Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 29 in total

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  1. Kaur D, Bishop GD
    Int J Psychophysiol, 2013 Feb;87(2):130-40.
    PMID: 23206971 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2012.11.011
    Epidemiological studies have shown significant ethnic differences in coronary heart disease death rates with South Asians showing significantly greater coronary heart disease mortality than other groups.
  2. George D, Hassali MA, Hss AS
    JMIR Hum Factors, 2018 Dec 21;5(4):e12232.
    PMID: 30578216 DOI: 10.2196/12232
    BACKGROUND: Reporting of medication errors is one of the essential mechanisms to identify risky health care systems and practices that lead to medication errors. Unreported medication errors are a real issue; one of the identified causes is a burdensome medication error reporting system. An anonymous and user-friendly mobile app for reporting medication errors could be an alternative method of reporting medication error in busy health care settings.

    OBJECTIVE: The objective of this paper is to report usability testing of the Medication Error Reporting App (MERA), a mobile app for reporting medication errors anonymously.

    METHODS: Quantitative and qualitative methods were employed involving 45 different testers (pharmacists, doctors, and nurses) from a large tertiary hospital in Malaysia. Quantitative data was retrieved using task performance and rating of MERA and qualitative data were retrieved through focus group discussions. Three sessions, with 15 testers each session, were conducted from January to March 2018.

    RESULTS: The majority of testers were pharmacists (23/45, 51%), female (35/45, 78%), and the mean age was 36 (SD 9) years. A total of 135 complete reports were successfully submitted by the testers (three reports per tester) and 79.2% (107/135) of the reports were correct. There was significant improvement in mean System Usability Scale scores in each session of the development process (P

