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Fulltext The role of TNFR2+ Tregs in COVID-19: An overview and a potential therapeutic strategy

Ahmad S, Hatmal MM, Lambuk L, Al-Hatamleh MAI, Alshaer W, Mohamud R

Life Sci, 2021 Dec 01;286:120063.
PMID: 34673116 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2021.120063

COVID-19 is a multi-faceted disease ranging from asymptomatic to severely ill condition that primarily affects the lungs and could advance to other organs as well. It's causing factor, SARS-CoV-2 is recognized to develop robust cell-mediated immunity that responsible to either control or exaggerate the infection. As an important cell subset that control immune responses and are significantly dysregulated in COVID-19, Tregs is proposed to be considered for COVID-19 management. Among its hallmark, TNFR2 is recently recognized to play important role in the function and survival of Tregs. This review gathers available TNFR2 agonists to directly target Tregs as a potential approach to overcome immune dysregulation that affect the severity in COVID-19. Furthermore, this review performs a rigid body docking of TNF-TNFR2 interaction and such interaction with TNFR2 agonist to predict the optimal targeting approach.
Fulltext A Degradable Inverse Vulcanized Copolymer as a Coating Material for Urea Produced under Optimized Conditions

Ghumman ASM, Shamsuddin R, Nasef MM, Krivoborodov EG, Ahmad S, Zanin AA, et al.

Polymers (Basel), 2021 Nov 22;13(22).
PMID: 34833338 DOI: 10.3390/polym13224040

Global enhancement of crop yield is achieved using chemical fertilizers; however, agro-economy is affected due to poor nutrient uptake efficacy (NUE), which also causes environmental pollution. Encapsulating urea granules with hydrophobic material can be one solution. Additionally, the inverse vulcanized copolymer obtained from vegetable oils are a new class of green sulfur-enriched polymer with good biodegradation and better sulfur oxidation potential, but they possess unreacted sulfur, which leads to void generations. In this study, inverse vulcanization reaction conditions to minimize the amount of unreacted sulfur through response surface methodology (RSM) is optimized. The copolymer obtained was then characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). FTIR confirmed the formation of the copolymer, TGA demonstrated that copolymer is thermally stable up to 200 °C temperature, and DSC revealed the sulfur conversion of 82.2% (predicted conversion of 82.37%), which shows the goodness of the model developed to predict the sulfur conversion. To further maximize the sulfur conversion, 5 wt% diisopropenyl benzene (DIB) as a crosslinker is added during synthesis to produce terpolymer. The urea granule is then coated using terpolymer, and the nutrient release longevity of the coated urea is tested in distilled water, which revealed that only 65% of its total nutrient is released after 40 days of incubation. The soil burial of the terpolymer demonstrated its biodegradability, as 26% weight loss happens in 52 days of incubation. Thus, inverse vulcanized terpolymer as a coating material for urea demonstrated far better nutrient release longevity compared with other biopolymers with improved biodegradation; moreover, these copolymers also have potential to improve sulfur oxidation.
Structural probing of HapR to identify potent phytochemicals to control Vibrio cholera through integrated computational approaches

Tahir Ul Qamar M, Ahmad S, Khan A, Mirza MU, Ahmad S, Abro A, et al.

Comput Biol Med, 2021 11;138:104929.
PMID: 34655900 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2021.104929

Cholera is a severe small intestine bacterial disease caused by consumption of water and food contaminated with Vibrio cholera. The disease causes watery diarrhea leading to severe dehydration and even death if left untreated. In the past few decades, V. cholerae has emerged as multidrug-resistant enteric pathogen due to its rapid ability to adapt in detrimental environmental conditions. This research study aimed to design inhibitors of a master virulence gene expression regulator, HapR. HapR is critical in regulating the expression of several set of V. cholera virulence genes, quorum-sensing circuits and biofilm formation. A blind docking strategy was employed to infer the natural binding tendency of diverse phytochemicals extracted from medicinal plants by exposing the whole HapR structure to the screening library. Scoring function criteria was applied to prioritize molecules with strong binding affinity (binding energy
Fulltext In Vivo Toxicity Evaluation of Sugar Adulterated Heterotrigona itama Honey Using Zebrafish Model

Fakhlaei R, Selamat J, Razis AFA, Sukor R, Ahmad S, Amani Babadi A, et al.

