Monograph No. 20: Cannabis use disorder treatment and associated health care costs in New South Wales, 2007

Aims The aim of this monograph is to estimate the costs of treatment and health care related to cannabis use disorders in New South Wales (NSW) for the year 2007. It describes the costs associated with treatment for cannabis use disorder and the health care costs attributable to cannabis use. The rationale for this study was to identify these costs for policy and other research purposes as comprehensive studies on cannabis treatment costs have not been undertaken. Specifically, the types of treatment are: Treatment in drug treatment agencies: Counselling Withdrawal management (detoxification) Residential rehabilitation Assessments (a precursor to treatment) Information and education Treatment in general practice (provided by general practitioners (GP)): GP consultations Treatment in hospitals: Cannabis-related hospital admissions Treatment of health consequences attributable to cannabis use: Schizophrenia/ psychotic disorders Low birth weight (LBW) babies in hospitals Road traffic accident casualtie

Does NLRP3 inflammasome and aryl hydrocarbon receptor play an interlinked role in bowel inflammation and colitis-associated colorectal cancer?

Inflammation is a hallmark in many forms of cancer; with colitis-associated colorectalcancer (CAC) being a progressive intestinal inflammation due to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).While this is an exemplification of the negatives of inflammation, it is just as crucial to have somedegree of the inflammatory process to maintain a healthy immune system. A pivotal component inthe maintenance of such intestinal homeostasis is the innate immunity component, inflammasomes.Inflammasomes are large, cytosolic protein complexes formed following stimulation of microbial andstress signals that lead to the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines. The NOD-, LRR- and pyrindomain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome has been extensively studied in part due toits strong association with colitis and CAC. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) has recently beenacknowledged for its connection to the immune system aside from its role as an environmental sensor.AhR has been described to play a role in the inhibition of the NLRP3 inflammasome activationpathway. This review will summarise the signalling pathways of both the NLRP3 inflammasomeand AhR; as well as new-found links between these two signalling pathways in intestinal immunityand some potential therapeutic agents that have been found to take advantage of this link in thetreatment of colitis and CAC

Epidemiological and genetic data supporting the transmission of ancylostoma ceylanicum among human and domestic animals

Background: Currently, information on species-specific hookworm infection is unavailable in Malaysia and is restricted worldwide due to limited application of molecular diagnostic tools. Given the importance of accurate identification of hookworms, this study was conducted as part of an ongoing molecular epidemiological investigation aimed at providing the first documented data on species-specific hookworm infection, associated risk factors and the role of domestic animals as reservoirs for hookworm infections in endemic communities of Malaysia. Methods/Findings: A total of 634 human and 105 domestic canine and feline fecal samples were randomly collected. The overall prevalence of hookworm in humans and animals determined via microscopy was 9.1 (95 CI = 7.0-11.7) and 61.9 (95 CI = 51.2-71.2), respectively. Multivariate analysis indicated that participants without the provision of proper latrine systems (OR = 3.5; 95 CI = 1.53-8.00; p = 0.003), walking barefooted (OR = 5.6; 95 CI = 2.91-10.73; p < 0.001) and in close contact with pets or livestock (OR = 2.9; 95 CI = 1.19-7.15; p = 0.009) were more likely to be infected with hookworms. Molecular analysis revealed that while most hookworm-positive individuals were infected with Necator americanus, Ancylostoma ceylanicum constituted 12.8 of single infections and 10.6 mixed infections with N. americanus. As for cats and dogs, 52.0 were positive for A. ceylanicum, 46.0 for Ancylostoma caninum and 2.0 for Ancylostoma braziliense and all were single infections. This present study provided evidence based on the combination of epidemiological, conventional diagnostic and molecular tools that A. ceylanicum infection is common and that its transmission dynamic in endemic areas in Malaysia is heightened by the close contact of human and domestic animal (i.e., dogs and cats) populations

Comparison of normal and weather corrected performance ratio of photovoltaic solar plants in hot and cold climates