  3. George D, Hss AS, Hassali A
    Cureus, 2018 Jun 05;10(6):e2746.
    PMID: 30087822 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.2746
    Background and objectives In Malaysia, the national voluntary non-punitive Medication Error Reporting System (MER-S) has been available since 2009, with compiled reports indicating the underreporting of various medication errors (ME). This survey intends to determine the ME reporting practice among healthcare professionals and the acceptance of ME reporting by utilising smartphone application if it is available. Design A cross-sectional survey was conducted for two months in 2017 among doctors and pharmacists in publicly funded healthcare facilities in Perak, Malaysia. The survey was distributed through various professional WhatsApp chat groups, and reminders were sent twice to the respondents. Results A total of 334 doctors and pharmacists responded to the survey; the majority were pharmacists (61.7%) with a median age (in years) of 32 (interquartile range (IQR) 29-36) and work experience (in years) of 7.5 years (IQR 5-11). The rate of respondents being aware of the MER-S and having encountered ME at the workplace was high, at 73.4% and 96.1%, respectively. However, only 44.8% reported using the system. The reason hindering them from reporting ME was primarily being in a busy and hectic work environment. Pharmacists were more likely to report ME compared to doctors (adjusted odds ratio (adj OR) 10.51; 95% Confidence interval (CI): 5.34, 20.6), especially pharmacists who had frequent encounters with ME at work (adj OR 2.84; 95% CI: 1.70, 4.81) and who perceived that ME can be handled well (adj OR 3.52; 95% CI: 1.93, 6.44). They were more likely to report ME. A majority (90.7%) had downloaded one or more digital medical applications to aid their work. The speed of Internet connectivity at the workplace was rated as "fast" or "good" among 136 (40.7%) respondents but among 130 (38.9%), it was "average." The percentage of doctors and pharmacists that would report ME by utilising a smartphone application was 86.5% if one is available, and they preferred an application with a user-friendly interface, anonymity, and limited data-entry requirements. Conclusion Doctors and pharmacists were aware of MER-S and willing to report when they encountered ME. However, less than half of the respondents had used the system. With the primary concern of ME underreporting in a busy and hectic work environment, an alternative smartphone ME reporting application can be developed to complement the current MER-S considering that the respondents had positive responses to this method.
  4. Enkelmann HC, Bishop GD, Tong EM, Diong SM, Why YP, Khader M, et al.
    Int J Psychophysiol, 2005 May;56(2):185-97.
    PMID: 15804452
    This study tested the hypotheses that ambulatory heart rate and blood pressure would be higher for individuals high but not low in hostility when they experienced negative affect or social stress and that this interaction would be stronger for Indians compared with other Singapore ethnic groups. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring was done on 108 male Singapore patrol officers as they went about their daily duties. After each BP measurement participants completed a computerized questionnaire including items on emotional experience. Individuals high in hostility showed higher systolic blood pressure when reporting negative affect whereas this was not true for those low in hostility. Ethnic differences were obtained such that Indians showed an increase in mean arterial pressure when angered whereas MAP was negatively related to anger for Malays and unrelated for Chinese. Also a three-way interaction between ethnicity, hostility, and social stress indicated that hostility and social stress interacted in their effects on DBP for Indian participants but not for Chinese or Malays. Finally, a three-way interaction was obtained between ethnicity, hostility and negative affect for heart rate in which heart rate increased with increasing levels of negative affect for Chinese high in hostility and Malays low in hostility but decreased with increasing negative affect for all other participants. These data are consistent with higher CHD rates among individuals high in hostility and also provide additional evidence on ethnic differences in cardiovascular reactivity in Singapore.
  5. Bathrellos GD, Skilodimou HD, Chousianitis K, Youssef AM, Pradhan B
    Sci Total Environ, 2017 Jan 01;575:119-134.
    PMID: 27736696 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.10.025
    Preparation of natural hazards maps are vital and essential for urban development. The main scope of this study is to synthesize natural hazard maps in a single multi-hazard map and thus to identify suitable areas for the urban development. The study area is the drainage basin of Xerias stream (Northeastern Peloponnesus, Greece) that has frequently suffered damages from landslides, floods and earthquakes. Landslide, flood and seismic hazard assessment maps were separately generated and further combined by applying the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and utilizing a Geographical Information System (GIS) to produce a multi-hazard map. This map represents the potential suitability map for urban development in the study area and was evaluated by means of uncertainty analysis. The outcome revealed that the most suitable areas are distributed in the southern part of the study area, where the landslide, flood and seismic hazards are at low and very low level. The uncertainty analysis shows small differences on the spatial distribution of the suitability zones. The produced suitability map for urban development proves a satisfactory agreement between the suitability zones and the landslide and flood phenomena that have affected the study area. Finally, 40% of the existing urban pattern boundaries and 60% of the current road network are located within the limits of low and very low suitability zones.
  6. George D, Wong CA, Thanimalai S, Tan HS
    Hosp Pharm, 2022 Oct;57(5):633-638.
    PMID: 36081534 DOI: 10.1177/00185787211070182
    Introduction: Oral anticoagulant is essential for the treatment and prevention of thromboembolism. Warfarin is an effective oral anticoagulant in prevention and treatment of thromboembolism. However, warfarin is frequently associated with adverse event (AE) requiring hospitalization. Method: We performed a retrospective cohort study of all patients admitted to a large tertiary public hospital for warfarin-related AEs. Patients were grouped based on bleeding severity and the direct medical cost was also calculated. Results: During the 4 years study period, a total of 224 patients were admitted for warfarin-related AEs. Mean age of patients admitted was 65.1 years (standard deviation [SD] = 11.5). More than half, 59.6%, of them were on warfarin for prevention of stroke in atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter. Major bleeding occurred among 50.9% of the patients with gastrointestinal bleed, 34 (29.8%), as the common site of bleed. Patients with major bleed had longer median hospital stay of 4 days (interquartile range [IQR] = 5) compared to 3 (IQR = 3) days in non-major bleed. There were 17 (14.9%) death among the major bleeders. Mean medical cost for managing warfarin-related AEs was USD 708.08. Conclusion: The admitted patients were equally distributed in terms of bleeding severity. Medical cost incurred for managing warfarin-related AEs increased with the severity of bleeding.
  7. George D, Supramaniam ND, Hamid SQA, Hassali MA, Lim WY, Hss AS
    Pharm Pract (Granada), 2019 08 21;17(3):1501.
    PMID: 31592290 DOI: 10.18549/PharmPract.2019.3.1501
    Background: Patients requiring medications during discharge are at risk of discharge medication errors that potentially cause readmission due to medication-related events.

