Displaying publications 21 - 37 of 37 in total

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  1. Zhao Z, Gao Y, Sui W, Zhang Z, Feng L, Wang Z, et al.
    BMJ Open, 2024 Aug 17;14(8):e081485.
    PMID: 39153776 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-081485
    OBJECTIVES: To seek a triple combination of biomarkers for early diagnosis of chronic kidney disease-mineral and bone metabolic disorder and to explore the diagnostic efficacy of β2-microglobulin, parathyroid hormone and blood urea nitrogen in chronic kidney disease-mineral and bone metabolic disorder.

    PARTICIPANTS: We collected medical records of 864 patients with chronic kidney disease (without direct contact with patients) and divided them into two groups based on the renal bone disease manifestations of all patients.

    PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: There were 148 and 716 subjects in the Chronic kidney disease-mineral and bone metabolic disorder and the control groups, respectively. The aggregated data included basic information and various clinical laboratory indicators, such as blood lipid profile, antibody and electrolyte levels, along with renal function-related indicators.

    RESULTS: It was observed that most renal osteopathy occurs in the later stages of chronic kidney disease. In the comparison of two clinical laboratory indicators, 16 factors were selected for curve analysis and compared. We discovered that factors with high diagnostic values were β2-microglobulin, parathyroid hormone and blood urea nitrogen.

    CONCLUSIONS: The triple combination of β2-microglobulin+parathyroid hormone+blood urea nitrogen indicators can play the crucial role of a sensitive indicator for the early diagnosis of chronic kidney disease-mineral and bone metabolic disorder and in preventing or delaying the progress of chronic kidney disease-mineral and bone metabolic disorder.

  2. Qiu Z, Shen Q, Jiang C, Yao L, Sun X, Li J, et al.
    Int J Nanomedicine, 2021;16:2311-2322.
    PMID: 33776435 DOI: 10.2147/IJN.S302396
    Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative chronic disorder that causes dementia and problems in thinking, cognitive impairment and behavioral changes. Amyloid-beta (Aβ) is a peptide involved in AD progression, and a high level of Aβ is highly correlated with severe AD. Identifying and quantifying Aβ levels helps in the early treatment of AD and reduces the factors associated with AD.

    Materials and Methods: This research introduced a dual probe detection system involving aptamers and antibodies to identify Aβ. Aptamers and antibodies were attached to the gold (Au) urchin and hybrid on the carbon nanohorn-modified surface. The nanohorn was immobilized on the sensor surface by using an amine linker, and then a Au urchin dual probe was immobilized.

    Results: This dual probe-modified surface enhanced the current flow during Aβ detection compared with the surface with antibody as the probe. This dual probe interacted with higher numbers of Aβ peptides and reached the detection limit at 10 fM with R2=0.992. Furthermore, control experiments with nonimmune antibodies, complementary aptamer sequences and control proteins did not display the current responses, indicating the specific detection of Aβ.

    Conclusion: Aβ-spiked artificial cerebrospinal fluid showed a similar response to current changes, confirming the selective identification of Aβ.

