Recovery of omega-3 fish oil from Monopterus albus using microwave assisted extraction process

Fish oil are currently high in demand due to its wide range of therapeutic benefits. High content of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) derived from various sources of marine life in fish oil are essential in human mental developments and metabolism. Swamp Eel Fish, scientifically known as Monopterus Albus is a freshwater fish that highly in demands across South-East Asia and can easily be found in Malaysia. This paper presents the study on the extraction of fish oil from the Monopterus Albus eel fish using microwave assisted extraction (MAE) process with ethanol as a solvent. The yield, acid value and free fatty acid (FFA) content of the Monopterus Albus eel fish oil were studied at different solvent concentrations (0 % v/v-100 % v/v) and solid-to-solvent ratios (0.04 g/ml-0.13 g/ml) with constant time, temperature and power of 30 min, 60 °C and 800 W, respectively. Concentrated Monopterus Albus fish oil was analyzed using 785 DMP Titrino Metrom and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results showed that the oil yield increases with the increases of solvent concentration and solid-to-solvent ratios with the highest yield of 14.60 % at 100 % v/v and 0.13 g/ml, respectively. Acid values and free fatty acid content recorded was 2.19 mg KOH/g and 1.14 %. Morphology of the before and after extraction process displayed significant structural changes on the surfaces of the sample indicated effectiveness of microwave-assisted extraction in extracting fish oil. The findings from this study suggested the best operating conditions to extracts fish oil from the Monopterus Albus eel fish

Effect of pipe size on acetylene flame propagation in a closed straight pipe

The understanding of flame propagation mechanism in a tube or pipe as a function of scale is needed to describe explosion severity. Acetylene is an explosively unstable gas and will lead to a violent explosion when ignited. To achieve the goal, an experimental study of premixed acetylene/air mixture at stoichiometry concentration was carried out in a closed straight pipe with different sizes of L/D (ratio of length to diameter) to examine the flame propagation mechanism. Pipes with L/D=40 and 51 were used. From the results, it was found that the smaller pipe with L/D=40 enhanced the explosion severity by a factor of 1.4 as compared to that of the bigger pipe with L/D=51. The compression effect at the end of the pipe plays an important role to attenuate the burning rate, leading to higher flame speeds and hence, increases the overpressure. In the case of L/D=40, the compression effect is more severe due to the larger expansion ratio, and this phenomenon would decrease the quenching effect and subsequently promote flame acceleration. Fast flame speeds of up to 600 m/s were measured in the smaller pipe during explosion development. From the results, it can be seen that the compression effect plays a major role in contributing to the higher burning rate and affects the overall explosion and flame speed development. Furthermore, the compression effect is more severe in the smaller pipe that leads to the detonation-like event. This mechanism and data are useful to design a safety device to minimise explosion severity

Evaluation of appendicitis risk prediction models in adults with suspected appendicitis

Background Appendicitis is the most common general surgical emergency worldwide, but its diagnosis remains challenging. The aim of this study was to determine whether existing risk prediction models can reliably identify patients presenting to hospital in the UK with acute right iliac fossa (RIF) pain who are at low risk of appendicitis. Methods A systematic search was completed to identify all existing appendicitis risk prediction models. Models were validated using UK data from an international prospective cohort study that captured consecutive patients aged 16–45 years presenting to hospital with acute RIF in March to June 2017. The main outcome was best achievable model specificity (proportion of patients who did not have appendicitis correctly classified as low risk) whilst maintaining a failure rate below 5 per cent (proportion of patients identified as low risk who actually had appendicitis). Results Some 5345 patients across 154 UK hospitals were identified, of which two‐thirds (3613 of 5345, 67·6 per cent) were women. Women were more than twice as likely to undergo surgery with removal of a histologically normal appendix (272 of 964, 28·2 per cent) than men (120 of 993, 12·1 per cent) (relative risk 2·33, 95 per cent c.i. 1·92 to 2·84; P < 0·001). Of 15 validated risk prediction models, the Adult Appendicitis Score performed best (cut‐off score 8 or less, specificity 63·1 per cent, failure rate 3·7 per cent). The Appendicitis Inflammatory Response Score performed best for men (cut‐off score 2 or less, specificity 24·7 per cent, failure rate 2·4 per cent). Conclusion Women in the UK had a disproportionate risk of admission without surgical intervention and had high rates of normal appendicectomy. Risk prediction models to support shared decision‐making by identifying adults in the UK at low risk of appendicitis were identified

