Browse publications by year: 2019

Fulltext Economic Burden of ESRD to the Malaysian Health Care System

Ismail H, Abdul Manaf MR, Abdul Gafor AH, Mohamad Zaher ZM, Ibrahim AIN

Kidney Int Rep, 2019 Sep;4(9):1261-1270.
PMID: 31517145 DOI: 10.1016/j.ekir.2019.05.016

Introduction: Prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in Malaysia is 9.07% of the total population, of which 0.36% are at stage 5 CKD or end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Public-private partnership has improved accessibility of renal replacement therapies (RRT), especially dialysis, in Malaysia, but the economic burden of the existing RRT financing mechanism, which is predominantly provided by the public sector, has never been quantified.
Methods: Primary data were collected through a standardized survey, and secondary data analysis was used to derive estimates of the ESRD expenditure.
Results: Total annual expenditure of ESRD by the public sector has grown 94% within a span of 7 years, from Malaysian Ringgit [MYR] 572 million (US dollars [USD] 405 million, purchasing power parity [PPP] 2010) in 2010 to MYR 1.12 billion (USD 785 million, PPP 2016) in 2016. The total ESRD expenditure in 2010 constituted 2.95% of the public sector's total health expenditure, whereas in 2016, the proportion has increased to 4.2%. Only 6% of ESRD expenditure was spent on renal transplantation, and the remaining 94% was spent on dialysis.
Conclusion: The share of ESRD expenditure in total health expenditure for the public sector is considered substantial given only a small proportion of the population is affected by the disease. The rapid increase in expenditure relative to the national total health expenditure should warrant the relevant authorities about sustainability of the existing financing mechanism of ESRD and the importance to institutionalize more drastic preventive measures.

MeSH terms: Health Expenditures; Female; Renal Dialysis; Humans; Institutionalization; Kidney Failure, Chronic; Malaysia; Parity; Pregnancy; Surveys and Questionnaires; Prevalence; Kidney Transplantation; Public Sector; Renal Replacement Therapy; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic; Public-Private Sector Partnerships
Synthesis, molecular docking and biological potentials of new 2-(4-(2-chloroacetyl) piperazin-1-yl)-N-(2-(4-chlorophenyl)-4-oxoquinazolin-3(4H)-yl)acetamide derivatives

Mehta S, Kumar S, Marwaha RK, Narasimhan B, Ramasamy K, Lim SM, et al.

BMC Chem, 2019 Dec;13(1):113.
PMID: 31517312 DOI: 10.1186/s13065-019-0629-0

In the present study, a series of 2-(4-(2-chloroacetyl)piperazin-1-yl)-N-(2-(4-chlorophenyl)-4-oxoquinazolin-3(4H)-yl)acetamide derivatives was synthesized and its chemical structures were confirmed by physicochemical and spectral characteristics. The synthesized compounds were evaluated for their in vitro antimicrobial (tube dilution technique) and anticancer (MTT assay) activities along with molecular docking study by Schrodinger 2018-1, maestro v11.5. The antimicrobial results indicated that compounds 3, 8, 11 and 12 displayed the significant antimicrobial activity and comparable to the standards drugs (ciprofloxacin and fluconazole). The anticancer activity results indicated that compound 5 have good anticancer activity among the synthesized compounds but lower active than the standard drugs (5-fluorouracil and tomudex). Molecular docking study demonstrated that compounds 5 and 7 displayed the good docking score with better anticancer potency within the binding pocket and these compounds may be used as a lead for rational drug designing for the anticancer molecules.
α-Glucosidase inhibitors: consistency of in silico docking data with in vitro inhibitory data and inhibitory effect prediction of quercetin derivatives

Zhu J, Zhang B, Tan C, Huang Q

Food Funct, 2019 Sep 13.
PMID: 31517355 DOI: 10.1039/c9fo01333d

The present study aims to investigate the relationship between in silico experimental data and in vitro inhibitory data of polyphenols against α-glucosidase. The CDOCKER protocol in Discovery Studio was used to dock various polyphenols to the Saccharomyces cerevisiae α-glucosidase crystal structure. -CDOCKER energy values and the energy gap between the highest occupied molecular orbital energy and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energy were used to study its consistency with in vitro inhibitory data. The results showed that the correlation trend was trustworthy regardless of the data deviation and low correlation coefficient. Despite slight disagreements with some specific polyphenols, the docking data generally explained the effect of the groups (-OH, glycosyl, galloyl, and caffeoyl). The docking results showed that compound 7, a quercetin derivative, can be recommended as a lead antidiabetic compound, with additional anti-obesity effects. Galloyl and caffeoyl moieties are favorable to develop novel αG inhibitors.

