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  1. Volynkin AV, Ivanova MS
    Zootaxa, 2021 Mar 03;4938(5):zootaxa.4938.5.7.
    PMID: 33756963 DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4938.5.7
    Cyana Walker, 1854 is one of the most species-rich Erebiidae genera within the tribe Lithosiini Billberg of the subfamily Arctiinae Leach. The genus is widespread from Sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar through southern and eastern Asia to New Guinea and Australia with a diversity hot spot in South East Asia. A striking species with contrasting red and orange wing pattern, C. bellissima (Moore, 1878) was described from northern India and recorded from the Himalayas, China and Indochina (Fang 2000; Černý Pinratana 2009; Singh et al. 2020). Another closely related species, C. stresemanni (Rothschild, 1936) (= bellissima inouei Kishida, 1993) is distributed in the Peninsular Malaysia (Rothschild 1936; Kishida 1993; Bucsek 2012). During examination of extensive unsorted Lithosiini materials housed in the MWM/ZSM and the private collection of the senior author, a series of peculiar specimens from southern Vietnam provisionally identified as 'C. bellissima' was found. These specimens, however, display certain external differences from other populations of C. bellissima and C. stresemanni, suggesting the presence of a further taxon related to C. bellissima. The examination of the male and the female genitalia of the southern Vietnamese specimens has confirmed their specific distinctness and they are described in this paper as a new species.
  2. Volynkin AV, ČernÝ K, Ivanova MS
    Zootaxa, 2018 Oct 08;4497(1):82-98.
    PMID: 30313666 DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4497.1.5
    The Cyana bianca (Walker, 1856) species-group is revised. Cyana bianca malayana Bucsek, 2012 is upgraded to the species level. A new species, C. indosinica Volynkin Černý, sp. nov. (China: Yunnan, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam) and a new subspecies, C. quadripartita vieta Volynkin Černý, ssp. nov. (Vietnam) are described.
  3. Win NN, Jorgensen AM, Chen YS, Haneline MT
    J Chiropr Med, 2015 Mar;14(1):1-9.
    PMID: 26693212 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcm.2014.12.005
    OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to examine autonomic nervous system responses by using heart rate variability analysis (HRV), hemodynamic parameters and numeric pain scale (NPS) when either upper (C1 and C2) or lower (C6 and C7) cervical segments were manipulated in volunteers, and whether such response would be altered in acute mechanical neck pain patients after spinal manipulative therapy (SMT).
    METHODS: A randomized controlled, cross-over, preliminary study was conducted on 10 asymptomatic normotensive volunteers and 10 normotensive patients complaining of acute neck pain. HRV, blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR), and NPS were recorded after upper cervical and lower cervical segments SMT in volunteer and patient groups.
    RESULTS: The standard deviation of average normal to normal R-R intervals (SDNN) increased (83.54 ± 22 vs. 105.41 ± 20; P = .02) after upper cervical SMT. The normalized unit of high frequency (nuHF), which shows parasympathetic activity, was predominant (40.18 ± 9 vs. 46.08 ± 14) after upper cervical SMT (P = .03) with a significant decrease (109 ± 10 vs. 98 ± 5) in systolic BP (P = .002). Low frequency to high frequency (LF/HF) ratio, which shows predominance of sympathetic activity increased (1.05 ± 0.7 vs. 1.51 ± 0.5; P = .02) after lower cervical SMT in the healthy volunteers group. However, there was an increase in SDNN (70.48 ± 18 vs. 90.23 ± 20; P = .02 and 75.19 ± 16 vs 97.52 ± 22; P = .01), a decrease in LF/HF ratio (1.33 ± 0.3 vs. 0.81 ± 0.2; P = .001 and 1.22 ± 0.4 vs. 0.86 ± 0.3; P = .02), which was associated with decreased systolic BP (105 ± 10 vs. 95 ± 9; P = .01 and 102 ± 9 vs. 91 ± 10; P = .02) and NPS scores (3 ± 1 vs. 0; P = .01 and 3 ± 1 vs. 1 ± 1; P = .03) following both upper and lower cervical SMT in the patient's group. The baseline HR was 67 ± 9 vs 64 ± 5 (upper cervical) and 65 ± 7 vs 69 ± 11 (lower cervical) in both the healthy volunteer' and patient' groups.
    CONCLUSION: Upper cervical SMT enhances dominance of parasympathetic and lower cervical SMT enhances dominance of sympathetic activity in this young volunteer group. However, dominance of parasympathetic activity was found in patients with neck pain that received both upper and lower cervical SMT.
    KEYWORDS: Blood pressure; Heart rate; Manipulation; Spinal
  4. Maria SW, Sapuan J, Abdullah S
    Malays Orthop J, 2015 Jul;9(2):54-56.
    PMID: 28435612 MyJurnal DOI: 10.5704/MOJ.1507.002
    Scapulo-thoracic dissociation is an infrequent injury resulting from high energy trauma which is often associated with severe neurological and vascular injuries which may be unrecognised at the time of presentation. A 24 year-old female presented with bilateral rib fractures, pneumothorax, liver and kidney injuries following a road traffic accident. She also sustained fractures of her right scapula, odontoid, right transverse processes of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae and a closed fracture of her right femur. Her right upper limb was later noted to be flail and pulseless, due to complete right brachial plexus injury, scapula-thoracic dissociation and subclavian artery avulsion. We managed the upper limb injuries non-operatively, and focused on resuscitation of the patient. Early exploration of the complete brachial plexus injury was not undertaken in spite of the possible associated poor functional outcome as there was no life-threatening indication.
  5. Abbasi MS, Ahmed N, Irfan AB, Al-Saleh S, Abduljabbar T, Vohra F
    Case Rep Dent, 2022;2022:2686983.
    PMID: 35154831 DOI: 10.1155/2022/2686983
    Microstomia is an abnormally reduced oral aperture. In the literature, it is not classified by any particular size criteria, rather defined by its effects on function and esthetics. Prosthodontic management of edentulous patients with microstomia is a challenging task. Use of conventional methods for recording an impression and fabricating prosthesis is not effective in such patients. To fabricate well-fitting prosthesis, accuracy of impression recording important anatomic landmarks is essential. Formation of an exacting custom tray and diagnostic cast is critical for final impression accuracy. Provision of a well-fitting prosthesis in microstomia patient will restore esthetics, comfort, and function with oral and systemic patient wellbeing. This paper presents a case report of managing an edentulous microstomia patient with sectional removable prosthesis. Furthermore, it proposes a novel classification system for microstomia patients according to severity of the condition.
  6. Mohamad MS, Mahadir Naidu B, Kaltiala R, Virtanen SM, Lehtinen-Jacks S
    Public Health Nutr, 2021 Dec;24(18):6309-6322.
    PMID: 34348828 DOI: 10.1017/S1368980021003190
    OBJECTIVE: To examine secular trends and sociodemographic determinants of thinness, overweight and obesity among Malaysian children and adolescents from 2006 to 2015.