Molecules, 2021 Oct 15;26(20).
PMID: 34684803 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26206222

Honey is prone to be adulterated through mixing with sugars, cheap and low-quality honey, and other adulterants. Consumption of adulterated honey may cause several health issues such as weight gain, diabetes, and liver and kidney dysfunction. Therefore, studying the impact of consumption of adulterated honey on consumers is critical since there is a lack of study in this field. Hence, the aims of this paper were: (1) to determine the lethal concentration (LC50) of adulterated honey using zebrafish embryo, (2) to elucidate toxicology of selected adulterated honey based on lethal dose (LD50) using adult zebrafish, (3) to determine the effects of adulterated honey on histological changes of zebrafish, and (4) to screen the metabolites profile of adulterated honey by using zebrafish blood serum. The LC50 of Heterotrigona itama honey (acacia honey) and its sugar adulterants (light corn sugar, cane sugar, inverted sugar, and palm sugar in the proportion of 1-3% (w/w) from the total volume) was determined by the toxicological assessment of honey samples on zebrafish embryos (different exposure concentrations in 24, 48, 72, and 96 h postfertilization (hpf)). Pure H. itama honey represents the LC50 of 34.40 ± 1.84 (mg/mL) at 96 hpf, while the inverted sugar represents the lowest LC50 (5.03 ± 0.92 mg/mL) among sugar adulterants. The highest concentration (3%) of sugar adulterants were used to study the toxicology of adulterated honey using adult zebrafish in terms of acute, prolong-acute, and sub-acute tests. The results of the LD50 from the sub-acute toxicity test of pure H. itama honey was 2.33 ± 0.24 (mg/mL). The histological studies of internal organs showed a lesion in the liver, kidney, and spleen of adulterated treated-honey groups compared to the control group. Furthermore, the LC-MS/MS results revealed three endogenous metabolites in both the pure and adulterated honey treated groups, as follows: (1) S-Cysteinosuccinic acid, (2) 2,3-Diphosphoglyceric acid, and (3) Cysteinyl-Tyrosine. The results of this study demonstrated that adulterated honey caused mortality, which contributes to higher toxicity, and also suggested that the zebrafish toxicity test could be a standard method for assessing the potential toxicity of other hazardous food additives. The information gained from this research will permit an evaluation of the potential risk associated with the consumption of adulterated compared to pure honey.
Five decades of the International Endodontic Journal: Bibliometric overview 1967-2020

Khan AS, Ur Rehman S, Ahmad S, AlMaimouni YK, Alzamil MAS, Dummer PMH

Int Endod J, 2021 Oct;54(10):1819-1839.
PMID: 34196006 DOI: 10.1111/iej.13595

AIM: The International Endodontic Journal (IEJ) has served as a platform for research and clinical practice in Endodontics since 1967. This study provides a bibliographic analysis and overview of the publications that have appeared in the IEJ from 1967 to 2020.
METHODOLOGY: A literature search was performed in Elsevier's Scopus database to locate all the publications of the International Endodontic Journal. Various bibliometric software packages including the open-source visualization software Gephi and Biblioshiny (version 2.0) were employed for data visualization and analysis.
RESULTS: A total of 3739 records with citation and bibliographic details were selected and retrieved to allow a bibliometric analysis to be performed. The bibliometric analysis indicates that the IEJ has grown both in terms of productivity and influence. Over time, the journal has been associated with an increase in the number of manuscripts published and the citations they have attracted, but with minor downward fluctuations in citations in the last few years. Bibliographic coupling of the IEJ articles revealed that the major research themes published in the journal include 'endodontics', 'root canal treatment', 'calcium hydroxide', 'apical periodontitis', 'mineral trioxide aggregate', 'microbiology', 'cyclic fatigue', 'cone-beam computed tomography' and 'micro-computed tomography'. Authors affiliated to institutions in the UK were the major contributors to the journal and were linked with other countries such as Brazil, USA and Malaysia. The largest number of publications were from the University of São Paulo, Brazil.
CONCLUSION: The IEJ is one of the leading journals in Endodontology and has been providing a platform for innovative research and clinical reports for more than 50 years. Publications have been associated with a wide range of authors, institutions and countries around the world.
Fulltext Antioxidative role of palm grass rhizome ameliorates anxiety and depression in experimental rodents and computer-aided model

