Displaying publications 121 - 140 of 144 in total

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  1. Fulltext Land use change using geospatial techniques in upper prek thnot watershed in Cambodia
    Norin Khorn, Mohd Hasmadi Ismail, Norizah Kamarudin, Siti Nurhidayu
    Pertanika Journal of Science & Technology, 2020;28(3):879-892.
    MyJurnal
    Monitoring of land use change is crucial for sustainable resource management and development planning. Up-to-date land use change information is important to understand its pattern and identify the drivers. Remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) have proven as a useful tool to measure and analyze land use changes. Recent advances in remote sensing technology with digital image processing provide unprecedented possibilities for detecting changes in land use over large areas, with less costs and processing time. Thus, the objective of this study was to assess the land use changes in upper Prek Thnot watershed in Cambodia from 2006 until 2018. Geospatial tools such as remote sensing and GIS were used to process and produce land use maps from Landsat 5 TM, Landsat 7 ETM+ and Landsat 8. The post-classification comparison was conducted for analysing the land use changes. Results show forest area was greatly decreased by 1,162.06 km2 (33.67%) which was converted to rubber plantation (10.55 km2 ), wood shrub (37.65 km2 ), agricultural land (1,099.71 km2 ), built-up area (17.76 km2 ), barren land (3.65 km2 ), and water body (14.69 km2 ). Agricultural land increased by 1,258.99 km2 (36.48%), while wood shrub declined by 161.88 km2 (4.69%). Rubber plantation, built-up area, barren land, and water bodies were increased by 10.55 km2 (0.31%), 33.64 km2 (0.97%), 4.87 km2 (0.14%) and 15.89 km2 (0.46%), respectively. The decrease of forest and wood shrub had resulted due to population growth (1.8% from 2008 to 2019) and land conversion for agricultural purposes. Hence, this study may provide vital information for wise sustainable watershed’s land management, especially for further study on the effect of land use change on runoff in this area.
    Matched MeSH terms: Wood
  2. Fulltext Chemical and Thermo-Mechanical Properties of Waterborne Polyurethane Dispersion Derived from Jatropha Oil
    Saalah S, Abdullah LC, Aung MM, Salleh MZ, Awang Biak DR, Basri M, et al.
    Polymers (Basel), 2021 Mar 05;13(5).
    PMID: 33807622 DOI: 10.3390/polym13050795
    Nowadays, there is a significant trend away from solvent-based polyurethane systems towards waterborne polyurethane dispersions due to government regulations requiring manufacturers to lower total volatile organic compounds, as well as consumer preference for more environmentally friendly products. In this work, a renewable vegetable oil-based polyol derived from jatropha oil was polymerized with isophorone diisocyanate and dimethylol propionic acid to produce anionic waterborne polyurethane dispersion. Free standing films with up to 62 wt.% bio-based content were successfully produced after evaporation of water from the jatropha oil-based waterborne polyurethane (JPU) dispersion, which indicated good film formation. The chemical and thermo-mechanical properties of the JPU films were characterized. By increasing the OH numbers of polyol from 161 mgKOH/g to 217 mgKOH/g, the crosslinking density of the JPU was significantly increased, which lead to a better storage modulus and improved hydrophobicity. Overall, JPU produced from polyol having OH number of 217 mgKOH/g appears to be a promising product for application as a binder for wood and decorative coatings.
    Matched MeSH terms: Wood
  3. Removal of phenol from aqueous solutions by adsorption onto activated carbon prepared from biomass material
    Hameed BH, Rahman AA
    J Hazard Mater, 2008 Dec 30;160(2-3):576-81.
    PMID: 18434009 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2008.03.028
    Activated carbon derived from rattan sawdust (ACR) was evaluated for its ability to remove phenol from an aqueous solution in a batch process. Equilibrium studies were conducted in the range of 25-200mg/L initial phenol concentrations, 3-10 solution pH and at temperature of 30 degrees C. The experimental data were analyzed by the Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm models. Equilibrium data fitted well to the Langmuir model with a maximum adsorption capacity of 149.25mg/g. The dimensionless separation factor RL revealed the favorable nature of the isotherm of the phenol-activated carbon system. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model best described the adsorption process. The results proved that the prepared activated carbon was an effective adsorbent for removal of phenol from aqueous solution.
