Browse publications by year: 2017

  1. Seltmann A, Czirják GÁ, Courtiol A, Bernard H, Struebig MJ, Voigt CC
    Conserv Physiol, 2017;5(1):cox020.
    PMID: 28421138 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/cox020
    Anthropogenic habitat disturbance is a major threat to biodiversity worldwide. Yet, before population declines are detectable, individuals may suffer from chronic stress and impaired immunity in disturbed habitats, making them more susceptible to pathogens and adverse weather conditions. Here, we tested in a paleotropical forest with ongoing logging and fragmentation, whether habitat disturbance influences the body mass and immunity of bats. We measured and compared body mass, chronic stress (indicated by neutrophil to lymphocyte ratios) and the number of circulating immune cells between several bat species with different roost types living in recovering areas, actively logged forests, and fragmented forests in Sabah, Malaysia. In a cave-roosting species, chronic stress levels were higher in individuals from fragmented habitats compared with conspecifics from actively logged areas. Foliage-roosting species showed a reduced body mass and decrease in total white blood cell counts in actively logged areas and fragmented forests compared with conspecifics living in recovering habitats. Our study highlights that habitat disturbance may have species-specific effects on chronic stress and immunity in bats that are potentially related to the roost type. We identified foliage-roosting species as particularly sensitive to forest habitat deterioration. These species may face a heightened extinction risk in the near future if anthropogenic habitat alterations continue.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Chiroptera; Humans; Leukocyte Count; Lymphocytes; Malaysia; Neutrophils; Species Specificity; Weather; Ecosystem; Biodiversity; Forests
  2. Amin AM, Sheau Chin L, Azri Mohamed Noor D, Sk Abdul Kader MA, Kah Hay Y, Ibrahim B
    Cardiol Res Pract, 2017;2017:8062796.
    PMID: 28421156 DOI: 10.1155/2017/8062796
    Dual antiplatelet therapy of aspirin and clopidogrel is pivotal for patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. However, the variable platelets reactivity response to clopidogrel may lead to outcome failure and recurrence of cardiovascular events. Although many genetic and nongenetic factors are known, great portion of clopidogrel variable platelets reactivity remain unexplained which challenges the personalization of clopidogrel therapy. Current methods for clopidogrel personalization include CYP2C19 genotyping, pharmacokinetics, and platelets function testing. However, these methods lack precise prediction of clopidogrel outcome, often leading to insufficient prediction. Pharmacometabolomics which is an approach to identify novel biomarkers of drug response or toxicity in biofluids has been investigated to predict drug response. The advantage of pharmacometabolomics is that it does not only predict the response but also provide extensive information on the metabolic pathways implicated with the response. Integrating pharmacogenetics with pharmacometabolomics can give insight on unknown genetic and nongenetic factors associated with the response. This review aimed to review the literature on factors associated with the variable platelets reactivity response to clopidogrel, as well as appraising current methods for the personalization of clopidogrel therapy. We also aimed to review the literature on using pharmacometabolomics approach to predict drug response, as well as discussing the plausibility of using it to predict clopidogrel outcome.
  3. Ali J, AlHarbi NH, Ali N
    Methods Mol Biol, 2017;1568:3-20.
    PMID: 28421485 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-6828-2_1
    This chapter describes the development of the science of cryopreservation of gametes and embryos of various species including human. It attempts to record in brief the main contributions of workers in their attempts to cryopreserve gametes and embryos. The initial difficulties faced and subsequent developments and triumphs leading to present-day state of the art are given in a concise manner. The main players and their contributions are mentioned and the authors' aim is to do justice to them. This work also attempts to ensure that credit is correctly attributed for significant advances in gamete and embryo cryopreservation. In general this chapter has tried to describe the historical development of the science of cryopreservation of gametes and embryos as accurately as possible without bias or partiality.
    MeSH terms: Embryo, Mammalian; Germ Cells; Humans; Social Justice; Cryopreservation
  4. Lindsay AC, Sitthisongkram S, Greaney ML, Wallington SF, Ruengdej P
    PMID: 28422081 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph14040436
    Childhood obesity is increasing dramatically in many Southeast Asian countries, and becoming a significant public health concern. This review summarizes the evidence on associations between parental feeding practices, child eating behaviors, and the risk of overweight and obesity in Southeast Asian children 2-12 years old. We systematically searched five electronic academic/research (PubMed, PsycINFO, ProQuest Nursing, Medline, and CINAHL) databases using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement for peer-reviewed studies published in English between January 2000 and December 2016. Fourteen observational studies met the inclusion criteria and were reviewed. Reviewed studies were examined separately for preschool- and school-aged children and revealed that non-responsive parental feeding practices and unhealthy child eating behaviors were associated with a risk of child overweight and obesity in several Southeast Asian countries. Nonetheless, due to the small number of identified studies (n = 14) and because only about half of the Southeast Asian countries (Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, the Philippines, and Malaysia) were represented (5/11) in the examined studies, additional research is needed to further understand the factors associated with childhood obesity among children in Southeast Asia to develop interventions that are tailored to the specific needs of Southeast Asian countries and designed to address practices and behaviors that may promote childhood obesity.
    MeSH terms: Asia, Southeastern; Child; Child, Preschool; Feeding Behavior; Humans; Malaysia; Parents; Philippines; Public Health; Singapore; Thailand; Vietnam; PubMed; Overweight; Pediatric Obesity
  5. Kua KP, Lee SWH
    Pharmacotherapy, 2017 Jun;37(6):755-769.
    PMID: 28423192 DOI: 10.1002/phar.1936
    BACKGROUND: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common pathogen in infants with cystic fibrosis (CF). The use of palivizumab prophylaxis for RSV infection as the standard of care for infants with CF remains controversial.

    OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of palivizumab in reducing the incidence of RSV hospitalization in children with CF who are younger than 2 years.

    METHODS: Four electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and CENTRAL) were searched from inception until January 31, 2017, for clinical studies investigating the use of palivizumab in infants with CF aged less than 2 years. The primary outcome was hospitalization rate due to RSV infection. Secondary outcomes included hospitalization for respiratory illness, length of hospital stay, safety (adverse effects), and cost-effectiveness of palivizumab prophylaxis.

    RESULTS: The review included a total of 10 studies (six cohort studies, two before-and-after studies, one cross-sectional study, and one randomized controlled trial) involving 3891 patients with CF. Seven studies reported that palivizumab prophylaxis had a positive impact on the rate of RSV hospitalization. Five studies (n=3404) reported that palivizumab prophylaxis significantly reduced the rate of hospitalization due to RSV infection compared to no prophylaxis. One study (n=5) demonstrated patients with CF who received palivizumab had no RSV hospitalization. Another study showed infants with CF receiving palivizumab (n=117) had a lower risk of hospitalization for RSV infection compared with premature infants (gestational age < 35 completed weeks) who received palivizumab (n=4880).

    CONCLUSIONS: Evidence from the literature suggests that palivizumab may have a potential role in reducing RSV hospitalization in children aged less than 2 years with CF. Given the lack of overall data, additional research is warranted to better understand the efficacy and safety of prophylactic palivizumab in infants with CF.

    MeSH terms: Palivizumab/pharmacology; Palivizumab/therapeutic use*; Antiviral Agents/pharmacology; Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use*; Child; Cross-Sectional Studies; Cystic Fibrosis/drug therapy*; Cystic Fibrosis/epidemiology; Humans; Infant; Respiratory Syncytial Viruses/drug effects; Cohort Studies; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic/methods; Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections/drug therapy*; Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections/epidemiology
  6. Karlas T, Petroff D, Sasso M, Fan JG, Mi YQ, de Lédinghen V, et al.
    J Hepatol, 2017 05;66(5):1022-1030.
    PMID: 28039099 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2016.12.022
    BACKGROUND & AIMS: The prevalence of fatty liver underscores the need for non-invasive characterization of steatosis, such as the ultrasound based controlled attenuation parameter (CAP). Despite good diagnostic accuracy, clinical use of CAP is limited due to uncertainty regarding optimal cut-offs and the influence of covariates. We therefore conducted an individual patient data meta-analysis.

