Browse publications by year: 2013

  1. Molecular alterations of Ras-Raf-mitogen-activated protein kinase and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-Akt signaling pathways in colorectal cancers from a tertiary hospital at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
    Yip WK, Choo CW, Leong VC, Leong PP, Jabar MF, Seow HF
    APMIS, 2013 Oct;121(10):954-66.
    PMID: 23992303 DOI: 10.1111/apm.12152
    Molecular alterations in KRAS, BRAF, PIK3CA, and PTEN have been implicated in designing targeted therapy for colorectal cancer (CRC). The present study aimed to determine the status of these molecular alterations in Malaysian CRCs as such data are not available in the literature. We investigated the mutations of KRAS, BRAF, and PTEN, the gene amplification of PIK3CA, and the protein expression of PTEN and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) catalytic subunit (p110α) by direct DNA sequencing, quantitative real-time PCR, and immunohistochemistry, respectively, in 49 CRC samples. The frequency of KRAS (codons 12, 13, and 61), BRAF (V600E), and PTEN mutations, and PIK3CA amplification was 25.0% (11/44), 2.3% (1/43), 0.0% (0/43), and 76.7% (33/43), respectively. Immunohistochemical staining demonstrated loss of PTEN protein in 54.5% (24/44) of CRCs and no significant difference in PI3K p110α expression between CRCs and the adjacent normal colonic mucosa (p = 0.380). PIK3CA amplification was not associated with PI3K p110α expression level, but associated with male cases (100% of male cases vs 56% of female cases harbored amplified PIK3CA, p = 0.002). PI3K p110α expression was significantly higher (p = 0.041) in poorly/moderately differentiated carcinoma compared with well-differentiated carcinoma. KRAS mutation, PIK3CA amplification, PTEN loss, and PI3K p110α expression did not correlate with Akt phosphorylation or Ki-67 expression. KRAS mutation, PIK3CA amplification, and PTEN loss were not mutually exclusive. This is the first report on CRC in Malaysia showing comparable frequency of KRAS mutation and PTEN loss, lower BRAF mutation rate, higher PIK3CA amplification frequency, and rare PTEN mutation, as compared with published reports.
    MeSH terms: Aged; Carcinoma/genetics*; Carcinoma/metabolism; Carcinoma/pathology; Female; Humans; Malaysia; Male; Middle Aged; Mutation; Proto-Oncogene Proteins/genetics*; Proto-Oncogene Proteins/metabolism; Sex Factors; Colorectal Neoplasms/ethnology; Colorectal Neoplasms/genetics*; Colorectal Neoplasms/metabolism; Colorectal Neoplasms/pathology; Signal Transduction; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic*; ras Proteins/genetics*; ras Proteins/metabolism; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/genetics*; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/metabolism; Asian Continental Ancestry Group; Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf/genetics*; Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf/metabolism; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/genetics; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism; PTEN Phosphohydrolase/genetics*; PTEN Phosphohydrolase/metabolism; Tertiary Care Centers
  2. Antioxidant versus anti-diabetic properties of leaves from Vernonia amygdalina Del. growing in Malaysia
    Atangwho IJ, Egbung GE, Ahmad M, Yam MF, Asmawi MZ
    Food Chem, 2013 Dec 15;141(4):3428-34.
    PMID: 23993503 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2013.06.047
    The antioxidant and anti-diabetic properties of the sequential extracts of Vernonia amygdalina based on the chemical composition of the most effective anti-diabetic extract were studied. Using DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging as well as FRAP assays, the extracts showed a consistent dose-dependent trend of potent antioxidant activity in the following solvents: water extract>methanol extract>chloroform extract>and petroleum ether extracts. In the oral glucose tolerance test, the chloroform extract exerted the highest response (33.3%), similar to metformin (27.2%), after 2h compared to the control (50.8%, P<0.05). After a 14-day administration in diabetic rats, the chloroform extract recorded the highest blood (23.5%) and serum (21.4%) glucose-lowering effects (P<0.05). GC-MS analysis of the chloroform extract revealed high levels of linoleic acid (4.72%), α-linolenic acid (10.8%) and phytols (12.0%), as well as other compounds.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Antioxidants/administration & dosage*; Antioxidants/isolation & purification; Antioxidants/chemistry; Blood Glucose/metabolism; Diabetes Mellitus/drug therapy*; Diabetes Mellitus/metabolism; Humans; Malaysia; Male; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Plant Extracts/administration & dosage*; Plant Extracts/isolation & purification; Plant Extracts/chemistry; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Plant Leaves/chemistry; Anti-Obesity Agents/administration & dosage*; Anti-Obesity Agents/isolation & purification; Anti-Obesity Agents/chemistry; Vernonia/chemistry*; Rats
  3. Extraction of antioxidative and antihypertensive bioactive peptides from Parkia speciosa seeds
    Siow HL, Gan CY
    Food Chem, 2013 Dec 15;141(4):3435-42.
    PMID: 23993504 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2013.06.030
    Antioxidative and antihypertensive bioactive peptides were successfully derived from Parkia speciosa seed using alcalase. The effects of temperature (25 and 50 °C), substrate-to-enzyme ratio (S/E ratio, 20 and 50), and incubation time (0.5, 1, 2 and 5h) were evaluated based on 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) assays. Bioactive peptide extracted at a hydrolysis condition of: temperature=50 °C, S/E ratio=50 and incubation time=2h, exhibited the highest DPPH radical scavenging activity (2.9 mg GAE/g), reducing power (11.7 mM) and %ACE-inhibitory activity (80.2%). The sample was subsequently subjected to fractionation and the peptide fraction of <10 kDa showed the strongest bioactivities. A total of 29 peptide sequences from peptide fraction of <10 kDa were identified as the most potent contributors to the bioactivities. These novel bioactive peptides were suggested to be beneficial to nutraceutical and food industries.
    MeSH terms: Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors/isolation & purification; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors/chemistry*; Antihypertensive Agents/isolation & purification; Antihypertensive Agents/chemistry*; Antioxidants/isolation & purification; Antioxidants/chemistry*; Hydrolysis; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A/analysis; Fabaceae/chemistry*; Peptide Mapping; Peptides/isolation & purification; Peptides/chemistry*; Plant Extracts/isolation & purification; Plant Extracts/chemistry*; Seeds/chemistry*
  4. Effect of extraction conditions on the yield and chemical properties of pectin from cocoa husks
    Chan SY, Choo WS
    Food Chem, 2013 Dec 15;141(4):3752-8.
    PMID: 23993545 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2013.06.097
    Different extraction conditions were applied to investigate the effect of temperature, extraction time and substrate-extractant ratio on pectin extraction from cocoa husks. Pectin was extracted from cocoa husks using water, citric acid at pH 2.5 or 4.0, or hydrochloric acid at pH 2.5 or 4.0. Temperature, extraction time and substrate-extractant ratio affected the yields, uronic acid contents, degrees of methylation (DM) and degrees of acetylation (DA) of the extracted pectins using the five extractants differently. The yields and uronic acid contents of the extracted pectins ranged from 3.38-7.62% to 31.19-65.20%, respectively. The DM and DA of the extracted pectins ranged from 7.17-57.86% to 1.01-3.48%, respectively. The highest yield of pectin (7.62%) was obtained using citric acid at pH 2.5 [1:25 (w/v)] at 95 °C for 3.0 h. The highest uronic acid content (65.20%) in the pectin was obtained using water [1:25 (w/v)] at 95 °C for 3.0 h.
    MeSH terms: Acetylation; Cacao/chemistry*; Chemical Fractionation/methods*; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Methylation; Pectins/isolation & purification*; Pectins/chemistry*; Plant Extracts/isolation & purification*; Plant Extracts/chemistry; Temperature; Uronic Acids/analysis
  5. Colour, phenolic content and antioxidant capacity of some fruits dehydrated by a combination of different methods
    Chong CH, Law CL, Figiel A, Wojdyło A, Oziembłowski M
    Food Chem, 2013 Dec 15;141(4):3889-96.
    PMID: 23993562 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2013.06.042
    The objective of this study was to improve product quality of dehydrated fruits (apple, pear, papaya, mango) using combined drying techniques. This involved investigation of bioactivity, colour, and sensory assessment on colour of the dried products as well as the retention of the bio-active ingredients. The attributes of quality were compared in regard to the quality of dehydrated samples obtained from continuous heat pump (HP) drying technique. It was found that for apple, pear and mango the total colour change (ΔE) of samples dried using continuous heat pump (HP) or heat pump vacuum-microwave (HP/VM) methods was lower than of samples dried by other combined methods. However, for papaya, the lowest colour change exhibited by samples dried using hot air-cold air (HHC) method and the highest colour change was found for heat pump (HP) dehydrated samples. Sensory evaluation revealed that dehydrated pear with higher total colour change (ΔE) is more desirable because of its golden yellow appearance. In most cases the highest phenol content was found from fruits dried by HP/VM method. Judging from the quality findings on two important areas namely colour and bioactivity, it was found that combined drying method consisted of HP pre-drying followed by VM finish drying gave the best results for most dehydrated fruits studied in this work as the fruits contain first group of polyphenol compounds, which preferably requires low temperature followed by rapid drying strategy.
    MeSH terms: Antioxidants/chemistry*; Color; Desiccation/methods*; Food Handling/methods*; Fruit/chemistry*; Hot Temperature; Humans; Phenols/analysis*; Taste; Malus/chemistry; Carica/chemistry; Mangifera/chemistry; Pyrus/chemistry; Polyphenols/analysis
  6. Physicochemical properties and crystallisation behaviour of bakery shortening produced from stearin fraction of palm-based diacyglycerol blended with various vegetable oils
    Latip RA, Lee YY, Tang TK, Phuah ET, Tan CP, Lai OM
    Food Chem, 2013 Dec 15;141(4):3938-46.
    PMID: 23993569 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2013.05.114
    The stearin fraction of palm-based diacylglycerol (PDAGS) was produced from dry fractionation of palm-based diacylglycerol (PDAG). Bakery shortening blends were produced by mixing PDAGS with either palm mid fraction, PMF (PDAGS/PMF), palm olein, POL(PDAGS/POL) or sunflower oil, SFO (PDAGS/SFO) at PDAGS molar fraction of XPDAGS=0.4%, 0.5%, 0.6%, 0.7%, 0.8%, 0.9%. The physicochemical results obtained indicated that C16:0 and C18:1 were the dominant fatty acids for PDAGS/PMF and PDAGS/POL, while C18:1 and C18:2 were dominant in the PDAGS/SFO mixtures. SMP and SFC of the PDAGS were reduced with the addition of PMF, POL and SFO. Binary mixtures of PDAGS/PMF had better structural compatibility and full miscibility with each other. PDAGS/PMF and PDAGS/SFO crystallised in β'+β polymorphs in the presence of 0.4-0.5% PDAGS while PDAGS/POL resulted in β polymorphs crystal. The results gave indication that PDAGS: PMF at 50%:50% and 60%:40% (w/w) were the most suitable fat blend to be used as bakery shortening.
    MeSH terms: Cooking; Crystallization; Diglycerides/chemistry*; Margarine/analysis*; Plant Oils/chemistry*
  7. A novel high throughput method based on the DPPH dry reagent array for determination of antioxidant activity
    Musa KH, Abdullah A, Kuswandi B, Hidayat MA
    Food Chem, 2013 Dec 15;141(4):4102-6.
    PMID: 23993591 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2013.06.112
    A stable chromogenic radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) is commonly used for the determination of antioxidant activity. In this paper, DPPH was dried into 96 well microplate to produce DPPH dry reagent array plate, based on which the highly sensitive and high throughput determination of antioxidant activities was achieved. The spectrophotometric characterization of the microplate containing dried or fresh DPPH free radicals was reported. The response of the DPPH dry reagent array towards different standard antioxidants was studied. The reaction for DPPH in fresh or dry reagent array with Trolox was reported and compared. The DPPH dry reagent array was used to study the antioxidant activity of banana, green tea, pink guava, and honeydew and the results were compared to the samples reacted with freshly prepared DPPH. The proposed method is comparable to the classical DPPH method, more convenient, simple to operate with minimal solvent required and excellent sensitivity.
    MeSH terms: Antioxidants/chemistry*; Beverages/analysis*; Biphenyl Compounds/chemistry*; Oxidation-Reduction; Picrates/chemistry*; Plant Extracts/chemistry*; Camellia sinensis/chemistry*; Musa/chemistry*; Psidium/chemistry*; High-Throughput Screening Assays/methods*
  8. Multivariate study of parameters in the determination of pesticide residues in apple by headspace solid phase microextraction coupled to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry using experimental factorial design
    Abdulra'uf LB, Tan GH
    Food Chem, 2013 Dec 15;141(4):4344-8.
    PMID: 23993624 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2013.07.022
    Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) is a solvent-less sample preparation method which combines sample preparation, isolation, concentration and enrichment into one step. In this study, multivariate strategy was used to determine the significance of the factors affecting the solid phase microextraction of pesticide residues (fenobucarb, diazinon, chlorothalonil and chlorpyrifos) using a randomised factorial design. The interactions and effects of temperature, time and salt addition on the efficiency of the extraction of the pesticide residues were evaluated using 2(3) factorial designs. The analytes were extracted with 100 μm PDMS fibres according to the factorial design matrix and desorbed into a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry detector. The developed method was applied for the analysis of apple samples and the limits of detection were between 0.01 and 0.2 μg kg(-)(1), which were lower than the MRLs for apples. The relative standard deviations (RSD) were between 0.1% and 13.37% with average recovery of 80-105%. The linearity ranges from 0.5-50 μg kg(-)(1) with correlation coefficient greater than 0.99.
    MeSH terms: Food Contamination/analysis*; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry/methods*; Pesticide Residues/analysis*; Pesticide Residues/isolation & purification*; Research Design; Malus/chemistry*; Solid Phase Microextraction/methods*
  9. Anaesthetic management of a parturient with a mediastinal mass for caesarean delivery
    Lee CY, Izaham A, Zainuddin K
    Int J Obstet Anesth, 2013 Nov;22(4):356-8.
    PMID: 23993805 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijoa.2013.03.017
    MeSH terms: Anesthesia, Obstetrical/methods*; Cesarean Section*; Female; Humans; Mediastinal Neoplasms/complications*; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Neoplastic*
  10. Chemical composition and cellular toxicity of ethnobotanical-based hot and cold aqueous preparations of the tiger's milk mushroom (Lignosus rhinocerotis)
    Lau BF, Abdullah N, Aminudin N, Lee HB
    J Ethnopharmacol, 2013 Oct 28;150(1):252-62.
    PMID: 23993912 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2013.08.034
    The sclerotium of the "tiger's milk mushroom" (Lignosus rhinocerotis) is used as tonic and folk medicine for the treatment of cancer, fever, cough and asthma by the local and indigenous communities. It is traditionally prepared by either boiling or maceration-like methods; however, there is no attempt to understand how different processing methods might affect their efficacies as anticancer agents.
    MeSH terms: Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology*; Antineoplastic Agents/chemistry; Carbohydrates/analysis; Cell Line; Cell Survival/drug effects; Cold Temperature; Fungal Proteins/analysis; Hot Temperature; Humans; Polyporaceae*; Protein Array Analysis; Complex Mixtures/pharmacology*; Complex Mixtures/chemistry; Cell Line, Tumor
  11. Fulltext Cosmos caudatus as a potential source of polyphenolic compounds: optimisation of oven drying conditions and characterisation of its functional properties
    Mediani A, Abas F, Khatib A, Tan CP
    Molecules, 2013 Aug 29;18(9):10452-64.
    PMID: 23994970 DOI: 10.3390/molecules180910452
    The aim of the study was to analyze the influence of oven thermal processing of Cosmos caudatus on the total polyphenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant capacity (DPPH) of two different solvent extracts (80% methanol, and 80% ethanol). Sonication was used to extract bioactive compounds from this herb. The results showed that the optimised conditions for the oven drying method for 80% methanol and 80% ethanol were 44.5 °C for 4 h with an IC₅₀ of 0.045 mg/mL and 43.12 °C for 4.05 h with an IC₅₀ of 0.055 mg/mL, respectively. The predicted values for TPC under the optimised conditions for 80% methanol and 80% ethanol were 16.5 and 15.8 mg GAE/100 g DW, respectively. The results obtained from this study demonstrate that Cosmos caudatus can be used as a potential source of antioxidants for food and medicinal applications.
    MeSH terms: Ethanol/chemistry; Methanol/chemistry; Biphenyl Compounds/chemistry; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Desiccation/methods; Free Radicals/chemistry; Models, Chemical; Picrates/chemistry; Plant Extracts/isolation & purification*; Plant Extracts/chemistry; Solvents/chemistry; Free Radical Scavengers/isolation & purification*; Free Radical Scavengers/chemistry; Asteraceae/chemistry*; Solid Phase Extraction; Polyphenols/isolation & purification*; Polyphenols/chemistry
  12. Gender-specific association of NFKBIA promoter polymorphisms with the risk of sporadic colorectal cancer
    Tan SC, Suzairi MS, Aizat AA, Aminudin MM, Nurfatimah MS, Bhavaraju VM, et al.
    Med Oncol, 2013 Dec;30(4):693.
    PMID: 23996241 DOI: 10.1007/s12032-013-0693-6
    The inhibitory protein IκBα, encoded by the NFKBIA gene, plays an important role in regulating the activity of nuclear factor-kappa B, a transcription factor which has been implicated in the initiation and progression of cancers. This study aimed to evaluate the association of NFKBIA -826C>T (rs2233406) and -881A>G (rs3138053) polymorphisms with the risk of sporadic colorectal cancer (CRC) in Malaysian population. A case-control study comprising 474 subjects (237 CRC patients and 237 cancer-free controls) was carried out. The polymorphisms were genotyped from the genomic DNA of the study subjects employing PCR-RFLP, followed by DNA sequencing. The association between the polymorphic genotypes and CRC risk was evaluated by deriving odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) using unconditional logistic regression analysis. The two polymorphisms were in complete and perfect linkage disequilibrium (D' = 1.0, r (2) = 1.0). Overall, no statistically significant CRC risk association was found for the polymorphisms (P > 0.05). A similar lack of association was observed when the data were stratified according to ethnicity (P > 0.05). However, stratification by gender revealed a significant inverse association between the heterozygous genotype of the polymorphisms and the risk of CRC among females (OR 0.53, 95 % CI 0.29-0.97, P = 0.04), but not among males (P > 0.05). In conclusion, the heterozygous genotype of the polymorphisms could contribute to a significantly decreased CRC risk among females, but not males, in the Malaysian population.
    MeSH terms: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Female; Gene Frequency/genetics; Genotype; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Polymorphism, Genetic/genetics*; Promoter Regions, Genetic/genetics*; Risk Factors; Sex Factors; Colorectal Neoplasms/ethnology; Colorectal Neoplasms/genetics*; Linkage Disequilibrium/genetics; Case-Control Studies; I-kappa B Proteins/genetics*; NF-KappaB Inhibitor alpha
  13. Fulltext Quantitative analysis of electroplated nickel coating on hard metal
    Wahab HA, Noordin MY, Izman S, Kurniawan D
    ScientificWorldJournal, 2013;2013:631936.
    PMID: 23997678 DOI: 10.1155/2013/631936
    Electroplated nickel coating on cemented carbide is a potential pretreatment technique for providing an interlayer prior to diamond deposition on the hard metal substrate. The electroplated nickel coating is expected to be of high quality, for example, indicated by having adequate thickness and uniformity. Electroplating parameters should be set accordingly for this purpose. In this study, the gap distances between the electrodes and duration of electroplating process are the investigated variables. Their effect on the coating thickness and uniformity was analyzed and quantified using design of experiment. The nickel deposition was carried out by electroplating in a standard Watt's solution keeping other plating parameters (current: 0.1 Amp, electric potential: 1.0 V, and pH: 3.5) constant. The gap distance between anode and cathode varied at 5, 10, and 15 mm, while the plating time was 10, 20, and 30 minutes. Coating thickness was found to be proportional to the plating time and inversely proportional to the electrode gap distance, while the uniformity tends to improve at a large electrode gap. Empirical models of both coating thickness and uniformity were developed within the ranges of the gap distance and plating time settings, and an optimized solution was determined using these models.
    MeSH terms: Electroplating/methods*; Nickel/chemistry*; Surface Properties
  14. Fulltext Mechanism of Hepatoprotective Effect of Boesenbergia rotunda in Thioacetamide-Induced Liver Damage in Rats
    Salama SM, Abdulla MA, Alrashdi AS, Hadi AH
    Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2013;2013:157456.
    PMID: 23997791 DOI: 10.1155/2013/157456
    Background. Researchers focused on developing traditional therapies as pharmacological medicines to treat liver cirrhosis. Objectives. Evaluating the hepatoprotective activity of Boesenbergia rotunda (BR) rhizome ethanolic extract on thioacetamide-induced liver cirrhosis in rats. Methods. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were intraperitoneally injected with 200 mg/kg TAA 3 times/week and daily oral administration of 250 mg/kg, 500 mg/kg of BR extract, and 50 mg/kg of the reference drug Silymarin for 8 weeks. At the end of the experiment, Masson's trichrome staining was used to measure the degree of liver fibrosis. Hepatic antioxidant enzymes (CAT and GPx), nitrotyrosine, cytochrome (P450 2E1), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-2 and MMP-9), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP-1), and urinary 8-hydroxyguanosine were measured. Serum levels of transforming growth factor TGF- β 1, nuclear transcription factor NF- κ B, proinflammatory cytokine IL-6, and caspase-3 were evaluated. Serum protein expression and immunohistochemistry of proapoptotic Bax and antiapoptotic Bcl-2 proteins were measured and confirmed by immunohistochemistry of Bax, Bcl-2, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). Results. BR treatment improved liver histopathology, immunohistochemistry, and biochemistry, triggered apoptosis, and inhibited cytokines, extracellular matrix proteins, and hepatocytes proliferation. Conclusion. Liver cirrhosis progression can be inhibited by the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of BR ethanolic extract while preserving the normal liver status.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Antioxidants; Male; Silymarin; Thioacetamide; Interleukin-6; NF-kappa B; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen; Cytochrome P-450 CYP2E1; Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9; Rhizome; bcl-2-Associated X Protein; Rats; Caspase 3
  15. Fulltext Learning pathways during clinical placement of physiotherapy students: a Malaysian experience of using learning contracts and reflective diaries
    Ramli A, Joseph L, Lee SW
    J Educ Eval Health Prof, 2013;10:6.
    PMID: 23997897 DOI: 10.3352/jeehp.2013.10.6
    Learning contracts and reflective diaries are educational tools that have been recently introduced to physiotherapy students from Malaysia during clinical education. It is unclear how students perceive the experience of using a learning contract and reflective diary. This study explores the learning pathways of the students after using a learning contract and a reflective diary for the first time in their clinical placement.
  16. A systematic review of statistical methods used to test for reliability of medical instruments measuring continuous variables
    Zaki R, Bulgiba A, Nordin N, Azina Ismail N
    Iran J Basic Med Sci, 2013 Jun;16(6):803-7.
    PMID: 23997908
    Reliability measures precision or the extent to which test results can be replicated. This is the first ever systematic review to identify statistical methods used to measure reliability of equipment measuring continuous variables. This studyalso aims to highlight the inappropriate statistical method used in the reliability analysis and its implication in the medical practice.
    MeSH terms: Data Collection; Longitudinal Studies; Reproducibility of Results
  17. Fulltext Cross-Reactivity against Naja sumatrana (Black Spitting Cobra) Envenoming from the Haffkine Antivenom in a Mouse Model
    Cham G, Lim F, Earnest A, Gopalakrishnakone P
    ISRN Toxicol, 2013;2013:247645.
    PMID: 23997967 DOI: 10.1155/2013/247645
    Naja sumatrana is the dominant cobra species in Malaysia, Singapore, Borneo, and Sumatra, and it does not have specific antivenom. The Haffkine antivenom has been advocated instead. This study aims to determine the efficacy of this antivenom against Naja sumatrana envenoming using a mouse model. Methods. Male Swiss albino mice were used. Intravenous LD50 was first determined separately for Naja naja and Naja sumatrana venom. ED50 was determined by preincubating antivenom with each venom at 2.5 LD50 before administering the mixture into the tail vein. Validation was carried out using a challenge test. Each mouse received 111 µg of Naja sumatrana venom intramuscularly followed by intraperitoneal administration of dilute Haffkine antivenom. Survival was recorded 24 hours after envenoming. Results. The LD50 of Naja naja venom was 78.13 µg, standard error (SE) 13.3 µg. The ED50 of the Haffkine antivenom against Naja naja venom was 45.9 mg, SE 7.5 mg. The LD50 and ED50 of Naja sumatrana venom were 55.5 µg, SE 12.0 µg; and 73.9 mg, SE 12.0 mg, respectively. The intra-peritoneal ED50 against 111 µg intramuscular Naja sumatrana venom was 136.95 mg, SE 36.74 mg. Conclusion. The Haffkine polyvalent antivenom exhibited cross-neutralisation against Naja sumatrana venom when used at a higher dose.
  18. Fulltext Cytotoxicity and genotoxicity assessment of Euphorbia hirta in MCF-7 cell line model using comet assay
    Ping KY, Darah I, Chen Y, Sasidharan S
    Asian Pac J Trop Biomed, 2013 Sep;3(9):692-6.
    PMID: 23998008 DOI: 10.1016/S2221-1691(13)60140-9
    To evaluate the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity activity of Euphorbia hirta (E. hirta) in MCF-7 cell line model using comet assay.