  3. Luo R, Li R, Zheng Z, Zhang L, Xie L, Wu C, et al.
    Environ Pollut, 2024 Apr 23;351:124026.
    PMID: 38663509 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124026
    To develop a highly efficient adsorbent to remediate and remove hexavalent chromium ions (Cr(VI)) from polluted water, cellulose acetate (CA) and chitosan (CS), along with metal oxides (titanium dioxide (TiO2) and ferroferric oxide (Fe3O4)), and a zirconium-based metal-organic framework (UiO-66) were used to fabricate the composite porous nanofiber membranes through electrospinning. The adsorption performance, influencing factors, adsorption kinetics and isotherms of composite nanofiber membranes were comprehensively investigated. The multi-layer membrane with interpenetrating nanofibers and surface functional groups enhanced the natural physical adsorption and provided potential chemical sites. The thermal stability was improved by introducing TiO2 and UiO-66. CA/CS/UiO-66 exhibited the highest adsorption capacity (118.81 mg g-1) and removal rate (60.76%), which were twice higher than those of the control. The correlation coefficients (R2) of all the composite nanofibers regressed by the Langmuir model were significantly higher than those by the Freundlich model. The pseudo-first-order kinetic curve of CA/CS composite nanofibers showed the highest R2 (0.973), demonstrating that the whole adsorption process involved a combination of strong physical adsorption and weak chemical adsorption by the amino groups of CS. However, the R2 values of the pseudo-second-order kinetic model increased after incorporating TiO2, Fe3O4, and UiO-66 into the CA/CS composite nanofiber membranes since an enhanced chemical reaction with Cr (VI) occured during the adsorption.
  4. Cros A, Ahamad Fatan N, White A, Teoh SJ, Tan S, Handayani C, et al.
    PLoS One, 2014;9(6):e96332.
    PMID: 24941442 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0096332
    In this paper we describe the construction of an online GIS database system, hosted by WorldFish, which stores bio-physical, ecological and socio-economic data for the 'Coral Triangle Area' in South-east Asia and the Pacific. The database has been built in partnership with all six (Timor-Leste, Malaysia, Indonesia, The Philippines, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea) of the Coral Triangle countries, and represents a valuable source of information for natural resource managers at the regional scale. Its utility is demonstrated using biophysical data, data summarising marine habitats, and data describing the extent of marine protected areas in the region.
  5. Li L, Li Q, Huang L, Wang Q, Zhu A, Xu J, et al.
    Sci Total Environ, 2020 Aug 25;732:139282.
    PMID: 32413621 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139282
    The outbreak of COVID-19 has spreaded rapidly across the world. To control the rapid dispersion of the virus, China has imposed national lockdown policies to practise social distancing. This has led to reduced human activities and hence primary air pollutant emissions, which caused improvement of air quality as a side-product. To investigate the air quality changes during the COVID-19 lockdown over the YRD Region, we apply the WRF-CAMx modelling system together with monitoring data to investigate the impact of human activity pattern changes on air quality. Results show that human activities were lowered significantly during the period: industrial operations, VKT, constructions in operation, etc. were significantly reduced, leading to lowered SO2, NOx, PM2.5 and VOCs emissions by approximately 16-26%, 29-47%, 27-46% and 37-57% during the Level I and Level II response periods respectively. These emission reduction has played a significant role in the improvement of air quality. Concentrations of PM2.5, NO2 and SO2 decreased by 31.8%, 45.1% and 20.4% during the Level I period; and 33.2%, 27.2% and 7.6% during the Level II period compared with 2019. However, ozone did not show any reduction and increased greatly. Our results also show that even during the lockdown, with primary emissions reduction of 15%-61%, the daily average PM2.5 concentrations range between 15 and 79 μg m-3, which shows that background and residual pollutions are still high. Source apportionment results indicate that the residual pollution of PM2.5 comes from industry (32.2-61.1%), mobile (3.9-8.1%), dust (2.6-7.7%), residential sources (2.1-28.5%) in YRD and 14.0-28.6% contribution from long-range transport coming from northern China. This indicates that in spite of the extreme reductions in primary emissions, it cannot fully tackle the current air pollution. Re-organisation of the energy and industrial strategy together with trans-regional joint-control for a full long-term air pollution plan need to be further taken into account.
  6. Li Q, Zhang K, Li R, Yang L, Yi Y, Liu Z, et al.
    Sci Total Environ, 2023 May 10;872:162071.
    PMID: 36775179 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162071
    Biomass burning (BB) has significant impacts on air quality and climate change, especially during harvest seasons. In previous studies, levoglucosan was frequently used for the calculation of BB contribution to PM2.5, however, the degradation of levoglucosan (Lev) could lead to large uncertainties. To quantify the influence of the degradation of Lev on the contribution of BB to PM2.5, PM2.5-bound biomass burning-derived markers were measured in Changzhou from November 2020 to March 2021 using the thermal desorption aerosol gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TAG-GC/MS) system. Temporal variations of three anhydro-sugar BB tracers (e.g., levoglucosan, mannosan (Man), and galactosan (Gal)) were obtained. During the sampling period, the degradation level of air mass (x) was 0.13, indicating that ~87 % of levoglucosan had degraded before sampling in Changzhou. Without considering the degradation of levoglucosan in the atmosphere, the contribution of BB to OC were 7.8 %, 10.2 %, and 9.3 % in the clean period, BB period, and whole period, respectively, which were 2.4-2.6 times lower than those (20.8 %-25.9 %) considered levoglucosan degradation. This illustrated that the relative contribution of BB to OC could be underestimated (~14.9 %) without considering degradation of levoglucosan. Compared to the traditional method (i.e., only using K+ as BB tracer), organic tracers (Lev, Man, Gal) were put into the Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) model in this study. With the addition of BB organic tracers and replaced K+ with K+BB (the water-soluble potassium produced by biomass burning), the overall contribution of BB to PM2.5 was enhanced by 3.2 % after accounting for levoglucosan degradation based on the PMF analysis. This study provides useful information to better understand the effect of biomass burning on the air quality in the Yangtze River Delta region.
  7. Chang GC, Lam DC, Tsai CM, Chen YM, Shih JY, Aggarwal S, et al.
    Int J Clin Oncol, 2021 May;26(5):841-850.
    PMID: 33783657 DOI: 10.1007/s10147-021-01869-0
    BACKGROUND: This study evaluated outcomes among patients with advanced/metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated at Asian centers participating in the global named-patient-use (NPU) program for afatinib.