    METHODS: A review of the literature identified studies containing histology verified CAP data (M probe, vibration controlled transient elastography with FibroScan®) for grading of steatosis (S0-S3). Receiver operating characteristic analysis after correcting for center effects was used as well as mixed models to test the impact of covariates on CAP. The primary outcome was establishing CAP cut-offs for distinguishing steatosis grades.

    RESULTS: Data from 19/21 eligible papers were provided, comprising 3830/3968 (97%) of patients. Considering data overlap and exclusion criteria, 2735 patients were included in the final analysis (37% hepatitis B, 36% hepatitis C, 20% NAFLD/NASH, 7% other). Steatosis distribution was 51%/27%/16%/6% for S0/S1/S2/S3. CAP values in dB/m (95% CI) were influenced by several covariates with an estimated shift of 10 (4.5-17) for NAFLD/NASH patients, 10 (3.5-16) for diabetics and 4.4 (3.8-5.0) per BMI unit. Areas under the curves were 0.823 (0.809-0.837) and 0.865 (0.850-0.880) respectively. Optimal cut-offs were 248 (237-261) and 268 (257-284) for those above S0 and S1 respectively.

    CONCLUSIONS: CAP provides a standardized non-invasive measure of hepatic steatosis. Prevalence, etiology, diabetes, and BMI deserve consideration when interpreting CAP. Longitudinal data are needed to demonstrate how CAP relates to clinical outcomes.

    LAY SUMMARY: There is an increase in fatty liver for patients with chronic liver disease, linked to the epidemic of the obesity. Invasive liver biopsies are considered the best means of diagnosing fatty liver. The ultrasound based controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) can be used instead, but factors such as the underlying disease, BMI and diabetes must be taken into account. Registration: Prospero CRD42015027238.