    Objective: The objective of this study was to develop interventions to reduce percentage of patients with one or more medication errors during discharge.

    Methods: A pharmacist-led quality improvement (QI) program over 6 months was conducted in medical wards at a tertiary public hospital. Percentage of patients discharge with one or more medication errors was reviewed in the pre-intervention and four main improvements were developed: increase the ratio of pharmacist to patient, prioritize discharge prescription order within office hours, complete discharge medication reconciliation by ward pharmacist, set up a Centralized Discharge Medication Pre-packing Unit. Percentage of patients with one or more medication errors in both pre- and post-intervention phase were monitored using process control chart.

    Results: With the implementation of the QI program, the percentage of patients with one or more medication errors during discharge that were corrected by pharmacists significantly increased from 77.6% to 95.9% (p<0.001). Percentage of patients with one or more clinically significant error was similar in both pre and post-QI with an average of 24.8%.

    Conclusions: Increasing ratio of pharmacist to patient to complete discharge medication reconciliation during discharge significantly recorded a reduction in the percentage of patients with one or more medication errors.

  8. Chew CC, Lim XJ, Letchumanan P, George D, Rajan P, Chong CP
    Trials, 2024 Apr 25;25(1):279.
    PMID: 38664701 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-024-08111-y
    BACKGROUND: Allergic rhinitis is a chronic respiratory disorder that significantly impacts patients' quality of life (QoL) and work performance. Pharmacists are recognized as suitable professionals to provide patient education and pharmaceutical care for managing allergic rhinitis patients. However, local clinical practice guidelines, particularly regarding pharmaceutical care in public healthcare institutions, are lacking. This study protocol outlines a randomized controlled trial (RCT) designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a pharmacist-led educational model (AR-PRISE Model) in managing allergic rhinitis in adult patients compared to standard pharmaceutical care. The AR-PRISE model delivers patient educational material and a pharmaceutical care algorithm.

    METHOD: This is a 6-month, single-center, prospective, randomized, two-arm, and parallel-group controlled trial. The trial recruits patients attending the otorhinolaryngology clinics of a tertiary referral hospital. Participants are randomized into control or intervention groups in a 1:1 ratio using permuted block randomization. The total number of participants estimated is 154, with each group requiring 77 participants. The control group receives standard pharmaceutical care, while the intervention group receives pharmacist-led education according to the AR-PRISE model. Both groups are assessed for middle turbinate endoscopy findings, disease severity, knowledge level, symptom control, medication adherence, and QoL at baseline and the end-of-study follow-up (day 180 ± 7). Depending on feasibility, intermediate follow-ups are conducted on days 60 ± 7 and 120 ± 7, either virtually or face-to-face. During intermediate follow-ups, participants are assessed for symptom control, medication adherence, and QoL. The intention-to-treat analysis includes all participants assigned to each group. An independent T-test compares the mean difference in knowledge level between the two groups. A two-way repeated measures ANOVA analysis is employed to determine between-group differences for scores of symptom control, adherence rate, and QoL. A P-value 

