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Fulltext Author Correction: Dense sampling of bird diversity increases power of comparative genomics

Feng S, Stiller J, Deng Y, Armstrong J, Fang Q, Reeve AH, et al.

Nature, 2021 Apr;592(7856):E24.
PMID: 33833441 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03473-8
Fulltext Simulation via instant messaging - Birmingham advance (SIMBA): an innovative simulation-based learning model that helped to keep medical education continue during the COVID-19 pandemic

Morgan G, Ooi E, Hanania T, Davitadze M, Zhou D, Blaggan P, et al.

Clin Med (Lond), 2021 Mar;21(Suppl 2):34-35.
PMID: 34078689 DOI: 10.7861/clinmed.21-2-s34
Luminescent polymorphic aggregates of trinuclear Cu(I)-pyrazolate tuned by intertrimeric CuNPy weak coordination bonds

Zhan SZ, Chen W, Zheng J, Ng SW, Li D

Dalton Trans, 2021 Jan 18.
PMID: 33459321 DOI: 10.1039/d0dt03661g

Five luminescent polymorphic aggregates of trinuclear Cu(i)-pyrazolate, namely [anti-Cu3L3]2 (1), [syn-Cu3L3·C2H5OH]2 (2), [anti-Cu3L3·C2H5OH]n (3), [anti-Cu3L3·0.5C7H8]n (4) and [syn-Cu3L3·C8H10]n (5) (HL = 4-(pyridin-4-ylthio)-3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazole), were reported. The trimeric Cu3L3 fragments present syn- and anti-conformations dependent on the dangled direction of 4-pyridyl groups on the two sides of the Cu3Pz3 plane (Pz = pyrazolate). Intertrimeric NPyCu weak coordination bonds associate these Cu3L3 fragments together to form dimeric or polymeric structures, which are further stabilized by crystallized solvent molecules or intertrimeric CuCu interactions. The solvated complexes (3-5) may be transformed into the unsolvated complex 1 by evacuation of the crystallized solvents upon heating. All these complexes emit from green to yellow under UV irradiation, which originated from the triplet excited states of metal to ligand charge transfer (3MLCT) mixed with intertrimeric CuCu interactions. This work provides a novel kind of supramolecular aggregate based on Cu3Pz3 beyond the classical π-acidbase adducts and metallophilicity-dependent dimers/oligomers.
Fulltext Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)1

Klionsky DJ, Abdel-Aziz AK, Abdelfatah S, Abdellatif M, Abdoli A, Abel S, et al.

Autophagy, 2021 Jan;17(1):1-382.
PMID: 33634751 DOI: 10.1080/15548627.2020.1797280

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field.
Fulltext Anemia Management in Peritoneal Dialysis: Perspectives From the Asia Pacific Region

Li PKT, Choy ASM, Bavanandan S, Chen W, Foo M, Kanjanabuch T, et al.

Kidney Med, 2021;3(3):405-411.
PMID: 34136787 DOI: 10.1016/j.xkme.2021.01.011

Anemia is an important complication in patients with chronic kidney disease. Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is one of the most common modalities of kidney replacement therapy for patients with end-stage kidney disease. PD is particularly prevalent in the Asian Pacific region. Among the different countries and regions, including mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand, PD accounts for 2.8% to 74.6% of the dialysis population. In addition, 82% to 96% of the PD populations from these countries and regions are receiving erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs). Asian Pacific countries and regions follow the latest KDIGO (Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes) guidelines for the initiation of treatment of anemia in PD patients. The types of ESAs commonly used include shorter-acting (epoetin alfa and beta) and longer-acting agents, including darbepoetin alfa or methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta. The most commonly used ESAs in Mainland China, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand are the shorter-acting agents, whereas in Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea, longer-acting ESAs are most common. Oral iron therapy is still the most commonly used iron supplement. The route and dosage of iron administration in PD patients requires more research studies. With the introduction of oral hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase inhibitors into clinical use, the landscape of treatment of anemia in the PD population in the Asia Pacific region may change in the coming years.
Piper sarmentosum Roxb.: A review on its botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacological activities

Sun X, Chen W, Dai W, Xin H, Rahmand K, Wang Y, et al.

