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615 results on '"Ng SK"'

1. Detecting and diagnosing incipient building faults using uncertainty information from deep neural networks

Author

Jin, B, Li, D, Srinivasan, S, Ng, SK, Poolla, K, and Sangiovanni-Vincentelli, A

Subjects
cs.LG, cs.SY, stat.ML
Abstract

Early detection of incipient faults is of vital importance to reducing maintenance costs, saving energy, and enhancing occupant comfort in buildings. Popular supervised learning models such as deep neural networks are considered promising due to their ability to directly learn from labeled fault data; however, it is known that the performance of supervised learning approaches highly relies on the availability and quality of labeled training data. In Fault Detection and Diagnosis (FDD) applications, the lack of labeled incipient fault data has posed a major challenge to applying these supervised learning techniques to commercial buildings. To overcome this challenge, this paper proposes using Monte Carlo dropout (MC-dropout) to enhance the supervised learning pipeline, so that the resulting neural network is able to detect and diagnose unseen incipient fault examples. We also examine the proposed MC-dropout method on the RP-1043 dataset to demonstrate its effectiveness in indicating the most likely incipient fault types.

Published
2019

2. Papular angiolymphoid hyperplasia and lymphoplasmacytic plaque: a clinical and histological spectrum

Author

Yeo, YW, Oon, HH, Lee, JS, Pan, JY, Mok, YJ, and Ng, SK

Subjects
angiolymphoid hyperplasia, pseudolymphoma, angiokeratoma
Abstract

Acral pseudolymphomatous angiokeratoma of children (APACHE) is a rare form of cutaneous pseudolymphoma characterized byangiomatous papules with a predilection for the acral regions of children. Classically, a dense dermal lymphocytic infiltrate composed of both T and B cells is seen in histological specimens, together with prominent vessels lined by plump endothelial cells. Increasing evidence suggests that this condition is neither necessarily acral, pseudolymphomatous, nor angiokeratomatous. It may not always be a pediatric disease. Therefore, the correctness of its nomenclature has been questioned. Herein, we report threecases whose clinical and histological features were consistent with the diagnosis of APACHE. To our knowledge, this is the first report of APACHE from Southeast Asia. We also discuss why we believe “APACHE” to be a misnomer and support “papular angiolymphoid hyperplasia” as a more accurate and encompassing term. In addition, we illustrate a case with significant overlapping features with lymphoplasmacytic plaque in children, suggesting that both entities may exist on a clinical andhistological spectrum.

Published
2016

3. The determinants of growth failure in children under five in 25 low- and middle-income countries.

Author

Jiang, S, Sung, J, Sawhney, R, Cai, J, Xu, H, Ng, SK, Sun, J, Jiang, S, Sung, J, Sawhney, R, Cai, J, Xu, H, Ng, SK, and Sun, J

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Past studies have identified determinants of growth failure (GF) such as socio-economic, nutritional, parenting, and inequality factors. However, few studies investigate the numerous causes of GF across multiple countries. By analysing the data of children under five in 25 low and middle-income countries, this study aims to examine the correlations of determinants with GF to identify the strongest modifiable risk factors. METHODS: Cross-sectional study design was used, and data were collected across 25 LMICs by the United Nations Children's Fund in 2019. Regions and households were randomly selected in participating LMICs. The four outcome measures were stunting, wasting, underweight and low body mass index (BMI). RESULTS: Multilevel analysis was performed to identify the impact of country, suburb, and household levels on the variance of outcome variables. GF measures were significantly correlated with low gross domestic product (GDP) per capita (odds ratio (OR) = 2.482), rural areas (OR = 1.223), lack of health insurance (OR = 1.474), low maternal education (OR = 2.260), lack of plain water (OR = 1.402), poor maternal physical caregiving ability (OR = 1.112), low carbohydrate consumption (OR = 1.470), and continued breastfeeding in children >12 months old (OR = 0.802). CONCLUSIONS: By identifying key GF risk factors, this study may provide valuable insights for policymaking and interventions. This may allow the prioritisation of resources within countries for preventative measures to be developed.

Published
2023

5. A biomimicry approach to automation of road feature surveys

Author

Ng, SK

Abstract

Australia's road network is a very significant capital asset created by progressive investment over several decades, and is integral to the social and economic performance of the nation. Physical elements of the road infrastructure are numerous and include surfacing, bridges, lighting, signs and line-markings. Road condition assessment is critical to optimisation of both road performance and public investment strategies. Road condition data are of fundamental importance if a road owner is to demonstrate that best practice road management is being followed in line with investment and budgetary constraints. Road surveys that are able to quickly and efficiently identify features and assess their condition are therefore keystones of an effective road asset management system. Manual visual surveys are subjective and expensive, while digital imagery and off-the-shelf computer hardware and software packages have the potential to carry out image analysis in real time. This in turn has triggered a surge of interest in the possibility of automating road survey systems. Efforts to date have stopped short of producing such survey systems. This research was motivated by a desire to understand why this is so, and to explore the way forward. The thesis therefore starts with a general review of the current condition of road assets in Australia, and the manual and semi-automated road condition survey systems widely used by asset managers. The key problems appear to be the difficulties in producing survey systems for quite different applications and survey conditions. Biomimicry suggests that a way forward might be to identify a generic system design, rather than seek to develop a single do-all survey system. The thesis then examines the suite of image processing and artificial intelligence tools, including expert systems and neural networks, that have become available to help automate such surveys. A generic design approach is proposed to develop automated road feature and condition survey systems, together with design application principles that are also largely inspired by biomimicry. The three principal system components are: 1. Image acquisition, which mimics the work of the eyes. 2. Image processing that parallels the work of the visual cortex. 3. Feature recognition and condition assessment that mimic the cognitive aspects of a human brain, notably its biological neural networks. Analysis of the survey results, if necessary, constitutes a fourth system component. This often involves consideration of context and/or aggregation of information into one or more overall road condition indicators. Expert rule systems are ideally suited to such tasks. A two-stage survey development process is proposed. First, a basic survey system is developed which performs well under ideal survey conditions, with the goal of understanding and establishing the fundamental aspects of the survey system. Next, an extended survey system is developed that can handle the more complex, non-ideal survey environments that must be addressed in an actual survey of a long stretch of rural highway. The extended survey system development process starts by examining the performance problems of a basic survey system applied to the more challenging survey conditions. The system design is illustrated by case studies of guidepost counting and centrelinemarking condition assessment. The satisfactory performance of the basic automated systems for these applications is demonstrated using typical sections of road. An extended system for guidepost counting is then produced and its performance examined on a survey of the Midland Highway in Tasmania. The thesis concludes by discussing how best to develop these automated systems into an operational tool through trials carried out in association with local government and road authorities. Case studies are presented to demonstrate the basic survey system development process applied to guidepost counting and to evaluate centreline-marking condition. The approach to developing an extended survey system is demonstrated to produce an improved guidepost survey system able to deal with changing ambient light conditions. The satisfactory performance of this extended system under non-ideal conditions is confirmed via a 50 km field trial on a section of the national highway in Tasmania.

Published
2023
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6. Examining resting-state functional connectivity in key hubs of the default mode network in chronic low back pain

Author

Ng, SK, Urquhart, DM, Fitzgerald, PB, Cicuttini, FM, Kirkovski, Melissa, Maller, JJ, Enticott, Peter, Rossell, SL, Fitzgibbon, BM, Ng, SK, Urquhart, DM, Fitzgerald, PB, Cicuttini, FM, Kirkovski, Melissa, Maller, JJ, Enticott, Peter, Rossell, SL, and Fitzgibbon, BM

Abstract

Abstract Objectives Changes in brain connectivity have been observed within the default mode network (DMN) in chronic low back pain (CLBP), however the extent of these disruptions and how they may be related to CLBP requires further examination. While studies using seed-based analysis have found disrupted functional connectivity in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), a major hub of the DMN, limited studies have investigated other equally important hubs, such as the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) in CLBP. Methods This preliminary study comprised 12 individuals with CLBP and 12 healthy controls who completed a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan. The mPFC and PCC were used as seeds to assess functional connectivity. Results Both groups displayed similar patterns of DMN connectivity, however group comparisons showed that CLBP group had reduced connectivity between the PCC and angular gyrus compared to healthy controls. An exploratory analysis examined whether the alterations observed in mPFC and PCC connectivity were related to pain catastrophizing in CLBP, but no significant associations were observed. Conclusions These results may suggest alterations in the PCC are apparent in CLBP, however, the impact and functional role of these disruptions require further investigation.

Published
2021

7. Retaining volunteers for the cause: Hope and pride associated with cause-related charity events in cancer control

Author

Legg, M, Hyde, MK, Chambers, SK, Ng, SK, Scuffham, P, Stein, K, Dunn, J, Legg, M, Hyde, MK, Chambers, SK, Ng, SK, Scuffham, P, Stein, K, and Dunn, J

Abstract

Special charity events are an important source of revenue for non-profit organisations in cancer control yet volunteering is declining and turnover is high. Experiences at cause-related events may influence retention, particularly emotions connected to the cause and ceremonies which honour cancer survivors and remember loved ones. We explore the degree to which emotions associated with cause-related volunteering and collective action in the literature are felt in response to Relay For Life and what emotions predict three indicators of retention: intention to return for future events, satisfaction with volunteering, and organisational commitment. Volunteers (n = 410) completed a cross-sectional survey at Relay For Life events in Queensland, Australia. Multiple regression analyses examined whether emotions associated with events predicted each indicator of retention, adjusting for number of years spent volunteering for events. Sixty-two percent reported an intention to return the following year. The most commonly reported event-related emotions were hope, pride, and empathy (62–69%). Intention to return, satisfaction, and commitment were each significantly predicted by hope and pride. The findings suggest special charity events in cancer control could retain volunteers by fostering pride and hope (e.g., for a cancer free future); however, future prospective research which examines the mechanisms of these relationships is warranted.

