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Vanadia as an electron-hole recombination inhibitor on fibrous silica-titania for selective hole oxidation of ciprofloxacin and Congo red photodegradation

Hassan NS, Jalil AA, Fei ICM, Razak MTA, Khusnun NF, Bahari MB, et al.

Chemosphere, 2023 Oct;338:139502.
PMID: 37453521 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.139502

Vanadia (V2O5)-incorporated fibrous silica-titania (V/FST) catalysts, which were successfully synthesized using a hydrothermal method followed by the impregnation of V2O5. The catalysts were then characterized using numerous techniques, including X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, nitrogen adsorption-desorption analyses, ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and photoluminescence (PL) analyses. The study found that varying the amount of V2O5 (1-10 wt%) had a significant impact on the physicochemical properties of the FST, which in turn improved the photodegradation efficiency of two organic compounds, ciprofloxacin (CIP) and congo red (CR). 5V/FST demonstrated the best performance in degrading 10 mg L-1 of CIP (83%) and CR (100%) at pH 3 using 0.375 g L-1 catalyst under visible light irradiation within 180 min. The highest photoactivity of 5V/FST is mainly due to higher crystallinity and the highest number of V2O5-FST interactions. Furthermore, as demonstrated by PL analysis, the 5V/FST catalyst has the most significant impact on interfacial charge transfer and reduces electron-hole recombination. The photodegradation of both contaminants follows the Langmuir-Hinshelwood pseudo-first-order model, according to the kinetic study. The scavenger investigation demonstrated that hydroxyl radicals and holes dominated species in the system, indicating that the catalyst effectively generated reactive species for pollutant degradation. A possible mechanism was also identified for FST and 5V/FST. Interestingly, V2O5 acts as an electron-hole recombination inhibitor on FST for selective hole oxidation of ciprofloxacin and congo red photodegradation. Finally, the degradation efficiency of the catalyst remained relatively stable even after five cyclic experiments, indicating its potential for long-term use in environmental remediation.
Fulltext Changes in body pain among overweight and obese housewives living in Klang Valley, Malaysia: findings from the MyBFF@home study

Mohd Sallehuddin S, Mohamad Nor NS, Ambak R, Abdul Aziz NS, Mohd Zaki NA, Omar MA, et al.

BMC Womens Health, 2018 07 19;18(Suppl 1):101.
PMID: 30066647 DOI: 10.1186/s12905-018-0597-x

BACKGROUND: Obesity leads to the increase of pain at different parts of the body and it is a potential marker for complications of chronic diseases. This paper aims to assess changes in the body pain among overweight and obese housewives who participated in the My Body is Fit and Fabulous at home (MyBFF@home) study.
METHODS: Housewives aged 18 to 59 years old from the MyBFF@home study were selected and pain was measured using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) questionnaire. VAS measured the pain intensity at different parts of the body (score of 0-10). Data were collected at base line, 3 months and 6 months among the housewives in both the control and intervention group. Pain scores and other variables (age, Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist circumference) were analysed using SPSS version 22.
RESULTS: A total of 328 housewives completed the VAS questionnaires at baseline, while 185 (56.4%) of housewives completed the VAS at 3 months and 6 months. A decreasing trend of mean pain score in both groups after 6 months was observed. However, the intervention group showed a consistent decreasing trend of pain score mainly for back pain. In the control group, there was a slight increment of score in back pain from baseline towards the 6 months period. Older housewives in both groups (aged 50 years and above) had a higher mean score of leg pain (2.86, SD: 2.82) compared to the other age group. Higher BMI was significantly associated with pain score in both groups.
CONCLUSION: There were some changes in the level of body pain among the housewives before and after the intervention. Older obese women had a higher pain score compared to younger obese women. Pain was associated with BMI and change in BMI appears to be beneficial in reducing body pain among overweight and obese individuals.
A quadruplet 3-D laser scribed graphene/MoS2, functionalised N2-doped graphene quantum dots and lignin-based Ag-nanoparticles for biosensing

Vasudevan M, Perumal V, Raja PB, Ibrahim MNM, Lee HL, Gopinath SCB, et al.

