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1.
Med J Malaysia ; 77(5): 576-584, 2022 09.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36169069

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Informed consent is the patient's selfdetermination authorization of a choice made by themself before any intervention is performed by the health care provider. It should be a structured process that includes the disclosure of relevant procedural information, benefit, risk, and other treatment option. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An open-label static group comparison experimental design was conducted in a singlecentred study starting from April 2021 until January 2022 among patients who were going for OGDS and Colonoscopy at Hospital Kuala Lipis. The patients were stratified by 2-by- 2 randomization to either the standard hand-written prefilled consent forms. The satisfaction was assessed using Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Satisfaction Questionnaire version 2. The difference in the satisfaction was analyzed using multifactorial ANOVA. RESULTS: The percentage score of satisfaction on the endoscopic procedure using pre-filled was significantly higher than standard form consents (mean difference: 18.36 (95%CI: 14.15, 22.58)) and the effect size was large (partial ή = 0.399). The difference in percentage score of satisfaction was associated with gender (p = 0.003) and medical officers' years of working experience (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The pre-filled consent form fulfils the ethical and legal aspects of the informed consent process and should be used in endoscopic and other invasive procedures in Malaysia. It is suggested that a formal training, exposure to course in communication skills, breaking bad news on patient consent among junior doctors need to be taken to improve patients' satisfaction of the endoscopic procedure to make them more satisfied.


Subject(s)
Consent Forms , Patient Satisfaction , Colonoscopy , Hospitals , Humans , Personal Satisfaction
2.
Med J Malaysia ; 76(3): 360-368, 2021 05.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34031335

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: The effective connectivity (EC) when the brain is resting and how a neuronal system exerts influence over other regions of the brain, in different groups of subjects are still being investigated. Limited information was seen about the relationship between precuneus (PRE) which is a wellknown resting state hub with supramarginal gyrus (SMG) in healthy subjects (HS) and temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) participants. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fourteen HS and 14 TLE patients with age and gender matched underwent resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) scanning using a 3-Tesla MRI machine to investigate the EC and percentage of amplitude fluctuation (PerAF) involving SMG and PRE. The rsfMRI data were analysed using Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM12) and Spectral Dynamic Causal Modelling (spDCM) from which causal models were specified, estimated and inferred. RESULTS: Model with bidirectional connections between PRE and SMG was chosen as the winning model. The EC from PRE to SMG is positive but the EC from SMG to PRE is negative in both hemispheres and in HS and TLE. Based on the findings from the EC analysis, there is an excitatory effect shown by PRE to SMG connection indicating a dominant role of PRE over SMG in both groups. CONCLUSION: There is important evidence showing that PRE might also have influence on areas outside resting state network and the influence changes in the presence of brain abnormality.


Subject(s)
Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe , Brain , Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe/diagnostic imaging , Healthy Volunteers , Humans , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Parietal Lobe/diagnostic imaging , Temporal Lobe/diagnostic imaging
3.
Br J Nutr ; : 1-9, 2020 Mar 16.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32174286

ABSTRACT

Given the common view that pre-exercise nutrition/breakfast is important for performance, the present study investigated whether breakfast influences resistance exercise performance via a physiological or psychological effect. Twenty-two resistance-trained, breakfast-consuming men completed three experimental trials, consuming water-only (WAT), or semi-solid breakfasts containing 0 g/kg (PLA) or 1·5 g/kg (CHO) maltodextrin. PLA and CHO meals contained xanthan gum and low-energy flavouring (approximately 122 kJ), and subjects were told both 'contained energy'. At 2 h post-meal, subjects completed four sets of back squat and bench press to failure at 90 % ten repetition maximum. Blood samples were taken pre-meal, 45 min and 105 min post-meal to measure serum/plasma glucose, insulin, ghrelin, glucagon-like peptide-1 and peptide tyrosine-tyrosine concentrations. Subjective hunger/fullness was also measured. Total back squat repetitions were greater in CHO (44 (sd 10) repetitions) and PLA (43 (sd 10) repetitions) than WAT (38 (sd 10) repetitions; P < 0·001). Total bench press repetitions were similar between trials (WAT 37 (sd 7) repetitions; CHO 39 (sd 7) repetitions; PLA 38 (sd 7) repetitions; P = 0·130). Performance was similar between CHO and PLA trials. Hunger was suppressed and fullness increased similarly in PLA and CHO, relative to WAT (P < 0·001). During CHO, plasma glucose was elevated at 45 min (P < 0·05), whilst serum insulin was elevated (P < 0·05) and plasma ghrelin suppressed at 45 and 105 min (P < 0·05). These results suggest that breakfast/pre-exercise nutrition enhances resistance exercise performance via a psychological effect, although a potential mediating role of hunger cannot be discounted.

