Displaying publications 1601 - 1620 of 9863 in total

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  1. Pascual's beautiful home waterbirth in Malaysia
    Beyer V
    Midwifery Today Int Midwife, 2010.
    PMID: 20397536
    Matched MeSH terms: Home Childbirth/methods; Midwifery/methods*; Natural Childbirth/methods; Prenatal Care/methods
  2. A new expandable cannula system for endoscopic evacuation of intraparenchymal hemorrhages
    Waran V, Vairavan N, Sia SF, Abdullah B
    J. Neurosurg., 2009 Dec;111(6):1127-30.
    PMID: 19408977 DOI: 10.3171/2009.4.JNS081506
    The authors describe a newly developed expandable cannula to enable a more efficient use of an endoscope in removing intraparenchymal spontaneous hypertensive intracerebral hematomas. The cannula is introduced like a conventional brain cannula, using neuronavigation techniques to reach the targeted hematoma accurately, and, once deployed, conventional microsurgical techniques are used under direct endoscopic visualization. This method was used in 6 patients, and, based on the results of intraoperative intracranial pressure monitoring and postoperative CT scanning, the authors were able to achieve good hematoma removal. They found that by using the expandable cannula, efficient endoscopic surgery in the brain parenchyma was possible.
    Matched MeSH terms: Catheterization/methods*; Microsurgery/methods; Neurosurgical Procedures/methods; Neuroendoscopy/methods*
  3. Application of the central composite design for condition optimization for semi-aerobic landfill leachate treatment using electrochemical oxidation
    Mohajeri S, Aziz HA, Isa MH, Zahed MA, Bashir MJ, Adlan MN
    Water Sci Technol, 2010;61(5):1257-66.
    PMID: 20220248 DOI: 10.2166/wst.2010.018
    In the present study, Electrochemical Oxidation was used to remove COD and color from semi-aerobic landfill leachate collected from Pulau Burung Landfill Site (PBLS), Penang, Malaysia. Experiments were conducted in a batch laboratory-scale system in the presence of NaCl as electrolyte and aluminum electrodes. Central composite design (CCD) under Response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to optimize the electrochemical oxidation process conditions using chemical oxygen demand (COD) and color removals as responses, and the electrolyte concentrations, current density and reaction time as control factors. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed good coefficient of determination (R(2)) values of >0.98, thus ensuring satisfactory fitting of the second-order regression model with the experimental data. In un-optimized condition, maximum removals for COD (48.77%) and color (58.21%) were achieved at current density 80 mA/cm(2), electrolyte concentration 3,000 mg/L and reaction time 240 min. While after optimization at current density 75 mA/cm(2), electrolyte concentration 2,000 mg/L and reaction time 218 min a maximum of 49.33 and 59.24% removals were observed for COD and color respectively.
    Matched MeSH terms: Electrochemistry/methods*; Refuse Disposal/methods*; Waste Disposal, Fluid/methods; Water Purification/methods
  4. Automatic tracing of optic disc and exudates from color fundus images using fixed and variable thresholds
    Reza AW, Eswaran C, Hati S
    J Med Syst, 2009 Feb;33(1):73-80.
    PMID: 19238899
    The detection of bright objects such as optic disc (OD) and exudates in color fundus images is an important step in the diagnosis of eye diseases such as diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. In this paper, a novel approach to automatically segment the OD and exudates is proposed. The proposed algorithm makes use of the green component of the image and preprocessing steps such as average filtering, contrast adjustment, and thresholding. The other processing techniques used are morphological opening, extended maxima operator, minima imposition, and watershed transformation. The proposed algorithm is evaluated using the test images of STARE and DRIVE databases with fixed and variable thresholds. The images drawn by human expert are taken as the reference images. The proposed method yields sensitivity values as high as 96.7%, which are better than the results reported in the literature.
    Matched MeSH terms: Diagnostic Imaging/methods*; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted/methods; Ophthalmoscopy/methods*; Pattern Recognition, Automated/methods
