The 1,053-bp promoter of the oil palm metallothionein gene (so-called MSP1) and its 5' deletions were fused to the GUS reporter gene, and analysed in transiently transformed oil palm tissues. The full length promoter showed sevenfold higher activity in the mesocarp than in leaves and 1.5-fold more activity than the CaMV35S promoter in the mesocarp. The 1,053-bp region containing the 5' untranslated region (UTR) gave the highest activity in the mesocarp, while the 148-bp region was required for minimal promoter activity. Two positive regulatory regions were identified at nucleotides (nt) -953 to -619 and -420 to -256 regions. Fine-tune deletion of the -619 to -420 nt region led to the identification of a 21-bp negative regulatory sequence in the -598 to -577 nt region, which is involved in mesocarp-specific expression. Gel mobility shift assay revealed a strong interaction of the leaf nuclear extract with the 21-bp region. An AGTTAGG core-sequence within this region was identified as a novel negative regulatory element controlling fruit-specificity of the MSP1 promoter. Abscisic acid (ABA) and copper (Cu(2+)) induced the activity of the promoter and its 5' deletions more effectively than methyl jasmonate (MeJa) and ethylene. In the mesocarp, the full length promoter showed stronger inducibility in response to ABA and Cu(2+) than its 5' deletions, while in leaves, the -420 nt fragment was the most inducible by ABA and Cu(2+). These results suggest that the MSP1 promoter and its regulatory regions are potentially useful for engineering fruit-specific and inducible gene expression in oil palm.
AIMS: To examine the relationships between nurses' empowerment, job satisfaction and organizational commitment in culturally and developmentally different societies.
BACKGROUND: Employment and retention of sufficient and well-committed nursing staff are essential for providing safe and effective health care. In light of this, nursing leaders have been searching for ways to re-engineer the healthcare system particularly by providing an environment that is conducive to staff empowerment, job satisfaction and commitment.
METHODS: This is a descriptive correlational survey of 556 registered nurses (RNs) in two teaching hospitals in England and Malaysia.
RESULTS: Although the Malaysian nurses felt more empowered and committed to their organization, the English nurses were more satisfied with their job.
CONCLUSION: The differences between these two groups of nurses show that empowerment does not generate the same results in all countries, and reflects empirical evidence from most cross cultural studies on empowerment.
IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Nursing management should always take into consideration cultural differences in empowerment, job satisfaction and commitment of nursing staff while formulating staff policies.
MeSH terms: Adult; Aged; Attitude of Health Personnel; England; Female; Hospitals, Teaching/organization & administration; Humans; Job Satisfaction*; Leadership*; Malaysia; Male; Middle Aged; Motivation; Nurse Administrators; Nurses/psychology*; Nursing, Supervisory/statistics & numerical data*; Power (Psychology)*; Regression Analysis; Statistics as Topic; Organizational Culture*; Statistics, Nonparametric; Health Care Surveys; Young Adult
In order to improve Boer goat semen quality during cryopreservation process, the influence of sugar supplementation on semen characteristics of sperm were investigated. Three experiments were carried out to investigate the effect of (a) addition of two monosaccharides (fructose and glucose) and two disaccharides sugars (trehalose and sucrose) (b) sugar combination (fructose and trehalose, sucrose and trehalose, glucose and trehalose), and control (glucose without trehalose) (c) different concentrations of trehalose on cryopreservation using Tris based extender. The total motility, forward motility, viability, normal spermatozoa, acrosome integrity and membrane integrity were assessed subjectively. Differences were not detected among monosaccharides, but glucose increased (P<0.05) sperm forward motility in post-thaw goat semen compared to trehalose or sucrose supplementation. Semen quality did not differ (P>0.05) among disaccharide sugar supplementation. Combination of glucose and trehalose significantly improved the characteristics of Boer spermatozoa after cryopreservation (P<0.05). Supplementation of trehalose (198.24mM) into the glucose extender significantly increased total motility, forward motility, live spermatozoa, acrosome integrity and membrane integrity following cryopreservation (P<0.05). In conclusion, glucose had the better ability to support Boer sperm motility and movement patterns. Combination of monosaccharide (glucose) and disaccharide (trehalose) improved semen quality following cryopreservation. Trehalose supplementation at the concentration of 198.24mM to the glucose extender conferred the greater improvement of semen quality for Boer semen cryopreservation.
Ocular hypertension caused by endogenous Cushing syndrome from an ectopic adrenocorticotropic hormone-producing tumor is rare. We report an 11-year-old boy who presented with intraocular pressures (IOPs) of 50 mm Hg in both eyes. Surgical resection of the tumor was performed with subsequent normalization of serum cortisol and IOP levels.
In this study, palm oil mill effluent (POME) was solubilized by batch thermo-alkaline pre-treatments. A three-factor central composite design (CCD) was applied to identify the optimum COD solubilization condition. The individual and interactive effects of three factors, temperature, NaOH concentration and reaction time, on solubilization of POME were evaluated by employing response surface methodology (RSM). The experimental results showed that temperature, NaOH concentration and reaction time all had an individual significant effect on the solubilization of POME. But these three factors were independent, or there was insignificant interaction on the response. The maximum COD solubilization of 82.63% was estimated under the optimum condition at 32.5 degrees C, 8.83g/L of NaOH and 41.23h reaction time. The confirmation experiment of the predicted optimum conditions verified that the RSM with the central composite design was useful for optimizing the solubilization of POME.
An adherently growing MDCK cell line was adapted in a two-step process in a fully defined medium and in suspension. The resulting MDCK.SUS2 cells were subsequently evaluated for their potential as host cells for influenza vaccine production in two lab-scale bioreactors (wave and stirred-tank). Cell concentrations up to 2.3 x 10(6)cells/mL were obtained after 96 h, which is slightly higher than cell concentrations obtained with adherent MDCK cells cultivated on microcarriers (2g/L). Infections with influenza A/PR/8/34 and B/Malaysia resulted in high virus titers (2.90 and 2.75 log HA units/100 microL, respectively). The monitoring of extracellular metabolites, including amino acids, revealed a change in some of the metabolite consumption or release profiles, which indicates changes in metabolism during the adaptation process. Overall, the MDCK.SUS2 cell line represents a new cell substrate for a robust influenza vaccine production in a fully defined process.
The aim of this work was to evaluate two different digestion methods for the determination of the total concentration of metals (Zn, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb and Cd) in shrimp sludge compost. The compost made from shrimp aquaculture sludge co-composted with organic materials (peat, crushed bark and manure) was used as an organic growing medium for crop. Open system digestion and microwave assisted digestion procedures were employed in sample preparation. Various combinations and volumes of hydrofluoric, nitric and hydrochloric acids were evaluated for the efficiency of both methods. A certified reference material (CRM 146) was used in the comparison of these two digestion methods. The results revealed a good agreement between both procedures and the certified valued. The best recoveries were found in the range between 95% and 99% for microwave assisted digestion with a mixture of 2 ml of HF, 6 ml of HNO(3) and 2 ml of HCl. This procedure was recommended as the method for digestion the compost herein based on the recovery analysis and time taken.
Various types of vegetable oil-based organic solvents (VOS), i.e. vegetable oils (corn, canola, sunflower and soybean oils) with and without extractants (di-2-ethylhexylphosphoric acid (D2EHPA) and tributylphosphate (TBP)), were investigated into their potentiality as greener substitutes for the conventional petroleum-based organic solvents to extract Cu(II) from aqueous solutions. The pH-extraction isotherms of Cu(II) using various vegetable oils loaded with both D2EHPA and TBP were investigated and the percentage extraction (%E) of Cu(II) achieved by different types of VOS was determined. Vegetable oils without extractants and those loaded with TBP alone showed a poor extractability for Cu(II). Vegetable oils loaded with both D2EHPA and TBP were found to be the most effective VOS for Cu(II) extraction and, thus, are potential greener substitutes for the conventional petroleum-based organic solvents.
MeSH terms: Copper/isolation & purification*; Plant Oils*; Solutions; Solvents/chemistry*; Water Pollutants, Chemical/isolation & purification*; Green Chemistry Technology
In this study optimization of drying oil palm trunk core lumber (OPTCL) biomass using microwave radiation was reported. Optimizing of the drying conditions using microwave, avoid burning, shrinkage and increasing the permeability of OPT was aimed to develop a new value added material. A set of experiments was designed by central composite design using response surface methodology (RSM) to statistically evaluate the findings. Three independent process variables including time (2-10 min), sample weight (300-1000 g) and input power (660-3300 W) were studied under the given conditions designed by Design Expert software. The results showed the effectiveness of microwave drying in reducing the time and better removal of moisture as compared to that of oven drying with no significant changes. Employing optimum conditions at 6.89 min of time with a microwave power set at 4 for a sample of 1000 g, predicting 14.62% of moisture content.
Probiotics are live microorganisms that promote health benefits upon consumption, while prebiotics are nondigestible food ingredients that selectively stimulate the growth of beneficial microorganisms in the gastrointestinal tract. Probiotics and/or prebiotics could be used as alternative supplements to exert health benefits, including cholesterol-lowering effects on humans. Past in vivo studies showed that the administration of probiotics and/or prebiotics are effective in improving lipid profiles, including the reduction of serum/plasma total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides or increment of HDL-cholesterol. However, other past studies have also shown that probiotics and prebiotics had insignificant effects on lipid profiles, disputing the hypocholesterolemic claim. Additionally, little information is available on the effective dosage of probiotics and prebiotics needed to exert hypocholesterolemic effects. Probiotics and prebiotics have been suggested to reduce cholesterol via various mechanisms. However, more clinical evidence is needed to strengthen these proposals. Safety issues regarding probiotics and/or prebiotics have also been raised despite their long history of safe use. Although probiotic-mediated infections are rare, several cases of systemic infections caused by probiotics have been reported and the issue of antibiotic resistance has sparked much debate. Prebiotics, classified as food ingredients, are generally considered safe, but overconsumption could cause intestinal discomfort. Conscientious prescription of probiotics and/or prebiotics is crucial, especially when administering to specific high risk groups such as infants, the elderly and the immuno-compromised.
A hospital based cross-sectional retrospective study was conducted to determine the frequency of hand foot syndrome (HFS) with Capecitabine as a single agent and in combination with Oxaliplatin. The study included 43 consecutive cases of colorectal carcinoma and conducted from June till December 2008. Patients on palliative care were excluded. SPSS was used for the application of chi-square test, by keeping the level of significance as p < 0.05. Fifteen (34.9%) patients developed HFS, 10 in the single-agent and 5 in the combination group. No significant association of HFS with either regimens was noted (p=0.876).
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Mitragyna speciosa Korth (ketum) is widely used in Malaysia as a medicinal agent for treating diarrhea, worm infestations and also acts as an analgesic and antipyretic.
AIM: The aim of the study is to determine the acute toxicity of Mitragyna speciosa Korth standardized methanol extract in vivo in 4-weeks-old Sprague-Dawley rats.
METHODOLOGY: Rats were orally administrated single dose of 100, 500 and 1000 mg/kg Mitragyna speciosa Korth standardized methanol extract and the control group received 430 mg/kg of morphine orally. There were 10 rats in each group. All animals were sacrificed after 14 days of treatment. Eight parameters were tested: cage side observation, body weight measurement, food and water consumption, blood pressure, absolute and relative organ weight, hematology, biochemical analysis and histopathology, to look for evidence of toxicity.
RESULT: No mortality was noted after 14 days of treatment. In general, behavior, food and water consumption, hematological studies and organ weights showed no significant changes. The standardized methanol extraction of Mitragyna speciosa Korth increased rat blood pressure (systolic: 147.4+/-1.01, 131.64+/-4.94 and 137.8+/-4.46) after an hour of 100, 500 and 1000 mg/kg doses, respectively. Biochemical studies showed significant elevation of ALT, AST, albumin, triglycerides, cholesterol and albumin (p>0.05), at all levels of doses. But, nephrotoxicity evidenced by elevated creatinine was seen only at a dose of 1000 mg/kg. Histological examination showed congestion of sinusoids, hemorrhage hepatocytes, fatty change, centrilobular necrosis and increased number of Kuppfer cells in the liver of all Mitragyna speciosa Korth standardized methanol extract treated groups.
CONCLUSION: Oral administration of standardized methanolic extraction of Mitragyna speciosa Korth resulted in increasing rat blood pressure after an hour of drug administration. The highest dose of extract also induced acute severe hepatotoxicity and mild nephrotoxicity. However, Mitragyna speciosa Korth shows no effects on body weight, food and water consumption, absolute and relative organ weight and also hematology parameters.
Morinda elliptica Ridley (Rubiaceae) has been used traditionally as a medicine to treat various diseases in Malaysia and southeast Asia. In the present study we investigated the immunomodulatory effects of damnacanthal isolated from the roots of Morinda elliptica. The immunomodulatory effect of this compound was evaluated by using the lymphocyte proliferation assay with mouse thymocytes and human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). In addition, the effect of the compound on PBMC cell cycle progression was studied by using flow cytometry. The production of human interleukin-2 and human inteleukin-12 cytokines was also assessed using the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. The lymphocyte proliferation assay showed that damnacanthal was able to activate mouse thymocytes and PBMC at a low concentration (0.468 microg/mL). Moreover, the production of human interleukin-2 and human interleukin-12 cytokines in the culture supernatant from damnacanthal activated lymphocytes was markedly up-regulated at 24 h and sustained until 72 h with a slight decrease with time. A positive correlation was found between the level of these two cytokines and the MTT-based proliferation assay. Based on the above results, damnacanthal can act as an immunomodulatory agent which may be very useful for maintaining a healthy immune system.
The methanol extract of Vernonia cinerea Less (Asteraceae), which exhibited antimicrobial activity, was tested for toxicity. In an acute toxicity study using mice, the median lethal dose (LD(50)) of the extract was greater than 2000 mg/kg, and we found no pathological changes in macroscopic examination by necropsy of mice treated with extract. As well as the oral acute toxicity study, the brine shrimp lethality test was also done. Brine shrimp test LC(50) values were 3.87 mg/mL (6 h) and 2.72 mg/mL (24 h), exhibiting no significant toxicity result. In conclusion, the methanol extract of V. cinerea did not produce toxic effects in mice and brine shrimp.
We demonstrate a simple configuration for generating a double Brillouin frequency shift through the circulation of an odd-order Brillouin Stokes signal. It is operated based on cascaded Brillouin scattering in single-mode optical fibers that behave as the Brillouin gain media. A four-port circulator is incorporated into the setup to circulate the odd-order Brillouin Stokes signal in the fiber. It thus initiates a higher order Brillouin Stokes signal, which is double Brillouin frequency downshifted from the input signal. For the 5 km long fiber, the Brillouin pump power at 23 mW gives a clean output spectrum with 30 dB sideband suppression ratio. The output signal is 0.174 nm or approximately 21.7 GHz downshifted from the input signal.
The Chinese minority plays a dominant role in the economies of Indonesia and Malaysia, a fact that evokes indigenous resentment. However, Indonesia and Malaysia dealt differently with the issue. Malaysia legislated the Malays into the economy and protected Chinese citizenship, making them an integral part of a multicultural state. By contrast, New Order Indonesia adopted policies of economic manipulation, forced assimilation, and unequal citizenship. Only when the New Order regime fell did Chinese integration begin. The policy trajectories of Indonesia and Malaysia offer important lessons for plural states.
MeSH terms: Acculturation*; China/ethnology; Humans; Indonesia/ethnology; Malaysia/ethnology; Political Systems/history; Social Conditions/economics; Social Conditions/history; Social Conditions/legislation & jurisprudence; Social Identification*; History, 20th Century; Minority Health/economics; Minority Health/ethnology; Minority Health/history; Minority Health/legislation & jurisprudence
OBJECTIVE:
To re-examine the efficacy and tolerability of 1-week proton pump inhibitor triple therapy as a first-line Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication therapy.
METHODS:
Consecutive participants with a positive rapid urease test during an outpatient upper endoscopy were included. All participants were given pantoprazole 40 mg b.i.d., amoxycillin 1 g b.i.d. and clarithromycin 500 mg b.i.d. for 1 week. They were asked to return after 1 week to report any side effects related to the medications and to check for compliance. Successful eradication was defined by negative (13)C-urea breath test at least 4 weeks after the completion of therapy.
RESULTS:
A total of 191 patients were recruited into the study, of whom 81 were male (42.4%) and 110 female (57.6%), with a mean age of 55.6 (range 21-88) years. Overall 26 patients (13.6%) defaulted follow up and five patients were not compliant (taking less than 85%) with the medications. Per-protocol and intention-to-treat eradication rates were 84.4% (95% CI: 78.6-89.9%) and 71.2% (95% CI: 64.5-77.6%), respectively. Overall 68 participants (42.5%) reported no side effects, followed by 58 (36.3%) with a taste disturbance, 16 (10.0%) with epigastric pain, 15 (9.4%) with diarrhea, 13 (8.1%) with nausea or vomiting, 12 (7.5%) with loss of appetite, nine (5.6%) with dizziness and two (1.3%) with an allergic skin rash, none of which was severe.
CONCLUSION:
The current regime using pantoprazole, amoxycillin and clarithromycin is highly tolerable and effective and should continue to be recommended as a first-line therapy for H. pylori eradication in our setting.
We review evidence for effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and coverage of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for injecting drug users (IDUs) infected with HIV, with particular attention to low-income and middle-income countries. In these countries, nearly half (47%) of all IDUs infected with HIV are in five nations--China, Vietnam, Russia, Ukraine, and Malaysia. In all five countries, IDU access to ART is disproportionately low, and systemic and structural obstacles restrict treatment access. IDUs are 67% of cumulative HIV cases in these countries, but only 25% of those receiving ART. Integration of ART with opioid substitution and tuberculosis treatment, increased peer engagement in treatment delivery, and reform of harmful policies--including police use of drug-user registries, detention of drug users in centres offering no evidence-based treatment, and imprisonment for possession of drugs for personal use--are needed to improve ART coverage of IDUs.
MeSH terms: Buprenorphine/therapeutic use; China; Cost-Benefit Analysis; Developing Countries/economics*; Health Services Accessibility; Humans; Income; Malaysia; Methadone/therapeutic use; Narcotic Antagonists/economics; Narcotic Antagonists/therapeutic use*; Narcotics/economics; Narcotics/therapeutic use*; Prisoners; Prisons; Russia; Ukraine; Vietnam; HIV Infections/drug therapy*; HIV Infections/economics; HIV Infections/etiology; HIV Infections/epidemiology; Substance Abuse, Intravenous/complications*; Substance Abuse, Intravenous/drug therapy*; Substance Abuse, Intravenous/economics; Substance Abuse, Intravenous/epidemiology; Drug Costs; Anti-HIV Agents/economics; Anti-HIV Agents/therapeutic use*; Narration; Anti-Retroviral Agents/therapeutic use
A total of 9 plant extracts were tested, using two different kinds of extracting methods to evaluate the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities from Pilea microphylla (Urticaceae family) and including toxicity test. Antioxidant activity were tested by using DPPH free radical scavenging, also total phenolic contents and total flavonoid contents were determined. Toxicity assay carried out by using brine shrimps. Methanol extract of method I (ME I) showed the highest antioxidant activity at 69.51 +/- 1.03. Chloroform extract of method I (CE I) showed the highest total phenolic contents at 72.10 +/- 0.71 and chloroform extract of method II (CE II) showed the highest total flavonoid contents at 60.14 +/- 0.33. The antimicrobial activity of Pilea microphylla extract was tested in vitro by using disc diffusion method and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). The Pilea microphylla extract showed antibacterial activity against some Gram negative and positive bacteria. The extracts did not exhibit antifungal and antiyeast activity. The hexane extract of method I (HE I) was not toxic against brine shrimp (LC50 value was 3880 mug/ml). Therefore, the extracts could be suitable as antimicrobial and antioxidative agents in food industry.
Objectives. Using apocynin (inhibitor of NADPH oxidase), and Mitoquinol 10 nitrate (MitoQ; mitochondrial-targeted antioxidant), we addressed the importance of mitochondria versus NADPH oxidase-derived ROS in glucose-induced apoptosis of pericytes. Methods. NADPH oxidase was localised using Western blot analysis and cytochrome C reduction assay. Apoptosis was detected by measuring caspase-3 activity. Intracellular glucose concentration, ROS formation and Nepsilon-(carboxymethyl) lysine (CML) content were measured using Amplex Red assay kit, dihydroethidium (DHE), and competitive immunoabsorbant enzyme-linked assay (ELISA), respectively. Results. NADPH oxidase was localised in the cytoplasm of pericytes suggesting ROS production within intracellular compartments. High glucose (25 mM) significantly increased apoptosis, intracellular glucose concentration, and CML content. Apoptosis was associated with increased gp91phox expression, activity of NADPH oxidase, and intracellular ROS production. Apocynin and not MitoQ significantly blunted the generation of ROS, formation of intracellular CML and apoptosis. Conclusions. NADPH oxidase and not mitochondria-derived ROS is responsible for the accelerated apoptosis of pericytes in diabetic retinopathy.