4.
Trop Biomed ; 37(1): 127-141, 2020 Mar 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33612724

ABSTRACT

Blastocystis sp. is a common enteric protozoan parasite found in humans and various type of animal worldwide. Recently, genotypic distribution of Blastocystis sp. was revealed in insects, rodents, avian and mammals, which exposed its potential of transmiting the infections to human. However, very little information on current level of Blastocystis sp. infection were reported in cattle from Malaysia. Herein, a total of 120 stool samples of cattles were collected. While the potential risk of infection such as age, gender, body score, diarrheic condition of the cattle were noted, the management of the farms was also recorded. All stool sample were cultured, but 80 samples were selected for PCR sequencing analysis. The cultivation and microscopic examination revealed only 25% of the cattle (30/120) were infected with Blastocystis sp.. But, 43.8% of the cattle (35/80) were found positive upon PCR sequencing. The study also found that age, body score condition, diarrheic condition and certain farm were associated with the infection (p<0.05). Six subtypes (STs) that were discovered during the study were ST10 (21.3%;17/35), ST5 (8.8%;7/35), ST3 (7.5%;6/35), ST1 (2.5%;2/35), ST4 (2.5%;2/35) and ST14 (1.3%;1/35). Thus, moderate infections of Blastocystis sp. and variants in the genotypic distributions of the cattle suggest its potential for zoonotic transmission. Therefore, this findings could be helpful for further understanding the parasite, which assist studies of its pathogenicity.


Subject(s)
Blastocystis Infections/veterinary , Blastocystis/isolation & purification , Cattle Diseases/parasitology , Cattle/parasitology , Animals , Blastocystis/classification , Blastocystis Infections/epidemiology , Blastocystis Infections/parasitology , Cattle Diseases/epidemiology , Genotype , Malaysia/epidemiology , Phylogeny , Prevalence
5.
Tropical Biomedicine ; : 127-141, 2020.
Article in English | WPRIM (Western Pacific) | ID: wpr-823080

ABSTRACT

@#Blastocystis sp. is a common enteric protozoan parasite found in humans and various type of animal worldwide. Recently, genotypic distribution of Blastocystis sp. was revealed in insects, rodents, avian and mammals, which exposed its potential of transmiting the infections to human. However, very little information on current level of Blastocystis sp. infection were reported in cattle from Malaysia. Herein, a total of 120 stool samples of cattles were collected. While the potential risk of infection such as age, gender, body score, diarrheic condition of the cattle were noted, the management of the farms was also recorded. All stool sample were cultured, but 80 samples were selected for PCR sequencing analysis. The cultivation and microscopic examination revealed only 25% of the cattle (30/120) were infected with Blastocystis sp.. But, 43.8% of the cattle (35/80) were found positive upon PCR sequencing. The study also found that age, body score condition, diarrheic condition and certain farm were associated with the infection (p<0.05). Six subtypes (STs) that were discovered during the study were ST10 (21.3%;17/35), ST5 (8.8%;7/35), ST3 (7.5%;6/35), ST1 (2.5%;2/35), ST4 (2.5%;2/35) and ST14 (1.3%;1/35). Thus, moderate infections of Blastocystis sp. and variants in the genotypic distributions of the cattle suggest its potential for zoonotic transmission. Therefore, this findings could be helpful for further understanding the parasite, which assist studies of its pathogenicity.