Published
2021

8. Designing Organisational Management Frameworks to Empower Episodic Volunteering

Author

Dunn, J, Scuffham, P, Hyde, MK, Stein, K, Zajdlewicz, L, Savage, A, Heneka, N, Ng, SK, Chambers, SK, Dunn, J, Scuffham, P, Hyde, MK, Stein, K, Zajdlewicz, L, Savage, A, Heneka, N, Ng, SK, and Chambers, SK

Abstract

© 2020, International Society for Third-Sector Research. Volunteers are a critical operational resource for not-for-profit organisations in the health and welfare sector. However, trends towards episodic volunteering may be a source of disruption. This study examined contemporary management beliefs and practices about episodic volunteers in the sector. A cross-sectional online survey with 186 managers and coordinators of episodic volunteers across North America and the Asia Pacific examined organisational values and beliefs about volunteers; perceived benefits and challenges of working with episodic volunteers; volunteering management. Episodic volunteers were highly beneficial to organisational profile, mission, service profile, and cost savings. Challenges include matching recruitment to workplace and skill needs; lack of paid staff to supervise and train volunteers and inadequate administrative support. There is a disjunct between the perceived value provided to the not-for-profit sector by episodic volunteers and the extent to which episodic volunteering is supported through organisational training and management practices.

Published
2021

9. A bivariate joint frailty model with mixture framework for survival analysis of recurrent events with dependent censoring and cure fraction

Author

Tawiah, R, McLachlan, GJ, Ng, SK, Tawiah, R, McLachlan, GJ, and Ng, SK

Abstract

In the study of multiple failure time data with recurrent clinical endpoints, the classical independent censoring assumption in survival analysis can be violated when the evolution of the recurrent events is correlated with a censoring mechanism such as death. Moreover, in some situations, a cure fraction appears in the data because a tangible proportion of the study population benefits from treatment and becomes recurrence free and insusceptible to death related to the disease. A bivariate joint frailty mixture cure model is proposed to allow for dependent censoring and cure fraction in recurrent event data. The latency part of the model consists of two intensity functions for the hazard rates of recurrent events and death, wherein a bivariate frailty is introduced by means of the generalized linear mixed model methodology to adjust for dependent censoring. The model allows covariates and frailties in both the incidence and the latency parts, and it further accounts for the possibility of cure after each recurrence. It includes the joint frailty model and other related models as special cases. An expectation-maximization (EM)-type algorithm is developed to provide residual maximum likelihood estimation of model parameters. Through simulation studies, the performance of the model is investigated under different magnitudes of dependent censoring and cure rate. The model is applied to data sets from two colorectal cancer studies to illustrate its practical value.

Published
2020

12. Multilevel model with random effects for clustered survival data with multiple failure outcomes

Author

Tawiah, R, Yau, KKW, McLachlan, GJ, Chambers, SK, Ng, SK, Tawiah, R, Yau, KKW, McLachlan, GJ, Chambers, SK, and Ng, SK

Abstract

© 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. We present a multilevel frailty model for handling serial dependence and simultaneous heterogeneity in survival data with a multilevel structure attributed to clustering of subjects and the presence of multiple failure outcomes. One commonly observes such data, for example, in multi-institutional, randomized placebo-controlled trials in which patients suffer repeated episodes (eg, recurrent migraines) of the disease outcome being measured. The model extends the proportional hazards model by incorporating a random covariate and unobservable random institution effect to respectively account for treatment-by-institution interaction and institutional variation in the baseline risk. Moreover, a random effect term with correlation structure driven by a first-order autoregressive process is attached to the model to facilitate estimation of between patient heterogeneity and serial dependence. By means of the generalized linear mixed model methodology, the random effects distribution is assumed normal and the residual maximum likelihood and the maximum likelihood methods are extended for estimation of model parameters. Simulation studies are carried out to evaluate the performance of the residual maximum likelihood and the maximum likelihood estimators and to assess the impact of misspecifying random effects distribution on the proposed inference. We demonstrate the practical feasibility of the modeling methodology by analyzing real data from a double-blind randomized multi-institutional clinical trial, designed to examine the effect of rhDNase on the occurrence of respiratory exacerbations among patients with cystic fibrosis.

Published
2019

13. Prognostic model to predict postoperative acute kidney injury in patients undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery based on a national prospective observational cohort study

