Browse publications by year: 2013

  1. Medicinal property, phytochemistry and pharmacology of several Jatropha species (Euphorbiaceae): a review
    Sabandar CW, Ahmat N, Jaafar FM, Sahidin I
    Phytochemistry, 2013 Jan;85:7-29.
    PMID: 23153517 DOI: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2012.10.009
    The genus Jatropha (Euphorbiaceae) comprises of about 170 species of woody trees, shrubs, subshrubs or herbs in the seasonally dry tropics of the Old and the New World. They are used in medicinal folklore to cure various diseases of 80% of the human population in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Species from this genus have been popular to cure stomachache, toothache, swelling, inflammation, leprosy, dysentery, dyscrasia, vertigo, anemia, diabetis, as well as to treat HIV and tumor, opthalmia, ringworm, ulcers, malaria, skin diseases, bronchitis, asthma and as an aphrodisiac. They are also employed as ornamental plants and energy crops. Cyclic peptides alkaloids, diterpenes and miscellaneous compounds have been reported from this genus. Extracts and pure compounds of plants from this genus are reported for cytotoxicity, tumor-promoting, antimicrobial, antiprotozoal, anticoagulant, immunomodulating, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, protoscolicidal, insecticidal, molluscicidal, inhibition AChE and toxicity activities.
    MeSH terms: Plant Extracts/chemistry*; Plants, Medicinal/chemistry*; Jatropha/chemistry*
  2. Regulation of G protein signaling by the 70kDa heat shock protein
    Lim WK, Kanelakis KC, Neubig RR
    Cell Signal, 2013 Feb;25(2):389-96.
    PMID: 23153586 DOI: 10.1016/j.cellsig.2012.11.002
    G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) transduce extracellular signals to the interior of the cell by activating membrane-bound guanine nucleotide-binding regulatory proteins (G proteins). An increasing number of proteins have been reported to bind to and regulate GPCRs. We report a novel regulation of the alpha(2A) adrenergic receptor (α(2A)-R) by the ubiquitous stress-inducible 70kDa heat shock protein, hsp70. Hsp70, but not hsp90, attenuated G protein-dependent high affinity agonist binding to the α(2A)-R in Sf9 membranes. Antagonist binding was unchanged, suggesting that hsp70 uncouples G proteins from the receptor. As hsp70 did not bind G proteins but complexed with the α(2A)-R in intact cells, a direct interaction with the receptor seems likely. In the presence of hsp70, α(2A)-R-catalyzed [(35)S]GTPγS binding was reduced by approximately 70%. In contrast, approximately 50-fold higher concentrations of hsp70 were required to reduce agonist binding to the stress-inducible 5-hydroxytryptamine(1A) receptor (5-HT(1A)-R). In heat-stressed CHO cells, the α(2A)-R was significantly uncoupled from G proteins, coincident with an increased localization of hsp70 at the membrane. The contrasting effect of hsp70 on the α(2A)-R compared to the 5-HT(1A)-R suggests that during stress, upregulation of hsp70 may attenuate signaling from specific GPCRs as part of the stress response to foster survival.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Cricetulus; Cricetinae; Protein Binding; Temperature; Transfection; Signal Transduction/drug effects*; Guanosine 5'-O-(3-Thiotriphosphate)/metabolism; CHO Cells; Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha-2/genetics; Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha-2/metabolism*; Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha-2/chemistry; HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins/metabolism; HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins/pharmacology*; Protein Subunits/genetics; Protein Subunits/metabolism; Immunoprecipitation; Adrenergic alpha-2 Receptor Agonists/metabolism
  3. Computer-aided detection/diagnosis of breast cancer in mammography and ultrasound: a review
    Jalalian A, Mashohor SB, Mahmud HR, Saripan MI, Ramli AR, Karasfi B
    Clin Imaging, 2013 May-Jun;37(3):420-6.
    PMID: 23153689 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinimag.2012.09.024
    Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women worldwide. Early detection of breast cancer can increase treatment options and patients' survivability. Mammography is the gold standard for breast imaging and cancer detection. However, due to some limitations of this modality such as low sensitivity especially in dense breasts, other modalities like ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging are often suggested to achieve additional information. Recently, computer-aided detection or diagnosis (CAD) systems have been developed to help radiologists in order to increase diagnosis accuracy. Generally, a CAD system consists of four stages: (a) preprocessing, (b) segmentation of regions of interest, (c) feature extraction and selection, and finally (d) classification. This paper presents the approaches which are applied to develop CAD systems on mammography and ultrasound images. The performance evaluation metrics of CAD systems are also reviewed.