6.
Trop Biomed ; 36(2): 412-421, 2019 Jun 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33597402

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to investigate the antiviral property of Eurycoma longifolia Jack (EL) against dengue virus. A propriety standardized extract of Eurycoma longifolia Jack (Physta®) was tested for anti-viral activity after viral adsorption in Vero cell line. Viral yield was measured by qRT-PCR in four serotypes of dengue virus. The antiviral activity was further investigated in an in vivo AG129 mouse model for dengue inhibitory candidates. 100 mg/kg EL extract was fed twice daily and challenged with a lethal dose of (~1x105 PFU per mouse) of DENV-2 over a period of six days. Antiviral activity with IC50 of 33.84, 33.55, 58.35 and 119 µg/ml for DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3 and DENV-4 serotypes respectively was observed. The selectivity index (SI) values determined as the ratio of cytotoxic concentration (CC50) to inhibitory concentration (IC50) was the lowest for DENV-2 at 28.9. The dengue virus (DENV) replication measured by qRT-PCR showed a reduction of 100% for DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3 and 80% for DENV-4 at day 2 of exposure. In the in vivo AG129 mouse model, a lower weight reduction, 30% lower viral load and 12% higher platelet in the extract group compared to the control was observed at day 6. The extract of E. longifolia has potential anti-dengue properties with improving trends in platelet counts. E. longifolia supplementation is potentially a two-pronged approach in treating dengue fever.

7.
Tropical Biomedicine ; : 412-421, 2019.
Article in English | WPRIM (Western Pacific) | ID: wpr-778264

ABSTRACT

@#The aim of this study was to investigate the antiviral property of Eurycoma longifolia Jack (EL) against dengue virus. A propriety standardized extract of Eurycoma longifolia Jack (Physta®) was tested for anti-viral activity after viral adsorption in Vero cell line. Viral yield was measured by qRT-PCR in four serotypes of dengue virus. The antiviral activity was further investigated in an in vivo AG129 mouse model for dengue inhibitory candidates. 100 mg/kg EL extract was fed twice daily and challenged with a lethal dose of (~1x105 PFU per mouse) of DENV-2 over a period of six days. Antiviral activity with IC50 of 33.84, 33.55, 58.35 and 119 μg/ml for DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3 and DENV-4 serotypes respectively was observed. The selectivity index (SI) values determined as the ratio of cytotoxic concentration (CC50) to inhibitory concentration (IC50) was the lowest for DENV-2 at 28.9. The dengue virus (DENV) replication measured by qRT-PCR showed a reduction of 100% for DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3 and 80% for DENV-4 at day 2 of exposure. In the in vivo AG129 mouse model, a lower weight reduction, 30% lower viral load and 12% higher platelet in the extract group compared to the control was observed at day 6. The extract of E. longifolia has potential anti-dengue properties with improving trends in platelet counts. E. longifolia supplementation is potentially a two-pronged approach in treating dengue fever.

8.
Scand J Med Sci Sports ; 27(4): 376-384, 2017 Apr.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27714855

ABSTRACT

Carbohydrate (CHO) depletion is linked to neuromuscular fatigue during exercise. While its role at peripheral level is relatively well understood, less is known about its impact centrally. The aim of this systematic review was to critically analyze the effects of CHO on central fatigue (CF) assessed by various neurophysiological techniques. Four databases were searched using PRISMA guidelines through February 2016. The inclusion criteria were: CHO as intervention against a placebo control, fatigue induced by prolonged exercise and assessed using neurophysiological measures [voluntary activation (VA), superimposed twitch (SIT), M-wave, electromyography], alongside maximal voluntary contraction (MVC). Seven papers were reviewed, where exercise duration lasted between 115 and 180 min. CHO improved exercise performance in three studies, whereby two of them attributed it to CF via attenuation of VA and SIT reductions, while the other indicated peripheral involvement via attenuation of M-wave reduction. Although a few studies suggest that CHO attenuates CF, data on its direct effects on neurophysiological outcome measures are limited and mixed. Generally, measures employed in these studies were inadequate to conclude central contribution to fatigue. Factors including the techniques used and the lack of controls render additional confounding factors to make definitive deductions. Future studies should employ consistent techniques and appropriate neurophysiological controls to distinguish CHO effect at central level. The use of pharmacological intervention should be incorporated to elucidate involvement of central mechanisms.