Hoque MA, Ahmad S, Chakrabarty N, Khan MF, Hafez Kabir MS, Brishti A, et al.

Heliyon, 2021 Oct;7(10):e08199.
PMID: 34729435 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e08199

Palm grass (Curculigo recurvata) is an ethnomedicinally important herb reported to have significant medicinal values. The present study aimed to evaluate the antidepressant and anxiolytic activities of a methanol extract of C. recurvata rhizome (Me-RCR) through different approaches. The antidepressant and anxiolytic properties of Me-RCR were assessed by using elevated plus maze (EPM), hole-board (HBT), tail suspension (TST), and forced swimming (FST) tests in Swiss Albino mice. The in-depth antioxidative potential of Me-RCR was also evaluated through DPPH radical scavenging activity, ferric-reducing power capacity, total phenolic, flavonoid, flavonol, and antioxidant content analysis. Computational investigations were performed using computer-aided methods for screening the anxiolytic, antidepressant, and antioxidative activities of the selected lead molecules. Treatment with Me-RCR (200 and 400 mg/kg, b.w.) notably increased the number of open arm entries and the time spent in the EPM test. In the HBT, Me-RCR exhibited significant anxiolytic activity at a dose of 200 mg/kg, whereas similar activity was observed at 400 mg/kg in the EPM test. Me-RCR significantly decreased the immobility time in a dose-dependent manner in both TST and FST. The IC50 for DPPH and reducing power capacity assay were found to be 18.56 and 193 μg/mL, respectively. Promising outcomes were noted for the determination of total phenolics, flavonoids, flavonols, and antioxidant capacity. In the case of computer-aided studies, nyasicoside showed promising binding energy for antidepressant and anxiolytic activities, whereas isocurculigine demonstrated promising effects as an antioxidant. Overall, these findings suggest that Me-RCR could be a favourable therapeutic candidate for the treatment of mental and psychiatric disorders, as well as a good source of antioxidants.
Targeting immunosuppressor cells with nanoparticles in autoimmunity: How far have we come to?

Ahmad S, Al-Hatamleh MAI, Mohamud R

Cell Immunol, 2021 10;368:104412.
PMID: 34340162 DOI: 10.1016/j.cellimm.2021.104412

Autoimmunity is the assault of immune response towards self-antigens, resulting to inflammation and tissue injury. It is staged into three phases and caused by malfunction of immune tolerance. In our body, immune tolerance is synchronized by several immunosuppressor cells such as regulatory T cells and B cells as well as myeloid-derived suppressor cells, which are prominently dysregulated in autoimmunity. Hence, targeting these cell populations serve as a significant potential in the therapy of autoimmunity. Nanotechnology with its advantageous properties is shown to be a remarkable tool as drug delivery system in this field. This review focused on the development of therapeutics in autoimmune diseases utilizing various nanoparticles formulation based on two targeting approaches in autoimmunity, passive and active targeting. Lastly, this review outlined the approved present nanomedicines as well as in clinical evaluations and issues regarding the lack of translation of these nanomedicines into the market, despite the abundant of positive experimental observations.
Fulltext Fragment-based in silico design of SARS-CoV-2 main protease inhibitors

Ahmad S, Usman Mirza M, Yean Kee L, Nazir M, Abdul Rahman N, Trant JF, et al.