Int J Biol Macromol, 2023 Dec 31;253(Pt 2):126620.
PMID: 37683754 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.126620

Troponin I is a protein released into the human blood circulation and a commonly used biomarker due to its sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing myocardial injury. When heart injury occurs, elevated troponin Troponin I levels are released into the bloodstream. The biomarker is a strong and reliable indicator of myocardial injury in a person, with immediate treatment required. For electrochemical sensing of Troponin I, a quadruplet 3D laser-scribed graphene/molybdenum disulphide functionalised N2-doped graphene quantum dots hybrid with lignin-based Ag-nanoparticles (3D LSG/MoS2/N-GQDs/L-Ag NPs) was fabricated using a hydrothermal process as an enhanced quadruplet substrate. Hybrid MoS2 nanoflower (H3 NF) and nanosphere (H3 NS) were formed independently by varying MoS2 precursors and were grown on 3D LSG uniformly without severe stacking and restacking issues, and characterized by morphological, physical, and structural analyses with the N-GQDs and Ag NPs evenly distributed on 3D LSG/MoS2 surface by covalent bonding. The selective capture of and specific interaction with Troponin I by the biotinylated aptamer probe on the bio-electrode, resulted in an increment in the charge transfer resistance. The limit of detection, based on impedance spectroscopy, is 100 aM for both H3 NF and H3 NS hybrids, with the H3 NF hybrid biosensor having better analytical performance in terms of linearity, selectivity, repeatability, and stability.
Extra-modification of zirconium dioxide for potential photocatalytic applications towards environmental remediation: A critical review

Hassan NS, Jalil AA, Khusnun NF, Bahari MB, Hussain I, Firmansyah ML, et al.

J Environ Manage, 2023 Feb 01;327:116869.
PMID: 36455446 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116869

Photocatalytic degradation is a valuable direction for eliminating organic pollutants in the environment because of its exceptional catalytic activity and low energy requirements. As one of the prospective photocatalysts, zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) is a promising candidate for photoactivity due to its favorable redox potential and higher chemical stability. ZrO2 has a high rate of electron-hole recombination and poor light-harvesting capabilities. Still, modification has demonstrated enhancements, especially extra-modification, and is therefore worthy of investigation. This present review provides a comprehensive overview of the extra-modifications of ZrO2 for enhanced photocatalytic performance, including coupling with other semiconductors, doping with metal, non-metal, and co-doping with metal and non-metal. The extra-modified ZrO2 showed superior performance in degrading the organic pollutant, particularly dyes and phenolic compounds. Interestingly, this review also briefly highlighted the probable mechanisms of the extra-modification of ZrO2 such as p-n heterojunction, type II heterojunction, and Z-scheme heterojunction. The latter heterojunction with excellent electron-hole space separation improved the photoactivity. Extensive research on ZrO2's photocatalytic potential is presented, including the removal of heavy metals, the redox of heavy metals and organic pollutants, and the evolution of hydrogen. Modified ZrO2's photocatalytic effectiveness depends on its band position, oxygen vacancy concentration, and metal defect sites. The opportunities and future problems of the extra-modified ZrO2 photocatalyst are also discussed. This review aims to share knowledge regarding extra-modified ZrO2 photocatalysts and inspire new environmental remediation applications.
Fulltext From darkness, a light shall spring: Zero-fluoroscopic ablation of supraventricular tachycardia in a pregnant lady

Mohd Said MR, Gian Singh SS, Lee KT, Khor LM, Chea CY, Silveraju AR, et al.

J Arrhythm, 2021 Feb;37(1):251-253.
PMID: 33664912 DOI: 10.1002/joa3.12485

Our case illustrated zero-fluoroscopic approach on AVNRT ablation in a pregnant lady.
Protein and peptide delivery to lungs by using advanced targeted drug delivery

Chellappan DK, Prasher P, Saravanan V, Vern Yee VS, Wen Chi WC, Wong JW, et al.

Chem Biol Interact, 2022 Jan 05;351:109706.
PMID: 34662570 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbi.2021.109706

The challenges and difficulties associated with conventional drug delivery systems have led to the emergence of novel, advanced targeted drug delivery systems. Therapeutic drug delivery of proteins and peptides to the lungs is complicated owing to the large size and polar characteristics of the latter. Nevertheless, the pulmonary route has attracted great interest today among formulation scientists, as it has evolved into one of the important targeted drug delivery platforms for the delivery of peptides, and related compounds effectively to the lungs, primarily for the management and treatment of chronic lung diseases. In this review, we have discussed and summarized the current scenario and recent developments in targeted delivery of proteins and peptide-based drugs to the lungs. Moreover, we have also highlighted the advantages of pulmonary drug delivery over conventional drug delivery approaches for peptide-based drugs, in terms of efficacy, retention time and other important pharmacokinetic parameters. The review also highlights the future perspectives and the impact of targeted drug delivery on peptide-based drugs in the coming decade.
Genomic surveillance of omicron B.1.1.529 SARS-CoV-2 and its variants between December 2021 and March 2023 in Tamil Nadu, India-A state-wide prospective longitudinal study

Selvavinayagam ST, Suvaithenamudhan S, Yong YK, Hemashree K, Rajeshkumar M, Kumaresan A, et al.