J Ethnopharmacol, 2020 Dec 05;263:112897.
PMID: 32620264 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2020.112897

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Piper sarmentosum Roxb. (Piperaceae) is a traditional medicinal plant widely distributed in India, Malaysia, Thailand, and the southeastern coastal areas of China including Fujian, Guangdong, and Guizhou. It has been used for centuries for the treatment of wind-cold cough, fever, rheumatism arthralgia, diarrhea dysentery, postpartum foot swelling, stomachache, toothache, diabetes, and traumatic injury.
AIMS OF THE REVIEW: To critically anayze the literature for the botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, toxicity, and clinical trials of P. sarmentosum in order to provide a scientific consensus for further research and discovery of potential candidate drugs.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The contents of this review were sourced from electronic databases including PubMed, SciFinder, Web of Science, Science Direct, Elsevier, Google Scholar, Chinese Knowledge On frastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, Chinese Scientific and Technological Periodical Database (VIP), Chinese Biomedical Database (CBM), Cochrane Controlled register of Clinical Trials, Clinical Trials. gov, and Chinese Clinical Trial Registry. Chinese medicine books published over the years were used to elucidate the traditional uses of P. sarmentosum and additional information was also collected from Yao Zhi website (https://db.yaozh.com/).
RESULTS: Phytochemical analyses of the chemical constituents of P. sarmentosum include essential oil, alkaloids, flavonoids, lignans, and steroids. The literature supports the ethnomedicinal uses of P. sarmentosum for the treatment of cold, gastritis, and rheumatoid joint pain, and further confirms its relatively new pharmacological activities, including anti-inflammatory, antineoplastic, and antipyretic activities. Other biological roles such as anti-osteoporosis, antibacterial, antidepressant, anti-atherosclerotic, and hypoglycemic activities have also been reported. However, the methodologies employed in individual studies are limited.
CONCLUSIONS: There is convincing evidence from both in vitro and in vivo studies supporting the traditional use of P. sarmentosum and it is imperative that natural bioactive compounds are examined further. More efforts should be focused on the pharmacodynamic constituents of P. sarmentosum to provide practical basis for quality control, and additional studies are needed to understand the mechanism of their action. Further studies on the comprehensive evaluation of medicinal quality and understandings of serum chemistry, multi-target network pharmacology, and molecular docking technology of P. sarmentosum are of great importance and should be considered.
Fulltext Efficacy of early initiation of ivabradine treatment in patients with acute heart failure: rationale and design of SHIFT-AHF trial

Su Y, Ma T, Wang Z, Dong B, Tai C, Wang H, et al.

ESC Heart Fail, 2020 Dec;7(6):4465-4471.
PMID: 32945150 DOI: 10.1002/ehf2.12997

AIMS: Elevated heart rate (HR) in heart failure (HF) is associated with worse outcomes, particularly in acute HF (AHF). HR reduction with ivabradine reduces cardiovascular events in HF patients with reduced ejection fraction. The present trial aimed to test the hypothesis that the early HR reduction using ivabradine improves clinical outcomes in patients with AHF.
METHODS AND RESULTS: SHIFT-AHF is a prospective, multi-centre, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ivabradine when adding to standard therapy in AHF patients (SHIFT-AHF). The trial will include 674 AHF patients with left ventricular ejection fraction
Fulltext Dense sampling of bird diversity increases power of comparative genomics

Feng S, Stiller J, Deng Y, Armstrong J, Fang Q, Reeve AH, et al.