  5. A genetic similarity algorithm for searching the Gene Ontology terms and annotating anonymous protein sequences
    Othman RM, Deris S, Illias RM
    J Biomed Inform, 2008 Feb;41(1):65-81.
    PMID: 17681495
    A genetic similarity algorithm is introduced in this study to find a group of semantically similar Gene Ontology terms. The genetic similarity algorithm combines semantic similarity measure algorithm with parallel genetic algorithm. The semantic similarity measure algorithm is used to compute the similitude strength between the Gene Ontology terms. Then, the parallel genetic algorithm is employed to perform batch retrieval and to accelerate the search in large search space of the Gene Ontology graph. The genetic similarity algorithm is implemented in the Gene Ontology browser named basic UTMGO to overcome the weaknesses of the existing Gene Ontology browsers which use a conventional approach based on keyword matching. To show the applicability of the basic UTMGO, we extend its structure to develop a Gene Ontology -based protein sequence annotation tool named extended UTMGO. The objective of developing the extended UTMGO is to provide a simple and practical tool that is capable of producing better results and requires a reasonable amount of running time with low computing cost specifically for offline usage. The computational results and comparison with other related tools are presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm and tools.
    Matched MeSH terms: Pattern Recognition, Automated/methods; Information Storage and Retrieval/methods; Sequence Alignment/methods*; Sequence Analysis, Protein/methods*
  6. Multiresolution wavelet analysis for efficient analysis, compression and remote display of long-term physiological signals
    Khuan LY, Bister M, Blanchfield P, Salleh YM, Ali RA, Chan TH
    Australas Phys Eng Sci Med, 2006 Jun;29(2):216-28.
    PMID: 16845928
    Increased inter-equipment connectivity coupled with advances in Web technology allows ever escalating amounts of physiological data to be produced, far too much to be displayed adequately on a single computer screen. The consequence is that large quantities of insignificant data will be transmitted and reviewed. This carries an increased risk of overlooking vitally important transients. This paper describes a technique to provide an integrated solution based on a single algorithm for the efficient analysis, compression and remote display of long-term physiological signals with infrequent short duration, yet vital events, to effect a reduction in data transmission and display cluttering and to facilitate reliable data interpretation. The algorithm analyses data at the server end and flags significant events. It produces a compressed version of the signal at a lower resolution that can be satisfactorily viewed in a single screen width. This reduced set of data is initially transmitted together with a set of 'flags' indicating where significant events occur. Subsequent transmissions need only involve transmission of flagged data segments of interest at the required resolution. Efficient processing and code protection with decomposition alone is novel. The fixed transmission length method ensures clutter-less display, irrespective of the data length. The flagging of annotated events in arterial oxygen saturation, electroencephalogram and electrocardiogram illustrates the generic property of the algorithm. Data reduction of 87% to 99% and improved displays are demonstrated.
    Matched MeSH terms: Monitoring, Physiologic/methods*; Information Storage and Retrieval/methods*; Telemedicine/methods*; Data Compression/methods*
  7. Using tissue engineering techniques for osteochondral repair and regeneration
    Goh JC, Shao XX, Hutmacher D, Lee EH
    Med J Malaysia, 2004 May;59 Suppl B:17-8.
    PMID: 15468797
    Matched MeSH terms: Bone Transplantation/methods*; Bone Marrow Transplantation/methods*; Tissue Engineering/methods*; Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation/methods*
  8. Evaluation of formalin-ether sedimentation and trichrome staining techniques: its effectiveness in detecting Entamoeba histolytica/dispar/moshkovskii in stool samples
    Anuar TS, Al-Mekhlafi HM, Abdul Ghani MK, Abu Bakar E, Azreen SN, Salleh FM, et al.
    J Microbiol Methods, 2013 Mar;92(3):344-8.