    MeSH terms: Algorithms; Artificial Intelligence*; Breast Neoplasms/ultrasonography*; Female; Humans; Image Enhancement/methods*; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted/methods*; Mammography/methods*; Pattern Recognition, Automated/methods*; Sensitivity and Specificity; Reproducibility of Results; Ultrasonography, Mammary/methods*
  4. An experimental study of the interface pressure profile during level walking of a new suspension system for lower limb amputees
    Eshraghi A, Abu Osman NA, Gholizadeh H, Ali S, Sævarsson SK, Wan Abas WA
    Clin Biomech (Bristol), 2013 Jan;28(1):55-60.
    PMID: 23157843 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2012.10.002
    Different suspension systems that are used within prosthetic devices may alter the distribution of pressure inside the prosthetic socket in lower limb amputees. This study aimed to compare the interface pressure of a new magnetic suspension system with the pin/lock and Seal-In suspension systems.
    MeSH terms: Amputation Stumps; Amputees/rehabilitation*; Analysis of Variance; Artificial Limbs*; Calibration; Female; Gait*; Humans; Leg; Male; Middle Aged; Pressure; Prosthesis Design; Walking; Prosthesis Fitting/instrumentation*; Prosthesis Fitting/methods
  5. Food consumption patterns and nutrition transition in South-East Asia
    Lipoeto NI, Geok Lin K, Angeles-Agdeppa I
    Public Health Nutr, 2013 Sep;16(9):1637-43.
    PMID: 23157893 DOI: 10.1017/S1368980012004569
    OBJECTIVE: The present study was done to confirm the relationship between changes in food patterns and nutrition transition in three South-East Asian countries, namely the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia.

    DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study conducted between August 2008 and August 2009 using three methods: interviews, focus group discussions and analyses of government reports.

    SETTING: The study was conducted in rural and urban areas in Manila and Calabanga (Philippines), Selangor and Kuala Selangor (Malaysia), and Padang, Pariaman Tanah Datar and Limapuluh Kota (West Sumatra, Indonesia).

    SUBJECTS: Adults aged 18 to 77 years.

    RESULTS: The results showed that Filipinos, Malaysians and Indonesians have retained many aspects of their traditional diets. In fact, most participants in the study considered Western-style and franchise fast foods as snack or recreational foods to be consumed once in a while only. However, a significant difference was noted between urban and rural areas in food varieties consumed. Participants in urban areas consumed more varieties of traditional foods owing to their availability and the participants’ food purchasing power. Although traditional food patterns were maintained by most of the participants, more sugar and vegetable oils were consumed and added to the traditional recipes.

    CONCLUSIONS: The rapid nutrition transition in this region may be due, instead, to increasing food availability and food purchasing power, rather than to a shift in food preferences towards modern Western foods.

    MeSH terms: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diet*; Feeding Behavior*; Female; Food Preferences*; Food Supply*; Humans; Indonesia; Malaysia; Male; Middle Aged; Philippines; Rural Population*; Urban Population*; Young Adult
  6. The performance of Electro-Fenton oxidation in the removal of coliform bacteria from landfill leachate
    Aziz HA, Othman OM, Abu Amr SS
    Waste Manag, 2013 Feb;33(2):396-400.
    PMID: 23158874 DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2012.10.016
    Leachate pollution is one of the main problems in landfilling. Researchers have yet to find an effective solution to this problem. The technology that can be used may differ based on the type of leachate produced. Coliform bacteria were recently reported as one of the most problematic pollutants in semi-aerobic (stabilized) leachate. In the present study, the performance of the Electro-Fenton process in removing coliform from leachate was investigated. The study focused on two types of leachate: Palau Borung landfill leachate with low Coliform content (200 MPN/100 m/L) and Ampang Jajar landfill leachate with high coliform content (>24 × 10(4)MPN/100 m/L). Optimal conditions for the Electro-Fenton treatment process were applied on both types of leachate. Then, the coliform was examined before and after treatment using the Most Probable Number (MPN) technique. Accordingly, 100% removal of coliform was obtained at low initial coliform content, whereas 99.9% removal was obtained at high initial coliform content. The study revealed that Electro-Fenton is an efficient process in removing high concentrations of pathogenic microorganisms from stabilized leachate.