    Matched MeSH terms: Wood
  4. Productivity of laccase in solid substrate fermentation of selected agro-residues by Pycnoporus sanguineus
    Vikineswary S, Abdullah N, Renuvathani M, Sekaran M, Pandey A, Jones EB
    Bioresour Technol, 2006 Jan;97(1):171-7.
    PMID: 15967661
    A comparative study on solid substrate fermentation (SSF) of sago 'hampas', oil palm frond parenchyma tissue (OPFPt) and rubberwood sawdust with Pycnoporus sanguineus for laccase production was carried out. Optimal mycelial growth of Pyc. sanguineus was observed on all the substrates studied over a 21 days time-course fermentation. Laccase productivity was highest during degradation of sago 'hampas' and OPFPt and a range from 7.5 to 7.6 U/g substrate on the 11th day of fermentation compared to degradation of rubberwood sawdust with a maximum laccase productivity of 5.7 U/g substrate on day 11 of SSF. Further optimization of laccase production was done by varying the inoculum age, density and nitrogen supplementation. SSF of OPFPt by Pyc. sanguineus gave maximum productivity of laccase of 46.5 U/g substrate on day 6 of fermentation with a 30% (w/w) of 4 weeks old inoculum and 0.92% nitrogen in the form of urea supplemented in the substrate. The extraction of laccase was also optimized in this study. Recovery of laccase was fourfold higher at 30.6 U/g substrate on day 10 of SSF using unadjusted tap water at pH 8.0 as extraction medium at 25+/-2 degrees C compared to laccase recovery of 7.46 U/g substrate using sodium acetate buffer at pH 4.8 at 4 degrees C. Further optimization showed that laccase recovery was increased by 50% with a value of 46.5 U/g substrate on day 10 of SSF when the extraction medium was tap water adjusted to pH 5.0 at 25+/-2 degrees C.
    Matched MeSH terms: Wood
  5. Fulltext Hemocyanin facilitates lignocellulose digestion by wood-boring marine crustaceans
    Besser K, Malyon GP, Eborall WS, Paro da Cunha G, Filgueiras JG, Dowle A, et al.
    Nat Commun, 2018 12 03;9(1):5125.
    PMID: 30510200 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-07575-2
    Woody (lignocellulosic) plant biomass is an abundant renewable feedstock, rich in polysaccharides that are bound into an insoluble fiber composite with lignin. Marine crustacean woodborers of the genus Limnoria are among the few animals that can survive on a diet of this recalcitrant material without relying on gut resident microbiota. Analysis of fecal pellets revealed that Limnoria targets hexose-containing polysaccharides (mainly cellulose, and also glucomannans), corresponding with the abundance of cellulases in their digestive system, but xylans and lignin are largely unconsumed. We show that the limnoriid respiratory protein, hemocyanin, is abundant in the hindgut where wood is digested, that incubation of wood with hemocyanin markedly enhances its digestibility by cellulases, and that it modifies lignin. We propose that this activity of hemocyanins is instrumental to the ability of Limnoria to feed on wood in the absence of gut symbionts. These findings may hold potential for innovations in lignocellulose biorefining.
    Matched MeSH terms: Wood/parasitology*
  6. Fulltext Valuable nutrients and functional bioactives in different parts of olive (Olea europaea L.)-a review
    Ghanbari R, Anwar F, Alkharfy KM, Gilani AH, Saari N
    Int J Mol Sci, 2012;13(3):3291-3340.
