Browse publications by year: 2014

SRJ23, a new semisynthetic andrographolide derivative: in vitro growth inhibition and mechanisms of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in prostate cancer cells

Wong HC, Wong CC, Sagineedu SR, Loke SC, Lajis NH, Stanslas J

Cell Biol Toxicol, 2014 Oct;30(5):269-88.
PMID: 25070834 DOI: 10.1007/s10565-014-9282-5

3,19-(3-Chloro-4-fluorobenzylidene)andrographolide (SRJ23), a new semisynthetic derivative of andrographolide (AGP), exhibited selectivity against prostate cancer cells in the US National Cancer Institute (NCI) in vitro anti-cancer screen. Herein, we report the in vitro growth inhibition and mechanisms of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis induced by SRJ23.

MeSH terms: Animals; Diterpenes/pharmacology*; Guinea Pigs; Humans; Male; Prostatic Neoplasms/drug therapy*; Prostatic Neoplasms/metabolism; Down-Regulation/drug effects; Apoptosis/drug effects*; Cyclin-Dependent Kinases/metabolism; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2/metabolism; Cyclin D1/metabolism; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Proliferation/drug effects*; bcl-2-Associated X Protein/metabolism; Caspase 8/metabolism; Caspase 9/metabolism; DNA Fragmentation/drug effects; Cell Cycle Checkpoints/drug effects*
Fulltext Rubus fruticosus L.: constituents, biological activities and health related uses

Zia-Ul-Haq M, Riaz M, De Feo V, Jaafar HZ, Moga M

Molecules, 2014 Jul 28;19(8):10998-1029.
PMID: 25072202 DOI: 10.3390/molecules190810998

Rubus fruticosus L. is a shrub famous for its fruit called blackberry fruit or more commonly blackberry. The fruit has medicinal, cosmetic and nutritive value. It is a concentrated source of valuable nutrients, as well as bioactive constituents of therapeutic interest highlighting its importance as a functional food. Besides use as a fresh fruit, it is also used as ingredient in cooked dishes, salads and bakery products like jams, snacks, desserts, and fruit preserves. R. fruticosus contains vitamins, steroids and lipids in seed oil and minerals, flavonoids, glycosides, terpenes, acids and tannins in aerial parts that possess diverse pharmacological activities such as antioxidant, anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial anti-diabetic, anti-diarrheal, and antiviral. Various agrogeoclimatological factors like cultivar, environmental conditions of the area, agronomic practices employed, harvest time, post-harvest storage and processing techniques all influence the nutritional composition of blackberry fruit. This review focuses on the nutrients and chemical constituents as well as medicinal properties of different parts of R. fruticosus. Various cultivars and their physicochemical characteristics, polyphenolic content and ascorbic acid content are also discussed. The information in the present work will serve as baseline data and may lead to new biomedical applications of R. fruticosus as functional food.

MeSH terms: Fruit/chemistry; Nutritive Value; Plant Extracts/pharmacology*; Plant Extracts/chemistry*; Plants, Medicinal/chemistry; Phytochemicals/chemistry; Rubus/chemistry*
Fulltext Comparison of reduced-intensity and myeloablative conditioning regimens for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in patients with acute myeloid leukemia and acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a meta-analysis

Abdul Wahid SF, Ismail NA, Mohd-Idris MR, Jamaluddin FW, Tumian N, Sze-Wei EY, et al.

Stem Cells Dev, 2014 Nov 1;23(21):2535-52.
PMID: 25072307 DOI: 10.1089/scd.2014.0123

