Displaying publications 61 - 80 of 305 in total

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  1. The first record of the parasitic myrmecophilous caterpillar Liphyrabrassolis (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae) inside Asian weaver ant (Oecophyllasmaragdina) nests in oil palm plantations
    Dwi Advento A, Yusah KM, Salim H, Naim M, Caliman JP, Fayle TM
    Biodivers Data J, 2022;10:e83842.
    PMID: 36761604 DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.10.e83842
    Asian weaver ants (Oecophyllasmaragdina) are an important biocontrol agent in agricultural habitats. We conducted surveys in oil palm plantations in Riau, Indonesia for an obligate myrmecophilous butterfly larvae, Liphyrabrassolis (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae), that is known to consume weaver ant larvae in other habitat types. We found L.brassolis larvae in five of the twenty nests surveyed, with larval presence not being related to weaver ant nest size. We also observed L.brassolis larvae in a weaver ant mass rearing facility. This is the first report of L.brassolis from oil palm plantations and may have implications for the use of weaver ants as biological control agents.
  2. Biomonitoring of heavy metals in the feathers of House crow (Corvus splendens) from some metropolitans of Asia and Africa
    Iqbal F, Wilson R, Ayub Q, Song BK, Krzeminska-Ahmedzai U, Talei A, et al.
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2023 Mar;30(13):35715-35726.
    PMID: 36536201 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-24712-z
    Urban-dwelling birds can be useful biomonitors to assess the impact of the urbanisation on both public and wildlife health. Widely distributed urban bird species, the House crow, was studied for heavy metal accumulation levels from nine cities of South Asia, Southeast Asia and Africa that border the Indian Ocean. Feathers were spectroscopically investigated for the deposition of ten heavy metals, i.e. As, Zn, Pb, Cd, Ni, iron Fe, Mn, Cr, Cu and Li. Fe and Zn were found to be the most prevalent metals in all sites. Measured concentrations of Pb (4.38-14.77 mg kg-1) overall, and Fe (935.66 mg kg-1) and Cu (67.17 mg kg-1) at some studied sites were above the toxicity levels reported lethal in avian toxicological studies. Multivariate analysis and linear models supported geographical location as a significant predictor for the level of most of the metals. Zn and Cu, generally and Pb, Cd, Mn, Cr at some sites exhibited potential bioaccumulation from surrounding environments. Inter-species comparisons strengthen the inference that the House crow is a reliable bioindicator species for the qualitative assessment of local urban environmental pollution and could be a useful tool for inter-regional monitoring programs.
  3. Fulltext IPVS statement on "Temporary HPV vaccine shortage: Implications globally to achieve equity"
    Garland SM, Stanley MA, Giuliano AR, Moscicki AB, Kaufmann A, Bhatla N, et al.
    Papillomavirus Res, 2020 Jun;9:100195.
    PMID: 32205196 DOI: 10.1016/j.pvr.2020.100195
  4. Fulltext Graphene Wrapping of Electrospun Nanofibers for Enhanced Electrochemical Sensing
    Tsiamis A, Diaz Sanchez F, Hartikainen N, Chung M, Mitra S, Lim YC, et al.
    ACS Omega, 2021 Apr 27;6(16):10568-10577.
    PMID: 34056211 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.0c05823
    This paper presents a scalable method of developing ultrasensitive electrochemical biosensors. This is achieved by maximizing sensor conductivity through graphene wrapping of carbonized electrospun nanofibers. The effectiveness of the graphene wrap was determined visually by scanning electron microscopy and chemically by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The sensing performance of different electrode samples was electrochemically characterized using cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, with the graphene-wrapped carbonized nanofiber electrode showing significantly improved performance. The graphene-wrapped carbonized nanofibers exhibited a relative conductivity of ∼14 times and an electroactive surface area of ∼2 times greater compared to the bare screen-printed carbon electrode despite experiencing inhibitive effects from the carbon glue used to bind the samples to the electrode. The results indicate potential for a highly conductive, inert sensing platform.
  5. [Not Available]
    Al-Zergani F, Ronit A, Theilgaard ZP, Ronayne A, Nielsen HV, Porskrog A
    Ugeskr Laeger, 2023 Oct 02;185(40).
    PMID: 37873999
    Scrub typhus is caused by the mite-borne bacterium Orientia tsutsugamushi. Imported cases have been suspected in Denmark but no diagnostic method has yet been available to confirm the diagnosis. This is a case report of a 38-year-old male admitted to hospital with high fever, severe malaise and headache after returning from Malaysia. Scrub typhus was suspected and the patient recovered after one week of doxycycline treatment. The pathogen was identified by use of microbiome 16S/18S rRNA next-generation sequencing on ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) blood, which in the future may serve an important role in the investigation of travel-associated infections.
  6. Fulltext Bacterial and eukaryotic microbial communities in urban water systems profiled via Illumina MiSeq platform
    Ting ASY, Zoqratt MZHM, Tan HS, Hermawan AA, Talei A, Khu ST
    3 Biotech, 2021 Feb;11(2):40.
    PMID: 33479595 DOI: 10.1007/s13205-020-02617-3
    Microbial communities from a lake and river flowing through a highly dense urbanized township in Malaysia were profiled by sequencing amplicons of the 16S V3-V4 and 18S V9 hypervariable rRNA gene regions via Illumina MiSeq. Results revealed that Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria and Firmicutes were the dominant prokaryotic phyla; whereas, eukaryotic communities were predominantly of the SAR clade and Opisthokonta. The abundance of Pseudomonas and Flavobacterium in all sites suggested the possible presence of pathogens in the urban water systems, supported by the most probable number (MPN) values of more than 1600 per 100 mL. Urbanization could have impacted the microbial communities as transient communities (clinical, water-borne and opportunistic pathogens) coexisted with common indigenous aquatic communities (Cyanobacteria). It was concluded that in urban water systems, microbial communities vary in their abundance of microbial phyla detected along the water systems. The influences of urban land use and anthropogenic activities influenced the physicochemical properties and the microbial dynamics in the water systems.

    Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13205-020-02617-3.

  7. Fulltext Global Mapping of Traditional Chinese Medicine into Bioactivity Space and Pathways Annotation Improves Mechanistic Understanding and Discovers Relationships between Therapeutic Action (Sub)classes
    Mohamad Zobir SZ, Mohd Fauzi F, Liggi S, Drakakis G, Fu X, Fan TP, et al.
    Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2016;2016:2106465.
    PMID: 26989424 DOI: 10.1155/2016/2106465
    Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) still needs more scientific rationale to be proven for it to be accepted further in the West. We are now in the position to propose computational hypotheses for the mode-of-actions (MOAs) of 45 TCM therapeutic action (sub)classes from in silico target prediction algorithms, whose target was later annotated with Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway, and to discover the relationship between them by generating a hierarchical clustering. The results of 10,749 TCM compounds showed 183 enriched targets and 99 enriched pathways from Estimation Score ≤ 0 and ≥ 5% of compounds/targets in a (sub)class. The MOA of a (sub)class was established from supporting literature. Overall, the most frequent top three enriched targets/pathways were immune-related targets such as tyrosine-protein phosphatase nonreceptor type 2 (PTPN2) and digestive system such as mineral absorption. We found two major protein families, G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR), and protein kinase family contributed to the diversity of the bioactivity space, while digestive system was consistently annotated pathway motif, which agreed with the important treatment principle of TCM, "the foundation of acquired constitution" that includes spleen and stomach. In short, the TCM (sub)classes, in many cases share similar targets/pathways despite having different indications.
  8. Validation of computational fluid dynamics of shake flask experiments at moderate viscosity by liquid distributions and volumetric power inputs
    Dinter C, Gumprecht A, Menze MA, Azizan A, Niehoff PJ, Hansen S, et al.
    Sci Rep, 2024 Feb 13;14(1):3658.
    PMID: 38351095 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-53980-7
    Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has recently become a pivotal tool in the design and scale-up of bioprocesses. While CFD has been extensively utilized for stirred tank reactors (STRs), there exists a relatively limited body of literature focusing on CFD applications for shake flasks, almost exclusively concentrated on fluids at waterlike viscosity. The importance of CFD model validation cannot be overstated. While techniques to elucidate the internal flow field are necessary for model validation in STRs, the liquid distribution, caused by the orbital shaking motion of shake flasks, can be exploited for model validation. An OpenFOAM CFD model for shake flasks has been established. Calculated liquid distributions were compared to suitable, previously published experimental data. Across a broad range of shaking conditions, at waterlike and moderate viscosity (16.7 mPa∙s), the CFD model's liquid distributions align excellently with the experimental data, in terms of overall shape and position of the liquid relative to the direction of the centrifugal force. Additionally, the CFD model was used to calculate the volumetric power input, based on the energy dissipation. Depending on the shaking conditions, the computed volumetric power inputs range from 0.1 to 7 kW/m3 and differed on average by 0.01 kW/m3 from measured literature data.
  9. Fulltext Artificial intelligence and the orthopaedic surgeon: A review of the literature and potential applications for future practice: Current concepts
    Khoriati AA, Shahid Z, Fok M, Frank RM, Voss A, D'Hooghe P, et al.
    J ISAKOS, 2024 Apr;9(2):227-233.
    PMID: 37949113 DOI: 10.1016/j.jisako.2023.10.015
  10. Fulltext Travel-related Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome caused by emm type 78 Streptococcus pyogenes
    Tappe D, Schulze MH, van der Linden M, Ziegler U, Müller A, Stich A
    J Clin Microbiol, 2011 Aug;49(8):3094-5.
    PMID: 21632896 DOI: 10.1128/JCM.02623-10
    Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome is a serious health problem in developed and developing countries. We here report a case of severe protracted disease after a minor skin infection in a young traveler returning from West Malaysia which was caused by an unusual emm-type strain harboring speG and smeZ superantigen genes.
  11. Fulltext Initial patient cluster and first positive biopsy findings in an outbreak of acute muscular Sarcocystis-like infection in travelers returning from Tioman island, Peninsular Malaysia, in 2011
    Tappe D, Ernestus K, Rauthe S, Schoen C, Frosch M, Müller A, et al.
    J Clin Microbiol, 2013 Feb;51(2):725-6.
    PMID: 23224083 DOI: 10.1128/JCM.03063-12
  12. Fulltext An efficient and robust laboratory workflow and tetrapod database for larger scale environmental DNA studies
    Axtner J, Crampton-Platt A, Hörig LA, Mohamed A, Xu CCY, Yu DW, et al.
    Gigascience, 2019 Apr 01;8(4).
    PMID: 30997489 DOI: 10.1093/gigascience/giz029
    BACKGROUND: The use of environmental DNA for species detection via metabarcoding is growing rapidly. We present a co-designed lab workflow and bioinformatic pipeline to mitigate the 2 most important risks of environmental DNA use: sample contamination and taxonomic misassignment. These risks arise from the need for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification to detect the trace amounts of DNA combined with the necessity of using short target regions due to DNA degradation.