    PMID: 22489153 DOI: 10.3390/ijms13033291
    The Olive tree (Olea europaea L.), a native of the Mediterranean basin and parts of Asia, is now widely cultivated in many other parts of the world for production of olive oil and table olives. Olive is a rich source of valuable nutrients and bioactives of medicinal and therapeutic interest. Olive fruit contains appreciable concentration, 1-3% of fresh pulp weight, of hydrophilic (phenolic acids, phenolic alchohols, flavonoids and secoiridoids) and lipophilic (cresols) phenolic compounds that are known to possess multiple biological activities such as antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, antiinflammatory, antimicrobial, antihypertensive, antidyslipidemic, cardiotonic, laxative, and antiplatelet. Other important compounds present in olive fruit are pectin, organic acids, and pigments. Virgin olive oil (VOO), extracted mechanically from the fruit, is also very popular for its nutritive and health-promoting potential, especially against cardiovascular disorders due to the presence of high levels of monounsaturates and other valuable minor components such as phenolics, phytosterols, tocopherols, carotenoids, chlorophyll and squalene. The cultivar, area of production, harvest time, and the processing techniques employed are some of the factors shown to influence the composition of olive fruit and olive oil. This review focuses comprehensively on the nutrients and high-value bioactives profile as well as medicinal and functional aspects of different parts of olives and its byproducts. Various factors affecting the composition of this food commodity of medicinal value are also discussed.
    Matched MeSH terms: Wood/chemistry
  7. Adsorption of copper (II), chromium (III), nickel (II) and lead (II) ions from aqueous solutions by meranti sawdust
    Rafatullah M, Sulaiman O, Hashim R, Ahmad A
    J Hazard Mater, 2009 Oct 30;170(2-3):969-77.
    PMID: 19520510 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2009.05.066
    The present study proposed the use of meranti sawdust in the removal of Cu(II), Cr(III), Ni(II) and Pb(II) ions from synthetic aqueous solutions. Batch adsorption studies showed that meranti sawdust was able to adsorb Cu(II), Cr(III), Ni(II) and Pb(II) ions from aqueous solutions in the concentration range 1-200mg/L. The adsorption was favoured with maximum adsorption at pH 6, whereas the adsorption starts at pH 1 for all metal ions. The effects of contact time, initial concentration of metal ions, adsorbent dosage and temperature have been reported. The applicability of Langmuir, Freundlich, and Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) isotherm was tried for the system to completely understand the adsorption isotherm processes. The adsorption kinetics tested with pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models yielded high R(2) values from 0.850 to 0.932 and from 0.991 to 0.999, respectively. The meranti sawdust was found to be cost effective and has good efficiency to remove these toxic metal ions from aqueous solution.
    Matched MeSH terms: Wood*
  8. Ethanol and lactic acid production using sap squeezed from old oil palm trunks felled for replanting
    Kosugi A, Tanaka R, Magara K, Murata Y, Arai T, Sulaiman O, et al.
    J Biosci Bioeng, 2010 Sep;110(3):322-5.
    PMID: 20547348 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiosc.2010.03.001
    Old oil palm trunks that had been felled for replanting were found to contain large quantities of high glucose content sap. Notably, the sap in the inner part of the trunk accounted for more than 80% of the whole trunk weight. The glucose concentration of the sap from the inner part was 85.2g/L and decreased towards the outer part. Other sugars found in relatively low concentrations were sucrose, fructose, galactose, xylose, and rhamnose. In addition, oil palm sap was found to be rich in various kinds of amino acids, organic acids, minerals and vitamins. Based on these findings, we fermented the sap to produce ethanol using the sake brewing yeast strain, Saccharomyces cerevisiae Kyokai no.7. Ethanol was produced from the sap without the addition of nutrients, at a comparable rate and yield to the reference fermentation on YPD medium with glucose as a carbon source. Likewise, we produced lactic acid, a promising material for bio-plastics, poly-lactate, from the sap using the homolactic acid bacterium Lactobacillus lactis ATCC19435. We confirmed that sugars contained in the sap were readily converted to lactic acid with almost the same efficiency as the reference fermentation on MSR medium with glucose as a substrate. These results indicate that oil palm trunks felled for replanting are a significant resource for the production of fuel ethanol and lactic acid in palm oil-producing countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia.
    Matched MeSH terms: Wood/microbiology*
  9. Pyroligneous acid-the smoky acidic liquid from plant biomass
    Mathew S, Zakaria ZA
    Appl Microbiol Biotechnol, 2015 Jan;99(2):611-22.