MeSH terms: alpha-Glucosidases; Hypoglycemic Agents; Obesity; Quercetin; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Rumex; Polyphenols
Response to de Groot 'There is an urgent need for palliative care specialists in MS - Commentary'

Cheong WL, Mohan D, Warren N, Reidpath DD

Mult Scler, 2019 11;25(13):1821-1822.
PMID: 31517592 DOI: 10.1177/1352458519876697
MeSH terms: Humans; Palliative Care*; Specialization*
Fulltext An Intervention to Promote Medication Understanding and Use Self-Efficacy: Design of Video Narratives for Aging Patients at Risk of Recurrent Stroke

Appalasamy JR, Joseph JP, Seeta Ramaiah S, Quek KF, Md Zain AZ, Tha KK

JMIR Aging, 2019 Mar 21;2(1):e11539.
PMID: 31518260 DOI: 10.2196/11539

BACKGROUND: The debilitating effects of recurrent stroke among aging patients have urged researchers to explore medication adherence among these patients. Video narratives built upon Health Belief Model (HBM) constructs have displayed potential impact on medication adherence, adding an advantage to patient education efforts. However, its effect on medication understanding and use self-efficacy have not been tested.
OBJECTIVE: The researchers believed that culturally sensitive video narratives, which catered to a specific niche, would reveal a personalized impact on medication adherence. Therefore, this study aimed to develop and validate video narratives for this purpose.
METHODS: This study adapted the Delphi method to develop a consensus on the video scripts' contents based on learning outcomes and HBM constructs. The panel of experts comprised 8 members representing professional stroke disease experts and experienced poststroke patients in Malaysia. The Delphi method involved 3 rounds of discussions. Once the consensus among members was achieved, the researchers drafted the initial scripts in English, which were then back translated to the Malay language. A total of 10 bilingual patients, within the study's inclusion criteria, screened the scripts for comprehension. Subsequently, a neurologist and poststroke patient narrated the scripts in both languages as they were filmed, to add to the realism of the narratives. Then, the video narratives underwent a few cycles of editing after some feedback on video engagement by the bilingual patients. Few statistical analyses were applied to confirm the validity and reliability of the video narratives.
RESULTS: Initially, the researchers proposed 8 learning outcomes and 9 questions based on HBM constructs for the video scripts' content. However, following Delphi rounds 1 to 3, a few statements were omitted and rephrased. The Kendall coefficient of concordance, W, was about 0.7 (P

MeSH terms: Australia; Delphi Technique; Emotions; Humans; Language; Learning; Malaysia; New Zealand; Registries; Reproducibility of Results; Multilingualism; Self Efficacy; Stroke; Comprehension; Consensus; Narration; Medication Adherence; Neurologists
The structure of alkyl ester sulfonate surfactant micelles: The impact of different valence electrolytes and surfactant structure on micelle growth

Wang Z, Li P, Ma K, Chen Y, Penfold J, Thomas RK, et al.

J Colloid Interface Sci, 2019 Sep 05;557:124-134.
PMID: 31518834 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2019.09.016

The ester sulfonate anionic surfactants are a potentially valuable class of sustainable surfactants. The micellar growth, associated rheological changes, and the onset of precipitation are important consequences of the addition of electrolyte and especially multi-valent electrolytes in anionic surfactants. Small angle neutron scattering, SANS, has been used to investigate the self-assembly and the impact of different valence electrolytes on the self-assembly of a range of ester sulfonate surfactants with subtly different molecular structures. The results show that in the absence of electrolyte small globular micelles form, and in the presence of NaCl, and AlCl3 relatively modest micellar growth occurs before the onset of precipitation. The micellar growth is more pronounced for the longer unbranched and branched alkyl chain lengths. Whereas changing the headgroup geometry from methyl ester to ethyl ester has in general a less profound impact. The study highlights the importance of relative counterion binding strengths and shows how the surfactant structure affects the counterion binding and hence the micelle structure. The results have important consequences for the response of such surfactants to different operational environments.