    DESIGN: We used cross-sectional data from the National Health and Morbidity Surveys 2006, 2011 and 2015. Individuals were classified into pre- (6-9 years), early (10-13 years) and mid- (14-17 years) adolescence. BMI status was determined according to the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) and WHO criteria, using measured height and weight. We analysed trends using log-binomial regression, by sex-age groups, stratified by sociodemographic factors (ethnicity, residential area, household size and household income), and accounting for the complex survey design. Associations between sociodemographic factors and prevalence of thinness and overweight (obesity included) in 2015 were assessed using log-Poisson regression.

    SETTING: Nationwide population-based surveys, Malaysia.

    PARTICIPANTS: Eligible 6-17-year-olds from urban and rural residential areas (n 28 094).

    RESULTS: The prevalence of thinness decreased from 2006 to 2015 (IOTF: boys from 22 % to 18 %, girls from 23 % to 19 %; WHO: boys from 9 % to 7 %, girls from 8 % to 6 %), while the prevalence of overweight increased (IOTF: boys from 20 % to 26 %, girls from 19 % to 24 %; WHO: boys from 25 % to 31 %, girls from 22 % to 27 %). These changes were statistically significant in most sex-age groups. Thinness and overweight co-existed in all sociodemographic subgroups, with variation in the prevalence estimates, but similar secular changes in most subgroups.

