An Unusual Case of Mycotic Popliteal Aneurysm Presenting as Recurrent Salmonella enteritidis Bacteraemia

We describe a patient with a Salmonella enteritidis mycotic aneurysm. A 91-year-old man presented with recurrent episodes of S. enteritidis bacteraemia 2 months apart. During the second presentation, he underwent magnetic resonance imaging of the left lower limb that revealed rupture of the popliteal artery with a popliteal fossa collection. This was aspirated and cultures grew S. enteritidis. He underwent endovascular stenting and received a prolonged course of antibiotics. Popliteal artery mycotic aneurysm should be considered as a differential in patients presenting with unilateral painful leg swelling and bacteraemia from microorganisms with a propensity for endovascular infections

Markowitz portfolio theory and capital asset pricing model for Kuala Lumpur stock exchange: a case revisited

Capital Asset Pricing Model is widely used by investors to estimate the return or the moving behavior of the stock and Markowitz Model is employed to achieve portfolio diversification. This study examine whether CAPM is valid to forecast the behaviour of the each individual stock and its return as well as its validity in the portfolio with stocks listed in Malaysia. Second, it evaluates the suitability of Markowitz Model to evaluate the performance of the Malaysia investment portfolio. This is done within the framework of 2010 to 2014 using weekly data of 60 companies. OLS unbiased estimator, autocorrelation and heterodasticity problems are to be conducted to test the validity of the model. It is concluded that CAPM is reasonable to be the indicator of stock prices in Malaysia as well as in portfolio basket. It proves that there is linearity in CAPM but unique risk and systematic do not need to be captured. Managers can use CAPM as a proxy to estimate their stock return and diversify the portfolio to reduce the unsystematic risk to enable them to execute the right policy in their management in order to maximise profit at the same time increase shareholder wealth maximisation. Furthermore, it is suggested to apply Markowitz portfolio diversification to reduce the unsystematic risk. Overall, portfolio diversification could build up the investors’ confidence towards the investment decision and to develop a sound investment financial market in assisting Malaysia to achieve its mission to be a developed country in 2020

Hafnium oxide-based ferroelectric thin-film transistor with a-InGaZnO channel fabricated at temperatures \u3c= 350°C

HfO2-based ferroelectric materials integrated with oxide-based thin-film transistors have been considered as potential candidates for back-end-of-line compatible ferroelectric field-effect transistors, which can be vertically stacked on silicon CMOS circuits to realize high-density neural network applications. However, the formation of ferroelectric orthorhombic phase in HfO2-based materials usually requires an annealing temperature of 400°C or higher. In this work, ferroelectric thin-film transistors (Fe-TFTs) were developed by monolithically integrating HfZrO2 (HZO) ferroelectric capacitors with amorphous indium-gallium-zinc oxide (a-IGZO) TFTs at a maximum processing temperature of 350°C on a glass substrate. A butterfly-shaped C-V curve was clearly observed in the low-temperature annealed metal-HZO-metal capacitor, indicating the formation of ferroelectricity in the HZO layer, as shown in Fig. 1. The positive and negative coercive voltages were 3 V and -2.4 V, respectively. The dielectric constant was 20.65. The field-effect mobility, threshold voltage, subthreshold swing and on/off current ratio of the a-IGZO TFT extracted from the transfer characteristics shown in Fig. 2 were 6.15 cm2V-1s-1, 1.5 V, 0.1 V/dec and 4.3´107, respectively. Fig. 3 shows the transfer hysteresis curves of the low-temperature Fe-TFTs in a metal-ferroelectric-metal-insulator-semiconductor configuration. The Fe-TFTs exhibited large hysteresis memory windows of 2.8 V and 3.8 V when the area ratios between ferroelectric capacitors and gate insulators (AFE / ADE) were 1/8 and 1/12, respectively. The result shows a great potential for back-end-of-line compatible memory applications. Please click Download on the upper right corner to see the full abstract

Development and validation of molecular markers for characterization of Boehmeria nivea var. nivea and Boehmeria nivea var. tenacissima