    PMID: 25467926 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-014-6242-1
    Pyroligneous acid (PA) is a complex highly oxygenated aqueous liquid fraction obtained by the condensation of pyrolysis vapors, which result from the thermochemical breakdown or pyrolysis of plant biomass components such as cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. PA produced by the slow pyrolysis of plant biomass is a yellowish brown or dark brown liquid with acidic pH and usually comprises a complex mixture of guaiacols, catechols, syringols, phenols, vanillins, furans, pyrans, carboxaldehydes, hydroxyketones, sugars, alkyl aryl ethers, nitrogenated derivatives, alcohols, acetic acid, and other carboxylic acids. The phenolic components, namely guaiacol, alkyl guaiacols, syringol, and alkyl syringols, contribute to the smoky odor of PA. PA finds application in diverse areas, as antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiinflammatory, plant growth stimulator, coagulant for natural rubber, and termiticidal and pesticidal agent; is a source for valuable chemicals; and imparts a smoky flavor for food.
    Matched MeSH terms: Wood/chemistry
  10. Inhibition by toxic compounds in the hemicellulosic hydrolysates on the activity of xylose reductase from Candida tropicalis
    Rafiqul IS, Sakinah AM, Zularisam AW
    Biotechnol Lett, 2015 Jan;37(1):191-6.
    PMID: 25214231 DOI: 10.1007/s10529-014-1672-5
    Xylose reductase (XR) is an oxidoreductase having potential applications in the production of various specialty products, mainly xylitol. It is important to screen for compounds that can decrease XR activity and consequently can decrease xylitol production. We have identified the byproducts in the hemicellulosic hydrolysate that inhibit XR from Candida tropicalis and measured their effects. XR inhibitory activities of byproducts, glucose, acetic acid, arabinose, lignin-degradation products (LDPs), furfural and hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), were evaluated by measuring the MIC and IC50 values. XR activity was 11.2 U/ml. Acetic acid, LDPs, furfural and HMF significantly inhibited XR with IC50 values of 11, 6.4, 2.3 and 0.4 g/l, respectively. This is the first report on the inhibitory activities of several byproducts for XR.
    Matched MeSH terms: Wood/metabolism
  11. Enzymatic Production of Bioxylitol from Sawdust Hydrolysate: Screening of Process Parameters
    Rafiqul IS, Sakinah AM, Zularisam AW
    Appl Biochem Biotechnol, 2015 Jun;176(4):1071-83.
    PMID: 25904039 DOI: 10.1007/s12010-015-1630-2
    Xylose-rich sawdust hydrolysate can be an economic substrate for the enzymatic production of xylitol, a specialty product. It is important to identify the process factors influencing xylitol production. This research aimed to screen the parameters significantly affecting bioxylitol synthesis from wood sawdust by xylose reductase (XR). Enzymatic bioxylitol production was conducted to estimate the effect of different variables reaction time (2-18 h), temperature (20-70 °C), pH (4.0-9.0), NADPH (1.17-5.32 g/L), and enzyme concentration (2-6 %) on the yield of xylitol. Fractional factorial design was followed to identify the key process factors. The screening design identified that time, temperature, and pH are the most significant factors influencing bioxylitol production among the variables with the values of 12 h, 35 °C, and 7.0, respectively. These conditions led to a xylitol yield of 71 % (w/w). This is the first report on the statistical screening of process variables influencing enzyme-based bioxylitol production from lignocellulosic biomass.
    Matched MeSH terms: Wood/chemistry*
  12. Adsorption of basic and reactive dyes from aqueous solution onto Intsia bijuga sawdust-based activated carbon: batch and column study
    Khasri A, Ahmad MA
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2018 Nov;25(31):31508-31519.
