Parity and housing effects on the behavioural and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis responses of pregnant ewes.

It is common in many countries for sheep to be housed during winter from mid-gestation until lambing to protect ewes and lambs from adverse conditions and improve late gestation nutritional management. Keeping ewes indoors, however, has its own challenges as the animals may be mixed with unfamiliar conspecifics, have limited floor and feeding space, experience changes to their diet and increased handling by humans. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the effect of variation in housing management (space allowance and social stability) on the behaviour and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis responses of pregnant ewes from mid-to-late gestation (weeks 11-18 of pregnancy). Seventy-seven ewes (41 primiparous, 36 multiparous) were divided into two groups: 'Control' and 'Restricted space and mixed' (RS-Mix), where RS-Mix ewes were allocated half the amount of space (1.27 vs 2.5 m2 for RS-Mix and Control, respectively) and feedface (concentrate feeder space) allowance (36 vs 71 cm per ewe) given to the Control group and were also subjected to two social mixing events. Aggressive behaviour at the feedface and time spent standing, lying, walking, feeding and ruminating were recorded and faecal samples were collected for assessment of faecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGM) concentrations. Higher aggression was observed in RS-Mix ewes during the first week of observation (P = 0.044), which gradually declined to the same level as Control ewes by the end of the study (P = 0.045). RS-Mix ewes were significantly less likely to be able to freely join the feedface compared to Controls (P = 0.022). No other significant treatment effects on aggressive behaviour or FGM during gestation were found. RS-Mix ewes displayed significantly higher ruminating behaviour at week 18 of gestation compared to Control ewes (P < 0.001), but no other effects were seen on general pen behaviour. However, the effect of indoor housing had a significant impact on primiparous ewes, who had lower weight gain (P = 0.015) and higher FGM concentrations (P = 0.014) compared to multiparous ewes regardless of treatment group. The data suggest that, although no sustained effects on behaviour or HPA axis responses were seen with the differences in space and feeder allowance or social stability at the levels used in this study, inexperienced (primiparous) ewes may find indoor housing more stressful; and are less able to adapt compared to multiparous ewes. These effects may influence the behaviour of the ewe at lambing time, and her offspring.

Staged Reconstruction for Humeral Osteomyelitis after Severe Crush Injury of the Shoulder: A Case Report.

The incidence of humeral osteomyelitis is relatively rare as compared to incidence of lower limb osteomyelitis. Despite having no guideline in the management of humeral osteomyelitis, surgeons have utilised their experience in managing lower limb osteomyelitis to treat humeral osteomyelitis. By adhering to principles including thorough debridement of necrotic bone and soft tissue, staged bony and/or soft tissue reconstruction, and targeted antimicrobial therapy, a good outcome can be achieved in the management of humeral osteomyelitis. We report a case of Cierny-Mader type IV proximal humeral osteomyelitis after a severe crush injury of the left shoulder and its subsequent two-stage reconstruction using internal fixation and pedicled Latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flap.

Antimicrobial Potential of Plastic Films Incorporated with Sage Extract on Chicken Meat.

The function of packaging is crucial in the maintenance of fresh meat product quality. This study aimed to assess the efficiency of six films added with coatings 2379L/220 and 2379L/221 (containing sage extracts) to inhibit Salmonella typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli, which showed that two of the six films had a significant effect. Additionally, the effects of the films on refrigerated skinless chicken breast meat were evaluated based on microbiological content, colour, weight loss, texture and pH. Four of the six films were examined could extend the storability of refrigerated chicken breast fillets for up to seven days. All six treated films improved the pH, colour stability, weight loss, and texture of the chicken fillets. Therefore, these findings suggested that the coatings containing sage extracts having different viscosities (2379L/220 and 2379L/221) were effective as antimicrobial adhesives in food packaging films and can be commercially applied in prolonging the storage of chicken breast meat without affecting their quality.

Public opinions and gender issue.