Author

Nepogodiev, D, Walker, K, Glasbey, JC, Drake, TM, Borakati, A, Kamarajah, S, McLean, K, Khatri, C, Arulkumaran, N, Harrison, EM, Fitzgerald, JE, Cromwell, D, Prowle, J, Bhangu, A, Bath, MF, Claireaux, HA, Gundogan, B, Mohan, M, Deekonda, P, Kong, C, Joyce, H, Mcnamee, L, Woin, E, Burke, J, Bell, S, Duthie, F, Hughes, J, Pinkney, TD, Richards, T, Thomas, M, Dynes, K, Patel, P, Wigley, C, Suresh, R, Shaw, A, Klimach, S, Jull, P, Evans, D, Preece, R, Ibrahim, I, Manikavasagar, V, Brown, FS, Teo, R, Sim, DPY, Logan, AE, Barai, I, Amin, H, Suresh, S, Sethi, R, Bolton, W, Corbridge, O, Horne, L, Attalla, M, Morley, R, Hoskins, T, McAllister, R, Lee, S, Dennis, Y, Nixon, G, Heywood, E, Wilson, H, Ng, L, Samaraweera, S, Mills, A, Doherty, C, Belchos, J, Phan, V, Chouari, T, Gardner, T, Goergen, N, Hayes, JDB, MacLeod, CS, McCormack, R, McKinley, A, McKinstry, S, Milligan, W, Ooi, L, Rafiq, NM, Sammut, T, Sinclair, E, Smith, M, Baker, C, Boulton, APR, Collins, J, Copley, HC, Fearnhead, N, Fox, H, Mah, T, McKenna, J, Naruka, V, Nigam, N, Nourallah, B, Perera, S, Qureshi, A, Saggar, S, Sun, L, Wang, X, Yang, DD, Caroll, P, Doyle, C, Elangovan, S, Falamarzi, A, Perai, KG, Greenan, E, Jain, D, Lang-Orsini, M, Lim, S, O'Byrne, L, Ridgway, P, Van der Laan, S, Wong, J, Arthur, J, Barclay, J, Bradley, P, Edwin, C, Finch, E, Hayashi, E, Hopkins, M, Kelly, D, Kelly, M, McCartan, N, Ormrod, A, Pakenham, A, Hayward, J, Hitchen, C, Kishore, A, Martins, T, Philomen, J, Rao, R, Rickards, C, Burns, N, Copeland, M, Durand, C, Dyal, A, Ghaffar, A, Gidwani, A, Grant, M, Gribbon, C, Gruhn, A, Leer, M, Ahmad, K, Beattie, G, Beatty, M, Campbell, G, Donaldson, G, Graham, S, Holmes, D, Kanabar, S, Liu, H, McCann, C, Stewart, R, Vara, S, Ajibola-Taylor, O, Andah, EJE, Ani, C, Cabdi, NMO, Ito, G, Jones, M, Komoriyama, A, Titu, L, Basra, M, Gallogly, P, Harinath, G, Leong, SH, Pradhan, A, Siddiqui, I, Zaat, S, Ali, A, Galea, M, Looi, WL, Ng, JCK, Atkin, G, Azizi, A, Cargill, Z, China, Z, Elliot, J, Jebakumar, R, Lam, J, Mudalige, G, Onyerindu, C, Renju, M, Babu, VS, Hussain, M, Joji, N, Lovett, B, Mownah, H, Ali, B, Cresswell, B, Dhillon, AK, Dupaguntla, YS, Hungwe, C, Lowe-Zinola, JD, Tsang, JCH, Bevan, K, Cardus, C, Duggal, A, Hossain, S, McHugh, M, Scott, M, Chan, F, Evans, R, Gurung, E, Haughey, B, Jacob-Ramsdale, B, Kerr, M, Lee, J, McCann, E, O'Boyle, K, Reid, N, Hayat, F, Hodgson, S, Johnston, R, Jones, W, Khan, M, Linn, T, Long, S, Seetharam, P, Shaman, S, Smart, B, Anilkumar, A, Davies, J, Griffith, J, Hughes, B, Islam, Y, Kidanu, D, Mushaini, N, Qamar, I, Robinson, H, Schramm, M, Tan, CY, Apperley, H, Billyard, C, Blazeby, JM, Cannon, SP, Carse, S, Gopfert, A, Loizidou, A, Parkin, J, Sanders, E, Sharma, S, Slade, G, Telfer, R, Huppatz, IW, Worley, E, Chandramoorthy, L, Friend, C, Harris, L, Jain, P, Karim, MJ, Killington, K, McGillicuddy, J, Rafferty, C, Rahunathan, N, Rayne, T, Varathan, Y, Verma, N, Zanichelli, D, Arneill, M, Brown, F, Campbell, B, Crozier, L, Henry, J, McCusker, C, Prabakaran, P, Wilson, R, Asif, U, Connor, M, Dindyal, S, Math, N, Pagarkar, A, Saleem, H, Seth, I, Standfield, N, Swartbol, T, Adamson, R, Choi, JE, El Tokhy, O, Ho, W, Javaid, NR, Mehdi, AS, Menon, D, Plumptre, I, Sturrock, S, Turner, J, Warren, O, Crane, E, Ferris, B, Gadsby, C, Smallwood, J, Vipond, M, Wilson, V, Amarnath, T, Doshi, A, Gregory, C, Kandiah, K, Powell, B, Spoor, H, Toh, C, Vizor, R, Common, M, Dunleavy, K, Harris, S, Luo, C, Mesbah, Z, Kumar, AP, Redmond, A, Skulsky, S, Walsh, T, Daly, D, Deery, L, Epanomeritakis, E, Harty, M, Kane, D, Khan, K, Mackey, R, McConville, J, McGinnity, K, Ang, A, Kee, JY, Leung, E, Norman, S, Palaniappan, S, Sarathy, PP, Yeoh, T, Frost, J, Hazeldine, P, Jones, L, Karbowiak, M, Macdonald, C, Mutarambirwa, A, Omotade, A, Runkel, M, Ryan, G, Sawers, N, Searle, C, Vig, S, Ahmad, A, McGartland, R, Sim, R, Song, A, Wayman, J, Brown, R, Chang, LH, Concannon, K, Crilly, C, Arnold, TJ, Burgin, A, Cadden, F, Choy, CH, Coleman, M, Lim, D, Luk, J, Mahankali-Rao, P, Prudence-Taylor, AJ, Ramakrishnan, D, Russell, J, Fawole, A, Gohil, J, Green, B, Hussain, A, McMenamin, L, Tang, M, Azmi, F, Benchetrit, S, Cope, T, Haque, A, Harlinska, A, Holdsworth, R, Ivo, T, Martin, J, Nisar, T, Patel, A, Sasapu, K, Trevett, J, Vernet, G, Aamir, A, Bird, C, Durham-Hall, A, Gibson, W, Hartley, J, May, N, Maynard, V, Johnson, S, Wood, CM, O'Brien, M, Orbell, J, Stringfellow, TD, Tenters, F, Tresidder, S, Cheung, W, Grant, A, Tod, N, Bews-Hair, M, Lim, ZH, Lim, SW, Vella-Baldacchino, M, Auckburally, S, Chopada, A, Easdon, S, Goodson, R, McCurdie, F, Narouz, M, Radford, A, Rea, E, Taylor, O, Yu, T, Alfa-Wali, M, Amani, L, Auluck, I, Bruce, P, Emberton, J, Kumar, R, Lagzouli, N, Mehta, A, Murtaza, A, Raja, M, Dennahy, IS, Frew, K, Given, A, He, YY, Karim, MA, MacDonald, E, McDonald, E, McVinnie, D, Ng, SK, Pettit, A, Berthaume-Hawkins, SD, Charnley, R, Fenton, K, Jones, D, Murphy, C, Ng, JQ, Reehal, R, Seraj, SS, Shang, E, Tonks, A, White, P, Yeo, A, Chong, P, Gabriel, R, Patel, N, Richardson, E, Symons, L, Aubrey-Jones, D, Dawood, S, Dobrzynska, M, Faulkner, S, Griffiths, H, Mahmood, F, Perry, M, Power, A, Simpson, R, Brobbey, P, Burrows, A, Elder, P, Ganyani, R, Horseman, C, Hurst, P, Mann, H, Marimuthu, K, McBride, S, Pilsworth, E, Powers, N, Stanier, P, Innes, R, Kersey, T, Kopczynska, M, Langasco, N, Rajagopal, R, Atkins, B, Beasley, W, Lim, ZC, Gill, A, Ang, HL, Williams, H, Yogeswara, T, Carter, R, Fam, M, Fong, J, Latter, J, Long, M, Mackinnon, S, McKenzie, C, Osmanska, J, Raghuvir, V, Shafi, A, Tsang, K, Walker, L, Bountra, K, Coldicutt, O, Fletcher, D, Hudson, S, Iqbal, S, Bernal, TL, Martin, JWB, Moss-Lawton, F, Cardwell, A, Edgerton, K, Laws, J, Rai, A, Robinson, K, Waite, K, Ward, J, Youssef, H, Knight, C, Koo, PY, Lazarou, A, Stanger, S, Thorn, C, Triniman, MC, Botha, A, Boyles, L, Cumming, S, Deepak, S, Ezzat, A, Fowler, AJ, Gwozdz, AM, Hussain, SF, Khan, S, Li, H, Morrell, BL, Neville, J, Nitiahpapand, R, Pickering, O, Sagoo, H, Sharma, E, Welsh, K, Denley, S, Agarwal, M, Al-Saadi, N, Bhambra, R, Gupta, A, Jawad, ZAR, Jiao, LR, Mahir, G, Singagireson, S, Thoms, BL, Tseu, B, Wei, R, Yang, N, Britton, N, Leinhardt, D, Mahfooz, M, Palkhi, A, Price, M, Sheikh, S, Barker, M, Bowley, D, Cant, M, Datta, U, Farooqi, M, Lee, A, Morley, G, Amin, MN, Parry, A, Patel, S, Strang, S, Yoganayagam, N, Adlan, A, Chandramoorthy, S, Choudhary, Y, Das, K, Feldman, M, France, B, Grace, R, Puddy, H, Soor, P, Ali, M, Dhillon, P, Faraj, A, Gerard, L, Glover, M, Imran, H, Kim, S, Patrick, Y, Peto, J, Prabhudesai, A, Smith, R, Tang, A, Vadgama, N, Dhaliwal, R, Ecclestone, T, Harris, A, Ong, D, Patel, D, Philp, C, Stewart, E, Wang, L, Wong, E, Xu, Y, Ashaye, T, Fozard, T, Galloway, F, Kaptanis, S, Mistry, P, Nguyen, T, Olagbaiye, F, Osman, M, Philip, Z, Rembacken, R, Tayeh, S, Theodoropoulou, K, Herman, A, Lau, J, Saha, A, Trotter, M, Adeleye, O, Cave, D, Gunwa, T, Magalhaes, J, Makwana, S, Mason, R, Parish, M, Regan, H, Renwick, P, Roberts, G, Salekin, D, Sivakumar, C, Tariq, A, Liew, I, McDade, A, Stewart, D, Hague, M, Hudson-Peacock, N, Jackson, CES, James, F, Pitt, J, Walker, EY, Aftab, R, Ang, JJ, Anwar, S, Battle, J, Budd, E, Chui, J, Crook, H, Davies, P, Easby, S, Hackney, E, Ho, B, Imam, SZ, Rammell, J, Andrews, H, Perry, C, Schinle, P, Ahmed, P, Aquilina, T, Balai, E, Church, M, Cumber, E, Curtis, A, Davies, G, Dumann, E, Greenhalgh, S, Kim, P, King, S, Metcalfe, KHM, Passby, L, Redgrave, N, Soonawalla, Z, Waters, S, Zornoza, A, Gulzar, I, Hole, J, Hull, K, Ishaq, H, Karaj, J, Kelkar, A, Love, E, Thakrar, D, Vine, M, Waterman, A, Dib, NP, Francis, N, Hanson, M, Ingleton, R, Sadanand, KS, Sukirthan, N, Arnell, S, Ball, M, Bassam, N, Beghal, G, Chang, A, Dawe, V, George, A, Huq, T, Ikram, B, Kanapeckaite, L, Ramjas, D, Rushd, A, Sait, S, Serry, M, Yardimci, E, Capella, S, Chenciner, L, Episkopos, C, Karam, E, McCarthy, C, Moore-Kelly, W, Watson, N, Ahluwalia, V, Barnfield, J, Ben-Gal, O, Bloom, I, Gharatya, A, Khodatars, K, Merchant, N, Moonan, A, Moore, M, Patel, K, Spiers, H, Sundaram, K, Black, J, Chadwick, H, Huisman, L, Ingram, H, Martin, L, Metcalfe, M, Sangal, P, Seehra, J, Thatcher, A, Venturini, S, Whitcroft, I, Afzal, Z, Brown, S, Gani, A, Gomaa, A, Hussein, N, Oh, SY, Pazhaniappan, N, Sharkey, E, Sivagnanasithiyar, T, Williams, C, Yeung, J, Cruddas, L, Gurjar, S, Pau, A, Prakash, R, Randhawa, R, Chen, L, Eiben, I, Naylor, M, Osei-Bordom, D, Trenear, R, Bannard-Smith, J, Griffiths, N, Patel, BY, Saeed, F, Abdikadir, H, Bennett, M, Church, R, Clements, SE, Court, J, Delvi, A, Hubert, J, Macdonald, B, Mansour, F, Patel, RR, Perris, R, Small, S, Betts, A, Brown, N, Chong, A, Croitoru, C, Grey, A, Hickland, P, Ho, C, Hollington, D, McKie, L, Nelson, AR, Stewart, H, Eiben, P, Nedham, M, Ali, I, Brown, T, Hunt, C, Joyner, C, McAlinden, C, Rogers, D, Thachettu, A, Tyson, N, Vaughan, R, Yasin, T, Andrew, K, Bhamra, N, Leong, S, Mistry, R, Noble, H, Rashed, F, Walker, NR, Watson, L, Worsfold, M, Yarham, E, Arshad, A, Barmayehvar, B, Cato, L, Chan-lam, N, Do, V, Leong, A, Sheikh, Z, Zheleniakova, T, Coppel, J, Hussain, ST, Mahmood, R, Nourzaie, R, Sheik-Ali, S, Thomas, A, Alagappan, A, Ashour, R, Bains, H, Diamond, J, Gordon, J, Ibrahim, B, Khalil, M, Mittapalli, D, Neo, YN, Patil, P, Peck, FS, Reza, N, Swan, I, Whyte, M, Chaudhry, S, Hernon, J, Khawar, H, O'Brien, J, Pullinger, M, Rothnie, K, Ujjal, S, Bhatte, S, Curtis, J, Green, S, Mayer, A, Watkinson, G, Chapple, K, Hawthorne, T, Khaliq, M, Majkowski, L, Malik, TAM, Mclauchlan, K, En, BNW, O'Connor, T, Parton, S, Robinson, SD, Saat, M, Shurovi, BN, Varatharasasingam, K, Ward, AE, Behranwala, K, Bertelli, M, Cohen, J, Duff, F, Fafemi, O, Gupta, R, Manimaran, M, Mayhew, J, Peprah