    PMID: 30203351 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-018-3046-3
    The adsorption behavior of basic, methylene blue (MB), and reactive, remazol brilliant violet 5R (RBV), dyes from aqueous solution onto Intsia bijuga sawdust-based activated carbon (IBSAC) was executed via batch and column studies. The produced activated carbon was characterized through Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area and pore structural analysis, proximate and ultimate, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Batch studies were performed to investigate the effects of contact time, initial concentration, and solution pH. The equilibrium data for both MB and RBV adsorption better fits Langmuir model with maximum adsorption capacity of 434.78 and 212.77 mg/g, respectively. Kinetic studies for both MB and RBV dyes showed that the adsorption process followed a pseudo-second-order and intraparticle diffusion kinetic models. For column mode, the breakthrough curves were plotted by varying the flow rate, bed height, and initial concentration and the breakthrough data were best correlated with the Yoon-Nelson model compared to Thomas and Adams-Bohart model. The adsorption activity of IBSAC shows good stability even after four consecutive cycles.
    Matched MeSH terms: Wood/chemistry
  13. Fulltext Draft genome sequence of the rubber tree Hevea brasiliensis
    Rahman AY, Usharraj AO, Misra BB, Thottathil GP, Jayasekaran K, Feng Y, et al.
    BMC Genomics, 2013;14:75.
    PMID: 23375136 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-14-75
    Hevea brasiliensis, a member of the Euphorbiaceae family, is the major commercial source of natural rubber (NR). NR is a latex polymer with high elasticity, flexibility, and resilience that has played a critical role in the world economy since 1876.
    Matched MeSH terms: Wood/metabolism
  14. Fulltext Identification of lignin genes and regulatory sequences involved in secondary cell wall formation in Acacia auriculiformis and Acacia mangium via de novo transcriptome sequencing
    Wong MM, Cannon CH, Wickneswari R
    BMC Genomics, 2011;12:342.
    PMID: 21729267 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-12-342
    Acacia auriculiformis × Acacia mangium hybrids are commercially important trees for the timber and pulp industry in Southeast Asia. Increasing pulp yield while reducing pulping costs are major objectives of tree breeding programs. The general monolignol biosynthesis and secondary cell wall formation pathways are well-characterized but genes in these pathways are poorly characterized in Acacia hybrids. RNA-seq on short-read platforms is a rapid approach for obtaining comprehensive transcriptomic data and to discover informative sequence variants.
    Matched MeSH terms: Wood/metabolism
  15. Industrial Pollutants and Nasopharyngeal Cancer: An Open Question
    Menicagli R, Bolla G, Menicagli L, Esseiridou A
    Gulf J Oncolog, 2017 May;1(24):70-74.
    PMID: 28798007
    INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma represents 0.7% of the total cancer cases in the world with an ASR index of 1.7 and is widely associated with Epstein-Barr virus. It is not common in Italy (ASR index of 0.5) while in China (ASR 1.9), one third of the clinical cases are observed in Guangdong (ASR index 11.3). It is also quite common in Malaysia and Indonesia. The activation of the cancerogenesis process happens after the exposure to some environmental parameters that epidemiological studies have indicated with various dietary habits, mainly for salted fish consumption. The purpose of this work is to highlight such as exposure to compounds, such as formaldehyde, which is present in the different working conditions of these countries and may lead to the real cause to establish the carcinogenic process.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: The most recent publications regarding the impact of various external factors on Pub Med, Google, TOXLINE, Chem Abstract, were analyzed with the radiological data that were found in Milan hospitals database.

    RESULTS: The relationship between food consumption and nasopharyngeal cancer are not clear and statistically insignificant in Indonesia. In Malaysia, the preparation of natural rubber for the use of formaldehyde is a dangerous environmental factor. The same exposure is a risk factor in Guangdong, where many workers are employed in the wood panel industry. Incidence of cancer in these Chinese ethnic groups decreases when they migrate to other countries. In the last 5 years, few cases were recorded in Italy, without any apparent change in ethnic environmental factors or HBV infection Discussion: In the production of natural rubber, a lot of people are exposed to formaldehyde during the various steps of preparation and production such as stripping, drying and coagulation without observing proper environmental hygiene precautions. The same working conditions are present in industrial production of wood panels in Guangdong, China. The relationship between exposure to formaldehyde and nasopharyngeal cancer is demonstrated by the fact that epidemiological studies on the population of this Chinese district whose immigrant populations were not exposed to these pollutants, the appearance of these tumors decreases. Also an examination of our radiological data in Italy shows that in about one hundred sixty cases of nasopharyngeal cancer none of the patients were Indonesian or Chinese Conclusion: The preliminary results of our study suggest that EPST-BARR virus could be a risk factor if associated with exposure to compounds such as formaldehyde which is present in industrial productions of countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, and China.