    MeSH terms: Analysis of Variance; Animals; Artemia/drug effects; DNA Damage*; Humans; Larva/drug effects; Plant Extracts/pharmacology*; Plant Extracts/toxicity*; Plant Extracts/chemistry; Comet Assay; Euphorbia/chemistry*; MCF-7 Cells
  19. Fulltext The Characteristics and the Pharmacological Management of Cancer Pain and Its Effect on the Patients' Daily Activities and their Quality of Life: A Cross - Sectional study from Malaysia
    K C B, Binti Mohd Yusoff Z, Alrasheedy AA, Othman S
    J Clin Diagn Res, 2013 Jul;7(7):1408-13.
    PMID: 23998077 DOI: 10.7860/JCDR/2013/5450.3148
    CONTEXT: Pain is a major health care problem for the patients with cancer and one of the most frequent and disturbing cancer related symptoms.

    AIM: To study the characteristics of pain in cancer patients and its pharmacological management by using a subjective self-assessment questionnaire and the World Health Organization (WHO)analgesic ladder for pain management.

    SETTINGS AND DESIGNS: This study was conducted in the Oncology Wards of Penang Hospital, Penang, Malaysia. A questionnaire was developed to assess the pain characteristics and their effect on the patients' daily life activities and the information on the pharmacological management of the cancer pain. The cancer pain intensity was noted from the patients' medical database.

    METHOD AND MATERIAL: By using the validated questionnaire, an observational, cross sectional study was conducted on the cancer patientswho were admitted in the oncology wards of Penang Hospital, Malaysia, for a period of 1 month.

    STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Descriptive statistics like mean, frequency and percentages were used for this study.

    RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: A total of 42 patients out of 143, who fulfilled the criteria, were interviewed. The results showed mild pain in 66.7% (28) of the patients, moderate pain in 7.1% (3) and severe painin 26.2% (11). The normal daily life activities were affected by the pain in almost all the patients. Among the interviewed patients, sleep was affected in 88% (37) of the patients and the normal physical activity was affected in 92.9% (39) of the patients. Similarly, the pain decreased the appetite in 78.6% (33) of the patients, it affected the personal relationship in 35.7% (15), it affected the emotion in 71.5% (30) and it affected the visual activity in 33.6% (13) of the patients. Mild pain with distressing symptoms was not treated with any analgesic or adjuvant medications in 40.5% (17) of the patients. In contrast, all the patients with moderate and severe pain were treated with medications. Among them, 66.7% (2) of the patients with moderate pain and 90.9% (10) of the patients with severe pain were treated with analgesics as per the WHO analgesic ladder. The WHO analgesic ladder guide for pain management was followed in a majority of the cases, when analgesics were prescribed. However, there was inadequate treatment of the cancer pain in many patients with mild pain and, consequently, their quality of life was largely affected.

  20. Turning cigarette butt waste into an alternative control tool against an insecticide-resistant mosquito vector
    Dieng H, Rajasaygar S, Ahmad AH, Ahmad H, Rawi CS, Zuharah WF, et al.
    Acta Trop, 2013 Dec;128(3):584-90.
    PMID: 23999373 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2013.08.013
    Annually, 4.5 trillion cigarette butts (CBs) are flicked into our environment. Evidence exists that CB waste is deadly to aquatic life, but their lethality to the aquatic life of the main dengue vector is unknown. CBs are full of toxicants that occur naturally, during planting and manufacturing, which may act as larvicidal agents. We assessed Aedes aegypti vulnerability to Marlboro butts during its development. Overall, CBs showed insecticidal activities against larvae. At early phases of development, mortality rates were much higher in two CBs solution (2CBSol) and 3CBSol microcosms (MICRs). Larval survival gradually decreased with development in 1CBSol-MICRs. However, in great presence of CBs, mortality was high even for the late developmental stages. These results suggest that A. aegypti larvae are vulnerable to CB presence in their habitats, but this effect was seen most during the early developmental phases and in the presence of increased amounts of cigarette remnants. CB filters are being used as raw material in many sectors, i.e., brick, art, fashion, plastic industries, as a practical solution to the pollution problem, the observed butt waste toxicity to mosquito larvae open new avenues for the identification of novel insecticide products.
    MeSH terms: Aedes/drug effects*; Animals; Biological Assay; Female; Humans; Insecticides/toxicity*; Larva/drug effects; Survival Analysis; Tobacco Products/toxicity*
External Links