  9. Smith DG, Ng J, George D, Trask JS, Houghton P, Singh B, et al.
    Am J Phys Anthropol, 2014 Sep;155(1):136-48.
    PMID: 24979664 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22564
    Two subspecies of cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis) are alleged to co-exist in the Philippines, M. f. philippensis in the north and M. f. fascicularis in the south. However, genetic differences between the cynomolgus macaques in the two regions have never been studied to document the propriety of their subspecies status. We genotyped samples of cynomolgus macaques from Batangas in southwestern Luzon and Zamboanga in southwestern Mindanao for 15 short tandem repeat (STR) loci and sequenced an 835 bp fragment of the mtDNA of these animals. The STR genotypes were compared with those of cynomolgus macaques from southern Sumatra, Singapore, Mauritius and Cambodia, and the mtDNA sequences of both Philippine populations were compared with those of cynomolgus macaques from southern Sumatra, Indonesia and Sarawak, Malaysia. We conducted STRUCTURE and PCA analyses based on the STRs and constructed a median joining network based on the mtDNA sequences. The Philippine population from Batangas exhibited much less genetic diversity and greater genetic divergence from all other populations, including the Philippine population from Zamboanga. Sequences from both Batangas and Zamboanga were most closely related to two different mtDNA haplotypes from Sarawak from which they are apparently derived. Those from Zamboanga were more recently derived than those from Batangas, consistent with their later arrival in the Philippines. However, clustering analyses do not support a sufficient genetic distinction of cynomolgus macaques from Batangas from other regional populations assigned to subspecies M. f. fascicularis to warrant the subspecies distinction M. f. philippensis.
  10. Koh HP, Jagan N, George D, Mazlan-Kepli W, Mohamed S, Lim HT, et al.
    J Thromb Thrombolysis, 2021 Oct;52(3):836-847.
    PMID: 33748900 DOI: 10.1007/s11239-021-02426-2
    There is a wide variation on the efficacy of three-factor Prothrombin Complex Concentrate (3F-PCC) in warfarin reversal. We aimed to determine the efficacy and safety of 3F-PCC in warfarin reversal. This multicentre prospective study analysed data from adult patients on warfarin who received 3F-PCC (Prothrombinex-VF®) for anticoagulation reversal between June 2019 to October 2020. Purposive sampling was used in this study. Study endpoints included target INR achievement, adverse drug reactions (ADRs), and in-hospital all-cause mortality. Logistic regression analyses were used to assess independent predictors of study endpoints. One-hundred thirty-seven patients with a median age of 68 (59-76) years were recruited, who were predominantly male (59.9%, n = 82). A total of 102 patients required 3F-PCC for life-threatening (40.9%, n = 56) and clinically significant bleeding (33.6%, n = 46). Initial INRs ranged from 1.55 to undetectable high (> 26). All patients had INR reduction, of which 62% (n = 85) achieved target INR, whereas 12.4% (n = 17) achieved INR below the target range. Median INR was reduced from 4.76 (3.14-8.32) to 1.54 (1.27-1.88) post-3F-PCC (p 
  11. Chew CC, Chang CT, Lim XJ, Yong WY, George D, Letchumanan P, et al.
    J Pharm Policy Pract, 2022 Nov 08;15(1):80.
    PMID: 36348443 DOI: 10.1186/s40545-022-00477-1
    Allergic rhinitis has been identified as a major respiratory disease that places a significant burden on patients and the healthcare system. Nevertheless, the management of allergic rhinitis is challenging for both patients and practitioners. Pharmacists have been recognised as strategic in providing advice for allergic avoidance, disease information, and pharmacological care for allergic rhinitis management. This role has been underutilised in the public health service sector in Malaysia due to variation in practice, regulation, and health system structures when compared to the international guidelines. This article proposed a PhaRmacISt-led Education Model (AR-PRISE) that includes explicit patient education materials and an algorithm for structured counselling by pharmacists in the management of patients with allergic rhinitis.
  12. Chandrasekhar J, Zeebregts D, Kalkman DN, Sartori S, Roumeliotis A, Aquino MB, et al.
    Cardiovasc Revasc Med, 2020 12;21(12):1542-1547.
    PMID: 32507695 DOI: 10.1016/j.carrev.2020.05.002
    BACKGROUND: Small vessel diameter is associated with higher risk of target lesion revascularization (TLR) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The COMBO sirolimus-eluting biodegradable-polymer stent has a proprietary anti-CD34 antibody layer to enhance homogeneous endothelialization, which may be advantageous in treating small vessels.