    FINDINGS: Our high-throughput workflow minimizes these risks via a 4-step strategy: (i) technical replication with 2 PCR replicates and 2 extraction replicates; (ii) using multi-markers (12S,16S,CytB); (iii) a "twin-tagging," 2-step PCR protocol; and (iv) use of the probabilistic taxonomic assignment method PROTAX, which can account for incomplete reference databases. Because annotation errors in the reference sequences can result in taxonomic misassignment, we supply a protocol for curating sequence datasets. For some taxonomic groups and some markers, curation resulted in >50% of sequences being deleted from public reference databases, owing to (i) limited overlap between our target amplicon and reference sequences, (ii) mislabelling of reference sequences, and (iii) redundancy. Finally, we provide a bioinformatic pipeline to process amplicons and conduct PROTAX assignment and tested it on an invertebrate-derived DNA dataset from 1,532 leeches from Sabah, Malaysia. Twin-tagging allowed us to detect and exclude sequences with non-matching tags. The smallest DNA fragment (16S) amplified most frequently for all samples but was less powerful for discriminating at species rank. Using a stringent and lax acceptance criterion we found 162 (stringent) and 190 (lax) vertebrate detections of 95 (stringent) and 109 (lax) leech samples.

    CONCLUSIONS: Our metabarcoding workflow should help research groups increase the robustness of their results and therefore facilitate wider use of environmental and invertebrate-derived DNA, which is turning into a valuable source of ecological and conservation information on tetrapods.