    METHODS: Patients had progressed after initial benefit with erlotinib or gefitinib, and/or had an EGFR or HER2 mutation, had no other treatment options, and were ineligible for afatinib trials. The recommended starting dose of afatinib was 50 mg/day. Dose modifications were allowed, and afatinib was continued as long as deemed beneficial. Response and survival information was provided voluntarily. Safety reporting was mandatory.

    RESULTS: 2242 patients (26% aged ≥ 70 years, 96% with adenocarcinoma) received afatinib at centers in 10 Asian countries. Most were heavily pre-treated, including prior treatment with erlotinib or gefitinib. Of 1281 patients tested, 1240 had EGFR mutations (common: 1034/1101; uncommon: 117/1101). There were no new safety signals, the most common adverse events being rash and diarrhea. Objective response rate (ORR) was 24% overall (n = 431 with data available), 27% for patients with common EGFR mutations (n = 230) and 28% for those with uncommon mutations (n = 32); median time to treatment failure (TTF) in these groups was 7.6 months (n = 1550), 6.4 months (n = 692) and 8.4 months (n = 83), respectively. In patients with EGFR exon 20 insertions (n = 23) and HER2 mutations (n = 12), median TTF exceeded 12 months.

    CONCLUSIONS: Patient outcomes in this study were similar to those reported in the analysis of the global NPU. Afatinib achieved clinical benefits in patients with refractory NSCLC. ORR and TTF were similar between patients with tumors harboring uncommon and common EGFR mutations.

  8. Zhao Z, Feng Y, Wang M, Wei J, Tan T, Li R, et al.
    Front Neuroinform, 2024;18:1392271.
    PMID: 39211912 DOI: 10.3389/fninf.2024.1392271
    BACKGROUND: The above studies indicate that the SCZ animal model has abnormal gamma oscillations and abnormal functional coupling ability of brain regions at the cortical level. However, few researchers have focused on the correlation between brain complexity and connectivity at the cortical level. In order to provide a more accurate representation of brain activity, we studied the complexity of electrocorticogram (ECoG) signals and the information interaction between brain regions in schizophrenic rats, and explored the correlation between brain complexity and connectivity.

    METHODS: We collected ECoG signal from SCZ rats. The frequency domain and time domain functional connectivity of SCZ rats were evaluated by magnitude square coherence and mutual information (MI). Permutation entropy (PE) and permutation Lempel-Ziv complexity (PLZC) were used to analyze the complexity of ECoG, and the relationship between them was evaluated. In addition, in order to further understand the causal structure of directional information flow among brain regions, we used phase transfer entropy (PTE) to analyze the effective connectivity of the brain.

    RESULTS: Firstly, in the high gamma band, the complexity of brain regions in SCZ rats is higher than that in normal rats, and the neuronal activity is irregularity. Secondly, the information integration ability of SCZ rats decreased and the communication of brain network information was hindered at the cortical level. Finally, compared with normal rats, the causal relationship between brain regions of SCZ rats was closer, but the information interaction center was not clear.

    CONCLUSION: The above findings suggest that at the cortical level, complexity and connectivity are valid biomarkers for identifying SCZ. This bridges the gap between peak potentials and EEG. This may help to understand the pathophysiological mechanisms at the cortical level in schizophrenics.