    MeSH terms: Adult; Fatty Liver/pathology; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; ROC Curve; Ultrasonography*; Meta-Analysis as Topic; Body Mass Index; Hepatocytes/pathology
  7. Shariff KA, Tsuru K, Ishikawa K
    Mater Sci Eng C Mater Biol Appl, 2017 Jun 01;75:1411-1419.
    PMID: 28415432 DOI: 10.1016/j.msec.2017.03.004
    β-Tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) has attracted much attention as an artificial bone substitute owing to its biocompatibility and osteoconductivity. In this study, osteoconductivity of β-TCP bone substitute was enhanced without using growth factors or cells. Dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (DCPD), which is known to possess the highest solubility among calcium phosphates, was coated on β-TCP granules by exposing their surface with acidic calcium phosphate solution. The amount of coated DCPD was regulated by changing the reaction time between β-TCP granules and acidic calcium phosphate solution. Histomorphometry analysis obtained from histological results revealed that the approximately 10mol% DCPD-coated β-TCP granules showed the largest new bone formation compared to DCPD-free β-TCP granules, approximately 2.5mol% DCPD-coated β-TCP granules, or approximately 27mol% DCPD-coated β-TCP granules after 2 and 4weeks of implantation. Based on this finding, we demonstrate that the osteoconductivity of β-TCP granules could be improved by coating their surface with an appropriate amount of DCPD.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Bone Regeneration/drug effects*; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; Male; Rats, Wistar; Rats
  8. Emadzadeh D, Ghanbari M, Lau WJ, Rahbari-Sisakht M, Rana D, Matsuura T, et al.
    Mater Sci Eng C Mater Biol Appl, 2017 Jun 01;75:463-470.
    PMID: 28415486 DOI: 10.1016/j.msec.2017.02.079
    In this study, nanoporous titanate (NT) nanoparticle synthesized by the solvothermal method was used to modify polyamide layer of thin film composite membranes with the aim of improving membrane resistances against organic and inorganic fouling. Thin film nanocomposite membranes (NMs) were synthesized by adding mNTs (modified nanoparticles) into polyamide selective layer followed by characterization using different analytical instruments. The results of XPS and XRD confirmed the presence of mNTs in the polyamide layer of NMs, while FESEM, AFM, zeta potential and contact angle measurement further supported the changes in physical and chemical properties of the membrane surface upon mNTs incorporation. Results of fouling showed that NM1 (the membrane incorporated with 0.01w/v% mNTs) always demonstrated lower degree of flux decline compared to the control membrane when membranes were tested with organic, inorganic and multicomponent synthesized water, brackish water or seawater. Besides showing greater antifouling resistance, the NM also displayed significantly higher water flux compared to the control M membrane. The findings of this work confirmed the positive impact of mNTs in improving the properties of NM with respect to fouling mitigation and flux improvement.
  9. Revati R, Abdul Majid MS, Ridzuan MJM, Normahira M, Mohd Nasir NF, Rahman Y MN, et al.
    Mater Sci Eng C Mater Biol Appl, 2017 Jun 01;75:752-759.
    PMID: 28415525 DOI: 10.1016/j.msec.2017.02.127
    The mechanical, thermal, and morphological properties of a 3D porous Pennisetum purpureum (PP)/polylactic acid (PLA) based scaffold were investigated. In this study, a scaffold containing P. purpureum and PLA was produced using the solvent casting and particulate leaching method. P. purpureum fibre, also locally known as Napier grass, is composed of 46% cellulose, 34% hemicellulose, and 20% lignin. PLA composites with various P. purpureum contents (10%, 20%, and 30%) were prepared and subsequently characterised. The morphologies, structures and thermal behaviours of the prepared composite scaffolds were characterised using field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The morphology was studied using FESEM; the scaffold possessed 70-200μm-sized pores with a high level of interconnectivity. The moisture content and mechanical properties of the developed porous scaffolds were further characterised. The P. purpureum/PLA scaffold had a greater porosity factor (99%) and compression modulus (5.25MPa) than those of the pure PLA scaffold (1.73MPa). From the results, it can be concluded that the properties of the highly porous P. purpureum/PLA scaffold developed in this study can be controlled and optimised. This can be used to facilitate the construction of implantable tissue-engineered cartilage.
    MeSH terms: Biocompatible Materials/chemistry*; Materials Testing; Polyesters/chemistry*; Thermogravimetry; Porosity; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; Compressive Strength; Tissue Engineering/methods; Pennisetum/chemistry*; Tissue Scaffolds/chemistry*
  10. Dzulkarnain AAA, Noor Ibrahim SHM, Anuar NFA, Abdullah SA, Tengku Zam Zam TZH, Rahmat S, et al.
    Int J Audiol, 2017 Oct;56(10):723-732.
    PMID: 28415891 DOI: 10.1080/14992027.2017.1313462
    OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of two different electrode montages (ipsilateral: reference to mastoid and vertical: reference to nape of neck) to the ABR results recorded using a level-specific (LS)-CE-Chirp® in normally hearing subjects at multiple intensities levels.

    DESIGN: Quasi-experimental and repeated measure study designs were applied in this study. Two different stopping criteria were used, (1) a fixed-signal averaging 4000 sweeps and, (2) a minimum quality indicator of Fmp = 3.1 with a minimum of 800 sweeps.

    STUDY SAMPLE: Twenty-nine normally hearing adults (18 females, 11 male) participated.

    RESULTS: Wave V amplitudes were significantly larger in the LS CE-Chirp® recorded from the vertical montage than the ipsilateral montage. Waves I and III amplitudes were significantly larger from the ipsilateral LS CE-Chirp® than from the other montages and stimulus combinations. The differences in the quality of the ABR recording between the vertical and ipsilateral montages were marginal.

    CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the result suggested that the vertical LS CE-Chirp® ABR had a high potential for a threshold-seeking application, because it produced a higher wave V amplitude. The Ipsilateral LS CE-Chirp® ABR, on the other hand, might also have a high potential for the site of lesion application, because it produced larger waves I and III amplitudes.

    MeSH terms: Acoustic Stimulation/methods*; Adult; Auditory Pathways/physiology*; Auditory Threshold; Electrodes*; Equipment Design; Female; Hearing*; Humans; Male; Predictive Value of Tests; Reaction Time; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; Time Factors; Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem*; Young Adult
  11. Zhang Y, Xu W, Guo H, Zhang Y, He Y, Lee SH, et al.
    Cancer Res, 2017 Apr 17.
    PMID: 28416482 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-16-1633
    Cancer stem-like cells (CSC) are thought to drive tumor initiation, metastasis, relapse and therapeutic resistance, but their specific pathogenic characters in many cancers including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have yet to be well defined. Here we develop findings that the growth factor HGF promotes CSC sphere formation in NSCLC cell populations. In patient-derived sphere-forming assays (PD-SFA) with HGF, CD49f and CD104 were defined as novel markers of lung CSC (LCSC). In particular, we isolated a subpopulation of CD166(+)CD49f(hi)CD104(-)Lin(-) LCSC present in all human specimens of NSCLC examined, regardless of their histological subtypes or genetic driver mutations. This specific cell population was tumorigenic and capable of self-renewal, giving rise to tumor spheres in vitro and orthotopic lung tumors in immune-compromised mice. Mechanistic investigations established that NOTCH1 was preferentially expressed in this cell subpopulation and required for self-renewal via the transcription factor HES1. Through a distinct HES1-independent pathway, NOTCH1 also protected LCSCs from cisplatin-induced cell death. Notably, treatment with a γ-secretase inhibitor that blunts NOTCH1 function ablated self-renewing LCSC activity and restored platinum sensitivity in vitro and in vivo Overall, our results define the pathogenic characters of a cancer stem-like subpopulation in lung cancer, the targeting of which may relieve platinum resistance in this disease.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung; Cisplatin; Humans; Lung Neoplasms; Mutation; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; Neoplastic Processes; Neoplastic Stem Cells; Cell Death; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; Mice; Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases; Carcinogenesis; Transcription Factor HES-1
  12. Khan MJ, Chelliah S, Haron MS, Ahmed S
    Sultan Qaboos Univ Med J, 2017 Feb;17(1):e11-e17.
    PMID: 28417022 DOI: 10.18295/squmj.2016.17.01.003
    Travel motivations, perceived risks and travel constraints, along with the attributes and characteristics of medical tourism destinations, are important issues in medical tourism. Although the importance of these factors is already known, a comprehensive theoretical model of the decision-making process of medical tourists has yet to be established, analysing the intricate relationships between the different variables involved. This article examines a large body of literature on both medical and conventional tourism in order to propose a comprehensive theoretical framework of medical tourism decision-making. Many facets of this complex phenomenon require further empirical investigation.
    MeSH terms: Decision Making*; Humans; Models, Theoretical*; Motivation*; Risk; Role; Surgical Procedures, Operative/economics; Travel; Intention*; Medical Tourism/economics; Medical Tourism/psychology*
  13. Heidari MH, Movafagh A, Abdollahifar MA, Abdi S, Barez MM, Azimi H, et al.
    Anat Cell Biol, 2017 Mar;50(1):69-72.
    PMID: 28417057 DOI: 10.5115/acb.2017.50.1.69