Currently, the indications to perform reduced-intensity conditioning allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (RIC-HCT) are based on data derived mainly from large registry and single-centre retrospective studies. Thus, at the present time, there is limited direct evidence supporting the current practice in selecting patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) for RIC versus myeloablative conditioning (MAC) transplants. To determine the relationship between dose intensity of conditioning regimen and survival outcomes after allografting in AML/ALL patients, we performed a meta-analysis of 23 clinical trials reported between 1990 and 2013 involving 15,258 adult patients that compare survival outcomes after RIC-HCT versus MAC-HCT. RIC-HCT resulted in comparable <2-year and 2-6 year overall survival (OS) rates post-transplantation even though the RIC-HCT recipients were older and had more active disease than MAC-HCT recipients. The 2-6 year progression-free survival (PFS), nonrelapse mortality, acute graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) and chronic GvHD rates were reduced after RIC-HCT, but relapse rate was increased. Similar outcomes were observed regardless of disease type and status at transplantation. Odds ratio for all outcomes remained comparable with or without performing separate analyses for the year of HCT and for retrospective versus prospective studies. Among RIC-HCT recipients, survival rates were superior if patients were in CR at transplantation. Significant inter-study heterogeneity for aGvHD data and publication bias for PFS data were observed. This meta-analysis showed no OS benefit of MAC-HCT over RIC-HCT across the entire cohort of patients suggesting that RIC-HCT could be an effective therapeutic option for AML/ALL patients who are ineligible for MAC-HCT and CR status is preferred before RIC-HCT.

MeSH terms: Acute Disease; Graft vs Host Disease/diagnosis; Humans; Leukemia, Myeloid/therapy*; Transplantation, Homologous; Treatment Outcome; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation/methods*; Disease-Free Survival; Transplantation Conditioning/methods*; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma/therapy*
Fulltext A selective ultrahigh responding high temperature ethanol sensor using TiO2 nanoparticles

Arafat MM, Haseeb AS, Akbar SA

Sensors (Basel), 2014;14(8):13613-27.
PMID: 25072346 DOI: 10.3390/s140813613

In this research work, the sensitivity of TiO2 nanoparticles towards C2H5OH, H2 and CH4 gases was investigated. The morphology and phase content of the particles was preserved during sensing tests by prior heat treatment of the samples at temperatures as high as 750 °C and 1000 °C. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis were employed to characterize the size, morphology and phase content of the particles. For sensor fabrication, a film of TiO2 was printed on a Au interdigitated alumina substrate. The sensing temperature was varied from 450 °C to 650 °C with varying concentrations of target gases. Results show that the sensor has ultrahigh response towards ethanol (C2H5OH) compared to hydrogen (H2) and methane (CH4). The optimum sensing temperature was found to be 600 °C. The response and recovery times of the sensor are 3 min and 15 min, respectively, for 20 ppm C2H5OH at the optimum operating temperature of 600 °C. It is proposed that the catalytic action of TiO2 with C2H5OH is the reason for the ultrahigh response of the sensor.

MeSH terms: Ethanol/chemistry*; Aluminum Oxide/chemistry; Hot Temperature; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning/methods; Titanium/chemistry*; X-Ray Diffraction/methods; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission/methods; Nanoparticles/chemistry*
Platelet-rich plasma injections for the treatment of hamstring injuries: a randomized controlled trial

A Hamid MS, Mohamed Ali MR, Yusof A, George J, Lee LP

Am J Sports Med, 2014 Oct;42(10):2410-8.
PMID: 25073598 DOI: 10.1177/0363546514541540

BACKGROUND: A hamstring injury is one of the most common types of injury affecting athletes. Despite this, the optimal management of hamstring muscle injuries is not yet defined. The effect of autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy on the recovery of hamstring injuries is unclear.
PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of a single PRP injection in the treatment of grade 2 hamstring muscle injuries.
STUDY DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 2.
METHODS: Twenty-eight patients diagnosed with an acute hamstring injury were randomly allocated to autologous PRP therapy combined with a rehabilitation program or a rehabilitation program only. The primary outcome of this study was time to return to play. In addition, changes in pain severity and pain interference scores over time were examined.
RESULTS: Patients in the PRP group achieved full recovery significantly earlier than controls (P = .02). The mean time to return to play was 26.7 ± 7.0 days and 42.5 ± 20.6 days for the PRP and control groups, respectively (t(22) = 2.50, P = .02). [corrected]. Significantly lower pain severity scores were observed in the PRP group throughout the study. However, no significant difference in the pain interference score was found between the 2 groups.
CONCLUSION: A single autologous PRP injection combined with a rehabilitation program was significantly more effective in treating hamstring injuries than a rehabilitation program alone.
KEYWORDS: management; muscle injury; platelet-rich plasma (PRP); return to play

MeSH terms: Adolescent; Adult; Athletic Injuries/therapy*; Exercise Therapy; Female; Humans; Injections, Intramuscular; Male; Middle Aged; Pain Measurement; Regression Analysis; Time Factors; Single-Blind Method; Platelet Transfusion/methods; Muscle, Skeletal/injuries*; Recovery of Function; Lower Extremity/injuries*; Platelet-Rich Plasma*
Fulltext The genome of the Tiger Milk mushroom, Lignosus rhinocerotis, provides insights into the genetic basis of its medicinal properties

Yap HY, Chooi YH, Firdaus-Raih M, Fung SY, Ng ST, Tan CS, et al.