    PMID: 23361047 DOI: 10.1016/j.mimet.2013.01.010
    This study was conducted to evaluate two routinely microscopic diagnostic methods in comparison with single-round PCR assay as the reference technique to detect Entamoeba histolytica/dispar/moshkovskii. Examination was performed on 500 stool samples obtained from Orang Asli communities in different states of Malaysia using formalin-ether sedimentation, trichrome staining and single-round PCR techniques. Ninety-three stool samples were detected E. histolytica/dispar/moshkovskii positive by routine microscopy, while single-round PCR detected 106 positive samples. Additional positives detected by PCR assay were eventually confirmed to be negative by both microscopic techniques. Detection rate of E. histolytica/dispar/moshkovskii was highest in combination techniques (18.6%), followed by trichrome staining (13.4%) and formalin-ether sedimentation (11.2%) techniques. Single-round PCR detected 21.2% of the stool samples. The sensitivity and specificity of formalin-ether sedimentation and trichrome staining techniques compared to the reference technique were 31.1% (95% CI: 29.0-36.0) and 94.2% (95% CI: 89.8-98.9), and 53.8% (95% CI: 46.0-76.2) and 97.5% (95% CI: 92.8-99.1), respectively. However, the sensitivity [59.4% (95% CI: 48.9-78.5)] of the method increased when both techniques were performed together, but the specificity decreased to 92.4% (95% CI: 81.0-98.0). The agreement between the reference technique, trichrome staining and combination techniques were statistically significant by Kappa statistics (trichrome staining: K = 0.592, p < 0.05; combination techniques: K = 0.543, p < 0.05). Hence, the combination technique is recommended to be used as a screening method in the diagnosis of E. histolytica/dispar/moshkovskii infections either for clinical or epidemiological study.
    Matched MeSH terms: Centrifugation/methods; Microscopy/methods*; Parasitology/methods*; Staining and Labeling/methods
  9. Effects of storage conditions of Moringa oleifera seeds on its performance in coagulation
    Katayon S, Noor MJ, Asma M, Ghani LA, Thamer AM, Azni I, et al.
    Bioresour Technol, 2006 Sep;97(13):1455-60.
    PMID: 16213137
    Moringa oleifera is a plant whose seeds have coagulation properties for treating water and wastewater. In this study the coagulation efficiency of Moringa oleifera kept in different storage conditions were studied. The Moringa oleifera seeds were stored at different conditions and durations; open container and closed container at room temperature (28 degrees C) and refrigerator (3 degrees C) for durations of 1, 3 and 5 months. Comparison between turbidity removal efficiency of Moringa oleifera kept in refrigerator and room temperature revealed that there was no significant difference between them. The Moringa oleifera kept in refrigerator and room temperature for one month showed higher turbidity removal efficiency, compared to those kept for 3 and 5 months, at both containers. The coagulation efficiency of Moringa oleifera was found to be dependent on initial turbidity of water samples. Highest turbidity removals were obtained for water with very high initial turbidity. In summary coagulation efficiency of Moringa oleifera was found independent of storage temperature and container, however coagulation efficiency of Moringa oleifera decreased as storage duration increased. In addition, Moringa oleifera can be used as a potential coagulant especially for very high turbidity water.
    Matched MeSH terms: Nephelometry and Turbidimetry/methods*; Preservation, Biological/methods*; Specimen Handling/methods*; Water Purification/methods*
  10. Ictal EEG Source Imaging for Presurgical Evaluation of Refractory Focal Epilepsy
    Habib MA, Ibrahim F, Mohktar MS, Kamaruzzaman SB, Rahmat K, Lim KS
    World Neurosurg, 2016 Apr;88:576-585.
    PMID: 26548833 DOI: 10.1016/j.wneu.2015.10.096
    BACKGROUND: Electroencephalography source imaging (ESI) is a promising tool for localizing the cortical sources of both ictal and interictal epileptic activities. Many studies have shown the clinical usefulness of interictal ESI, but very few have investigated the utility of ictal ESI. The aim of this article is to examine the clinical usefulness of ictal ESI for epileptic focus localization in patients with refractory focal epilepsy, especially extratemporal lobe epilepsy.

