Mycobacterium abscessus is a rapidly growing mycobacterium that is often associated with human infections. The taxonomy of this species has undergone several revisions and is still being debated. In this study, we sequenced the genomes of 12 M. abscessus strains and used phylogenomic analysis to perform subspecies classification.
Nucleoside analogues such as acyclovir are effective antiviral drugs against herpes simplex virus infections since its introduction. However, with the emergence of acyclovir-resistant HSV strains particularly in immunocompromised patients, there is a need to develop an alternative antiherpetic drug and plants could be the potential lead. In this study, the antiviral activity of the aqueous extract of four Phyllanthus species were evaluated against herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1) and HSV-2 in Vero cells by quantitative PCR. The protein expressions of untreated and treated infected Vero cells were studied by 2D-gel electrophoresis and Western blot. This is the first study that reported the antiviral activity of P. watsonii. P. urinaria was shown to demonstrate the strongest antiviral activity against HSV-1 and HSV-2, with SI >33.6. Time-of-addition studies suggested that the extract may act against the early infection stage and the replication stage. Protein expression studies indicated that cellular proteins that are involved in maintaining cytoskeletal structure could be potential target for development of antiviral drugs. Preliminary findings indicated that P. urinaria demonstrated potent inhibitory activity against HSV. Hence, further studies such as in vivo evaluation are required for the development of effective antiherpetic drug.
Abdominal sacrocolpopexy is a well-established procedure for the reconstruction of apical support in pelvic organ prolapse. Its long-term efficacy is well known; however, it is also associated with higher perioperative morbidity when compared with the less invasive transvaginal approach. Long-term risk of bowel-related complication from abdominal sacrocolpopexy is rare, but can be significant as it is often serious and requires major surgical intervention. Here we highlight an unusual case of strangulated small bowel (in this instance complicated with sepsis secondary to peritonitis), 14 years after an abdominal sacrocolpopexy procedure. This example amplifies the need for proper preoperative counseling; also, life-long follow-up is necessary for patients undergoing this procedure.
Photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) into hydrocarbon fuels such as methane is an attractive strategy for simultaneously harvesting solar energy and capturing this major greenhouse gas. Incessant research interest has been devoted to preparing graphene-based semiconductor nanocomposites as photocatalysts for a variety of applications. In this work, reduced graphene oxide (rGO)-TiO2 hybrid nanocrystals were fabricated through a novel and simple solvothermal synthetic route. Anatase TiO2 particles with an average diameter of 12 nm were uniformly dispersed on the rGO sheet. Slow hydrolysis reaction was successfully attained through the use of ethylene glycol and acetic acid mixed solvents coupled with an additional cooling step. The prepared rGO-TiO2 nanocomposites exhibited superior photocatalytic activity (0.135 μmol gcat-1 h-1) in the reduction of CO2 over graphite oxide and pure anatase. The intimate contact between TiO2 and rGO was proposed to accelerate the transfer of photogenerated electrons on TiO2 to rGO, leading to an effective charge anti-recombination and thus enhancing the photocatalytic activity. Furthermore, our photocatalysts were found to be active even under the irradiation of low-power energy-saving light bulbs, which renders the entire process economically and practically feasible.
INTRODUCTION: None of the quantitative scales for public attitudes toward epilepsy had been translated to Malay language. This study aimed to translate and test the validity and reliability of a Malay version of the Public Attitudes Toward Epilepsy (PATE) scale.
METHOD: The translation was performed according to standard principles and tested in 140 Malay-speaking adults aged more than 18 years for psychometric validation.
RESULTS: The items in each domain had similar standard deviations (equal item variance), ranging from 0.90 to 1.00 in the personal domain and from 0.87 to 1.23 in the general domain. The correlation between an item and its domain was 0.4 and above for all items and was higher than the correlation with the other domain. Multitrait analysis showed that the Malay PATE had a similar variance, floor and ceiling effects, and relative relationship between the domains as the original PATE. The Malay PATE scale showed a similar correlation with almost all demographic variables except age. Item means were generally clustered in the factor analysis as the hypothesized domains, except those for items 1 and 2. The Cronbach's α values were within acceptable range (0.757 and 0.716 for the general and personal domains, respectively).
CONCLUSION: The Malay PATE scale is a validated and reliable translated version for measuring public attitudes toward epilepsy.
