Experience and attitudes of pharmacists towards challenges and adaptive measures to new norm in ward pharmacy practice during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: COVID-19 pandemic has created challenges to the ward pharmacy practice. Challenges arose due to new norms in the ward pharmacy practice. Adaptive measures to overcome these challenges were important to sustain the quality of pharmaceutical care.

Recruitment of BAG2 to DNAJ-PKAc scaffolds promotes cell survival and resistance to drug-induced apoptosis in fibrolamellar carcinoma.

The DNAJ-PKAc fusion kinase is a defining feature of the adolescent liver cancer fibrolamellar carcinoma (FLC). A single lesion on chromosome 19 generates this mutant kinase by creating a fused gene encoding the chaperonin binding domain of Hsp40 (DNAJ) in frame with the catalytic core of protein kinase A (PKAc). FLC tumors are notoriously resistant to standard chemotherapies.

Metabolomics analysis reveals changes related to pseudocyst formation induced by iron depletion in Trichomonas vaginalis.

Background: Iron is an essential element for cellular functions, such as energy metabolism. Trichomonas vaginalis, a human urogenital tract pathogen, is capable of surviving in the environment without sufficient iron supplementation. Pseudocysts (cyst-like structures) are an environmentally tolerated stage of this parasite while encountering undesired conditions, including iron deficiency.

Financial burden of heart failure in Malaysia: A perspective from the public healthcare system.

Background: Estimating and evaluating the economic burden of HF and its impact on the public healthcare system is necessary for devising improved treatment plans in the future. The present study aimed to determine the economic impact of HF on the public healthcare system.

Method: The annual cost of HF per patient was estimated using unweighted average and inverse probability weighting (IPW).

Systematic Performance Evaluation of Reinforcement Learning Algorithms Applied to Wastewater Treatment Control Optimization.

Treatment of wastewater using activated sludge relies on several complex, nonlinear processes. While activated sludge systems can provide high levels of treatment, including nutrient removal, operating these systems is often challenging and energy intensive. Significant research investment has been made in recent years into improving control optimization of such systems, through both domain knowledge and, more recently, machine learning.

An Adaptive Multispectral Mechano-Optical System for Multipurpose Applications.

Mechano-optical systems with on-demand adaptability and a broad spectrum from the visible to microwave are critical for complex multiband electromagnetic (EM) applications. Most existing material systems merely have dynamic optical or microwave tunability because their EM wave response is strongly wavelength-dependent. Inspired by cephalopod skin, we develop an adaptive multispectral mechano-optical system based on bilayer acrylic dielectric elastomer (ADE)/silver nanowire (AgNW) films, which reconfigures the surface morphology between wrinkles and cracks via mechanical contraction and stretching.

COVID-19 associated Bell's Palsy and lumbosacral neurolymphomatosis in a patient with B-cell lymphoma-Case Report.

This is a case of acute onset unilateral Bell's Palsy during COVID-19 illness, coinciding with development of progressive leg pain, weakness, and sensation change. The patient was ultimately found to have a large B-cell lymphoma mass invading the sciatic nerve, lumbosacral plexus and the spinal canal with compression of cauda equina consistent with neurolymphomatosis. Although COVID-19 infection has been associated with Bell's palsy, Bell's palsy has also been reported with lymphoid malignancy.

Clinical Utility of Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (F-FDG PET/CT) in Multivisceral Transplant Patients.

Multivisceral transplant (MVTx) refers to a composite graft from a cadaveric donor, which often includes the liver, the pancreaticoduodenal complex, and small intestine transplanted en bloc. It remains rare and is performed in specialist centres. Post-transplant complications are reported at a higher rate in multivisceral transplants because of the high levels of immunosuppression used to prevent rejection of the highly immunogenic intestine.

Enhancement of energy recovery from caffeine wastewater in constructed wetland-microbial fuel cell through operating conditions.

The enhancement of up-flow constructed wetland-microbial fuel cell (UFCW-MFC) performance in energy retrieval from caffeine containing wastewater has been explored via various operating conditions (hydraulic retention time (HRT), multianode (MA), multicathode current collector (MC), external resistance). The anaerobic decaffeination and COD removal improved by 37 and 12% as the HRT extended from 1 to 5 d. The increment in contact time between the microbes and organic substrates promoted the degradation and contributed to higher power output (3.

Evaluating the use of fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography in the workup of Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia: a cost-utility analysis.

Objectives: The use of positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in the evaluation of patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia can improve the diagnosis of infectious foci and guide clinical management. We aimed to evaluate the cost-utility of PET/CT among adults hospitalized with Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia.

Methods: A cost-utility analysis was conducted from the healthcare payer perspective using a probabilistic Markov cohort model assessing three diagnostic strategies: (a) PET/CT in all patients, (b) PET/CT in high-risk patients only, and (c) routine diagnostic workup.

Cost-effectiveness of adding empagliflozin to the standard of care for patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction from the perspective of healthcare system in Malaysia.