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The root of <it>Boehmeria </it>spp (ramie) is a hepatoprotective Chinese herbal medicine. Medicinal properties vary between <it>Boehmeria nivea </it>var. <it>nivea </it>and <it>Boehmeria nivea </it>var. <it>tenacissima</it>, which are local species found in Taiwan. As commercial preparations may use either species, there is a need for a rapid and simple assay to identify variants for quality control.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Four methods were developed and tested for their applicability in differentiating the two species. These methods were random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD); sequence characterized amplified regions (SCAR); single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and cleaved amplified polymorphic sequences (CAPS).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Three RAPD markers were developed that produced unique bands in <it>B. nivea </it>var. <it>tenacissima </it>and <it>B. nivea </it>var. <it>nivea</it>. Based on sequenced RAPD bands, one SCAR marker was developed that produced a single DNA band in <it>B. nivea </it>var. <it>nivea</it>. Two SNP markers differentiated between <it>B. nivea </it>var. <it>nivea </it>and <it>B. nivea </it>var. <it>tenacissima </it>based on single nucleotide substitutions. A pair of CAPS oligonucleotides was developed by amplifying a 0.55-kb DNA fragment that exhibited species-specific digestion patterns with restriction enzymes <it>Alf </it>III and <it>Nde </it>I. Consistent results were obtained with all the four markers on all tested <it>Boehmeria </it>lines.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The present study demonstrates the use of the RAPD, SCAR, SNP and CAPS markers for rapid identification of two closely related <it>Boehmeria </it>species.</p

Influence of macroeconomics factors and legal stability to the insurance growth in the ASEAN-5 countries

This paper examines the influence of legal stability and macroeconomics factor to the non-life insurance development. In light of the growing significance of foreign direct investment (FDI) and trade that stimulate insurance sector, and the stress placed on legal stability of the countries, investigating the role of legal stability is crucial to sustain a country’s financial development. This study employs a panel data analysis spanning 20 years in the selected developing countries. The findings suggest that higher trade, higher income, higher stock market trading activities and higher availability of finance credit will enhance the non-life insurance development. Legal stability such as enhancement on the property right and government integrity will improve the non-life insurance development. When the legal environments in emerging countries are more stable, the FDI and stocks market will become more encouraging and stimulate non-life insurance development. The policy makers should improve the legal stability in emerging countries to improve the financial development for minimizing the gap with developed countries. This study includes the institutional factors components in addition to the macroeconomics factors could provide a complete picture towards the improvement of non-life insurance development in emerging and transition countries

Body Mass Index–Mortality Relationship in Severe Hypoglycemic Patients With Type 2 Diabetes

AbstractBackgroundHypoglycemia is associated with a higher risk of death. This study analyzed various body mass index (BMI) categories and mortalities of severe hypoglycemic patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) in a hospital emergency department.MethodsThe study included 566 adults with type 2 diabetes who were admitted to 1 medical center in Taiwan between 2008 and 2009 with a diagnosis of severe hypoglycemia. Mortality data, demographics, clinical characteristics and the Charlson’s Comorbidity Index were obtained from the electronic medical records. Patients were stratified into 4 study groups as determined by the National institute of Health (NiH) and World Health organization classification for BMi, and the demographics were compared using the analysis of variance and χ2 test. Kaplan-Meier’s analysis and the Cox proportional-hazards regression model were used for mortality, and adjusted hazard ratios were adjusted for each BMi category among participants.ResultsAfter controlling for other possible confounding variables, BMI <18.5 kg/m2 was independently associated with low survival rates in the Cox regression analysis of the entire cohort of type 2 DM patients who encountered a hypoglycemic event. Compared to patients with normal BMI, the mortality risk was higher (adjusted hazard ratios = 4.9; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.4-9.9) in underweight patients. Infection-related causes of death were observed in 101 cases (69.2%) and were the leading cause of death.ConclusionsAn independent association was observed between BMI less than 18.5 kg/m2 and mortality among type 2 DM patient with severe hypoglycemic episode. Deaths were predominantly infection related