MeSH terms: Benzenesulfonates; Chlorides; Micelles; Surface-Active Agents; Molecular Structure; Aluminum Compounds; Scattering, Small Angle
Fulltext Psychological distress and internet addiction among medical students from a Malaysian public university: a comparison between gender

Ching, Siew Mooi, Hanifatiyah Ali, Cheong, Ai Theng, Hani Syahida Salim

Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2019;15(2):3-8.
MyJurnal

Widespread use of the internet is a relatively recent phenomenon that is affecting different cultures worldwide in both positive and negative ways. This study aimed to determine the gender differences in the internet addiction among medical students in public university. Methods: 426 medical students from year one to four were invited to participate in the study. For data collection, we used a self-administered questionnaire consisting of socio-demographic and internet usage questions, the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) and the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales 21 (DASS-21). Results: There were a total of 426 (270 female and 156 male) medical students included in this study. IA was high in both male and female students. There was a higher proportion of male students (44.9%) found to be addicted compared to female students (32.2%). There were positive correlations between the DASS-21 and IAT scores for both male and female students. For female students, longer hours spent online daily (p-value = 0.02), as well as high anxiety (p-value < 0.001) and depression scores (p-value = 0.037) were found to be most strongly associated with IA. Among male students, factors associated with IA were the availability of internet access at home (p-value=0.02) and high anxiety scores (p

MeSH terms: Anxiety; Demography; Depression; Female; Male; Surveys and Questionnaires; Students, Medical; Universities; Behavior, Addictive; Internet
Fulltext Flex Sensor Compensator via Hammerstein-Wiener Modeling Approach for Improved Dynamic Goniometry and Constrained Control of a Bionic Hand

Syed Mubarak Ali SAA, Ahmad NS, Goh P

Sensors (Basel), 2019 Sep 10;19(18).
PMID: 31509987 DOI: 10.3390/s19183896

In this paper, a new control-centric approach is introduced to model the characteristics of flex sensors on a goniometric glove, which is designed to capture the user hand gesture that can be used to wirelessly control a bionic hand. The main technique employs the inverse dynamic model strategy along with a black-box identification for the compensator design, which is aimed to provide an approximate linear mapping between the raw sensor output and the dynamic finger goniometry. To smoothly recover the goniometry on the bionic hand's side during the wireless transmission, the compensator is restructured into a Hammerstein-Wiener model, which consists of a linear dynamic system and two static nonlinearities. A series of real-time experiments involving several hand gestures have been conducted to analyze the performance of the proposed method. The associated temporal and spatial gesture data from both the glove and the bionic hand are recorded, and the performance is evaluated in terms of the integral of absolute error between the glove's and the bionic hand's dynamic goniometry. The proposed method is also compared with the raw sensor data, which has been preliminarily calibrated with the finger goniometry, and the Wiener model, which is based on the initial inverse dynamic design strategy. Experimental results with several trials for each gesture show that a great improvement is obtained via the Hammerstein-Wiener compensator approach where the resulting average errors are significantly smaller than the other two methods. This concludes that the proposed strategy can remarkably improve the dynamic goniometry of the glove, and thus provides a smooth human-robot collaboration with the bionic hand.

MeSH terms: Algorithms*; Biomechanical Phenomena; Bionics*; Hand/physiology*; Humans; Arthrometry, Articular*
Fulltext Effects of Seasonal Variability on the Physicochemical, Biochemical, and Nutritional Composition of Western Peninsular Malaysia Gracilaria manilaensis

Aroyehun AQ, Palaniveloo K, Ghazali F, Rizman-Idid M, Abdul Razak S

Molecules, 2019 Sep 10;24(18).
PMID: 31510066 DOI: 10.3390/molecules24183298

This study evaluated the effect of seasonal variation on the physicochemical, biochemical, and nutritional composition of Gracilaria manilaensis. Sampling was designed during the main monsoon seasons in Malaysia-the Southwest monsoon (SWM) and Northeast monsoon (NEM)-to understand the intraspecific variation (p < 0.05). Carbohydrates, protein, and dietary fiber were found to be higher in NEM-G. manilaensis, whereas a higher ash content was quantified in SWM-G. manilaensis. No significant differences were found in crude lipid and moisture content (p > 0.05). Vitamin B2 was calculated as (0.29 ± 0.06 mg 100 g-1) and (0.38 ± 0.06 mg 100 g-1) for the NEM and SWM samples, respectively (p < 0.05). The fatty acid profile showed the dominance of saturated fatty acids (SFAs)-palmitic acids, stearic acid, and myristic acid-while the mineral contents were found to be good sources of calcium (1750.97-4047.74 mg 100 g-1) and iron (1512.55-1346.05 mg 100 g-1). Tryptophan and lysine were recorded as the limiting essential amino acids (EAAs) in NEM G. manilaensis, while leucine and phenylalanine were found to be the limiting EAAs in the SWM samples. None of the extracts exhibited antibacterial properties against the screened strains. The study concluded that seasonal changes have a great effect on the biochemical composition of G. manilaensis.

