Viscosity and physical properties of flours and pastas prepared from four cultivars of green bananas (namely Pisang Berangan, Pisang Nangka, Pisang Tanduk, and Pisang Nipah) have been evaluated. The moisture content and water activity of banana flours were found in the range of 7.71%-8.50% wet basis and 0.33-0.37, respectively. The peak viscosity of banana flours were observed in the order of Pisang Tanduk > Pisang Nipah > Pisang Nangka > Pisang Berangan. The water activity and colour of pastas prepared from banana flours were lower and darker compared to wheat pasta. The firmness of banana flour dried pastas were observed significantly higher than wheat pasta, with Pisang Berangan pasta recorded the highest value of 446.53 ± 7.44 g. Among the green banana cultivars, pastas prepared from Pisang Nipah and Pisang Nangka flours are recommended for consumer who is preferred of bright colour and firm texture cooked pastas.
The drying performance of industrial inclined bed dryer (IBD) and the milling quality of dried paddy was evaluated and compared in two main granary areas of Muda Agricultural Development Authority (MADA) and Integrated Agricultural Development Areas (IADA KETARA). A mix of MARDI’s paddy variety (MR 220 CL2 and MR 219) was used and the study on both granary area of MADA and IADA KETARA were carried out in local paddy mills located at Yan, Kedah and Besut, Terengganu respectively. The results indicated that the average drying rate in MADA was 119.93 kg water removed/hr whereas only 73.67 kg water removed/hr was recorded in IADA KETARA. Therefore, normalized water removal value of paddy mill in MADA was found higher than paddy mill in IADA KETARA. In terms of milling quality, average percentage of head rice yield of paddy mill in MADA and IADA KETARA was 76.89% and 73.87% respectively. The milling quality analysis of rice resulted from ANOVA found that there was no significant difference in the HRY and total broken between IBDs in both locations.
Mas Cotek or Ficus deltoidea is regarded as one of the most precious herbal plants in Malaysia due to its content of beneficial active compounds and appreciation as a traditional remedy. This research investigated performance of aqueous or water extraction of dried Mas Cotek leaves for vitexin and isovitexin compounds using three regiments of temperatures (50, 70 and 100°C) in sample-to-water ratios of 1:10, 1:20 and 1:30g/mL during 8 hours of extraction. The optimum yield recorded for vitexin compound was 0.463 ± 0.045 (%w/w) from; 1:30 g/mL sampleto- water ratio, 50°C temperature at 4th hour of extraction. While for isovitexin compound, the optimum value recorded was 0.136 ± 0.015 (%w/w) from; 1:20 (g/mL) sample-to-water ratio, 50°C temperature at 5th hour of extraction. The morphological characterization of the extracted dried leaves particles performed using FE-SEM showed an intact and less damaged surface of extracted sample after 8 hours of extraction. The experimental values under best conditions were consistent with the predicted values, which suggested that aqueous extraction of Mas Cotek leaves is a good platform to serve as baseline study for more advanced extraction techniques.
Yellowstripe scad fish (YSF) or Selaroides leptolepis belongs to the small pelagic group that is abundantly found in South China Sea and is categorised as low value fishes. This study is designed to explore the physicochemical properties of YSF protein hydrolysate extracted using sodium phosphate buffer followed by 0.5%-2.0% of Alcalase at a series of hydrolysis time (1 hr and 2 hr). The properties of freeze and spray dried protein hydrolysate were evaluated for yield, degree of hydrolysis, protein content, microstructure and water holding capacity. Results showed that prolonged hydrolysis time exhibited increasing yield (0.6%-1.6% for spray drying and 12-16% for freeze drying) and high degree of hydrolysis (80-95%). Protein content recovered from hydrolysis process is within 20-29%. Microstructure of freeze dried YSF protein hydrolysate had ‘collapsed-building’ structure (irregular shapes with edges) while spray dried had small and spherical structure. Freeze dried protein hydrolysates were significantly (p
The glycemic index (GI) was conducted on 14 healthy subjects who have consumed 25 g of available carbohydrate portions of glucose (standard food) and four test foods (red-fleshed seedless watermelon, red-fleshed seeded watermelon and yellow-fleshed watermelon, as well as a glass of red-fleshed seedless watermelon juice) in random order after an overnight fast. Red-fleshed seedless watermelon was usually processed as juice than red-fleshed seeded and yellow-fleshed watermelon. Blood glucose was measured at 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120 mins after intake of the foods. Incremental areas under the curve were calculated, whereas the glycemic index was determined by expressing the area under the curve after the test foods, as a percentage of the mean area under the curve after consuming standard food, was carried out. The results showed that the area under the curve for a portion of red-fleshed seedless was 98.17±6.39, red-fleshed seeded (94.10±7.45), yellow-fleshed (92.95±8.73), and a juice of redfleshed seedless (98.89±6.38) did not have any significant difference (p