OBJECTIVE: Gender is an aspect of the natural identity of a person that has been given ample attention in socio-cultural, psychological, and political studies worldwide. Transgender, which is a part of gender issues, is still lacking in information on definitions of transgender, its causes, society's perceptions toward it, and interpretations on transgender action. Transgender is an umbrella term that describes people whose gender identity or expression does not match the sex they have been assigned at birth. It is one of the most important signs of progress produced by scientific advancement in the field of medicine, which is a relatively new phenomenon. Due to the lack of research on transgender, researchers study this issue at the theoretical and public opinion levels and from different perspectives. The objectives are to provide insights into the landscape of gender issues, instill awareness among communities and make them understand the psychological pains and the emotional difficulties that the transgender go through. Transgender issues must be analyzed from the perspectives of humanity, ethics, and culture. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were gathered through open-ended interviews among nine participants. And to complement the data, particularly about the public's opinions toward the transgender, a focus group discussion (FGD) was held among four participants. RESULTS: The findings indicate that the transgender community often faces social discrimination due to the social stigma towards them. Thus, the treatment should be more on psychological therapies, family education, community awareness, and social activism that are needed to realign the transgender to the right track. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides insights into the landscape of gender equality and ways to support those with gender identity issues. Hence, this research carries values to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in enhancing the policy on gender equality.

Potential application of biomass derived graphene for COVID-19 pandemic.

Since the emergence of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, intense research has been carried out to find the effective vaccine. However, this issue remains as a global challenge. Graphene has captured various attention due to promising antimicrobial and antiviral applications, hydrophobic characteristic and superior electrical conductivity. Recently, biomass derived graphene also promises great opportunity to combat the spread COVID-19. In this paper, we demonstrated the ability and role of biomass derived graphene as superhydrophobic coating, biosensors and disinfectant in the fight against COVID-19.

Mixed phenotype acute leukaemia with t(9,22), BCR-ABL1: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Mixed phenotype acute leukaemia (MPAL) is a rare entity of acute leukaemia. CASE REPORT: Here we report a case of a 39-year-old lady, with an incidental finding of hyperleukocytosis (white blood cells count: 139.2 x 109/L). Her peripheral blood film revealed 36% of blasts and a bone marrow aspiration showed 53% of blasts. Immunophenotyping showed a population of blasts exhibiting positivity of two lineages, myeloid lineage and B-lymphoid lineage with strong positivity of CD34 and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (Tdt). A conventional karyotyping revealed the presence of Philadelphia chromosome. She was diagnosed with MPAL with t(9,22), BCR ABL1, which carried a poor prognosis. She was treated with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) chemotherapy protocol coupled with a tyrosine kinase inhibitor and was planned for an allogeneic stem cells transplant. CONCLUSION: This MPAL case was diagnosed incidentally in an asymptomatic patient during medical check-up. We highlight this rare case report to raise the awareness about this rare disease. Understanding the pathogenesis of the disease with the underlying genes responsible for triggering the disease, uniform protocols for diagnosis and targeted treatment will help for proper management of these patients.

One-step synthesis of chitosan-polyethyleneimine with calcium chloride as effective adsorbent for Acid Red 88 removal.

Chitosan-polyethyleneimine with calcium chloride as ionic cross-linker (CsPC) was synthesized as a new kind of adsorbent using a simple, green and cost-effective technique. The adsorption properties of the adsorbent for Acid Red 88 (AR88) dye, as a model analyte, were investigated in a batch system as the function of solution pH (pH 3-12), initial AR88 concentration (50-500 mg L-1), contact time (0-24 h), and temperature (30-50 °C). Results showed that the adsorption process obeyed the pseudo-first order kinetic model and the adsorption rate was governed by both intra-particle and liquid-film mechanism. Equilibrium data were well correlated with the Freundlich isotherm model, with the calculated maximum adsorption capacity (qm) of 1000 mg g-1 at 30 °C. The findings underlined CsPC to be an effective and efficient adsorbent, which can be easily synthesized via one-step process with promising prospects for the removal of AR88 or any other similar dyes from the aqueous solutions.

Novel protocol optimized for microalgae lutein used as food additives.

