1
|
Kamisah Y, Che Hassan HH. Role of Trimetazidine in Ameliorating Endothelial Dysfunction: A Review. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2024; 17:464. [PMID: 38675424 PMCID: PMC11054808 DOI: 10.3390/ph17040464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2024] [Revised: 04/01/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Endothelial dysfunction is a hallmark of cardiovascular diseases, contributing to impaired vasodilation, altered hemodynamics, and atherosclerosis progression. Trimetazidine, traditionally used for angina pectoris, exhibits diverse therapeutic effects on endothelial dysfunction. This review aims to elucidate the mechanisms underlying trimetazidine's actions and its potential as a therapeutic agent for endothelial dysfunction and associated cardiovascular disorders. Trimetazidine enhances vasodilation and hemodynamic function by modulating endothelial nitric oxide synthase activity, nitric oxide production, and endothelin-1. It also ameliorates metabolic parameters, including reducing blood glucose, mitigating oxidative stress, and dampening inflammation. Additionally, trimetazidine exerts antiatherosclerotic effects by inhibiting plaque formation and promoting its stability. Moreover, it regulates apoptosis and angiogenesis, fostering endothelial cell survival and neovascularization. Understanding trimetazidine's multifaceted mechanisms underscores its potential as a therapeutic agent for endothelial dysfunction and associated cardiovascular disorders, warranting further investigation for clinical translation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yusof Kamisah
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 56000, Malaysia;
| | - Hamat H. Che Hassan
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 56000, Malaysia
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Asmuri SN, Kadar M, Razaob NA, Chui CS, Mohd Rasdi HF. The effectiveness of the buddy program training module to enhance the daily living function, social participation and emotional status of older adults in residential aged care homes. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0301544. [PMID: 38568914 PMCID: PMC10990167 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Compeer Model, which was originally designed to match individuals recovering from mental illness with volunteers from their community, served as the basis for the development of the buddy program. However, limited research was available related to the buddy program among older adults in a Malaysian context. AIM The study aimed to identify the effectiveness of the buddy program training module to enhance the daily living function, social participation and emotional status of older adults in residential aged care homes. METHODS A quasi-experimental study was conducted with 30 pairs of buddies and older adults for both the experimental group and control group in two randomly selected residential aged care homes. The buddies in the experimental group received the buddy program training module related to activities of daily living (basic and instrumental) while the buddy-older adults pairs in the control group continued to perform their usual daily life activities in residential aged care homes. Baselines were performed before intervention and at eight weeks post-intervention. RESULTS Over the eight weeks, for the older adults in the experimental group, there was a significant main effect of time after the intervention on BADL (p = 0.010). There were no significant interaction effects for the experiment group and control group on IADL and social participation. Also, there were no significant interaction effects for all domains in emotional status: depression, anxiety and stress. For buddies, there was a significant interaction effect for depression (p = 0.045) in the control group. CONCLUSIONS The buddy program training module can be used as a guideline for older adults with more significant disabilities in residential aged care homes in managing activities of daily living. Future studies could be implemented to explore the intergenerational buddy program among older adults and young children in the community.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Siti Noraini Asmuri
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Seri Kembangan, Malaysia
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Occupational Therapy Program, Centre for Rehabilitation and Special Needs Studies, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia
| | - Masne Kadar
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Occupational Therapy Program, Centre for Rehabilitation and Special Needs Studies, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia
| | - Nor Afifi Razaob
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Occupational Therapy Program, Centre for Rehabilitation and Special Needs Studies, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia
| | - Chai Siaw Chui
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Occupational Therapy Program, Centre for Rehabilitation and Special Needs Studies, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia
| | - Hanif Farhan Mohd Rasdi
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Occupational Therapy Program, Centre for Rehabilitation and Special Needs Studies, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Lakhiar MT, Sanmargaraja S, Olanrewaju A, Lim CH, Ponniah V, Mathalamuthu AD. Energy retrofitting strategies for existing buildings in Malaysia: A systematic review and bibliometric analysis. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2024; 31:12780-12814. [PMID: 38270761 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-32020-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
This paper comprehensively examines passive and active energy retrofit strategies as a highly effective approach for reducing building energy consumption and mitigating CO2 emissions while enhancing comfort and sustainability. The paper further examines energy simulation software and assesses the integration of renewable energy systems in building to improve energy efficiency. The review used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology, ensuring a rigorous and comprehensive analysis. In addition, the study utilized bibliometric analysis with VOSviewer to provide valuable insights into the research trends and influential publications in building energy retrofits. Bibliometric analysis reveals strong collaboration among 17 authors, emphasizing their significant contributions. Keywords like energy retrofitting and efficiency are prominent, indicating their importance in academic literature. Findings show passive strategies are more effective in reducing energy consumption, though a combined approach with active strategies can yield optimal results. Retrofitting presents challenges, such as substantial initial costs and regulatory barriers. User acceptance is crucial, considering potential disruptions. The review highlights the importance of energy simulation software, with tools like EnergyPlus, eQUEST, and IES VE identified for evaluating and identifying cost-effective retrofit measures in building performance. By providing comprehensive insights into the various strategies and tools available for retrofitting buildings to achieve energy efficiency and sustainability goals, this review serves as an authoritative resource for building owners, managers, and professionals in the building industry. It offers invaluable guidance for informed decision-making and facilitates implementing effective, energy-efficient, and sustainable building retrofitting practices.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Tarique Lakhiar
- Faculty of Engineering and Green Technology, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Jalan Universiti Bandar Barat, 31900, Kampar, Perak, Malaysia.
| | - Shalini Sanmargaraja
- Faculty of Engineering and Green Technology, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Jalan Universiti Bandar Barat, 31900, Kampar, Perak, Malaysia
| | - AbdulLateef Olanrewaju
- Faculty of Engineering and Green Technology, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Jalan Universiti Bandar Barat, 31900, Kampar, Perak, Malaysia
| | - Chong Hooi Lim
- Faculty of Engineering and Green Technology, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Jalan Universiti Bandar Barat, 31900, Kampar, Perak, Malaysia
| | - Vignes Ponniah
- Building Services Engineering, Trafford College Group, Talbot Road, Stretford, M32 0XH, Manchester, UK
| | - Anselm Dass Mathalamuthu
- School of Architecture, Tunku Abdul Rahman Universiti of Management and Technology, Jalan Genting Kelang, Setapak, 53300, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Selvarajah K, Tan JJ, Shaharuddin B. Corneal Epithelial Development and the Role of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells for Regeneration. Curr Stem Cell Res Ther 2024; 19:292-306. [PMID: 36915985 DOI: 10.2174/1574888x18666230313094121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Revised: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 01/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023]
Abstract
Severe corneal disorders due to infective aetiologies, trauma, chemical injuries, and chronic cicatricial inflammations, are among vision-threatening pathologies leading to permanent corneal scarring. The whole cornea or lamellar corneal transplantation is often used as a last resort to restore vision. However, limited autologous tissue sources and potential adverse post-allotransplantation sequalae urge the need for more robust and strategic alternatives. Contemporary management using cultivated corneal epithelial transplantation has paved the way for utilizing stem cells as a regenerative potential. Humaninduced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) can generate ectodermal progenitors and potentially be used for ocular surface regeneration. This review summarizes the process of corneal morphogenesis and the signaling pathways underlying the development of corneal epithelium, which is key to translating the maturation and differentiation process of hiPSCs in vitro. The current state of knowledge and methodology for driving efficient corneal epithelial cell differentiation from pluripotent stem cells are highlighted.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Komathi Selvarajah
- Advanced Medical and Dental Institute, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Bertam, 13200, Kepala Batas, Penang, Malaysia
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Asian Institute of Medical Sciences and Technology (AIMST) University, Kedah, Malaysia
| | - Jun Jie Tan
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Asian Institute of Medical Sciences and Technology (AIMST) University, Kedah, Malaysia
| | - Bakiah Shaharuddin
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Asian Institute of Medical Sciences and Technology (AIMST) University, Kedah, Malaysia
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Lee CS, Abd Shukor SR. Controller Design and Stability Analysis of Intensification Process using Analytical Exact Gain-Phase Margin approach. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2023; 30:124790-124805. [PMID: 36961637 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-26358-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The controllable intensified process has received immense attention from researchers in order to deliver the benefit of process intensification to be operated in a desired way to provide a more sustainable process toward reduction of environmental impact and improvement of intrinsic safety and process efficiency. Despite numerous studies on gain and phase margin approach on conventional process systems, it is yet to be tested on intensified systems as evidenced by the lack of available literature, to improve the controller performance and robustness. Thus, this paper proposed the exact gain and phase margin (EGPM) through analytical method to develop suitable controller design for intensified system using Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controller formulation, and it was compared to conventional Direct Synthesis methods (DS), Internal Model Control (IMC), and Industrial IMC method in terms of the performance and stability analysis. Simulation results showed that EGPM method provides good setpoint tracking and disturbance rejection as compared to DS, IMC, and Industrial IMC while retaining overall performance stability as time delay increases. The Bode Stability Criterion was used to determine the stability of the open-loop transfer function of each method and the result demonstrated decrease in stability as time delay increases for controllers designed using DS, IMC, and Industrial IMC, and hence control performance degrades. However, the proposed EGPM controller maintains the overall robustness and control performance throughout the increase of time delay and outperform other controller design methods at higher time delay with [Formula: see text] uncertainty test. Additionally, the proposed EGPM controller design method provides overall superior control performance with lower overshoot and shorter rise time compared to other controllers when process time constant is smaller in magnitude ([Formula: see text]) than the instrumentation element, which is one of the major concerns during the design of intensified controllers, resulting overall system with a higher order. The desired selection of gain margin and phase margin were suggested at 2.5 to 4 and 60 °-70 [Formula: see text], respectively, for a wide range of control conditions for intensified processes where higher instrumentation dynamic would be possible to achieve robust control as well. The proposed EGPM method controller is thought to be a more reliable design strategy for maintaining the overall robustness and performance of higher order and complex systems that are highly affected by time delay and high dynamic response of intensified processes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cheong Sheng Lee
- School of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Engineering Campus, Seri Ampangan, 14300 Nibong Tebal, S.P.S, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
| | - Syamsul Rizal Abd Shukor
- School of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Engineering Campus, Seri Ampangan, 14300 Nibong Tebal, S.P.S, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Azman AA, Siok-Fong C, Rajab NF, Md Zin RR, Ahmad Daud NN, Mohamad Hanif EA. The potential roles of lncRNA TINCR in triple negative breast cancer. Mol Biol Rep 2023; 50:7909-7917. [PMID: 37442895 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-023-08661-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023]
