Publications by authors named "Sharon Chan"

Benthic dinoflagellates constitute a group of microalgae that inhabit the ocean floor, adhering to substrates such as coral, seagrasses, and sand. Certain species within this group have the potential to produce toxins. Ocean warming could increase the occurrence of harmful benthic dinoflagellate blooms, which pose a significant threat to coastal ecosystems in tropical and subtropical regions.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Kelp forests and urchin barrens are two stable states in rocky reef ecosystems, each providing unique ecosystem functions like habitat for marine species and primary production. While studies frequently show that kelp forests support higher levels of some ecosystem functions than urchin barren habitats, no research has yet compared average differences. To address this gap, we first conducted a meta-analysis of studies that directly compared the ecosystem functions, services and general attributes provided by each habitat.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Sarcopenia appears to be associated with inferior outcomes in surgical conditions. Chronic systemic inflammation confers an inferior long-term prognosis in cardiovascular disease and is associated with the development of sarcopenia. The aim of this study was to describe the prognostic role of sarcopenia assessed using computed tomography (CT)-derived body composition analysis and systemic inflammation in patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy for symptomatic carotid stenosis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Many cancer-driving protein targets remain undruggable due to a lack of binding molecular scaffolds. In this regard, octahedral metal complexes with unique and versatile three-dimensional structures have rarely been explored as inhibitors of undruggable protein targets. Here, we describe antitumor iridium(III) pyridinium-N-heterocyclic carbene complex , which profoundly reduces the viability of lung and breast cancer cells as well as cancer patient-derived organoids at low micromolar concentrations.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Existing evidence of returning-to-work (RTW) after cancer comes predominately from Western settings, with none prospectively examined since the initial diagnostic phase. This study prospectively documents RTW-rate, time-to-RTW, work productivity loss, and activity impairment, within the first-year post-surgery among Chinese women with breast cancer (BCW) and identify potential causal co-variants.

Methods: This observational longitudinal study followed 371 Chinese BCW who were employed/self-employed at the time of diagnosis at 4-week post-surgery (baseline).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Metastatic porocarcinomas (PCs) are vanishingly rare, highly aggressive skin adnexal tumors with mortality rates exceeding 70%. Their rarity has precluded the understanding of their disease pathogenesis, let alone the conduct of clinical trials to evaluate treatment strategies. There are no effective agents for unresectable PCs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

As an easily spoiled source of valuable proteins and lipids, fish is preserved by fermentation in many cultures. Over time, diverse types of products have been produced from fish fermentation aside from whole fish, such as fermented fish paste and sauces. The consumption of fermented fish products has been shown to improve both physical and mental health due to the composition of the products.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

With the global emergence of drug-resistant bacteria causing difficult-to-treat infections, there is an urgent need for a tool to facilitate studies on key virulence and antimicrobial resistant factors. Mass spectrometry (MS) has contributed substantially to the elucidation of the structure-function relationships of lipid A, the endotoxic component of lipopolysaccharide which also serves as an important protective barrier against antimicrobials. Here, we present LipidA-IDER, an automated structure annotation tool for system-level scale identification of lipid A from high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry (MS) data.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Preserving fresh food, such as meat, is significant in the effort of combating global food scarcity. Meat drying is a common way of preserving meat with a rich history in many cultures around the globe. In modern days, dried meat has become a well enjoyed food product in the market because of its long shelf-life, taste and health benefits.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Fish is a good source of nutrients, although it is easily spoiled. As such, drying is a common method of preserving fish to compensate for its perishability. Dried fish exists in different cultures with varying types of fish used and drying methods.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: There is widespread agreement that the integration of cessation services in lung cancer screening (LCS) is essential for achieving the full benefits of LCS with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT). There is a formidable knowledge gap about how to best design feasible, effective, and scalable cessation services in LCS facilities. A collective of NCI-funded clinical trials addressing this gap is the Smoking Cessation at Lung Examination (SCALE) Collaboration.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Language proficiency is crucial for doctors as they communicate with patients, peers and other healthcare professionals. Although proficiency in English is part of admission requirements, there is a gap in the knowledge of medical students' perception of factors enhancing English language (EL) skills during training in international medical programmes (IMPs). The gap prevents educators and policy makers from helping students who struggle with communication skills during medical training.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Here, we report the genome sequence of Enterobacter hormaechei subsp. strain BEI01, originally deposited as a member of the Enterobacter cloacae complex. The genome is 4,900,246 bp in size with a GC content of 55.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The draft genome sequences of 21 isolates obtained from poultry production chains in Hat Yai City, Songkhla Province, Thailand, are reported in this study. Our study revealed that there was environmental contamination along poultry production chains and cross-contamination among poultry through inanimate surfaces in the environment.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Mosquito-borne flaviviruses are emerging pathogens of an increasing global public health concern because of their rapid increase in geographical range and the impact of climate change. Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) and West Nile virus (WNV) are of concern because of the risk of reemergence and introduction by migratory birds. In Singapore, human WNV infection has never been reported and human JEV infection is rare.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

