single Shot Multibox Detector (SSD) and Faster Regional based Convolutional Neural Network (R-CNN) with various feature extractors were trained on echocardiography images from 33 patients. Thereafter, the models were tested on 10 echocardiography videos.

    RESULTS: Faster R-CNN Inception v2 had shown the highest accuracy (98.6%) followed closely by SSD Mobilenet v2. In terms of speed, SSD Mobilenet v2 resulted in a loss of 46.81% in framesper- second (fps) during real-time detection but managed to perform better than the other neural network models. Additionally, SSD Mobilenet v2 used the least amount of Graphic Processing Unit (GPU) but the Central Processing Unit (CPU) usage was relatively similar throughout all models.

    CONCLUSION: Our findings provide a foundation for implementing a convolutional detection system to echocardiography for medical purposes.

  16. Liew MS, Aswin M, Danyaro KU, Mohammed BS, Al-Yacouby AM
    Materials (Basel), 2020 May 26;13(11).
    PMID: 32466366 DOI: 10.3390/ma13112428
    In relation to the use of retrofit materials on damaged constructions, application on earthquake-resistant buildings, and for the strengthening and rehabilitation on weakened regions, there is a need for a more superior material than concrete. Application sites include beam-column joints, corbels, link-slabs, deep beams, support regions and dapped-end areas. Fiber reinforced engineered cementitious composites (FR-ECC) can address this issue, because FR-ECC is one of the composite materials that has high strength, ductility and durability. In order to develop FR-ECC, this study was done to investigate the effect of adding quartz powder on the compressive strength capacity and properties of FR-ECC through the use of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and steel fibers. The volume fraction of fiber was set to 0%-2%. To support the friendly environment, FR-ECC uses by-product materials such as fly ash and silica fume, with a cement content less than 600 kg/m3. In terms of the experimental investigation on FR-ECC, this work conducted the fresh property tests showing that PVA fibers have quite an influence on ECC workability, due to their hydrophilic behavior. By adjusting the superplasticizer (SP) content, the consistency and high workability of the ECC mixes have been achieved and maintained. The test results indicated that the PVA and steel fibers-based ECC mixes can be classified as self-compacting composites and high early compressive strength composites. Significantly, addition of quartz powder into the ECC mixes increased the compressive strength ratio of the ECC samples up to 1.0747. Furthermore, the steel fiber-based ECC samples exhibited greater compressive strength than the PVA fibers-based ECC samples with the strength ratio of 1.1760. Due to effect of the pozzolanic reaction, the fibers dispersion and orientation in the fresh ECC mixes, so that the cementitious matrices provided the high strength on the FR-ECC samples. During the compression loading, the bulging effect always occurred before the failures of the fibers-based ECC samples. No spalling occurred at the time of rupture and the collapse occurred slowly. Thus, FR-ECC has provided unique characteristics, which will reduce the high cost of maintenance.
  17. Koh B, Sulaiman N, Fauzi MB, Law JX, Ng MH, Idrus RBH, et al.
    Cell Biosci, 2020;10:75.
    PMID: 32518618 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-020-00438-8
    Stem cell-based regenerative medicine is a promising approach for tissue reconstruction. However, a large number of cells are needed in a typical clinical study, where conventional monolayer cultures might pose a limitation for scale-up. The purpose of this review was to systematically assess the application of microcarriers in Mesenchymal Stem Cell cultures. A comprehensive search was conducted in Medline via Ebscohost, Pubmed, and Scopus, and relevant studies published between 2015 and 2019 were selected. The literature search identified 53 related studies, but only 14 articles met the inclusion criteria. These include 7 utilised commercially available microcarriers, while the rest were formulated based on different surface characteristics, all of which are discussed in this review. Current applications of microcarriers were focused on MSC expansion and induction of MSCs into different lineages. These studies demonstrated that MSCs could proliferate in a microcarrier culture system in-fold compared to monolayer cultures, and the culture system could simulate a three-dimensional environment which induces cell differentiation. However, detailed studies are still required before this system were to be adapted into the scale of GMP manufacturing.
  18. Luthfi M, Oki AS, Indrawati R, Rifai M, Dachlan YP, Razak FA
    Eur J Dent, 2020 Jul;14(3):386-392.
    PMID: 32645730 DOI: 10.1055/s-0040-1713704
    OBJECTIVES:  To analyze CD35/CD89 expression ratio on the surface of neutrophils as an early detection marker for S-ECC.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS:  Saliva was collected from 4- to 6-year-old kindergarten students. Salivary neutrophils were obtained by instructing the subjects to rinse their mouth with 1 mL of sterile 1.5% NaCl for 30 seconds before expectorating it into a sterile glass. The expression of CFSE+CD35+ and CFSE+CD89+was measured and analyzed using flow cytometry.

    RESULTS: The expression of CFSE+CD89+ in the caries-free group (2.46 ± 0.39) was significantly lower than that in the S-ECC group (3.41 ± 1.11), with a p-value of 0.0001, while the expression of CFSE+CD35+ in the caries-free group was (2.35 ± 0.56) compared with (1.54 ± 0.35) (p = 0.0001) in the S-ECC group.

    CONCLUSIONS:  The expression ratio of CFSE+CD89+ and CFSE+CD35+constitutes a marker for S-ECC.

  19. Rozar NM, Razik MA, Sidik MH, Kamarudin S, Ismail MR, Azid A, et al.
    Data Brief, 2020 Aug;31:105858.
    PMID: 32637478 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2020.105858
    This research paper provides for the identification of dry bulk terminal efficiencies on the basis of 10 key performance factors in Malaysian ports. Data were collected from 18 dry bulk ports in Malaysia in 2017 through an online questionnaire and distributed via e-mail. The dispersion of the respondents corresponds approximately to the structure of the Malaysian maritime terminal in dry bulk. The data provides port management perceptions towards 10 variables that have been surveyed. Each perception assessed the level of efficiency factors based on a percentage rate of 100%. Efficiency factors in dry bulk terminals have been identified with varying characteristics based on a descriptive analysis table. The dataset presented consists of a brief analysis of all 10 variables involved, including the minimum, maximum, mean, interquartile median and standard deviation. In addition to the descriptive analysis, the normality test and histogram were also performed. Data can be used to measure ports-efficiency factors in another research.
  20. Hishamuddin MS, Lee SY, Ng WL, Ramlee SI, Lamasudin DU, Mohamed R
    Sci Rep, 2020 Aug 03;10(1):13034.
    PMID: 32747724 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-70030-0
    Aquilaria tree species are naturally distributed in the Indomalesian region and are protected against over-exploitation. They produce a fragrant non-timber product of high economic value, agarwood. Ambiguous species delimitation and limited genetic information within Aquilaria are among the impediments to conservation efforts. In this study, we conducted comparative analysis on eight Aquilaria species complete chloroplast (cp) genomes, of which seven were newly sequenced using Illumina HiSeq X Ten platform followed by de novo assembly. Aquilaria cp genomes possess a typical quadripartite structure including gene order and genomic structure. The length of each of the cp genome is about 174 kbp and encoded between 89 and 92 proteins, 38 tRNAs, and 8 rRNAs, with 27 duplicated in the IR (inverted repeat) region. Besides, 832 repeats (forward, reverse, palindrome and complement repeats) and nine highly variable regions were also identified. The phylogenetic analysis suggests that the topology structure of Aquilaria cp genomes were well presented with strong support values based on the cp genomes data set and matches their geographic distribution pattern. In summary, the complete cp genomes will facilitate development of species-specific molecular tools to discriminate Aquilaria species and resolve the evolutionary relationships of members of the Thymelaeaceae family.
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