    Matched MeSH terms: Wood
  16. Identification and expression profiling of genes governing lignin biosynthesis in Casuarina equisetifolia L
    Vikashini B, Shanthi A, Ghosh Dasgupta M
    Gene, 2018 Nov 15;676:37-46.
    PMID: 30201104 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2018.07.012
    Casuarina equisetifolia L. is an important multi-purpose, fast growing and widely planted tree species native to tropical and subtropical coastlines of Australia, Southeast Asia, Malaysia, Melanesia, Polynesia and New Caledonia. It is a nitrogen-fixing tree mainly used for charcoal making, construction poles, landscaping, timber, pulp, firewood, windbreaks, shelterbelts, soil erosion and sand dune stabilization. Casuarina wood is presently used for paper and pulp production. Raw material with reduced lignin is highly preferred to increase the pulp yield. Hence, understanding the molecular regulation of wood formation in this tree species is vital for selecting industrially suitable phenotypes for breeding programs. The lignin biosynthetic pathway has been extensively studied in tree species like Eucalypts, poplars, pines, Picea, Betula and Acacia sp. However, studies on wood formation at molecular level is presently lacking in casuarinas. Hence, in the present study, the transcriptome of the developing secondary tissues of 15 years old Casuarina equiseitfolia subsp. equisetifolia was sequenced, de novo assembled, annotated and mapped to functional pathways. Transcriptome sequencing generated a total of 26,985 transcripts mapped to 31 pathways. Mining of the annotated data identified nine genes involved in lignin biosynthesis pathway and relative expression of the transcripts in four tissues including scale-like leaves, needle-like brachlets, wood and root were documented. The expression of CeCCR1 and CeF5H were found to be significantly high in wood tissues, while maximum expression of CeHCT was documented in stem. Additionally, CeTUBA and CeH2A were identified as the most stable reference transcript for normalization of qRT-PCR data in C. equisetifolia. The present study is the first wood genomic resource in C. equisetifolia, which will be valuable for functional genomics research in this genus.
    Matched MeSH terms: Wood
  17. Fulltext Isolation and characterization of a 2,4-dinitrophenol-degrading bacterium
    Noor Suffiah Md. Zin, Siti Nadzirah Padrilah, Mohd Fadhil Abd. Rahman, Koh, Sim Han, Ariff Khalid, Mohd. Yunus Shukor
    Bioremediation Science and Technology Research, 2016;4(2):28-33.
    MyJurnal
    2,4-dinitrophenol (2,4-DNP) is utilized in the production of wood preservatives, dyes, and also
    as a pesticide. Human acute (short-term) exposure to 2,4-DNP in humans by means of oral
    exposure are nausea or vomiting, sweating, headaches, dizziness, and weight reduction. Thus, the
    removal of this compound is highly sought. A 2,4-DNP-degrading bacterium (isolate 1) was
    isolated from a sample soil from Terengganu. This bacterium (isolate 1) was characterized as a
    rod Gram positive, non-sporulated, and non-motile bacterium. The bacterium is oxidase negative
    and had catalase positive activity and was able to grow aerobically on 2,4-dinitrophenol as the
    sole carbon source. This bacterium showed maximal growth on 2,4-DNP at the temperature
    optimum of 30 oC, pH 5.0 and was tolerant to 2,4-DNP concentration of up to 0.5 mM (0.092
    g/L). This bacterium prefers to use urea as the nitrogen source in addition to yeast extract for
    mineral source and vitamin precursors.
    Matched MeSH terms: Wood
  18. Fulltext Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma (NPC) Risk Factors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Association with Lifestyle, Diets, Socioeconomic and Sociodemographic in Asian Region
    Okekpa SI, S M N Mydin RB, Mangantig E, Azmi NSA, Zahari SNS, Kaur G, et al.
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2019 Nov 01;20(11):3505-3514.