  9. Wong LP, Ong RT, Poh WT, Liu X, Chen P, Li R, et al.
    Am J Hum Genet, 2013 Jan 10;92(1):52-66.
    PMID: 23290073 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2012.12.005
    Whole-genome sequencing across multiple samples in a population provides an unprecedented opportunity for comprehensively characterizing the polymorphic variants in the population. Although the 1000 Genomes Project (1KGP) has offered brief insights into the value of population-level sequencing, the low coverage has compromised the ability to confidently detect rare and low-frequency variants. In addition, the composition of populations in the 1KGP is not complete, despite the fact that the study design has been extended to more than 2,500 samples from more than 20 population groups. The Malays are one of the Austronesian groups predominantly present in Southeast Asia and Oceania, and the Singapore Sequencing Malay Project (SSMP) aims to perform deep whole-genome sequencing of 100 healthy Malays. By sequencing at a minimum of 30× coverage, we have illustrated the higher sensitivity at detecting low-frequency and rare variants and the ability to investigate the presence of hotspots of functional mutations. Compared to the low-pass sequencing in the 1KGP, the deeper coverage allows more functional variants to be identified for each person. A comparison of the fidelity of genotype imputation of Malays indicated that a population-specific reference panel, such as the SSMP, outperforms a cosmopolitan panel with larger number of individuals for common SNPs. For lower-frequency (<5%) markers, a larger number of individuals might have to be whole-genome sequenced so that the accuracy currently afforded by the 1KGP can be achieved. The SSMP data are expected to be the benchmark for evaluating the value of deep population-level sequencing versus low-pass sequencing, especially in populations that are poorly represented in population-genetics studies.
  10. Liu L, Mo Z, Liang Z, Zhang Y, Li R, Ong KC, et al.
    BMC Med, 2015;13:226.
    PMID: 26381232 DOI: 10.1186/s12916-015-0448-7
    To investigate the long-term effects on immunity of an inactivated enterovirus 71 (EV71) vaccine and its protective efficacy.
  11. Sun X, Li R, Cai Y, Al-Herz A, Lahiri M, Choudhury MR, et al.
    Lancet Reg Health West Pac, 2021 Oct;15:100240.
    PMID: 34528015 DOI: 10.1016/j.lanwpc.2021.100240
    Background: Clinical remission is an attainable goal for Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). However, data on RA remission rates from multinational studies in the Asia-Pacific region are limited. We conducted a cross-sectional multicentric study to evaluate the clinical remission status and the related factors in RA patients in the Asia-Pacific region.

    Methods: RA patients receiving standard care were enrolled consecutively from 17 sites in 11 countries from APLAR RA SIG group. Data were collected on-site by rheumatologists with a standardized case-report form. Remission was analyzed by different definitions including disease activity score using 28 joints (DAS28) based on ESR and CRP, clinical disease activity index (CDAI), simplified disease activity index (SDAI), Boolean remission definition, and clinical deep remission (CliDR). Logistic regression was used to determine related factors of remission.

    Findings: A total of 2010 RA patients was included in the study, the overall remission rates were 62•3% (DAS28-CRP), 35•5% (DAS28-ESR), 30•8% (CDAI), 26•5% (SDAI), 24•7% (Boolean), and 17•1% (CliDR), respectively, and varied from countries to countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Biological and targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (b/tsDMARDs) prescription rate was low (17•9%). Compared to patients in non-remission, patients in remission had higher rates of b/tsDMARDs usage and lower rates of GC usage. The favorable related factors were male sex, younger age, fewer comorbidities, fewer extra-articular manifestations (EAM), and use of b/tsDMARDs, while treatment with GC was negatively related to remission.

    Interpretation: Remission rates were low and varied in the Asia-Pacific region. Treatment with b/tsDMARDs and less GC usage were related to higher remission rate. There is an unmet need for RA remission in the Asia-Pacific region.