J Med Virol, 2024 Feb;96(2):e29456.
PMID: 38329187 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.29456

A state-wide prospective longitudinal investigation of the genomic surveillance of the omicron B.1.1.529 SARS-CoV-2 variant and its sublineages in Tamil Nadu, India, was conducted between December 2021 and March 2023. The study aimed to elucidate their mutational patterns and their genetic interrelationship in the Indian population. The study identified several unique mutations at different time-points, which likely could attribute to the changing disease characteristics, transmission, and pathogenicity attributes of omicron variants. The study found that the omicron variant is highly competent in its mutating potentials, and that it continues to evolve in the general population, likely escaping from natural as well as vaccine-induced immune responses. Our findings suggest that continuous surveillance of viral variants at the global scenario is warranted to undertake intervention measures against potentially precarious SARS-CoV-2 variants and their evolution.
Fulltext Emergence of SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant JN.1 in Tamil Nadu, India - Clinical characteristics and novel mutations

Selvavinayagam ST, Sankar S, Yong YK, Murugesan A, Suvaithenamudhan S, Hemashree K, et al.

Sci Rep, 2024 Jul 30;14(1):17476.
PMID: 39080396 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-68678-z

In December 2023, we observed a notable shift in the COVID-19 landscape, when JN.1 omicron emerged as the predominant SARS-CoV-2 variant with a 95% incidence. We characterized the clinical profile, and genetic changes in JN.1, an emerging SARS-CoV-2 variant of interest. Whole genome sequencing was performed on SARS-CoV-2 positive clinical specimens, followed by sequence analysis. Mutations within the spike protein sequences were analysed and compared with the previously reported lineages and sub-lineages, to identify the potential impact of the unique mutations on protein structure and possible alterations in the functionality. Several unique and dynamic mutations were identified herein. Molecular docking analysis showed changes in the binding affinity, and key interacting residues of wild-type and mutated structures with key host cell receptors of SARS-CoV-2 entry viz., ACE2, CD147, CD209L and AXL. Our data provides key insights on the emergence of newer variants and highlights the necessity for robust and sustained global genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2.
Fulltext 2021 Asia Pacific Heart Rhythm Society (APHRS) practice guidance on atrial fibrillation screening

Chan NY, Orchard J, Agbayani MJ, Boddington D, Chao TF, Johar S, et al.

J Arrhythm, 2022 Feb;38(1):31-49.
PMID: 35222749 DOI: 10.1002/joa3.12669

In this paper, the Asia Pacific Heart Rhythm Society (APHRS) sought to provide practice guidance on AF screening based on recent evidence, with specific considerations relevant to the Asia-Pacific region. A key recommendation is opportunistic screening for people aged ≥65 years (all countries), with systematic screening to be considered for people aged ≥75 years or who have additional risk factors (all countries).
Fulltext Emergence of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant JN.1 in Tamil Nadu, India - Clinical Characteristics and Novel Mutations

Selvavinayagam ST, Sankar S, Yong YK, Murugesan A, Suvaithenamudhan S, Hemashree K, et al.

medRxiv, 2024 Apr 19.
PMID: 38699322 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.16.24305882

In December 2023, we observed a notable shift in the COVID-19 landscape, when the JN.1 emerged as a predominant SARS-CoV-2 variant with a 95% incidence. We characterized the clinical profile, and genetic changes in JN.1, an emerging SARS-CoV-2 variant of interest. Whole genome sequencing was performed on SARS-CoV-2 positive samples, followed by sequence analysis. Mutations within the spike protein sequences were analyzed and compared with the previous lineages and sublineages of SARS-CoV-2, to identify the potential impact of these unique mutations on protein structure and possible functionality. Several unique and dynamic mutations were identified herein. Our data provides key insights into the emergence of newer variants of SARS-CoV-2 in our region and highlights the need for robust and sustained genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2.
Fulltext Investigating Genetic and Other Determinants of First-Onset Myocardial Infarction in Malaysia: Protocol for the Malaysian Acute Vascular Events Risk Study

Chowdhury R, Noh MFM, Ismail SR, van Daalen KR, Kamaruddin PSNM, Zulkiply SH, et al.