    OBJECTIVE: We examined for differences in 1-year clinical outcomes after PCI by maximum implanted stent diameter from the COMBO collaboration.

    METHODS: The COMBO collaboration (n = 3614) is a patient-level pooled dataset of patients undergoing PCI with COMBO stents in the MASCOT and REMEDEE multicenter registries. Stent diameter was available in 3590 (99.3%) patients. We compared patients receiving COMBO stents <3 mm versus ≥3 mm. The primary endpoint was 1-year target lesion failure (TLF), composite of cardiac death, target vessel-myocardial infarction (TV-MI) or clinically driven TLR. Secondary outcomes included stent thrombosis (ST). Adjusted outcomes were assessed using Cox regression methods.

    RESULTS: The study included 792 (22%) patients with small stents <3 mm and 2798 (78%) patients with large stents ≥3 mm. Small stent patients included more women with lower body mass index and higher prevalence of diabetes but similar prevalence of acute coronary syndrome. Risk of 1-year TLF was similar in small and large stent groups (4.4% vs. 3.8%, HR 1.12, 95% CI 0.74-1.72, p = 0.58). There were no differences in the rates of cardiac death (1.7% vs. 1.5%, p = 0.74), TV-MI (1.4% vs. 1.2%, p = 0.58) or TLR (2.7% vs. 2.1%, p = 0.31). Definite or probable ST occurred in 1.3% of the small stent and 0.7% of the large stent PCI patients, p = 0.14, HR 2.13, 95% CI 0.93-5.00, p = 0.07.

    CONCLUSIONS: One-year ischemic outcomes after COMBO PCI were similar irrespective of stent diameter in this all-comers international cohort.

  13. Chandrasekhar J, Kalkman DN, Aquino MB, Sartori S, Hájek P, Atzev B, et al.
    Int J Cardiol, 2020 05 15;307:17-23.
    PMID: 32111358 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2020.01.045
    BACKGROUND: The COMBO drug-eluting stent combines sirolimus-elution from a biodegradable polymer with an anti-CD34+ antibody coating for early endothelialization.

    OBJECTIVE: We investigated for geographical differences in outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with the COMBO stent among Asians and Europeans.

    METHODS: The COMBO Collaboration is a pooled patient-level analysis of the MASCOT and REMEDEE registries of all-comers undergoing attempted COMBO stent PCI. The primary outcome was 1-year target lesion failure (TLF), composite of cardiac death, target vessel myocardial infarction (TV-MI) and target lesion revascularization (TLR).

    RESULTS: This study included 604 Asians (17.9%) and 2775 Europeans (82.1%). Asians were younger and included fewer females, with a higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus but lower prevalence of other comorbidities than Europeans. Asians had a higher prevalence of ACC/AHA C type lesions and received longer stent lengths. More Asians than Europeans were discharged on clopidogrel (86.5% vs 62.8%) rather than potent P2Y12 inhibitors. One-year TLF occurred in 4.0% Asians and 4.1% of Europeans, p = 0.93. The incidence of cardiac death was higher in Asians (2.8% vs. 1.3%, p = 0.007) with similar rates of TV-MI (1.5% vs. 1.2%, p = 0.54) and definite stent thrombosis (0.3% vs. 0.5%, p = 0.84) and lower incidence of TLR than Europeans (1.0% vs. 2.5%, p = 0.025). After adjustment, differences for cardiac death and TLR were no longer significant.

    CONCLUSIONS: In the COMBO collaboration, although 1-year TLF was similar regardless of geography, Asians experienced higher rates of cardiac death and lower TLR than Europeans, while incidence of TV-MI and ST was similar in both regions. Adjusted differences did not reach statistical significance. CLINICALTRIAL.

