Internal and External Barriers to Effective Supply Chain Management Implementation in Malaysian Manufacturing Companies: A Priority List Based on Varying Demographic Perspectives

Successful implementation of supply-chain management in a developing country such as Malaysia is considered a major challenge due to lack of awareness and unclear missions and goals. Focusing on this idea, this article compares the ranking of various demographic groups in relation to the internal and external barriers experienced by Malaysian manufacturing companies. The identified lists of internal and external barriers are prioritised using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Ten respondents with wide ranging experience in SCM provided the necessary information in the prioritisation exercise. The ranking of the respondents from different races, age groups, education levels, employment types, work experience and designations suggests significant variations between these groups in the ranking of the internal and external barriers. The findings of this research provide important information to company managers who desire to implement SCM in a multi-cultural setting such as Malaysia. The onus is on these managers to be cautious in developing a strategic plan for its effective implementation and also in designing programs to overcome SCM obstacles

The impact of chromosomal translocation locus and fusion oncogene coding sequence in synovial sarcomagenesis.

Synovial sarcomas are aggressive soft-tissue malignancies that express chromosomal translocation-generated fusion genes, SS18-SSX1 or SS18-SSX2 in most cases. Here, we report a mouse sarcoma model expressing SS18-SSX1, complementing our prior model expressing SS18-SSX2. Exome sequencing identified no recurrent secondary mutations in tumors of either genotype. Most of the few mutations identified in single tumors were present in genes that were minimally or not expressed in any of the tumors. Chromosome 6, either entirely or around the fusion gene expression locus, demonstrated a copy number gain in a majority of tumors of both genotypes. Thus, by fusion oncogene coding sequence alone, SS18-SSX1 and SS18-SSX2 can each drive comparable synovial sarcomagenesis, independent from other genetic drivers. SS18-SSX1 and SS18-SSX2 tumor transcriptomes demonstrated very few consistent differences overall. In direct tumorigenesis comparisons, SS18-SSX2 was slightly more sarcomagenic than SS18-SSX1, but equivalent in its generation of biphasic histologic features. Meta-analysis of human synovial sarcoma patient series identified two tumor-gentoype-phenotype correlations that were not modeled by the mice, namely a scarcity of male hosts and biphasic histologic features among SS18-SSX2 tumors. Re-analysis of human SS18-SSX1 and SS18-SSX2 tumor transcriptomes demonstrated very few consistent differences, but highlighted increased native SSX2 expression in SS18-SSX1 tumors. This suggests that the translocated locus may drive genotype-phenotype differences more than the coding sequence of the fusion gene created. Two possible roles for native SSX2 in synovial sarcomagenesis are explored. Thus, even specific partial failures of mouse genetic modeling can be instructive to human tumor biology

Predominance of synovial sensory nerve fibers in arthrofibrosis following total knee arthroplasty compared to osteoarthritis of the knee

Background: So far, there exists no golden standard for the treatment of arthrofibrosis (AF) following total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Although pain is a hallmark of AF, nociceptive nerve fibers have never been investigated in affected joint tissue. Methods: A total of 24 patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee (n = 12) and post-TKA AF of the knee (n = 12) were included. Along evaluation of typical clinical signs and symptoms by using the Knee Society Clinical Rating System (KSS), the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC index), the innervation of joint tissue was studied by semiquantitative immunofluorescence of nerve fibers. Results: Patients with AF compared to OA had a lower KSS and lower KOOS. In all compartments (anterior, medial, and lateral recesses), the density of synovial sympathetic nerve fibers was significantly higher in OA compared to AF, which was also true for the density of sensory nerve fibers in the medial and lateral recesses. In synovial tissue of the anterior recess of patients with AF compared to OA, the density of nociceptive sensory nerve fibers was significantly higher relative to sympathetic nerve fibers. This was similarly observed in the neighboring infrapatellar fat pad of the knee. Conclusions: Similar as in many painful musculoskeletal diseases, this study indicates that patients with arthrofibrosis of the knee after TKA demonstrate a preponderance of profibrotic sensory nerve fibers over antifibrotic sympathetic nerve fibers. This could serve as a starting point for AF therapy with specific antifibrotic pain medication or regional anesthetic techniques

Establishment and molecular characterisation of seven novel soft-tissue sarcoma cell lines

Background: Soft-tissue sarcomas (STS) are a diverse group of malignancies that remain a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. Relatively few reliable cell lines currently exist. Rapidly developing technology for genomic profiling with emerging insights into candidate functional (driver) aberrations raises the need for more models for in vitro functional validation of molecular targets. Methods: Primary cell culture was performed on STS tumours utilising a differential attachment approach. Cell lines were characterised by morphology, immunocytochemistry, proliferation assays, short tandem repeat (STR) and microarray-based genomic copy number profiling. Results: Of 47 STS cases of various subtypes, half formed adherent monolayers. Seven formed self-immortalised cell lines, including three undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcomas, two dedifferentiated liposarcomas (one of which had received radiotherapy), a leiomyosarcoma and a myxofibrosarcoma. Two morphologically distinct yet genetically identical variants were established in separate cultures for the latter two tumours. All cell lines demonstrated genomic and phenotypic features that not only confirm their malignant characteristics but also confirm retention of DNA copy number aberrations present in their parent tumours that likely include drivers. Conclusions: These primary cell lines are much-needed additions to the number of reliable cell lines of STS with complex genomics available for initial functional validation of candidate molecular targets