Abstract
Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive intrinsic breast cancer subtype characterized by the lack of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and low levels of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). The complex nature of TNBC has resulted in little therapeutic progress for the past several decades. The standard of care remains the FEC cocktail (5-fluorouracil (5-FU), epirubicin and cyclophosphamide). However, early relapse and metastasis in TNBC patients persists in causing dismal clinical outcomes. Due to complex heterogeneity features of TNBC, identifying the biomarker associated to the chemoresistance remains a challenge. The emergence of the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) as a potential signature may have proven to be a new deterrent to diagnostic and treatment options. Previous studies unveiled the associations of lncRNA in the development of TNBCs whereby the aggressiveness and response to therapies may be associated by the abrogation of the molecular mechanism lncRNA. Terminal differentiation induced ncRNA (TINCR) is a lncRNA which have been linked with many cancers including TNBC. The expression and behavior of TINCR may exert unfavorable outcome in TNBCs. Nevertheless, the underlying molecular mechanism of TINCR in driving chemoresistance in TNBC is not well understood. This review will highlight the potential molecular mechanisms of TINCR in TNBC chemoresistance and how it can serve as a future potential prognostic and therapeutic target for a better treatment intervention.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Afreena Afiqah Azman
- UKM Medical Molecular Biology Institute (UMBI), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Jalan Ya'acob Latiff, Bandar Tun Razak, Cheras, 56000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Chin Siok-Fong
- UKM Medical Molecular Biology Institute (UMBI), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Jalan Ya'acob Latiff, Bandar Tun Razak, Cheras, 56000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Nor Fadilah Rajab
- Centre for Healthy Aging & Wellness, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Reena Rahayu Md Zin
- Faculty of Medicine (Pathology Department), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Nurul Nadiah Ahmad Daud
- UKM Medical Molecular Biology Institute (UMBI), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Jalan Ya'acob Latiff, Bandar Tun Razak, Cheras, 56000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Ezanee Azlina Mohamad Hanif
- UKM Medical Molecular Biology Institute (UMBI), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Jalan Ya'acob Latiff, Bandar Tun Razak, Cheras, 56000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Sion E, Ab-Rahim S, Muhamad M. Trends on Human Norovirus Virus-like Particles (HuNoV-VLPs) and Strategies for the Construction of Infectious Viral Clones toward In Vitro Replication. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:1447. [PMID: 37511822 PMCID: PMC10381778 DOI: 10.3390/life13071447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Most acute gastroenteritis (AGE) outbreaks and sporadic cases in developing countries are attributable to infection by human norovirus (HuNoV), the enteric virus mainly transmitted via fecal-contaminated water. However, it has been challenging to study HuNoV due to the lack of suitable systems to cultivate and replicate the virus, hindering the development of treatments and vaccines. Researchers have been using virus-like particles (VLPs) and infectious viral clones to overcome this challenge as alternatives to fresh virus isolates in various in vitro and ex vivo models. VLPs are multiprotein structures that mimic the wild-type virus but cannot replicate in host cells due to the lack of genetic materials for replication, limiting downstream analysis of the virus life cycle and pathogenesis. The development of in vitro cloning systems has shown promise for HuNoV replication studies. This review discusses the approaches for constructing HuNoV-VLPs and infectious viral clones, the techniques involved, and the challenges faced. It also highlights the relationship between viral genes and their protein products and provides a perspective on technical considerations for producing efficient HuNoV-VLPs and infectious viral clones, which could substitute for native human noroviruses in future studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Emilly Sion
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Selangor Branch, Sungai Buloh Campus, Sungai Buloh 47000, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Sharaniza Ab-Rahim
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Selangor Branch, Sungai Buloh Campus, Sungai Buloh 47000, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Mudiana Muhamad
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Selangor Branch, Sungai Buloh Campus, Sungai Buloh 47000, Selangor, Malaysia
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Nadarajah K, Abdul Rahman NSN. The Microbial Connection to Sustainable Agriculture. Plants (Basel) 2023; 12:2307. [PMID: 37375932 DOI: 10.3390/plants12122307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2023] [Revised: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
Microorganisms are an important element in modeling sustainable agriculture. Their role in soil fertility and health is crucial in maintaining plants' growth, development, and yield. Further, microorganisms impact agriculture negatively through disease and emerging diseases. Deciphering the extensive functionality and structural diversity within the plant-soil microbiome is necessary to effectively deploy these organisms in sustainable agriculture. Although both the plant and soil microbiome have been studied over the decades, the efficiency of translating the laboratory and greenhouse findings to the field is largely dependent on the ability of the inoculants or beneficial microorganisms to colonize the soil and maintain stability in the ecosystem. Further, the plant and its environment are two variables that influence the plant and soil microbiome's diversity and structure. Thus, in recent years, researchers have looked into microbiome engineering that would enable them to modify the microbial communities in order to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the inoculants. The engineering of environments is believed to support resistance to biotic and abiotic stressors, plant fitness, and productivity. Population characterization is crucial in microbiome manipulation, as well as in the identification of potential biofertilizers and biocontrol agents. Next-generation sequencing approaches that identify both culturable and non-culturable microbes associated with the soil and plant microbiome have expanded our knowledge in this area. Additionally, genome editing and multidisciplinary omics methods have provided scientists with a framework to engineer dependable and sustainable microbial communities that support high yield, disease resistance, nutrient cycling, and management of stressors. In this review, we present an overview of the role of beneficial microbes in sustainable agriculture, microbiome engineering, translation of this technology to the field, and the main approaches used by laboratories worldwide to study the plant-soil microbiome. These initiatives are important to the advancement of green technologies in agriculture.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kalaivani Nadarajah
- Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Malaysia
| | - Nur Sabrina Natasha Abdul Rahman
- Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Malaysia
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Razak AM, Tan JK, Mohd Said M, Makpol S. Modulating Effects of Zingiberaceae Phenolic Compounds on Neurotrophic Factors and Their Potential as Neuroprotectants in Brain Disorders and Age-Associated Neurodegenerative Disorders: A Review. Nutrients 2023; 15:nu15112564. [PMID: 37299526 DOI: 10.3390/nu15112564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The Zingiberaceae family possess various phenolic compounds that have significant systemic bioactivities in the brain, including in age-related neurodegenerative diseases. Neurotrophins are growth factors that protect neurons from oxidative stress, and dysregulation of the neurotrophic system may result in neurocognitive disease. Phenolic compounds from the Zingiberaceae family have been used in traditional and complementary medicine (TCM) to improve cognitive functions. These compounds may affect the expression of neurotrophic agents, but their underlying molecular mechanisms require further investigation. Therefore, the goal of this review is to determine the expression and functional roles of phenolic compounds from the Zingiberaceae family in brain disorders and age-related neurodegenerative disorders. While previous studies have proposed various mechanisms for the neuroprotective activity of these compounds, their precise mechanism of action remains complex and poorly understood. Despite some promising findings, there are still shortcomings in the therapeutic use of these herbs, and current interventions involving the Zingiberaceae family appear to be clinically insufficient. This article aims to summarize recent discoveries of phenolic compounds from several Zingiberaceae family members and their use as neuroprotectants and provide the first review of evidence-linked neuroprotective activity of bioactive ingredients from prominent members of the Zingiberaceae family.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Azraul Mumtazah Razak
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 56000, Malaysia
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University College of MAIWP International, Kuala Lumpur 68100, Malaysia
| | - Jen Kit Tan
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 56000, Malaysia
| | - Mazlina Mohd Said
- Centre of Drug and Herbal Research, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 50300, Malaysia
| | - Suzana Makpol
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 56000, Malaysia
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Zulkhairi Amin FA, Shafiq Cheng MZ, Sabri S, Ismail N, Chan KW, Mohd Esa N, Mohd Lila MA, Nur-Fazila SH, Khalifa SAM, El-Seedi HR, Zawawi N. In Vivo Toxicity Assessment of the Probiotic Bacillus amyloliquefaciens HTI-19 Isolated from Stingless Bee ( Heterotrigona itama) Honey. Nutrients 2023; 15:nu15102390. [PMID: 37242273 DOI: 10.3390/nu15102390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Revised: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
This study evaluated the acute and sub-acute toxicity of B. amyloliquefaciens HTI-19 (isolated from stingless bee honey) in female Sprague Dawley rats. In an acute toxicity study, the rats received a low dosage (1 × 109 CFU·mL-1), medium dosage (3 × 109 CFU·mL-1), or high dosage (1 × 1010 CFU·mL-1) of B. amyloliquefaciens HTI-19 daily orally by syringe-feeding for 14 days. For the subacute toxicity study, rats received a low dosage (1 × 109 CFU·mL-1) or a high dosage (1 × 1010 CFU·mL-1) for 28 days. The probiotic feeding in acute and sub-acute toxicity studies showed no mortality or significant abnormalities in rats throughout the experimental period. In week 2 of the acute study, the body weight of the rats showed a significant increase (p < 0.05) compared to the control. By gross and microscopic examination of organs, no evidently significant changes were observed in the morphology of organs. Serum biochemical tests and blood hematology tests also revealed no treatment-related changes. Overall, these data indicated that oral administration of B. amyloliquefaciens HTI-19 up to 1 × 109 CFU·mL-1 for 28 days can be considered safe.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fatin Aina Zulkhairi Amin
- Natural Medicines and Product Research Laboratory, Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Mohamad Zulhafiz Shafiq Cheng
- Natural Medicines and Product Research Laboratory, Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Suriana Sabri
- Enzyme and Microbial Technology Research Center, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Norsharina Ismail
- Natural Medicines and Product Research Laboratory, Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Kim Wei Chan
- Natural Medicines and Product Research Laboratory, Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Norhaizan Mohd Esa
- Natural Medicines and Product Research Laboratory, Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Mohd Azmi Mohd Lila
- Department of Veterinary Pathology and Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Saulol Hamid Nur-Fazila
- Department of Veterinary Pathology and Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Shaden A M Khalifa
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Hesham R El-Seedi
- International Research Center for Food Nutrition and Safety, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
- International Joint Research Laboratory of Intelligent Agriculture and Agri-Products Processing, Jiangsu Education Department, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
| | - Norhasnida Zawawi
- Functional Carbohydrate and Protein Laboratory, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
- Laboratory of Halal Science, Halal Products Research Institute, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Sohut FH, Khan U, Ishak A, Soid SK, Waini I. Mixed Convection Hybrid Nanofluid Flow Induced by an Inclined Cylinder with Lorentz Forces. Micromachines (Basel) 2023; 14:mi14050982. [PMID: 37241605 DOI: 10.3390/mi14050982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Revised: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Hybrid nanofluids may exhibit higher thermal conductivity, chemical stability, mechanical resistance and physical strength compared to regular nanofluids. Our aim in this study is to investigate the flow of a water-based alumina-copper hybrid nanofluid in an inclined cylinder with the impact of buoyancy force and a magnetic field. The governing partial differential equations (PDEs) are transformed into a set of similarity ordinary differential equations (ODEs) using a dimensionless set of variables, and then solved numerically using the bvp4c package from MATLAB software. Two solutions exist for both buoyancy opposing (λ < 0) and assisting (λ > 0) flows, whereas a unique solution is found when the buoyancy force is absent (λ = 0). In addition, the impacts of the dimensionless parameters, such as curvature parameter, volume fraction of nanoparticles, inclination angle, mixed convention parameter, and magnetic parameter are analyzed. The results of this study compare well with previously published results. Compared to pure base fluid and regular nanofluid, hybrid nanofluid reduces drag and transfers heat more efficiently.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Farizza Haniem Sohut