Performance Ratio (PR) is one of the best performance metrics used to assess solar power plant performance. PR is also used for commercial acceptance of an installed PV power plants. If the PR is tested in different climatic conditions or seasons, there are bias errors, affecting the contractual acceptance testing. PR is often corrected to the Standard Test Conditions (STC), resulting in higher PR since modules usually operate at higher temperatures. This research work utilizes NREL's advanced methodology to determine weather corrected PR of PV power plants in six different geographical locations and climatic regions. The Solar PV plant performance is simulated to get the normal PR as per IEC 61724-1:2017. Percentage variation of Weather corrected PR with Normal PR is determined for all these six geographical regions and compared. The weather corrected PR of Montana (with the lowest annual average temperature of 1.58 °C.) PV power plant has a maximum variation of 7.64% from the normal PR during the summer and −8.61% variation in December during the winter. The weather corrected PR of Kuzhalmannam (with the highest annual average temperature of 27.28 °C) PV power plant has a maximum variation of only 1.16% from the normal PR during summer and a variation of −0.91% in July during the rainy season. It is concluded that the metric of weather-corrected PR gains paramount importance for colder areas, whereas it has minimal influence for tropical regions

Spatially varying correlation between environmental conditions and human leptospirosis in Sarawak, Malaysia

The spatial distribution of environmental conditions may influence the dynamics of vectorborne diseases like leptospirosis. This study aims to investigate the global and localised relationships between leptospirosis with selected environmental variables. The association between environmental variables and the spatial density of geocoded leptospirosis cases was determined using global Poisson regression (GPR) and geographically weighted Poisson regression (GWPR). A higher prevalence of leptospirosis was detected in areas with higher water vapour pressure (exp(â): 1.12; 95% CI: 1.02 - 1.25) and annual precipitation (exp(â): 1.15; 95% CI: 1.02 - 1.31), with lower precipitation in the driest month (exp(â): 0.85; 95% CI: 0.75 – 0.96) and the wettest quarter (exp(â): 0.88; 95% CI: 0.77 – 1.00). Water vapor pressure (WVP) varied the most in the hotspot regions with a standard deviation of 0.62 (LQ: 0.15; UQ; 0.99) while the least variation was observed in annual precipitation (ANNP) with a standard deviation of 0.14 (LQ: 0.11; UQ; 0.30). The reduction in AICc value from 519.73 to 443.49 indicates that the GWPR model is able to identify the spatially varying correlation between leptospirosis and selected environmental variables. The results of the localised relationships in this study could be used to formulate spatially targeted interventions. This would be particularly useful in localities with a strong environmental or socio-demographical determinants for the transmission of leptospirosis

Assessing thermophysical properties of Nanostructured Cellulose Nano Crystal (CNC) and Graphene Nanoplatelets (GNP) Additives in Palm Oil-Based Heat Transfer Fluid

This study explores the examination of the thermophysical characteristics of eco-friendly CNC-Palm oil, GNP-Palm oil and CNC/GNP-palm oil mono and hybrid nanofluids. The stability assessment involves a comprehensive analysis, incorporating visual observations and thermal conductivity assessments. Notably, it was observed that an elevated proportion of hybrid mixture contributed to the enhanced stability of the nanosuspension, ensuring the uniform dispersion of nanomaterials within the base liquid for an extended period. The results indicate that hybrid nanofluids containing CNC/GNP and formulated with palm oil exhibit substantial stability. A comprehensive visual examination over an impressive 30-day duration reveals minimal accumulation, underscoring the enduring stability of these nanofluids. The study also examines crucial thermal and physical properties, including thermal conductivity and viscosity about temperature. The most significant enhancement was witnessed in thermal conductivity, achieving a noteworthy 100% increase in the 0.1w/v% concentrated CNC/GNP/Palm Oil hybrid nanofluid at 70°C, demonstrating a significant improvement compared to the base fluid. Furthermore, there are noticeable increments in viscosity, albeit with a more modest enhancement compared to thermal conductivity. These outcomes suggest a direct relationship between the increased concentrations can improve stability and thermal conductivity. This study contributes valuable insights into utilizing CNC/GNP in nanofluid applications, with implications for fields requiring enhanced thermal performance and fluid stability