Chem Biol Drug Des, 2021 Oct;98(4):604-619.
PMID: 34148292 DOI: 10.1111/cbdd.13914

3CLpro is essential for SARS-CoV-2 replication and infection; its inhibition using small molecules is a potential therapeutic strategy. In this study, a comprehensive crystallography-guided fragment-based drug discovery approach was employed to design new inhibitors for SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro. All small molecules co-crystallized with SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro with structures deposited in the Protein Data Bank were used as inputs. Fragments sitting in the binding pocket (87) were grouped into eight geographical types. They were interactively coupled using various synthetically reasonable linkers to generate larger molecules with divalent binding modes taking advantage of two different fragments' interactions. In total, 1,251 compounds were proposed, and 7,158 stereoisomers were screened using Glide (standard precision and extra precision), AutoDock Vina, and Prime MMGBSA. The top 22 hits having conformations approaching the linear combination of their constituent fragments were selected for MD simulation on Desmond. MD simulation suggested 15 of these did adopt conformations very close to their constituent pieces with far higher binding affinity than either constituent domain alone. These structures could provide a starting point for the further design of SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro inhibitors with improved binding, and structures are provided.
Fulltext Prophylactic potential of honey and Nigella sativa L. against hospital and community-based SARS-CoV-2 spread: a structured summary of a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Ashraf S, Ashraf S, Akmal R, Ashraf M, Kalsoom L, Maqsood A, et al.

Trials, 2021 Sep 15;22(1):618.
PMID: 34526081 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-021-05510-3

OBJECTIVES: Considering the therapeutic potential of honey and Nigella sativa (HNS) in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients, the objective of the study is defined to evaluate the prophylactic role of HNS.
TRIAL DESIGN: The study is a randomized, placebo-controlled, adaptive clinical trial with parallel group design, superiority framework with an allocation ratio of 1:1 among experimental (HNS) and placebo group. An interim analysis will be done when half of the patients have been recruited to evaluate the need to adapt sample size, efficacy, and futility of the trial.
PARTICIPANTS: All asymptomatic patients with hospital or community based COVID-19 exposure will be screened if they have had 4 days exposure to a confirmed case. Non-pregnant adults with significant exposure level will be enrolled in the study High-risk exposure (<6 feet distance for >10min without face protection) Moderate exposure (<6 feet distance for >10min with face protection) Subjects with acute or chronic infection, COVID-19 vaccinated, and allergy to HNS will be excluded from the study. Recruitment will be done at Shaikh Zayed Post-Graduate Medical Institute, Ali Clinic and Doctors Lounge in Lahore (Pakistan).
INTERVENTION AND COMPARATOR: In this clinical study, patients will receive either raw natural honey (0.5 g) and encapsulated organic Nigella sativa seeds (40 mg) per kg body weight per day or empty capsule with and 30 ml of 5% dextrose water as a placebo for 14 days. Both the natural products will be certified for standardization by Government College University (Botany department). Furthermore, each patient will be given standard care therapy according to version 3.0 of the COVID-19 clinical management guidelines by the Ministry of National Health Services of Pakistan.
MAIN OUTCOMES: Primary outcome will be Incidence of COVID-19 cases within 14 days of randomisation. Secondary endpoints include incidence of COVID-19-related symptoms, hospitalizations, and deaths along with the severity of COVID-19-related symptoms till 14th day of randomization.
RANDOMISATION: Participants will be randomized into experimental and control groups (1:1 allocation ratio) via the lottery method. There will be stratification based on high risk and moderate risk exposure.
BLINDING (MASKING): Quadruple blinding will be ensured for the participants, care providers and outcome accessors. Data analysts will also be blinded to avoid conflict of interest. Site principal investigator will be responsible for ensuring masking.
NUMBERS TO BE RANDOMISED (SAMPLE SIZE): 1000 participants will be enrolled in the study with 1:1 allocation.
TRIAL STATUS: The final protocol version 1.4 was approved by institutional review board of Shaikh Zayed Post-Graduate Medical Complex on February 15, 2021. The trial recruitment was started on March 05, 2021, with a trial completion date of February 15, 2022.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical trial was registered on February 23, 2021, www.clinicaltrials.gov with registration ID NCT04767087 .
FULL PROTOCOL: The full protocol is attached as an additional file, accessible from the Trials website (Additional file 1). With the intention of expediting dissemination of this trial, the conventional formatting has been eliminated; this Letter serves as a summary of the key elements of the full protocol. The study protocol has been reported in accordance with the Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Clinical Interventional Trials (SPIRIT) guidelines.
Unequal distribution of COVID-19 vaccine: A looming crisis