    MeSH terms: Enterobacteriaceae/physiology*; Hydrogen Peroxide/chemistry*; Iron/chemistry*; Malaysia; Oxidation-Reduction; Waste Disposal, Fluid/methods*; Water Microbiology*; Water Pollutants, Chemical/chemistry*; Water Purification/methods*; Electrochemical Techniques/methods*
  7. Production and characterization of a bioflocculant produced by Aspergillus flavus
    Aljuboori AH, Idris A, Abdullah N, Mohamad R
    Bioresour Technol, 2013 Jan;127:489-93.
    PMID: 23159465 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2012.09.016
    The production and characterization of a bioflocculant, IH-7, by Aspergillus flavus was investigated. About 0.4 g of purified bioflocculant with an average molecular weight of 2.574 × 10(4)Da could be obtained from 1L of fermentation medium. The bioflocculant mainly consisted of protein (28.5%) and sugar (69.7%), including 40% of neutral sugar, 2.48% of uronic acid and 1.8% amino sugar. The neutral sugar components are sucrose, lactose, glucose, xylose, galactose, mannose and fructose at a molar ratio of 2.4:4.4:4.1:5.8:9.9:0.8:3.1. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analysis revealed that purified IH-7 contained hydroxyl, amide, carboxyl and methoxyl groups. The elemental analysis of purified IH-7 showed that the weight fractions of the elements C, H, O, N and S were 29.9%, 4.8%, 34.7%, 3.3%, and 2.0%, respectively. IH-7 had good flocculating rate in kaolin suspension without cation addition and stable over wide range of pH and temperature.
    MeSH terms: Aspergillus flavus/metabolism*; Flocculation; Fungal Proteins/metabolism*; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Kaolin; Peptones/metabolism; Sucrose/metabolism; Temperature; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; Water Purification/instrumentation; Water Purification/methods*; Fungal Polysaccharides/metabolism*
  8. The application of one health approaches to henipavirus research
    Hayman DT, Gurley ES, Pulliam JR, Field HE
    Curr. Top. Microbiol. Immunol., 2013;365:155-70.
    PMID: 23160861 DOI: 10.1007/82_2012_276
    Henipaviruses cause fatal infection in humans and domestic animals. Transmission from fruit bats, the wildlife reservoirs of henipaviruses, is putatively driven (at least in part) by anthropogenic changes that alter host ecology. Human and domestic animal fatalities occur regularly in Asia and Australia, but recent findings suggest henipaviruses are present in bats across the Old World tropics. We review the application of the One Health approach to henipavirus research in three locations: Australia, Malaysia and Bangladesh. We propose that by recognising and addressing the complex interaction among human, domestic animal and wildlife systems, research within the One Health paradigm will be more successful in mitigating future human and domestic animal deaths from henipavirus infection than alternative single-discipline approaches.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Animals, Wild; Disease Reservoirs; Ecology; Humans; Henipavirus Infections/prevention & control*; Henipavirus Infections/transmission
  9. Modified silver staining in 2DE improves protein detection even at extremely low sample concentration
    Liew YK, Neela V, Hamat RA, Nordin SA, Chong PP
    Electrophoresis, 2013 Feb;34(3):397-400.
    PMID: 23161123 DOI: 10.1002/elps.201200380
    The typical concentration of protein loaded varies from 0.13 to 1.40 μg/μL for a classical silver staining method in 2DE gel. Here, we present a simple modified classical silver staining method by modifying the silver impregnation and development reaction steps. This modified method detects the protein spots at extremely low loaded concentrations, ranging from 0.0048 to 0.0480 μg/μL. We recommend this modified silver staining as an excellent method for the limited biological samples used for silver-stained 2DE analysis. Altogether, the protocol takes close to two days from first dimension separation to second dimension separation, followed by silver staining, scanning, and analysis.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Fishes; Humans; Models, Chemical; Proteins/analysis*; Proteins/chemistry; Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional/methods*; Silver Staining/methods*; Limit of Detection
  10. Native agarose gel electrophoresis and electroelution: A fast and cost-effective method to separate the small and large hepatitis B capsids
    Yoon KY, Tan WS, Tey BT, Lee KW, Ho KL
    Electrophoresis, 2013 Jan;34(2):244-53.