    PMID: 31759378 DOI: 10.31557/APJCP.2019.20.11.3505
    OBJECTIVE: Risk factors of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) have been linked with diets, life style and viral
    infections. NPC is more rampant in Asian populations than non-Asian countries. Our study aims to assess the validity
    of the suggestions provided by multiple case control studies demonstrating that salted fish consumption, smoking and
    alcohol consumption are associated with the risk of NPC in Asia.

    METHODS: Search for related literature on salted fish,
    smoking and alcohol consumption were performed via Science Direct, PubMed databases and Google Scholar. Articles
    included in this study were from 2009 to 2017, with specific focus on salted fish, smoking and alcohol consumption
    as risk factors of NPC. This study excluded all articles published prior to 2009 and articles involving other cancers.
    Data were extracted independently by two different researchers and harmonized. Meta-analysis was conducted on the
    obtained data, by using R package Meta to create funnel and forest plots.

    RESULTS: The meta-analysis revealed that
    salted fish, smoking and alcohol consumption were significantly associated to NPC risk with random effect model score
    showing OR of 1.41 at 95% confidence interval (CI) of 1.13-1.75 (P<0.01), OR of 1.89 at 95 % CI of 1.49 - 2.38, and
    OR: 1.42 at 95 % CI of 1.23 - 1.65 respectively. Our results also revealed significant association of salted meat, salted
    vegetables, house type, wood dust exposure associated with NPC risk with p values less than 0.05.

    CONCLUSION: This
    study proposes that salted fish intake, smoking and alcohol consumption might be linked to NPC risk in Asians. Further
    studies are necessary to ascertain the molecular mechanisms and clarify if the associated path that could function as
    therapeutic target.

    Matched MeSH terms: Wood
  19. Fulltext Long-term thermal sensitivity of Earth's tropical forests
    Sullivan MJP, Lewis SL, Affum-Baffoe K, Castilho C, Costa F, Sanchez AC, et al.
    Science, 2020 05 22;368(6493):869-874.
    PMID: 32439789 DOI: 10.1126/science.aaw7578
    The sensitivity of tropical forest carbon to climate is a key uncertainty in predicting global climate change. Although short-term drying and warming are known to affect forests, it is unknown if such effects translate into long-term responses. Here, we analyze 590 permanent plots measured across the tropics to derive the equilibrium climate controls on forest carbon. Maximum temperature is the most important predictor of aboveground biomass (-9.1 megagrams of carbon per hectare per degree Celsius), primarily by reducing woody productivity, and has a greater impact per °C in the hottest forests (>32.2°C). Our results nevertheless reveal greater thermal resilience than observations of short-term variation imply. To realize the long-term climate adaptation potential of tropical forests requires both protecting them and stabilizing Earth's climate.
    Matched MeSH terms: Wood
  20. Fulltext A simple protocol to isolate DNA from Malaysian stork blood collected on FTA® cards
    YEE, ELSIE Y. S., ZAINAL ZAHARI, AHMAD ISMAIL, YAP, C.K., TAN, S. G.
    Buletin Persatuan Genetik Malaysia, 2009;14(1):20-22.
    MyJurnal
    The blood of the Painted Storks (Mycteria leucocephala) and the Milky Storks (M. cinerea) from Malaysia were collected
    invasively from the breeding site. The blood was dropped on to FTA® cards and stored at room temperature. DNA was isolated from
    the FTA® cards through a modification of the Wizard DNA Purification kit (Promega) procedure and PCR was performed with 11 pairs
    of microsatellite primers of the American Wood Stork (M. americana). The collection of a drop of blood onto the card is superior to the
    usual practice of collecting about five ml of blood into a vacuum tube as it causes fewer traumas to these sensitive birds. Moreover, this
    collection procedure can be adopted for use in various wild animal species which are usually found in the remote areas of Malaysia as
    the sample collection cards can be transported back to the laboratory at room temperature. Our procedure allows the typing of several
    molecular genetic markers from just a drop of blood collected in the field and stored at room temperature alleviating the need for storage
    in expensive deep freezers or liquid nitrogen tanks.
    Matched MeSH terms: Wood
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