Nature, 2020 11;587(7833):252-257.
PMID: 33177665 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2873-9

Whole-genome sequencing projects are increasingly populating the tree of life and characterizing biodiversity1-4. Sparse taxon sampling has previously been proposed to confound phylogenetic inference5, and captures only a fraction of the genomic diversity. Here we report a substantial step towards the dense representation of avian phylogenetic and molecular diversity, by analysing 363 genomes from 92.4% of bird families-including 267 newly sequenced genomes produced for phase II of the Bird 10,000 Genomes (B10K) Project. We use this comparative genome dataset in combination with a pipeline that leverages a reference-free whole-genome alignment to identify orthologous regions in greater numbers than has previously been possible and to recognize genomic novelties in particular bird lineages. The densely sampled alignment provides a single-base-pair map of selection, has more than doubled the fraction of bases that are confidently predicted to be under conservation and reveals extensive patterns of weak selection in predominantly non-coding DNA. Our results demonstrate that increasing the diversity of genomes used in comparative studies can reveal more shared and lineage-specific variation, and improve the investigation of genomic characteristics. We anticipate that this genomic resource will offer new perspectives on evolutionary processes in cross-species comparative analyses and assist in efforts to conserve species.
Fulltext Simulation via instant messaging-Birmingham advance (SIMBA) model helped improve clinicians' confidence to manage cases in diabetes and endocrinology

Melson E, Davitadze M, Aftab M, Ng CY, Ooi E, Blaggan P, et al.

BMC Med Educ, 2020 Aug 18;20(1):274.
PMID: 32811488 DOI: 10.1186/s12909-020-02190-6

BACKGROUND: Simulation-based learning (SBL) has been increasingly used in both undergraduate and postgraduate medical training curricula. The aim of Simulation via Instant Messaging-Birmingham Advance (SIMBA) is to create a simple virtual learning environment to improve trainees' self-reported confidence in diabetes and Endocrinology.
METHODS: This study was done as part of the continuous professional development for Health Education England West Midlands speciality trainees in diabetes and Endocrinology. Standardized transcripts of anonymized real-life endocrinology (endocrine session) and diabetes cases (diabetes session) were used in the simulation model. Trainees interacted with moderators through WhatsApp® in this model. All cases were then discussed in detail by a consultant endocrinologist with reference to local, national and international guidelines. Trainee acceptance rate and improvement in their self-reported confidence levels post-simulation were assessed.
RESULTS: 70.8% (n = 17/24) and 75% (n = 18/24) strongly agreed the simulation session accommodated their personal learning style and the session was engaging. 66.7% (n = 16/24) strongly felt that the simulation was worth their time. In the endocrine session, there was a significant improvement in trainees' confidence in the management of craniopharyngioma (p = 0.0179) and acromegaly (p = 0.0025). There was a trend towards improved confidence levels to manage Cushing's disease and macroprolactinoma. In diabetes session, there was a significant improvement in trainees' confidence to interpret continuous glucose monitor readings (p = 0.01). There was a trend towards improvement for managing monogenic diabetes, hypoglycaemic unawareness and interpreting Libre readings. Overall, there was a significant improvement in trainees' confidence in managing cases that were discussed post-simulation.
CONCLUSION: SIMBA is an effective learning model to improve trainees' confidence to manage various diabetes and endocrine case scenarios. More sessions with a variety of other speciality case scenarios are needed to further assess SIMBA's effectiveness and application in other areas of medical training.
Fulltext Landslide Susceptibility Mapping Using Machine Learning Algorithms and Remote Sensing Data in a Tropical Environment

Nhu VH, Mohammadi A, Shahabi H, Ahmad BB, Al-Ansari N, Shirzadi A, et al.

