Leptin-induced increase in blood pressure and markers of endothelial activation during pregnancy in Sprague Dawley rats is prevented by resibufogenin, a marinobufagenin antagonist.

Levels of leptin and marinobufagenin (MBG), a cardiotonic steroid, are elevated in the serum of women with pre-eclampsia. Besides this, leptin administration to pregnant rats increases systolic blood pressure (SBP), urinary protein excretion and serum markers of endothelial activation. The link between leptin and MBG is unknown and it is also unclear if leptin-induced increases in blood pressure and proteinuria in the pregnant rat could be prevented by an MBG antagonist.

Magnesium acetyltaurate protects against endothelin-1 induced RGC loss by reducing neuroinflammation in Sprague dawley rats.

Endothelin-1 (ET-1), a potent vasoconstrictor, plays a significant role in the pathophysiology of ocular conditions like glaucoma. Glaucoma is characterized by apoptotic loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and loss of visual fields and is a leading cause of irreversible blindness. In glaucomatous eyes, retinal ischemia causes release of pro-inflammatory mediators such as interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and promotes activation of transcription factors such as nuclear factor kappa B (NFKB) and c-Jun.

Adult entero-enteric intussusception secondary to lipoma.

Diagnostic imaging methods are normally required to make the preoperative diagnosis of adult intussusception. Furthermore, it helps to define the location and nature of the associated mass as lead point if present. Lipoma may appear as lesion of fat attenuation expressed in Hounsfield unit on CT scan.

Post mortem computed tomography (PMCT) guided lung biopsy: A preliminary case report.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a highly infectious disease on the rise caused by the organism Mycobacterium tuberculosis and health care workers working in emergency departments, medical wards and autopsy rooms are in danger of contacting this disease. We present a case of a 42 year old man found dead under a pedestrian bridge with no medical history available. Post mortem computed tomography showed multiple cavities involving upper lobes of both lungs and areas of consolidation in both lung fields raising the suspicion of pulmonary tuberculosis.

Idiopathic Thyroid Abscess - A Rare Occurrence.

Thyroid abscesses are rare as the gland has a rich blood supply, well-developed capsule and is high in iodine. However, clinicians must be aware of this fact and make an early diagnosis as it can lead to serious morbidity if left untreated. Infection may involve one or both lobes of the thyroid gland, although the left lobe is more often affected and is successfully treated with surgery and antibiotics.

Prevalence, intensity and associated risk factors of soil transmitted helminth infections: A comparison between Negritos (indigenous) in inland jungle and those in resettlement at town peripheries.

Background: Formerly known as the Malaysian hunter gatherers, the Negrito Orang Asli (OA) were heavily dependent on the forest for sustenance and early studies indicated high prevalence of intestinal parasitism. Initiation of a redevelopment program in the 1970s aimed to demarginalize the OA was expected to reduce soil transmitted helminth (STH) infections. Gradually, the OA were relocated to new resettlement areas at the peripheries.

Relapsing encephalopathy with dancing eyes and jerky limbs.

We report a case of relapsing-remitting opsoclonus-myoclonus-ataxia syndrome (OMAS) in a patient with Hashimoto's encephalopathy, diagnosed after comprehensive evaluation. OMAS as a manifestation of Hashimoto's encephalopathy has been reported once previously. It is hoped that recognition of this entity and early initiation of immunotherapy will improve clinical outcomes for patients.

Periadrenal inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour: half a decade before cure.

A 30-year-old ex-smoker with a background history of childhood asthma presented with worsening shortness of breath despite receiving high doses of oral corticosteroid for pemphigus vulgaris which was diagnosed 5 years earlier. A high-resolution CT examination of the thorax reported non-specific bronchiectatic changes and revealed an incidental suprarenal mass. A subsequent CT scan confirmed a large adrenal mass with areas of necrosis and calcification.

Removal of As(iii) and As(v) from water using green, silica-based ceramic hollow fibre membranes direct contact membrane distillation.

Arsenite [As(iii)] and arsenate [As(v)] removal by direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) using novel hydrophobic green, silica-based ceramic hollow fibre membranes derived from agricultural rice husk was investigated in this work. The green ceramic hollow fibre membranes were prepared from amorphous (ASHFM) and crystalline (CSHFM) silica-based rice husk ash and modified to be hydrophobic immersion fluoroalkylsilane (FAS) grafting of 1,1,2,2-perfluorodecyltriethoxysilane. Superhydrophobic contact angle values up to 157° and 161° were obtained for ASHFM and CSHFM, respectively.

Taurine protects against NMDA-induced retinal damage by reducing retinal oxidative stress.

This study aimed to evaluate effect of TAU on NMDA-induced changes in retinal redox status, retinal cell apoptosis and retinal morphology in Sprague-Dawley rats. Taurine was injected intravitreally as pre-, co- or post-treatment with NMDA and 7 days post-treatment retinae were processed for estimation of oxidative stress, retinal morphology using H&E staining and retinal cell apoptosis using TUNEL staining. Treatment with TAU, particularly pre-treatment, significantly increased retinal glutathione, superoxide dismutase and catalase levels compared to NMDA-treated rats; whereas, the levels of malondialdehyde reduced significantly.

Genetic polymorphism and natural selection in the C-terminal 42 kDa region of merozoite surface protein-1 (MSP-1) among Plasmodium knowlesi samples from Malaysia.

Background: The merozoite surface protein-1 (MSP-1) gene encodes for a leading malaria vaccine candidate antigen. However, its extensive polymorphic nature represents a major obstacle to the development of a protective vaccine. Previously, a pilot study was carried out to explore the sequence variation of the C-terminal 42 kDa fragment within P.