Subject(s)
Athletic Performance , Carbohydrate Metabolism , Dietary Carbohydrates/therapeutic use , Exercise , Fatigue/therapy , Muscle, Skeletal/metabolism , Electromyography , Fatigue/metabolism , Fatigue/prevention & control , Humans , Muscle Contraction , Muscle Fatigue
9.
Genet Mol Res ; 15(2)2016 Apr 07.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27173202

ABSTRACT

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is believed to be associated with excessive production of reactive oxygen species. Glutathione S-transferase (GST) polymorphisms result in decreased or absent enzyme activity and altered oxidative stress, and have been associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD). The present study assessed the effect of GST polymorphisms on the risk of developing T2DM in individuals of Malaysian Malay ethnicity. A total of 287 subjects, consisting of 87 T2DM and 64 CVD/T2DM patients, as well as 136 healthy gender- and age-matched controls were genotyped for selected polymorphisms to evaluate associations with T2DM susceptibility. Genomic DNA was extracted using commercially available kits, and GSTM1, GSTT1, and α-globin sequences were amplified by multiplex polymerase chain reaction. Biochemical parameters were measured with a Hitachi autoanalyzer. The Fisher exact test, the chi-square statistic, and means ± standard deviations were calculated using the SPSS software. Overall, we observed no significant differences regarding genotype and allele frequencies between each group (P = 0.224 and 0.199, respectively). However, in the combined analysis of genotypes and blood measurements, fasting plasma glucose, HbA1c, and triglyceride levels, followed by age, body mass index, waist-hip ratio, systolic blood pressure, and history of T2DM significantly differed according to GST polymorphism (P ˂ 0.05). Genetically induced absence of the GSTT1 enzyme is an independent and powerful predictor of premature vascular morbidity and death in individuals with T2DM, and might be triggered by cigarette smoking's oxidative effects. These polymorphisms could be screened in other ethnicities within Malaysia to determine further possible risk factors.


Subject(s)
Cardiovascular Diseases/genetics , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/genetics , Glutathione Transferase/genetics , Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide , Alleles , Cardiovascular Diseases/complications , Case-Control Studies , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/complications , Female , Genotype , Humans , Malaysia , Male , alpha-Globins/genetics
10.
Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci ; 20(8): 1617-22, 2016 04.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27160137

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Obesity, hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia, are major risk factors. However, natural therapies, dietary components, and physical activity may effect on these concerns. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of aerobic exercise and consumption of liquid ginger extract on lipid profile of Male rats with a high-fat fed diet. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 32 rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: 1) aerobic exercise, 2) Ginger extract, 3) combined aerobic exercise and Ginger extract, and 4) the control. Subjects of the first three groups received ginger extract via gavage feeding of 250 mg/kg. The exercise program was 3 sessions per week on 3 different days over 4 weeks. Total cholesterol (TC), Triglyceride (TG), HDL and LDL were measured 24-h before the first session and 24-h after the final training session. RESULTS: The concentration of TG in the control group was significantly higher than other groups. In addition, the mean concentration of TG in the aerobic exercise group was significantly lower than Ginger extract group but there was no significant difference as compared to combined aerobic exercise and ginger extract group. The combination of aerobic exercise and ginger consumption significantly reduced the TG level compared to ginger group. TC and LDL concentrations were significantly decreased in all groups compare to control. The combination of aerobic exercise and ginger extract feeding caused a significant increase in HDL levels. CONCLUSIONS: The finding of this study suggests that the combination of aerobic exercise and liquid ginger extract consumption might be an effective method of reducing lipid profiles, which will reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases caused by high-fat diets.