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2020 07 08;17(14).
PMID: 32650595 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17144933

We used AdaBoost (AB), alternating decision tree (ADTree), and their combination as an ensemble model (AB-ADTree) to spatially predict landslides in the Cameron Highlands, Malaysia. The models were trained with a database of 152 landslides compiled using Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry, Google Earth images, and field surveys, and 17 conditioning factors (slope, aspect, elevation, distance to road, distance to river, proximity to fault, road density, river density, normalized difference vegetation index, rainfall, land cover, lithology, soil types, curvature, profile curvature, stream power index, and topographic wetness index). We carried out the validation process using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and several parametric and non-parametric performance metrics, including positive predictive value, negative predictive value, sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, root mean square error, and the Friedman and Wilcoxon sign rank tests. The AB model (AUC = 0.96) performed better than the ensemble AB-ADTree model (AUC = 0.94) and successfully outperformed the ADTree model (AUC = 0.59) in predicting landslide susceptibility. Our findings provide insights into the development of more efficient and accurate landslide predictive models that can be used by decision makers and land-use managers to mitigate landslide hazards.
Isolation of SARS-CoV-2-related coronavirus from Malayan pangolins

Xiao K, Zhai J, Feng Y, Zhou N, Zhang X, Zou JJ, et al.

Nature, 2020 07;583(7815):286-289.
PMID: 32380510 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2313-x

The current outbreak of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) poses unprecedented challenges to global health1. The new coronavirus responsible for this outbreak-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-shares high sequence identity to SARS-CoV and a bat coronavirus, RaTG132. Although bats may be the reservoir host for a variety of coronaviruses3,4, it remains unknown whether SARS-CoV-2 has additional host species. Here we show that a coronavirus, which we name pangolin-CoV, isolated from a Malayan pangolin has 100%, 98.6%, 97.8% and 90.7% amino acid identity with SARS-CoV-2 in the E, M, N and S proteins, respectively. In particular, the receptor-binding domain of the S protein of pangolin-CoV is almost identical to that of SARS-CoV-2, with one difference in a noncritical amino acid. Our comparative genomic analysis suggests that SARS-CoV-2 may have originated in the recombination of a virus similar to pangolin-CoV with one similar to RaTG13. Pangolin-CoV was detected in 17 out of the 25 Malayan pangolins that we analysed. Infected pangolins showed clinical signs and histological changes, and circulating antibodies against pangolin-CoV reacted with the S protein of SARS-CoV-2. The isolation of a coronavirus from pangolins that is closely related to SARS-CoV-2 suggests that these animals have the potential to act as an intermediate host of SARS-CoV-2. This newly identified coronavirus from pangolins-the most-trafficked mammal in the illegal wildlife trade-could represent a future threat to public health if wildlife trade is not effectively controlled.
Fulltext Monitoring and Assessment of Water Level Fluctuations of the Lake Urmia and Its Environmental Consequences Using Multitemporal Landsat 7 ETM+ Images

Nhu VH, Mohammadi A, Shahabi H, Shirzadi A, Al-Ansari N, Ahmad BB, et al.

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2020 06 12;17(12).
PMID: 32545634 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17124210

The declining water level in Lake Urmia has become a significant issue for Iranian policy and decision makers. This lake has been experiencing an abrupt decrease in water level and is at real risk of becoming a complete saline land. Because of its position, assessment of changes in the Lake Urmia is essential. This study aims to evaluate changes in the water level of Lake Urmia using the space-borne remote sensing and GIS techniques. Therefore, multispectral Landsat 7 ETM+ images for the years 2000, 2010, and 2017 were acquired. In addition, precipitation and temperature data for 31 years between 1986 and 2017 were collected for further analysis. Results indicate that the increased temperature (by 19%), decreased rainfall of about 62%, and excessive damming in the Urmia Basin along with mismanagement of water resources are the key factors in the declining water level of Lake Urmia. Furthermore, the current research predicts the potential environmental crisis as the result of the lake shrinking and suggests a few possible alternatives. The insights provided by this study can be beneficial for environmentalists and related organizations working on this and similar topics.
Fulltext Shallow Landslide Susceptibility Mapping: A Comparison between Logistic Model Tree, Logistic Regression, Naïve Bayes Tree, Artificial Neural Network, and Support Vector Machine Algorithms

Nhu VH, Shirzadi A, Shahabi H, Singh SK, Al-Ansari N, Clague JJ, et al.