    GOV IDENTIFIER-NUMBERS: NCT01874002 (REMEDEE Registry), NCT02183454 (MASCOT registry).

  14. Xu H, Detto M, Fang S, Chazdon RL, Li Y, Hau BCH, et al.
    Commun Biol, 2020 06 19;3(1):317.
    PMID: 32561898 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-1041-y
    Legumes provide an essential service to ecosystems by capturing nitrogen from the atmosphere and delivering it to the soil, where it may then be available to other plants. However, this facilitation by legumes has not been widely studied in global tropical forests. Demographic data from 11 large forest plots (16-60 ha) ranging from 5.25° S to 29.25° N latitude show that within forests, leguminous trees have a larger effect on neighbor diversity than non-legumes. Where soil nitrogen is high, most legume species have higher neighbor diversity than non-legumes. Where soil nitrogen is low, most legumes have lower neighbor diversity than non-legumes. No facilitation effect on neighbor basal area was observed in either high or low soil N conditions. The legume-soil nitrogen positive feedback that promotes tree diversity has both theoretical implications for understanding species coexistence in diverse forests, and practical implications for the utilization of legumes in forest restoration.
  15. Chandrasekhar J, de Winter VC, Kalkman DN, Sartori S, Chandiramani R, Aquino MB, et al.
    Cardiovasc Drugs Ther, 2021 04;35(2):309-320.
    PMID: 33515411 DOI: 10.1007/s10557-020-07087-6
    PURPOSE: The COMBO biodegradable polymer sirolimus-eluting stent includes endothelial progenitor cell capture (EPC) technology for rapid endothelialization, which may offer advantage in acute coronary syndromes (ACS). We sought to analyze the performance of the COMBO stent by ACS status and ACS subtype.

    METHODS: The COMBO collaboration (n = 3614) is a patient-level pooled dataset from the MASCOT and REMEDEE registries. We evaluated outcomes by ACS status, and ACS subtype in patients with ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) or non-STEMI (NSTEMI) versus unstable angina (UA). The primary endpoint was 1-year target lesion failure (TLF), composite of cardiac death, target vessel myocardial infarction, or clinically driven target lesion revascularization. Secondary outcomes included stent thrombosis (ST).

    RESULTS: We compared 1965 (54%) ACS and 1649 (46.0%) non-ACS patients. ACS presentations included 40% (n = 789) STEMI, 31% (n = 600) NSTEMI, and 29% (n = 576) UA patients. Risk of 1-year TLF was greater in ACS patients (4.5% vs. 3.3%, HR 1.51 95% CI 1.01-2.25, p = 0.045) without significant differences in definite/probable ST (1.1% vs 0.5%, HR 2.40, 95% CI 0.91-6.31, p = 0.08). One-year TLF was similar in STEMI, NSTEMI, and UA (4.8% vs 4.8% vs. 3.7%, p = 0.60), but definite/probable ST was higher in STEMI patients (1.9% vs 0.5% vs 0.7%, p = 0.03). Adjusted outcomes were not different in MI versus UA patients.

    CONCLUSIONS: Despite the novel EPC capture technology, COMBO stent PCI was associated with somewhat greater risk of 1-year TLF in ACS than in non-ACS patients, without significant differences in stent thrombosis. No differences were observed in 1-year TLF among ACS subtypes.

  16. Chandrasekhar J, Kerkmeijer LS, Kalkman DN, Sartori S, Aquino MB, Woudstra P, et al.
    Catheter Cardiovasc Interv, 2021 04 01;97(5):797-804.
    PMID: 32198837 DOI: 10.1002/ccd.28853
    BACKGROUND: The COMBO drug eluting stent is a novel device with luminal endothelial progenitor cell capture technology for rapid homogeneous endothelialization.