Subject(s)
Diet, High-Fat , Physical Conditioning, Animal , Zingiber officinale , Animals , Cholesterol , Lipids , Male , Rats , Triglycerides
11.
Neuroscience ; 325: 153-64, 2016 06 14.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27012609

ABSTRACT

Vascular dysregulation has long been recognized as an important pathophysiological factor underlying the development of glaucomatous neuropathy. Endothelin-1 (ET1) has been shown to be a key player due to its potent vasoconstrictive properties that result in retinal ischemia and oxidative stress leading to retinal ganglion cell (RGC) apoptosis and optic nerve (ON) damage. In this study we investigated the protective effects of magnesium acetyltaurate (MgAT) against retinal cell apoptosis and ON damage. MgAT was administered intravitreally prior to, along with or after administration of ET1. Seven days post-injection, animals were euthanized and retinae were subjected to morphometric analysis, TUNEL and caspase-3 staining. ON sections were stained with toluidine blue and were graded for neurodegenerative effects. Oxidative stress was also estimated in isolated retinae. Pre-treatment with MgAT significantly lowered ET1-induced retinal cell apoptosis as measured by retinal morphometry and TUNEL staining. This group of animals also showed significantly lesser caspase-3 activation and significantly reduced retinal oxidative stress compared to the animals that received intravitreal injection of only ET1. Additionally, the axonal degeneration in ON was markedly reduced in MgAT pretreated animals. The animals that received MgAT co- or post-treatment with ET1 also showed improvement in all parameters; however, the effects were not as significant as observed in MgAT pretreated animals. The current study showed that the intravitreal pre-treatment with MgAT reduces caspase-3 activation and prevents retinal cell apoptosis and axon loss in ON induced by ET1. This protective effect of ET1 was associated with reduced retinal oxidative stress.


Subject(s)
Apoptosis , Endothelin-1/administration & dosage , Neuroprotective Agents/administration & dosage , Optic Nerve Injuries/pathology , Retina/injuries , Retinal Ganglion Cells/pathology , Taurine/analogs & derivatives , Animals , Caspase 3/metabolism , Female , Intravitreal Injections , Male , Optic Nerve Injuries/chemically induced , Optic Nerve Injuries/metabolism , Oxidative Stress , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , Retina/drug effects , Retinal Ganglion Cells/drug effects , Retinal Ganglion Cells/metabolism , Taurine/administration & dosage
12.
Malays Orthop J ; 9(1): 23-27, 2015 Mar.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28435591

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Monteggia fracture-dislocation is rare in children. Various reports attest to its rarity, while recording the many variant of this injury. It is, therefore, easy to miss the diagnosis in the absence of proper clinical examination and radiographs. CASE REPORT: This report highlights two rare variants of Monteggia fracture-dislocation seen in children. The first case was a 12-year old girl alleged to have fallen from a 15- feet tall tree and sustaining a combined type III Monteggia injury with ipsilateral Type II Salter-Harris injury of distal end radius with a metaphyseal fracture of the distal third of the ulna. The second case was a 13-year old who had sustained a closed fracture of atypical Type I Monteggia hybrid lesion, in a road traffic accident. CONCLUSION: This report highlights the rare variants of Monteggia fracture dislocation which could have been missed without proper clinical examinations and radiographs.

13.
Malays Orthop J ; 9(3): 75-77, 2015 Nov.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28611918

ABSTRACT

Upper cervical chordoma (UCC) is rare condition and poses unique challenges to surgeons. Even though transoral approach is commonly employed, a minimally invasive technique has not been established. We report a 44-year old Malay lady who presented with a 1 month history of insidious onset of progressive neck pain without neurological symptoms. She was diagnosed to have an axial (C2) chordoma. Intralesional resection of the tumour was performed transorally using the Destandau endoscopic system (Storz, Germany). Satisfactory intralesional excision of the tumour was achieved. She had a posterior fixation of C1-C4 prior to that. Her symptoms improved postoperatively and there were no complications noted. She underwent adjuvant radiotherapy to minimize local recurrence. Endoscopic excision of UCC via the transoral approach is a safe option as it provides an excellent magnified view and ease of resection while minimizing the operative morbidity.

14.
Article in English | WPRIM (Western Pacific) | ID: wpr-626454

ABSTRACT

Background: Monteggia fracture-dislocation is rare in children. Various reports attest to its rarity, while recording the many variant of this injury. It is, therefore, easy to miss the diagnosis in the absence of proper clinical examination and radiographs. Case Report : This report highlights two rare variants of Monteggia fracture-dislocation seen in children. The first case was a 12-year old girl alleged to have fallen from a 15- feet tall tree and sustaining a combined type III Monteggia injury with ipsilateral Type II Salter-Harris injury of distal end radius with a metaphyseal fracture of the distal third of the ulna. The second case was a 13-year old who had sustained a closed fracture of atypical Type I Monteggia hybrid lesion, in a road traffic accident. Conclusion: This report highlights the rare variants of Monteggia fracture dislocation which could have been missed without proper clinical examinations and radiographs.