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2020 04 16;17(8).
PMID: 32316191 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17082749

Shallow landslides damage buildings and other infrastructure, disrupt agriculture practices, and can cause social upheaval and loss of life. As a result, many scientists study the phenomenon, and some of them have focused on producing landslide susceptibility maps that can be used by land-use managers to reduce injury and damage. This paper contributes to this effort by comparing the power and effectiveness of five machine learning, benchmark algorithms-Logistic Model Tree, Logistic Regression, Naïve Bayes Tree, Artificial Neural Network, and Support Vector Machine-in creating a reliable shallow landslide susceptibility map for Bijar City in Kurdistan province, Iran. Twenty conditioning factors were applied to 111 shallow landslides and tested using the One-R attribute evaluation (ORAE) technique for modeling and validation processes. The performance of the models was assessed by statistical-based indexes including sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, mean absolute error (MAE), root mean square error (RMSE), and area under the receiver operatic characteristic curve (AUC). Results indicate that all the five machine learning models performed well for shallow landslide susceptibility assessment, but the Logistic Model Tree model (AUC = 0.932) had the highest goodness-of-fit and prediction accuracy, followed by the Logistic Regression (AUC = 0.932), Naïve Bayes Tree (AUC = 0.864), ANN (AUC = 0.860), and Support Vector Machine (AUC = 0.834) models. Therefore, we recommend the use of the Logistic Model Tree model in shallow landslide mapping programs in semi-arid regions to help decision makers, planners, land-use managers, and government agencies mitigate the hazard and risk.
Fulltext Simulation training using WhatsApp (Sim-thru-WhatsApp) improves doctors' confidence in endocrine and diabetes case management

Chen W, Kempegowda P, Melson E, Davitadze M, Aftab M, Ooi E, et al.

Clin Med (Lond), 2020 Mar;20(Suppl 2):s62-s63.
PMID: 32409381 DOI: 10.7861/clinmed.20-2-s62
Modeling flood susceptibility using data-driven approaches of naïve Bayes tree, alternating decision tree, and random forest methods

Chen W, Li Y, Xue W, Shahabi H, Li S, Hong H, et al.

Sci Total Environ, 2020 Jan 20;701:134979.
PMID: 31733400 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134979

Floods are one of the most devastating types of disasters that cause loss of lives and property worldwide each year. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the prediction capability of the naïve Bayes tree (NBTree), alternating decision tree (ADTree), and random forest (RF) methods for the spatial prediction of flood occurrence in the Quannan area, China. A flood inventory map with 363 flood locations was produced and partitioned into training and validation datasets through random selection with a ratio of 70/30. The spatial flood database was constructed using thirteen flood explanatory factors. The probability certainty factor (PCF) method was used to analyze the correlation between the factors and flood occurrences. Consequently, three flood susceptibility maps were produced using the NBTree, ADTree, and RF methods. Finally, the area under the curve (AUC) and statistical measures were used to validate the flood susceptibility models. The results indicated that the RF method is an efficient and reliable model in flood susceptibility assessment, with the highest AUC values, positive predictive rate, negative predictive rate, sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for the training (0.951, 0.892, 0.941, 0.945, 0.886, and 0.915, respectively) and validation (0.925, 0.851, 0.938, 0.945, 0.835, and 0.890, respectively) datasets.
A New Perspective on Dry Eye Classification: Proposal by the Asia Dry Eye Society

Tsubota K, Yokoi N, Watanabe H, Dogru M, Kojima T, Yamada M, et al.