Sawal I, Ahmad S, Tariq W, Tahir MJ, Essar MY, Ahmed A

J Med Virol, 2021 09;93(9):5228-5230.
PMID: 33942326 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.27031
Fulltext A Study of Methylcellulose Based Polymer Electrolyte Impregnated with Potassium Ion Conducting Carrier: Impedance, EEC Modeling, FTIR, Dielectric, and Device Characteristics

Nofal MM, Hadi JM, Aziz SB, Brza MA, Asnawi ASFM, Dannoun EMA, et al.

Materials (Basel), 2021 Aug 26;14(17).
PMID: 34500952 DOI: 10.3390/ma14174859

In this research, a biopolymer-based electrolyte system involving methylcellulose (MC) as a host polymeric material and potassium iodide (KI) salt as the ionic source was prepared by solution cast technique. The electrolyte with the highest conductivity was used for device application of electrochemical double-layer capacitor (EDLC) with high specific capacitance. The electrical, structural, and electrochemical characteristics of the electrolyte systems were investigated using various techniques. According to electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), the bulk resistance (Rb) decreased from 3.3 × 105 to 8 × 102 Ω with the increase of salt concentration from 10 wt % to 40 wt % and the ionic conductivity was found to be 1.93 ×10-5 S/cm. The dielectric analysis further verified the conductivity trends. Low-frequency regions showed high dielectric constant, ε' and loss, ε″ values. The polymer-salt complexation between (MC) and (KI) was shown through a Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) studies. The analysis of transference number measurement (TNM) supported ions were predominantly responsible for the transport process in the MC-KI electrolyte. The highest conducting sample was observed to be electrochemically constant as the potential was swept linearly up to 1.8 V using linear sweep voltammetry (LSV). The cyclic voltammetry (CV) profile reveals the absence of a redox peak, indicating the presence of a charge double-layer between the surface of activated carbon electrodes and electrolytes. The maximum specific capacitance, Cs value was obtained as 118.4 F/g at the sweep rate of 10 mV/s.
Fulltext Bloody Nipple Discharge Post Delivery: A Case of "Rusty Pipe Syndrome"

Mohamad N, Sulaiman Z, Tengku Ismail TA, Ahmad S

Korean J Fam Med, 2021 Jul;42(4):339-341.
PMID: 32475105 DOI: 10.4082/kjfm.20.0057

"Rusty pipe syndrome" is a condition that needs to be considered in a primiparous woman who presents with bilateral bloody nipple discharge in the early postpartum period. Its prevalence is low and can occur due to physiological condition that arises primarily in primiparous women with increased alveolar and ductal vascularization associated with the onset of lactation. Here, we report a case of a 29-year-old primigravida who presented with bilateral painless bloody nipple discharge after delivery. Her breast examination showed no signs of infection or structural changes, and breast ultrasound did not reveal any significant observations except for a bilateral simple breast cyst. Six days after the onset of lactation, the bloody nipple discharge ceased and lactation continued on demand.
Fulltext Corrigendum to 'Discovery of HIV entry inhibitors via a hybrid CXCR4 and CCR5 receptor pharmacophore-based virtual screening approach' [European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 155 (2020) 105537]

Mirza MU, Saadabadi A, Vanmeert M, Salo-Ahen OMH, Abdullah I, Claes S, et al.

Eur J Pharm Sci, 2021 Jul 01;162:105827.
PMID: 33814256 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejps.2021.105827
Fulltext Antimutagenic, Cytoprotective and Antioxidant Properties of Ficus deltoidea Aqueous Extract In Vitro

Ooi TC, Ibrahim FW, Ahmad S, Chan KM, Leong LM, Mohammad N, et al.