BMC Genomics, 2014;15:635.
PMID: 25073817 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-15-635

The sclerotium of Lignosus rhinocerotis (Cooke) Ryvarden or Tiger milk mushroom (Polyporales, Basidiomycota) is a valuable folk medicine for indigenous peoples in Southeast Asia. Despite the increasing interest in this ethnobotanical mushroom, very little is known about the molecular and genetic basis of its medicinal and nutraceutical properties.

MeSH terms: Fungal Proteins/genetics; Fungal Proteins/metabolism; Genes, Fungal/genetics; Medicine, East Asian Traditional*; Phylogeny; Polysaccharides/genetics; Polysaccharides/metabolism; Polyporales/genetics*; Polyporales/metabolism; Genomics*
Fulltext Malaria in Hadhramout, a southeast province of Yemen: prevalence, risk factors, knowledge, attitude and practices (KAPs)

Bamaga OA, Mahdy MA, Mahmud R, Lim YA

Parasit Vectors, 2014;7:351.
PMID: 25074325 DOI: 10.1186/1756-3305-7-351

Yemen is a Mediterranean country where 65% of its population is at risk of malaria, with 43% at high risk. Yemen is still in the control phase without sustainable reduction in the proportion of malaria cases. A cross-sectional household survey was carried out in different districts in the southeast of the country to determine malaria prevalence and identify factors that impede progress of the elimination phase.

MeSH terms: Adolescent; Adult; Child; Child, Preschool; Data Collection; Female; Humans; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Male; Surveys and Questionnaires; Risk Factors; Yemen/epidemiology; Malaria, Falciparum/epidemiology*; Malaria, Vivax/epidemiology*
Fulltext A three-dimensional collagen construct to model lipopolysaccharide-induced activation of BV2 microglia

Haw RT, Tong CK, Yew A, Lee HC, Phillips JB, Vidyadaran S

J Neuroinflammation, 2014 Jul 30;11:134.
PMID: 25074682 DOI: 10.1186/1742-2094-11-134

BACKGROUND: We report a novel method of culturing microglia in three dimension (3D) using collagen as a substrate. By culturing microglia within a matrix, we aim to emulate the physical state of microglia embedded within parenchyma.
METHODS: BV2 microglia cell suspensions were prepared with type I collagen and cast into culture plates. To characterise the BV2 microglia cultured in 3D, the cultures were evaluated for their viability, cell morphology and response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) activation. Conventional monolayer cultures (grown on uncoated and collagen-coated polystyrene) were set up concurrently for comparison.
RESULTS: BV2 microglia in 3D collagen matrices were viable at 48 hrs of culture and exhibit a ramified morphology with multiplanar cytoplasmic projections. Following stimulation with 1 μg/ml LPS, microglia cultured in 3D collagen gels increase their expression of nitric oxide (NO) and CD40, indicating their capacity to become activated within the matrix. Up to 97.8% of BV2 microglia grown in 3D cultures gained CD40 positivity in response to LPS, compared to approximately 60% of cells grown in a monolayer (P

MeSH terms: Animals; Cell Line, Transformed; Collagen/metabolism*; Collagen/ultrastructure; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase/metabolism; Lipopolysaccharides/pharmacology*; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Models, Biological*; Cytokines/genetics; Cytokines/metabolism; Microglia/cytology*; Microglia/drug effects*; Microglia/ultrastructure; Antigens, CD40/metabolism; Imaging, Three-Dimensional*; Lectins/metabolism; Mice
Mechanisms of action of 17βH-neriifolin on its anticancer effect in SKOV-3 ovarian cancer cell line