This study was conducted to evaluate umami taste in protein hydrolysate produced from green mussel (Perna viridis) by hydrolysing with flavorzyme at pH 8, enzyme substrate ratio (E/S) 3% with or without the presence of 0.4% sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) and 1.5% NaCI. Degree of hydrolysis (DH), yield, amino acid compositions, molecular weight distribution and sensory evaluation were determined. The highest DH (23.18%), darkest color and highest yield (8.34%) were recorded for hydrolysate produced in the presence of both STPP and NaCI. Electrophoresis analysis showed the presence of protein bands between 10 to 70 kDa where hydrolysate with addition of STPP and NaCI had bands with lower intensities. Amino acids which contribute to the umami taste such as glutamic acid, glycine and aspartic acid were higher in hydrolysate produced with STPP and NaCI addition. The hydrolysate has lesser fishy odor and flavor than those produced with only in the presence of flavorzyme and was also rated with highest score for all the five basic tastes including bitterness. However, the score for bitterness was still lower than the reference solutions. Therefore, green mussel hydrolysate produced in this study has a good potential as a food flavorant.
Objective: We carried out a bibliometric study on the scientific papers related to secondgeneration antipsychotic drugs (SGAs) in Malaysia.
Methods: With the SCOPUS database, we selected those documents made in Malaysia
whose title included descriptors related to SGAs. We applied bibliometric indicators of production
and dispersion, as Price’s law and Bradford’s law, respectively. We also calculated the participation
index of the different countries. The bibliometric data were also been correlated with some social and
health data from Malaysia (total per capita expenditure on health and gross domestic expenditure on
R&D). Results: We found 105 original documents published between 2004 and 2016. Our results
fulfilled Price’s law, with scientific production on SGAs showing exponential growth (r = 0.401, vs.
r = 0.260 after linear adjustment). The drugs most studied are olanzapine (9 documents), clozapine
(7), and risperidone (7). Division into Bradford zones yields a nucleus occupied by the Medical
Journal of Malaysia, Singapore Medical Journal, Australian and New Zealand Journal of
Psychiatry, and Pharmacogenomics. Totally, 63 different journals were used, but only one in the
top four journals had an impact factor being greater than 3.
Conclusion: The publications on SGAs in Malaysia have undergone exponential growth,
without evidence a saturation point.
Motivation camp is one of the learning interventions to assist underperform students in improving their academic performances in term of GPA (Grade Point Average). An intervention study was carried out to know the effectiveness of a motivation camp in improving the academic performances among the biomedical science students at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. Total of 44 respondents were involved in this study from year 2 and year 3 and had been categorized into control and intervention groups (n = 22 per group). The intervention group was given motivational talks followed by a group discussion and self-reflection. The students in the intervention group were also assigned with academicians to facilitate and guide them throughout the motivational camp. The students were interested in motivational talks activity the most. The average GPA showed a significant improvement after the motivation camp with 3.01 ± 0.30 (p < 0.05) for the intervention group. Yet, control group also displayed a significant increment in the average GPA, 3.24 ± 0.06 (p < 0.05). In conclusion, motivation camp is one of the many learning intervention tools that strategize to help students in improving their academic performances but it should be complemented with other intervention methods.
Postprandial hyperglycemia is independently related to cardiovascular disease. Garlic, ginger, lemon, honey and apple cider vinegar are known to have anti-glycemic properties. However, the effectiveness of combination of these natural products on reducing postprandial glycemia is uncertain. The aim of the present study was to investigate the glucose-lowering effect of a novel mixture consisting of apple cider vinegar, garlic, ginger, lemon, and honey; alone and in combination with exercise in response to a high-carbohydrate meal in non-diabetic individuals. Ten, female subjects (mean age: 25 ± 2.67 years, mean BMI: 22.6 ± 3.5 kg/m2) participated in this randomised, cross-over intervention consisting of four trials: control (CON), mixture only (MIX), exercise only (EX), and exercise + mixture (EX-MIX). All trials involved consumption of a high-carbohydrate breakfast, then followed by rest in CON, consumption of natural product mixture in MIX, brisk-walking exercise in EX, and combination of mixture and exercise in EX-MIX. Blood glucose was measured at fasting, and at 30, 60, 90, 120 minutes post meal. Postprandial glucose response was calculated as area under the glucose curve. Two-way repeated measures ANOVA showed a significant group and time interaction (p < 0.001). Compared to CON, postprandial glucose responses were 8%, 13% and 15% lower in MIX (p = 0.049), EX (p = 0.001) and EX-MIX (p = 0.005) respectively. Postprandial glucose was 8% lower in EX-MIX compared to MIX (p = 0.002). In conclusion, consuming natural product mixture containing garlic, ginger, lemon, honey and apple cider vinegar reduced postprandial glycemia to a certain extent, however, combining mixture with exercise produced a greater attenuation effect compared to consuming mixture alone. This finding is indicative of a potential benefit of the novel mixture as a complementary management of hyperglycemia in high-risk individuals.
ABSTRACT
Clinacanthus nutans (C. nutans) leaf extracts have been widely used by cancer patients in Malaysia and local practice claims a cure to cancer. There were several studies done to determine the cytotoxicity potency of C. nutans extracts on various types of cells. However, there is still lacking on the knowledge regarding the combination effect of C. nutans with anticancer drugs. Thus, the study was carried out to determine the cytotoxicity potency of C. nutans extracts and paclitaxel (PTX) alone and, in combination on MDA-MB-231 cells. The cells were treated with 100% ethanol extract of C. nutans (CNE) and water extract of C. nutans (CNA), PTX and combination of both extracts and PTX for 72 hours and the cytotoxic activity was determined using SRB assay. Result showed that CNE had little cytotoxic activity, whereas CNA showed no cytotoxic activity on MDA-MB-231 cells. For combination treatment of C. nutans extracts and PTX, only CNE showed significant enhanced PTX-induced cytotoxicity (p < 0.05), meanwhile CNA inhibited PTX-induced cytotoxicity significantly (p < 0.05). As a conclusion, CNE was able to increase PTX potency to inhibit the viability of MDA-MB-231 cells.
Giardia intestinalis is among the protozoa that is commonly found in the human fecal samples throughout the world. The prevalence of infection is higher among people living in developing countries than developed countries. One hundred and eleven Orang Asli children at Pos Titom, Pahang participated in this study. The prevalence study was conducted in accordance to gender, age groups and the diagnostic techniques employed. Fecal samples were collected and examined for the presence of G. intestinalis using three diagnostic techniques ie; the direct fecal smear, formalin-ether concentration and the trichrome staining technique. The overall prevalence of G. intestinalis infection among Orang Asli children at Pos Titom was 23.42%. The infection was higher among females (25%) as compared to males (21.57%) eventhough it was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). In terms of age groups, no positive case was observed among preschoolers whose age were below seven-years while the school aged children (7 to 12-years old) showed 24.53% infection. The trichrome staining technique was the most sensitive with a detection rate of 22.52% followed by the formalin-ether concentration technique with a detection of 19.82% whilst the direct smear technique only detected 12.61% of cases. The prevalence of giardiasis amongst the Orang Asli children at Pos Titom, Pahang was still high despite various efforts made and improvements in basic infrastructural facilities undertaken for their community. The health care status and personal hygiene of Orang Asli children remains poor and needs to be further improved.
MeSH terms: Child; Cross-Sectional Studies; Developing Countries; Employment; Ether; Ethers; Feces; Female; Formaldehyde; Giardiasis; Humans; Hygiene; Male; Staining and Labeling; Prevalence; Giardia lamblia; Developed Countries; Population Groups
Recently, epidermal mucus of fish has been identified as a rich biological source of various bioactive substances, particularly antibacterial peptides. This study was conducted to identify the potential of epidermal mucosa of Clarias batrachus as a source of antibacterial material. Mucosal samples were collected from C. batrachus epidermis and extracted using an aqueous extraction method. Antibacterial activity of the crude epidermal mucus extract was determined by using spectrophotometric method. As a result there was antibacterial activity by the mucus extract against Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853). The results of this study supports the role of mucus as a part of body immune system with antibacterial peptide as a component of innate body immune system. Hence, these findings can be used as one of the first steps towards the development of new class antibiotics.