The aim of this study was to determine the cost-effectiveness of adding empagliflozin to the standard of care SoC alone for the treatment of patients with heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction (HFEF) from the perspective of the Ministry of Health of Malaysia. A cohort-based transition-state model, with health states defined as Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire Clinical Summary Score (KCCQ-CSS) quartiles and death, was used to determine the lifetime direct medical costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) for both treatment groups. The risks of all-cause death, cardiovascular death, and health state utilities were estimated from the EMPEROR-Reduced trial.

Unearth of small open reading frames (sORFs) in drought stress transcriptome of Oryza sativa subsp. indica.

Drought is a major abiotic stress that influences rice production. Although the transcriptomic data of rice against drought is widely available, the regulation of small open reading frames (sORFs) in response to drought stress in rice is yet to be investigated. Different levels of drought stress have different regulatory mechanisms in plants.

Resolution of Secondary Hyperparathyroidism After Kidney Transplantation and the Effect on Graft Survival.

Objective: Hyperparathyroidism (HPT) is nearly universal in patients with end-stage kidney disease. Kidney transplantation (KT) reverses HPT in many patients, but most studies have only focused on following calcium and not parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels. We sought to study the prevalence of persistent HPT post-KT at our center and its effect on graft survival.

Digitization of natural history collections: A guideline and nationwide capacity building workshop in Malaysia.

Natural history museum collections are the most important sources of information on the present and past biodiversity of our planet. Most of the information is primarily stored in analogue form, and digitization of the collections can provide further open access to the images and specimen data to address the many global challenges. However, many museums do not digitize their collections because of constraints on budgets, human resources, and technologies.

Aeromedical Transportation of the Critically Ill Cardiac Patient: In-flight Considerations and Management.

The aeromedical transportation (AMT) of critically ill cardiac patients can enable access to advanced specialized medical attention, or provide improved care for operational, psychosocial, political, or economic reasons. However, AMT is a complex undertaking necessitating extensive clinical, operational, administrative, and logistical planning to ensure that the patient receives an equivalent level of critical care monitoring and management in the air as on the ground. This paper is the second of a 2-part series.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of the Culturally Developed Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support Program among Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients in Iraq.

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic disease associated with a major economic burden on persons, health care systems, and countries. Diabetes self-management education and support (DSME(S)) programs are highly effective method in the management of T2DM patients. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the cost-effectiveness of the developed culturally-specific DSME(S) program regarding glycemic control, lipid profile, and body weight for Iraqi type 2 DM patients.

Risk factors for disease severity among children with Covid-19: a clinical prediction model.

Background: Children account for a significant proportion of COVID-19 hospitalizations, but data on the predictors of disease severity in children are limited. We aimed to identify risk factors associated with moderate/severe COVID-19 and develop a nomogram for predicting children with moderate/severe COVID-19.

Methods: We identified children ≤ 12 years old hospitalized for COVID-19 across five hospitals in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia, from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2021 from the state's pediatric COVID-19 case registration system.

Mindfulness-based therapy for smoking cessation and mental health: a randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Effective smoking cessation programmes are essential for assisting smokers in quitting, indirectly lowering mortality and morbidity associated with smoking. Numerous studies have indicated positive outcomes when using mindfulness treatment (MT) to treat psychological or behavioural health issues. Although to date, no study has looked at the effectiveness of online MT for quitting smoking while addressing mental health, particularly among the Asian population.

Modulation of lncRNA links endothelial glycocalyx to vascular dysfunction of tyrosine kinase inhibitor.

Aims: Novel cancer therapies leading to increased survivorship of cancer patients have been negated by a concomitant rise in cancer therapies-related cardiovascular toxicities. Sunitinib, a first line multi-receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, has been reported to cause vascular dysfunction although the initiating mechanisms contributing to this side effect remain unknown. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging regulators of biological processes in endothelial cells (ECs); however, their roles in cancer therapies-related vascular toxicities remain underexplored.

Differential roles of insulin receptor in adipocyte progenitor cells in mice.

The development of white adipose tissue (WAT) occurs during distinct embryonic and postnatal stages, and it is subsequently maintained throughout life. However, the specific mediators and mechanisms responsible for WAT development during different phases remain unclear. In this study, we investigate the role of the insulin receptor (IR) in regulating adipogenesis and adipocyte function within adipocyte progenitor cells (APCs) during WAT development and homeostasis.

Models, theoretical design and formal evaluation of integrated specialist community health service provision for the first 2000 days: a scoping review.

Objective: This scoping review identifies evidence for design, models and evaluation of integrated care service provision for families and children in the first 2000 days, in the context of community-based specialised health, education and welfare services.

Design: Scoping review following the Joanna Briggs scoping review method.

Data Sources: Medline, CINAHL, Cochrane and PsycINFO.

Cancer incidence and mortality in Brunei Darussalam, 2011 to 2020.

This study presents the trends of age-standardised incidence and mortality rates of common cancers in Brunei Darussalam from 2011 to 2020. All cancer cases diagnosed among Brunei Darussalam citizens and permanent residents in the period 2011 to 2020 were included in the study. De-identified data were provided by the CanReg5 based BDCR, Ministry of Health Brunei Darussalam.