Molecules, 2021 May 29;26(11).
PMID: 34072474 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26113287

Ficus deltoidea var. deltoidea is used as traditional medicine for diabetes, inflammation, and nociception. However, the antimutagenic potential and cytoprotective effects of this plant remain unknown. In this study, the mutagenic and antimutagenic activities of F. deltoidea aqueous extract (FDD) on both Salmonella typhimurium TA 98 and TA 100 strains were assessed using Salmonella mutagenicity assay (Ames test). Then, the cytoprotective potential of FDD on menadione-induced oxidative stress was determined in a V79 mouse lung fibroblast cell line. The ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay was conducted to evaluate FDD antioxidant capacity. Results showed that FDD (up to 50 mg/mL) did not exhibit a mutagenic effect on either TA 98 or TA 100 strains. Notably, FDD decreased the revertant colony count induced by 2-aminoanthracene in both strains in the presence of metabolic activation (p < 0.05). Additionally, pretreatment of FDD (50 and 100 µg/mL) demonstrated remarkable protection against menadione-induced oxidative stress in V79 cells significantly by decreasing superoxide anion level (p < 0.05). FDD at all concentrations tested (12.5-100 µg/mL) exhibited antioxidant power, suggesting the cytoprotective effect of FDD could be partly attributed to its antioxidant properties. This report highlights that F. deltoidea may provide a chemopreventive effect on mutagenic and oxidative stress inducers.
Fulltext Transcriptomics analysis of differentially expressed genes in subcutaneous and perirenal adipose tissue of sheep as affected by their pre- and early postnatal malnutrition histories

Ahmad S, Drag MH, Salleh SM, Cai Z, Nielsen MO

BMC Genomics, 2021 May 11;22(1):338.
PMID: 33975549 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-07672-5

BACKGROUND: Early life malnutrition is known to target adipose tissue with varying impact depending on timing of the insult. This study aimed to identify differentially expressed genes in subcutaneous (SUB) and perirenal (PER) adipose tissue of 2.5-years old sheep to elucidate the biology underlying differential impacts of late gestation versus early postnatal malnutrition on functional development of adipose tissues. Adipose tissues were obtained from 37 adult sheep born as twins to dams fed either NORM (fulfilling energy and protein requirements), LOW (50% of NORM) or HIGH (110% of protein and 150% of energy requirements) diets in the last 6-weeks of gestation. From day 3 to 6 months of age, lambs were fed high-carbohydrate-high-fat (HCHF) or moderate low-fat (CONV) diets, and thereafter the same moderate low-fat diet.
RESULTS: The gene expression profile of SUB in the adult sheep was not affected by the pre- or early postnatal nutrition history. In PER, 993 and 186 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in LOW versus HIGH and NORM, respectively, but no DEG was found between HIGH and NORM. DEGs identified in the mismatched pre- and postnatal nutrition groups LOW-HCHF (101) and HIGH-HCHF (192) were largely downregulated compared to NORM-CONV. Out of 831 DEGs, 595 and 236 were up- and downregulated in HCHF versus CONV, respectively. The functional enrichment analyses revealed that transmembrane (ion) transport activities, motor activities related to cytoskeletal and spermatozoa function (microtubules and the cytoskeletal motor protein, dynein), and responsiveness to the (micro) environmental extracellular conditions, including endocrine and nervous stimuli were enriched in the DEGs of LOW versus HIGH and NORM. We confirmed that mismatched pre- and postnatal feeding was associated with long-term programming of adipose tissue remodeling and immunity-related pathways. In agreement with phenotypic measurements, early postnatal HCHF feeding targeted pathways involved in kidney cell differentiation, and mismatched LOW-HCHF sheep had specific impairments in cholesterol metabolism pathways.
CONCLUSIONS: Both pre- and postnatal malnutrition differentially programmed (patho-) physiological pathways with implications for adipose functional development associated with metabolic dysfunctions, and PER was a major target.
Fulltext Use of the Arabin pessary in women at high risk for preterm birth: long-term experience at a single tertiary center in Malaysia

Rahman RA, Atan IK, Ali A, Kalok AM, Ismail NAM, Mahdy ZA, et al.