  12. Aji G, Huang Y, Ng ML, Wang W, Lan T, Li M, et al.
    Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 2020 09 29;117(39):24434-24442.
    PMID: 32917816 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2007856117
    Sphingolipid dysregulation is often associated with insulin resistance, while the enzymes controlling sphingolipid metabolism are emerging as therapeutic targets for improving insulin sensitivity. We report herein that sphingosine kinase 2 (SphK2), a key enzyme in sphingolipid catabolism, plays a critical role in the regulation of hepatic insulin signaling and glucose homeostasis both in vitro and in vivo. Hepatocyte-specific Sphk2 knockout mice exhibit pronounced insulin resistance and glucose intolerance. Likewise, SphK2-deficient hepatocytes are resistant to insulin-induced activation of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)-Akt-FoxO1 pathway and elevated hepatic glucose production. Mechanistically, SphK2 deficiency leads to the accumulation of sphingosine that, in turn, suppresses hepatic insulin signaling by inhibiting PI3K activation in hepatocytes. Either reexpressing functional SphK2 or pharmacologically inhibiting sphingosine production restores insulin sensitivity in SphK2-deficient hepatocytes. In conclusion, the current study provides both experimental findings and mechanistic data showing that SphK2 and sphingosine in the liver are critical regulators of insulin sensitivity and glucose homeostasis.
  13. Buchanan EM, Lewis SC, Paris B, Forscher PS, Pavlacic JM, Beshears JE, et al.
    Sci Data, 2023 Feb 11;10(1):87.
    PMID: 36774440 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-022-01811-7
    In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Psychological Science Accelerator coordinated three large-scale psychological studies to examine the effects of loss-gain framing, cognitive reappraisals, and autonomy framing manipulations on behavioral intentions and affective measures. The data collected (April to October 2020) included specific measures for each experimental study, a general questionnaire examining health prevention behaviors and COVID-19 experience, geographical and cultural context characterization, and demographic information for each participant. Each participant started the study with the same general questions and then was randomized to complete either one longer experiment or two shorter experiments. Data were provided by 73,223 participants with varying completion rates. Participants completed the survey from 111 geopolitical regions in 44 unique languages/dialects. The anonymized dataset described here is provided in both raw and processed formats to facilitate re-use and further analyses. The dataset offers secondary analytic opportunities to explore coping, framing, and self-determination across a diverse, global sample obtained at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which can be merged with other time-sampled or geographic data.
  14. Wang K, Goldenberg A, Dorison CA, Miller JK, Uusberg A, Lerner JS, et al.
    Nat Hum Behav, 2021 Aug;5(8):1089-1110.
    PMID: 34341554 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-021-01173-x
    The COVID-19 pandemic has increased negative emotions and decreased positive emotions globally. Left unchecked, these emotional changes might have a wide array of adverse impacts. To reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions, we tested the effectiveness of reappraisal, an emotion-regulation strategy that modifies how one thinks about a situation. Participants from 87 countries and regions (n = 21,644) were randomly assigned to one of two brief reappraisal interventions (reconstrual or repurposing) or one of two control conditions (active or passive). Results revealed that both reappraisal interventions (vesus both control conditions) consistently reduced negative emotions and increased positive emotions across different measures. Reconstrual and repurposing interventions had similar effects. Importantly, planned exploratory analyses indicated that reappraisal interventions did not reduce intentions to practice preventive health behaviours. The findings demonstrate the viability of creating scalable, low-cost interventions for use around the world. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION: The stage 1 protocol for this Registered Report was accepted in principle on 12 May 2020. The protocol, as accepted by the journal, can be found at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.4878591.v1.
  15. Dorison CA, Lerner JS, Heller BH, Rothman AJ, Kawachi II, Wang K, et al.
    Affect Sci, 2022 Sep;3(3):577-602.
    PMID: 36185503 DOI: 10.1007/s42761-022-00128-3
    The COVID-19 pandemic (and its aftermath) highlights a critical need to communicate health information effectively to the global public. Given that subtle differences in information framing can have meaningful effects on behavior, behavioral science research highlights a pressing question: Is it more effective to frame COVID-19 health messages in terms of potential losses (e.g., "If you do not practice these steps, you can endanger yourself and others") or potential gains (e.g., "If you practice these steps, you can protect yourself and others")? Collecting data in 48 languages from 15,929 participants in 84 countries, we experimentally tested the effects of message framing on COVID-19-related judgments, intentions, and feelings. Loss- (vs. gain-) framed messages increased self-reported anxiety among participants cross-nationally with little-to-no impact on policy attitudes, behavioral intentions, or information seeking relevant to pandemic risks. These results were consistent across 84 countries, three variations of the message framing wording, and 560 data processing and analytic choices. Thus, results provide an empirical answer to a global communication question and highlight the emotional toll of loss-framed messages. Critically, this work demonstrates the importance of considering unintended affective consequences when evaluating nudge-style interventions.
  16. Klionsky DJ, Abdelmohsen K, Abe A, Abedin MJ, Abeliovich H, Acevedo Arozena A, et al.
    Autophagy, 2016;12(1):1-222.
    PMID: 26799652 DOI: 10.1080/15548627.2015.1100356
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