, D, Wong, MHY, Farmer, N, Houghton, C, Kandhari, N, Ladha, D, Mayes, J, McLennan, F, Panahi, P, Seehra, H, Agrawal, R, Ahmed, I, Ali, S, Birkinshaw, F, Choudhry, M, Gokani, S, Harrogate, S, Jamal, S, Nawrozzadeh, F, Swaray, A, Szczap, A, Warusavitarne, J, Abdalla, M, Asemota, N, Cullum, R, Hartley, M, Maxwell-Armstrong, C, Mulvenna, C, Phillips, J, Yule, A, Ahmed, L, Clement, KD, Craig, N, Elseedawy, E, Gorman, D, Kane, L, Livie, J, Livie, V, Moss, E, Naasan, A, Ravi, F, Shields, P, Zhu, Y, Archer, M, Cobley, H, Dennis, R, Downes, C, Guevel, B, Lamptey, E, Murray, H, Radhakrishnan, A, Saravanabavan, S, Sardar, M, Shaw, C, Tilliridou, V, Wright, R, Ye, W, Alturki, N, Helliwell, R, Jones, E, Lambotharan, S, Scott, K, Sivakumar, R, Victor, L, Boraluwe-Rallage, H, Froggatt, P, Haynes, S, Hung, YMA, Keyte, A, Matthews, L, Evans, E, Haray, P, John, I, Mathivanan, A, Morgan, L, Oji, O, Okorocha, C, Rutherford, A, Stageman, N, Tsui, A, Whitham, R, Amoah-Arko, A, Cecil, E, Dietrich, A, Fitzpatrick, H, Guy, C, Hair, J, Hilton, J, Jawad, L, McAleer, E, Taylor, Z, Yap, J, Akhbari, M, Debnath, D, Dhir, T, Elbuzidi, M, Elsaddig, M, Glace, S, Khawaja, H, Koshy, R, Lal, K, Lobo, L, McDermott, A, Meredith, J, Qamar, MA, Vaidya, A, Acquaah, F, Barfi, L, Carter, N, Gnanappiragasam, D, Ji, C, Kaminski, F, Lawday, S, Mackay, K, Sulaiman, SK, Webb, R, Ananthavarathan, P, Dalal, F, Farrar, E, Hashemi, R, Hossain, M, Jiang, J, Kiandee, M, Lex, J, Mason, L, Matthews, JH, McGeorge, E, Modhwadia, S, Pinkney, T, Radotra, A, Rickard, L, Rodman, L, Sales, A, Tan, KL, Bachi, A, Bajwa, DS, Brown, LR, Butler, A, Calciu, A, Davies, E, Gardner, I, Girdlestone, T, Ikogho, O, Keelan, G, O'Loughlin, P, Tam, J, Elias, J, Ngaage, M, Thompson, J, Bristow, S, Brock, E, Davis, H, Pantelidou, M, Sathiyakeerthy, A, Singh, K, Chaudhry, A, Dickson, G, Glen, P, Gregoriou, K, Hamid, H, Mclean, A, Mehtaji, P, Neophytou, G, Potts, S, Belgaid, DR, Durno, J, Ghailan, N, Henshaw, V, Nazir, UR, Omar, I, Riley, BJ, Roberts, J, Smart, G, Van Winsen, K, Bhatti, A, Chan, M, D'Auria, M, Keshvala, C, Michaelidou, M, Simmonds, L, Smith, C, Wimalathasan, A, Abbas, J, Cairns, C, Chin, YR, Connelly, A, Moug, S, Nair, A, Svolkinas, D, Coe, P, Subar, D, Wang, H, Zaver, V, Brayley, J, Cookson, P, Cunningham, L, Gaukroger, A, Ho, M, Hough, A, King, J, O'Hagan, D, Widdison, A, Brown, B, Chavan, A, Francis, S, Hare, L, Lund, J, Malone, N, Mavi, B, McIlwaine, A, Rangarajan, S, Abuhussein, N, Campbell, HS, Daniels, J, Fitzgerald, I, Mansfield, S, Pendrill, A, Robertson, D, Smart, YW, Teng, T, Yates, J, Belgaumkar, A, Katira, A, Kossoff, J, Kukran, S, Laing, C, Mathew, B, Mohamed, T, Myers, S, Novell, R, Phillips, BL, Turlejski, T, Turner, S, Varcada, M, Warren, L, Wynell-Mayow, W, Linley-Adams, L, Osborn, G, Saunders, M, Spencer, R, Srikanthan, M, Tailor, S, Tullett, A, Al-Masri, S, Carr, G, Ebhogiaye, O, Heng, S, Manivannan, S, Manley, J, McMillan, LE, Peat, C, Phillips, B, Thomas, S, Whewell, H, Williams, G, Bienias, A, Cope, EA, Courquin, GR, Day, L, Garner, C, Gimson, A, Harris, C, Markham, K, Moore, T, Nadin, T, Phillips, C, Subratty, SM, Brown, K, Dada, J, Durbacz, M, Filipescu, T, Harrison, E, Kennedy, ED, Khoo, E, Kremel, D, Lyell, I, Pronin, S, Tummon, R, Ventre, C, Walls, L, Wootton, E, Akhtar, A, El-Sawy, D, Farooq, M, Gaddah, M, Katsaiti, I, Khadem, N, Leong, K, Williams, I, Chean, CS, Chudek, D, Desai, H, Ellerby, N, Hammad, A, Malla, S, Murphy, B, Oshin, O, Popova, P, Rana, S, Ward, T, Abbott, TEF, Akpenyi, O, Edozie, F, El Matary, R, English, W, Jeyabaladevan, S, Morgan, C, Naidu, V, Nicholls, K, Peroos, S, Sansome, S, Torrance, HD, Townsend, D, Brecher, J, Fung, H, Kazmi, Z, Outlaw, P, Pursnani, K, Ramanujam, N, Razaq, A, Sattar, M, Sukumar, S, Tan, TSE, Chohan, K, Dhuna, S, Haq, T, Kirby, S, Lacy-Colson, J, Logan, P, Malik, Q, McCann, J, Mughal, Z, Sadiq, S, Sharif, I, Shingles, C, Simon, A, Burnage, S, Chan, SSN, Craig, ARJ, Duffield, J, Dutta, A, Eastwood, M, Iqbal, F, Mahmood, W, Patel, C, Qadeer, A, Robinson, A, Rotundo, A, Schade, A, Slade, RD, De Freitas, M, Kinnersley, H, McDowell, E, Moens-Lecumberri, S, Ramsden, J, Rockall, T, Wiffen, L, Wright, S, Bruce, C, Francois, V, Hamdan, K, Limb, C, Lunt, AJ, Manley, L, Marks, M, Phillips, CFE, Agnew, CJF, Barr, CJ, Benons, N, Hart, SJ, Kandage, D, Krysztopik, R, Mahalingam, P, Mock, J, Rajendran, S, Stoddart, MT, Clements, B, Gillespie, H, McDougall, R, Murray, C, O'Loane, R, Periketi, S, Tan, S, Amoah, R, Bhudia, R, Dudley, B, Gilbert, A, Griffiths, B, Khan, H, McKigney, N, Roberts, B, Samuel, R, Seelarbokus, A, Stubbing-Moore, A, Thompson, G, Williams, P, Ahmed, N, Akhtar, R, Chandler, E, Chappelow, I, Gil, H, Gower, T, Kale, A, Lingam, G, Rutler, L, Sellahewa, C, Sheikh, A, Stringer, H, Taylor, R, Aglan, H, Ashraf, MR, Choo, S, Das, E, Epstein, J, Gentry, R, Mills, D, Poolovadoo, Y, Ward, N, Bull, K, Cole, A, Hack, J, Khawari, S, Lake, C, Mandishona, T, Perry, R, Sleight, S, Sultan, S, Thornton, T, Williams, S, Arif, T, Castle, A, Chauhan, P, Chesner, R, Eilon, T, Kambasha, C, Lock, L, Loka, T, Mohammad, F, Motahariasl, S, Roper, L, Sadhra, SS, Toma, T, Wadood, Q, Yip, J, Ainger, E, Busti, S, Cunliffe, L, Flamini, T, Gaffing, S, Moorcroft, C, Peter, M, Simpson, L, Stokes, E, Stott, G, Wilson, J, York, J, Yousaf, A, Brown, M, Goaman, A, Hodgson, B, Ijeomah, A, Iroegbu, U, Kaur, G, Lowe, C, Mahmood, S, Sattar, Z, Sen, P, Szuman, A, Abbas, N, Al-Ausi, M, Anto, N, Bhome, R, Eccles, L, Elliott, J, Hughes, EJ, Jones, A, Karunatilleke, AS, Knight, JS, Manson, CCF, Mekhail, I, Michaels, L, Noton, TM, Okenyi, E, Reeves, T, Yasin, IH, Banfield, DA, Harris, R, Mason-Apps, C, Roe, T, Sandhu, J, Shafiq, N, Stickler, E, Tam, JP, Williams, LM, Ainsworth, P, Boualbanat, Y, Doull, C, Egan, E, Evans, L, Hassanin, K, Ninkovic-Hall, G, Odunlami, W, Shergill, M, Traish, M, Cummings, D, Kershaw, S, Ong, J, Reid, F, Toellner, H, Alwandi, A, Amer, M, George, D, Haynes, K, Hughes, K, Peakall, L, Premakumar, Y, Punjabi, N, Ramwell, A, Sawkins, H, Ashwood, J, Baker, A, Baron, C, Bhide, I, Blake, E, De Cates, C, Esmail, R, Hosamuddin, H, Kapp, J, Nguru, N, Thomson, F, Ahmed, H, Aishwarya, G, Al-Huneidi, R, Aziz, R, Burke, D, Clarke, B, Kausar, A, Maskill, D, Mecia, L, Myers, L, Smith, ACD, Walker, G, Wroe, N, Donohoe, C, Gibbons, D, Jordan, P, Keogh, C, Kiely, A, Lalor, P, McCrohan, M, Powell, C, Foley, MP, Reynolds, J, Silke, E, Thorpe, O, Kong, JTH, White, C, Ali, Q, Dalrymple, J, Ge, Y, Luo, RS, Paine, H, Paraskeva, B, Parker, L, Pillai, K, Salciccioli, J, Selvadurai, S, Sonagara, V, Springford, LR, Tan, L, Appleton, S, Leadholm, N, Zhang, Y, Ahern, D, Cotter, M, Cremen, S, Durrigan, T, Flack, V, Hrvacic, N, Jones, H, Jong, B, Keane, K, O'Connell, PR, O'Sullivan, J, Pek, G, Shirazi, S, Barker, C, Brown, A, Carr, W, Chen, Y, Guillotte, C, Harte, J, Kokayi, A, Lau, K, McFarlane, S, Morrison, S, Broad, J, Kenefick, N, Makanji, D, Printz, V, Saito, R, Thomas, O, Breen, H, Kirk, S, Kong, CH, O'Kane, A, Eddama, M, Engledow, A, Freeman, SK, Frost, A, Goh, C, Lee, G, Poonawala, R, Suri, A, Taribagil, P, Brown, H, Christie, S, Dean, S, Gravell, R, Haywood, E, Holt, F, Rabiu, R, Roscoe, HW, Shergill, S, Sriram, A, Sureshkumar, A, Tan, LC, Tanna, A, Vakharia, A, Bhullar, S, Brannick, S, Dunne, E, Frere, M, Kerin, M, Kumar, KM, Pratumsuwan, T, Quek, R, Salman, M, Van Den Berg, N, Wong, C, Ahluwalia, J, Bagga, R, Borg, CM, Calabria, C, Draper, A, Farwana, M, Khan, A, Mazza, M, Pankin, G, Sait, MS, Sandhu, N, Virani, N, Woodhams, K, Croghan, N, Ghag, S, Hogg, G, Ismail, O, John, N, Nadeem, K, Naqi, M, Noe, SM, Sharma, A, Begum, F, Best, R, Collishaw, A, Glasbey, J, Golding, D, Gwilym, B, Harrison, P, Jackman, T, Lewis, N, Luk, YL, Porter, T, Potluri, S, Stechman, M, Tate, S, Thomas, D, Walford, B, Auld, F, Bleakley, A, Johnston, S, Jones, C, Khaw, J, Milne, S, O'Neill, S, Singh, KKR, Swan, A, Thorley, N, Yalamarthi, S, Yin, ZD, Balian, V, Bana, R, Clark, K, Livesey, C, McLachlan, G, Mohammad, M, Pranesh, N, Richards, C, Ross, F, Sajid, M, Brooke, M, Francombe, J, Gresly, J, Hutchinson, S, Kerrigan, K, Matthews, E, Nur, S, Parsons, L, Sandhu, A, Vyas, M, White, F, Zulkifli, A, Zuzarte, L, Al-Mousawi, A, Arya, J, Azam, S, Yahaya, AA, Gill, K, Hallan, R, Hathaway, C, Leptidis, I, McDonagh, L, Mitrasinovic, S, Mushtaq, N, Pang, N, Peiris, GB, Rinkoff, S, Chan, L, Christopher, E, Farhan-Alanie, MMH, Gonzalez-Ciscar, A, Graham, CJ, Lim, H, McLean, KA, Paterson, HM, Rogers, A, Roy, C, Rutherford, D, Smith, F, Zubikarai, G, Al-Khudairi, R, Bamford, M, Chang, M, Cheng, J, Hedley, C, Joseph, R, Mitchell, B, Rothwell, L, Siddiqui, A, Smith, J, Taylor, K, Wright, OW, Baryan, HK, Boyd, G, Conchie, H, Cox, L, Gardner, S, Hill, N, Krishna, K, Lakin, F, Scotcher, S, Alberts, J, Asad, M, Barraclough, J, Campbell, A, Marshall, D, Wakeford, W, Cronbach, P, D'Souza, F, Gammeri, E, Houlton, J, Hall, M, Kethees, A, Patel, R, Perera, M, Shaid, M, Webb, E, Beattie, S, Chadwick, M, El-Taji, O, Haddad, S, Mann, M, Patel, M, Popat, K, Rimmer, L, Riyat, H, Smith, H, Anandarajah, C, Cipparrone, M, Desai, K, Gao, C, Goh, ET, Howlader, M, Jeffreys, N, Karmarkar, A, Mathew, G, Mukhtar, H, Ozcan, E, Renukanthan, A, Sarens, N, Sinha, C, Woolley, A, Bogle, R, Komolafe, O, Loo, F, Waugh, D, Zeng, R, Crewe, A, Mathias, J, Owen, A, Prior, A, Saunders, I, Crilly, L, McKeon, J, Ubhi, HK, Adeogun, A, Carr, R, Davison, C, Devalia, S, Hayat, A, Karsan, RB, Osborne, C, Weegenaar, C, Wijeyaratne, M, Babatunde, F, Barnor-Ahiaku, E, Chitsabesan, P, Dixon, O, Hall, N, Ilenkovan, N, Mackrell, T, Nithianandasivam, N, Orr, J, Palazzo, F, Saad, M, Sandland-Taylor, L, Sherlock, J, Ashdown, T, Chandler, S, Garsaa, T, Lloyd, J, Loh, SY, Ng, S, Perkins, C, Powell-Chandler, A, and Underhill, R