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Malaysia
| | - Umair Khan
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Malaysia
- Department of Mathematics and Social Sciences, Sukkur IBA University, Sukkur 65200, Pakistan
| | - Anuar Ishak
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Malaysia
| | - Siti Khuzaimah Soid
- School of Mathematical Sciences, College of Computing, Informatics and Media, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam 40450, Malaysia
| | - Iskandar Waini
- Faculty of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering Technology, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, Hang Tuah Jaya, Durian Tunggal, Melaka 76100, Malaysia
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Chen SW, Wang SL, Qi X, Ng TF, Ibrahim H. Convolutional neural network optimized by differential evolution for electrocardiogram classification. Multimed Tools Appl 2023:1-27. [PMID: 37362685 PMCID: PMC10131503 DOI: 10.1007/s11042-023-15407-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 09/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
The Coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19, has shifted the medical paradigm from face-to-face to telehealth. Telehealth has become a vital resource to contain the virus spread and ensure the continued care of patients. In terms of preventing cardiovascular diseases, automating electrocardiogram (ECG) classification is a promising telehealth intervention. The healthcare service ensures that patient care is appropriate, comfortable, and accessible. Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have demonstrated promising results in ECG categorization, which require high accuracy and short training time to ensure healthcare quality. This study proposes a one-dimensional-CNN (1D-CNN) arrhythmia classification based on the differential evolution (DE) algorithm to optimize the accuracy of ECG classification and training time. The performance of 1D-CNNs of different activation functions are optimized based on the standard DE algorithm. Finally, based on MIT-BIH and SCDH arrhythmia databases, the performances of optimized and unoptimized 1D-CNN are compared and analysed. Results show that the 1D-CNN optimized by the DE has higher accuracy in heartbeats classification. The optimized 1D-CNN improves from 97.6% to 99.5% on MIT-BIH and from 80.2% to 88.5% on SCDH. Therefore, the optimized 1D-CNN shows improvements of 1.9% and 8.3% in the two datasets, respectively. In addition, compared with the unoptimized 1D-CNN based on the same parameter settings, the optimized 1D-CNN has less training time. Under the conditions of ReLU function and 10 epochs, the training takes 9.22 s on MIT-BIH and 10.35 s on SCDH, reducing training time by 67.2% and 64.2%, respectively.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shan Wei Chen
- Faculty of Computing and Meta-Technology, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, 35900 Tanjong Malim, Perak Malaysia
- Department of Education, Baoji University of Arts and Sciences, Baoji, 721012 China
| | - Shir Li Wang
- Faculty of Computing and Meta-Technology, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, 35900 Tanjong Malim, Perak Malaysia
- Data Intelligent and Knowledge Management (DILIGENT), Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, 35900 Tanjong Malim, Perak Malaysia
| | - XiuZhi Qi
- Department of Arts, Baoji University of Arts and Sciences, Baoji, 721012 China
| | - Theam Foo Ng
- Centre for Global Sustainability Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Minden, Penang Malaysia
| | - Haidi Ibrahim
- School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Engineering Campus, 14300 Nibong Tebal, Penang Malaysia
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Hishamuddin MS, Lee SY, Syazwan SA, Ramlee SI, Lamasudin DU, Mohamed R. Highly divergent regions in the complete plastome sequences of Aquilaria are suitable for DNA barcoding applications including identifying species origin of agarwood products. 3 Biotech 2023; 13:78. [PMID: 36761338 PMCID: PMC9902582 DOI: 10.1007/s13205-023-03479-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Members of Aquilaria Lam. (Thymelaeaceae) are evergreen trees that are widely distributed in the Indomalesia region. Aquilaria is highly prized for its unique scented resin, agarwood, which is often the subject of unlawful trade activities. Survival of the tree is heavily threatened by destructive harvesting and agarwood poaching, leading to its protection under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Unfortunately, an efficient species identification method, which is crucial to aid in the conservation efforts of Aquilaria is lacking. Here, we described our search for a suitable specific DNA barcode for Aquilaria species using eight complete plastome sequences. We identified five highly variable regions (HVR) (matK-rps16, ndhF-rpl32, psbJ-petA, trnD, and trnT-trnL) in the plastomes. These regions were further analyzed using the neighbor-joining (NJ) method to assess their ability at discriminating the eight species. Coupled with in silico primer design, two potential barcoding regions, psbJ-petA and trnT-trnL, were identified. Their strengths in species delimitation were evaluated individually and in combination, via DNA barcoding analysis. Our findings showed that the combined dataset, psbJ-petA + trnT-trnL, effectively resolved members of the genus Aquilaria by clustering all species into their respective clades. In addition, we demonstrated that the newly proposed DNA barcode was capable at identifying the species of origin of six commercial agarwood samples that were included as unknown samples. Such achievement offers a new technical advancement, useful in the combat against illicit agarwood trades and in assisting the conservation of these valuable species in natural populations. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13205-023-03479-1.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Syahmi Hishamuddin
- Forest Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Forestry Science and Biodiversity, Faculty of Forestry and Environment, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor Malaysia
| | - Shiou Yih Lee
- Forest Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Forestry Science and Biodiversity, Faculty of Forestry and Environment, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor Malaysia
| | - Samsuddin Ahmad Syazwan
- Forest Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Forestry Science and Biodiversity, Faculty of Forestry and Environment, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor Malaysia
- Mycology and Pathology Branch, Forest Biodiversity Division, Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), Jalan FRIM, 52109 Kuala Lumpur, Selangor Malaysia
| | - Shairul Izan Ramlee
- Department of Crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor Malaysia
| | - Dhilia Udie Lamasudin
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor Malaysia
| | - Rozi Mohamed
- Forest Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Forestry Science and Biodiversity, Faculty of Forestry and Environment, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor Malaysia
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Abdullah Sani NS, Ang WL, Mohammad AW, Nouri A, Mahmoudi E. Sustainable synthesis of graphene sand composite from waste cooking oil for dye removal. Sci Rep 2023; 13:1931. [PMID: 36732605 PMCID: PMC9894951 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-27477-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Waste cooking oil (WCO) appears to be a potential carbonaceous source for synthesizing graphene sand composite (GSC) adsorbent in removing pollutants. This study presents a green synthesis method of GSC using WCO as a sustainable carbon source for the synthesis of GSC through the thermal graphitization method. Characterization analysis conducted on GSCWCO verified the successful coating of WCO onto the sand surface and conversion to graphene, which possessed distinct functional groups and features of graphene materials. GSCWCO adsorbent effectiveness in removing Congo Red dye through batch adsorption was studied under the influence of different initial concentrations (20 to 100 mg/L), and the optimum pH (pH 2 to 10), contact time (5 to 240 min), and temperature (25 to 45 °C) were investigated. The GSCWCO showed removal rates of 91.5% achieved at an initial dye concentration of 20 mg L-1, 1.0 g of adsorbent dosage, a temperature of 25 °C, and 150 min of contact time. The GSCWCO exhibited a maximum capacity of 5.52 mg g-1, was well-fitted to the Freundlich isotherm model with an R2 value of 0.989 and had an adsorption mechanism that followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Negative values of enthalpy (ΔH) and Gibbs free energy (ΔG) revealed that CR adsorption onto GSCWCO was a spontaneous and exothermic process. The presence of functional groups on the surface of GSCWCO with such interactions (π-π attractive forces, hydrophobic forces, and hydrogen bonding) was responsible for the anionic dye removal. Regeneration of GSCWCO adsorbent declined after four cycles, possibly due to the chemisorption of dyes with GSC that resulted in inefficient adsorption. Being a waste-to-wealth product, GSCWCO possessed great potential to be used for water treatment and simultaneously benefited the environment through the effort to reduce the excessive discharge of WCO.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nor Syazwani Abdullah Sani
- Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Wei Lun Ang
- Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
- Centre for Sustainable Process Technology (CESPRO), Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Abdul Wahab Mohammad
- Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
- Chemical and Water Desalination Engineering Program, College of Engineering, University of Sharjah, 27272, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Alireza Nouri
- Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Ebrahim Mahmoudi
- Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.
- Centre for Sustainable Process Technology (CESPRO), Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Alwasiti H, Yusoff MZ. Motor Imagery Classification for Brain Computer Interface Using Deep Convolutional Neural Networks and Mixup Augmentation. IEEE Open J Eng Med Biol 2022; 3:171-177. [PMID: 36578777 PMCID: PMC9788676 DOI: 10.1109/ojemb.2022.3220150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2022] [Revised: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 10/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Goal: Building a DL model that can be trained on small EEG training set of a single subject presents an interesting challenge that this work is trying to address. In particular, this study is trying to avoid the need for long EEG data collection sessions, and without combining multiple subjects training datasets, which has a detrimental effect on the classification performance due to the inter-individual variability among subjects. Methods: A customized Convolutional Neural Network with mixup augmentation was trained with [Formula: see text]120 EEG trials for only one subject per model. Results: Modified ResNet18 and DenseNet121 models with mixup augmentation achieved 0.920 (95% Confidence Interval: 0.908, 0.933) and 0.933 (95% Confidence Interval: 0.922, 0.945) classification accuracy, respectively. Conclusions: We show that the designed classifiers resulted in a higher classification performance in comparison to other DL classifiers of previous studies on the same dataset, despite the limited training dataset used in this work.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Haider Alwasiti
- Helsinki Lab of Interdisciplinary Conservation ScienceUniversity of HelsinkiFI-00014HelsinkiFinland
| | - Mohd Zuki Yusoff
- Centre for Intelligent Signal and Imaging Research (CISIR), Department of Electrical and Electronic EngineeringUniversiti Teknologi PETRONAS32610Seri IskandarPerakMalaysia
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Chong YM, Chan YF, Jamaluddin MFH, Hasan MS, Pang YK, Ponnampalavanar S, Syed Omar SF, Sam IC. Rhinovirus/enterovirus was the most common respiratory virus detected in adults with severe acute respiratory infections pre-COVID-19 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0273697. [PMID: 36054088 PMCID: PMC9439195 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0273697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/14/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) pose a great global burden. The contribution of respiratory viruses to adult SARI is relatively understudied in Asia. We aimed to determine viral aetiology of adult SARI patients in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Methods The prevalence of 20 common (mainly viral) respiratory pathogens, and MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV and 5 bacterial select agents was investigated from May 2017 to October 2019 in 489 SARI adult patients in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, using molecular assays (Luminex NxTAG-RPP kit and qPCR assays). Viral metagenomics analysis was performed on 105 negative samples. Results Viral respiratory pathogens were detected by PCR in 279 cases (57.1%), including 10 (2.0%) additional detections by metagenomics analysis. The most detected viruses were rhinovirus/enterovirus (RV/EV) (49.1%) and influenza virus (7.4%). Three melioidosis cases were detected but no SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV or other bacterial select agents. Bacterial/viral co-detections and viral co-detections were found in 44 (9.0%) and 27 (5.5%) cases respectively, mostly involving RV/EV. Independent predictors of critical disease were male gender, chronic lung disease, lack of runny nose and positive blood culture with a significant bacterial pathogen. Asthma and sore throat were associated with increased risk of RV/EV detection, while among RV/EV cases, males and those with neurological disease were at increased risk of critical disease. Conclusions Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the high prevalence of respiratory viruses in adults with SARI was mainly attributed to RV/EV. Continued surveillance of respiratory virus trends contributes to effective diagnostic, prevention, and treatment strategies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yoong Min Chong