Ficus deltoidea or ‘mas cotek,’ is a uterotonic herb traditionally consumed by women to improve menstrual circulation, assist labour, remove retained placenta and treat postpartum bleeding. The aim of the study was to elucidate the mechanism of F. deltoidea in uterine contraction. Crude extracts from 2 different variants of F. deltoidea were used in the study; F. deltoidea var. Deltoidea (FDD) and F. deltoidea var. Angustifolia (FDA). This study was conducted ex vivo on the strips of isolated rats uterus treated with either FDD or FDA aqueous extract with increasing concentrations ranging from 10 μg/ml until 1280 μg/ml at time intervals of 5 minutes between doses. The frequency and intensity of the uterine contractions were monitored via Powerlab software. Maximum contractions for both extracts were identified, recorded and the uterine strips samples at maximum contraction were selected and homogenized in order determine the role of prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α) in the mechanism of uterine contraction. Other than that, phosphorylated 42/44 (p42/44) of mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) expression was also detected via immunoblotting. The results showed that the maximum contraction induced by FDD was at the concentration of 320 μg/ml, whereas for FDA was at 960 μg/ml. Both FDD and FDA increased the intensity of uterine strips contractions and there were notable trend of increased PGF2α expression as well. Further analysis revealed that the uterine contractions involved the MAPK pathway through the phosphorylation of p42/44 protein. In conclusion, Ficus deltoidea of both variants have the ability to stimulate uterine contraction through the mechanism of MAPK pathway.
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is widely used as a food additive but its excessive intake leads to oxidative stress of several organs. However, the oxidative effect of MSG on male accessory reproductive organs remains unclear. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of MSG on the status of oxidative stress and morphological alterations in the male accessory reproductive organs such as epididymis, prostate glands and seminal vesicle of Sprague-Dawley rats. A total of 24 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups with 8 rats per group. Control group received distilled water (1 ml/kg) while MSG60 and MSG120 received 60 mg/kg and 120 mg/kg of MSG, respectively. All the substances were administered via force feed oral for 28 consecutive days. At the end of the study, the rats were sacrificed to obtain the accessory organs for biochemical analysis and histological observations. The SOD activity in the epididymis showed a significant increase in MSG60 and MSG120 compared to control (p < 0.05). The GSH levels in the epididymis of MSG 120 showed a significant reduction (p < 0.05) compared to the control group. The levels of MDA and PC in the epididymis and prostate gland of MSG60 and MSG120 showed a significant increased (p < 0.05) compared to the control group. Histological alterations were found in the epididymis and prostate gland of MSG treated rats. In conclusion, MSG at both doses induced oxidative stress in the epididymis and prostate gland of experimental rats.
Hypertension and estrogen deficiency in women have been identified as significant risk factors for cerebrovascular diseases. Hypertension causes excessive vascular stretch and contributes to the initiation of cellular injury in blood vessels while estrogen has been demonstrated to exert beneficial protective effects on the vascular system. Although the specific biological outcomes exerted by either excessive stretch or estrogen exposure are well established, the combined biochemical effects of both stimuli remain unclear. Therefore, this study was conducted for quantitative proteomics study on human cerebral microvascular endothelial cells (HCMECs) subjected to 20% “pathological” cyclic stretch for a period of 18 hour in the presence or absence of 17β-estradiol by isobaric Taqs for Relative and Absolute Quantification. The results showed that only some proteins responded to 17β-estradiol (e.g., thioredoxin reductase-1), stretch (e.g., 14-3-3 protein epsilon or acidic leucine-rich nuclear phosphoprotein 32 family member B) and interestingly, some proteins returned to control pre-treatment levels when exposed to both (e.g., d-dopachrome decarboxylase, thrombospondin-1). In addition, HCMECs that exposed only to estrogen had a very similar proteomic profile (i.e., up-regulation of structural, cellular adhesion and proliferation proteins) as to those exposed to estrogen with 20% stretching for 18 hour, suggesting that estrogen ablated the detrimental effects by the stretch alone. These findings sheds light on the molecular mechanisms by which the cerebrovascular protective actions of estrogen on HCMEC exposed to pathological levels of cyclic stretch which could provide a platform for future research in therapeutic approach.