    METHODS: Both ictal and interictal ESI were performed by the use of patient-specific realistic forward models and 3 different linear distributed inverse models. Lateralization as well as concordance between ESI-estimated focuses and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) focuses were assessed.

    RESULTS: All the ESI focuses (both ictal and interictal) were found lateralized to the same hemisphere as ictal SPECT focuses. Lateralization results also were in agreement with the lesion sides as visualized on magnetic resonance imaging. Ictal ESI results, obtained from the best-performing inverse model, were fully concordant with the same cortical lobe as SPECT focuses, whereas the corresponding concordance rate is 87.50% in case of interictal ESI.

    CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that ictal ESI gives fully lateralized and highly concordant results with ictal SPECT and may provide a cost-effective substitute for ictal SPECT.

    Matched MeSH terms: Brain Mapping/methods*; Electroencephalography/methods*; Preoperative Care/methods*; Surgery, Computer-Assisted/methods*
  11. Objective cough frequency, airway inflammation, and disease control in asthma
    Marsden PA, Satia I, Ibrahim B, Woodcock A, Yates L, Donnelly I, et al.
    Chest, 2016 06;149(6):1460-6.
    PMID: 26973014 DOI: 10.1016/j.chest.2016.02.676
    BACKGROUND: Cough is recognized as an important troublesome symptom in the diagnosis and monitoring of asthma. Asthma control is thought to be determined by the degree of airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness but how these factors relate to cough frequency is unclear. The goal of this study was to investigate the relationships between objective cough frequency, disease control, airflow obstruction, and airway inflammation in asthma.

    METHODS: Participants with asthma underwent 24-h ambulatory cough monitoring and assessment of exhaled nitric oxide, spirometry, methacholine challenge, and sputum induction (cell counts and inflammatory mediator levels). Asthma control was assessed by using the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) classification and the Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ). The number of cough sounds was manually counted and expressed as coughs per hour (c/h).

    RESULTS: Eighty-nine subjects with asthma (mean ± SD age, 57 ± 12 years; 57% female) were recruited. According to GINA criteria, 18 (20.2%) patients were classified as controlled, 39 (43.8%) partly controlled, and 32 (36%) uncontrolled; the median ACQ score was 1 (range, 0.0-4.4). The 6-item ACQ correlated with 24-h cough frequency (r = 0.40; P < .001), and patients with uncontrolled asthma (per GINA criteria) had higher median 24-h cough frequency (4.2 c/h; range, 0.3-27.6) compared with partially controlled asthma (1.8 c/h; range, 0.2-25.3; P = .01) and controlled asthma (1.7 c/h; range, 0.3-6.7; P = .002). Measures of airway inflammation were not significantly different between GINA categories and were not correlated with ACQ. In multivariate analyses, increasing cough frequency and worsening FEV1 independently predicted measures of asthma control.