We aim to compare the patient profile and outcomes after TKA between the different racial groups in Singapore. Prospective data were collected from 364 patients who underwent TKA in Singapore General Hospital from January 2006 to May 2010. Patients were stratified according to ethnicity and we compared their preoperative demographic data, Short-Form 36 (SF-36), Oxford Knee (OKS) as well as Knee Society Scores (KSS). Malays were younger (62.0 ± 5.3) at time of surgery (p=0.05) and the body mass index of Chinese (27.9 ± 4.7) was lower than Malay (30.4 ± 5.0) and Indian (31.5 ± 4.5) patients (P<0.005). Malay (40.3 ± 11.0) and Indian (39.2 ± 9.3) patients had less favourable preoperative OKS than Chinese (35.9 ± 7.8) patients (P<0.05). All 3 ethnic groups achieved statistically significant improvements in outcome measures but did not differ significantly between the ethnicities.
Research in the field of child sexual abuse is lacking in Malaysia. The aims of this study are to identify the association between sociodemographic factors and depression among sexually abused females.
An easy, fast and validated RV-HPLC method was invented to quantify donepezil hydrochloride in drug solution and orally disintegrating tablet. The separation was carried out using reversed phase C-18 column (Agilent Eclipse Plus C-18) with UV detection at 268 nm. Method optimization was tested using various composition of organic solvent. The mobile phase comprised of phosphate buffer (0.01M), methanol and acetonitrile (50:30:20, v/v) adjusted to pH 2.7 with phosphoric acid (80%) was found as the optimum mobile phase. The method showed intraday precision and accuracy in the range of 0.24% to -1.83% and -1.83% to 1.99% respectively, while interday precision and accuracy ranged between 1.41% to 1.81% and 0.11% to 1.90% respectively. The standard calibration curve was linear from 0.125 μg/mL to 16 μg/mL, with correlation coefficient of 0.9997±0.00016. The drug solution was stable under room temperature at least for 6 hours. System suitability studies were done. The average plate count was > 2000, tailing factor <1, and capacity factor of 3.30. The retention time was 5.6 min. The HPLC method was used to assay donepezil hydrochloride in tablet and dissolution study of in-house manufactured donepezil orally disintegrating tablet and original Aricept.
The aim of the study was to analyze the influence of oven thermal processing of Cosmos caudatus on the total polyphenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant capacity (DPPH) of two different solvent extracts (80% methanol, and 80% ethanol). Sonication was used to extract bioactive compounds from this herb. The results showed that the optimised conditions for the oven drying method for 80% methanol and 80% ethanol were 44.5 °C for 4 h with an IC₅₀ of 0.045 mg/mL and 43.12 °C for 4.05 h with an IC₅₀ of 0.055 mg/mL, respectively. The predicted values for TPC under the optimised conditions for 80% methanol and 80% ethanol were 16.5 and 15.8 mg GAE/100 g DW, respectively. The results obtained from this study demonstrate that Cosmos caudatus can be used as a potential source of antioxidants for food and medicinal applications.
Oncologic outcomes following laparoscopic abdomino-perineal resection (APR) for distal rectal cancer are infrequently reported. This study aims to compare the long term outcomes between laparoscopic and open APR in distal rectal cancers.
This study compared the effectiveness of a Specially Designed Paste Carrier technique with the Syringe-Spreader technique and the Syringe-Lentulo spiral technique in the intracanal placement of calcium hydroxide.
The ultrasound-guided oblique subcostal transversus abdominis plane (OSTAP) block provides a wider area of sensory block to the anterior abdominal wall than the classical posterior approach. We compared the intra-operative analgesic efficacy of OSTAP block with conventional intravenous (IV) morphine during laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
The main objective of the current work was to evaluate the suitability of ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) for the recovery of oil from papaya seed as compared to conventional extraction techniques (i.e., Soxhlet extraction (SXE) and solvent extraction (SE)). In the present study, the recovery yield, fatty acid composition and triacylglycerol profile of papaya seed oil obtained from different extraction methods and conditions were compared. Results indicated that both solvent extraction (SE, 12 h/25 °C) and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) methods recovered relatively high yields (79.1% and 76.1% of total oil content, respectively). Analysis of fatty acid composition revealed that the predominant fatty acids in papaya seed oil were oleic (18:1, 70.5%-74.7%), palmitic (16:0, 14.9%-17.9%), stearic (18:0, 4.50%-5.25%), and linoleic acid (18:2, 3.63%-4.6%). Moreover, the most abundant triacylglycerols of papaya seed oil were triolein (OOO), palmitoyl diolein (POO) and stearoyl oleoyl linolein (SOL). In this study, ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) significantly (p < 0.05) influenced the triacylglycerol profile of papaya seed oil, but no significant differences were observed in the fatty acid composition of papaya seed oil extracted by different extraction methods (SXE, SE and UAE) and conditions.