Lutein available in the current market is derived from marigold petals. However, extensive studies showed that microalgae are rich in lutein content and potentially exploitable for its dietary and other industrial applications. In this study, microwave assisted binary phase solvent extraction method (MABS) was the novel protocol being developed and optimized to achieve maximum lutein recovery from microalgae Scenedesmus sp. biomass. Results showed that 60% potassium hydroxide solution with acetone in the ratio of 0.1 (ml/ml) was the ideal binary phase solvent composition. Empirical model developed using response surface methodology revealed highest lutein content can be recovered through MABS extraction method at 55 °C treatment temperature, 36 min in extraction time, 0.7 (mg/ml) for biomass to solvent ratio, 250 Watt microwave power and 250 rpm stirring speed. This optimized novel protocol had increased the amount of lutein recovered by 130% and shorten the overall extraction time by 3-folds.

Verifying measurements of residual calcium content in demineralised cortical bone.

Calcium contents of demineralised human cortical bone determined by titrimetric assay and atomic absorption spectrophotometry technique were verified by comparing to neutron activation analysis which has high recovery of more than 90%. Conversion factors determined from the comparison is necessary to correct the calcium content for each technique. Femurs from cadaveric donors were cut into cortical rings and demineralised in 0.5 M hydrochloric acid for varying immersion times. Initial calcium content in the cortical bone measured by titration was 4.57%, only 21% of the measurement by neutron activation analysis; while measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometer was 13.4%, only 61% of neutron activation analysis. By comparing more readings with the measurements by neutron activation analysis with 93% recovery, a conversion factor of 4.83 was verified and applied for the readings by titration and 1.45 for atomic absorption spectrophotometer in calculating the correct calcium contents. The residual calcium content started to reduce after the cortical bone was demineralised in hydrochloric acid for 8 h and reduced to 13% after 24 h. Using the linear relationship, the residual calcium content could be reduced to less than 8% after immersion in hydrochloric acid for 40 h. Atomic absorption spectrophotometry technique is the method of choice for calcium content determination as it is more reliable compared to titrimetric assay.

Bio-cellulose Production by Beijerinckia fluminensis WAUPM53 and Gluconacetobacter xylinus 0416 in Sago By-product Medium.

Bio-cellulose is the microbial extracellular cellulose that is produced by growing several microorganisms on agriculture by-products, and it is used in several food applications. This study aims to utilize sago by-product, coconut water, and the standard medium Hestrin-Schramm as the carbon sources in the culture medium for bio-cellulose production. The bacteria Beijerinkia fluminensis WAUPM53 and Gluconacetobacter xylinus 0416 were selected based on their bio-cellulose production activity. The structure was determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy, while the toxicity safety was evaluated by brine shrimp lethality test. The results of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that the bio-cellulose produced by B. fluminensis cultivated in sago by-products was of high quality. The bio-cellulose production by B. fluminensis in the sago by-product medium was slightly higher than that in the coconut water medium and was comparable with the production in the Hestrin-Schramm medium. Brine shrimp lethality test confirmed that the bio-cellulose produced by B. fluminensis in the sago by-product medium has no toxicity, which is safe for applications in the food industry. This is the first study to determine the high potential of sago by-product to be used as a new carbon source for the bio-cellulose production.

Extended investigation on road fatality in Brunei.

Road fatality is one of the leading causes of death in Brunei with 79 deaths in 1993, the highest ever recorded. The Brunei government has been trying to reduce this by implementing new traffic measures and successfully reduced fatalities to 24 fatalities in 2014. Yearly road fatality has been fluctuating, but there has been a declining tendency overall. The aim of this study is to investigate road fatality in Brunei by extending the research. We developed a multiple regression model and carried out an analysis on road fatality in Brunei. Our analysis indicates that the road fatality appears to rise depending on the increase in the number of young drivers between 15 to 24 years and the number of unemployed people. Comparisons of Brunei road fatality rate per 10,000 vehicles are made with some other countries and we conclude that Brunei has approximately the same rate as Australia in 2014.

Bifidobacterium infantis M-63 improves mental health in victims with irritable bowel syndrome developed after a major flood disaster.

