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There were two most found genera of plant parasitic nematodes from garlic plantation in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia which suffered losses due to bulb rot, Aphelenchoides and Helicotylenchus. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was conducted using a pair of universal nematode primer (D2A/D3B) to determine the Aphelenchoides and Helicotylenchus species from those host. Both genera were amplified at ~780 bp. The Blast-N results for the Aphelenchoides showed high identity to Aphelenchoides varicaudatus from Yunnan China (HQ283353) with 99.47 % identity, while the Helicotylenchus showed 95.22 % identity to Helicotylenchus erythrinae from Colombia (MT321739). From morphological and molecular data, we confirm that the Aphelenchoides species is A. varicaudatus. Based on female morphological character, Helicotylenchus species refers to H. erythrinae. Which is also supported by its nucleotide alignment which has same region character as H. erythrinae (MT321739). This is the first report of molecular characterization of H. erythrinae in Indonesia.

Artificial Insemination (AI) in this study uses the results of sexing liquid semen, which aims to get the calf following the objective of the breeding institution that is producing Bali cows. The study was conducted at Balai Pembibitan Ternak Unggul and Hijauan Pakan Ternak located in Pangyangan, Pulukan Sub district, Jembrana Regency, Bali. The study was conducted on July 7, 2019 until November 7, 2019. The research material was 45 Bali heifers. Bali heifer was synchronized using Enzaprost@, after showing signs of estrus, double doses artificial insemination at 2 hours after estrus and 8 hours after estrus. The Bali heifer was inseminated with non-sexing and sexing liquid semen using andromed diluent, P0 = non-sexing liquid semen, P1 = liquid semen by the Percoll Density Gradient Centrifugation (PDGC) method in the lower layer and P2 = liquid semen by the Egg White Gradient Sedimentation (EWS) method in the upper layer. Pregnancy evaluation is calculated based on Non-Return Rate (NRR) and Conception Rate (CR). The results showed Non-Return Rate (NRR) P0, P1 and P2 = 86.67%, 60% and 53.33%. While the Conception Rate (CR) at P0, P1 and P2 is 53.33%, 13.33% and 26.67%.

Dental gypsum products in Indonesia are mainly imported from countries with non-tropical weather. Mostly, these gypsum products marketed in Jakarta are without adequate packaging, data or manipulative and maintenance instructions, which can cause misuse & abuse in the materials manipulation and handling. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the W/P ratio, setting time and compressive strength of dental stone type III and IV in relation with room temperature condition and relative humidity in Jakarta, Indonesia. One hundred and eighty dental stone Type III (unlabelled Blue Hard Stone; Giludur, Germany: Moldaroc, Germany) and Type IV (New Fujirock, Japan; Glastone, USA; unlabelled Quickstone) specimens were made as recommended by ISO 6873-1983 for setting time (with Vicat needle) and compressive strength determination (Shimadzu mechanical testing machine) with W/P ratio variables of 0.28; 0.29; 0.30 for Type III and 0.20; 0.21; 0.22 for type IV. The tests were conducted in 2 rooms with different temperature and humidity and with and without air-conditioned. Statistical analysis using T-test. The results shows that the increasing of W/P ratio will decrease the dental stone type III and IV setting time. Jakarta condition of high room temperature and relative humidity significantly shorten the setting time of Moldaroc and New Fujirock. The rest of the stones were reduced statistically insignificant. It can be concluded that the temperature and humidity in Jakarta can influence the setting time and compressive strength of dental stone type III and IV. However, since the setting time and strength values are still within the ISO standard, these stones can be accepted and used in Indonesia.

Tea plants in Indonesia have been found to be infected with Tea plant necrotic ring blotch virus (TPNRBV), marking the first report of the virus in the country. The symptoms of the virus, including leaf discoloration, were observed after the 2019 El Niño event. The virus is believed to be associated with drought stress, which weakens the plants' resistance to infection. The discovery highlights the need for closer attention to the source of leaf cuttings used for tea plant propagation. [Extracted from the article]