MAPK pathway mutations affect one-fifth of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Unexpectedly, MAPK pathway aberrations are associated with remarkably long patient survival, even among patients with mutations (median ∼14 yr). We explored underlying outcome-favoring mechanisms with omics followed by preclinical models.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Bats are important reservoirs and vectors in the transmission of emerging infectious diseases. Many highly pathogenic viruses such as SARS-CoV and rabies-related lyssaviruses have crossed species barriers to infect humans and other animals. In this study we monitored the major roost sites of bats in Singapore, and performed surveillance for zoonotic pathogens in these bats.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We assessed the transfer effects of training working memory strategies to a novel problem-solving task. Previous WM training studies have produced little evidence for transfer across contexts. In the current study, 64 6- to 9-year-olds were randomly assigned to one of four training conditions: semantic and rehearsal training, semantic training only, rehearsal training only, and treated control group.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Singapore used to report an annual average of 14 cases of Japanese encephalitis, but ever since the abolishment of pig farms in the early 1990s, the local incidence rate for Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) infections has reduced drastically. Studies done in the early 2000s demonstrated the presence of JEV-specific antibodies in animals such as wild boars, dogs, chickens and goats on the offshore island and peripheral parts of the Singapore, indicative of prior JEV exposure. A JEV wildlife and sentinel chicken surveillance system was initiated in 2010 through to 2017 to study the animal host seroprofiles.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Past research has demonstrated that young children and nonhuman animals are able to reason by elimination ("If not A, then B") by relying on visual cues such as seeing that one container is empty. Other research has shown that young children can solve similar, simple inferential reasoning tasks where "emptiness" is conveyed verbally through negation (e.g.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Avian pox is a highly contagious avian disease, yet relatively little is known about the epidemiology and transmission of Avipoxviruses. Using a molecular approach, we report evidence for a potential link between birds and field-caught mosquitoes in the transmission of Fowlpox virus (FWPV) in Singapore. Comparison of fpv167 (P4b), fpv126 (VLTF-1), fpv175-176 (A11R-A12L) and fpv140 (H3L) gene sequences revealed close relatedness between FWPV strains obtained from cutaneous lesions of a chicken and four pools of Culex pseudovishnui, Culex spp.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Incisional hernia is not an uncommon complication after abdominal operation, and laparoscopic ventral hernia repair with mesh is commonly performed nowadays. It is thought to have less complication compare to the traditional open repair, yet late complication is still observed occasionally and can be disastrous.

Case Report: We hereby report a case of abdominal wall necrotizing fasciitis 21 months after laparoscopic incisional hernia repair in lower midline with dual mesh, due to mesh migration and erosion into urinary bladder, resulting in fistulation between bladder and abdominal wall.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The development of novel luminescent iridium(III) complexes with highly tunable emission energy and versatile applications is of particular importance. In this Communication, a series of luminescent iridium(III) complexes supported by chromophoric pyridinium-derived N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands that display tunable emission from 516 to 682 nm were prepared. These complexes can be used as photocatalysts in photooxidation and photoreduction reactions and could have potential applications in pH sensing.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF