High environmental temperature has detrimental effects on the gastrointestinal tract of poultry. An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of acute heat stress on endogenous amino acid (EAA) flow in broiler chickens. A total of 90, day-old broiler chicks were housed in battery cages in an environmentally controlled chamber. Chicks were fed a nitrogen-free diet on day 42 following either no heat exposure (no-heat) or 2 weeks exposure to 35 ± 1 °C for 3 h from days 28 to 42 (2-week heat) or 1 week exposure to 35 ± 1 °C for 3 h from days 35 to 42 (1 week heat). The most abundant amino acid in the ileal flow was glutamic acid, followed by aspartic acid, serine and threonine in non-heat stressed group. The EAA flow in 1-week heat and 2-week heat birds were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than those under no heat exposure (14682, 11161 and 9597 mg/kg of dry matter intake respectively). Moreover, the EAA flow of 2-week heat group was less than 1-week heat group by approximately 36%. These observations suggest that the effect of heat stress on EAA flow is mostly quantitative; however, heat stress may also alter the content of EAA flow qualitatively.
Dendritic cells (DCs) have the potential for cancer immunotherapy due to their ability to process and present antigens to T-cells and also in stimulating immune responses. However, DC-based vaccines have only exhibited minimal effectiveness against established tumours in mice and humans. The use of appropriate adjuvant enhances the efficacy of DC based cancer vaccines in treating tumours.
The descriptive distribution and phylogeny of feline coronaviruses (FCoVs) were studied in cats suspected of having feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) in Malaysia. Ascitic fluids and/or biopsy samples were subjected to a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) targeted for a conserved region of 3'untranslated region (3'UTR) of the FCoV genome. Eighty nine percent of the sampled animals were positive for the presence of FCoV. Among the FCoV positive cats, 80% of cats were males and 64% were below 2 years of age. The FCoV positive cases included 56% domestic short hair (DSH), 40% Persian, and 4% Siamese cats. The nucleotide sequences of 10 selected amplified products from FIP cases were determined. The sequence comparison revealed that the field isolates had 96% homology with a few point mutations. The extent of homology decreased to 93% when compared with reference strains. The overall branching pattern of phylogenetic tree showed two distinct clusters, where all Malaysian isolates fall into one main genetic cluster. These findings provided the first genetic information of FCoV in Malaysia.
Ethanolic fermentation using Saccharomyces cerevisiae was carried out on three types of hydrolysates produced from lignocelulosic biomass which are commonly found in Malaysia such as oil palm trunk, rubberwood and mixed hardwood. The effect of fermentation temperature and pH of hydrolysate was evaluated to optimize the fermentation efficiency which defined as maximum ethanol yield in minimum fermentation time. The fermentation process using different temperature of 25 degrees Celsius, 30 degrees Celsius and 40 degrees Celsius were performed on the prepared fermentation medium adjusted to pH 4, pH 6 and pH 7, respectively. Results showed that the fermentation time was significantly reduced with the increase of temperature but an adverse reduction in ethanol yield was observed using temperature of 40 degrees Celsius. As the pH of hydrolysate became more acidic, the ethanol yield increased. Optimum fermentation efficiency for ethanolic fermentation of lignocellulosic hydrolysates using S. cerevisiae can be obtained using 33.2 degrees Celsius and pH 5.3.
(1) To identify which United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) recommended child protection (CP) measures, such as policy, reporting systems, and services for child abuse and neglect (CAN) victims, individually or in combination, were most important in establishing a basic level of child protection in 42 countries; and (2) to assess whether these measures were necessary or sufficient to achieve basic child protection in developing and industrialized countries.
MeSH terms: Child; Child Abuse/legislation & jurisprudence*; Child Abuse/prevention & control*; Child Advocacy/legislation & jurisprudence*; Child Health Services/legislation & jurisprudence; Child Health Services/organization & administration; Child Welfare/legislation & jurisprudence*; Cross-Cultural Comparison; Developing Countries*; Humans; Quality Assurance, Health Care; United Nations*; Violence/legislation & jurisprudence*; Violence/prevention & control*; Program Evaluation; Mandatory Reporting; Government Regulation*
Ceiba pentandra (L.) Gaertn (kapok) is a natural sorbent that exhibits excellent hydrophobic-oleophilic characteristics. The effect of packing density, the oil types and solvent treatment on the sorption characteristics of kapok was studied in a batch system. Oil sorption capacity, retention capacity, entrapment stability and kapok reusability were evaluated. Based on SEM and FTIR analyses, kapok fiber was shown to be a lignocellulosic material with hydrophobic waxy coating over the hollow structures. Higher packing density at 0.08 g/ml showed lower sorption capacity, but higher percentage of dynamic oil retention, with only 1% of oil drained out from the test cell. Kapok remained stable after fifteen cycles of reuse with only 30% of sorption capacity reduction. The oil entrapment stability at 0.08 g/ml packing was high with more than 90% of diesel and used engine oil retained after horizontal shaking. After 8h of chloroform and alkali treatment, 2.1% and 26.3% reduction in sorption capacity were observed, respectively, as compared to the raw kapok. The rigid hollow structure was reduced to flattened-like structure after alkali treatment, though no major structural difference was observed after chloroform treatment. Malaysian kapok has shown great potential as an effective natural oil sorbent, owing to high sorption and retention capacity, structural stability and high reusability.
MeSH terms: Adsorption; Biodegradation, Environmental*; Conservation of Natural Resources; Malaysia; Oils/isolation & purification; Oils/pharmacokinetics*; Solvents; Ceiba/metabolism*; Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions
Separation of carbon dioxide (CO(2)) from gaseous mixture is an important issue for the removal of CO(2) in natural gas processing and power plants. The ordered mesoporous silicas (OMS) with uniform pore structure and high density of silanol groups, have attracted the interest of researchers for separation of carbon dioxide (CO(2)) using adsorption process. These mesoporous silicas after functionalization with amino groups have been studied for the removal of CO(2). The potential of functionalized ordered mesoporous silica membrane for separation of CO(2) is also recognized. The present paper reviews the synthesis of mesoporous silicas and important issues related to the development of mesoporous silicas. Recent studies on the CO(2) separation using ordered mesoporous silicas (OMS) as adsorbent and membrane are highlighted. The future prospectives of mesoporous silica membrane for CO(2) adsorption and separation are also presented and discussed.
We describe a new species of torrent-dwelling ranid frog of the genus Meristogenys from the Crocker Range, western Sabah, northern Borneo. The new species, Meristogenys maryatiae, differs from congeners by the combination of: small body, males 31-37 mm and females 65-66 mm in snout-vent length; head narrower than long; eyes moderate, diameter subequal to snout; iris unicolored; legs long; ventral surface of tibia without heavy pigmentation; rear of thigh blotched dark brown and cream; toes fully webbed; outer metatarsal tubercle present; larval dental formula 7(4-7)/6(1).
BACKGROUND: hip fractures are an increasing source of morbidity and mortality in older people. The role of visual function tests such as visual impairment, stereopsis, contrast sensitivity and visual field defects in low fragility hip fractures in Asian populations is not well understood.
OBJECTIVE: to determine the association between various visual function tests and low fragility hip fractures in an Asian population.
DESIGN: case-control study.
SETTING: University Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
SUBJECTS: 108 cases aged > or = 55 years admitted with low fragility fractures and 108 controls (matched for age, gender and race).
METHODS: both cases and controls underwent a detailed ophthalmological examination, which included visual acuity, stereopsis, contrast sensitivity and visual field testing.
RESULTS: poorer visual acuity (odds ratio, OR = 4.08; 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.44, 11.51), stereopsis (OR = 3.60, 95% CI: 1.55, 8.38), contrast sensitivity (OR = 3.34, 95% CI: 1.48, 7.57) and visual field defects (OR = 11.60, 95% CI: 5.21, 25.81) increased the risk of fracture. Increased falls were associated with poorer visual acuity (OR = 2.30, 95% CI: 1.04, 5.13), stereopsis (OR = 2.11, 95% CI: 1.03, 4.32), contrast sensitivity (OR = 2.12, 95% CI: 1.05, 4.30) and visual field defects (OR = 3.40, 95% CI: 1.69, 6.86).
CONCLUSION: impaired visual acuity, stereopsis, contrast sensitivity and visual field defects are associated with an increased risk of low fragility hip fractures. We recommend that all patients aged > or = 55 should have an annual ophthalmological examination that includes visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, stereopsis and visual field testing to assess the risks for falls and low fragility fractures.
MeSH terms: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Depth Perception; Female; Hip Fractures/etiology*; Hip Fractures/epidemiology; Hospitals, University; Humans; Malaysia/epidemiology; Male; Middle Aged; Surveys and Questionnaires; Risk Factors; Vision Disorders/complications*; Visual Acuity*; Case-Control Studies; Asian Continental Ancestry Group
Capillary zone electrophoresis methods for the simultaneous determination of the beta-blocker drugs, atenolol, chlorthalidone and amiloride, in pharmaceutical formulations have been developed. The influences of several factors (buffer pH, concentration, applied voltage, capillary temperature and injection time) were studied. Using phenobarbital as internal standard, the analytes were all separated in less than 4 min. The separation was carried out in normal polarity mode at 25 degrees C, 25 kV and using hydrodynamic injection (10 s). The separation was effected in an uncoated fused-silica capillary (75 mum i.d. x 52 cm) and a background electrolyte of 25 mm H(3)PO(4) adjusted with 1 m NaOH solution (pH 9.0) and detection at 198 nm. The method was validated with respect to linearity, limit of detection and quantification, accuracy, precision and selectivity. Calibration curves were linear over the range 1-250 microg/mL for atenolol and chlorthalidone and from 2.5-250 microg/mL for amiloride. The relative standard deviations of intra- and inter-day migration times and corrected peak areas were less than 6.0%. The method showed good precision and accuracy and was successfully applied to the simultaneous determination of atenolol, chlorthalidone and amiloride in various pharmaceutical tablets formulations.
Imatinib inhibits Bcr-Abl, c-KIT and PDGFR kinases. It is approved for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) and has further therapeutic potential. Male ICR mice were given imatinib PO (50 or 25 mg/kg, 5 doses every 2 h); euthanized 2 h after the last dose administration; plasma, liver, brain, spleen and kidney were collected and imatinib concentration measured by an optimized HPLC method for quantification in tissues. Methanol (1:1 v/v plasma) and pH 4, 40:30:30 (v/v/v) water-methanol-acetonitrile at 5 ml/g (brain) and 10 ml/g (spleen, kidney, liver) ratio was added to the samples, homogenized, sonicated, centrifuged (15,000 rpm, 5 min, 2 degrees C) and the supernatant injected into an Inertsil CN-3 column (4.6 mm x 150 mm, 5 microm) using 64:35:1 (v/v/v) water-methanol-triethylamine (pH 4.8), flow rate 1 ml/min, 25 degrees C. Imatinib eluted at 7.5 min (268 nm). Linearity: 0.1-50 microg/ml; precision, accuracy, inter- and intra-day variability was within 15%. Recovery was above 95% (plasma), 80% (brain) and 90% (kidney, liver, spleen). Imatinib tissue concentrations were 6-8 folds higher than plasma except brain, where the ratio decreased from 0.24 to 0.08 suggesting limited brain penetration, likely due to blood brain barrier efflux transporters. The extensive distribution supports the expansion of therapeutic applications.
In this study, the immunomodulatory effects of zerumbone isolated from Zingiber zerumbet were investigated by evaluating the effects of this compound towards the lymphocytes proliferation (mice thymocytes, mice splenocytes and human human peripheral blood mononuclear cells, PBMC), cell cycle progression and cytokine (interleukin 2 and 12) induction. Lymphocyte proliferation assay showed that zerumbone was able to activate mice thymocytes, splenocytes and PBMC at dosage dependent pattern where the best concentration was 7.5 microg/ml. Flow cytometry analysis showed the highest population of PBMC entered into G2/M phase after treatment for 72 h with 7.5 microg/ml zerumbone. The production of human interleukin-2 and human interleukin-12 cytokines in culture supernatant from zerumbone activated lymphocytes was prominently upregulated at 24 hour and decreased from 48 h to 72 h. The above results indicate that zerumbone can be used as immunomodulatory agent which can react toward the immune cell cytokine production in dosage dependent pattern.
The fingerprints are very typical for a human being. The present study was undertaken to study the gender differences in fingerprint ridge density in Chinese and Malaysian population. The study done on 200 subjects (100 males and 100 females) of Chinese origin and 100 subjects (50 males and 50 females) of Malaysian origin revealed that significant gender differences occur in the finger ridge density. Fingerprint mean ridge density of 12 ridges/25 mm(2) or less is found to be more likely to be of males and a mean ridge count of more the 13 ridges/25 mm(2) is more likely of female origin in Chinese subjects. Fingerprint mean ridge density of 11 ridges/25 mm(2) or less is found to be more likely to be of males and a mean ridge count of more the 13 ridges/25 mm(2) is more likely of female origin in Malaysian subjects.
MeSH terms: Adolescent; Adult; China; Dermatoglyphics*; Female; Humans; Malaysia; Male; Sex Characteristics*; Likelihood Functions; Asian Continental Ancestry Group; Young Adult
Intravenous N-acetylcysteine (IV-NAC) is widely recognized as the antidote of choice for acetaminophen overdose. However, its use is not without adverse drug reactions (ADR) that might affect therapeutic outcome or lead to treatment delay.
MeSH terms: Acetaminophen/poisoning*; Acetylcysteine/administration & dosage; Acetylcysteine/adverse effects*; Adolescent; Adult; Antidotes/administration & dosage; Antidotes/adverse effects*; Female; Humans; Infusions, Intravenous; Malaysia; Male; Retrospective Studies; Time Factors; Chi-Square Distribution; Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Systems; Analgesics, Non-Narcotic/poisoning*; Young Adult; Drug Overdose/drug therapy
As groundwater is a vital source of water for domestic and agricultural activities in Thanjavur city due to lack of surface water resources, groundwater quality and its suitability for drinking and agricultural usage were evaluated. In this study, 102 groundwater samples were collected from dug wells and bore wells during March 2008 and analyzed for pH, electrical conductivity, temperature, major ions, and nitrate. Results suggest that, in 90% of groundwater samples, sodium and chloride are predominant cation and anion, respectively, and NaCl and CaMgCl are major water types in the study area. The groundwater quality in the study site is impaired by surface contamination sources, mineral dissolution, ion exchange, and evaporation. Nitrate, chloride, and sulfate concentrations strongly express the impact of surface contamination sources such as agricultural and domestic activities, on groundwater quality, and 13% of samples have elevated nitrate content (>45 mg/l as NO(3)). PHREEQC code and Gibbs plots were employed to evaluate the contribution of mineral dissolution and suggest that mineral dissolution, especially carbonate minerals, regulates water chemistry. Groundwater suitability for drinking usage was evaluated by the World Health Organization and Indian standards and suggests that 34% of samples are not suitable for drinking. Integrated groundwater suitability map for drinking purposes was created using drinking water standards based on a concept that if the groundwater sample exceeds any one of the standards, it is not suitable for drinking. This map illustrates that wells in zones 1, 2, 3, and 4 are not fit for drinking purpose. Likewise, irrigational suitability of groundwater in the study region was evaluated, and results suggest that 20% samples are not fit for irrigation. Groundwater suitability map for irrigation was also produced based on salinity and sodium hazards and denotes that wells mostly situated in zones 2 and 3 are not suitable for irrigation. Both integrated suitability maps for drinking and irrigation usage provide overall scenario about the groundwater quality in the study area. Finally, the study concluded that groundwater quality is impaired by man-made activities, and proper management plan is necessary to protect valuable groundwater resources in Thanjavur city.
In this study, the photodynamic therapy (PDT) induced efficacy of a semi-synthesized analogue 15(1)-hydroxypurpurin-7-lactone dimethyl ester or G2, in terms of chick chorioallantoic membrane blood vessel occlusion was evaluated in reference to verteporfin. Early formulation studies showed that G2 prepared in a system of cremophor EL 2.5% and ethanol 2.5% in saline was biocompatible up to 20 microL volume of injection. Following injection, G2 accumulation peaked within the first minute and its extravasation from intra- to extra-vascular occurred somewhat slower as compared with verteporfin. In the PDT study, closure of capillaries and small neovessels was observed with 4 microg per embryo of G2 and a light dose of 20 J cm(-2) at a fluence rate of 40 mW cm(-2) filtered at 400-440 nm-a result that may be considered optimum for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Also, partial occlusion of the large vessels was observed using the same dose of G2 and light-an effect which is desirable for cancer treatment. From this study, we conclude that G2 has the potential to be developed as a therapeutic agent for photodynamic treatment for AMD and cancer.
Biopolymer chitosan (beta-1,4-d-glucosamine) comprises the copolymer mixture of N-acetylglucosamine and glucosamine. The natural biocompatibility and biodegradability of chitosan have recently highlighted its potential use for applications in wound management. Chemical and physical modifications of chitosan influence its biocompatibility and biodegradability, but it is unknown as to what degree. Hence, the biocompatibility of the chitosan porous skin regenerating templates (PSRT 82, 87 and 108) was determined using an in vitro toxicology model at the cellular and molecular level on primary normal human epidermal keratinocytes (pNHEK). Cytocompatibility was accessed by using a 3-[4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl]-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay from 24 to 72h. To assess the genotoxicity of the PSRTs, DNA damage to the pNHEK was evaluated by using the Comet assay following direct contact with the various PSRTs. Furthermore, the skin pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha and IL-8 were examined to evaluate the tendency of the PSRTs to provoke inflammatory responses. All PSRTs were found to be cytocompatible, but only PSRT 108 was capable of stimulating cell proliferation. While all of the PSRTs showed some DNA damage, PSRT 108 showed the least DNA damage followed by PSRT 87 and 82. PSRT 87 and 82 induced a higher secretion of TNF-alpha and IL-8 in the pNHEK cultures than did PSRT 108. Hence, based on our experiments, PSRT 108 is the most biocompatible wound dressing of the three tested.
The present study deals with the assessment of Langat River water quality with some chemometrics approaches such as cluster and discriminant analysis coupled with an artificial neural network (ANN). The data used in this study were collected from seven monitoring stations under the river water quality monitoring program by the Department of Environment (DOE) from 1995 to 2002. Twenty three physico-chemical parameters were involved in this analysis. Cluster analysis successfully clustered the Langat River into three major clusters, namely high, moderate and less pollution regions. Discriminant analysis identified seven of the most significant parameters which contribute to the high variation of Langat River water quality, namely dissolved oxygen, biological oxygen demand, pH, ammoniacal nitrogen, chlorine, E. coli, and coliform. Discriminant analysis also plays an important role as an input selection parameter for an ANN of spatial prediction (pollution regions). The ANN showed better prediction performance in discriminating the regional area with an excellent percentage of correct classification compared to discriminant analysis. Multivariate analysis, coupled with ANN, is proposed, which could help in decision making and problem solving in the local environment.
Capillary zone electrophoresis coupled with a capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detector (CE-C(4)D) has been employed for the determination of atenolol and amiloride in pharmaceutical formulations. Acetic acid (150 mm) was used as background electrolyte. The influence of several factors (detector excitation voltage and frequency, buffer concentration, applied voltage, capillary temperature and injection time) was studied. Non-UV-absorbing L-valine was used as internal standard; the analytes were all separated in less than 7 min. The separation was carried out in normal polarity mode at 28 degrees C, 25 kV and using hydrodynamic injection (25 s). The separation was effected in an uncoated fused-silica capillary (75 microm, i.d. x 52 cm). The CE-C(4)D method was validated with respect to linearity, limit of detection and quantification, accuracy, precision and selectivity. Calibration curves were linear over the range 5-250 microg/mL for the studied analytes. The relative standard deviations of intra- and inter-day migration times and corrected peak areas were less than 6.0%. The method showed good precision and accuracy and was successfully applied to the simultaneous determination of atenolol and amiloride in different pharmaceutical tablet formulations.
A gene encoding an organic solvent-stable protease was amplified from Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain K by polymerase chain reaction using consensus primers based on multiple sequence alignment of alkaline and metalloprotease genes from Pseudomonas species. The gene, which consisted of 1440 bp nucleotides and deduced 479 amino acid residues, was successfully expressed in pGEX-4T-1 expression system in the presence of 1.0 mM IPTG, after an incubation of 6 h at 37 degrees C. Under these conditions, the recombinant strain K protease was, subsequently, released into the periplasm of E. coli BL21 (DE3) with an optimum proteolytic activity detected at 1.0112 U/ml. To date, this is the first reported expression of alkaline protease (aprA) with such remarkable property in Escherichia coli.