Eye Contact Lens, 2020 Jan;46 Suppl 1:S2-S13.
PMID: 31425351 DOI: 10.1097/ICL.0000000000000643

The 2017 consensus report of the Asia Dry Eye Society (ADES) on the definition and diagnosis of dry eyes described dry eye disease as "Dry eye is a multifactorial disease characterized by unstable tear film causing a variety of symptoms and/or visual impairment, potentially accompanied by ocular surface damage." The report emphasized the instability of tear film and the importance of visual dysfunction in association with dry eyes, highlighting the importance of the evaluation of tear film stability. This report also discussed the concept of tear film-oriented therapy, which stemmed from the definition, and which is centered on provision of insufficient components in each tear film layer and ocular surface epithelium. The current ADES report proposes a simple classification of dry eyes based on the concept of tear film-oriented diagnosis and suggests that there are three types of dry eye: aqueous-deficient, decreased wettability, and increased evaporation. It is suggested that these three types respectively coincide with the problems of each layer: aqueous, membrane-associated mucins, and lipid/secretory mucin. Although each component cannot be quantitatively evaluated with the current technology, a practical diagnosis based on the patterns of fluorescein breakup is recommended. The Asia Dry Eye Society classification report suggests that for a practical use of the definition, diagnostic criteria and classification system should be integrated and be simple to use. The classification system proposed by ADES is a straightforward tool and simple to use, only through use of fluorescein, which is available even to non-dry eye specialists, and which is believed to contribute to an effective diagnosis and treatment of dry eyes.
Tumor Budding Detection System in Whole Slide Pathology Images

Fauzi MFA, Chen W, Knight D, Hampel H, Frankel WL, Gurcan MN

J Med Syst, 2019 Dec 18;44(2):38.
PMID: 31853654 DOI: 10.1007/s10916-019-1515-y

Tumor budding is defined as the presence of single tumor cells or small tumor clusters (less than five cells) that 'bud' from the invasive front of the main tumor. Tumor budding (TB) has recently emerged as an important adverse prognostic factor for many different cancer types. In colorectal carcinoma (CRC), tumor budding has been independently associated with lymph node metastasis and poor outcome. Pathologic assessment of tumor budding by light microscopy requires close evaluation of tumor invasive front on intermediate to high power magnification, entailing locating the 'hotspot' of tumor budding, counting all TB in one high power field, and generating a tumor budding score. By automating these time-consuming tasks, computer-assisted image analysis tools can be helpful for daily pathology practice, since tumor budding reporting is now recommended on select cases. In this paper, we report our work on the development of a tumor budding detection system in CRC from whole-slide Cytokeratin AE1/3 images, based on de novo computer algorithm that automates morphometric analysis of tumor budding.
Sirtuin inhibition and anti-cancer activities of ethyl 2-benzimidazole-5-carboxylate derivatives

Yeong KY, Nor Azizi MIH, Berdigaliyev N, Chen WN, Lee WL, Shirazi AN, et al.

Medchemcomm, 2019 Dec 01;10(12):2140-2145.
PMID: 32904142 DOI: 10.1039/c9md00323a

New benzimidazoles were synthesized based on the previously identified sirtuin inhibitor BZD9L1. The compounds were screened for their sirtuin (SIRT1, SIRT2 and SIRT3) inhibitory activities. Compound BZD9Q1 was determined to be a pan-SIRT1-3 inhibitor. Furthermore, the proliferation of various cancer cells was inhibited by BZD9Q1. It was shown that BZD9Q1 elicits a cytostatic effect by inducing cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase while also showing a prominent induction of apoptosis against oral cancer cells.
Fulltext The microbiota structure in the cecum of laying hens contributes to dissimilar H2S production

Huang CB, Xiao L, Xing SC, Chen JY, Yang YW, Zhou Y, et al.

BMC Genomics, 2019 Oct 23;20(1):770.
PMID: 31646963 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-019-6115-1

BACKGROUND: Host genotype plays a crucial role in microbial composition of laying hens, which may lead to dissimilar odor gas production. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship among layer breed, microbial structure and odor production.
RESULTS: Thirty Hy-Line Gray and thirty Lohmann Pink laying hens were used in this study to determine the impact of cecal microbial structure on odor production of laying hens. The hens were managed under the same husbandry and dietary regimes. Results of in vivo experiments showed a lower hydrogen sulfide (H2S) production from Hy-Line hens and a lower concentration of soluble sulfide (S2-) but a higher concentration of butyrate in the cecal content of the Hy-Line hens compared to Lohmann Pink hens (P 0.05). Significant microbial structural differences existed between the two breed groups. The relative abundance of some butyrate producers (including Butyricicoccus, Butyricimonas and Roseburia) and sulfate-reducing bacteria (including Mailhella and Lawsonia) were found to be significantly correlated with odor production and were shown to be different in the 16S rRNA and PCR data between two breed groups. Furthermore, some bacterial metabolism pathways associated with energy extraction and carbohydrate utilization (oxidative phosphorylation, pyruvate metabolism, energy metabolism, two component system and secretion system) were overrepresented in the Hy-Line hens, while several amino acid metabolism-associated pathways (amino acid related enzymes, arginine and proline metabolism, and alanine-aspartate and glutamate metabolism) were more prevalent in the Lohmann hens.
CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that genotype of laying hens influence cecal microbiota, which in turn modulates their odor production. Our study provides references for breeding and enteric manipulation for defined microbiota to reduce odor gas emission.
External validation of a modified trauma and injury severity score model in major trauma injury

Chen WS, Tan JH, Mohamad Y, Imran R

Injury, 2019 May;50(5):1118-1124.
PMID: 30591225 DOI: 10.1016/j.injury.2018.12.031

BACKGROUND: The establishment of an accurate prognostic model in major trauma patients is important mainly because this group of patients will benefit the most. Clinical prediction models must be validated internally and externally on a regular basis to ensure the prediction is accurate and current. This study aims to externally validate two prediction models, the Trauma and Injury Severity Score model developed using the Major Trauma Outcome Study in North America (MTOS-TRISS model), and the NTrD-TRISS model, which is a refined MTOS-TRISS model with coefficients derived from the Malaysian National Trauma Database (NTrD), by regarding mortality as the outcome measurement.
METHOD: This retrospective study included patients with major trauma injuries reported to a trauma centre of Hospital Sultanah Aminah over a 6-year period from 2011 and 2017. Model validation was examined using the measures of discrimination and calibration. Discrimination was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and 95% confidence interval (CI). The Hosmer-Lemeshow (H-L) goodness-of-fit test was used to examine calibration capabilities. The predictive validity of both MTOS-TRISS and NTrD-TRISS models were further evaluated by incorporating parameters such as the New Injury Severity Scale and the Injury Severity Score.
RESULTS: Total patients of 3788 (3434 blunt and 354 penetrating injuries) with average age of 37 years (standard deviation of 16 years) were included in this study. All MTOS-TRISS and NTrD-TRISS models examined in this study showed adequate discriminative ability with AUCs ranged from 0.86 to 0.89 for patients with blunt trauma mechanism and 0.89 to 0.99 for patients with penetrating trauma mechanism. The H-L goodness-of-fit test indicated the NTrD-TRISS model calibrated as good as the MTOS-TRISS model for patients with blunt trauma mechanism.
CONCLUSION: For patients with blunt trauma mechanism, both the MTOS-TRISS and NTrD-TRISS models showed good discrimination and calibration performances. Discrimination performance for the NTrD-TRISS model was revealed to be as good as the MTOS-TRISS model specifically for patients with penetrating trauma mechanism. Overall, this validation study has ascertained the discrimination and calibration performances of the NTrD-TRISS model to be as good as the MTOS-TRISS model particularly for patients with blunt trauma mechanism.

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