    CONCLUSIONS: Malaysia is facing a double burden of malnutrition at population level with a secular increase in overweight and obesity and a gradual decrease in thinness among 6-17-year-olds from varying sociodemographic backgrounds.

  7. Saleem MKM, Lal A, Ahmed N, Abbasi MS, Vohra F, Abduljabbar T
    PeerJ, 2023;11:e14860.
    PMID: 36908817 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14860
    BACKGROUND: Salivary disturbance is associated with patients who either have an active coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) or have recovered from coronavirus infection along with loss of taste sensation. In addition, COVID-19 infection can drastically compromise quality of life of individuals.

    OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyze xerostomia, ageusia and the oral health impact in coronavirus disease-19 patients utilizing the Xerostomia Inventory scale-(XI) and the Oral Health Impact Profile-14.

    METHODS: In this cross-sectional survey-based study, data was collected from 301 patients who suffered and recovered from COVID-19. Using Google Forms, a questionnaire was developed and circulated amongst those who were infected and recovered from coronavirus infection. The Xerostomia Inventory (XI) and Oral Health Impact Profile-14 were used to assess the degree and quality of life. A paired T-test and Chi-square test were used to analyze the effect on xerostomia inventory scale-(XI) and OHIP-14 scale scores. A p-value of 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.

    RESULTS: Among 301 participants, 54.8% were females. The prevalence of xerostomia in participants with active COVID-19 disease was 39.53% and after recovery 34.88%. The total OHIP-14 scores for patients in the active phase of infection was 12.09, while 12.68 in recovered patients. A significant difference was found between the mean scores of the xerostomia inventory scale-11 and OHIP-14 in active and recovered COVID patients.

    CONCLUSION: A higher prevalence of xerostomia was found in COVID-19 infected patients (39.53%) compared to recovered patients (34.88%). In addition, more than 70% reported aguesia. COVID-19 had a significantly higher compromising impact on oral function of active infected patients compared to recovered patients.

  8. Sarfaraz S, Ahmed N, Abbasi MS, Sajjad B, Vohra F, Al-Hamdan RS, et al.
    Work, 2020;67(4):791-798.
    PMID: 33325429 DOI: 10.3233/WOR-203332
    BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the self-perceived competency (FSPC) of medical faculty in E-Teaching and support received during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    METHODS: An online well-structured and validated faculty self-perceived competency questionnaire was used to collect responses from medical faculty. The questionnaire consisted of four purposely build sections on competence in student engagement, instructional strategy, technical communication and time management. The responses were recorded using a Likert ordinal scale (1-9). The Questionnaire was uploaded at www.surveys.google.com and the link was distributed through social media outlets and e-mails. Descriptive statistics and Independent paired t-test were used for analysis and comparison of quantitative and qualitative variables. A p-value of ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant.

    RESULTS: A total of 738 responses were assessed. Nearly 54% (397) participants had less than 5 years of teaching experience, 24.7% (182) had 6-10 years and 11.7% (86) had 11-15 years teaching expertise. 75.6% (558) respondents have delivered online lectures during the pandemic. Asynchronous methods were used by 61% (450) and synchronous by 39% (288) of participants. Moreover, 22.4% (165) participants revealed that their online lectures were evaluated by a structured feedback from experts, while 38.3% participants chose that their lectures were not evaluated. A significant difference (p 

