Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are the focus of current environmental issues, as they can cause adverse health effects to animals and human, subsequent to endocrine function. The objective of this study was to remove a specific compound of EDCs (i.e. pentachlorophenol, C(6)OCL(5)Na, molecular weight of 288 g/mol) using low pressure reverse osmosis membrane (LPROM). A cross flow module of LPROM was used to observe the effects of operating parameters, i.e. pH, operating pressure and temperature. The design of the experiment was based on MINITAB(TM) software, and the analysis of results was conducted by factorial analysis. It was found that the rejection of pentachlorophenol was higher than 80% at a recovery rate of 60 to 70%. The rejection was subjected to increase with the increase of pH. The flux was observed to be increased with the increase of operating pressure and temperature. This study also investigated the interaction effects between operating parameters involved.
The prevalence and severity of asthma, rhinitis and eczema in Kelantanese schoolchildren were determined as part of an international study of the epidemiology of asthma and allergic diseases. The international study of asthma and allergies in childhood (ISAAC) written questionnaire was administered to 7055 schoolchildren from February 1995 to August 1995. The respondents were parents or guardians of 5- to 7-year-old children (n = 3939), and schoolchildren aged 12-14 years (n = 3116). The ISAAC video questionnaire (AVQ3.0) was shown to children aged 12-14 years after the written questionnaire. The overall prevalences of 'ever wheezed' and 'wheezing in last 12 months' were 9.4 and 6.0% respectively. The prevalence of 'ever diagnosed with asthma' was 9.4%. Both 'ever wheezed' and 'wheezing in the last 12 months' were significantly higher in 12- to 14-year-old children than in 5- to 7-year-old children, with P values of 0.0006 and 0.014 respectively. No gender differences in the prevalences were observed. For the complete study group, 4.7% of children had sleep disturbed by wheezing but only 1.1% had a severe attack limiting speech in the preceding 12 months. Sleep disturbance was more common in the 12- to 14-year-old children than in 5- to 7-year-old children (P = 0.006). There was no difference between the age groups for severe attacks limiting speech. The overall prevalence of rhinitis and eczema symptoms were 27 and 12%, respectively. The prevalence of rhinitis in the 12-14 year age group (38.2%) was significantly higher (P < 0.0001) than in the 5-7 year age group (18.2%). The prevalence of eczema in the 5-7 year age group (13.7%) was significantly higher (P = < 0.0001) than in the 12-14 year age group (9.9%). These prevalence data are comparable with previous reports in Malaysian children, but are considerably lower than those reported for most developed countries.
A study was carried out to determine the distribution of cockroaches in two different housing areas with central sewerage or individual septic tanks in an urban area in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Six species of cockroaches were present and of these Periplaneta americana and Periplaneta brunnea were found in greater abundance. Seventeen species of bacteria were isolated and of these Escherichia coli and Klebsiella p. pneumoniae were isolated in greatest numbers. Control measures carried out using lambda cyhalothrin showed that there was no significant difference between treated and control sites.
Clinical trials represent a fulcrum for oncology drug discovery and development to bring safe and effective medicines to patients in a timely manner. Clinical trials have shifted from traditional studies evaluating cytotoxic chemotherapy in largely histology-based populations to become adaptively designed and biomarker-driven evaluations of molecularly targeted agents and immune therapies in selected patient subsets. This review will discuss the scientific, methodological, practical, and patient-focused considerations to transform clinical trials. A call to action is proposed to establish the framework for next-generation clinical trials that strikes an optimal balance of operational efficiency, scientific impact, and value to patients. SIGNIFICANCE: The future of cancer clinical trials requires a framework that can efficiently transform scientific discoveries to clinical utility through applications of innovative technologies and dynamic design methodologies. Next-generation clinical trials will offer individualized strategies which ultimately contribute to globalized knowledge and collective learning, through the joint efforts of all key stakeholders including investigators and patients.