Individuals in a community who developed irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) after major floods have significant mental health impairment. We aimed to determine if Bifidobacterium infantis M-63 was effective in improving symptoms, psychology and quality of life measures in flood-affected individuals with IBS and if the improvement was mediated by gut microbiota changes. Design was non-randomised, open-label, controlled before-and-after. Of 53 participants, 20 with IBS were given B. infantis M-63 (1×109 cfu/sachet/day) for three months and 33 were controls. IBS symptom severity scale, hospital anxiety and depression scale, SF-36 Questionnaire, hydrogen breath testing for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth and stools for 16S rRNA metagenomic analysis were performed before and after intervention. 11 of 20 who were given probiotics (M-63) and 20 of 33 controls completed study as per-protocol. Mental well-being was improved with M-63 vs controls for full analysis (P=0.03) and per-protocol (P=0.01) populations. Within-group differences were observed for anxiety and bodily pain (both P=0.04) in the M-63 per-protocol population. Lower ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes was observed with M-63 vs controls (P=0.01) and the lower ratio was correlated with higher post-intervention mental score (P=0.04). B. infantis M-63 is probably effective in improving mental health of victims who developed IBS after floods and this is maybe due to restoration of microbial balance and the gut-brain axis. However, our conclusion must be interpreted within the context of limited sample size. The study was retrospectively registered on 12 October 2017 and the Trial Registration Number (TRN) was NCT03318614.

ESTABLISHING FREEZE DRYING PROCESS FOR CORTICAL AND CANCELLOUS BONE ALLOGRAFT CUBES

@#Freeze drying is a dehydration method to dry bone under freezing environment, enabling removal of water with no or minimial effects on bone strength and durability. Larger size bones obviously require longer freeze drying time to reduce water content to the required level for long term storage at room temperature. For small size bone cubes or chips, it is a normal practice to pool cortical and cancellous bones for freeze drying. The study was aimed at determining if different type of bones of the same size influence the drying time. Human bone cubes of 10 mm x 10 mm x 10 mm were prepared from cortical bone of tibiae and cancellous bone from femoral heads. The bone cubes were freeze dried to reduce water content to less than 6%. Moisture content was monitored using gravimetric method.Weight and density of cortical bone were significantly higher than cancellous bone despite of having similar small size (p<0.05). Cortical bones (density 2.05 ± 0.35 g/cm3) with initial water content of 10.93% required 5 hours to freeze dry, while cancellous bone cubes (density 0.72 ± 0.44 g/cm3) with initial water content of 78.95% required only 1.87 hours. This study confirmed that the structure hence density of human bone cubes determine the freeze drying time. Therefore in the standard operating procedure for freeze drying of bone allograft cubes, high density cortical bone cubes and low density cancellous bone cubes must be freeze dried separately despite being of similar small size

Myelodysplastic syndrome with fibrosis and complex karyotype arising in a patient with essential thrombocythaemia.

INTRODUCTION: Essential thrombocythaemia (ET) is a chronic myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) characterised by persistent thombocytosis. It is an indolent disorder but transformation to myelofibrosis (MF), acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) or myelodyplastic syndrome (MDS) has been reported. CASE REPORT: We described a patient with ET whose disease evolved into MDS with fibrosis and complex karyotype after 15 years of stable disease. She was asymptomatic and was on hydroxyurea (HU) treatment until recently when she presented with worsening anaemia. Physical examination showed mild splenomegaly. Full blood picture showed leukoerythroblastic picture with presence of 3% circulating blasts and background of dysplastic features such as hypogranular cytoplasm and nuclear hyposegmentation of neutrophils. The bone marrow aspiration was haemodiluted but revealed presence of 6% blast cells, trilineage dysplasia and predominant erythroid precursors (60%). Trephine biopsy showed no excess of blast cells and normal quantity of erythroid precursors, but there was increased in fibrosis (WHO grade 2) and presence of dysmegakaryopoeisis such as nuclear hypolobation, multinucleation and micromegakaryocytes. Cytogenetic study showed complex karyotype; monosomy of chromosome 2, chromosome 5, chromosome 18 and presence of a marker chromosome (42~44, XX,-2,-5,-18,+mar). Fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) showed 5q deletion (CSF1R and EGR1). CONCLUSION: The findings were consistent with transformation of ET to MDS with fibrosis and complex karyotype. ET progression to MDS is considered rare. The presence of complex karyotype and fibrosis in MDS are associated with unfavourable outcome.