Mutalip SS, Yunos NM, Abdul-Rahman PS, Jauri MH, Osman A, Adenan MI

Anticancer Res, 2014 Aug;34(8):4141-51.
PMID: 25075041

AIM: Abnormalities in apoptotic signalling pathways often occur in cancer cells and limit the successful chemotherapy outcomes in cancers. Therefore, there is an urgent need to discover new anticancer agents with novel mechanisms of action to overcome the resistance effect in chemotherapy.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the present study, the anticancer effects and the mechanisms of action of 17βH-neriifolin (cardiac glycoside) were evaluated by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay and a proteomic approach in treated and non-treated SKOV-3 ovarian cancer cells.
RESULTS: 17βH-neriifolin was found to be active with IC50 values of 0.01 ± 0.001 in SKOV-3 ovarian cancer cell line, as evaluated by the sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay. RESULTS from TUNEL assay indicated that 17βH-neriifolin caused apoptosis in SKOV-3 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Based on differential analysis of treated and non-treated SKOV-3 two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) profiles, four proteins, namely vimentin (VIM), pyruvate kinase, muscle (PKM), heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A1 (HNRNPA1) and transgelin (TAGLN1) were identified to be involved in apoptosis. Other proteins including piggybac transposable element derived 5 (PGBD5), DENN/MADD domain containing 2D (DENND2D) and formin-like 1(FMNL) have also been identified to be associated in SKOV-3 cell death induced by 17βH-neriifolin.
CONCLUSION: These findings may provide new insights on the potential of 17βH-neriifolin's mechanism of action in killing ovarian cancer cells.

MeSH terms: Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology*; Cardenolides/pharmacology*; Carrier Proteins/physiology; Female; Humans; Membrane Proteins/physiology; Microfilament Proteins/physiology; Muscle Proteins/physiology; Ovarian Neoplasms/drug therapy*; Ovarian Neoplasms/pathology; Thyroid Hormones/physiology; Apoptosis/drug effects; Heterogeneous-Nuclear Ribonucleoprotein Group A-B/physiology; Cell Line, Tumor
Fulltext Gene clusters of Hafnia alvei strain FB1 important in survival and pathogenesis: a draft genome perspective

Tan JY, Yin WF, Chan KG

Gut Pathog, 2014;6:29.
PMID: 25075225 DOI: 10.1186/1757-4749-6-29

Hafnia alvei is an opportunistic pathogen involved in various types of nosocomical infections. The species has been found to inhabit food and mammalian guts. However, its status as an enteropathogen, and whether the food-inhabiting strains could be a source of gastrointestinal infection remains obscure. In this report we present a draft genome of H. alvei strain FB1 isolated from fish paste meatball, a food popular among Malaysian and Chinese populations. The data was generated on the Illumina MiSeq platform.

MeSH terms: Animals; Communicable Diseases; Fishes; Food; Mammals; Hafnia alvei
Fulltext Adaptive neuro-fuzzy methodology for noise assessment of wind turbine

Shamshirband S, Petković D, Hashim R, Motamedi S

PLoS One, 2014;9(7):e103414.
PMID: 25075621 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0103414

Wind turbine noise is one of the major obstacles for the widespread use of wind energy. Noise tone can greatly increase the annoyance factor and the negative impact on human health. Noise annoyance caused by wind turbines has become an emerging problem in recent years, due to the rapid increase in number of wind turbines, triggered by sustainable energy goals set forward at the national and international level. Up to now, not all aspects of the generation, propagation and perception of wind turbine noise are well understood. For a modern large wind turbine, aerodynamic noise from the blades is generally considered to be the dominant noise source, provided that mechanical noise is adequately eliminated. The sources of aerodynamic noise can be divided into tonal noise, inflow turbulence noise, and airfoil self-noise. Many analytical and experimental acoustical studies performed the wind turbines. Since the wind turbine noise level analyzing by numerical methods or computational fluid dynamics (CFD) could be very challenging and time consuming, soft computing techniques are preferred. To estimate noise level of wind turbine, this paper constructed a process which simulates the wind turbine noise levels in regard to wind speed and sound frequency with adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS). This intelligent estimator is implemented using Matlab/Simulink and the performances are investigated. The simulation results presented in this paper show the effectiveness of the developed method.