  9. Martin D, Degese MS, Vitale-Cross L, Iglesias-Bartolome R, Valera JLC, Wang Z, et al.
    Nat Commun, 2018 07 09;9(1):2372.
    PMID: 29985391 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-04590-1
    Dysregulation of the Hippo signaling pathway and the consequent YAP1 activation is a frequent event in human malignancies, yet the underlying molecular mechanisms are still poorly understood. A pancancer analysis of core Hippo kinases and their candidate regulating molecules revealed few alterations in the canonical Hippo pathway, but very frequent genetic alterations in the FAT family of atypical cadherins. By focusing on head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), which displays frequent FAT1 alterations (29.8%), we provide evidence that FAT1 functional loss results in YAP1 activation. Mechanistically, we found that FAT1 assembles a multimeric Hippo signaling complex (signalome), resulting in activation of core Hippo kinases by TAOKs and consequent YAP1 inactivation. We also show that unrestrained YAP1 acts as an oncogenic driver in HNSCC, and that targeting YAP1 may represent an attractive precision therapeutic option for cancers harboring genomic alterations in the FAT1 tumor suppressor genes.
  10. Yin T, Xu L, Gil B, Merali N, Sokolikova MS, Gaboriau DCA, et al.
    ACS Nano, 2023 Aug 08;17(15):14619-14631.
    PMID: 37470391 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c01812
    Biosensors based on graphene field effect transistors (GFETs) have the potential to enable the development of point-of-care diagnostic tools for early stage disease detection. However, issues with reproducibility and manufacturing yields of graphene sensors, but also with Debye screening and unwanted detection of nonspecific species, have prevented the wider clinical use of graphene technology. Here, we demonstrate that our wafer-scalable GFETs array platform enables meaningful clinical results. As a case study of high clinical relevance, we demonstrate an accurate and robust portable GFET array biosensor platform for the detection of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) in patients' plasma through specific exosomes (GPC-1 expression) within 45 min. In order to facilitate reproducible detection in blood plasma, we optimized the analytical performance of GFET biosensors via the application of an internal control channel and the development of an optimized test protocol. Based on samples from 18 PDAC patients and 8 healthy controls, the GFET biosensor arrays could accurately discriminate between the two groups while being able to detect early cancer stages including stages 1 and 2. Furthermore, we confirmed the higher expression of GPC-1 and found that the concentration in PDAC plasma was on average more than 1 order of magnitude higher than in healthy samples. We found that these characteristics of GPC-1 cancerous exosomes are responsible for an increase in the number of target exosomes on the surface of graphene, leading to an improved signal response of the GFET biosensors. This GFET biosensor platform holds great promise for the development of an accurate tool for the rapid diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.
  11. Kliemann N, Murphy N, Viallon V, Freisling H, Tsilidis KK, Rinaldi S, et al.
    Int J Cancer, 2020 Aug 01;147(3):648-661.
    PMID: 31652358 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.32753
    Emerging evidence suggests that a metabolic profile associated with obesity may be a more relevant risk factor for some cancers than adiposity per se. Basal metabolic rate (BMR) is an indicator of overall body metabolism and may be a proxy for the impact of a specific metabolic profile on cancer risk. Therefore, we investigated the association of predicted BMR with incidence of 13 obesity-related cancers in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). BMR at baseline was calculated using the WHO/FAO/UNU equations and the relationships between BMR and cancer risk were investigated using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models. A total of 141,295 men and 317,613 women, with a mean follow-up of 14 years were included in the analysis. Overall, higher BMR was associated with a greater risk for most cancers that have been linked with obesity. However, among normal weight participants, higher BMR was associated with elevated risks of esophageal adenocarcinoma (hazard ratio per 1-standard deviation change in BMR [HR1-SD ]: 2.46; 95% CI 1.20; 5.03) and distal colon cancer (HR1-SD : 1.33; 95% CI 1.001; 1.77) among men and with proximal colon (HR1-SD : 1.16; 95% CI 1.01; 1.35), pancreatic (HR1-SD : 1.37; 95% CI 1.13; 1.66), thyroid (HR1-SD : 1.65; 95% CI 1.33; 2.05), postmenopausal breast (HR1-SD : 1.17; 95% CI 1.11; 1.22) and endometrial (HR1-SD : 1.20; 95% CI 1.03; 1.40) cancers in women. These results indicate that higher BMR may be an indicator of a metabolic phenotype associated with risk of certain cancer types, and may be a useful predictor of cancer risk independent of body fatness.
  12. Hrusak O, Kalina T, Wolf J, Balduzzi A, Provenzi M, Rizzari C, et al.
    Eur J Cancer, 2020 Jun;132:11-16.
    PMID: 32305831 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2020.03.021
    INTRODUCTION: Since the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic, it is known that the severe course of the disease occurs mostly among the elderly, whereas it is rare among children and young adults. Comorbidities, in particular, diabetes and hypertension, clearly associated with age, besides obesity and smoke, are strongly associated with the need for intensive treatment and a dismal outcome. A weaker immunity of the elderly has been proposed as a possible explanation of this uneven age distribution. Thus, there is concern that children treated for cancer may allso be at risk for an unfavourable course of infection. Along the same line, anecdotal information from Wuhan, China, mentioned a severe course of COVID-19 in a child treated for leukaemia.