    METHODS AND RESULTS: We examined for sex differences in 1-year outcomes after COMBO stenting from the COMBO collaboration, a pooled patient-level dataset from the MASCOT and REMEDEE multicenter registries. The primary endpoint was 1-year target lesion failure (TLF), composite of cardiac death, target vessel-myocardial infarction (TV-MI), or clinically driven target lesion revascularization (CD-TLR). Secondary outcomes included stent thrombosis (ST). Adjusted outcomes were assessed using Cox regression methods. The study included 861 (23.8%) women and 2,753 (76.2%) men. Women were older with higher prevalence of several comorbidities including diabetes mellitus. Risk of 1-year TLF was similar in both sexes (3.8% vs. 3.9%, HR 0.92, 95% CI 0.59-1.42, p = .70), without sex differences in the incidence of cardiac death (1.6% vs. 1.5%, p = .78), TV-MI (1.5% vs. 1.1%, p = .32), or CD-TLR (2.0% vs. 2.2%, p = .67). Definite or probable ST occurred in 0.4% women and 1.0% men (HR 0.26, 95% CI 0.06-1.11, p = .069).

    CONCLUSIONS: Despite greater clinical risks at baseline, women treated with COMBO stents had similarly low 1-year TLF and other ischemic outcomes compared to men.

  17. Sreekar R, Katabuchi M, Nakamura A, Corlett RT, Slik JWF, Fletcher C, et al.
    R Soc Open Sci, 2018 Sep;5(9):181168.
    PMID: 30839691 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.181168
    The relationship between β-diversity and latitude still remains to be a core question in ecology because of the lack of consensus between studies. One hypothesis for the lack of consensus between studies is that spatial scale changes the relationship between latitude and β-diversity. Here, we test this hypothesis using tree data from 15 large-scale forest plots (greater than or equal to 15 ha, diameter at breast height ≥ 1 cm) across a latitudinal gradient (3-30o) in the Asia-Pacific region. We found that the observed β-diversity decreased with increasing latitude when sampling local tree communities at small spatial scale (grain size ≤0.1 ha), but the observed β-diversity did not change with latitude when sampling at large spatial scales (greater than or equal to 0.25 ha). Differences in latitudinal β-diversity gradients across spatial scales were caused by pooled species richness (γ-diversity), which influenced observed β-diversity values at small spatial scales, but not at large spatial scales. Therefore, spatial scale changes the relationship between β-diversity, γ-diversity and latitude, and improving sample representativeness avoids the γ-dependence of β-diversity.
  18. Chandrasekhar J, Sartori S, Aquino MB, Baber U, Hájek P, Atzev B, et al.
    Am J Cardiol, 2020 07 15;127:1-8.
    PMID: 32418717 DOI: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2020.04.014
    Older patients who undergo coronary interventions are at greater risk of ischemic events and less likely to tolerate prolonged dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) due to bleeding risk. The COMBO biodegradable polymer sirolimus-eluting stent promotes rapid endothelialization through endothelial progenitor cell capture technology which may be advantageous in elderly patients. We compared 1-year clinical outcomes and DAPT cessation events in patients >75 versus ≤75 years from the MASCOT registry. MASCOT was a prospective, multicenter cohort study of all-comers undergoing attempted COMBO stenting. The primary endpoint was 1-year target lesion failure (TLF), composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction (MI) not clearly attributed to a nontarget vessel or clinically driven target lesion revascularization. Bleeding was adjudicated using the Bleeding Academic Research Consortium criteria. Adjusted outcomes were analyzed using Cox regression methods. The study included 18% (n = 479) patients >75 years and 72% (n = 2,135) patients ≤75 years. One-year TLF occurred in 4.6% patients >75 years versus 3.1% patients ≤75years of age, p = 0.10; adj hazard ratio 1.36, 95% confidence intervals 0.77 to 2.38, p = 0.29. There were no significant differences in cardiac death (1.7% vs 1.3%, p = 0.55), MI (2.1% vs 1.2%, p = 0.14), target lesion revascularization (1.7% vs 1.4%, p = 0.60) and definite stent thrombosis (0.8% vs 0.4%, p = 0.19). Major Bleeding Academic Research Consortium 3,5 bleeding (3.1% vs 1.5%, p = 0.01) and DAPT cessation rates (32.4% vs 23.0%, p <0.001) were significantly higher in elderly patients. In conclusion, elderly patients >75 years treated with COMBO stents had similar TLF but significantly greater incidence of bleeding than younger patients and DAPT cessation in one-third of patients over 1 year.
  19. Chandrasekhar J, Baber U, Sartori S, Aquino MB, Hájek P, Atzev B, et al.
    Int J Cardiol Heart Vasc, 2020 Dec;31:100605.
    PMID: 32953969 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijcha.2020.100605
    Background: The COMBO stent is a biodegradable-polymer sirolimus-eluting stent with endothelial progenitor cell capture technology for faster endothelialization.