MeSH terms: Algorithms; Humans; Models, Theoretical*; Wind*
Fulltext Oscillation theorems for second order nonlinear forced differential equations

Salhin AA, Din UK, Ahmad RR, Noorani MS

Springerplus, 2014;3:300.
PMID: 25077054 DOI: 10.1186/2193-1801-3-300

In this paper, a class of second order forced nonlinear differential equation is considered and several new oscillation theorems are obtained. Our results generalize and improve those known ones in the literature.
Photodynamic characterization of amino acid conjugated 15(1)-hydroxypurpurin-7-lactone for cancer treatment

Lim SH, Yam ML, Lam ML, Kamarulzaman FA, Samat N, Kiew LV, et al.

Mol Pharm, 2014 Sep 2;11(9):3164-73.
PMID: 25077598 DOI: 10.1021/mp500351s

This study aims to improve the photodynamic properties and biological effectiveness of 15(1)-hydroxypurpurin-7-lactone dimethyl ester (G2), a semisynthetic photosensitizer, for the PDT treatment of cancer. The strategy we undertook was by conjugating G2 with aspartic acid and lysine amino acid moieties. The photophysical properties, singlet oxygen generation, distribution coefficiency (Log D in octanol/PBS pH 7.4), and photostability of these analogues and their in vitro bioactivities such as cellular uptake, intracellular localization, and photoinduced cytotoxicity were evaluated. In addition, selected analogues were also investigated for their PDT-induced vasculature occlusion in the chick chorioallantoic membrane model and for their antitumor efficacies in Balb/C mice bearing 4T1 mouse mammary tumor. From the study, conjugation with aspartic acid improved the aqueous solubility of G2 without affecting its photophysical characteristics. G2-Asp showed similar in vitro and in vivo antitumor efficacies compared to the parent compound. Given the hydrophilic nature of G2-Asp, the photosensitizer is a pharmaceutically advantageous candidate as it can be formulated easily for systemic administration and has reduced risk of aggregation in vascular system.

MeSH terms: Amino Acids/pharmacology*; Amino Acids/chemistry*; Animals; Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology; Antineoplastic Agents/chemistry; Female; Humans; Lactones/pharmacology*; Lactones/chemistry*; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Photochemotherapy/methods; Porphyrins/pharmacology*; Porphyrins/chemistry*; Tumor Cells, Cultured; Mammary Neoplasms, Animal/drug therapy; Photosensitizing Agents/pharmacology; Photosensitizing Agents/chemistry; Singlet Oxygen/pharmacology; Singlet Oxygen/chemistry; Mice
Fulltext Cloning and characterisation of multiple ferritin isoforms in the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

Lee JH, Pooley NJ, Mohd-Adnan A, Martin SA

PLoS One, 2014;9(7):e103729.
PMID: 25078784 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0103729

Ferritin is a highly-conserved iron-storage protein that has also been identified as an acute phase protein within the innate immune system. The iron-storage function is mediated through complementary roles played by heavy (H)-chain subunit as well as the light (L) in mammals or middle (M)-chain in teleosts, respectively. In this study, we report the identification of five ferritin subunits (H1, H2, M1, M2, M3) in the Atlantic salmon that were supported by the presence of iron-regulatory regions, gene structure, conserved domains and phylogenetic analysis. Tissue distribution analysis across eight different tissues showed that each of these isoforms is differentially expressed. We also examined the expression of the ferritin isoforms in the liver and kidney of juvenile Atlantic salmon that was challenged with Aeromonas salmonicida as well as in muscle cell culture stimulated with interleukin-1β. We found that each isoform displayed unique expression profiles, and in certain conditions the expressions between the isoforms were completely diametrical to each other. Our study is the first report of multiple ferritin isoforms from both the H- and M-chains in a vertebrate species, as well as ferritin isoforms that showed decreased expression in response to infection. Taken together, the results of our study suggest the possibility of functional differences between the H- and M-chain isoforms in terms of tissue localisation, transcriptional response to bacterial exposure and stimulation by specific immune factors.