    AIM AND METHODS: We made a flash survey on COVID-19 incidence and severity among children on anticancer treatment. Respondents were asked by email to fill in a short Web-based survey.

    RESULTS: We received reports from 25 countries, where approximately 10,000 patients at risk are followed up. At the time of the survey, more than 200 of these children were tested, nine of whom were positive for COVID-19. Eight of the nine cases had asymptomatic to mild disease, and one was just diagnosed with COVID-19. We also discuss preventive measures that are in place or should be taken and treatment options in immunocompromised children with COVID-19.

    CONCLUSION: Thus, even children receiving anticancer chemotherapy may have a mild or asymptomatic course of COVID-19. While we should not underestimate the risk of developing a more severe course of COVID-19 than that observed here, the intensity of preventive measures should not cause delays or obstructions in oncological treatment.

  13. Zuntini AR, Carruthers T, Maurin O, Bailey PC, Leempoel K, Brewer GE, et al.
    Nature, 2024 May;629(8013):843-850.
    PMID: 38658746 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07324-0
    Angiosperms are the cornerstone of most terrestrial ecosystems and human livelihoods1,2. A robust understanding of angiosperm evolution is required to explain their rise to ecological dominance. So far, the angiosperm tree of life has been determined primarily by means of analyses of the plastid genome3,4. Many studies have drawn on this foundational work, such as classification and first insights into angiosperm diversification since their Mesozoic origins5-7. However, the limited and biased sampling of both taxa and genomes undermines confidence in the tree and its implications. Here, we build the tree of life for almost 8,000 (about 60%) angiosperm genera using a standardized set of 353 nuclear genes8. This 15-fold increase in genus-level sampling relative to comparable nuclear studies9 provides a critical test of earlier results and brings notable change to key groups, especially in rosids, while substantiating many previously predicted relationships. Scaling this tree to time using 200 fossils, we discovered that early angiosperm evolution was characterized by high gene tree conflict and explosive diversification, giving rise to more than 80% of extant angiosperm orders. Steady diversification ensued through the remaining Mesozoic Era until rates resurged in the Cenozoic Era, concurrent with decreasing global temperatures and tightly linked with gene tree conflict. Taken together, our extensive sampling combined with advanced phylogenomic methods shows the deep history and full complexity in the evolution of a megadiverse clade.
  14. Perrone G, Giuffrida M, Abu-Zidan F, Kruger VF, Livrini M, Petracca GL, et al.
    World J Emerg Surg, 2024 Apr 16;19(1):14.
    PMID: 38627831 DOI: 10.1186/s13017-024-00543-w
    BACKGROUND: Literature suggests colonic resection and primary anastomosis (RPA) instead of Hartmann's procedure (HP) for the treatment of left-sided colonic emergencies. We aim to evaluate the surgical options globally used to treat patients with acute left-sided colonic emergencies and the factors that leading to the choice of treatment, comparing HP and RPA.

    METHODS: This is a prospective, international, multicenter, observational study registered on ClinicalTrials.gov. A total 1215 patients with left-sided colonic emergencies who required surgery were included from 204 centers during the period of March 1, 2020, to May 31, 2020. with a 1-year follow-up.

    RESULTS: 564 patients (43.1%) were females. The mean age was 65.9 ± 15.6 years. HP was performed in 697 (57.3%) patients and RPA in 384 (31.6%) cases. Complicated acute diverticulitis was the most common cause of left-sided colonic emergencies (40.2%), followed by colorectal malignancy (36.6%). Severe complications (Clavien-Dindo ≥ 3b) were higher in the HP group (P 

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