    PMID: 23161478 DOI: 10.1002/elps.201200257
    Hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAg) expressed in Escherichia coli is able to self-assemble into large and small capsids comprising 240 (triangulation number T = 4) and 180 (triangulation number T = 3) subunits, respectively. Conventionally, sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation and SEC have been used to separate these capsids. However, good separation of the large and small particles with these methods is never achieved. In the present study, we employed a simple, fast, and cost-effective method to separate the T = 3 and T = 4 HBcAg capsids by using native agarose gel electrophoresis followed by an electroelution method (NAGE-EE). This is a direct, fast, and economic method for isolating the large and small HBcAg particles homogenously based on the hydrodynamic radius of the spherical particles. Dynamic light scattering analysis demonstrated that the T = 3 and T = 4 HBcAg capsids prepared using the NAGE-EE method are monodisperse with polydispersity values of ∼15% and ∼13%, respectively. ELISA proved that the antigenicity of the capsids was not affected in the purification process. Overall, NAGE-EE produced T = 3 and T = 4 capsids with a purity above 90%, and the recovery was 34% and 50%, respectively (total recovery of HBcAg is ∼84%), and the operation time is 15 and 4 times lesser than that of the sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation and SEC, respectively.
    MeSH terms: Capsid/chemistry*; Electrophoresis, Agar Gel/methods*; Escherichia coli/genetics; Escherichia coli/metabolism; Hepatitis B Core Antigens/biosynthesis; Hepatitis B Core Antigens/genetics; Hepatitis B Core Antigens/isolation & purification*; Hepatitis B Core Antigens/chemistry; Hepatitis B virus/chemistry*; Recombinant Proteins/biosynthesis; Recombinant Proteins/genetics; Recombinant Proteins/isolation & purification; Recombinant Proteins/chemistry; Sucrose/chemistry; Ultracentrifugation
  11. Paronychia induced by the epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor cetuximab
    Lee SL, Tan BS, Chan LC
    J Oncol Pharm Pract, 2013 Sep;19(3):273-8.
    PMID: 23161875 DOI: 10.1177/1078155212461289
    While the development of epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors has been hailed as a remarkable triumph in the field of oncology, it has inherited with it a host of cutaneous side-effects that have been increasingly observed in a substantial number of patients in the recent years. One cutaneous manifestation that may inflict significant pain and affect activities of daily living among some of the patients receiving epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors is paronychia. A case of paronychia associated with the use of cetuximab in the management of KRAS wild-type midrectal adenocarcinoma along with its management has been described.
    MeSH terms: Cetuximab; Adenocarcinoma/drug therapy; Adenocarcinoma/enzymology; Adult; Antineoplastic Agents/adverse effects*; Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use; Female; Humans; Paronychia/chemically induced*; Paronychia/enzymology; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor/antagonists & inhibitors*; Rectal Neoplasms/drug therapy; Rectal Neoplasms/enzymology; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized/adverse effects*; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized/therapeutic use
  12. Long-term performance evaluation of EBPR process in tropical climate: start-up, process stability, and the effect of operational pH and influent C:P ratio
    Ong YH, Chua AS, Lee BP, Ngoh GC
    Water Sci Technol, 2013;67(2):340-6.
    PMID: 23168633 DOI: 10.2166/wst.2012.552
    To date, little information is known about the operation of the enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) process in tropical climates. Along with the global concerns on nutrient pollution and the increasing array of local regulatory requirements, the applicability and compliance accountability of the EBPR process for sewage treatment in tropical climates is being evaluated. A sequencing batch reactor (SBR) inoculated with seed sludge from a conventional activated sludge (CAS) process was successfully acclimatized to EBPR conditions at 28 °C after 13 days' operation. Enrichment of Candidatus Accumulibacter phosphatis in the SBR was confirmed through fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). The effects of operational pH and influent C:P ratio on EBPR were then investigated. At pH 7 or pH 8, phosphorus removal rates of the EBPR processes were relatively higher when operated at C:P ratio of 3 than C:P ratio of 10, with 0.019-0.020 and 0.011-0.012 g-P/g-MLVSS•day respectively. One-year operation of the 28 °C EBPR process at C:P ratio of 3 and pH 8 demonstrated stable phosphorus removal rate of 0.020 ± 0.003 g-P/g-MLVSS•day, corresponding to effluent with phosphorus concentration <0.5 mg/L. This study provides the first evidence on good EBPR activity at relatively high temperature, indicating its applicability in a tropical climate.
    MeSH terms: Anaerobiosis; Biodegradation, Environmental; Carbon/analysis*; Feasibility Studies; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Malaysia; Organic Chemicals/analysis; Phosphates/analysis; Phosphorus/analysis*; Phosphorus/isolation & purification*; Sewage; Solubility; Time Factors; Tropical Climate*; Bioreactors/microbiology; Environmental Restoration and Remediation/methods*; Environmental Restoration and Remediation/standards*; Batch Cell Culture Techniques
  13. Verification of equations for incipient motion studies for a rigid rectangular channel
    Bong CH, Lau TL, Ghani AA
    Water Sci Technol, 2013;67(2):395-403.
    PMID: 23168641 DOI: 10.2166/wst.2012.580
    The current study aims to verify the existing equations for incipient motion for a rigid rectangular channel. Data from experimental work on incipient motion from a rectangular flume with two different widths, namely 0.3 and 0.6 m, were compared with the critical velocity value predicted by the equations of Novak & Nalluri and El-Zaemey. The equation by El-Zaemey performed better with an average discrepancy ratio value of 1.06 compared with the equation by Novak & Nalluri with an average discrepancy ratio value of 0.87. However, as the sediment deposit thickness increased, the equation by El-Zaemey became less accurate. A plot on the Shields Diagram using the experimental data had shown the significant effect of the sediment deposit thickness where, as the deposit becomes thicker, the dimensionless shear stress θ value also increased. A new equation had been proposed by incorporating the sediment deposit thickness. The new equation gave improved prediction with an average discrepancy ratio value of 1.02.
    MeSH terms: Drainage, Sanitary*; Models, Theoretical*; Motion*; Reproducibility of Results; Geologic Sediments/chemistry*
  14. The prevalence and correlates of alcohol use disorder amongst bipolar patients in a hospital setting, Malaysia
    Yee HA, Loh HS, Ng CG
    Int J Psychiatry Clin Pract, 2013 Oct;17(4):292-7.
    PMID: 23170840 DOI: 10.3109/13651501.2012.752012
    To determine the prevalence of alcohol-use disorder and associated correlates amongst bipolar patients in a university hospital in Malaysia.
    MeSH terms: Adult; Alcoholism/epidemiology*; Bipolar Disorder/epidemiology*; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Hospitalization/statistics & numerical data*; Hospitals, University*; Humans; Interview, Psychological; Malaysia/epidemiology; Male; Risk Factors; Severity of Illness Index; Suicide, Attempted/statistics & numerical data*; Prevalence; Sex Distribution; Asian Continental Ancestry Group/statistics & numerical data; Kaplan-Meier Estimate
  15. Association of ethnicity and acute kidney injury after cardiac surgery in a South East Asian population
    Chew ST, Mar WM, Ti LK
    Br J Anaesth, 2013 Mar;110(3):397-401.
    PMID: 23171723 DOI: 10.1093/bja/aes415
    BACKGROUND: Postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) is a frequent and serious complication after cardiac surgery. Clinical factors alone have failed to accurately predict the incidence of AKI after cardiac surgery. Ethnicity has been shown to be a predictor of AKI in the Western population. We tested the hypothesis that ethnicity is an independent predictor of AKI in patients undergoing cardiac surgery in a South East Asian population.

    METHODS: A total of 1756 consecutive patients undergoing cardiac surgery were prospectively recruited. Among them, data of 1639 patients met the criteria for analysis. There were 1182 Chinese, 195 Indian, and 262 Malay patients. The main outcome was postoperative AKI, defined as a 25% or greater increase in preoperative to a maximum postoperative serum creatinine level within 3 days after surgery.

    RESULTS: Five hundred and seventy-nine patients (35.3%) developed AKI after cardiac surgery. Ethnicity was shown to be an independent predictor of AKI after cardiac surgery with Indians and Malays having a higher risk of developing AKI when compared with Chinese patients (odds ratio: Indian vs Chinese 1.44, Malay vs Chinese 1.51).

    CONCLUSIONS: Indians and Malays have a higher risk of developing AKI after cardiac surgery than Chinese in a South East Asian population. Ethnicity was shown to be an independent predictor of AKI after cardiac surgery.

    MeSH terms: Aged; Anesthesia; Cardiopulmonary Bypass; Creatinine/blood; Ethnic Groups*; Female; Cardiac Surgical Procedures/adverse effects*; Humans; India/ethnology; Kidney Function Tests; Malaysia/ethnology; Male; Middle Aged; Perfusion; Postoperative Complications/epidemiology*; Risk Factors; Singapore; Multivariate Analysis; Treatment Outcome; Asian Continental Ancestry Group; Acute Kidney Injury/epidemiology*; Perioperative Period
  16. Flavonoids and linderone from Lindera oxyphylla and their bioactivities
    Hosseinzadeh M, Hadi AH, Mohamad J, Khalilzadeh MA, Cheahd SC, Fadaeinasab M
    Comb Chem High Throughput Screen, 2013 Feb;16(2):160-6.
    PMID: 23173924
    A new linderone A, namely 2-cinnamoyl-3-hydroxy-4, 5-dimethoxycyclopenta-2, 4-dienone (5), together with three known flavonoids (1-3) and one linderone (4), were isolated from the bark of Lindera oxyphylla. Extensive spectroscopic analysis including 1D and 2D-NMR spectra determined their sturctures. In addition, the antioxidant activity of all the compounds has been determined using 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging (DPPH), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and ferrous ion chelating (FIC) methods. Compound 3 showed excellent DPPH scavenging activity with IC50% value of 8.5 ± 0.004% (μg/mL) which is comparable with vitamin C. This compound, also showed an absorbance value of 1.00 ± 0.06% through FRAP test when compared with Butyl Hydroxy Aniline (BHA). However, FIC showed low activity for all the isolated compounds (chelating activity less than 50%) in comparison with ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA). Anticancer activity for all compounds has also been measured on A375 human melanoma, HT-29 colon adenocarcinoma, MCF-7 human breast adenocarcinoma cells, WRL-68 normal hepatic cells, A549 non-small cell lung cancer cells and PC-3 prostate adenocarcinoma cell line. Compound 1 showed A549=65.03%, PC-3=30.12%, MCF-7=47.67, compound 2 showed PC-3=90.13%, compound 3 showed MCF-7=79.57 and for compound 5 MCF-7 is 96.33.
    MeSH terms: Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology; Antineoplastic Agents/chemistry*; Antioxidants/pharmacology; Antioxidants/chemistry*; Biphenyl Compounds/chemistry; Cell Line; Cell Survival/drug effects; Chelating Agents/pharmacology; Chelating Agents/chemistry; Flavonoids/pharmacology; Flavonoids/chemistry*; Free Radicals/chemistry; Humans; Neoplasms/drug therapy; Picrates/chemistry; Lindera/chemistry*; Cell Line, Tumor
  17. Polysaccharide-anchored fatty acid liposome
    Tan HW, Misran M
    Int J Pharm, 2013 Jan 30;441(1-2):414-23.
    PMID: 23174410 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2012.11.013
    In this study, the preparation of N-pamitoyl chitosan (ChP) anchored oleic acid (OA) liposome was demonstrated. Two different types of water-soluble ChPs with different degrees of acylation (DA) were selected for this study. The presence of ChPs on the surface of OA liposome was confirmed with their micrographs and physicochemical properties. The "peeling off" effect on the surface of the ChP-anchored OA (OAChP) liposomes was observed on the atomic force microscope micrographs and confirmed the presence of the ChPs layer on the liposome surface. The surface tension of the OAChPs liposome solution was found to be higher than that of the OA liposome solution. This result indicated the removal of OA monomer by ChPs from the air-water interface. The increase in the minimum area per headgroup (A(min)) of the OA with the presence of ChPs has further proved the interaction between OA monomer and the hydrophobic moieties of the ChPs. The ChPs anchored onto the OA monolayer increased the curvature of the OAChP liposomes monolayer and reduced the liposome size. The size of the OAChP liposomes was reduced by 30 nm as compared with the unmodified OA liposome. Results revealed that the anchored ChPs can improve the integrity and rigidity of the OA liposome.
    MeSH terms: Liposomes; Particle Size; Solubility; Surface Tension; Drug Delivery Systems*; Microscopy, Atomic Force; Oleic Acid/chemistry*; Chitosan/analogs & derivatives*; Chitosan/chemistry; Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions
  18. Fulltext Polyhydroxyalkanoate biosynthesis and simplified polymer recovery by a novel moderately halophilic bacterium isolated from hypersaline microbial mats
    Rathi DN, Amir HG, Abed RM, Kosugi A, Arai T, Sulaiman O, et al.
    J Appl Microbiol, 2013 Feb;114(2):384-95.