Background and purpose: This study quantified the total brain and periventricular white matter hyperintensity (WMH) burdens in patients with early Parkinson's disease (PD) and explored their associations with cardiovascular risk factors and cognitive performance. Methods: A total of 175 non‐demented patients with early PD who had undergone baseline brain magnetic resonance imaging were included. Comprehensive neurocognitive testing was conducted to identify PD with mild cognitive impairment (PD‐MCI) and to evaluate performances in individual cognitive domains. Cardiovascular risk was expressed as a modified Framingham 10‐year cardiovascular risk score (mFRS). Results: A total of 53.7% of this early PD cohort fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for PD‐MCI. An increase in mFRS was significantly associated with increases in the total brain WMH (P = 0.015) and periventricular WMH (P = 0.040) burden, independent of age and gender. The periventricular WMH burden was significantly associated with PD‐MCI (P = 0.046) in early PD, independent of cardiovascular risk factors. Patients in the 5th quintile of periventricular WMH burden were 8.6 times more likely to have PD‐MCI compared with patients in the 1st quintile of periventricular WMH burden (P = 0.004). However, total brain WMH burden was not associated with PD‐MCI (P = 0.158). In individual cognitive domains, heavier periventricular WMH burden was associated with worse executive function and visuospatial function independent of cardiovascular risk factors. Conclusion: Periventricular WMHs are a useful imaging biomarker for cognitive impairment in early PD. Cardiovascular risk factors, although associated with periventricular WMHs, were unable to fully explain the association between periventricular WMHs and cognitive impairment in early PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conversion is accomplished by pyrolyzing plastic bag waste at relatively low temperatures, around 50-225OC, and using a bentonite catalyst. The four products are alternative oils consisting of gasoline, kerosene, diesel, and non-condensable gas. The pyrolysis procedure is as follows: (a). 3 kg of chopped plastic waste mixed with a mass fraction of bentonite catalyst of around 0.035-0.0125 of the weight of plastic waste and then put into the pyrolysator; (b). the pyrolysator is heated with 1.5 kg of liquid petroleum gas (LPG) for 2-3 hours at a temperature ranging from 50-225oC; (c). pyrolysis results are stored separately in 3 pots: gasoline, kerosene, and diesel; (d). to clarify pyrolysis results by adsorption using a sand filter. The variables studied were the polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) plastic materials type and the effect of the mass fraction of bentonite catalyst ranging from 0.035 to 0.125. The research obtained relatively good results as follows. Pyrolysis of 3 kg of PP plastic waste with the mass fraction catalyst of 0.100 yielded 44.00% alternative gasoline, 10.76% alternative kerosene, 21.07% alternative diesel, and the remaining non-condensable gases. The flash (ASTM D7094) points of alternative gasoline, alternative kerosene, and alternative diesel are 84˚C, 68˚C, and 100˚C, respectively. The calorific value of each fuel product is 10,970 cal/g for alternative gasoline, 10,965 cal/g for alternative kerosene, and 10,816 cal/g for alternative diesel. In addition, the pyrolysis of PE plastic waste with the mass fraction of catalyt of 0.100 produced a yield of 27.65% for alternative gasoline, 17.11% for alternative kerosene, and 43.79% for alternative diesel, and the remaining was non-condensable gases. The respective flash points (ASTM D7094) of alternative gasoline, alternative kerosene, and alternative diesel are 84˚C, 70˚C, and 98˚C. The calorific values are alternative gasoline 10,979 cal/g, alternative kerosene 11,008 cal/g, and alternative diesel 11,027 cal/g.

Introduction To assess if parameters in intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) can be used to evaluate early renal fibrosis in a mouse model of diabetic nephropathy. Materials & methods In a population of 38 male CD1 mice (8 weeks old, 20–30 g), streptozotocin induced diabetes was created in 20 mice via a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin at 150 mg/kg, while 18 mice served as control group. IVIM parameters were acquired at 0, 12 and 24 weeks after injection of streptozotocin using a range of b values from 0 to 1200 s/mm 2 . DTI parameters were obtained using 12 diffusion directions and lower b values of 0, 100 and 400 s/mm 2 . DTI and IVIM parameters were obtained using region of interests drawn over the renal parenchyma. Histopathological analysis of the right kidney was performed in all mice. Results were analyzed using an unpaired t -test with P < 0.05 considered statistically significant. Results Renal cortex fractional anisotropy (FA) was significantly lower in the diabetes group at week 12 as compared with the control group. Renal cortex apparent diffusion coefficient and tissue diffusivity were significantly higher in the diabetes group at week 12 compared with the control group at 12 weeks. Blood flow was significantly decreased at the renal medulla at 24 weeks. Histopathological analysis confirmed fibrosis in the diabetes group at 24 weeks. Conclusion FA is significantly reduced in diabetic nephropathy. FA might serve a potential role in the detection and therapy monitoring of early diabetic nephropathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces the agro-industry value chain of processed aloe vera in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, Indonesia. For this purpose, the authors have identified the complete value chain from producers (farmers / processors), traders, end consumers and policy makers. Finally, the national product is described in the context provided by the international market. The results showed that the performance of each of the actors of the value chain to work effectively so that consumers feel the best service with the product received while producers gain increased competitiveness and profitability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Inappropriate nutrition knowledge and feeding practices of caregivers are among several important causes of persistent malnutrition problems in young children. Thus, it is essential to provide caregivers with the necessary knowledge to help them modify their feeding practices.Objective: To examine the effectiveness of two different nutrition education methods, weekly intensive nutrition education (INE) and monthly nonintensive nutrition education (NNE), designed for caregivers of mildly wasted children (weight-for-height z-score ≥ -1.5 to < -1) aged ≥ 6 to < 60 months on Nias Island, Indonesia.Methods: To assess the impact of the two different nutrition education approaches on nutrition knowledge and practice of caregivers with their children, respondents were assigned to receive either weekly INE (n=114) or monthly NNE (n=96). The knowledge and practice levels of the mothers in each group were assessed and compared using a pretested validated questionnaire at admission and after the intervention period.Results: At admission, the knowledge and practice levels of caregivers in both groups were not statistically significantly different. After participating in the nutrition education program, the percentage of correct answers on nutrition knowledge and practice in the INE group was significantly higher than that in the NNE group. Significant improvement in knowledge and practice scores was observed in the INE group after the intervention (p < 0.001), whereas only a significant improvement in knowledge was found in the NNE group (p < .05).Conclusions: In comparison with NNE, the INE approach was significantly better in bringing about a positive change in knowledge and practice of caregivers of mildly wasted children in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) CT imaging of four patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was performed using a dual-phase imaging protocol designed with initial rapid dynamic imaging to capture the initial increase in contrast medium enhancement in order to assess perfusion, followed by a delayed imaging phase with progressively longer intervals to monitor subsequent tissue enhancement behaviour in order to assess tissue permeability. The DCE CT images were analysed using a dual-input two-compartment distributed parameter model to yield separate estimates for blood flow and permeability, as well as fractional intravascular and extravascular volumes. The HCCs and surrounding cirrhotic liver tissues were found to exhibit enhancement curves that can be appropriately described by two distinct compartments separated by a semipermeable barrier. Early contrast arrival was also found for HCC as compared with background liver. These findings are consistent with the current understanding of sinusoidal capillarization and hepatocarcinogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRAK Pada penelitian ini telah dilakukan perancangan dan implementasi antena mikrostrip untuk aplikasi generasi kelima (5G) pada frekuensi 3.5 GHz. Parameter yang diinginkan berdasarkan pada posisi kebijakan publik Huawei, posisi kebijakan publik Qualcomm, dan artikel 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Rel-15. Antena mikrostrip memiliki bandwidth yang sempit, oleh karena itu beberapa modifikasi digunakan, yaitu teknik proximity coupled dan defected ground structure (DGS). Tahap pertama adalah menghitung dimensi awal antena, kemudian disimulasikan menggunakan HFSS Ansoft. Simulasi dimulai dari simulasi dimensi awal, menambahkan teknik proximity coupled, dan penerapan DGS hingga parameter antena yang diinginkan tercapai. Aktivitas pengukuran dilakukan setelah simulasi dan optimasi telah selesai dikerjakan. Hasil dari pengukuran, gain bertambah menjadi 6.6 dB, bandwidth berkurang sebesar 65.2 MHz, Voltage Standing Wave Ratio (VSWR) dan return loss masing-masing 1.31 dan -17.436 dB. Kata kunci: antena mikrostrip, proximity coupled, DGS, 5G, 3.5 GHz ABSTRACT This research has performed the design and implementation of microstrip antenna for fifth generation (5G) application, at frequency 3.5 GHz. The desired parameters are based on Huawei public policy position, Qualcomm public policy position, and Rel-15 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) article. Since microstrip antenna has narrow bandwidth, some modification are conducted, namely proximity coupled feeding and defected ground structure (DGS). The first stage is calculating the initial dimension of the antenna, finally the antenna is simulated and optimized. The simulation starts from simulating the initial dimension, then applying the proximity coupled feeding, after that employing the DGS until the desired antenna is achieved. The final stage is fabricate the antenna based on simulation then measure it. The measurement results show that the gain is increased to 6.6 dB, the bandwidth is reduced by 65.2 MHz, the Voltage Standing Wave Ratio (VSWR) and return loss are 1.31 and -17.436 dB. Keywords: microstrip antenna, proximity coupled, DGS, 5G, 3.5 GHz