Subjects
COMPLICATIONS, Science & Technology, RENAL-FAILURE, STARSurg Collaborative, MORTALITY, RISK-FACTORS, Surgery, Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Abstract

Background Acute illness, existing co‐morbidities and surgical stress response can all contribute to postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery. The aim of this study was prospectively to develop a pragmatic prognostic model to stratify patients according to risk of developing AKI after major gastrointestinal surgery. Methods This prospective multicentre cohort study included consecutive adults undergoing elective or emergency gastrointestinal resection, liver resection or stoma reversal in 2‐week blocks over a continuous 3‐month period. The primary outcome was the rate of AKI within 7 days of surgery. Bootstrap stability was used to select clinically plausible risk factors into the model. Internal model validation was carried out by bootstrap validation. Results A total of 4544 patients were included across 173 centres in the UK and Ireland. The overall rate of AKI was 14·2 per cent (646 of 4544) and the 30‐day mortality rate was 1·8 per cent (84 of 4544). Stage 1 AKI was significantly associated with 30‐day mortality (unadjusted odds ratio 7·61, 95 per cent c.i. 4·49 to 12·90; P < 0·001), with increasing odds of death with each AKI stage. Six variables were selected for inclusion in the prognostic model: age, sex, ASA grade, preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate, planned open surgery and preoperative use of either an angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitor or an angiotensin receptor blocker. Internal validation demonstrated good model discrimination (c‐statistic 0·65). Discussion Following major gastrointestinal surgery, AKI occurred in one in seven patients. This preoperative prognostic model identified patients at high risk of postoperative AKI. Validation in an independent data set is required to ensure generalizability.

Published
2018

14. A case of Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Masquerading as Birt-Hogg-Dubé Syndrome

Author

Choudhury Y, Tan Mh, Oon Hh, Ng Sk, and Kong Yl

Subjects
congenital, hereditary, and neonatal diseases and abnormalities, medicine.diagnostic_test, business.industry, Gene mutation, medicine.disease, Birt–Hogg–Dubé syndrome, nervous system diseases, Tuberous sclerosis, Multiple fibrofolliculomas, Cancer research, Medicine, TSC2, Family history, business, PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, Genetic testing
Abstract

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) and Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome (BHDS) act via the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, resulting in overlapping clinical presentations. We report a patient who presented with features suggestive of BHDS: multiple fibrofolliculomas, a history of spontaneous pneumothorax and a positive family history of a renal condition. Subsequent genetic testing confirmed a Tuberous sclerosis complex 2 (TSC2) gene mutation, corresponding to a diagnosis of TSC. This case highlights how closely intertwined both conditions are, and also confirms that fibrofolliculomas are a feature of TSC.