Migraine is a neurovascular disease that has classically been attributed to multifactorial aetiologies, with genetic components and environmental interactions considered the main influence. Genes such as flavoenzyme 5, 10- methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), especially the C677T variant, have been associated with elevated plasma homocysteine levels. This elevation in homocysteine results in an array of metabolic disorders and increased risk of complex diseases, including migraine. Catalysation of homocysteine requires the presence of vitamins B6, B12 and folate. Deficiencies in these cofactor vitamins result in hypomethylation, which triggers migraine. Because migraine predominantly affects females, it is hypothesised that fluctuating oestrogen levels, which are governed by oestrogen receptor 1 polymorphisms, are important. Another important factor is homocysteine, the production of which is dependent upon MTHFR and B vitamins. Gene expression is modulated through epigenetic mechanisms, which involve methionine. Additionally, folate plays a major role in DNA synthesis. We propose that vitamin B intake, coupled with MTHFR and oestrogen receptor 1 polymorphisms, causes differential DNA methylation and gene expression that may contribute to the occurrence of migraine.
This study investigated the survival of encapsulated potential probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum which isolated from fermented cocoa beans. κ-Carrageenan was used to encapsulate the probiotic. Encapsulation techniques such as emulsification, freeze-drying or extrusion were adopted to encapsulate the probiotic. Freeze-drying and extrusion methods showed higher (p
This study explored responsibility attribution (RA) of HIV/AIDS infection (i.e., how an individual perceives the cause of their HIV/AIDS infection) and its relationship to coping styles among injection drug users (IDUs) with HIV/AIDS. In addition, this study investigated whether self-esteem, social support, and religiosity mediate the relationship between RA and coping styles of IDUs with HIV/AIDS. Participants were 201 adult IDUs with HIV/AIDS participating in the National Drug Rehabilitation Center in Malaysia. Five measures were used to assess the above constructs. Cluster analysis, analysis of variance, and mediation analyses were conducted. Results of this study indicated that IDUs with HIV/AIDS in Malaysia can be classified into four homogenous attribution groups: external, fatalistic, internal, and indeterminate. Mediator analyses revealed that combination of self-esteem, social support, and religiosity mediate the relationship between RA and coping behaviors. Clinicians working with IDUs with HIV/AIDS need to address the role of RA, self-esteem, religiosity, and social support as these psychosocial constructs are linked to coping with HIV/AIDS. Future researchers should investigate whether enhancing self-esteem, social support, and religiosity can promote active problem-solving coping and reduce the use of avoidance coping behaviors.
The association between pain intensity and its control by intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IV-PCA) with fentanyl after a laparotomy for cystectomy/salphingoophorectomy, myomectomy, or hysterectomy was investigated. IV fentanyl infusion was administered to patients (n = 94) at 3 μg/kg/h to provide intraoperative analgesia after induction of general anesthesia. Postoperative fentanyl requirements were quantified via IV-PCA, and the amounts of rescue fentanyl required both during and after surgery were recorded. Mean values for PCA use as well as the visual analog scores (VAS) for pain were documented for up to 24 hours. The association between postoperative fentanyl requirements and VAS were then analyzed by using Mann-Whitney or Kruskal-Wallis tests. Patients with lower midline incisions had greater degrees of pain (p < .05) during the first 16 hours after surgery but did not consume more fentanyl compared with patients with Pfannenstiel incisions. Subjects who underwent operations lasting >4 hours required more rescue fentanyl during surgery (p < .05). However, this group consumed less fentanyl during the first 4 hours after surgery (p < .05). The demand at the fourth 4-hour period was lower among subjects undergoing myomectomy compared with cystectomy/salphingoophorectomy or hysterectomy (p = .045). Only a poor correlation was observed between pain intensity and analgesic usage. Postoperative pain intensity is influenced by the type of surgical incision but not the type of gynecologic surgery nor the duration of surgery. The relationship between subjective pain ratings with analgesic consumption is weak. Prolonged intraoperative administration of continuous IV fentanyl infusion may reduce fentanyl requirements in the immediate postoperative period.