Abstract Background This study investigated the infant feeding practices of participating mothers who were recruited into a research project aimed at improving the nutritional status of mildly wasted children (< -1.0 to ≥ -1.5 Weight-for-Height Z-scores) aged ≥ 6 to < 60 months on Nias Island, Indonesia. Methods Cross-sectional, questionnaire-based interview of mothers of the index children (n = 215) who were admitted to the community program for mildly wasted children in the study area. Four focus groups and twenty in-depth interviews were conducted to explore further information on infant feeding practices in the study area. Results Retrospective results indicated that 6% of the mothers never breastfed. Fifty two percent of mothers initiated breastfeeding within six hours of birth, but 17% discarded colostrum. Exclusive breastfeeding until 6 months of age was practiced by 12%. Seventy-four percent of the mothers offered supplementary liquids besides breast milk within the first 7 days of life, and 14% of infants received these supplementary liquids from 7 days onwards until 6 months of age. Moreover, 79% of the infants were given complementary foods (solid, semi-solid, or soft foods) before 6 months of age. About 9% of the children were breastfed at least two years. Less than one in five of the mildly wasted children (19%) were breastfed on admission to the community program. Qualitative assessments found that inappropriate infant feeding practices were strongly influenced by traditional beliefs of the mothers and paternal grandmothers in the study areas. Conclusion Generally, suboptimal infant feeding was widely practiced among mothers of mildly wasted children in the study area on Nias Island, Indonesia. To promote breastfeeding practices among mothers on Nias Island, appropriate nutrition training for community workers and health-nutrition officers is needed to improve relevant counseling skills. In addition, encouraging public nutrition education that promotes breastfeeding, taking into account social-cultural factors such as the influence of paternal grandmothers on infant feeding practice, is needed.

Objective: Comparing the clinical outcomes of laparoscopic and abdominal sacrocolpopexy in vaginal vault prolapse post-hysterectomy’s patient. Method: Systematic search data is performed on medical database (PUBMED, Cochrane Database) using keyword:(1) vault prolapse [title] AND (2) laparoscopic[title] AND sacrocolpopexy[title]. Inclusion criteria:(1) randomized controlled trial and observational studies, (2) women with vaginal vault prolapse post hysterectomy, (3) intervention studied: laparoscopic (LSC) and abdominal sacrocolpopexy (ASC), (4) the entire fully accessible papers can be accessed and data can be accurately analyzed. Comparison about clinical outcomes of LSC and ASC was performed using narrative analysis and meta-analysis (RevMan). Results: Three studies compared clinical outcomes of LSC and ASC with a total of 243 samples (118 in LSC and 125 in ASC group). There was no significant difference in the incidence of complications between LSC and ASC (OR 1.10;95%CI 0.58-2.08). LSC was associated with less blood loss (MD 111.64 mL,95%CI-166.13 - -57.15 mL) and shorter length of hospital stay (MD -1.82 days;95%CI -2.52- -1.12 days) but requires a longer operating time (MD 22.82 minutes,95%CI 0.43-45.22 minutes). There was no statistically significant difference to anatomical outcomes (measurement of point C on POP-Q), subjective outcomes measured by PGI-I and reoperation numbers (repeat surgical interventions) for prolapse recurrence between LSC and ASC groups after one year of follow-up. Conclusions: LSC showed similar anatomic results compared to ASC with less blood loss and shorter length of hospital stay in management patient with vaginal vault prolapse.