  13. Fulltext Eleven neurology-related proteins measured in serum are positively correlated to the severity of diabetic neuropathy
    Bäckryd E, Themistocleous A, Larsson A, Gordh T, Rice ASC, Tesfaye S, et al.
    Sci Rep, 2024 Jul 24;14(1):17068.
    PMID: 39048581 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-66471-6
    About 20% of patients with diabetes suffer from chronic pain with neuropathic characteristics. We investigated the multivariate associations between 92 neurology-related proteins measured in serum from 190 patients with painful and painless diabetic neuropathy. Participants were recruited from the Pain in Neuropathy Study, an observational cross-sectional multicentre study in which participants underwent deep phenotyping. In the exploration cohort, two groups were defined by hierarchical cluster analyses of protein data. The proportion of painless vs painful neuropathy did not differ between the two groups, but one group had a significantly higher grade of neuropathy as measured by the Toronto Clinical Scoring System (TCSS). This finding was replicated in the replication cohort. Analyzing both groups together, we found that a group of 11 inter-correlated proteins (TNFRSF12A, SCARB2, N2DL-2, SKR3, EFNA4, LAYN, CLM-1, CD38, UNC5C, GFR-alpha-1, and JAM-B) were positively associated with TCSS values. Notably, EFNA4 and UNC5C are known to be part of axon guidance pathways. To conclude, although cluster analysis of 92 neurology-related proteins did not distinguish painful from painless diabetic neuropathy, we identified 11 proteins which positively correlated to neuropathy severity and warrant further investigation as potential biomarkers.
  14. Fulltext Reductive Coupling of Diynes at Rhodium Gives Fluorescent Rhodacyclopentadienes or Phosphorescent Rhodium 2,2'-Biphenyl Complexes
    Sieck C, Tay MG, Thibault MH, Edkins RM, Costuas K, Halet JF, et al.
    Chemistry, 2016 Jul 18;22(30):10523-32.
    PMID: 27355689 DOI: 10.1002/chem.201601912
    Reactions of [Rh(κ(2) -O,O-acac)(PMe3 )2 ] (acac=acetylacetonato) and α,ω-bis(arylbutadiynyl)alkanes afford two isomeric types of MC4 metallacycles with very different photophysical properties. As a result of a [2+2] reductive coupling at Rh, 2,5-bis(arylethynyl)rhodacyclopentadienes (A) are formed, which display intense fluorescence (Φ=0.07-0.54, τ=0.2-2.5 ns) despite the presence of the heavy metal atom. Rhodium biphenyl complexes (B), which show exceptionally long-lived (hundreds of μs) phosphorescence (Φ=0.01-0.33) at room temperature in solution, have been isolated as a second isomer originating from an unusual [4+2] cycloaddition reaction and a subsequent β-H-shift. We attribute the different photophysical properties of isomers A and B to a higher excited state density and a less stabilized T1 state in the biphenyl complexes B, allowing for more efficient intersystem crossing S1 →Tn and T1 →S0 . Control of the isomer distribution is achieved by modification of the bis- (diyne) linker length, providing a fundamentally new route to access photoactive metal biphenyl compounds.
  15. Fulltext Native T1 and T2 provide distinctive signatures in hypertrophic cardiac conditions - Comparison of uremic, hypertensive and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
    Arcari L, Hinojar R, Engel J, Freiwald T, Platschek S, Zainal H, et al.
    Int J Cardiol, 2020 05 01;306:102-108.
    PMID: 32169347 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2020.03.002
    AIMS: Profound left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy with diastolic dysfunction and heart failure is the cardinal manifestation of heart remodelling in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Previous studies related increased T1 mapping values in CKD with diffuse fibrosis. Native T1 is a non-specific readout that may also relate to increased intramyocardial fluid. We examined concomitant T1 and T2 mapping signatures and undertook comparisons with other hypertrophic conditions.

    METHODS: In this prospective multicentre study, consecutive CKD patients (n = 154) undergoing routine clinical cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging were compared with patients with hypertensive (HTN, n = 163) and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM, n = 158), and normotensive controls (n = 133).

    RESULTS: Native T1 was significantly higher in all patient groups, whereas native T2 in CKD only (p 