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Yoke Fun Chan
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- * E-mail: (YFC); (ICS)
| | | | - M. Shahnaz Hasan
- Department of Anesthesiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Yong Kek Pang
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | | | | | - I-Ching Sam
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- * E-mail: (YFC); (ICS)
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Lai MY, Suppiah J, Thayan R, Ismail I, Mustapa NI, Soh TST, Hassan AH, Peariasamy KM, Lee YL, Lau YL. RNA purification-free detection of SARS-CoV-2 using reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP). Trop Med Health 2022; 50:2. [PMID: 34980275 PMCID: PMC8723997 DOI: 10.1186/s41182-021-00396-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 12/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Current diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection relies on RNA purification prior to amplification. Typical extraction methods limit the processing speed and turnaround time for SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic testing. METHODS Here, we applied reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification directly onto human clinical swabs samples to amplify the RNA from SARS-CoV-2 swab samples after processing with chelating resin. RESULTS By testing our method on 64 samples, we managed to develop an RT-LAMP assay with 95.9% sensitivity (95% CI 86 to 99.5%) and 100% specificity (95% CI 78.2-100%). CONCLUSION The entire process including sample processing can be completed in approximately 50 min. This method has promising potential to be applied as a fast, simple and inexpensive diagnostic tool for the detection of SARS-CoV-2.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Meng Yee Lai
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Jeyanthi Suppiah
- Virology Unit, Infectious Disease Research Centre, Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Ravindran Thayan
- Virology Unit, Infectious Disease Research Centre, Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Ilyiana Ismail
- Department of Pathology, Hospital Sungai Buloh, Ministry of Health, Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Nur Izati Mustapa
- Department of Pathology, Hospital Sungai Buloh, Ministry of Health, Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Tuan Suhaila Tuan Soh
- Department of Pathology, Hospital Sungai Buloh, Ministry of Health, Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Afifah Haji Hassan
- Department of Pathology, Hospital Sungai Buloh, Ministry of Health, Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Kalaiarasu M Peariasamy
- Institute for Clinical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Yee Leng Lee
- Clinical Research Centre, Hospital Sungai Buloh, Ministry of Health, Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Yee Ling Lau
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Cheah YJ, Buyong MR, Mohd Yunus MH. Wound Healing with Electrical Stimulation Technologies: A Review. Polymers (Basel) 2021; 13:3790. [PMID: 34771347 PMCID: PMC8588136 DOI: 10.3390/polym13213790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 10/16/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Electrical stimulation (ES) is an attractive field among clinicians in the topic of wound healing, which is common yet complicated and requires multidisciplinary approaches. The conventional dressing and skin graft showed no promise on complete wound closure. These urge the need for the exploration of electrical stimulation to supplement current wound care management. This review aims to provide an overview of electrical stimulation in wound healing. The mechanism of galvanotaxis related to wound repair will be reviewed at the cellular and molecular levels. Meanwhile, different modalities of externally applied electricity mimicking a physiologic electric field will be discussed and compared in vitro, in vivo, and clinically. With the emerging of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, the integration of electroconductive biomaterials into modern miniaturised dressing is of interest and has become possible with the advancing understanding of smart biomaterials.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yt Jun Cheah
- Department of Physiology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur 56600, Malaysia;
| | - Muhamad Ramdzan Buyong
- Institute of Microengineering and Nanoelectronics, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia;
| | - Mohd Heikal Mohd Yunus
- Department of Physiology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur 56600, Malaysia;
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Mohd Zaffarin AS, Ng SF, Ng MH, Hassan H, Alias E. Nano-Hydroxyapatite as a Delivery System for Promoting Bone Regeneration In Vivo: A Systematic Review. Nanomaterials (Basel) 2021; 11:2569. [PMID: 34685010 PMCID: PMC8538947 DOI: 10.3390/nano11102569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Revised: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA) has been widely used as an orthopedic biomaterial and vehicle for drug delivery owing to its chemical and structural similarity to bone minerals. Several studies have demonstrated that nHA based biomaterials have a potential effect for bone regeneration with very minimal to no toxicity or inflammatory response. This systematic review aims to provide an appraisal of the effectiveness of nHA as a delivery system for bone regeneration and whether the conjugation of proteins, antibiotics, or other bioactive molecules to the nHA further enhances osteogenesis in vivo. Out of 282 articles obtained from the literature search, only 14 articles met the inclusion criteria for this review. These studies showed that nHA was able to induce bone regeneration in various animal models with large or critical-sized bone defects, open fracture, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)-induced osteomyelitis. The conjugations of drugs or bioactive molecules such as bone-morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2), vancomycin, calcitriol, dexamethasone, and cisplatin were able to enhance the osteogenic property of nHA. Thus, nHA is a promising delivery system for a variety of compounds in promoting bone regeneration in vivo.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anis Syauqina Mohd Zaffarin
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bandar Tun Razak 56000, W.P. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia;
| | - Shiow-Fern Ng
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 50300, W.P. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia;
| | - Min Hwei Ng
- Centre for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bandar Tun Razak 56000, W.P. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia;
| | - Haniza Hassan
- Department of Human Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Ekram Alias
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bandar Tun Razak 56000, W.P. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia;
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Mohd Romlay MR, Mohd Ibrahim A, Toha SF, De Wilde P, Venkat I. Novel CE-CBCE feature extraction method for object classification using a low-density LiDAR point cloud. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0256665. [PMID: 34432855 PMCID: PMC8386852 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Low-end LiDAR sensor provides an alternative for depth measurement and object recognition for lightweight devices. However due to low computing capacity, complicated algorithms are incompatible to be performed on the device, with sparse information further limits the feature available for extraction. Therefore, a classification method which could receive sparse input, while providing ample leverage for the classification process to accurately differentiate objects within limited computing capability is required. To achieve reliable feature extraction from a sparse LiDAR point cloud, this paper proposes a novel Clustered Extraction and Centroid Based Clustered Extraction Method (CE-CBCE) method for feature extraction followed by a convolutional neural network (CNN) object classifier. The integration of the CE-CBCE and CNN methods enable us to utilize lightweight actuated LiDAR input and provides low computing means of classification while maintaining accurate detection. Based on genuine LiDAR data, the final result shows reliable accuracy of 97% through the method proposed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Rabani Mohd Romlay
- Department of Mechatronics Engineering, International Islamic University Malaysia, Jalan Gombak, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Azhar Mohd Ibrahim
- Department of Mechatronics Engineering, International Islamic University Malaysia, Jalan Gombak, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Siti Fauziah Toha
- Department of Mechatronics Engineering, International Islamic University Malaysia, Jalan Gombak, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | | | - Ibrahim Venkat
- School of Computing and Informatics, Jalan Tunku Link Gadong, Universiti Teknologi Brunei, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Jamil NA, Mohd-Said S, Hwa CS, Sameeha MJ, Kruger E. Needs Assessment Towards Development of an Integrated Diabetes-Oral Health Nutrition Education Module: A Qualitative Study. Int J Integr Care 2021; 21:10. [PMID: 34611460 PMCID: PMC8447972 DOI: 10.5334/ijic.5952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The diabetes mellitus-periodontitis relationship has advocated several strategic management approaches on effective glycaemic control and oral health improvement for diabetic patients and periodontitis patients with diabetes. We aimed to identify the challenges of providing health education to patients with diabetes and/or periodontitis among healthcare professionals and needs for an integrated nutrition-oral health education module. METHODS This study involved semi-structure in-depth interview with fifteen healthcare professionals from a training hospital focused on: (i) the existing issues and challenges encountered while managing patients for their nutrition and care and (ii) issues related to the current practice among healthcare professionals. Details pertaining to the participants' verbal and non-verbal responses were recorded, transcribed ad verbatim and analysed using themes codes. RESULTS Patients' attitude and behaviour, language barriers and prioritising time were found as the common problems with patients, while limited knowledge on the relationship between diabetes-periodontitis, limited availability of appropriate and cultural-based health educational tools, lack of inter-professional multidisciplinary collaboration in managing patients, and constrains in time as well as costly therapy were common issues in the current practice. CONCLUSIONS Cost-effective efforts must be focused on overcoming these issues besides emphasizing the needs on developing an integrated module to achieve better management outcomes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nor Aini Jamil
- Centre for Community Health Studies (ReaCH), Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 50300 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Shahida Mohd-Said
- Department of Restorative Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 50300 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Chau Shin Hwa
- Department of Restorative Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 50300 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Mohd Jamil Sameeha
- Department of Restorative Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 50300 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Estie Kruger
- School of Human Science, Faculty of Science, The University of Western Australia, 6009 Perth, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Ahmad MA, Letchumanan A, Samsuri S, Mazli WNA, Md Saad J. Parametric study of glycerol and contaminants removal from biodiesel through solvent-aided crystallization. BIORESOUR BIOPROCESS 2021; 8:54. [PMID: 38650236 PMCID: PMC10991521 DOI: 10.1186/s40643-021-00409-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Accepted: 06/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
At present, biodiesel is known as an alternative fuel globally. It is also known that the purification of biodiesel before consumption is mandatory to comply with international standards. Commonly, purification using water washing generates a massive amount of wastewater with a high content of organic compounds that can harm the environment. Therefore, this study applied and tested a waterless method, i.e., the solvent-aided crystallization (SAC), to remove glycerol and other traces of impurities in the crude biodiesel. The parameters of coolant temperature, crystallization time, and stirring rate on the SAC system were investigated. It was discovered that with 14 °C coolant temperature, 300 RPM and higher cooling time result in the highest percentage of FAME up to 99.54%, which indicates that contaminants' presence is limited in the purified biodiesel. The use of 1-butanol as the solvent for crystallization process remarkably enhanced the separation and improved the higher biodiesel quality.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mohd Afnan Ahmad
- Chemical Engineering Department, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, 32610 Seri Iskandar, Perak, Malaysia
- HICoE Centre for Biofuel and Biochemical Research (CBBR), Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, 32610 Seri Iskandar, Perak, Malaysia
| | - Arun Letchumanan
- Chemical Engineering Department, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, 32610 Seri Iskandar, Perak, Malaysia
| | - Shafirah Samsuri
- Chemical Engineering Department, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, 32610 Seri Iskandar, Perak, Malaysia.
- HICoE Centre for Biofuel and Biochemical Research (CBBR), Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, 32610 Seri Iskandar, Perak, Malaysia.
| | - Wan Nur Athirah Mazli
- Chemical Engineering Department, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, 32610 Seri Iskandar, Perak, Malaysia
- HICoE Centre for Biofuel and Biochemical Research (CBBR), Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, 32610 Seri Iskandar, Perak, Malaysia
| | - Juniza Md Saad
- Department of Science and Technology, Faculty of Humanities, Management and Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Nyabau Road, 97008, Bintulu, Sarawak, Malaysia
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Husni AAA, Ismail SI, Jaafar NM, Zulperi D. Current Classification of the Bacillus pumilus Group Species, the Rubber-Pathogenic Bacteria Causing Trunk Bulges Disease in Malaysia as Assessed by MLSA and Multi rep-PCR Approaches. Plant Pathol J 2021; 37:243-257. [PMID: 34111914 PMCID: PMC8200583 DOI: 10.5423/ppj.oa.02.2021.0017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Revised: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Bacillus pumilus is the causal agent of trunk bulges disease affecting rubber and rubberwood quality and yield production. In this study, B. pumilus and other closely related species were included in B. pumilus group, as they shared over 99.5% similarity from 16S rRNA analysis. Multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) of five housekeeping genes and repetitive elements-based polymerase chain reaction (rep-PCR) using REP, ERIC, and BOX primers conducted to analyze the diversity and systematic relationships of 20 isolates of B. pumilus group from four rubber tree plantations in Peninsular Malaysia (Serdang, Tanah Merah, Baling, and Rawang). Multi rep-PCR results revealed the genetic profiling among the B. pumilus group isolates, while MLSA results showed 98-100% similarity across the 20 isolates of B. pumilus group species. These 20 isolates, formerly established as B. pumilus, were found not to be grouped with B. pumilus. However, being distributed within distinctive groups of the B. pumilus group comprising of two clusters, A and B. Cluster A contained of 17 isolates close to B. altitudinis, whereas Cluster B consisted of three isolates attributed to B. safensis. This is the first MLSA and rep-PCR study on B. pumilus group, which provides an in-depth understanding of the diversity of these rubber-pathogenic isolates in Malaysia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ainur Ainiah Azman Husni
- Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Siti Izera Ismail
- Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Noraini Md. Jaafar
- Department of Land Management, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Dzarifah Zulperi
- Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
- Laboratory of Sustainable Resources Management, Institute of Tropical Forestry and Forest Products, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Sakeh NM, Abdullah SNA, Bahari MNA, Azzeme AM, Shaharuddin NA, Idris AS. EgJUB1 and EgERF113 transcription factors as potential master regulators of defense response in Elaeis guineensis against the hemibiotrophic Ganoderma boninense. BMC Plant Biol 2021; 21:59. [PMID: 33482731 PMCID: PMC7825162 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-020-02812-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hemibiotrophic pathogen such as the fungal pathogen Ganoderma boninense that is destructive to oil palm, manipulates host defense mechanism by strategically switching from biotrophic to necrotrophic phase. Our previous study revealed two distinguishable expression profiles of oil palm genes that formed the basis in deducing biotrophic phase at early interaction which switched to necrotrophic phase at a later stage of infection. RESULTS The present report is a continuing study from our previous published transcriptomic profiling of oil palm seedlings against G. boninense. We focused on identifying differentially expressed genes (DEGs) encoding transcription factors (TFs) from the same RNA-seq data; resulting in 106 upregulated and 108 downregulated TFs being identified. The DEGs are involved in four established defense-related pathways responsible for cell wall modification, reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated signaling, programmed cell death (PCD) and plant innate immunity. We discovered upregulation of JUNGBRUNNEN 1 (EgJUB1) during the fungal biotrophic phase while Ethylene Responsive Factor 113 (EgERF113) demonstrated prominent upregulation when the palm switches to defense against necrotrophic phase. EgJUB1 was shown to have a binding activity to a 19 bp palindromic SNBE1 element, WNNYBTNNNNNNNAMGNHW found in the promoter region of co-expressing EgHSFC-2b. Further in silico analysis of promoter regions revealed co-expression of EgJUB1 with TFs containing SNBE1 element with single nucleotide change at either the 5th or 18th position. Meanwhile, EgERF113 binds to both GCC and DRE/CRT elements promoting plasticity in upregulating the downstream defense-related genes. Both TFs were proven to be nuclear-localized based on subcellular localization experiment using onion epidermal cells. CONCLUSION Our findings demonstrated unprecedented transcriptional reprogramming of specific TFs potentially to enable regulation of a specific set of genes during different infection phases of this hemibiotrophic fungal pathogen. The results propose the intricacy of oil palm defense response in orchestrating EgJUB1 during biotrophic and EgERF113 during the subsequent transition to the necrotrophic phase. Binding of EgJUB1 to SNBE motif instead of NACBS while EgERF113 to GCC-box and DRE/CRT motifs is unconventional and not normally associated with pathogen infection. Identification of these phase-specific oil palm TFs is important in designing strategies to tackle or attenuate the progress of infection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nurshafika Mohd Sakeh
- Institute of Plantation Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), 43400, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Siti Nor Akmar Abdullah
- Institute of Plantation Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), 43400, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
- Department of Agriculture Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), 43400, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
| | | | - Azzreena Mohamad Azzeme
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), 43400, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Noor Azmi Shaharuddin
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), 43400, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Abu Seman Idris
- Ganoderma and Diseases Research for Oil Palm Unit, Malaysian Palm Oil Board, No. 6, Persiaran Institusi, Bandar Baru Bangi, 43000, Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Ang WL, Boon Mee CAL, Sambudi NS, Mohammad AW, Leo CP, Mahmoudi E, Ba-Abbad M, Benamor A. Microwave-assisted conversion of palm kernel shell biomass waste to photoluminescent carbon dots. Sci Rep 2020; 10:21199. [PMID: 33273663 PMCID: PMC7712893 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-78322-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2020] [Accepted: 11/20/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
In the present work, palm kernel shell (PKS) biomass waste has been used as a low-cost and easily available precursor to prepare carbon dots (CDs) via microwave irradiation method. The impacts of the reacting medium: water and diethylene glycol (DEG), and irradiation period, as well as the presence of chitosan on the CDs properties, have been investigated. The synthesized CDs were characterized by several physical and optical analyses. The performance of the CDs in terms of bacteria cell imaging and copper (II) ions sensing and removal were also explored. All the CDs possessed a size of 6-7 nm in diameter and the presence of hydroxyl and alkene functional groups indicated the successful transformation of PKS into CDs with carbon core consisting of C = C elementary unit. The highest quantum yield (44.0%) obtained was from the CDs synthesised with DEG as the reacting medium at irradiation period of 1 min. It was postulated that the high boiling point of DEG resulted in a complete carbonisation of PKS into CDs. Subsequently, the absorbance intensity and photoluminescence intensity were also much higher compared to other precursor formulation. All the CDs fluoresced in the bacteria culture, and fluorescence quenching occurred in the presence of heavy metal ions. These showed the potential of CDs synthesised from PKS could be used for cellular imaging and detection as well as removal of heavy metal ions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wei Lun Ang
- Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.
- Centre for Sustainable Process Technology (CESPRO), Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.
| | - Cheldclos A L Boon Mee
- Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
| | - Nonni Soraya Sambudi
- Chemical Engineering Department, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, 32610, Seri Iskandar, Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia
- Center for Advanced Integrated Membrane System (AIMS), Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, 32610, Seri Iskandar, Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia
| | - Abdul Wahab Mohammad
- Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
- Centre for Sustainable Process Technology (CESPRO), Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
| | - Choe Peng Leo
- School of Chemical Engineering, Engineering Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 14300, Nibong Tebal, Penang, Malaysia
| | - Ebrahim Mahmoudi
- Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
- Centre for Sustainable Process Technology (CESPRO), Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
| | - Muneer Ba-Abbad
- Gas Processing Centre, Qatar University, P.O. Box 2713, Doha, Qatar
| | | |
Collapse
|
26
|
Kumar YN, Poong SW, Gachon C, Brodie J, Sade A, Lim PE. Impact of elevated temperature on the physiological and biochemical responses of Kappaphycus alvarezii (Rhodophyta). PLoS One 2020; 15:e0239097. [PMID: 32925956 PMCID: PMC7489555 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0239097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 08/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The eucheumatoids Kappaphycus and Eucheuma are cultivated in tropical or subtropical regions for the production of carrageenan, a hydrocolloid widely used in the food and cosmetic industries. Kappaphycus alvarezii is a highly valued economic crop in the Coral Triangle, with the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia ranked among the largest producers. In the absence of measures to mitigate climate change, extreme events including heatwaves, typhoons, severe El Niño and La Niña, are expected to increase in frequency and magnitude. This inadvertently brings adverse effects to the seaweed cultivation industry, especially in the tropics. Temperatures are rapidly reaching the upper limit of biologically tolerable levels and an increase in reports of ice-ice and pest outbreaks is attributable to these shifts of environmental parameters. Nevertheless, few reports on the response of eucheumatoids to a changing environment, in particular global warming, are available. Understanding the responses and possible mechanisms for acclimation to warming is crucial for a sustainable seaweed cultivation industry. Here, the physiological and biochemical responses of K. alvarezii to acute warming indicated that the strain used in the current study is unlikely to survive sudden increases in temperature above 36°C. As temperature increased, the growth rates, photosynthetic performance, phycocolloid quality (carrageenan yield, gel strength and gel viscosity) and pigment content (chlorophyll-a, carotenoid and phycobiliproteins) were reduced while the production of reactive oxygen species increased indicating the occurrence of stress in the seaweeds. This study provides a basis for future work on long term acclimation to elevated temperature and mesocosm-based multivariate studies to identify heat-tolerant strains for sustainable cultivation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yushanthini Nair Kumar
- Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Sze-Wan Poong
- Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Claire Gachon
- Scottish Association for Marine Science, Scottish Marine Institute, Oban, United Kingdom
- Unité Molécules de Communication et Adaptation des Micro-organismes, UMR 7245, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Juliet Brodie
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ahemad Sade
- Department of Fisheries Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
| | - Phaik-Eem Lim
- Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Agina OA, Shaari MR, Isa NMM, Ajat M, Zamri-Saad M, Hamzah H. Clinical Pathology, Immunopathology and Advanced Vaccine Technology in Bovine Theileriosis: A Review. Pathogens 2020; 9:E697. [PMID: 32854179 PMCID: PMC7558346 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens9090697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2020] [Revised: 07/15/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Theileriosis is a blood piroplasmic disease that adversely affects the livestock industry, especially in tropical and sub-tropical countries. It is caused by haemoprotozoan of the Theileria genus, transmitted by hard ticks and which possesses a complex life cycle. The clinical course of the disease ranges from benign to lethal, but subclinical infections can occur depending on the infecting Theileria species. The main clinical and clinicopathological manifestations of acute disease include fever, lymphadenopathy, anorexia and severe loss of condition, conjunctivitis, and pale mucous membranes that are associated with Theileria-induced immune-mediated haemolytic anaemia and/or non-regenerative anaemia. Additionally, jaundice, increases in hepatic enzymes, and variable leukocyte count changes are seen. Theileria annulata and Theileria parva induce an incomplete transformation of lymphoid and myeloid cell lineages, and these cells possess certain phenotypes of cancer cells. Pathogenic genotypes of Theileria orientalis have been recently associated with severe production losses in Southeast Asia and some parts of Europe. The infection and treatment method (ITM) is currently used in the control and prevention of T. parva infection, and recombinant vaccines are still under evaluation. The use of gene gun immunization against T. parva infection has been recently evaluated. This review, therefore, provides an overview of the clinicopathological and immunopathological profiles of Theileria-infected cattle and focus on DNA vaccines consisting of plasmid DNA with genes of interest, molecular adjuvants, and chitosan as the most promising next-generation vaccine against bovine theileriosis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Onyinyechukwu Ada Agina
- Department of Veterinary Pathology and Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia;
- Department of Veterinary Pathology and Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Nigeria Nsukka, Nsukka 410001, Nigeria
| | - Mohd Rosly Shaari
- Animal Science Research Centre, Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute, Headquarters, Serdang 43400, Malaysia;
| | - Nur Mahiza Md Isa
- Department of Veterinary Pathology and Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia;
| | - Mokrish Ajat
- Department of Veterinary Pre-clinical sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia;
| | - Mohd Zamri-Saad
- Research Centre for Ruminant Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia;
| | - Hazilawati Hamzah
- Department of Veterinary Pathology and Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia;
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Wong ML, Liew JWK, Wong WK, Pramasivan S, Mohamed Hassan N, Wan Sulaiman WY, Jeyaprakasam NK, Leong CS, Low VL, Vythilingam I. Natural Wolbachia infection in field-collected Anopheles and other mosquito species from Malaysia. Parasit Vectors 2020; 13:414. [PMID: 32787974 PMCID: PMC7425011 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-020-04277-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2020] [Accepted: 08/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The endosymbiont bacterium Wolbachia is maternally inherited and naturally infects some filarial nematodes and a diverse range of arthropods, including mosquito vectors responsible for disease transmission in humans. Previously, it has been found infecting most mosquito species but absent in Anopheles and Aedes aegypti. However, recently these two mosquito species were found to be naturally infected with Wolbachia. We report here the extent of Wolbachia infections in field-collected mosquitoes from Malaysia based on PCR amplification of the Wolbachia wsp and 16S rRNA genes. METHODS The prevalence of Wolbachia in Culicinae mosquitoes was assessed via PCR with wsp primers. For some of the mosquitoes, in which the wsp primers failed to amplify a product, Wolbachia screening was performed using nested PCR targeting the 16S rRNA gene. Wolbachia sequences were aligned using Geneious 9.1.6 software, analyzed with BLAST, and the most similar sequences were downloaded. Phylogenetic analyses were carried out with MEGA 7.0 software. Graphs were drawn with GraphPad Prism 8.0 software. RESULTS A total of 217 adult mosquitoes representing 26 mosquito species were screened. Of these, infections with Wolbachia were detected in 4 and 15 mosquito species using wsp and 16S rRNA primers, respectively. To our knowledge, this is the first time Wolbachia was detected using 16S rRNA gene amplification, in some Anopheles species (some infected with Plasmodium), Culex sinensis, Culex vishnui, Culex pseudovishnui, Mansonia bonneae and Mansonia annulifera. Phylogenetic analysis based on wsp revealed Wolbachia from most of the mosquitoes belonged to Wolbachia Supergroup B. Based on 16S rRNA phylogenetic analysis, the Wolbachia strain from Anopheles mosquitoes were more closely related to Wolbachia infecting Anopheles from Africa than from Myanmar. CONCLUSIONS Wolbachia was found infecting Anopheles and other important disease vectors such as Mansonia. Since Wolbachia can affect its host by reducing the life span and provide resistance to pathogen infection, several studies have suggested it as a potential innovative tool for vector/vector-borne disease control. Therefore, it is important to carry out further studies on natural Wolbachia infection in vector mosquitoes' populations as well as their long-term effects in new hosts and pathogen suppression.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Meng Li Wong
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Jonathan Wee Kent Liew
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Wai Kit Wong
- Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Sandthya Pramasivan
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | | | - Wan Yusoff Wan Sulaiman
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | | | - Cherng Shii Leong
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Van Lun Low
- Tropical Infectious Diseases Research and Education Centre (TIDREC), University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Indra Vythilingam
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Wong SK, Chin KY, Ahmad F, Ima-Nirwana S. Biochemical and histopathological assessment of liver in a rat model of metabolic syndrome induced by high-carbohydrate high-fat diet. J Food Biochem 2020; 44:e13371. [PMID: 32744348 DOI: 10.1111/jfbc.13371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2020] [Revised: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 06/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the oxidative stress status, antioxidants capacity, and presence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in an animal model of MetS induced by high-carbohydrate high-fat (HCHF) diet. Male Wistar rats were randomized into two groups, assigned for two different types of diet (standard rat pellet or HCHF diet) for 20 weeks. Liver was excised, weighed, and subjected to lipid peroxidation, nitric oxide (NO·) production, antioxidants activity, and histological assessment. The HCHF rats had higher lipid peroxidation and NO· level but lower enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidant levels than the normal animals. Histological evaluation revealed higher lobular inflammation, hepatocellular ballooning, NAFLD activity score, and lipid accumulation in the liver of HCHF group. In conclusion, the HCHF diet causes an increase in oxidative stress, depletion of antioxidants capacity, NAFLD, and liver injury. The induction of oxidative stress may be partially responsible for the development of NAFLD in MetS. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: The prevalence of MetS is estimated to increase rapidly with the escalating levels of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. A suitable animal model of MetS that best mimicked the human disease state with known underlying mechanisms responsible for the pathogenesis of MetS is indispensable to search for potential adjunct therapies and drug targets. Thus, our current study elucidated the involvement of oxidative stress in linking MetS and NAFLD which might resemble the pathogenesis of MetS among Southeast Asian population.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sok Kuan Wong
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Kok-Yong Chin
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Fairus Ahmad
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Soelaiman Ima-Nirwana
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Abstract
The fatal accidents on the roads remain a global concern. Daily, approximately 18 traffic accidents occur in the Peninsular Malaysia that cause on an average one death in every hour, a situation that needs preventive measures. The development of the effective strategies to reduce such fatal accidents requires the identification of various risk factors including the road condition. We identified such accident severity issues using the public work and police department databases that consisted of 1067 cases of various severity levels occurred on the Malaysian federal roads during 2008 to 2015. These records were used to develop ordered logistic regression model for the accident severity and nine variables were analyzed. The results revealed that the presence of poor horizontal alignment affected the model outcomes. The likelihood of the more serious accident severity due to the poor horizontal alignment was correspondingly about 0.4 times less compared to the absence of such factors. It is established that the present findings may assist the local authorities to take proactive actions to prevent serious road accidents on the road segments possessing the standard horizontal alignment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Sitti Asmah Hassan
- School of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Johor, Malaysia
| | - Nordiana Mashros
- School of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Johor, Malaysia
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Emi NA, Gan WY, Mohd Shariff Z, Anuar Zaini A, Shamsuddin NH, Appukutty M, Appannah G. Associations of an empirical dietary pattern with cardiometabolic risk factors in Malaysian adolescents. Nutr Metab (Lond) 2020; 17:28. [PMID: 32280358 PMCID: PMC7140313 DOI: 10.1186/s12986-020-00447-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2019] [Accepted: 03/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND This study aimed to identify a dietary pattern (DP) characterised mainly by high intakes of free sugar and other nutrients hypothesised to be associated with obesity such as dietary energy density (DED), percentage of energy from total fat and fibre density in adolescents from three southern states of Peninsular Malaysia, and its associations with cardiometabolic risk factors. METHODS This is a cross-sectional study among 335 adolescents who provided both dietary information assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and biochemical parameters including lipid profile, blood glucose, serum insulin and homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Anthropometric measurements included weight (kg), height (cm) and waist circumference (cm), while body mass index (BMI) in kg/m2 was estimated, respectively. Reduced rank regression (RRR) identified a DP with percentage of energy from sugar and total fat, DED and fibre density intake as response variables. RESULTS The identified 'high sugar, high fibre, high DED and low fat' DP was characterised by high intakes of sugar-sweetened beverages, fruits, sweets and low intakes of meat and cereal. Adolescents in the highest tertile of the identified DP had about 3.0 (OR = 2.7; 95%CI: 1.3, 5.6) and 2.0 (OR = 1.9; 95%CI: 1.0, 3.5) times higher odds of having dyslipideamia or elevated total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol level, respectively compared to adolescents in the lowest tertile DP after adjusting for sex, school location, maternal education, physical activity, dietary misreporting and BMI z-score. This DP was not significantly associated with overweight and obesity. CONCLUSIONS Higher adherence to a DP characterised mainly by free sugars and DED was associated with greater odds of having dyslipideamia, elevated total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels in Malaysian adolescents.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nor Aishah Emi
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor Malaysia
| | - Wan Ying Gan
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor Malaysia
| | - Zalilah Mohd Shariff
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor Malaysia
| | - Azriyanti Anuar Zaini
- Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Nurainul Hana Shamsuddin
- Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor Malaysia
| | - Mahenderan Appukutty
- Sports Science Programme, Faculty of Sports Science and Recreation, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam, Selangor Malaysia
| | - Geeta Appannah
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor Malaysia
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Saad SM, Aling NA, Miskam M, Saaid M, Mohamad Zain NN, Kamaruzaman S, Raoov M, Mohamad Hanapi NS, Wan Ibrahim WN, Yahaya N. Magnetic nanoparticles assisted dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction of chloramphenicol in water samples. R Soc Open Sci 2020; 7:200143. [PMID: 32431904 PMCID: PMC7211875 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.200143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2020] [Accepted: 03/13/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
This work describes the development of a new methodology based on magnetic nanoparticles assisted dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME-MNPs) for preconcentration and extraction of chloramphenicol (CAP) antibiotic residues in water. The approach is based on the use of decanoic acid as the extraction solvent followed by the application of MNPs to magnetically retrieve the extraction solvent containing the extracted CAP. The coated MNPs were then desorbed with methanol, and the clean extract was analysed using ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry. Several important parameters, such as the amount of decanoic acid, extraction time, stirring rate, amount of MNPs, type of desorption solvent, salt addition and sample pH, were evaluated and optimized. Optimum parameters were as follows: amount of decanoic acid: 200 mg; extraction time: 10 min; stirring rate: 800 rpm; amount of MNPs: 60 mg; desorption solvent: methanol; salt: 10%; and sample pH, 8. Under the optimum conditions, the method demonstrated acceptable linearity (R 2 = 0.9933) over a concentration range of 50-1000 µg l-1. Limit of detection and limit of quantification were 16.5 and 50.0 µg l-1, respectively. Good analyte recovery (91-92.7%) and acceptable precision with good relative standard deviations (0.45-6.29%, n = 3) were obtained. The method was successfully applied to tap water and lake water samples. The proposed method is rapid, simple, reliable and environmentally friendly for the detection of CAP.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Salwani Md Saad
- Integrative Medicine Cluster, Advanced Medical and Dental Institute (AMDI), Universiti Sains Malaysia, 13200 Bertam Kepala Batas, Penang, Malaysia
| | - Nur Afiqah Aling
- School of Chemical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang, Malaysia
| | | | - Mardiana Saaid
- School of Chemical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang, Malaysia
| | - Nur Nadhirah Mohamad Zain
- Integrative Medicine Cluster, Advanced Medical and Dental Institute (AMDI), Universiti Sains Malaysia, 13200 Bertam Kepala Batas, Penang, Malaysia
| | - Sazlinda Kamaruzaman
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Muggundha Raoov
- University of Malaya Centre for Ionic Liquids (UMCIL), Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
| | | | | | - Noorfatimah Yahaya
- Integrative Medicine Cluster, Advanced Medical and Dental Institute (AMDI), Universiti Sains Malaysia, 13200 Bertam Kepala Batas, Penang, Malaysia
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Lam JY, Low GKK, Chee HY. Diagnostic accuracy of genetic markers and nucleic acid techniques for the detection of Leptospira in clinical samples: A meta-analysis. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2020; 14:e0008074. [PMID: 32049960 PMCID: PMC7041858 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2019] [Revised: 02/25/2020] [Accepted: 01/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Leptospirosis is often difficult to diagnose because of its nonspecific symptoms. The drawbacks of direct isolation and serological tests have led to the increased development of nucleic acid-based assays, which are more rapid and accurate. A meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of genetic markers for the detection of Leptospira in clinical samples. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPLE FINDINGS A literature search was performed in Scopus, PubMed, MEDLINE and non-indexed citations (via Ovid) by using suitable keyword combinations. Studies evaluating the performance of nucleic acid assays targeting leptospire genes in human or animal clinical samples against a reference test were included. Of the 1645 articles identified, 42 eligible studies involving 7414 samples were included in the analysis. The diagnostic performance of nucleic acid assays targeting the rrs, lipL32, secY and flaB genes was pooled and analyzed. Among the genetic markers analyzed, the secY gene showed the highest diagnostic accuracy measures, with a pooled sensitivity of 0.56 (95% CI: 0.50-0.63), a specificity of 0.98 (95% CI: 0.97-0.98), a diagnostic odds ratio of 46.16 (95% CI: 6.20-343.49), and an area under the curve of summary receiver operating characteristics curves of 0.94. Nevertheless, a high degree of heterogeneity was observed in this meta-analysis. Therefore, the present findings here should be interpreted with caution. CONCLUSION The diagnostic accuracies of the studies examined for each genetic marker showed a significant heterogeneity. The secY gene exhibited higher diagnostic accuracy measures compared with other genetic markers, such as lipL32, flaB, and rrs, but the difference was not significant. Thus, these genetic markers had no significant difference in diagnostic accuracy for leptospirosis. Further research into these genetic markers is warranted.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jia-Yong Lam
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Gary Kim-Kuan Low
- Clinical Research Team, Rapid Response Revival Research Ltd, Riverwood, Sydney, Australia
| | - Hui-Yee Chee
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Ruslan SA, Muharam FM, Zulkafli Z, Omar D, Zambri MP. Using satellite-measured relative humidity for prediction of Metisa plana's population in oil palm plantations: A comparative assessment of regression and artificial neural network models. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0223968. [PMID: 31626637 PMCID: PMC6799924 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0223968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2019] [Accepted: 10/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Metisa plana (Walker) is a leaf defoliating pest that is able to cause staggering economical losses to oil palm cultivation. Considering the economic devastation that the pest could bring, an early warning system to predict its outbreak is crucial. The state of art of satellite technologies are now able to derive environmental factors such as relative humidity (RH) that may influence pest population’s fluctuations in rapid, harmless, and cost-effective manners. This study examined the relationship between the presence of Metisa plana at different time lags and remote sensing (RS) derived RH by using statistical and machine learning approaches. Metisa plana census data of cumulated larvae instar 1, 2, 3, and 4 were collected biweekly in 2014 and 2015 in an oil palm plantation in Muadzam Shah, Pahang, Malaysia. Relative humidity values derived from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite images were apportioned to 6 time lags; 1 week (T1), 2 weeks (T2), 3 week (T3), 4 weeks (T4), 5 week (T5) and 6 weeks (T6) and paired with the respective census data. Pearson’s correlation was carried out to analyse the relationship between Metisa plana and RH at different time lags. Regression analyses and artificial neural network (ANN) were also conducted to develop the best prediction model of Metisa plana’s outbreak. The results showed relatively high correlations, positively or negatively, between the presences of Metisa plana with RH ranging from 0.46 to 0.99. ANN was found to be superior to regression models with the adjusted coefficient of determination (R2) between the actual and predicted Metisa plana values ranging from 0.06 to 0.57 versus 0.00 to 0.05. The analysis on the best time lags illustrated that the multiple time lags were more influential on the Metisa plana population than the individual time lags. The best Metisa plana prediction model was derived from T1, T2 and T3 multiple time lags modelled using the ANN algorithm with R2 value of 0.57, errors below 1.14 and accuracies above 93%. Based on the result of this study, the elucidation of Metisa plana’s landscape ecology was possible with the utilization of RH as the predictor variable in consideration of the time lag effects of RH on the pest’s population.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Siti Aisyah Ruslan
- Department of Agriculture Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Farrah Melissa Muharam
- Department of Agriculture Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
- Institute of Plantation Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
- * E-mail:
| | - Zed Zulkafli
- Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Dzolkhifli Omar
- Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Muhammad Pilus Zambri
- Department of Agronomy and Innovation, TH Plantations Berhad, Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Ahammad F, Tengku Abd Rashid TR, Mohamed M, Tanbin S, Ahmad Fuad FA. Contemporary Strategies and Current Trends in Designing Antiviral Drugs against Dengue Fever via Targeting Host-Based Approaches. Microorganisms 2019; 7:E296. [PMID: 31466307 PMCID: PMC6780377 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms7090296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2019] [Revised: 08/07/2019] [Accepted: 08/07/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Dengue virus (DENV) is an arboviral human pathogen transmitted through mosquito bite that infects an estimated ~400 million humans (~5% of the global population) annually. To date, no specific therapeutics have been developed that can prevent or treat infections resulting from this pathogen. DENV utilizes numerous host molecules and factors for transcribing the single-stranded ~11 kb positive-sense RNA genome. For example, the glycosylation machinery of the host is required for viral particles to assemble in the endoplasmic reticulum. Since a variety of host factors seem to be utilized by the pathogens, targeting these factors may result in DENV inhibitors, and will play an important role in attenuating the rapid emergence of other flaviviruses. Many experimental studies have yielded findings indicating that host factors facilitate infection, indicating that the focus should be given to targeting the processes contributing to pathogenesis along with many other immune responses. Here, we provide an extensive literature review in order to elucidate the progress made in the development of host-based approaches for DENV viral infections, focusing on host cellular mechanisms and factors responsible for viral replication, aiming to aid the potential development of host-dependent antiviral therapeutics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Foysal Ahammad
- Department of Biotechnology Engineering, International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 50728, Malaysia
| | | | - Maizan Mohamed
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Locked Bag 36, Pengkalan Chepa, Kota Bharu 16100, Kelantan, Malaysia
| | - Suriyea Tanbin
- Department of Biotechnology Engineering, International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 50728, Malaysia
| | - Fazia Adyani Ahmad Fuad
- Department of Biotechnology Engineering, International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 50728, Malaysia.
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Zin CS, Nazar NI, Rahman NSA, Ahmad WR, Rani NS, Ng KS. Patterns of initial opioid prescription and its association with short-term and long-term use among opioid-naïve patients in Malaysia: a retrospective cohort study. BMJ Open 2019; 9:e027203. [PMID: 31270113 PMCID: PMC6609125 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-027203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study examined opioid prescription initiation patterns and their association with short-term and long-term opioid use among opioid-naïve patients. DESIGN This study was designed as a retrospective cohort study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS In this study, we analysed the prescription databases of tertiary hospitals in Malaysia. This study included patients aged ≥18 years with at least one opioid prescription (buprenorphine, morphine, oxycodone, fentanyl, dihydrocodeine or tramadol) between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2016. These patients had no opioid prescriptions in the 365 days prior, and were followed up for 365 days after the initial opioid prescription. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The main outcome measures were the number of short-term (<90 days) and long-term opioid users (≥90 days), initial opioid prescription period and daily dose. RESULTS There were 33 752 opioid-naïve patients who received opioid prescriptions (n=43 432 prescriptions) during the study period. Of these, 29 824 (88.36%) were short-term opioid users and 3928 (11.64%) were long-term opioid users. The majority of these short-term (99.09%) and long-term users (96.18%) received an initial daily opioid dose of <50 mg/day with a short-acting opioid formulation. Short-term opioid users were predominantly prescribed opioids for 3-7 days (59.06%) by the emergency department (ED, 60.56%), while long-term opioid users were primarily prescribed opioids for ≥7 days (91.85%) by non-ED hospital departments (91.8%). The adjusted model showed that the following were associated with long-term opioid use: increasing opioid daily doses, prescription period ≥7 days and long-acting opioids initiated by non-EDs. CONCLUSIONS The majority of opioid-naïve patients in tertiary hospital settings in Malaysia were prescribed opioids for short-term use. The progression to long-term use among opioid-naïve patients was attributed to the prescription of higher opioid doses for a longer duration as well as long-acting opioids initiated by non-ED hospital departments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Che Suraya Zin
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, Kulliyyah of Pharmacy, International Islamic University Malaysia - Kuantan Campus, Kuantan, Malaysia
| | - Nor Ilyani Nazar
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, Kulliyyah of Pharmacy, International Islamic University Malaysia - Kuantan Campus, Kuantan, Malaysia
| | - Norny Syafinaz Abdul Rahman
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, Kulliyyah of Pharmacy, International Islamic University Malaysia - Kuantan Campus, Kuantan, Malaysia
| | - Wan Rohaidah Ahmad
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Hospital Sultanah Nur Zahirah, Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia
| | - Nurul Sahida Rani
- Department of Pharmacy, Hospital Sultanah Nur Zahirah, Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia
| | - Kim Swan Ng
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Hospital Selayang, Batu Caves, Malaysia
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Yusof MA, Mohd-Taib FS, Ishak SN, Md-Nor S, Md-Sah SA, Mohamed NZ, Azhari NN, Neela V, Sekawi Z. Microhabitat Factors Influenced the Prevalence of Pathogenic Leptospira spp. in Small Mammal Host. Ecohealth 2019; 16:260-274. [PMID: 31124020 DOI: 10.1007/s10393-019-01419-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2018] [Revised: 03/21/2019] [Accepted: 03/25/2019] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Leptospirosis, a widespread zoonotic disease, is a public health problem, especially in major urban centres, and is mainly reported to be associated with rats. In Malaysia, focus has been primarily given to the Leptospira prevalence in rodents per se, but there is lack of information on the microhabitat structure of the outbreak areas. We aimed to determine the diversity of small mammal species, microhabitat types, and their prevalence of pathogenic Leptospira spp. in the outbreak areas, which were categorized as urban, semi-urban, and recreational forests. Sampling involved deploying 100 to 300 live traps at each study site. Kidney samples were extracted from selected individuals, for screening of pathogenic Leptospira spp. by PCR. Out of 537 individuals from 15 small mammal species captured, 4 species were recorded from urban, 13 from semi-urban, and 11 from recreational forest sites. From 389 individuals screened, 58 were tested positive for pathogenic Leptospira. Recreational forests recorded the highest prevalence with 19.4% (n = 93), followed by urban, 16.6% (n = 163) and semi-urban sites with 9.8% (n = 133). Seven rodent species were tested positive for pathogenic Leptospira from all areas. R. norvegicus was found to harbour the highest prevalence (66.7%) in urban, R. rattus (53.8%) in semi-urban, whereby M. whiteheadi (44.4%) in recreational forest sites. Microhabitat analysis revealed that rubbish quantity contributed especially strongly to a high prevalence of Leptospira. This study contributes to understanding of the host and microhabitat preferences of Leptospira, which is important in controlling the spread of this disease in human's landscapes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Farah Shafawati Mohd-Taib
- Wildlife Research Group, Center for Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.
| | - Siti Nabilah Ishak
- Wildlife Research Group, Center for Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Shukor Md-Nor
- Wildlife Research Group, Center for Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
| | | | - Nor Zalipah Mohamed
- School of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia
| | - Nurul Natasya Azhari
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Vasanthakumari Neela
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Zamberi Sekawi
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Lim YH, Foo HL, Loh TC, Mohamad R, Abdullah N. Comparative studies of versatile extracellular proteolytic activities of lactic acid bacteria and their potential for extracellular amino acid productions as feed supplements. J Anim Sci Biotechnol 2019; 10:15. [PMID: 30886709 PMCID: PMC6404369 DOI: 10.1186/s40104-019-0323-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2018] [Accepted: 01/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Increasing understanding on the functions of amino acids (AA) has led to new commercial applications and expansion of the worldwide markets. However, the current technologies rely heavily on non-food grade microorganism and chemical synthesis for the production of AA. Several studies reported that lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have the capability of producing AA owing to their well-established proteolytic system and amino acid biosynthesis genes. Hence, the objectives of this study were to explore the extracellular proteolytic activity of LAB isolated from various Malaysian fermented foods and their potential to produce AA extracellularly as feed supplements. RESULTS All the studied LAB isolates were versatile extracellular protease producers, whereby extracellular protease activities were detected from acidic to alkaline pH (pH 5, pH 6.5, pH 8) using qualitative and quantitative proteolytic assays. The highest proteolytic activity at pH 5 (15.76 U/mg) and pH 8 (19.42 U/mg) was achieved by Lactobacillus plantarum RG14, while Lactobacillus plantarum RS5 exhibited the highest proteolytic activity of 17.22 U/mg at pH 6.5. As for the results of AA production conducted in de Man, Rogosa and Sharpe medium and analysed by high pressure liquid chromatography system, all LAB isolates were capable of producing an array of AA. Generally, Pediococcus sp. showed greater ability for AA production as compared to Lactobacillus sp. Moreover, the studied LAB were able to produce a few major feed supplement AA such as methionine, lysine, threonine and tryptophan. P. pentosaceus TL-3 recorded the highest methionine and threonine productivity of 3.72 mg/L/h and 5.58 mg/L/h respectively. However, L. plantarum I-UL4 demonstrated a lysine productivity of 1.24 mg/L/h, while P. acidilactici TP-6 achieved up to 1.73 mg/L/h of tryptophan productivity. CONCLUSION All the 17 studied LAB isolates possessed versatile extracellular proteolytic system and have vast capability of producing various amino acids including a few major feed supplement AA such as methionine, lysine, threonine and tryptophan. Despite AA production was strain dependent, the studied LAB isolates possessed vast potential and can be exploited further as a bio-agent or an alternative amino acids and bioactive peptide producers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ye Heng Lim
- Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor Malaysia
| | - Hooi Ling Foo
- Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor Malaysia
- Department of Bioprocess Technology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor Malaysia
| | - Teck Chwen Loh
- Department of Animal Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor Malaysia
- Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Food Security, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor Malaysia
| | - Rosfarizan Mohamad
- Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor Malaysia
- Department of Bioprocess Technology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor Malaysia
- Institute of Tropical Forestry and Forest Products, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor Malaysia
| | - Norhani Abdullah
- Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor Malaysia
- Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Food Security, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor Malaysia
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Ahmad NA, Goh PS, Abdul Karim Z, Ismail AF. Thin Film Composite Membrane for Oily Waste Water Treatment: Recent Advances and Challenges. Membranes (Basel) 2018; 8:E86. [PMID: 30248932 PMCID: PMC6315848 DOI: 10.3390/membranes8040086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2018] [Revised: 09/14/2018] [Accepted: 09/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Oily wastewater discharge from various industry processes and activities have caused dramatic impacts on the human and environment. Treatment of oily wastewater using membrane technology has gained worldwide attention due to its efficiency in removing the amount and concentration of oil and grease as well as other specific pollutants in order to be reused or to fulfill stringent discharge standard. The application of thin film composite (TFC) membrane in reverse osmosis (RO) and forward osmosis (FO) for oily wastewater treatment is an emerging and exciting alternative in this field. This review presents the recent and distinctive development of TFC membranes to address the issues related to oily wastewater treatment. The recent advances in terms of TFC membrane design and separation performance evaluation are reviewed. This article aims to provide useful information and strategies, in both scientific knowledge advancement and practical implementation point of view, for the application TFC membrane for oily wastewater treatment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nor Akalili Ahmad
- Advanced Membrane Technology Research Centre (AMTEC), School of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malayisa, Johor 81310, Malaysia.
| | - Pei Sean Goh
- Advanced Membrane Technology Research Centre (AMTEC), School of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malayisa, Johor 81310, Malaysia.
| | - Zulhairun Abdul Karim
- Advanced Membrane Technology Research Centre (AMTEC), School of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malayisa, Johor 81310, Malaysia.
| | - Ahmad Fauzi Ismail
- Advanced Membrane Technology Research Centre (AMTEC), School of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malayisa, Johor 81310, Malaysia.