    Prostate cancer is the most common cancer type in men and is the second cause of death, due to cancer, in patients over 50, after lung cancer. Prostate specific antigen (PSA) is a widely used tumor marker for prostate cancer. Recently, PSA is discovered in non-prostatic cancer tissues in men and women raising doubts about its specificity for prostatic tissues. PSA exists in low serum level in healthy men and in higher levels in many prostate disorders, including prostatitis and prostate cancer. Thus, a supplementary tumor marker is needed to accurately diagnose the cancer and to observe the patient after treatment. Recently, soluble human leukocyte antigen-G (sHLA-G) has been introduced as a new tumor marker for different cancer types, including colorectal, breast, lung, and ovary. The present descriptive-experimental study was carried out including patients with malignant prostate tumor, patients with benign prostate tumor, and a group of health men as the control group, as judged by an oncologist as well as a pathologist. After sterile blood sampling, sHLA-G was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in each group. The data was then analyzed using one-way ANOVA. P≤0.05 was considered as statistically significant. The results showed that the mean of sHLA-G level was high in patients. Also, it was found that there was a significant difference in sHLA serum level between the three groups. The data revealed that sHLA-G can be a novel supplementary tumor marker in addition to PSA to diagnose prostate cancer.
    MeSH terms: Analysis of Variance; Cause of Death; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Humans; Kallikreins; Lung Neoplasms; Male; Ovary; Prostatic Diseases; Prostatic Neoplasms; Prostatitis; Biomarkers, Tumor; Prostate-Specific Antigen; Control Groups; Oncologists; Pathologists
  14. Verusingam ND, Yeap SK, Ky H, Paterson IC, Khoo SP, Cheong SK, et al.
    PeerJ, 2017;5:e3174.
    PMID: 28417059 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3174
    Although numbers of cancer cell lines have been shown to be successfully reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), reprogramming Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) to pluripotency in relation to its cancer cell type and the expression pattern of pluripotent genes under later passage remain unexplored. In our study, we reprogrammed and characterised H103 and H376 oral squamous carcinoma cells using retroviral OSKM mediated method. Reprogrammed cells were characterized for their embryonic stem cells (ESCs) like morphology, pluripotent gene expression via quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), immunofluorescence staining, embryoid bodies (EB) formation and directed differentiation capacity. Reprogrammed H103 (Rep-H103) exhibited similar ESCs morphologies with flatten cells and clear borders on feeder layer. Reprogrammed H376 (Rep-H376) did not show ESCs morphologies but grow with a disorganized morphology. Critical pluripotency genes Oct4, Sox2 and Nanog were expressed higher in Rep-H103 against the parental counterpart from passage 5 to passage 10. As for Rep-H376, Nanog expression against its parental counterpart showed a significant decrease at passage 5 and although increased in passage 10, the level of expression was similar to the parental cells. Rep-H103 exhibited pluripotent signals (Oct4, Sox2, Nanog and Tra-1-60) and could form EB with the presence of three germ layers markers. Rep-H103 displayed differentiation capacity into adipocytes and osteocytes. The OSCC cell line H103 which was able to be reprogrammed into an iPSC like state showed high expression of Oct4, Sox2 and Nanog at late passage and may provide a potential iPSC model to study multi-stage oncogenesis in OSCC.
    MeSH terms: Carcinoma, Squamous Cell; Cell Differentiation; Cell Line; Germ Layers; Mouth Neoplasms; Osteocytes; Octamer Transcription Factor-3; SOXB1 Transcription Factors; Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells; Embryoid Bodies; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; Feeder Cells; Carcinogenesis
  15. Zainal Abidin H, Muhd Besari A, Nadarajan C, Wan Shukeri WF, Mazlan MZ, Chong SE, et al.
    IDCases, 2017;8:63-65.
    PMID: 28417070 DOI: 10.1016/j.idcr.2017.03.010
    In Malaysia, melioidosis is commonly encountered as this infection is known as part of the endemic area for the disease. Managing cases of positive Burkholderia pseudomallei infection can involve multidisciplinary unit mainly, microbiologist, infectious disease team and intensive care as it may be quite difficult to distinguish melioidosis from a number of other diseases on the clinical setting alone. Laboratory diagnosis plays a vital role in determining the direction of management. Investigations such as culture, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and serology should be evaluated once the disease is suspected. In this particular case, the patient is a young adult involved in a road traffic accident. Unlike any other cases with melioidosis, he had no potential risk factors which may have contributed to the severity of the disease and it is likely that the site of the accident was the source of acquisition of this gram negative bacterium.