MeSH terms: Animals; Base Sequence; Cell Line; Cloning, Molecular; Female; Ferritins/genetics*; Ferritins/metabolism; Kidney/metabolism; Liver/metabolism; Male; Molecular Sequence Data; Organ Specificity; Phylogeny; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Protein Isoforms/genetics; Protein Isoforms/metabolism; Salmo salar/genetics*; Salmo salar/metabolism; Fish Proteins/genetics*; Fish Proteins/metabolism
A new chitinase-producer strain Streptomyces glauciniger WICC-A03: isolation and identification as a biocontrol agent for plants phytopathogenic fungi

Awad HM, El-Enshasy HA, Hanapi SZ, Hamed ER, Rosidi B

Nat Prod Res, 2014;28(24):2273-7.
PMID: 25078877 DOI: 10.1080/14786419.2014.939083

This study discusses the isolation and identification of a new Streptomycetes highly active chitinase producer. Fifteen strains were isolated from Malaysian soil samples. The isolate WICC-A03 was found to be the most active chitinase producer. Its antifungal activity was evaluated against many phytopathogens. The identification of WICC-A03 using phenotypic and genotypic methods strongly indicated that strain WICC-A03 belonged to the genus Streptomyces and displayed similarity (91%) with Streptomyces glauciniger. Thus, it was given the suggested name S. glauciniger WICC-A03 with accession number: JX139754. WICC-A03 produces extracellular chitinase in a medium containing 1.5% colloidal chitin in submerged culture on 144 h. The produced enzyme was partially characterised and its molecular weight of 50 kDa was determined by using SDS-PAGE. This study indicates that WICC-A03 is a potential chitinase producer for biocontrol of plant pathogens. Further experiments are being carried out to optimise medium composition and cultivation conditions under lab and bioreactor scale.

MeSH terms: Antifungal Agents/isolation & purification*; Chitin/metabolism; Chitinase/genetics*; Chitinase/metabolism*; Fungi; Malaysia; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Plant Diseases/microbiology*; Soil Microbiology; Streptomyces/enzymology*; Streptomyces/genetics*; Streptomyces/isolation & purification
Effects of aeration rate on degradation process of oil palm empty fruit bunch with kinetic-dynamic modeling

Talib AT, Mokhtar MN, Baharuddin AS, Sulaiman A

Bioresour Technol, 2014 Oct;169:428-38.
PMID: 25079208 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2014.07.033

The effect of different aeration rates on the organic matter (OM) degradation during the active phase of oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB)-rabbit manure co-composting process under constant forced-aeration system has been studied. Four different aeration rates, 0.13 L min(-1) kg(DM)(-1),0.26 L min(-1) kg(DM)(-1),0.49 L min(-1) kg(DM)(-1) and 0.74 L min(-1) kg(DM)(-1) were applied. 0.26 L min(-1) kg(DM)(-1) provided enough oxygen level (10%) for the rest of composting period, showing 40.5% of OM reduction that is better than other aeration rates. A dynamic mathematical model describing OM degradation, based on the ratio between OM content and initial OM content with correction functions of moisture content, free air space, oxygen and temperature has been proposed.

MeSH terms: Aerobiosis; Animals; Biodegradation, Environmental; Carbon/analysis; Electric Conductivity; Fruit/chemistry*; Humidity; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Kinetics; Models, Theoretical*; Nitrogen/analysis; Organic Chemicals/isolation & purification; Oxygen; Rabbits; Soil/chemistry; Temperature; Thermogravimetry; Arecaceae/chemistry*
Fulltext Inhibition of euchromatic histone methyltransferase 1 and 2 sensitizes chronic myeloid leukemia cells to interferon treatment

Loh SW, Ng WL, Yeo KS, Lim YY, Ea CK

PLoS One, 2014;9(7):e103915.
PMID: 25079219 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0103915

H3K9 methylation is one of the essential histone post-translational modifications for heterochromatin formation and transcriptional repression. Recently, several studies have demonstrated that H3K9 methylation negatively regulates the type I interferon response.