    Objective: We analyzed COMBO stent outcomes in relation to bleeding risk using the PARIS bleeding score.

    Methods: MASCOT was an international registry of all-comers undergoing attempted COMBO stent implantation. We stratified patients as low bleeding-risk (LBR) for PARIS score ≤ 3 and intermediate-to-high (IHBR) for score > 3 based on baseline age, body mass index, anemia, current smoking, chronic kidney disease and need for triple therapy. Primary endpoint was 1-year target lesion failure (TLF), composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction (MI) not clearly attributed to a non-target vessel or clinically-driven target lesion revascularization (TLR). Bleeding was adjudicated using the Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) definition. Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) cessation was independently adjudicated.

    Results: The study included 56% (n = 1270) LBR and 44% (n = 1009) IHBR patients. Incidence of 1-year TLF was higher in IHBR patients (4.1% vs. 2.6%, p = 0.047) driven by cardiac death (1.7% vs. 0.7%, p = 0.029) with similar rates of MI (1.8% vs. 1.1%, p = 0.17), TLR (1.5% vs. 1.6%, p = 0.89) and definite/ probable stent thrombosis (1.2% vs. 0.6%, p = 0.16). Incidence of 1-year major BARC 3 or 5 bleeding was significantly higher in IHBR patients (2.3% vs. 0.9%, p = 0.0094), as was the incidence of DAPT cessation (29.3% vs. 22.8%, p 

  20. Gardner EM, Bruun-Lund S, Niissalo M, Chantarasuwan B, Clement WL, Geri C, et al.
    Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 2023 Jul 11;120(28):e2222035120.
    PMID: 37399402 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2222035120
    Studies investigating the evolution of flowering plants have long focused on isolating mechanisms such as pollinator specificity. Some recent studies have proposed a role for introgressive hybridization between species, recognizing that isolating processes such as pollinator specialization may not be complete barriers to hybridization. Occasional hybridization may therefore lead to distinct yet reproductively connected lineages. We investigate the balance between introgression and reproductive isolation in a diverse clade using a densely sampled phylogenomic study of fig trees (Ficus, Moraceae). Codiversification with specialized pollinating wasps (Agaonidae) is recognized as a major engine of fig diversity, leading to about 850 species. Nevertheless, some studies have focused on the importance of hybridization in Ficus, highlighting the consequences of pollinator sharing. Here, we employ dense taxon sampling (520 species) throughout Moraceae and 1,751 loci to investigate phylogenetic relationships and the prevalence of introgression among species throughout the history of Ficus. We present a well-resolved phylogenomic backbone for Ficus, providing a solid foundation for an updated classification. Our results paint a picture of phylogenetically stable evolution within lineages punctuated by occasional local introgression events likely mediated by local pollinator sharing, illustrated by clear cases of cytoplasmic introgression that have been nearly drowned out of the nuclear genome through subsequent lineage fidelity. The phylogenetic history of figs thus highlights that while hybridization is an important process in plant evolution, the mere ability of species to hybridize locally does not necessarily translate into ongoing introgression between distant lineages, particularly in the presence of obligate plant-pollinator relationships.
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