Published
2018

17. Geographic disparities in previously diagnosed health conditions in colorectal cancer patients are largely explained by age and area level disadvantage

Author

Goodwin, BC, March, S, Ireland, MJ, Crawford-Williams, F, Ng, SK, Baade, PD, Chambers, SK, Aitken, JF, Dunn, J, Goodwin, BC, March, S, Ireland, MJ, Crawford-Williams, F, Ng, SK, Baade, PD, Chambers, SK, Aitken, JF, and Dunn, J

Abstract

© 2018 Goodwin, March, Ireland, Crawford-Williams, Ng, Baade, Chambers, Aitken and Dunn. Background: Geographical disparity in colorectal cancer (CRC) survival rates may be partly due to aging populations and disadvantage in more remote locations; factors that also impact the incidence and outcomes of other chronic health conditions. The current study investigates whether geographic disparity exists amongst previously diagnosed health conditions in CRC patients above and beyond age and area-level disadvantage and whether this disparity is linked to geographic disparity in CRC survival. Methods: Data regarding previously diagnosed health conditions were collected via computer-assisted telephone interviews with a cross-sectional sample of n = 1,966 Australian CRC patients between 2003 and 2004. Ten-year survival outcomes were acquired in December 2014 from cancer registry data. Multivariate logistic regressions were applied to test associations between previously diagnosed health conditions and survival rates in rural, regional, and metropolitan areas. Results: Results suggest that only few geographical disparities exist in previously diagnosed health conditions for CRC patients and these were largely explained by socio-economic status and age. Living in an inner regional area was associated with cardio-vascular conditions, one or more respiratory diseases, and multiple respiratory diagnoses. Higher occurrences of these conditions did not explain lower CRC-specific 10 years survival rates in inner regional Australia. Conclusion: It is unlikely that health disparities in terms of previously diagnosed conditions account for poorer CRC survival in regional and remote areas. Interventions to improve the health of regional CRC patients may need to target issues unique to socio-economic disadvantage and older age.

Published
2018

18. Trajectories of quality of life, life satisfaction, and psychological adjustment after prostate cancer.

Author

Chambers, SK, Ng, SK, Baade, P, Aitken, JF, Hyde, MK, Wittert, G, Frydenberg, M, Dunn, J, Chambers, SK, Ng, SK, Baade, P, Aitken, JF, Hyde, MK, Wittert, G, Frydenberg, M, and Dunn, J

Abstract

BACKGROUND: To describe trajectories of health-related quality of life (QoL), life satisfaction, and psychological adjustment for men with prostate cancer over the medium to long term and identify predictors of poorer outcomes using growth mixture models. METHODS: One-thousand sixty-four (82.4% response) men diagnosed with prostate cancer were recruited close to diagnosis and assessed over a 72-month (6-year) period with self-report assessment of health-related QoL, life satisfaction, cancer-related distress, and prostate specific antigen anxiety. Urinary, bowel, and sexual function were also assessed using validated questionnaires. RESULTS: Poorer physical QOL was predicted by older age, lower education, lower income, comorbidities, and receiving hormone therapy. Lower life satisfaction was related to younger age, lower income, not being partnered, and comorbidities. Poorer psychological trajectories were predicted by younger age, lower income, comorbidities, and receiving radical prostatectomy or brachytherapy. Better urinary, bowel, and sexual function were related to better global outcomes over time. Anxiety about prostate specific antigen testing was rare. CONCLUSIONS: Distinct trajectories exist for medium- to long-term QoL, life satisfaction, and psychological adjustment after prostate cancer; with age and socioeconomic deprivation playing a differential role in men's survivorship profile and the impact of functional status on outcomes increasing over time. These results reinforce the need for an appraisal of men's life course in addition to treatment side effects when planning survivorship care after cancer.

Published
2017

21. A recombination hotspot in a schizophrenia-associated region of GABRB2

Author

Ng, SK, Lo, WS, Pun, FW, Zhao, C, Yu, Z, Chen, J, Tong, KL, Xu, Z, Tsang, SY, Yang, Q, Yu, W, Nimgaonkar, V, Stöber, G, Harano, M, Xue, H, Ng, SK, Lo, WS, Pun, FW, Zhao, C, Yu, Z, Chen, J, Tong, KL, Xu, Z, Tsang, SY, Yang, Q, Yu, W, Nimgaonkar, V, Stöber, G, Harano, M, and Xue, H

Abstract

Background: Schizophrenia is a major disorder with complex genetic mechanisms. Earlier, population genetic studies revealed the occurrence of strong positive selection in the GABRB2 gene encoding the β2 subunit of GABAA receptors, within a segment of 3,551 bp harboring twenty-nine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and containing schizophrenia-associated SNPs and haplotypes. Methodology/Principal Findings:In the present study, the possible occurrence of recombination in this 'S1-S29' segment was assessed. The occurrence of hotspot recombination was indicated by high resolution recombination rate estimation, haplotype diversity, abundance of rare haplotypes, recurrent mutations and torsos in haplotype networks, and experimental haplotyping of somatic and sperm DNA. The sub-segment distribution of relative recombination strength, measured by the ratio of haplotype diversity (Hd) over mutation rate (θ), was indicative of a human specific Alu-Yi6 insertion serving as a central recombining sequence facilitating homologous recombination. Local anomalous DNA conformation attributable to the Alu-Yi6 element, as suggested by enhanced DNase I sensitivity and obstruction to DNA sequencing, could be a contributing factor of the increased sequence diversity. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis yielded prominent low LD points that supported ongoing recombination. LD contrast revealed significant dissimilarity between control and schizophrenic cohorts. Among the large array of inferred haplotypes, H26 and H73 were identified to be protective, and H19 and H81 risk-conferring, toward the development of schizophrenia. Conclusions/Significance: The co-occurrence of hotspot recombination and positive selection in the S1-S29 segment of GABRB2 has provided a plausible contribution to the molecular genetics mechanisms for schizophrenia. The present findings therefore suggest that genome regions characterized by the co-occurrence of positive selection and hotspot recombination, two in

Published
2010

22. Positive selection within the schizophrenia-associated GABAA receptor β2 gene

Author

Lo, WS, Xu, Z, Yu, Z, Pun, FW, Ng, SK, Chen, J, Tong, KL, Zhao, C, Xu, X, Tsang, SY, Harano, M, Stöber, G, Nimgaonkar, VL, Xue, H, Lo, WS, Xu, Z, Yu, Z, Pun, FW, Ng, SK, Chen, J, Tong, KL, Zhao, C, Xu, X, Tsang, SY, Harano, M, Stöber, G, Nimgaonkar, VL, and Xue, H

Abstract

The gamma-aminobutyric acid type-A (GABAA) receptor plays a major role in inhibitory neurotransmissions. Intronic SNPs and haplotypes in GABRB2, the gene for GABAA receptor β2 subunit, are associated with schizophrenia and correlated with the expression of two alternatively spliced β2 isoforms. In the present study, using chimpanzee as an ancestral reference, high frequencies were observed for the derived (D) alleles of the four SNPs rs6556547, rs187269, rs1816071 and rs1816072 in GABRB2, suggesting the occurrence of positive selection for these derived alleles. Coalescence-based simulation showed that the population frequency spectra and the frequencies of H56, the haplotype having all four D alleles, significantly deviated from neutral-evolution expectation in various demographic models. Haplotypes containing the derived allele of rs1816072 displayed significantly less diversity compared to haplotypes containing its ancestral allele, further supporting positive selection. The variations in DD-genotype frequencies in five human populations provided a snapshot of the evolutionary history, which suggested that the positive selections of the D alleles are recent and likely ongoing. The divergence between the DD-genotype profiles of schizophrenic and control samples pointed to the schizophrenia-relevance of positive selections, with the schizophrenic samples showing weakened selections compared to the controls. These DD-genotypes were previously found to increase the expression of β2, especially its long isoform. Electrophysiological analysis showed that this long β 2 isoform favored by the positive selections is more sensitive than the short isoform to the inhibition of GABAA receptor function by energy depletion. These findings represent the first demonstration of positive selection in a schizophrenia-associated gene. © 2007 Lo et al.

Published
2007

28. Prolotherapy injections and eccentric loading exercises for painful Achilles tendinosis: a randomised trial.

Author

Yelland MJ, Sweeting KR, Lyftogt JA, Ng SK, Scuffham PA, and Evans KA

Abstract

Objective To compare the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of eccentric loading exercises (ELE) with prolotherapy injections used singly and in combination for painful Achilles tendinosis. Design A single-blinded randomised clinical trial. The primary outcome measure was the VISA-A questionnaire with a minimum clinically important change (MCIC) of 20 points. Setting Five Australian primary care centres. Participants 43 patients with painful mid-portion Achilles tendinosis commenced and 40 completed treatment protocols. Interventions Participants were randomised to a 12-week program of ELE (n=15), or prolotherapy injections of hypertonic glucose with lignocaine alongside the affected tendon (n=14) or combined treatment (n=14). Main outcome measurements VISA-A, pain, stiffness and limitation of activity scores; treatment costs. Results At 12 months, proportions achieving the MCIC for VISA-A were 73% for ELE, 79% for prolotherapy and 86% for combined treatment. Mean (95% CI) increases in VISA-A scores at 12 months were 23.7 (15.6 to 31.9) for ELE, 27.5 (12.8 to 42.2) for prolotherapy and 41.1 (29.3 to 52.9) for combined treatment. At 6 weeks and 12 months, these increases were significantly less for ELE than for combined treatment. Compared with ELE, reductions in stiffness and limitation of activity occurred earlier with prolotherapy and reductions in pain, stiffness and limitation of activity occurred earlier with combined treatment. Combined treatment had the lowest incremental cost per additional responder ($A1539) compared with ELE. Conclusions For Achilles tendinosis, prolotherapy and particularly ELE combined with prolotherapy give more rapid improvements in symptoms than ELE alone but long-term VISA-A scores are similar. Trial registration number ACTRN: 12606000179538. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Published
2011

29. A technique that may improve the reliability of endobronchial blocker positioning during adult one-lung anaesthesia.

Author

Ho AM, Ng SK, Tsang KH, Au SW, Ng CS, Critchley LA, Karmakar MK, Ho, A M H, Ng, S K, Tsang, K H S, Au, S W, Ng, C S H, Critchley, L A H, and Karmakar, M K

Abstract

We describe a novel technique, previously applied to small children, for adult one-lung anaesthesia in which a single-lumen endotracheal tube is used with an endobronchial balloon blocker The main aims of the technique are to reduce the likelihood of cephalad displacement of the balloon into the trachea and to facilitate directional placement of the endobronchial balloon. We present five illustrative cases of one-lung anaesthesia in patients of adult size, in which the endotracheal tube-endobronchial balloon technique was considered preferable to the use of a double-lumen tube technique. The situations included difficult intubation, need for postoperative ventilation, a tortuous trachea and an unexpected need to perform one-lung anaesthesia. The technique involved deliberate placement of the endotracheal tube tip near the carina to block cephalad dislodgement of the blocker The chance of the balloon blocking the endotracheal tube tip could be further reduced by having the intraluminal endobronchial balloon blocker emerge through the Murphy eye. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Published
2009
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33. Nutrition: the need to define 'optimal' intake as a basis for public policy decisions.