Highly adsorptive oxidized starch nanoparticles for efficient urea removal.

Portable dialysis is a need to implement daily and nocturnal hemodialysis. To realize portable dialysis, a dialysate regeneration system comprising superior adsorbents is required to regenerate the used dialysate. This study aims to develop a nano-adsorbent, derived from corn starch for urea removal.

Taurine protects against retinal and optic nerve damage induced by endothelin-1 in rats antioxidant effects.

Endothelin-1 (ET-1), a potent vasoconstrictor, is involved in retinal vascular dysregulation and oxidative stress in glaucomatous eyes. Taurine (TAU), a naturally occurring free amino acid, is known for its neuroprotective and antioxidant properties. Hence, we evaluated its neuroprotective properties against ET-1 induced retinal and optic nerve damage.

Three-dimensional pharyngeal airway changes in dento-skeletal class II patients after two-jaw orthognathic surgery with segmentation - a pilot study.

Purpose: To investigate short- and long-term post-surgical three-dimensional changes of pharyngeal airway morphology and hyoid bone position in dento-skeletal class II deformity patients after two-jaw surgery with segmentation.

Methods: Relations between skeletal movement, hyoid bone position and three-dimensional pharyngeal airway changes were retrospectively analyzed on pre- and post-surgical CBCTs in dento-skeletal class II patients who underwent orthognathic two-jaw surgery with segmentation.

Results: While long-term significant reductions in length (P= 0.

Protective effect of magnesium acetyltaurate and taurine against NMDA-induced retinal damage involves reduced nitrosative stress.

Purpose: Retinal nitrosative stress associated with altered expression of nitric oxide synthases (NOS) plays an important role in excitotoxic retinal ganglion cell loss in glaucoma. The present study evaluated the effects of magnesium acetyltaurate (MgAT) on changes induced by N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) in the retinal expression of three NOS isoforms, retinal 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT) levels, and the extent of retinal cell apoptosis in rats. Effects of MgAT with taurine (TAU) alone were compared to understand the benefits of a combined salt of Mg and TAU.

Effect of Magnesium Acetyltaurate and Taurine on Endothelin1-Induced Retinal Nitrosative Stress in Rats.

Purpose: Retinal ganglion cell apoptosis in glaucoma is associated with elevated levels of endothelin-1 (ET1), a potent vasoconstrictor. ET1-induced retinal ischemia leads to altered expression of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) isoforms leading to increased formation of nitric oxide (NO) and retinal nitrosative stress. Since magnesium (Mg) is known to improve endothelial functions and reduce oxidative stress and taurine (TAU) possesses potent antioxidant properties, we investigated the protective effects of magnesium acetyltaurate (MgAT) against ET1-induced nitrosative stress and retinal damage in rats.

Orthognathic Relevant Scales of FACE-Q: Translation and Validation for Hong Kong Chinese Patients.

Background: A validated questionnaire is needed to study a more holistic outcome assessment including postsurgical aesthetic satisfaction and psychosocial changes in orthognathic patients. The aim of this study was to determine the reliability and validity of 9 orthognathically relevant translated FACE-Q scales among Hong Kong Chinese orthognathic patients.

Methods: Two hundred fifty adult Cantonese-speaking patients of 18 years or older who underwent orthognathic treatment were recruited in the Prince Philip Dental Hospital of Hong Kong.

Genomic characterization of a new endophytic identifies biosynthetic pathway gene clusters for novel phenazine antibiotic production.

Background: are well known for their capability to produce many bioactive secondary metabolites with medical and industrial importance. Here we report a novel bioactive phenazine compound, 6-((2-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenoxy) carbonyl) phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (HCPCA) extracted from , an endophyte isolated from the ethnomedicinal

Methods: The HCPCA chemical structure was determined using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. We conducted whole genome sequencing for the identification of the gene cluster(s) believed to be responsible for phenazine biosynthesis in order to map its corresponding pathway, in addition to bioinformatics analysis to assess the potential of in producing other useful secondary metabolites.

Effects of mandibular setback with or without maxillary advancement osteotomies on pharyngeal airways: An overview of systematic reviews.

Background: Mandibular setback osteotomies potentially lead to narrowing of the pharyngeal airways, subsequently resulting in post-surgical obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Objective: To summarize current evidence from systematic reviews that has evaluated pharyngeal airway changes after mandibular setback with or without concomitant upper jaw osteotomies.

Methodology: PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were searched with no restriction of language or date.

How does mandibular advancement with or without maxillary procedures affect pharyngeal airways? An overview of systematic reviews.

Background: Mandibular advancement surgery may positively affect pharyngeal airways and therefore potentially beneficial to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Objective: To collect evidence from published systematic reviews that have evaluated pharyngeal airway changes related to mandibular advancement with or without maxillary procedures.

Methodology: PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library were searched without limiting language or timeline.

Tobacco control environment: cross-sectional survey of policy implementation, social unacceptability, knowledge of tobacco health harms and relationship to quit ratio in 17 low-income, middle-income and high-income countries.

Objectives: This study examines in a cross-sectional study 'the tobacco control environment' including tobacco policy implementation and its association with quit ratio.

Setting: 545 communities from 17 high-income, upper-middle, low-middle and low-income countries (HIC, UMIC, LMIC, LIC) involved in the Environmental Profile of a Community's Health (EPOCH) study from 2009 to 2014.

Participants: Community audits and surveys of adults (35-70 years, n=12 953).