    CONCLUSIONS: Ambulatory cough frequency monitoring provides an objective assessment of asthma symptoms that correlates with standard measures of asthma control but not airflow obstruction or airway inflammation. Moreover, cough frequency and airflow obstruction represent independent dimensions of asthma control.
    Matched MeSH terms: Breath Tests/methods; Bronchial Provocation Tests/methods; Spirometry/methods; Symptom Assessment/methods
  12. Cytopathology whole slide images and adaptive tutorials for postgraduate pathology trainees: a randomized crossover trial
    Van Es SL, Kumar RK, Pryor WM, Salisbury EL, Velan GM
    Hum Pathol, 2015 Sep;46(9):1297-305.
    PMID: 26093936 DOI: 10.1016/j.humpath.2015.05.009
    To determine whether cytopathology whole slide images and virtual microscopy adaptive tutorials aid learning by postgraduate trainees, we designed a randomized crossover trial to evaluate the quantitative and qualitative impact of whole slide images and virtual microscopy adaptive tutorials compared with traditional glass slide and textbook methods of learning cytopathology. Forty-three anatomical pathology registrars were recruited from Australia, New Zealand, and Malaysia. Online assessments were used to determine efficacy, whereas user experience and perceptions of efficiency were evaluated using online Likert scales and open-ended questions. Outcomes of online assessments indicated that, with respect to performance, learning with whole slide images and virtual microscopy adaptive tutorials was equivalent to using traditional methods. High-impact learning, efficiency, and equity of learning from virtual microscopy adaptive tutorials were strong themes identified in open-ended responses. Participants raised concern about the lack of z-axis capability in the cytopathology whole slide images, suggesting that delivery of z-stacked whole slide images online may be important for future educational development. In this trial, learning cytopathology with whole slide images and virtual microscopy adaptive tutorials was found to be as effective as and perceived as more efficient than learning from glass slides and textbooks. The use of whole slide images and virtual microscopy adaptive tutorials has the potential to provide equitable access to effective learning from teaching material of consistently high quality. It also has broader implications for continuing professional development and maintenance of competence and quality assurance in specialist practice.
    Matched MeSH terms: Computer-Assisted Instruction/methods*; Education, Medical, Graduate/methods*; Teaching/methods*; Education, Distance/methods*
  13. Pain control after thoracotomy. An extrapleural tunnel to provide a continuous bupivacaine infusion for intercostal nerve blockade
    Majid AA, Hamzah H
    Chest, 1992 Apr;101(4):981-4.
    PMID: 1555472
    This study was undertaken to determine whether an infusion of local anesthetic (LA) delivered through an extrapleural tunnel could provide satisfactory control of pain in the postthoracotomy period. Twelve patients undergoing thoracotomy were studied. A T-shaped tunnel was created by elevating the parietal pleura at the posteromedial end of the thoracotomy wound. An irrigation catheter was then inserted and an infusion of bupivacaine commenced, initially at 5 mg/kg/24 h and subsequently at 3 mg/kg/24 h. Pain was well controlled in eight patients and satisfactory in four patients. The latter required one dose of opiate analgesia each in the 48-h postoperative period. We conclude that an infusion of bupivacaine into the extrapleural space is an effective means of control of pain after thoracotomy.
    Matched MeSH terms: Anesthesia, Local/methods; Infusions, Parenteral/methods; Nerve Block/methods*; Postoperative Care/methods*
  14. Structure-informed detection and quantification of peptides in food and biological fluids
    Agyei D, Pan S, Acquah C, Bekhit AEA, Danquah MK
    J Food Biochem, 2019 01;43(1):e12482.
    PMID: 31353495 DOI: 10.1111/jfbc.12482
    Peptides with biological properties, that is, bioactive peptides, are a class of biomolecules whose health-promoting properties are increasingly being exploited in food and health products. However, research on targeted techniques for the detection and quantification of these peptides is still in its infancy. Such information is needed in order to enhance the biological and chemometric characterization of peptides and their subsequent application in the functional food and pharmaceutical industries. In this review, the role of classic techniques such as electrophoretic, chromatographic, and peptide mass spectrometry in the structure-informed detection and quantitation of bioactive peptides are discussed. Prospects for the use of aptamers in the characterization of bioactive peptides are also discussed. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Although bioactive peptides have huge potential applications in the functional foods and health area, there are limited techniques in enhancing throughput detection, quantification, and characterization of these peptides. This review discusses state-of-the-art techniques relevant in complementing bioactive detection and profiling irrespective of the small number of amino acid units. Insights into challenges, possible remedies and prevailing areas requiring thorough research in the extant literature for food chemists and biotechnologists are also presented.
    Matched MeSH terms: Chromatography, Liquid/methods; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel/methods; Mass Spectrometry/methods; Electrophoresis, Capillary/methods
  15. Metabolomics and its role in understanding cellular responses in plants
    Bhalla R, Narasimhan K, Swarup S
    Plant Cell Rep, 2005 Dec;24(10):562-71.
    PMID: 16220342
    A natural shift is taking place in the approaches being adopted by plant scientists in response to the accessibility of systems-based technology platforms. Metabolomics is one such field, which involves a comprehensive non-biased analysis of metabolites in a given cell at a specific time. This review briefly introduces the emerging field and a range of analytical techniques that are most useful in metabolomics when combined with computational approaches in data analyses. Using cases from Arabidopsis and other selected plant systems, this review highlights how information can be integrated from metabolomics and other functional genomics platforms to obtain a global picture of plant cellular responses. We discuss how metabolomics is enabling large-scale and parallel interrogation of cell states under different stages of development and defined environmental conditions to uncover novel interactions among various pathways. Finally, we discuss selected applications of metabolomics.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biochemistry/methods; Molecular Biology/methods; Gene Expression Profiling/methods; Genomics/methods
  16. Fulltext Sensitivity and specificity of malaria rapid diagnostic test (mRDT CareStatTM) compared with microscopy amongst under five children attending a primary care clinic in southern Nigeria
    Ogunfowokan O, Ogunfowokan BA, Nwajei AI
    Afr J Prim Health Care Fam Med, 2020 Jun 17;12(1):e1-e8.
    PMID: 32634015 DOI: 10.4102/phcfm.v12i1.2212
    BACKGROUND: Malaria diagnosis using microscopy is currently the gold standard. However, malaria rapid diagnostic tests (mRDTs) were developed to simplify the diagnosis in regions without access to functional microscopy.