The Severity of Fatty Liver Disease Relating to Metabolic Abnormalities Independently Predicts Coronary Calcification

Background. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the metabolic disorders presented in liver. The relationship between severity of NAFLD and coronary atherosclerotic burden remains largely unknown. Methods and Materials. We analyzed subjects undergoing coronary calcium score evaluation by computed tomography (MDCT) and fatty liver assessment using abdominal ultrasonography. Framingham risk score (FRS) and metabolic risk score (MRS) were obtained in all subjects. A graded, semiquantitative score was established to quantify the severity of NAFLD. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to depict the association between NAFLD and calcium score. Results. Of all, 342 participants (female: 22.5%, mean age: 48.7 ± 7.0 years) met the sufficient information rendering detailed analysis. The severity of NAFLD was positively associated with MRS (X2 = 6.12, trend P < 0.001) and FRS (X2 = 5.88, trend P < 0.001). After multivariable adjustment for clinical variables and life styles, the existence of moderate to severe NAFLD was independently associated with abnormal calcium score (P < 0.05). Conclusion. The severity of NAFLD correlated well with metabolic abnormality and was independently predict coronary calcification beyond clinical factors. Our data suggests that NAFLD based on ultrasonogram could positively reflect the burden of coronary calcification

The uses and impact of social and emerging media on public relations practices in Malaysia

Research has shown that social media has been widely discussed among public relations practitioners and scholars in relation to how it has changed public relations practices. A study by Wright and Hinson (2017) revealed that public relations practitioners continue to strongly agree that social and other emerging media technologies have brought dramatic changes to how public relations is practiced in the United States of America. In the Malaysian context, the explosion in social media, especially social networking site such as Facebook, has caused many public relations practitioners to recognise the need to embrace these new media for effective communication with the internal and external audiences. Drawing on Wright and Hinson’s (2016) survey instrument, this study measured the actual use of social and other emerging media by public relations practitioners in Malaysia, and explored its impact on public relations practices. Through a web-based survey, this study found evidence that public relations practitioners in Malaysia have frequently used social media especially Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. On average, they spent approximately 26% to 50% of their working time using social and emerging media for public relations and communications activities. The results of this study provide useful insights for academics, researchers and public relations practitioners on how social and emerging media technologies are used in the Malaysian public relations industry

Elderly Patients with Laryngeal and Hypopharyngeal Cancer Undergoing Total Pharyngolaryngectomy with a Radial Forearm, Free Flap-reconstructed Phonation Tube

SummaryBackgroundThe radial forearm, free-flap (RFFF)-reconstructed phonation tube was developed for functional restoration of voice after total pharyngolaryngectomy. We aimed to report the efficacy of RFFF phonation tube after pharyngolaryngectomy with radiotherapy (RT) or concurrent chemoradiation therapy (CCRT) with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for elderly.Materials and methodsTen patients with laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer underwent total pharyngolaryngectomy and one-stage reconstruction with an RFFF-accompanied phonation tube, followed by RT or CCRT. Voice restoration was achieved with the RFFF-reconstructed phonation tube. Functional outcomes of phonation and speech were evaluated and scored.ResultsPercentages of stage III and stage IV patients among all participants were 10% and 90%, respectively. The median follow-up time was 31 months (range, 4–67 months). Almost 9 out of 10 (90%) patients experienced phonation efficacy greater than 80%. The maximal phonation time per breath was 70% longer than 3 sec. The graded as mild of wet voice was 90%. Percentage of mild decreased loudness was 60% and that of low and high pitch was 80%. Of the 10 patients, 40% could count more than 10 and 70% could pronounce more than 1 to 5 words per breath. After RT or CCRT, of patients had moderately good to excellent speech intelligibility.ConclusionThe RFFF phonation tube that was used after pharyngolaryngectomy with RT or CCRT with IMRT provided acceptable complications and functional restoration of voice for elderly patients