  16. Fulltext Crystal structure and immunological properties of the first annexin from Schistosoma mansoni: insights into the structural integrity of the schistosomal tegument
    Leow CY, Willis C, Osman A, Mason L, Simon A, Smith BJ, et al.
    FEBS J, 2014 Feb;281(4):1209-25.
    PMID: 24428567 DOI: 10.1111/febs.12700
    Schistosomiasis is a major parasitic disease of humans, second only to malaria in its global impact. The disease is caused by digenean trematodes that infest the vasculature of their human hosts. These flukes are limited externally by a body wall composed of a syncytial epithelium, the apical surface membrane of which is a parasitism-adapted dual membrane complex. Annexins are thought to be of integral importance for the stability of this apical membrane system. Here, we present the first structural and immunobiochemical characterization of an annexin from Schistosoma mansoni. The crystal structure of annexin B22 confirms the presence of the previously predicted α-helical segment in the II/III linker and reveals a covalently linked head-to-head dimer. From the calcium-bound crystal structure of this protein, canonical type II, type III and B site positions are occupied, and a novel binding site has been identified. The dimer arrangement observed in the crystal structure suggests the presence of two prominent features, a potential non-canonical membrane binding site and a potential binding groove opposite to the former. Results from transcriptional profiling during development show that annexin B22 expression is correlated with life stages of the parasite that possess the syncytial tegument layer, and ultrastructural localization by immuno-electron microscopy confirms the occurrence of annexins in the tegument of S. mansoni. Data from membrane binding and aggregation assays indicate the presence of differential molecular mechanisms and support the hypothesis of annexin B22 providing structural integrity in the tegument.
  17. Langkolide, a 32-membered macrolactone antibiotic produced by Streptomyces sp. Acta 3062
    Helaly SE, Kulik A, Zinecker H, Ramachandaran K, Tan GY, Imhoff JF, et al.
    J Nat Prod, 2012 Jun 22;75(6):1018-24.
    PMID: 22642587 DOI: 10.1021/np200580g
    A new 32-membered macrolactone antibiotic, named langkolide, was isolated from the mycelium of Streptomyces sp. Acta 3062. The langkolide structure was determined by HR-MS and 1D and 2D NMR as a 32-membered macrolactone connected from an overhanging polyketide tail to a naphthoquinone unit mediated by two carbohydrate moieties. The producing strain was isolated from a rhizosphere soil of Clitorea sp. collected at Burau Bay, Langkawi, Malaysia, and was characterized by its morphological and chemotaxonomic features in addition to its 16S rRNA gene sequence. It was identified as a member of the Streptomyces galbus clade. Langkolide exhibited various bioactivities including antimicrobial and antiproliferative activities. Furthermore, langkolide inhibited human recombinant phosphodiesterase 4 with an IC(50) value of 0.48 μM.
  18. Fulltext Co-benefits of sustainable forest management in biodiversity conservation and carbon sequestration
    Imai N, Samejima H, Langner A, Ong RC, Kita S, Titin J, et al.
    PLoS One, 2009;4(12):e8267.
    PMID: 20011516 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0008267
    Sustainable forest management (SFM), which has been recently introduced to tropical natural production forests, is beneficial in maintaining timber resources, but information about the co-benefits for biodiversity conservation and carbon sequestration is currently lacking.
  19. Fulltext Ending preventable newborn deaths in a generation
    Akseer N, Lawn JE, Keenan W, Konstantopoulos A, Cooper P, Ismail Z, et al.
    Int J Gynaecol Obstet, 2015 Oct;131 Suppl 1:S43-8.
    PMID: 26433505 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijgo.2015.03.017
    The end of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) era was marked in 2015, and while maternal and child mortality have been halved, MGD 4 and MDG 5 are off-track at the global level. Reductions in neonatal death rates (age <1 month) lag behind those for post-neonates (age 1-59 months), and stillbirth rates (omitted from the MDGs) have been virtually unchanged. Hence, almost half of under-five deaths are newborns, yet about 80% of these are preventable using cost-effective interventions. The Every Newborn Action Plan has been endorsed by the World Health Assembly and ratified by many stakeholders and donors to reduce neonatal deaths and stillbirths to 10 per 1000 births by 2035. The plan provides an evidence-based framework for scaling up of essential interventions across the continuum of care with the potential to prevent the deaths of approximately three million newborns, mothers, and stillbirths every year. Two million stillbirths and newborns could be saved by care at birth and care of small and sick newborns, giving a triple return on investment at this key time. Commitment, investment, and intentional leadership from global and national stakeholders, including all healthcare professionals, can make these ambitious goals attainable.
  20. Fulltext Evidence for strong, widespread chlorine radical chemistry associated with pollution outflow from continental Asia
    Baker AK, Sauvage C, Thorenz UR, van Velthoven P, Oram DE, Zahn A, et al.
    Sci Rep, 2016 11 15;6:36821.
    PMID: 27845366 DOI: 10.1038/srep36821
    The chlorine radical is a potent atmospheric oxidant, capable of perturbing tropospheric oxidative cycles normally controlled by the hydroxyl radical. Significantly faster reaction rates allow chlorine radicals to expedite oxidation of hydrocarbons, including methane, and in polluted environments, to enhance ozone production. Here we present evidence, from the CARIBIC airborne dataset, for extensive chlorine radical chemistry associated with Asian pollution outflow, from airborne observations made over the Malaysian Peninsula in winter. This region is known for persistent convection that regularly delivers surface air to higher altitudes and serves as a major transport pathway into the stratosphere. Oxidant ratios inferred from hydrocarbon relationships show that chlorine radicals were regionally more important than hydroxyl radicals for alkane oxidation and were also important for methane and alkene oxidation (>10%). Our observations reveal pollution-related chlorine chemistry that is both widespread and recurrent, and has implications for tropospheric oxidizing capacity, stratospheric composition and ozone chemistry.
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