    AIM: The objective of this study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of mRDT CareStatTM with microscopy.

    SETTING: This study was conducted in the paediatric primary care clinic of the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba, Nigeria.

    METHODS: A cross-sectional study for diagnostic accuracy was conducted from May 2016 to October 2016. Ninety-eight participants were involved to obtain a precision of 5%, sensitivity of mRDT CareStatTM of 95% from published work and 95% level of confidence after adjusting for 20% non-response rate or missing data. Consecutive participants were tested using both microscopy and mRDT. The results were analysed using EPI Info Version 7.

    RESULTS: A total of 98 children aged 3-59 months were enrolled. Malaria prevalence was found to be 53% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 46% - 60%), whilst sensitivity and specificity were 29% (95% CI = 20% - 38%) and 89% (95% CI = 83% - 95%), respectively. The positive and negative predictive values were 75% (95% CI = 66.4% - 83.6%) and 53% (95% CI = 46% - 60%), respectively.

    CONCLUSION: Agreement between malaria parasitaemia using microscopy and mRDT positivity increased with increase in the parasite density. The mRDT might be negative when malaria parasite density using microscopy is low.

    Matched MeSH terms: Diagnostic Tests, Routine/methods*; Immunoassay/methods; Microscopy/methods; Parasite Load/methods*
  17. Fulltext Effectiveness of Health-Led Cognitive Behavioral-Based Group Therapy on Pain, Functional Disability and Psychological Outcomes among Knee Osteoarthritis Patients in Malaysia
    Foo CN, Arumugam M, Lekhraj R, Lye MS, Mohd-Sidik S, Jamil Osman Z
    Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2020 08 26;17(17).
    PMID: 32858791 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17176179
    BACKGROUND: Psychosocial interventions for patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee to reduce pain and improve physical and psychological functioning are still lacking in Malaysia.

    METHODS: A parallel-group unblinded randomized controlled trial involving 300 patients was conducted in two hospital orthopedics clinics in Malaysia. Patients were randomly assigned to receive cognitive behavioral-based group therapy (n = 150) or no further intervention (n = 150). The primary outcome was the change from baseline in knee pain as determined by the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) at 6 months. The data collected were analyzed by covariate-adjusted mixed design repeated measures analysis of variance. All analyses were performed under the terms of intention-to-treat.

    RESULTS: At 6 months, mean change from baseline in the KOOS knee pain score was 0.6 points (95% CI -1.73 to 2.94) in the control group and 8.9 points (95% CI 6.62 to 11.23) (denoting less knee pain intensity) in the intervention group (significant treatment effect p < 0.0001). Patients treated with such an approach also experienced significant improvement in functional ability when performing activities of daily living and had improved ability to cope with depression, anxiety and pain catastrophizing.

    CONCLUSION: The intervention module delivered by healthcare professionals had a sustained effect on knee OA pain and functionality over 6 months, thereby leading to an overall improvement in psychological well-being, thus benefitting most of the Malaysian knee OA patients.