Purpose: Susceptibility map weighted imaging (SMWI), based on quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM), allows accurate nigrosome-1 (N1) evaluation and has been used to develop Parkinson's disease (PD) deep learning (DL) classification algorithms. Neuromelanin-sensitive (NMS) MRI could improve automated quantitative N1 analysis by revealing neuromelanin content. This study aimed to compare classification performance of four approaches to PD diagnosis: (1) N1 quantitative "QSM-NMS" composite marker, (2) DL model for N1 morphological abnormality using SMWI ("Heuron IPD"), (3) DL model for N1 volume using SMWI ("Heuron NI"), and (4) N1 SMWI neuroradiological evaluation., Method: PD patients ( n = 82; aged 65 ± 9 years; 68% male) and healthy-controls ( n = 107; 66 ± 7 years; 48% male) underwent 3 T midbrain MRI with T2*-SWI multi-echo-GRE (for QSM and SMWI), and NMS-MRI. AUC was used to compare diagnostic performance. We tested for correlation of each imaging measure with clinical parameters (severity, duration and levodopa dosing) by Spearman-Rho or Kendall-Tao-Beta correlation., Results: Classification performance was excellent for the QSM-NMS composite marker (AUC = 0.94), N1 SMWI abnormality (AUC = 0.92), N1 SMWI volume (AUC = 0.90), and neuroradiologist (AUC = 0.98). Reasons for misclassification were right-left asymmetry, through-plane re-slicing, pulsation artefacts, and thin N1. In the two DL models, all 18/189 (9.5%) cases misclassified by Heuron IPD were controls with normal N1 volumes. We found significant correlation of the SN QSM-NMS composite measure with levodopa dosing (rho = -0.303, p = 0.006)., Conclusion: Our data demonstrate excellent performance of a quantitative QSM-NMS marker and automated DL PD classification algorithms based on midbrain MRI, while suggesting potential further improvements. Clinical utility is supported but requires validation in earlier stage PD cohorts., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Welton, Hartono, Lee, Teh, Hou, Chen, Chen, Lim, Prakash, Tan, Tan and Chan.)

Objectives: To examine the long-term validity of the Active Australia Survey in a cardiac rehabilitation population using accelerometry as the reference measure., Design: Cohort validation study., Methods: Cardiac rehabilitation participants with coronary heart disease were recruited to a prospective cohort study. Over 7-days, 61 participants wore an ActiGraph ActiSleep accelerometer (1-second epoch, 10-minute bout) and completed the self-administered Active Australia Survey at baseline, 6-weeks, 6 and 12-months. Total daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity from both methods was compared using Bland-Altman plots and Spearman rank-order correlations., Results: Participants tended to over-report moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, with more active participants more likely to over-report moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. There was a good level of agreement between the accelerometer 1-second epochs and Active Australia Survey at all time points (mean bias (ratio) 1.04, 1.16, 1.14, and 1.06, respectively), with weak-moderate correlations (ρ = 0.3-0.48). Conversely, there was a poor level of agreement between the accelerometer 10-minute bouts and Active Australia Survey at all time points (mean bias (ratio) 6.78, 9.09, 6.35, and 5.68, respectively), with weak-moderate correlations (ρ = 0.3-0.52). Agreement between the two measures did not improve over time for both 1-second and 10-minute bout accelerometry data., Conclusions: The Active Australia Survey may be an acceptable self-report measure of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in cardiac rehabilitation attendees when capturing any time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. The Active Australia Survey may be useful to routinely monitor physical activity levels over-time in Australian cardiac rehabilitation programs at both individual and group levels., Trial Registration: Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR): ACTRN12615000995572, http://www.ANZCTR.org.au/ACTRN12615000995572.aspx., Competing Interests: Declaration of interest statement The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Systemic allergic reactions (sARs) following coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mRNA vaccines were initially reported at a higher rate than after traditional vaccines., Objective: We aimed to evaluate the safety of revaccination in these individuals and to interrogate mechanisms underlying these reactions., Methods: In this randomized, double-blinded, phase 2 trial, participants aged 16 to 69 years who previously reported a convincing sAR to their first dose of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine were randomly assigned to receive a second dose of BNT162b2 (Comirnaty) vaccine and placebo on consecutive days in a blinded, 1:1 crossover fashion at the National Institutes of Health. An open-label BNT162b2 booster was offered 5 months later if the second dose did not result in severe sAR. None of the participants received the mRNA-1273 (Spikevax) vaccine during the study. The primary end point was recurrence of sAR following second dose and booster vaccination; exploratory end points included biomarker measurements., Results: Of 111 screened participants, 18 were randomly assigned to receive study interventions. Eight received BNT162b2 second dose followed by placebo; 8 received placebo followed by BNT162b2 second dose; 2 withdrew before receiving any study intervention. All 16 participants received the booster dose. Following second dose and booster vaccination, sARs recurred in 2 participants (12.5%; 95% CI, 1.6 to 38.3). No sAR occurred after placebo. An anaphylaxis mimic, immunization stress-related response (ISRR), occurred more commonly than sARs following both vaccine and placebo and was associated with higher predose anxiety scores, paresthesias, and distinct vital sign and biomarker changes., Conclusions: Our findings support revaccination of individuals who report sARs to COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. Distinct clinical and laboratory features may distinguish sARs from ISRRs., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

End-product inhibition in pH-controlled batch cultures, is the major limiting factor for bacterial biomass formation in the starter culture industry as well as in many other biotechnological processes. Adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE) has emerged over the past decades as a powerful tool for phenotype optimization, but none of the existing ALE methods could select for improved end-product resistance. Therefore, we developed the stressostat (STress Resistance Evolution in Substrate Surplus) as a novel continuous ALE method. Stressostat cultivation applies end-product concentrations as constant evolutionary pressure on microorganisms in the presence of substrate surplus. In this study, we improved the lactate resistance of Lactococcus lactis FM03P in 35 days of stressostat cultivations. The lactate concentrations increased over time from 530 to 675 mM, indicating the successful selection for variants with improved lactate resistance. Thirty-four variants were isolated and grouped into four clusters based on their growth rates at high lactate concentrations. In the high-throughput screening without pH control, most isolated variants could grow at high lactate concentrations (870-928 mM), while the wild type was completely inhibited. The variants grew slower than wild type at low lactate media indicating possible evolutionary trade-off. However, in pH-controlled batch cultivations, most variants produced more biomass than the wild type. In conclusion, stressostat cultivation is a valuable method to obtain L. lactis variants with improved end-product resistance and further characterization is needed to elucidate underlying resistance mechanisms and potential industrial applications., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Oscar van Mastrigt reports financial support was provided by Dutch Research Council. Sylviani Hartono reports financial support was provided by Dutch Research Council. Oscar van Mastrigt reports financial support was provided by Arla Foods amba. Sylviani Hartono reports financial support was provided by Arla Foods amba. Oscar van Mastrigt reports financial support was provided by dsm-firmenich. Sylviani Hartono reports financial support was provided by dsm-firmenich., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Neuromelanin- and iron-sensitive MRI studies in Parkinson's disease (PD) are limited by small sample sizes and lack detailed clinical correlation. In a large case-control PD cohort, we evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of quantitative iron-neuromelanin MRI parameters from the substantia nigra (SN), their radiological utility, and clinical association., Methods: PD patients and age-matched controls were prospectively recruited for motor assessment and midbrain neuromelanin- and iron-sensitive [quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) and susceptibility map-weighted imaging (SMWI)] MRI. Quantitative neuromelanin-iron parameters from the SN were assessed for their discriminatory performance in PD classification using ROC analysis compared to those of qualitative visual classification by radiological readers of differential experience and used to predict motor severity., Results: In total, 191 subjects (80 PD, mean age 65.0 years; 111 controls, 65.6) were included. SN masks showed (a) higher mean susceptibility ( p < 0.0001) and smaller sizes after thresholding for low susceptibility ( p < 0.0001) on QSM and (b) lower contrast range ( p < 0.0001) and smaller sizes after thresholding for high-signal voxels ( p < 0.0001) on neuromelanin-sensitive MRI in patients than in controls. Quantitative iron and neuromelanin parameters showed a moderate correlation with motor dysfunction (87.5%: 0.4< | r | <0.6, p < 0.0001), respectively. A composite quantitative neuromelanin-iron marker differentiated the groups with excellent performance (AUC 0.94), matching the diagnostic accuracy of the best-performing reader (accuracy 97%) using SMWI., Conclusion: Quantitative neuromelanin-iron MRI is associated with PD motor severity and matched best-performing radiological PD classification using SMWI, with the potential to improve diagnostic confidence in the clinics and track disease progression and response to neuroprotective therapies., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Hartono, Chen, Welton, Tan, Lee, Teh, Chen, Hou, Tham, Lim, Prakash, Shih, Lee, Tan, Tan and Chan.)

Background and Objective: The maturation of ultra-high-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) [≥7 Tesla (7T)] has improved our capability to depict and characterise brain structures efficiently, with better signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and spatial resolution. We evaluated whether these improvements benefit the clinical detection and management of Parkinson's disease (PD)., Methods: We performed a literature search in March 2023 in PubMed (MEDLINE), EMBASE and Google Scholar for articles on "7T MRI" AND "Parkinson*", written in English, published between inception and 1st March, 2023, which we synthesised in narrative form., Key Content and Findings: In deep-brain stimulation (DBS) surgical planning, early studies show that 7T MRI can distinguish anatomical substructures, and that this results in reduced adverse effects. In other areas, while there is strong evidence for improved accuracy and precision of 7T MRI-based measurements for PD, there is limited evidence for meaningful clinical translation. In particular, neuromelanin-iron complex quantification and visualisation in midbrain nuclei is enhanced, enabling depiction of nigrosomes 1-5, improved morphometry and vastly improved radiological assessments; however, studies on the related clinical outcomes, diagnosis, subtyping, differentiation of atypical parkinsonisms, and monitoring of treatment response using 7T MRI are lacking. Moreover, improvements in clinical utility must be great enough to justify the additional costs., Conclusions: Together, current evidence supports feasible future clinical implementation of 7T MRI for PD. Future impacts to clinical decision making for diagnosis, differentiation, and monitoring of progression or treatment response are likely; however, to achieve this, further longitudinal studies using 7T MRI are needed in prodromal, early-stage PD and parkinsonism cohorts focusing on clinical translational potential., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://qims.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/qims-23-509/coif). EKT reports receiving honorarium from Wiley and Eisai for editorial and academic activities. NH reports that he is a co-founder of Surgical Information Sciences, Inc., and reports grant support from the National Institutes of Health (Nos. R01 NS081118, R01 NS113746, S10 OD025256, P41EB027061, P50 NS123109). DPA reports grant support received to undertake research in Parkinson’s disease from MJFF, Weston Brain Institute, NIHR, MRC, and Biogen. The other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2023 Quantitative Imaging in Medicine and Surgery. All rights reserved.)

Background: Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES) is a rare, non-immunoglobulin E (IgE) mediated gastrointestinal food hypersensitivity. It is a clinical diagnosis commonly characterized by profuse vomiting 1 to 4 hours after ingestion of the triggering food(s). Objective: The objective was to increase awareness of FPIES and review the epidemiology, clinical presentation, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management of FPIES. The lack of availability of a definite biomarker or diagnostic tool often leads to a delay in diagnosis. Methods: A literature search of salient articles that described case reports and case series of FPIES and their management were analyzed. Results: A case of FPIES with a literature review is presented with emphasis on clinical pearls and pitfalls. FPIES is a diagnosis of exclusion and the mainstay of treatment is avoidance of the trigger food(s) for at least 12-18 months from the last exposure. Conclusion: As FPIES is a non-IgE-mediated reaction, allergy testing via skin-prick test or blood tests to measure food IgE antibodies is not routinely recommended. Many children outgrow FPIES by 3-4 years of age. Supervised oral food challenge is recommended to assess acquisition of tolerance.

DICER1 mutations predispose to increased risk for various cancers, particularly pleuropulmonary blastoma (PPB), the commonest lung malignancy of childhood. There is a paucity of directly actionable molecular targets as these tumors are driven by loss-of-function mutations of DICER1. Therapeutic development for PPB is further limited by a lack of biologically and physiologically-representative disease models. Given recent evidence of Dicer's role as a haploinsufficient tumor suppressor regulating RNA polymerase I (Pol I), Pol I inhibition could abrogate mutant Dicer-mediated accumulation of stalled polymerases to trigger apoptosis. Hence, we developed a novel subpleural orthotopic PPB patient-derived xenograft (PDX) model that retained both RNase IIIa and IIIb hotspot mutations and recapitulated the cardiorespiratory physiology of intra-thoracic disease, and with it evaluated the tolerability and efficacy of first-in-class Pol I inhibitor CX-5461. In PDX tumors, CX-5461 significantly reduced H3K9 di-methylation and increased nuclear p53 expression, within 24 hours' exposure. Following treatment at the maximum tolerated dosing regimen (12 doses, 30 mg/kg), tumors were smaller and less hemorrhagic than controls, with significantly decreased cellular proliferation, and increased apoptosis. As demonstrated in a novel intrathoracic tumor model of PPB, Pol I inhibition with CX-5461 could be a tolerable and clinically-feasible therapeutic strategy for mutant Dicer tumors, inducing antitumor effects by decreasing H3K9 methylation and enhancing p53-mediated apoptosis., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Deep gray nuclear pathology relates to motor deterioration in idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD). Inconsistent deep nuclear diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) findings in cross-sectional or short-term longitudinal studies have been reported. Long-term studies in PD are clinically challenging; decade-long deep nuclear DTI data are nonexistent. We investigated serial DTI changes and clinical utility in a case-control PD cohort of 149 subjects (72 patients/77 controls) over 12 years., Methods: Participating subjects underwent brain MRI at 1.5T; DTI metrics from segmented masks of caudate, putamen, globus pallidus and thalamus were extracted from three timepoints with 6-year gaps. Patients underwent clinical assessment, including Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale Part 3 (UPDRS-III) and Hoehn and Yahr (H&Y) staging. A multivariate linear mixed-effects regression model with adjustments for age and gender was used to assess between-group differences in DTI metrics at each timepoint. Partial Pearson correlation analysis was used to correlate clinical motor scores with DTI metrics over time., Results: MD progressively increased over time and was higher in the putamen ( p < 0.001) and globus pallidus ( p = 0.002). FA increased ( p < 0.05) in the thalamus at year six, and decreased in the putamen and globus pallidus at year 12. Putaminal ( p = 0.0210), pallidal ( p = 0.0066) and caudate MD ( p < 0.0001) correlated with disease duration. Caudate MD ( p < 0.05) also correlated with UPDRS-III and H&Y scores., Conclusion: Pallido-putaminal MD showed differential neurodegeneration in PD over 12 years on longitudinal DTI; putaminal and thalamic FA changes were complex. Caudate MD could serve as a surrogate marker to track late PD progression., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Shih, Ooi, Li, Allen, Hartono, Welton, Tan and Chan.)

Three primary species from the Begomovirus genus, Pepper yellow leaf curl Indonesia virus (PepYLCIV), Tomato yellow leaf curl Kanchanaburi virus (TYLCKaV), and Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus (ToLCNDV), are suspected of spreading throughout pepper production centers, and plants are infected by a single species or a combination of two or three species. This study was conducted to provide complete information about the symptoms, incidence and severity, whitefly biotypes, as well as the dominance status of the three Begomovirus species in pepper-producing areas in Java. A DNA analysis was carried out on leaf samples to identify Begomovirus species and biotypes of B. tabaci collected from 18 areas (16 districts) in lowlands (<400 m asl) and highlands (>700 m asl). The DNA analysis showed that B. tabaci biotype B was the most commonly detected in all locations compared to the A, AN, and Q biotypes. The incidence of begomovirus infection was at a high level, 93% and 88.78% in the lowlands and highlands, respectively. However, the severity of begomovirus infection was significantly higher in the lowlands (54.50%) than in the highlands (38.11%). A single infection of PepYLCIV was most dominant in all locations sampled and caused severe infection, followed by a mixed infection with TYLCKaV. Therefore, the current status of begomovirus infection, especially PepYLCIV, can provide advice to farmers using more tolerant and resistant varieties as well as a breeding strategy for resistant pepper varieties.