Quantifying the ultrastructure changes of air-dried and irradiated human amniotic membrane using atomic force microscopy: a preliminary study.

Air-dried and sterilized amnion has been widely used as a dressing to treat burn and partial thickness wounds. Sterilisation at the standard dose of 25 kGy was reported to cause changes in the morphological structure as observed under the scanning electron microscope. This study aimed to quantify the changes in the ultrastructure of the air-dried amnion after gamma-irradiated at several doses by using atomic force microscope. Human placentae were retrieved from mothers who had undergone cesarean elective surgery. Amnion separated from chorion was processed and air-dried for 16 h. It was cut into 10 × 10 mm, individually packed and exposed to gamma irradiation at 5, 15, 25 and 35 kGy. Changes in the ultrastructural images of the amnion were quantified in term of diameter of the epithelial cells, size of the intercellular gap and membrane surface roughness. The longest diameter of the amnion cells reduced significantly after radiation (p < 0.01) however the effect was not dose dependent. No significant changes in the shortest diameter after radiation, except at 35 kGy which decreased significantly when compared to 5 kGy (p < 0.01). The size of the irradiated air-dried amnion cells reduced in the same direction without affecting the gross ultrastructure. At 15 kGy the intercellular gap decreased significantly (p < 0.01) with Ra and Rq, values reflecting surface roughness, were significantly the highest (p < 0.01). Changes in the ultrastructure quantified by using atomic force microscope could complement results from other microscopic techniques.

Knowledge on Bone Banking among Participants in an Orthopaedic Conference: A Preliminary Survey.

Despite increasing use of bone graft in Malaysia, there was still lack of data to quantify knowledge level on bone banking among orthopaedic community who are involved in transplantation related work. Therefore, a survey on awareness in tissue banking specifically bone banking, usage and choice of bone grafts was conducted. From 80 respondents, 82.5% were aware about tissue banking however only 12.5% knew of the existence of tissue banks in Malaysia. Femoral head was the bone allograft most often used as a substitute to autograft. Only 34.8% respondents preferred irradiated bone grafts whilst 46.9% preferred nonirradiated, indicating the need to educate the importance of radiation for sterilising tissues. Exhibition was the most preferred medium for awareness programme to disseminate information about bone banking in the orthopaedic community. The professional awareness is necessary to increase the knowledge on the use of bone graft, hence to increase bone transplantation for musculoskeletal surgeries in the country.

Modified plastic optical fiber with CNT and graphene oxide nanostructured coatings for ethanol liquid sensing.

A high sensitivity and simple ethanol sensor based on an un-cladded multimode plastic optical fiber (UCPOF) coated with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for the detection of different concentrations of ethanol in de-ionized water is developed and demonstrated. The UCPOF probe is fabricated by chemically removing the fiber cladding and integrated with CNT as a sensing layer. The effect of surface morphology on the sensor performance is investigated by characterizing another UCPOF coated with GO nanomaterial. The developed fibers are coated with CNTs and GO using drop casting technique. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), atomic-force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) are used to investigate the element and morphology of the synthesized nanomaterials. The experimental results indicated that the absorbance spectrum of the CNT-based UCPOF sensor increases linearly with a higher sensitivity of 0.68/vol% and magnitude change of 95.4% as compared to 0.19/vol% and 56.3%, respectively, for the GO-based sensor. The UCPOF coated with CNT exhibits faster response and recovery than that of GO. The sensor shows high selectivity to ethanol amongst a range of diluted organic VOCs. The superior sensing performance of the developed fiber sensor indicates its high efficiency for ethanol detection in various industrial applications.