Subject(s)
Monteggia's Fracture
15.
Scand J Med Sci Sports ; 24(4): e220-9, 2014 Aug.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24283470

ABSTRACT

Relaxin is a hormone structurally related to insulin and insulin-like growth factor, which exerts its regulatory effect on the musculoskeletal and other systems through binding to its receptor in various tissues, mediated by different signaling pathways. Relaxin alters the properties of cartilage and tendon by activating collagenase. This hormone is also involved in bone remodeling and healing of injured ligaments and skeletal muscle. In this review, we have summarized the literature on the effect of relaxin in musculoskeletal system to provide a broad perspective for future studies in this field.


Subject(s)
Ligaments/physiology , Muscle, Skeletal/physiology , Relaxin/physiology , Bone and Bones/physiology , Cartilage/physiology , Humans , Signal Transduction , Synovial Membrane/physiology , Tendons/physiology
16.
Malays J Pathol ; 35(2): 147-51, 2013 Dec.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24362478

ABSTRACT

The presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs) is closely associated with thrombotic events and pregnancy complications such as recurrent pregnancy loss, preeclampsia and placental insufficiency. We investigated the presence of aPLs and its frequency among female patients with a history of fetal loss in a Malaysia population. Serum samples were collected from 108 patients who had (1) one or more unexplained deaths of morphologically normal fetuses at or beyond the 22nd week of gestation, or (2) one or more premature births of morphologically normal neonates at or before the 24th week of gestation due to eclampsia or preeclampsia, or recognized features of placental insufficiency, or (3) three or more unexplained, consecutive, spontaneous miscarriages before the 20th week of gestation. Serum was tested for aPLs subtypes: anticardiolipin (aCL), anti-beta-2- glycoprotein I (aß2GPI), anti-beta-2-glycoprotein I dependent cardiolipin (aß2GPI dependent CL), anti-phosphatidylcholine (aPC), anti-phosphatidylethanolamine (aPE), anti-phosphatidylinositol (aPI), anti-phosphatidylserine (aPS) and anti-sphingomyeline (aSph) by using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. The mean age of patients was 30±5. Four patients (3.7%) were found positive for at least one aPLs subtype. Four aPLs subtypes were detected. The most common subtypes was aß2GPI dependent CL (3.7%), followed by aCL (2.7%), aß2GPI (0.9%), and aPE(0.9%). In conclusion, frequency of aPLs among women with fetal loss (3.7%) in Malaysia was low with subtype aß2GPI dependent CL being the most prevalent aPLs.


Subject(s)
Abortion, Spontaneous/blood , Antibodies, Antiphospholipid/blood , Pregnancy Complications/blood , Abortion, Spontaneous/immunology , Adult , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Female , Humans , Malaysia , Pregnancy , Pregnancy Complications/immunology , Young Adult
17.
ScientificWorldJournal ; 2013: 545948, 2013.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24027443

ABSTRACT

Activated carbons are regularly used the treatment of dye wastewater. They can be produced from various organics materials having high level of carbon content. In this study, a novel Pinang frond activated carbon (PFAC) was produced at various CO2 flow rates in the range of 150-600 mL/min at activation temperature of 800°C for 3 hours. The optimum PFAC sample is found on CO2 flow rate of 300 mL/min which gives the highest BET surface area and pore volume of 958 m²/g and 0.5469 mL/g, respectively. This sample shows well-developed pore structure with high fixed carbon content of 79.74%. The removal of methylene blue (MB) by 95.8% for initial MB concentration of 50 mg/L and 72.6% for 500 mg/L is achieved via this sample. The PFAC is thus identified to be a suitable adsorbent for removing MB from aqueous solution.