    MeSH terms: Accidents, Traffic; Adult; Critical Care; Humans; Malaysia; Male; Melioidosis; Risk Factors; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Burkholderia pseudomallei; Clinical Laboratory Techniques; Case Managers
  16. Rahim M, Ooi FK, Wan Abdul Hamid WZ
    J Tradit Complement Med, 2017 Apr;7(2):165-171.
    PMID: 28417086 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtcme.2016.06.001
    To date, information on the effectiveness of combined aerobic dance exercise with honey supplementation on immune function in women is lacking. The present study investigated the effects of 8 weeks of combined aerobic dance exercise and honey supplementation on blood immune function parameters in adult women. In this study, forty four healthy sedentary women (25-40 year-old) were assigned into four groups with n = 11 per group: sedentary without supplementation control (Con), honey supplementation (H), aerobic dance exercise (D) and combined aerobic dance exercise with honey supplementation (HD) groups. Aerobic dance exercise was carried out for one hour per session, three sessions per week for eight weeks. Honey drink was consumed by H and HD groups, in a dosage of 20 g of honey diluted in 300 ml of plain water, consumed 7 days a week for 8 weeks. In HD group, the participants were required to consume honey drink 30 min before performing exercise. Before and after 8 weeks of experimental period, blood samples were taken to determine the concentrations of immune parameters which include full blood counts and immunophenotyping measurements. It was found that after 8 weeks of experimental period, there were statistically significant increases in T cytotoxic (CD8) (p 
  17. Abdelhafiz YA, Manaharan T, BinMohamad S, Merican AF
    Curr Microbiol, 2017 Apr 17.
    PMID: 28417189 DOI: 10.1007/s00284-017-1249-3
    The draft genome here presents the sequence of Bacillus subtilis UMX-103. The bacterial strain was isolated from hydrocarbon-contaminated soil from Terengganu, Malaysia. The whole genome of the bacterium was sequenced using Illumina HiSeq 2000 sequencing platform. The genome was assembled using de novo approach. The genome size of UMX-103 is 4,234,627 bp with 4399 genes comprising 4301 protein-coding genes and 98 RNA genes. The analysis of assembled genes revealed the presence of 25 genes involved in biosurfactant production, where 14 of the genes are related to biosynthesis and 11 of the genes are in the regulation of biosurfactant productions. This draft genome will provide insights into the genetic bases of its biosurfactant-producing capabilities.
    MeSH terms: Bacillus subtilis; Hydrocarbons; Malaysia; RNA; Soil; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; Genome Size
  18. Rahman MT, Haque N, Abu Kasim NH, De Ley M
    PMID: 28417197 DOI: 10.1007/112_2017_1
    Toxic heavy metals, toxic organic compounds, reactive oxygen species (ROS), infections, and temperature are well-known metallothionein (MT) inducers in human blood. The current review aims to summarize synthesis, function, and fate of human blood MT in response to the known MT inducers. Part of the MTs that are synthesized in different organs such as the liver, kidney, and spleen is transported and stored in different blood cells and in plasma. Cells of the circulatory system also synthesize MT. From the circulation, MT returns to the kidney where the metal-bound MTs are degraded to release the metal ion that in turn induces MT expression therein. The blood MTs play important roles in metal detoxification, transportation, and storage. By neutralizing ROS, MTs protect blood cells from oxidative stress-induced cytotoxicity and genotoxicity. Arguably, MTs are also involved in immune suppression. Given the permeating distribution of blood MT throughout the body as well as its diverse role in the protection against harmful environmental factors and in metal homeostasis, MT could be better recognized as a major public health protein.
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