    Matched MeSH terms: Pain Measurement/methods*; Psychotherapy, Group/methods*; Cognitive Therapy/methods*; Pain Management/methods*
  18. Fulltext Communal microaerophilic-aerobic biodegradation of Amaranth by novel NAR-2 bacterial consortium
    Chan GF, Rashid NA, Chua LS, Ab llah N, Nasiri R, Ikubar MR
    Bioresour Technol, 2012 Feb;105:48-59.
    PMID: 22182471 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2011.11.094
    A novel bacterial consortium, NAR-2 which consists of Citrobacter freundii A1, Enterococcus casseliflavus C1 and Enterobacter cloacae L17 was investigated for biodegradation of Amaranth azo dye under sequential microaerophilic-aerobic condition. The NAR-2 bacterial consortium with E. casseliflavus C1 as the dominant strain enhanced the decolorization process resulting in reduction of Amaranth in 30 min. Further aerobic biodegradation, which was dominated by C. freundii A1 and E. cloacae L17, allowed biotransformation of azo reduction intermediates and mineralization via metabolic pathways including benzoyl-CoA, protocatechuate, salicylate, gentisate, catechol and cinnamic acid. The presence of autoxidation products which could be metabolized to 2-oxopentenoate was elucidated. The biodegradation mechanism of Amaranth by NAR-2 bacterial consortium was predicted to follow the steps of azo reduction, deamination, desulfonation and aromatic ring cleavage. This is for the first time the comprehensive microaerophilic-aerobic biotransformation pathways of Amaranth dye intermediates by bacterial consortium are being proposed.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biotechnology/methods*; Chromatography, Liquid/methods; Industrial Microbiology/methods; Tandem Mass Spectrometry/methods
  19. Magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles for the extraction and clean-up of thiamethoxam and thiacloprid in light and dark honey
    Abdulhussein AQ, Jamil AKM, Bakar NKA
    Food Chem, 2021 Oct 15;359:129936.
    PMID: 33957328 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.129936
    In this work, new selective and sensitive dual-template molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles (MIPs) were synthesized and characterized. Sorbent MIPs were investigated for simultaneous extraction and clean-up of thiamethoxam and thiacloprid from light and dark honey samples. In this study, ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry triple-quadrupole (UHPLC-MS/MS) (QQQ) was used to detect and quantify the pesticides. The kinetic model with adsorption kinetics of sorbent was investigated. The optimal adsorption conditions were 80 mg of polymer MIPs, a 30-min extraction time, and a pH of 7. The detection limit (LOD) and the quantification limit (LOQ) varied from 0.045 to 0.070 µg kg-1 and from 0.07 to 0.10 µg kg-1, respectively. The intra-day and inter-day precision (RSD, %) ranged from 1.3 to 2.0% and from 8.2 to 12.0%, respectively. The recovery of thiamethoxam and thiacloprid ranged from 96.8 to 106.5% and 95.3 to 104.4%, respectively, in light and dark honey samples.
    Matched MeSH terms: Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods; Solid Phase Extraction/methods; Tandem Mass Spectrometry/methods; Molecular Imprinting/methods*
  20. Kratom and Pain Tolerance: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Study
    Vicknasingam B, Chooi WT, Rahim AA, Ramachandram D, Singh D, Ramanathan S, et al.
    Yale J Biol Med, 2020 06;93(2):229-238.
    PMID: 32607084
    Background: Kratom has a long history of traditional medicine use in Southeast Asia. Consumption of kratom products has also been reported in the US and other regions of the world. Pain relief is among many self-reported kratom effects but have not been evaluated in controlled human subject research. Methods: Kratom effects on pain tolerance were assessed in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study. During a 1-day inpatient stay, participants received a randomized sequence of kratom and placebo decoctions matched for taste and appearance. Pain tolerance was measured objectively in a cold pressor task (CPT) as time (seconds) between the pain onset and the hand withdrawal from the ice bath. Health status, vital signs, objective, and subjective indicators of withdrawal symptoms, self-reported data on lifetime kratom use patterns, and assessments of blinding procedures were also evaluated. Results: Twenty-six males with the mean (SD) age 24.3 (3.4) years were enrolled. They reported the mean (SD) 6.1 (3.2) years of daily kratom consumption. Pain tolerance increased significantly 1 hour after kratom ingestion from the mean (SD) 11.2 (6.7) seconds immediately before to 24.9 (39.4) seconds 1 hour after kratom consumption (F(2,53.7)=4.33, p=0.02). Pain tolerance was unchanged after consuming placebo drinks: 15.0 (19.0) seconds immediately before and 12.0 (8.1) seconds 1 hour after consumption of placebo (F(2,52.8)=0.93, p=0.40). No discomfort or signs of withdrawal were reported or observed during 10-20 hours of kratom discontinuation. Conclusions: Kratom decoction demonstrated a substantial and statistically significant increase in pain tolerance. Further rigorous research on kratom pain-relieving properties and a safety profile is needed.
    Matched MeSH terms: Medicine, East Asian Traditional/methods; Pain Measurement/methods; Drug Monitoring/methods; Pain Management/methods*
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