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Summary Background Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. Methods We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung’s disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. Findings We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung’s disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middleincome countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in lowincome countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. Interpretation Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between lowincome, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Production of biocomposites file for packaging application

This study will be focusing on fabrication of composite biodegradable film from chitosan blends with addition of antimicrobial agent. The film was characterized in term of morphology, physical, chemical and also the antimicrobial analysis. The chitosan solution was prepared by preparing chitosan solution and antimicrobial agent was added to the mixture. The solution was cast onto flat glass plate. The thickness of the film was adjusted using a casting knife. The film was left to dry at room temperature before peeled off. The fabricated film was analyzed and characterized using Scanning electron microscopes (SEM), Fourier transform infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) and Differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). The antimicrobial analyses were performed using Zone inhibition a_ssay and Liquid culture test. As a conclusion, chitosan blend biodegradable films shows the highest thermal resistant compared to control film. Other than that, the film also shows the greatest antimicrobial activity towards E. coli and B.subtilis

Growth performance of Malaysian\u27s spoongrass, Halophila ovalis (R.Br.) Hooker f. under different substrate, salinity and light regime

Halophila ovalis plants collected from the native environment (Lat. 04°54.473′N, Long. 115°22.299′E-Pantai Bangat,　Lawas, Sarawak, Malaysia) were grown in aquarium culture system to assess: (i) the feasibility of using planting materials e.g. rhizomes with and devoid of leaves, (ii) the growth and development of the plants under non-native substrates, fine beach sand and coarse river sand, (iii) the sustain growth and development of the population, and (iv) the tolerance range of plants under the tested salinity and depth. These assessment were achieved by planting rhizomes with or devoid of leaves in the tested substrates in containers, maintained in artificial seawater of various salinity, with minimum aeration and exposed in shaded outdoor natural condition. The artificial seawater permitted a standardization of the medium. By manipulating the placement of substrates in the container (and planting of rhizomes into individual container) then submerged at different depths into the aquarium facilitated observation, recording of data and transferring of plants from one test condition to another. The morphological changes of the vegetative parts e.g. leaf, petiole dimensions and paired cross-veins numbers of H. ovalis in the created conditions were compared to those of H. ovalis from native environment.Proceedings of 4th JSPS-VAST Joint Seminar on \u27Coastal Marine Science\u27, Hai Phong, Viet Nam, 26-28 October 2009Oceanograph

Growth performance of Malaysian's spoongrass, Halophila ovalis (R.Br.) Hooker f. under different substrate, salinity and light regime

Halophila ovalis plants collected from the native environment (Lat. 04°54.473′N, Long. 115°22.299′E-Pantai Bangat,　Lawas, Sarawak, Malaysia) were grown in aquarium culture system to assess: (i) the feasibility of using planting materials e.g. rhizomes with and devoid of leaves, (ii) the growth and development of the plants under non-native substrates, fine beach sand and coarse river sand, (iii) the sustain growth and development of the population, and (iv) the tolerance range of plants under the tested salinity and depth. These assessment were achieved by planting rhizomes with or devoid of leaves in the tested substrates in containers, maintained in artificial seawater of various salinity, with minimum aeration and exposed in shaded outdoor natural condition. The artificial seawater permitted a standardization of the medium. By manipulating the placement of substrates in the container (and planting of rhizomes into individual container) then submerged at different depths into the aquarium facilitated observation, recording of data and transferring of plants from one test condition to another. The morphological changes of the vegetative parts e.g. leaf, petiole dimensions and paired cross-veins numbers of H. ovalis in the created conditions were compared to those of H. ovalis from native environment.Proceedings of 4th JSPS-VAST Joint Seminar on 'Coastal Marine Science', Hai Phong, Viet Nam, 26-28 October 2009Oceanograph