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth, 2021 May 10;21(1):368.
PMID: 33971828 DOI: 10.1186/s12884-021-03838-x

BACKGROUND: Spontaneous preterm birth is a global issue that contributed to perinatal morbidities and mortalities worldwide. The study aimed to describe the experience at UKM Medical Center in managing women at high risk for spontaneous preterm birth using the Arabin pessary.
METHODS: This is a retrospective observational study involving 58 pregnancies from 1st January 2013 to 31st December 2019. Inclusion criteria were previous mid-trimester miscarriage and/or preterm birth, previous cervical surgery or short cervical length on routine sonogram. The demographic data, characteristics of each pregnancy and details of outcomes and management were described.
RESULTS: The majority of women were Malay with mean age and body mass index of 32.9 ± 4.2 years and 27.1 ± 6.3 kg/m2 respectively. The most frequent indications for Arabin pessary insertion were previous mid-trimester miscarriage (46.4%) and early preterm birth (17.2%). A total of 73.4% of these women had the pessary inserted electively at a mean cervical length of 31.6 ± 9.1 mm at median gestation of 15.0 weeks. They were managed as outpatient (56.9%), inpatient (24.1%) or mixed (19.0%) with combination of progestogen (81.0%) and 53.4% received antenatal corticosteroids. Spontaneous preterm birth at or more than 34 weeks gestation occurred in 74.1% with birthweight at or more than 2000 g (82.4%). Despite cervical funneling in 12 women (20.7%), 66.7% delivered at or later than 34 weeks gestation and 2 (16.7%) resulted in miscarriage.
CONCLUSIONS: Insertion of the Arabin pessary is beneficial to prevent spontaneous preterm birth in pregnant women who are at high risk. In particular, early insertion and close monitoring allows the best possible outcomes.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was retrospectively registered with ClinicalTrials.gov ( NCT04638023 ) on 20/11/2020.
Fulltext Force-Invariant Improved Feature Extraction Method for Upper-Limb Prostheses of Transradial Amputees

Islam MJ, Ahmad S, Haque F, Reaz MBI, Bhuiyan MAS, Islam MR

Diagnostics (Basel), 2021 May 07;11(5).
PMID: 34067203 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics11050843

A force-invariant feature extraction method derives identical information for all force levels. However, the physiology of muscles makes it hard to extract this unique information. In this context, we propose an improved force-invariant feature extraction method based on nonlinear transformation of the power spectral moments, changes in amplitude, and the signal amplitude along with spatial correlation coefficients between channels. Nonlinear transformation balances the forces and increases the margin among the gestures. Additionally, the correlation coefficient between channels evaluates the amount of spatial correlation; however, it does not evaluate the strength of the electromyogram signal. To evaluate the robustness of the proposed method, we use the electromyogram dataset containing nine transradial amputees. In this study, the performance is evaluated using three classifiers with six existing feature extraction methods. The proposed feature extraction method yields a higher pattern recognition performance, and significant improvements in accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, precision, and F1 score are found. In addition, the proposed method requires comparatively less computational time and memory, which makes it more robust than other well-known feature extraction methods.
Fulltext Toxicological Screening of 4-Phenyl-3,4-dihydrobenzo[h]quinolin-2(1H)-one: A New Potential Candidate for Alzheimer's Treatment

Anwar F, Saleem U, Rehman AU, Ahmad B, Ismail T, Mirza MU, et al.