Subject(s)
Areca , Carbon Dioxide/chemistry , Charcoal/chemistry , Methylene Blue/chemistry , Adsorption , Methylene Blue/analysis , Surface Properties , Water Purification/methods
18.
Biol Blood Marrow Transplant ; 19(9): 1310-22, 2013 Sep.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-23806772

ABSTRACT

Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) is a significant roadblock to long-term hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation success. Effective treatments for cGVHD have been difficult to develop, in part because of a paucity of animal models that recapitulate the multiorgan pathologies observed in clinical cGVHD. Here we present an analysis of the pathology that occurs in immunodeficient mice engrafted with human fetal HSCs and implanted with fragments of human fetal thymus and liver. Starting at time points generally later than 100 days post-transplantation, the mice developed signs of illness, including multiorgan cellular infiltrates containing human T cells, B cells, and macrophages; fibrosis in sites such as lungs and liver; and thickened skin with alopecia. Experimental manipulations that delayed or reduced the efficiency of the HSC engraftment did not affect the timing or progression of disease manifestations, suggesting that pathology in this model is driven more by factors associated with the engrafted human thymic organoid. Disease progression was typically accompanied by extensive fibrosis and degradation of the thymic organoid, and there was an inverse correlation of disease severity with the frequency of FoxP3(+) thymocytes. Hence, the human thymic tissue may contribute T cells with pathogenic potential, but the generation of regulatory T cells in the thymic organoid may help to control these cells before pathology resembling cGVHD eventually develops. This model thus provides a new system to investigate disease pathophysiology relating to human thymic events and to evaluate treatment strategies to combat multiorgan fibrotic pathology produced by human immune cells.


Subject(s)
Fetal Tissue Transplantation/methods , Graft vs Host Disease/immunology , Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation/methods , Hematopoietic Stem Cells/immunology , Thymus Gland/transplantation , Animals , Disease Models, Animal , Disease Progression , Female , Flow Cytometry , Graft vs Host Disease/pathology , Hematopoietic Stem Cells/pathology , Humans , Male , Mice , Mice, Inbred NOD , Transplantation, Heterologous
19.
Biol Sport ; 30(4): 281-8, 2013 Dec.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24795499

ABSTRACT

The study investigates the effects of the 11+ and HarmoKnee injury prevention programmes on knee strength in male soccer players. Under-21-year-old players (n=36) were divided equally into: the 11+, HarmoKnee and control groups. The programmes were performed for 24 sessions (20-25 min each). The hamstrings and quadriceps strength were measured bilaterally at 60°·s(-1), 180°·s(-1) and 300°·s(-1). The concentric quadriceps peak torque (PT) of the 11+ increased by 27.7% at 300°·s(-1) in the dominant leg (p<0.05). The concentric quadriceps PT of HarmoKnee increased by 36.6%, 36.2% and 28% in the dominant leg, and by 31.3%, 31.7% and 20.05% at 60°·s(-1), 180°·s(-1) and 300°·s(-1) in the non-dominant leg respectively. In the 11+ group the concentric hamstring PT increased by 22%, 21.4% and 22.1% at 60°·s(-1), 180°·s(-1) and 300°·s(-1), respectively in the dominant leg, and by 22.3%, and 15.7% at 60°·s(-1) and 180°·s(-1), in the non-dominant leg. In the HarmoKnee group the hamstrings in the dominant leg showed an increase in PT by 32.5%, 31.3% and 14.3% at 60°·s(-1), 180°·s(-1) and 300°·s(-1), and in the non-dominant leg hamstrings PT increased by 21.1% and 19.3% at 60°·s(-1) and 180°·s(-1) respectively. The concentric hamstrings strength was significantly different between the 11+ and control groups in the dominant (p=0.01) and non-dominant legs (p=0.02). The HarmoKnee programme enhanced the concentric strength of quadriceps. The 11+ and HarmoKnee programmes are useful warm-up protocols for improving concentric hamstring strength in young professional male soccer players. The 11+ programme is more advantageous for its greater concentric hamstring strength improvement compared to the HarmoKnee programme.

20.
Med J Malaysia ; 68(6): 477-8, 2013 Dec.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24632919

ABSTRACT

No abstract available.

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