Author

Wynder EL, Weisburger JH, and Ng SK

Abstract

Much of the current chronic disease incidence, notably coronary artery disease and certain types of cancer, relates to nutritionally induced metabolic overload. The evidence for this conclusion is based on extensive analytical, descriptive, and metabolic epidemiological investigations as well as critical experimental studies in animals. Dietary assessments within homogenous populations, because of inherent measurement errors and similarities in eating habits, make only limited contributions to this issue. This communication makes recommendations as to an 'optimal' diet, especially for fats and fibers, as a goal for effective disease prevention that is within our reach with the appropriate support of an informed public and a cooperative food industry. To facilitate effective public health action, the 'optimal' diet is called the 25/25 diet, that is, 25% of calories as fat and 25 g per day of fiber. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Published
1992
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36. Challenges in proof load test of bridges - Malaysian experience

Author

Mahamud, KMS Ku, Lim, CC, Ng, SK, Shahruddin, MN, and Jamil, MQ

Abstract

It is a known fact that theoretical calculation for assessing the capacity of an existing bridge is grossly underestimating its actual capacity. The reasons are, among others, the safety factors adopted and assumptions made in modelling. The recommended alternative approach to assess the actual capacity of the bridge is by performing a proof load test. Proof load test is a useful tool where a bridge is incrementally loaded to a final targeted load. This approach has been used to check the bridges in Sarawak for their compliance with Weight Restriction Order (WRO) 2003. In these tests, bridges with Evaluation Load Ratings (ELR), which fall short of Public Work Department Malaysia (JKR) requirement related to WRO 2003 and hence recommended for replacement, were proof load tested with the intention to preserve these bridges. This paper presents the experience in conducting the proof load test on a few bridges in Malaysia. It describes the methodology for the proof load tests and the challenges faced during the tests. The proof load tests showed that the tested bridges can carry the full JKR standard of Medium Term Assessment Load (MTAL) loading, which is well within the legal load limits allowed under WRO 2003.

Published
2019

39. A case of neonatal stridor.

Author

Abdullah V, Ng SK, Chow SN, Yau FT, van Hasselt CA, Abdullah, V, Ng, S K, Chow, S N, Yau, F T, and Van Hasselt, C A

Abstract

A case is reported of a retropharyngeal abscess in a neonate who presented with increasing stridor since birth. Group B streptococcus was cultured from the abscess contents and the maternal birth tract. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Published
2002

41. Book Review.

Author

Rycroft, Richard J. G., Ng, SK, and Goh, CL

Subjects
*DERMATOLOGY, *NONFICTION
Abstract

Reviews the book 'The Principles and Practice of Contact and Occupational Dermatology in the Asia-Pacific Region,' edited by S.K. Ng and C.L. Goh.

Published
2002
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43. Targeting CREB-binding protein (CBP) abrogates colorectal cancer stemness through epigenetic regulation of C-MYC.

Author

Chung DJ, Wang CH, Liu PJ, Ng SK, Luo CK, Jwo SH, Li CT, Hsu DY, Fan CC, and Wei TT

Subjects
Humans, Mice, Animals, Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition genetics, Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells metabolism, Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic, Cell Line, Tumor, Colorectal Neoplasms genetics, Colorectal Neoplasms pathology, Colorectal Neoplasms metabolism, CREB-Binding Protein metabolism, CREB-Binding Protein genetics, Neoplastic Stem Cells metabolism, Neoplastic Stem Cells pathology, Epigenesis, Genetic, Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc metabolism, Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc genetics
Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common cancer worldwide with an increasing annual incidence. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) play important roles in the occurrence, development, recurrence, and metastasis of CRC. The molecular mechanism regulating the development of colorectal CSCs remains unclear. The discovery of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) through somatic cell reprogramming has revolutionized the fields of stem cell biology and translational medicine. In the present study, we converted hiPSCs into cancer stem-like cells by culture with conditioned medium (CM) from CRC cells. These transformed cells, termed hiPSC-CSCs, displayed cancer stem-like properties, including a spheroid morphology and the expression of both pluripotency and CSC markers. HiPSC-CSCs showed tumorigenic and metastatic abilities in mouse models. The epithelial-mesenchymal transition phenotype was observed in hiPSC-CSCs, which promoted their migration and angiogenesis. Interestingly, upregulation of C-MYC was observed during the differentiation of hiPSC-CSCs. Mechanistically, CREB binding protein (CBP) bound to the C-MYC promoter, while histone deacetylase 1 and 3 (HDAC1/3) dissociated from the promoter, ultimately leading to an increase in histone acetylation and C-MYC transcriptional activation during the differentiation of hiPSC-CSCs. Pharmacological treatment with a CBP inhibitor or abrogation of CBP expression with a CRISPR/Cas9-based strategy reduced the stemness of hiPSC-CSCs. This study demonstrates for the first time that colorectal CSCs can be generated from hiPSCs. The upregulation of C-MYC via histone acetylation plays a crucial role during the conversion process. Inhibition of CBP is a potential strategy for attenuating the stemness of colorectal CSCs., Competing Interests: Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests. Ethics approval and consent to participate The authors declare that all methods were performed in accordance with the relevant guidelines and regulations. The procedures for collecting human blood samples were approved by the Institutional Review Board of the National Taiwan University Hospital. Signed informed consent was obtained from all participants. Additionally, the authors have obtained written informed consent for publication of the images., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature America, Inc.)

Published
2024
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44. Comparison of Anti-Hepatitis A Antibody Pharmacokinetics in Healthy Australian Subjects Receiving Standard or Weight-Based Dosing of Polyvalent Immunoglobulin.

Author

Young MK, Ng SK, Faddy HM, and Nimmo GR

Subjects
Humans, Male, Adult, Female, Australia, Hepatitis A Antibodies blood, Young Adult, Middle Aged, Immunoglobulins administration & dosage, Immunoglobulins blood, Healthy Volunteers, Post-Exposure Prophylaxis methods, Body Weight, Hepatitis A prevention & control, Hepatitis A immunology
Abstract

This randomized controlled trial compared two dosing regimens of the polyvalent immunoglobulin available for hepatitis A post-exposure prophylaxis in Australia. Participants were randomized to receive either 270 IU (standard dose) or 3.375 IU/kg (dose by weight). Quantitative serial serum hepatitis A antibody concentrations were measured at baseline and then on days 1, 3, 7, 28, and 50. Fifteen participants completed the trial. Serum hepatitis A antibody concentrations were not different between the study groups at any time point. Pharmacokinetic parameters estimated from participant data were not different between the study groups. The hepatitis A antibody level of all participants exceeded 10 mIU/mL at day 50. While no difference between dosing regimens was found in this study, further research should examine dosing at the lower limit of current Australian recommendations before making policy decisions., (© 2024 The Author(s). The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American College of Clinical Pharmacology.)

Published
2024
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45. Altered Sensory Processing in People Attending Specialist Orthopaedic Consultation for Management of Persistent Shoulder Pain: An Observational Cross-Sectional Study.

Author

Hollis D, Mendis MD, Ng SK, Lewis J, Thomas M, Marks D, Hides J, and Bisset L

Subjects
Humans, Cross-Sectional Studies, Male, Female, Middle Aged, Adult, Referral and Consultation, Aged, Pain Measurement, Hyperalgesia therapy, Hyperalgesia physiopathology, Orthopedics, Life Style, Shoulder Pain therapy, Pain Threshold
Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The primary objective was to compare sensory processing measures in people attending specialist orthopaedic consultation for management of persistent shoulder pain with control participants. The secondary objective was to compare the groups' sociodemographic, clinical, general health and lifestyle, and psychological characteristics. DESIGN: Observational cross-sectional. METHODS: Participants with shoulder pain for ≥3 months, who attended a public hospital orthopaedic department (n = 119), and community participants without shoulder pain (n = 44) underwent a standardized quantitative sensory testing protocol, measuring pressure pain threshold, temporal summation, and conditioned pain modulation. Sociodemographic, clinical, general health and lifestyle, and psychological characteristics were also collected. RESULTS: Participants with shoulder pain had significantly lower pressure pain thresholds at all sites (ie, local and widespread mechanical hyperalgesia) and significantly decreased conditioned pain modulation effect (ie, descending inhibition of nociception) than control participants. There was no significant difference between groups for temporal summation. Participants with shoulder pain had decreased general health and function, less healthy lifestyles, and poorer psychological health compared with controls. CONCLUSION: People referred to specialist orthopaedic care for management of persistent shoulder pain had clinical signs of altered sensory processing and poor health outcomes. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2024;54(10):1-10. Epub 25 July 2024. doi:10.2519/jospt.2024.12512 .