ACS Omega, 2021 Apr 27;6(16):10897-10909.
PMID: 34056243 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c00654

Toxicity studies are necessary for the development of a new drug. Naphthalene is a bicyclic molecule and is easy to derivatize. In our previous study, a derivative of naphthalene (4-phenyl,3,4-dihydrobenzoquinoline-2(H)one) was synthesized and reported its in vitro activity on different enzymes. This study was a probe to investigate the toxicity potential of that compound (SF3). Acute oral (425), subacute (407), and teratogenicity (414) studies were planned according to their respective guidelines given by organization of economic cooperation and development (OECD). Acute oral, subacute, and teratogenicity studies were carried out on 2000, 5-40, and 40 mg/kg doses. Blood samples were collected for hematological and biochemical analyses. Vital organs were excised for oxidative stress (superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione, and malondialdehyde) and histopathological analysis. LD 50 of SF3 was higher than 2000 mg/kg. In acute and subacute studies, levels of alkaline phosphates and aspartate transaminase were increased. Teratogenicity showed no resorptions, no skeletal or soft tissue abnormalities, and no cleft pallet. Oxidative stress biomarkers were close to the normal, and no increase in the malondialdehyde level was seen. Histopathological studies revealed normal tissue architecture of the selected organs, except kidney, in acute oral and subacute toxicity studies at 40 mg/kg. The study concluded that SF3 is safer if used as a drug.
Fulltext Prevalence of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma in Patients with Dermatomyositis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Irekeola AA, Shueb RH, E A R ENS, Wada Y, Abdul Rahman Z, Ahmad S, et al.

Cancers (Basel), 2021 Apr 14;13(8).
PMID: 33919987 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13081886

For more than 50 years, nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) has been associated with dermatomyositis (DM), a rare idiopathic inflammatory disorder that mainly affects the skin and muscles. Although the association between these rare diseases is well-documented, the actual prevalence of NPC in DM patients remains unknown. Here, a systematic review and meta-analysis of published data was conducted in accordance with the guidelines of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA). Electronic databases including PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar were searched without year or language restrictions for studies reporting the occurrence of NPC in DM patients. The study protocol was lodged with PROSPERO (CRD42021225335). A total of 95 studies covering 303 cases of NPC among 16,010 DM patients was included. Summary estimates were calculated using the random-effects model. The pooled prevalence of NPC in DM was 3.3% (95% CI, 2.5-4.3). When stratified according to study location, higher prevalence estimates were obtained for Hong Kong (36.5%), Malaysia (27.7%), and Singapore (11.9%). There was a predominance of cases among male DM patients compared with females, and most patients were aged 40 and above. Many of the NPC cases were found to be diagnosed after the diagnosis of DM. It is therefore pertinent to screen for NPC in DM patients, especially among older DM patients in the Asian region.
Fulltext Structural, Electrical and Electrochemical Properties of Glycerolized Biopolymers Based on Chitosan (CS): Methylcellulose (MC) for Energy Storage Application

Aziz SB, Asnawi ASFM, Kadir MFZ, Alshehri SM, Ahamad T, Yusof YM, et al.

Polymers (Basel), 2021 Apr 07;13(8).
PMID: 33916979 DOI: 10.3390/polym13081183

In this work, a pair of biopolymer materials has been used to prepare high ion-conducting electrolytes for energy storage application (ESA). The chitosan:methylcellulose (CS:MC) blend was selected as a host for the ammonium thiocyanate NH4SCN dopant salt. Three different concentrations of glycerol was successfully incorporated as a plasticizer into the CS-MC-NH4SCN electrolyte system. The structural, electrical, and ion transport properties were investigated. The highest conductivity of 2.29 × 10-4 S cm-1 is recorded for the electrolyte incorporated 42 wt.% of plasticizer. The complexation and interaction of polymer electrolyte components are studied using the FTIR spectra. The deconvolution (DVN) of FTIR peaks as a sensitive method was used to calculate ion transport parameters. The percentage of free ions is found to influence the transport parameters of number density (n), ionic mobility (µ), and diffusion coefficient (D). All electrolytes in this work obey the non-Debye behavior. The highest conductivity electrolyte exhibits the dominancy of ions, where the ionic transference number, tion value of (0.976) is near to infinity with a voltage of breakdown of 2.11 V. The fabricated electrochemical double-layer capacitor (EDLC) achieves the highest specific capacitance, Cs of 98.08 F/g at 10 mV/s by using the cyclic voltammetry (CV) technique.

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