MeSH terms: Imatinib Mesylate; Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology*; Azepines/pharmacology*; Benzamides/pharmacology; Drug Synergism; HeLa Cells; Histocompatibility Antigens/metabolism*; Humans; Interferon Type I/pharmacology*; Piperazines/pharmacology; Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase/antagonists & inhibitors; Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase/metabolism*; Pyrimidines/pharmacology; Quinazolines/pharmacology*; Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive/drug therapy*; Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive/enzymology; Gene Expression/drug effects; Apoptosis; K562 Cells; Cell Proliferation/drug effects
Description of Proyseria petterae n. sp., with an amended generic diagnosis and a review of the species of Proyseria Petter, 1959 and Stegophorus Wehr, 1934 (Nematoda: Acuariidae)

Mutafchiev Y, Mariaux J, Georgiev BB

Syst Parasitol, 2014 Sep;89(1):3-14.
PMID: 25079811 DOI: 10.1007/s11230-014-9507-2

Proyseria decora (Dujardin, 1845) (the type-species of the genus Proyseria Petter, 1959) is redescribed on the basis of specimens from Alcedo atthis (L.) (Coraciiformes: Alcedinidae) from Iran. P. petterae n. sp. is described from Corythornis vintsioides (Eydoux & Gervais) (Alcedinidae) from Madagascar by light and scanning electron microscopy. Proyseria sp. from Alcedo euryzona Temminck from continental Malaysia is described on the basis of a single male specimen. Stegophorus alcedonis Puqin, Yanyin & Guocal, 1991 from A. atthis in China is transferred to the genus Proyseria as P. alcedonis n. comb. The generic diagnosis of Proyseria is amended. Review of the species of the genera Proyseria and Stegophorus Wehr, 1934 is presented.

MeSH terms: Animals; Female; Male; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Nematoda/anatomy & histology*; Nematoda/classification*; Nematoda/cytology; Nematoda/ultrastructure; Species Specificity
The effects of Labisia pumila on postmenopausal osteoporotic rat model: Dose and time-dependent micro-CT analysis

Effendy NM, Khamis MF, Soelaiman IN, Shuid AN

J Xray Sci Technol, 2014;22(4):503-18.
PMID: 25080117 DOI: 10.3233/XST-140441

Postmenopausal osteoporosis is best treated and prevented by estrogen replacement therapy (ERT). Although effective, ERT may cause breast cancer, uterine cancer and cardiovascular problems. Labisia pumila var. alata (LP), a herb with phytoestrogenic, antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects has potential as an ERT alternative.

MeSH terms: Animals; Body Weight/drug effects; Disease Models, Animal; Female; Femur/drug effects; Femur/pathology; Osteoporosis/physiopathology*; Plant Extracts/administration & dosage; Plant Extracts/pharmacology*; Bone Density/drug effects*; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Postmenopause/physiology*; Primulaceae/chemistry*; Rats; X-Ray Microtomography/methods*
Supramolecular phosphatases formed by the self-assembly of the bis(Zn²⁺-cyclen) complex, copper(II), and barbital derivatives in water

Zulkefeli M, Hisamatsu Y, Suzuki A, Miyazawa Y, Shiro M, Aoki S

Chem Asian J, 2014 Oct;9(10):2831-41.
PMID: 25080369 DOI: 10.1002/asia.201402513

In our previous paper, we reported that a dimeric Zn(2+) complex with a 2,2'-bipyridyl linker (Zn2L(1)), cyanuric acid (CA), and a Cu(2+) ion automatically assemble in aqueous solution to form 4:4:4 complex 3, which selectively catalyzes the hydrolysis of mono(4-nitrophenyl)phosphate (MNP) at neutral pH. Herein, we report that the use of barbital (Bar) instead of CA for the self-assembly with Zn2L(1) and Cu(2+) induces 2:2:2 complexation of these components, and not the 4:4:4 complex, to form supramolecular complex 6 a, the structure and equilibrium characteristics of which were studied by analytical and physical measurements. The finding show that 6 a also accelerates the hydrolysis of MNP, similarly to 3. Moreover, inspired by the crystal structure of 6 a, we prepared barbital units that contain functional groups on their side chains in an attempt to produce supramolecular phosphatases that possess functional groups near the Cu2(μ-OH)2 catalytic core so as to mimic the catalytic center of alkaline phosphatase (AP).

MeSH terms: Barbital/chemistry*; Copper/chemistry*; Heterocyclic Compounds/chemistry*; Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; Water/chemistry; Zinc/chemistry*; Crystallography, X-Ray

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