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Bhatti MS, Tang TB, Laude A. Effects of water drinking test on ocular blood flow waveform parameters: A laser speckle flowgraphy study. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0181512. [PMID: 28742142 PMCID: PMC5524350 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0181512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2016] [Accepted: 07/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The water-drinking test (WDT) is a provocative test used in glaucoma research to assess the effects of elevated intraocular pressure (IOP). Defective autoregulation due to changes in perfusion pressure may play a role in the pathophysiology of several ocular diseases. This study aims to examine the effects of WDT on ocular blood flow (in the form of pulse waveform parameters obtained using laser speckle flowgraphy) to gain insight into the physiology of ocular blood flow and its autoregulation in healthy individuals. Changes in pulse waveform parameters of mean blur rate (MBR) in the entire optic nerve head (ONH), the vasculature of the ONH, the tissue area of the ONH, and the avascular tissue area located outside of the ONH were monitored over time. Significant increases in the falling rate of MBR over the entire ONH and its tissue area and decreases in blowout time (BOT) of the tissue area were observed only at 10 minutes after water intake. Significant increases in the skew of the waveform and the falling rate were observed in the vasculature of the ONH at 40 and 50 minutes after water intake, respectively. In the avascular region of the choroid, the average MBR increased significantly up to 30 minutes after water intake. Furthermore, the rising rate in this region increased significantly at 20 and 40 minutes, and the falling rate and acceleration-time index were both significantly increased at 40 minutes after water intake. Our results indicate the presence of effective autoregulation of blood flow at the ONH after WDT. However, in the choroidal region, outside of the ONH, effective autoregulation was not observed until 30 minutes after water intake in healthy study participants. These pulse waveform parameters could potentially be used in the diagnosis and/or monitoring of patients with glaucoma.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mehwish Saba Bhatti
- Centre for Intelligent Signal and Imaging Research (CISIR), Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Bandar Seri Iskandar, Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia
| | - Tong Boon Tang
- Centre for Intelligent Signal and Imaging Research (CISIR), Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Bandar Seri Iskandar, Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia
- * E-mail:
| | - Augustinus Laude
- National Healthcare Group Eye Institute, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Kee SY, Munusamy Y, Ong KS, Lai KC. Effect of Preparation Methods on the Tensile, Morphology and Solar Energy Conversion Efficiency of RGO/PMMA Nanocomposites. Polymers (Basel) 2017; 9:E230. [PMID: 30970908 PMCID: PMC6432216 DOI: 10.3390/polym9060230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2017] [Revised: 06/01/2017] [Accepted: 06/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, reduced graphene oxide (RGO)/polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) nanocomposites were prepared by employing in situ polymerization and solution blending methods. In terms of mechanical properties, RGO loading increased the Young's modulus but decreased the elongation at break for RGO/PMMA nanocomposites. Tensile strength for solution blended RGO/PMMA nanocomposites increased after adding 0.5 wt % RGO, which was attributed to the good dispersion of RGO in the nanocomposites as evidenced from SEM and TEM. Solar energy conversion efficiency measurement results showed that the optimum concentration of RGO in the RGO/PMMA nanocomposites was found to be 1.0 wt % in order to achieve the maximum solar energy conversion efficiency of 25%. In the present study, the solution blended nanocomposites exhibited better overall properties than in situ polymerized nanocomposites owing to the better dispersion of RGO in solution blending. These findings would contribute to future work in search of higher conversion efficiency using nanocomposites.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shin Yiing Kee
- Department of PetroChemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Green Technology, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Jalan Universiti, Bandar Barat, Kampar, Perak 31900, Malaysia.
| | - Yamuna Munusamy
- Department of PetroChemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Green Technology, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Jalan Universiti, Bandar Barat, Kampar, Perak 31900, Malaysia.
| | - Kok Seng Ong
- Department of Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Green Technology, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Jalan Universiti, Bandar Barat, Kampar, Perak 31900, Malaysia.
| | - Koon Chun Lai
- Department of PetroChemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Green Technology, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Jalan Universiti, Bandar Barat, Kampar, Perak 31900, Malaysia.
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Udenni Gunathilake TMS, Ching YC, Ching KY, Chuah CH, Abdullah LC. Biomedical and Microbiological Applications of Bio-Based Porous Materials: A Review. Polymers (Basel) 2017; 9:E160. [PMID: 30970839 PMCID: PMC6431923 DOI: 10.3390/polym9050160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2017] [Revised: 04/15/2017] [Accepted: 04/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Extensive employment of biomaterials in the areas of biomedical and microbiological applications is considered to be of prime importance. As expected, oil based polymer materials were gradually replaced by natural or synthetic biopolymers due to their well-known intrinsic characteristics such as biodegradability, non-toxicity and biocompatibility. Literature on this subject was found to be expanding, especially in the areas of biomedical and microbiological applications. Introduction of porosity into a biomaterial broadens the scope of applications. In addition, increased porosity can have a beneficial effect for the applications which exploit their exceptional ability of loading, retaining and releasing of fluids. Different applications require a unique set of pore characteristics in the biopolymer matrix. Various pore morphologies have different characteristics and contribute different performances to the biopolymer matrix. Fabrication methods for bio-based porous materials more related to the choice of material. By choosing the appropriate combination of fabrication technique and biomaterial employment, one can obtain tunable pore characteristic to fulfill the requirements of desired application. In our previous review, we described the literature related to biopolymers and fabrication techniques of porous materials. This paper we will focus on the biomedical and microbiological applications of bio-based porous materials.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- T M S Udenni Gunathilake
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia.
| | - Yern Chee Ching
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia.
| | - Kuan Yong Ching
- University of Reading Malaysia, Persiaran Graduan, Kota Ilmu, Educity, Iskandar Puteri Johor 79200, Malaysia.
| | - Cheng Hock Chuah
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia.
| | - Luqman Chuah Abdullah
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia.
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Udeni Gunathilake TMS, Ching YC, Chuah CH. Enhancement of Curcumin Bioavailability Using Nanocellulose Reinforced Chitosan Hydrogel. Polymers (Basel) 2017; 9:E64. [PMID: 30970742 PMCID: PMC6431856 DOI: 10.3390/polym9020064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2017] [Revised: 02/03/2017] [Accepted: 02/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
A unique biodegradable, superporous, swellable and pH sensitive nanocellulose reinforced chitosan hydrogel with dynamic mechanical properties was prepared for oral administration of curcumin. Curcumin, a less water-soluble drug was used due to the fact that the fast swellable, superporous hydrogel could release a water-insoluble drug to a great extent. CO₂ gas foaming was used to fabricate hydrogel as it eradicates using organic solvents. Field emission scanning electron microscope images revealed that the pore size significantly increased with the formation of widely interconnected porous structure in gas foamed hydrogels. The maximum compression of pure chitosan hydrogel was 25.9 ± 1 kPa and it increased to 38.4 ± 1 kPa with the introduction of 0.5% cellulose nanocrystals. In vitro degradation of hydrogels was found dependent on the swelling ratio and the amount of CNC of the hydrogel. All the hydrogels showed maximum swelling ratios greater than 300%. The 0.5% CNC-chitosan hydrogel showed the highest swelling ratio of 438% ± 11%. FTIR spectrum indicated that there is no interaction between drug and ingredients present in hydrogels. The drug release occurred in non-Fickian (anomalous) manner in simulated gastric medium. The drug release profiles of hydrogels are consistent with the data obtained from the swelling studies. After gas foaming of the hydrogel, the drug loading efficiency increased from 41% ± 2.4% to 50% ± 2.0% and release increased from 0.74 to 1.06 mg/L. The drug release data showed good fitting to Ritger-Peppas model. Moreover, the results revealed that the drug maintained its chemical activity after in vitro release. According to the results of this study, CNC reinforced chitosan hydrogel can be suggested to improve the bioavailability of curcumin for the absorption from stomach and upper intestinal tract.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Yern Chee Ching
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
| | - Cheng Hock Chuah
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Sin YW, Newman C, Dugdale HL, Buesching C, Mannarelli ME, Annavi G, Burke T, Macdonald DW. No Compensatory Relationship between the Innate and Adaptive Immune System in Wild-Living European Badgers. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0163773. [PMID: 27695089 PMCID: PMC5047587 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0163773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2016] [Accepted: 09/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The innate immune system provides the primary vertebrate defence system against pathogen invasion, but it is energetically costly and can have immune pathological effects. A previous study in sticklebacks found that intermediate major histocompatibility complex (MHC) diversity correlated with a lower leukocyte coping capacity (LCC), compared to individuals with fewer, or many, MHC alleles. The organization of the MHC genes in mammals, however, differs to the highly duplicated MHC genes in sticklebacks by having far fewer loci. Using European badgers (Meles meles), we therefore investigated whether innate immune activity, estimated functionally as the ability of an individual’s leukocytes to produce a respiratory burst, was influenced by MHC diversity. We also investigated whether LCC was influenced by factors such as age-class, sex, body condition, season, year, neutrophil and lymphocyte counts, and intensity of infection with five different pathogens. We found that LCC was not associated with specific MHC haplotypes, MHC alleles, or MHC diversity, indicating that the innate immune system did not compensate for the adaptive immune system even when there were susceptible MHC alleles/haplotypes, or when the MHC diversity was low. We also identified a seasonal and annual variation of LCC. This temporal variation of innate immunity was potentially due to physiological trade-offs or temporal variation in pathogen infections. The innate immunity, estimated as LCC, does not compensate for MHC diversity suggests that the immune system may function differently between vertebrates with different MHC organizations, with implications for the evolution of immune systems in different taxa.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yung Wa Sin
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX13 5QL, United Kingdom
- NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, United Kingdom
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Chris Newman
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX13 5QL, United Kingdom
| | - Hannah L. Dugdale
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, PO Box 11103, 9700 CC, Groningen, Netherlands
- School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Christina Buesching
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX13 5QL, United Kingdom
| | - Maria-Elena Mannarelli
- NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, United Kingdom
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom
| | - Geetha Annavi
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX13 5QL, United Kingdom
- Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, University of Putra Malaysia, UPM 43400, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Terry Burke
- NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, United Kingdom
| | - David W. Macdonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX13 5QL, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|