    PMID: 23176757 DOI: 10.1111/jam.12083
    Halophilic micro-organisms have received much interest because of their potential biotechnological applications, among which is the capability of some strains to synthesize polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA). Halomonas sp. SK5, which was isolated from hypersaline microbial mats, accumulated intracellular granules of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) [P(3HB)] in modified accumulation medium supplemented with 10% (w/v) salinity and 3% (w/v) glucose.
    MeSH terms: Culture Media; Molecular Weight; Polyesters/metabolism; Seawater; Biomass; Halomonas/growth & development; Halomonas/isolation & purification; Halomonas/metabolism*; Salinity; Polyhydroxyalkanoates/biosynthesis*; Polyhydroxyalkanoates/isolation & purification; Polyhydroxyalkanoates/chemistry
  19. Keloid pathogenesis via Drosophila similar to mothers against decapentaplegic (SMAD) signaling in a primary epithelial-mesenchymal in vitro model treated with biomedical-grade chitosan porous skin regenerating template
    Lim CK, Halim AS, Yaacob NS, Zainol I, Noorsal K
    J Biosci Bioeng, 2013 Apr;115(4):453-8.
    PMID: 23177217 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiosc.2012.10.010
    The effects of locally produced chitosan (CPSRT-NC-bicarbonate) in the intervention of keloid pathogenesis were investigated in vitro. A human keratinocyte-fibroblast co-culture model was established to investigate the protein levels of human collagen type-I, III and V in a western blotting analysis, the secreted transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and the mRNA levels of TGF-β1's intracellular signaling molecules (SMAD2, 3, 4 and 7) in a real-time PCR analysis. Keratinocyte-fibroblast co-cultures were maintained in DKSFM:DMEM:F12 (2:2:1) medium. Collagen type-I was found to be the dominant form in primary normal human dermal fibroblast (pNHDF) co-cultures, whereas collagen type-III was more abundant in primary keloid-derived human dermal fibroblast (pKHDF) co-cultures. Collagen type-V was present as a minor component in the skin. TGF-β1, SMAD2 and SMAD4 were expressed more in the pKHDF than the pNHDF co-cultures. Co-cultures with normal keratinocytes suppressed collagen type-III, SMAD2, SMAD4 and TGF-β1 expressions and CPSRT-NC-bicarbonate enhanced this effect. In conclusion, the CPSRT-NC-bicarbonate in association with normal-derived keratinocytes demonstrated an ability to reduce TGF-β1, SMAD2 and SMAD4 expressions in keloid-derived fibroblast cultures, which may be useful in keloid intervention.
    MeSH terms: Biocompatible Materials/pharmacology*; Cells, Cultured; Fibroblasts/drug effects; Fibroblasts/metabolism*; Humans; Keloid/metabolism*; Mesoderm/cytology; Models, Biological; Regeneration; Skin Physiological Phenomena; Signal Transduction/drug effects; Keratinocytes/drug effects; Keratinocytes/metabolism*; Coculture Techniques; Dermis/cytology; Collagen Type I/metabolism; Collagen Type III/metabolism; Collagen Type V/metabolism; Chitosan/pharmacology*; Smad Proteins/genetics; Smad Proteins/metabolism*; Transforming Growth Factor beta1/metabolism
  20. Steroids from Dysoxylum grande (Meliaceae) leaves
    Wah LK, Abas F, Cordell GA, Ito H, Ismail IS
    Steroids, 2013 Feb;78(2):210-9.
    PMID: 23178158 DOI: 10.1016/j.steroids.2012.09.011
    Seven new 23-oxo-cholestane derivatives named as grandol A (1), B (2), C (3), D (4), E (5), F (6), and G (7) were isolated from Dysoxylum grande leaves alongside with a new 3,4-secodammar-4(28)-en-3-oic acid derivative (8). The structures of the compounds were elucidated based on the interpretation of spectroscopic data, and their relative configurations were established by NOESY 2D NMR data. All of the isolates were tested for anti-acetylcholinesterase activity using thin layer chromatography (TLC)-bioautography with fast blue B salt. Only grandol A (1) and B (2) showed positive results, with clear discoloration at a concentration of 12.5 ppm. However, the obtained IC(50) values for grandol A and B, when using Ellman's method, were not significant (>200 μg/ml).
    MeSH terms: Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Steroids/isolation & purification*; Steroids/chemistry; Plant Leaves/chemistry*; Meliaceae/chemistry*
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