JMIR Res Protoc, 2022 Feb 10;11(2):e31885.
PMID: 35142634 DOI: 10.2196/31885

BACKGROUND: Although the burden of premature myocardial infarction (MI) is high in Malaysia, direct evidence on the determinants of MI in this multi-ethnic population remains sparse.
OBJECTIVE: The Malaysian Acute Vascular Events Risk (MAVERIK) study is a retrospective case-control study established to investigate the genomic, lipid-related, and other determinants of acute MI in Malaysia. In this paper, we report the study protocol and early results.
METHODS: By June 2019, we had enrolled approximately 2500 patients with their first MI and 2500 controls without cardiovascular disease, who were frequency-matched by age, sex, and ethnicity, from 17 hospitals in Malaysia. For each participant, serum and whole blood have been collected and stored. Clinical, demographic, and behavioral information has been obtained using a 200-item questionnaire.
RESULTS: Tobacco consumption, a history of diabetes, hypertension, markers of visceral adiposity, indicators of lower socioeconomic status, and a family history of coronary disease were more prevalent in cases than in controls. Adjusted (age and sex) logistic regression models for traditional risk factors indicated that current smoking (odds ratio [OR] 4.11, 95% CI 3.56-4.75; P30 kg/m2; OR 1.19, 95% CI 1.05-1.34; P=.009) were associated with MI in age- and sex-adjusted models.
CONCLUSIONS: The MAVERIK study can serve as a useful platform to investigate genetic and other risk factors for MI in an understudied Southeast Asian population. It should help to hasten the discovery of disease-causing pathways and inform regionally appropriate strategies that optimize public health action.
INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): RR1-10.2196/31885.
Fulltext A common variant near TGFBR3 is associated with primary open angle glaucoma

Li Z, Allingham RR, Nakano M, Jia L, Chen Y, Ikeda Y, et al.

Hum Mol Genet, 2015 Jul 01;24(13):3880-92.
PMID: 25861811 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddv128

Primary open angle glaucoma (POAG), a major cause of blindness worldwide, is a complex disease with a significant genetic contribution. We performed Exome Array (Illumina) analysis on 3504 POAG cases and 9746 controls with replication of the most significant findings in 9173 POAG cases and 26 780 controls across 18 collections of Asian, African and European descent. Apart from confirming strong evidence of association at CDKN2B-AS1 (rs2157719 [G], odds ratio [OR] = 0.71, P = 2.81 × 10(-33)), we observed one SNP showing significant association to POAG (CDC7-TGFBR3 rs1192415, ORG-allele = 1.13, Pmeta = 1.60 × 10(-8)). This particular SNP has previously been shown to be strongly associated with optic disc area and vertical cup-to-disc ratio, which are regarded as glaucoma-related quantitative traits. Our study now extends this by directly implicating it in POAG disease pathogenesis.
Genome-wide association study identifies five new susceptibility loci for primary angle closure glaucoma

Khor CC, Do T, Jia H, Nakano M, George R, Abu-Amero K, et al.

Nat Genet, 2016 May;48(5):556-62.
PMID: 27064256 DOI: 10.1038/ng.3540

Primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG) is a major cause of blindness worldwide. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) followed by replication in a combined total of 10,503 PACG cases and 29,567 controls drawn from 24 countries across Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America. We observed significant evidence of disease association at five new genetic loci upon meta-analysis of all patient collections. These loci are at EPDR1 rs3816415 (odds ratio (OR) = 1.24, P = 5.94 × 10(-15)), CHAT rs1258267 (OR = 1.22, P = 2.85 × 10(-16)), GLIS3 rs736893 (OR = 1.18, P = 1.43 × 10(-14)), FERMT2 rs7494379 (OR = 1.14, P = 3.43 × 10(-11)), and DPM2-FAM102A rs3739821 (OR = 1.15, P = 8.32 × 10(-12)). We also confirmed significant association at three previously described loci (P < 5 × 10(-8) for each sentinel SNP at PLEKHA7, COL11A1, and PCMTD1-ST18), providing new insights into the biology of PACG.

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