Published
2024
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46. Microfluidic Gastrointestinal Cell Culture Technologies-Improvements in the Past Decade.

Author

Teo AJT, Ng SK, Khoo K, Wong SH, and Li KHH

Subjects
Humans, Microfluidics, Gastrointestinal Tract, Microfluidic Analytical Techniques, Lab-On-A-Chip Devices, Point-of-Care Systems, Cell Culture Techniques
Abstract

Gastrointestinal cell culture technology has evolved in the past decade with the integration of microfluidic technologies, bringing advantages with greater selectivity and cost effectiveness. Herein, these technologies are sorted into three categories, namely the cell-culture insert devices, conventional microfluidic devices, and 3D-printed microfluidic devices. Each category is discussed in brief with improvements also discussed here. Introduction of different companies and applications derived from each are also provided to encourage uptake. Subsequently, future perspectives of integrating microfluidics with trending topics like stool-derived in vitro communities and gut-immune-tumor axis investigations are discussed. Insights on modular microfluidics and its implications on gastrointestinal cell cultures are also discussed here. Future perspectives on point-of-care (POC) applications in relations to gastrointestinal microfluidic devices are also discussed here. In conclusion, this review presents an introduction of each microfluidic platform with an insight into the greater contribution of microfluidics in gastrointestinal cell cultures.

Published
2024
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47. Hybrid modeling for in silico optimization of a dynamic perfusion cell culture process.

Author

Agarwal P, McCready C, Ng SK, Ng JC, van de Laar J, Pennings M, and Zijlstra G

Abstract

The bio-pharmaceutical industry heavily relies on mammalian cells for the production of bio-therapeutic proteins. The complexity of implementing and high cost-of-goods of these processes are currently limiting more widespread patient access. This is driving efforts to enhance cell culture productivity and cost reduction. Upstream process intensification (PI), using perfusion approaches in the seed train and/or the main bioreactor, has shown substantial promise to enhance productivity. However, developing optimal process conditions for perfusion-based processes remain challenging due to resource and time constraints. Model-based optimization offers a solution by systematically screening process parameters like temperature, pH, and culture media to find the optimum conditions in silico. To our knowledge, this is the first experimentally validated model to explain the perfusion dynamics under different operating conditions and scales for process optimization. The hybrid model accurately describes Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell culture growth dynamics and a neural network model explains the production of mAb, allowing for optimization of media exchange rates. Results from six perfusion runs in Ambr® 250 demonstrated high accuracy, confirming the model's utility. Further, the implementation of dynamic media exchange rate schedule determined through model-based optimization resulted in 50% increase in volumetric productivity. Additionally, two 5 L-scale experiments validated the model's reliable extrapolation capabilities to large bioreactors. This approach could reduce the number of wet lab experiments needed for culture process optimization, offering a promising avenue for improving productivity, cost-of-goods in bio-pharmaceutical manufacturing, in turn improving patient access to pivotal medicine., (© 2024 The Author(s). Biotechnology Progress published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Institute of Chemical Engineers.)

Published
2024
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48. Perforator Selection with Computed Tomography Angiography for Unilateral Breast Reconstruction: A Clinical Multicentre Analysis.

Author

Seth I, Lim B, Phan R, Xie Y, Kenney PS, Bukret WE, Thomsen JB, Cuomo R, Ross RJ, Ng SK, and Rozen WM

Subjects
Humans, Female, Australia, Middle Aged, Mammaplasty methods, Computed Tomography Angiography methods, Perforator Flap blood supply
Abstract

Background and Objectives : Despite CTAs being critical for preoperative planning in autologous breast reconstruction, experienced plastic surgeons may have differing preferences for which side of the abdomen to use for unilateral breast reconstruction. Large language models (LLMs) have the potential to assist medical imaging interpretation. This study compares the perforator selection preferences of experienced plastic surgeons with four popular LLMs based on CTA images for breast reconstruction. Materials and Methods : Six experienced plastic surgeons from Australia, the US, Italy, Denmark, and Argentina reviewed ten CTA images, indicated their preferred side of the abdomen for unilateral breast reconstruction and recommended the type of autologous reconstruction. The LLMs were prompted to do the same. The average decisions were calculated, recorded in suitable tables, and compared. Results : The six consultants predominantly recommend the DIEP procedure (83%). This suggests experienced surgeons feel more comfortable raising DIEP than TRAM flaps, which they recommended only 3% of the time. They also favoured MS TRAM and SIEA less frequently (11% and 2%, respectively). Three LLMs-ChatGPT-4o, ChatGPT-4, and Bing CoPilot-exclusively recommended DIEP (100%), while Claude suggested DIEP 90% and MS TRAM 10%. Despite minor variations in side recommendations, consultants and AI models clearly preferred DIEP. Conclusions : Consultants and LLMs consistently preferred DIEP procedures, indicating strong confidence among experienced surgeons, though LLMs occasionally deviated in recommendations, highlighting limitations in their image interpretation capabilities. This emphasises the need for ongoing refinement of AI-assisted decision support systems to ensure they align more closely with expert clinical judgment and enhance their reliability in clinical practice.

Published
2024
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49. Treatment of ocular surface squamous neoplasia in an Indian rural facility: a study of 38 eyes.

Author

Agarwal A, Ghose N, Rathi V, Khanna R, and Kaliki S

Subjects
Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Female, Retrospective Studies, Adult, India epidemiology, Aged, Adolescent, Young Adult, Eye Neoplasms drug therapy, Eye Neoplasms epidemiology, Eye Neoplasms diagnosis, Eye Neoplasms therapy, Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic therapeutic use, Rural Population, Ophthalmic Solutions, Conjunctival Neoplasms drug therapy, Conjunctival Neoplasms therapy, Conjunctival Neoplasms pathology, Conjunctival Neoplasms epidemiology, Follow-Up Studies, Fluorouracil therapeutic use, Fluorouracil administration & dosage, Carcinoma, Squamous Cell drug therapy, Carcinoma, Squamous Cell pathology, Carcinoma, Squamous Cell therapy, Corneal Diseases diagnosis, Corneal Diseases drug therapy, Corneal Diseases epidemiology
Abstract

Purpose: To report the demographic profile, clinical presentation, and management outcomes of ocular surface squamous neoplasia (OSSN) treated with primary topical chemotherapy in a limited resource secondary eye care facility in rural parts of South India., Methods: Retrospective interventional study of 38 eyes of 37 patients with OSSN treated with topical 1% 5-Fluorouracil (5FU), over a period of two years., Results: The median age at presentation with OSSN was 44 years (mean, 46 years; range 13 to 74 years). Majority (76%) were males. The most common morphological variant was placoid OSSN (18, 47%). Limbus was the most common epicenter (31, 82%). Corneal OSSN was the most initially misdiagnosed variant (n = 3). Of the 38 eyes receiving one week on and 3-weeks off cycles of 5FU regimen, complete tumor resolution was achieved in 36 (95%) eyes. The median number of topical 5FU cycles for tumor resolution was 2 (mean, 2; range, 1 to 4). Over a median follow-up period of 5 months (mean, 6 months; range, 1 to 27 months), tumor recurrence was noted in 3 eyes (8%), of which one case had xeroderma pigmentosum with bilateral multifocal recurrence. Complication rate was 5% (n = 2), which included transient conjunctival hyperemia (n = 1), and bacterial keratitis (n = 1) which resolved with fortified antibiotics., Conclusion: Primary chemotherapy with topical 1% 5FU is a safe and effective management modality for OSSN at limited resource settings in rural India., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Published
2024
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50. A systematic review on current approaches in bat virus discovered between 2018 and 2022.

Author

Mo Y, Lim LS, and Ng SK

Subjects
Animals, High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing, Viruses classification, Viruses genetics, Viruses isolation & purification, Genome, Viral, RNA Viruses genetics, RNA Viruses classification, RNA Viruses isolation & purification, Phylogeny, DNA Viruses genetics, DNA Viruses classification, DNA Viruses isolation & purification, Virus Diseases virology, Virus Diseases veterinary, Viral Zoonoses virology, Chiroptera virology, Metagenomics methods
Abstract

Zoonotic viruses are widely seen as the primary threat for future pandemics. Bats are the most diverse group of mammals, with more than 1400 species distributed across most habitats on Earth. So far, 31 known virus families were associated with bats, although the understanding of most viruses were insufficient. Continuous efforts to discover, understand and monitor these bats viruses, is thereby an area of public health interest. This systematic review was designed to catalogue publications reporting novel bat virus discoveries within PubMed, SCOPUS, and Web of Science databases, within a 5-year period from 2018 to 2022. Various experimental parameters, including sampling locations, methodology, bat species diversity, similarity to known viruses, species demarcation of new viruses, and genomic sequencing strategies, were extracted from 41 publications and analyzed. In total, 72 novel viruses from 19 virus families were identified between 2018 and 2022, particularly from Genomoviridae (DNA viruses) and Coronaviridae (RNA viruses). That said, only a limited number of bat families featured extensively despite noticeable shift towards next generation sequencing methods and metagenomics pipeline for virus identification across different sampling methods. This review aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the global efforts made over the past five years to identify and characterize emerging viruses in bat species, and to provide a detailed overview of the current technologies and methodologies used in these studies., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Published
2024
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