Phylogenetic and evolutionary analyses were performed on the P1 and CP genes of global isolates to clarify the phylogrouping of leek yellow stripe virus (LYSV, genus Potyvirus), a pathogen affecting Allium spp. worldwide, into different types based on genetic variation and host species. The constructed phylogenetic trees divided the isolates into three major groups: S, L, and N. Low nucleotide (nt) and amino acid (aa) percent identities among the three groups were observed on full ORF (75.4-99.0 and 79.1-99.0), P1 (59.1-98.3 and 36.8-98.3), and CP (76.6-100 and 75.7-100) coding regions. The dN/dS values of P1 and CP confirmed that both genes are under strong negative (purifying) selection pressure. Neutrality tests on Eastern Asian isolates suggested that the ancestors of current LYSV isolates evolved with garlic while they were in Asia before spreading to other world regions through garlic propagative materials. Genetic differentiation and gene flow analysis showed extremely frequent gene flow from S group to L and N groups, and these phylogroups differentiated from each other over time. Host differences, inconsistent serological test results, substantial nt and aa variation, and phylogenetic and diversity analyses in this study supported previous reports that LYSV can be separated into three major evolutionary lineages: S, L, and N types., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Yellowing symptoms caused by tomato chlorosis virus (ToCV) and tomato infectious chlorosis virus (TICV), both assigned to the genus Crinivirus, resemble nutrient deficiencies. Therefore, early diagnosis of infections will prevent crop damage and the spread of the viruses. In this study, we established a rapid detection method for ToCV and TICV by reverse transcription-loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP). We first designed primer sets for RT-LAMP specific for ToCV and TICV. Next, by selecting the optimum primer set and determining the optimum conditions for the RT-LAMP reaction, each virus was detected within 50 min by piercing the diseased area of a tomato leaf with a toothpick, immersing the toothpick in the reaction solution, and conducting the RT-LAMP reaction. To verify the accuracy of the procedure, 61 tomato leaf samples showing disease symptoms were collected from five regions of Indonesia, and the RT-LAMP results for the samples were identical to those obtained with the commonly used reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction., 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 © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

R-loops are three-stranded nucleic acid structures formed from the hybridization of RNA and DNA. In 2012, Ginno et al. introduced the first R-loop mapping method. Since that time, dozens of R-loop mapping studies have been conducted, yielding hundreds of publicly available datasets. Current R-loop databases provide only limited access to these data. Moreover, no web tools for analyzing user-supplied R-loop datasets have yet been described. In our recent work, we reprocessed 810 R-loop mapping samples, building the largest R-loop data resource to date. We also defined R-loop consensus regions and developed a framework for R-loop data analysis. Now, we introduce RLBase, a user-friendly database that provides the capability to (i) explore hundreds of public R-loop mapping datasets, (ii) explore R-loop consensus regions, (iii) analyze user-supplied data and (iv) download standardized and reprocessed datasets. RLBase is directly accessible via the following URL: https://gccri.bishop-lab.uthscsa.edu/shiny/rlbase/., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.)

Background: Diffusion kurtosis imaging provides in vivo measurement of microstructural tissue characteristics and could help guide management of Parkinson's disease., Objective: To investigate longitudinal diffusion kurtosis imaging changes on magnetic resonance imaging in the deep grey nuclei in people with early Parkinson's disease over two years, and whether they correlate with disease progression., Methods: We conducted a longitudinal case-control study of early Parkinson's disease. 262 people (Parkinson's disease: n = 185, aged 67.5±9.1 years; 43% female; healthy controls: n = 77, aged 66.6±8.1 years; 53% female) underwent diffusion kurtosis imaging and clinical assessment at baseline and two-year timepoints. We automatically segmented five nuclei, comparing the mean kurtosis and other diffusion kurtosis imaging indices between groups and over time using repeated-measures analysis of variance, and Pearson correlation with the two-year change in Movement Disorder Society Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Part III., Results: At baseline, mean kurtosis was higher in Parkinson's disease than controls in the substantia nigra, putamen, thalamus and globus pallidus when adjusting for age, sex, and levodopa equivalent daily dose (p < 0.027). These differences grew over two years, with mean kurtosis increasing for the Parkinson's disease group while remaining stable for the control group; evident in significant "group ×time" interaction effects for the putamen, thalamus and globus pallidus (ηp2= 0.08-0.11, p < 0.015). However, we did not detect significant correlations between increasing mean kurtosis and declining motor function in the Parkinson's disease group., Conclusion: Diffusion kurtosis imaging of specific grey matter structures shows abnormal microstructure in PD at baseline and abnormal progression in PD over two years.

Children of migrants in Australia are disproportionally affected by overweight/obesity. Their parents, however, are likely to put little effort into lifestyle changes if unable to recognise their children's suboptimal bodyweight. We examined the potential impact of migrant parents' bodyweight perception on their children's bodyweight over time and whether the region-of-birth of parents and acculturation to the host nation's way of life moderated the relationship, as very little is known about these in the Australian context. We analysed a sample of 2046 children of migrant parents drawn from 8 waves of population-based cohort data, the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, capturing their lived experience from ages 2 to 17. After controlling for child, parent, family, and neighbourhood factors influencing children's bodyweight, multilevel models showed higher children's bodyweight in subsequent waves if their parents perceived children's bodyweight as lower than their actual bodyweight (i.e., underestimation). However, the rate of increase in children's bodyweight attenuated over time. The effect of migrant parents' underestimation on children's subsequent bodyweight differed by region-of-birth, with higher children's bodyweight in successive waves if their parents were from the Americas, compared to migrant parents from North/West Europe. Parents' acculturation, however, did not have a discernible effect. Although migrant parents' bodyweight perception of their children's bodyweight status influenced children's bodyweight in subsequent waves, this factor was not enough to explain the extent of disparities in children's bodyweight observed in the Australian migrant population. Further research is needed to assess the effects of other types of perception (such as perceptions of healthy weight and physical exercise) on bodyweight disparities in children of migrants., Competing Interests: 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., (© 2022 The Authors.)