Intestinal parasites in various animals at a zoo in Malaysia

A survey was undertaken to investigate the prevalence of intestinal parasites from different groups of mammals housed in a zoological garden in Malaysia. A total of 197 faecal samples were collected randomly from various primates (99), hoofed mammals (70) and feline (28). It was discovered that 89.3% of feline, 54.5% of primates and 45.7% of hoofed mammals were infected with intestinal parasites. Intestinal parasites found in primates were Balantidium coli (19.2%), Cryptosporidium spp. (14.1%), hookworm (10.1%), Trichuris spp. (5.1%), Ascaris (4.0%) and Blastocystis spp. (2.0%). For hoofed mammals, hookworm had the highest prevalence (34.3%) followed by Trichuris spp. and Cryptosporidium spp. (5.7%). Meanwhile, for feline, Toxocara cati was the most prevalent (64.3%), followed by Cryptosporidium spp. (14.3%), Spirometra spp. (7.1%), and hookworm (3.6%). Animals that were infected were all asymptomatic with low parasite load. Routine monitoring of the presence of parasites in animals kept in the zoo is imperative in assisting zoo management in the formulation and implementation of preventive and control measures against the spread of infectious parasitic diseases among animals within the zoo or to humans

Investigation of thermal performance and chemical stability of graphene enhanced phase change material for thermal energy storage

Phase change materials (PCMs) have received widespread thermal energy storage (TES) and release properties due to their unique characteristics. However, the PCMs suffer from poor thermal conductivity, resulting in the least thermal performance and heat transfer characteristics. This research focused on enhancing the heat transfer and storage characteristics by developing an organic paraffin wax composite by dispersing highly conductive graphene powder using a two-step technique. The results show that the developed nano enhanced PCM significantly improves the thermal conductivity by 72.2% at 0.6 wt% of graphene powder. Furthermore, the Fourier transform infrared spectrum shows there is no additional peak observed, means physically and chemically stable, and the reduced light transmission capability was enhanced by 32.0% than pure PCM. Due to its extreme characteristics, the developed PCM is an outstanding material for medium temperature solar thermal energy storage applications

Investigation of bending and compression properties on PLA-brass composite using FDM

Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) is often favored over conventional techniques as it can produce highly accurate three-dimensional models with minimal material waste. Nevertheless, in FDM, the mechanical properties of different materials used in the FDM process are of ongoing interest. Since the properties of brass alloys in the FDM process are still lacking, the present study focuses on the bending and compression properties of the FDM printed part with 15Â wt and 70Â wt of brass-reinforced polylactic acid (PLA) and various infill patterns. The specimen preparation and testing were carried out accordingly to ASTM D790 and ASTM D695, respectively. The impact of five different infill patterns and two different compositions on the bending and compression properties was also analyzed using response surface methodology. A prediction model is then developed to predict the desired bending and compression properties. Results show that the 15Â wt of brass composition specimens have better properties compared with the 70Â wt of brass composition. This is due to an increase in the wt of brass composition, which resulted in lower interlayer adhesion energy with the PLA. It was also found that the concentric and grid pattern are the best printing pattern for bending and compression properties, respectively

Microsporidia infection among various groups of the immunocompromised patients

While information with regards to the bacterial and viral infections are commonly available among clinicians, data on parasitic infection, particularly Microsporidia among immunocompromised patient is currently lacking in Malaysia. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of Microsporidia among a various group of immunocompromised patient. Two hundred and eighty-eight archived stool samples were examined for the presence of Microsporidia with Gram-Chromotrope Kinyoun staining method. The overall prevalence of Microsporidia was 29.2 % (84/288; 95% CI=24.2-34.5). The end-stage renal failure (ESRF) patients (32.1%) recorded the highest infection rate, followed by cancer (26.2%), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV/AIDS) (22.6%) and acute gastroenteritis (AGE) (7.1%). Meanwhile, organ transplant recipients and autoimmune disease patients recorded the lowest prevalence rate (6.0%). Other intestinal parasites were Strongyloides stercoralis, Trichuris trichiura, Ascaris lumbricoides and Cryptosporidium species. Diarrhoea was the most common symptoms among patients with microsporidiosis. The present study showed that the prevalence of Microsporidia infection was relatively high among immunocompromised patients. This finding highlighted the importance to include detection of microsporidia infection as a routine differential diagnosis in immunocompromised patients, which serves the benefit of treatment to the patients