Hibiscus sabdariffa Linn. or also known as roselle which is rich in polyphenols, has been demonstrated to cause lowering of blood pressure in animal and clinical settings. However its exact mechanism of action particularly from polyphenolic compounds is not clearly understood. Therefore, we aimed to determine the effects of H. sabdariffa polyphenol extract (HPE) towards vascular reactivity and its mechanism of action. The HPE was studied on isolated thoracic aortic rings from normal Sprague-Dawley rats, suspended in a 15-ml organ chambers containing Krebs-Henseleit solution. The changes in tension were recorded by isometric transducer connected to data acquisition. HPE relaxed the contraction induced by phenylephrine (PE, 1 μM) in similar pattern for both endothelium-intact and endothelium denuded aortic rings in dose-dependent manner 0.1 ~ 0.9 mg/ml. The pretreatment with atropine (1 μM), a competitive muscarinic antagonist, and propranolol (1 μM), a non-selective beta- blocker did not alter HPE vasorelaxation response. In addition, HPE did not inhibit the contraction induced by extracellular Ca2+ precontracted by PE (1 μM) or KCl (60 mM), in Ca2+ -free solution, suggesting that the relaxation effect of HPE was not via inhibition of calcium channels. In conclusion, HPE demonstrated vasorelaxation effects on rat thoracic aorta although the underlying mechanism is still unknown. The vasorelaxation effect could be via angiotensin type 1 receptor inhibition in the vascular smooth muscle cells or the activation of hyperpolarizing K+ channel.
This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of argan oil with the exposure of low frequency electromagnetic field (EMF) on open wound healing in mice. Eighteen male mice (20-40 g) were divided into three groups: phosphate buffer saline (PBS) as negative control, solcoseryl gel as positive control, and argan oil with the exposure of low frequency EMF, 1.2 mT (treatment group). Full thickness wounds (4 mm diameter) were induced on the shaved dorsal of the mouse. All mice were sacrificed on day 12 after the final treatment. Macroscopic observation, wound contraction rate, histopathology analysis and total protein content were examined in this study. Results showed that wounds treated with argan oil and exposed to low frequency EMF has a significant increase in wound contraction rate (p < 0.05) and total protein content (p < 0.05). Moreover, histopathological analysis on the wound tissues displayed complete re-epithelization with thick and dense collagen fibers in the argan oil with low frequency EMF exposure treated group. In conclusion, topical treatment of argan oil with low frequency EMF exposure yield a better healing progress and showed the ability to accelerate wound healing
Oxidative stress involved in various pathological conditions. Plants have been proven to act as a natural exogenous antioxidant. The aim of this research is to investigate the protective effects of Etlingera coccinea leaves aqueous extract on autoxidation-induced ox brain homogenate. The brain homogenate was divided into 7 groups: control group with PBS solution, positive control group with 100 μg/ml ascorbic acid, test group with 25, 50, 100, 200 and 400 μg/ml of E. coccinea. The antioxidant potential of E. coccinea aqueous extract has been evaluated by antioxidant capacity assay such as Total phenolic content (TPC), radical scavenging assay (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). Malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH) were also measured at 0 hr and 1 hr after 37°C water bath incubation to determine the antioxidant status and oxidative damage. TPC assay showed (4.85 ± 0.28) mg GAE/g of dry weight of E. coccinea leaves. Based on DPPH and FRAP assay, E. coccinea aqueous extract showed a dose-dependent antioxidant activity. MDA level in the 50 μg/ml E. coccinea was significantly lower compared to the other groups (p < 0.05). The SOD activity was significantly increase in 400 μg/ml E. coccinea (p < 0.05) compared to other groups. E. coccinea at the dose of 25 μg/ml and 50 μg/ml showed significant increase in GSH level compared to other groups (p < 0.05). In conclusion, 25 μg/ml and 50 μg/ml of E. coccinea leave aqueous extracts exhibited a potential protective effect on autoxidation-induced ox brain homogenate.
Drug Metabolizing Enzyme (DME) has been a target of natural chemopreventive agents to inhibit, retard and reverse the process of carcinogenesis. Pterostilbene, an analog to resveratrol has been reported to possess various pharmacological benefits including chemoprevention. In our study, benzo[a]pyrene-induced HT-29 colorectal cell line was used as the DME model. The activity of phase I enzyme CYP1A as determined by the 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylation (EROD) assay was found to be inhibited significantly by pterostilbene at 50 μM, 75 μM and 100 μM (p ≤ 0.01, p ≤ 0.05, p ≤ 0.01 respectively) compared to the benzo[a]pyrene treated group. Meanwhile, pterostilbene induced glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activity significantly (p ≤ 0.01) at 50 μM as compared to the untreated. In addition, However, the protein expression of CYP1A1 and GST in pterostilbene treated group was not significantly affected compared to untreated. On the other hand, pterostilbene at 25 and 75 μM were able to increase the protein expression of transcription factor Nrf2 significantly (p ≤ 0.01). Results indicated that pterostilbene could reduce metabolic activation of procarcinogens and increase the detoxification process which can be potentially developed as chemopreventive agent.