Aim: This study aims to assess the integrity of white matter in various segments of the corpus callosum in Alzheimer's disease (AD) by using metrics derived from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) and white matter tract integrity model (WMTI) and compare these findings to healthy controls (HC)., Methods: The study was approved by the institutional ethics board. 12 AD patients and 12 HC formed the study population. All AD patients were recruited from a tertiary neurology memory clinic. A standardized battery of neuropsychological assessments was administered to the study participants by a trained rater. MRI scans were performed with a Philips Ingenia 3.0T scanner equipped with a 32-channel head coil. The protocol included a T1-weighted sequence, FLAIR and a dMRI acquisition. The dMRI scan included a total of 71 volumes, 8 at b = 0 s/mm 2 , 15 at b = 1,000 s/mm 2 and 48 at b = 2,000 s/mm 2 . Diffusion data fit was performed using DKI REKINDLE and WMTI models., Results and Discussion: We detected changes suggesting demyelination and axonal degeneration throughout the corpus callosum of patients with AD, most prominent in the mid-anterior and mid-posterior segments of CC. Axial kurtosis was the most significantly altered metric, being reduced in AD patients in almost all segments of corpus callosum. Reduced axial kurtosis in the CC segments correlated with poor cognition scores in AD patients in the visuospatial, language and attention domains., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Kumar, De Luca, Leemans, Saffari, Hartono, Zailan, Ng and Kandiah.)

In this study, CNCs were extracted from durian rind. Modification to CNCs with saponin was conducted at 50 °C for one h. CNCs and CNCs-saponin were employed as dexamethasone carriers. Modification to CNCs using saponin did not change the relative crystallinity of CNCs. CNCs' molecular structure and surface chemistry did not alter significantly after modification. Both nanoparticles have surface charges independently of pH. Dexamethasone-released kinetics were studied at two different pH (7.4 and 5.8). Higuchi, Ritger-Peppas, first-order kinetic and sigmoidal equations were used to represent the released kinetic data. The sigmoidal equation was found to be superior to other models. The CNCs and CNCs-saponin showed burst release at 30 min. The study indicated that cell viability decreased by 30% after modification with saponin.

Pre-processing is a crucial step in analyzing spectra from Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy because it can reduce unwanted noise and enhance system performance. Here, we present the results of pre-processing technique optimization to facilitate the detection of pepper yellow leaf curl virus (PYLCV)-infected chilli plants using FTIR spectroscopy. Optimization of a range of pre-processing techniques was undertaken, namely baseline correction, normalization (standard normal variate, vector, and min-max), and de-noising (Savitzky-Golay (SG) smoothing, 1st and 2 derivatives). The pre-processing was applied to the mid-infrared spectral range (4000 - 400 cm -1 ) and the biofingerprint region (1800 - 900 cm -1 ) then the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) was used for dimension reduction. The pre-processed data were then used as an input for classification using a multilayer perceptron neural network, a support vector machine, and linear discriminant analysis. The pre-processing method with the highest classification model accuracy was selected for the further use in the processing. It was seen that only the SG 1st derivative method applied to both wavenumber ranges could produce 100% accuracy. This result was supported by principal component analysis clustering. Thus, we have demonstrated that by using the right pre-processing technique, classification success can be increased, and the process simplified by optimization and minimization of the technique used., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Immigration creates opportunities and imposes constraints associated with acculturation. We used the Australian national longitudinal survey of children aged 2 to 17 to evaluate the influence of mothers' long-term residency in Australia, mothers' attachment to country-of-birth, and macro indicators of childhood overweight environment at mothers' country-of-birth on children's longitudinal bodyweight. Both mothers' long-term exposure to the Australian environment and attachment to country-of-birth were associated with increased children's bodyweight z-scores. The childhood overweight environment in mothers' country-of-birth continued to influence their children's bodyweight after immigration. A better understanding of factors related to mothers' migration and children's bodyweight status is necessary to identify risk factors and migrant sub-groups needing extra support., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The fast depletion of fossil fuels has attracted researchers worldwide to explore alternative biofuels, such as biodiesel. In general, the production of biodiesel is carried out via transesterification processes of vegetable oil with the presence of a suitable catalyst. A mixed metal oxide has shown to be a very attractive heterogeneous catalyst with a high performance. Most of the mixed metal oxide is made by using the general wetness impregnation method. A simple route to synthesize silane-modified mixed metal oxide (CaO-CuO/C 6 ) catalysts has been successfully developed. A fluorocarbon surfactant and triblock copolymers (EO) 106 (PO) 70 (EO) 106 were used to prevent the crystal agglomeration of carbonate salts (CaCO 3 -CuCO 3 ) as the precursor to form CaO-CuO with a definite size and morphology. The materials show high potency as a catalyst in the transesterification process to produce biodiesel. The calcined co-precipitation product has a high crystallinity form, as confirmed by the XRD analysis. The synthesized catalyst was characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX). The mechanism of surface modification and the effects of the catalytic activity were also discussed. The biodiesel purity of the final product was analyzed by gas chromatography. The optimum biodiesel yield was 90.17% using the modified mixed metal oxide CaO-CuO/C 6 .