MeSH terms: Carbohydrates/isolation & purification; Carbohydrates/chemistry*; Dietary Fiber/analysis; Fatty Acids/isolation & purification; Fatty Acids/chemistry*; Lipids/isolation & purification; Lipids/chemistry; Malaysia; Minerals/isolation & purification; Minerals/chemistry; Nutritive Value*; Plant Extracts/chemistry; Proteins/isolation & purification; Proteins/chemistry; Seasons; Gracilaria/chemistry*
Malaria eradication within a generation: ambitious, achievable, and necessary

Feachem RGA, Chen I, Akbari O, Bertozzi-Villa A, Bhatt S, Binka F, et al.

Lancet, 2019 09 21;394(10203):1056-1112.
PMID: 31511196 DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(19)31139-0
MeSH terms: Humans; International Cooperation*; Malaria/epidemiology; Malaria/prevention & control*; Public Health/methods; Global Health; World Health Organization; Disease Eradication/trends*
Fulltext Development of Polymer Blends Based on PVA:POZ with Low Dielectric Constant for Microelectronic Applications

Aziz SB, Kadir MFZ, Hamsan MH, Woo HJ, Brza MA

Sci Rep, 2019 Sep 11;9(1):13163.
PMID: 31511610 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-49715-8

There is a huge request for the development of low dielectric constant polymeric materials for microelectronic applications. In thisstudy, polymer blends based on PVA:POZ with low dielectric constant has been fabricated. The results of XRD indicate that crystalline domain is enhanced at higher POZ concentration. Brilliant phases between spherulitesare attributed to the enhanced crystalline domains at high POZ content. White portions are appeared in SEM images on the surface of PVA:POZ blends. From EDX analysis, these leaked portions are referred to the POZ material. The number and sizes of the white portions were also found to increase with increasing the POZ content. Using electrical equivalent circuits (EEC), electrical impedance plots (Z″ vs Z') are fitted for all the samples. The results of impedance study illustrated that the resistivity of the samples increases with increasing POZ concentration. From dielectric measurements, dielectric constant was found to decrease with the introduction of more POZ into the PVA polymer. It is found to be about 1.68 at 40 wt.% POZ. Insulating materials with low dielectric constant (ε'
Fulltext Early Pleistocene enamel proteome from Dmanisi resolves Stephanorhinus phylogeny

Cappellini E, Welker F, Pandolfi L, Ramos-Madrigal J, Samodova D, Rüther PL, et al.

Nature, 2019 10;574(7776):103-107.
PMID: 31511700 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1555-y

The sequencing of ancient DNA has enabled the reconstruction of speciation, migration and admixture events for extinct taxa1. However, the irreversible post-mortem degradation2 of ancient DNA has so far limited its recovery-outside permafrost areas-to specimens that are not older than approximately 0.5 million years (Myr)3. By contrast, tandem mass spectrometry has enabled the sequencing of approximately 1.5-Myr-old collagen type I4, and suggested the presence of protein residues in fossils of the Cretaceous period5-although with limited phylogenetic use6. In the absence of molecular evidence, the speciation of several extinct species of the Early and Middle Pleistocene epoch remains contentious. Here we address the phylogenetic relationships of the Eurasian Rhinocerotidae of the Pleistocene epoch7-9, using the proteome of dental enamel from a Stephanorhinus tooth that is approximately 1.77-Myr old, recovered from the archaeological site of Dmanisi (South Caucasus, Georgia)10. Molecular phylogenetic analyses place this Stephanorhinus as a sister group to the clade formed by the woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis) and Merck's rhinoceros (Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis). We show that Coelodonta evolved from an early Stephanorhinus lineage, and that this latter genus includes at least two distinct evolutionary lines. The genus Stephanorhinus is therefore currently paraphyletic, and its systematic revision is needed. We demonstrate that sequencing the proteome of Early Pleistocene dental enamel overcomes the limitations of phylogenetic inference based on ancient collagen or DNA. Our approach also provides additional information about the sex and taxonomic assignment of other specimens from Dmanisi. Our findings reveal that proteomic investigation of ancient dental enamel-which is the hardest tissue in vertebrates11, and is highly abundant in the fossil record-can push the reconstruction of molecular evolution further back into the Early Pleistocene epoch, beyond the currently known limits of ancient DNA preservation.

MeSH terms: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Bayes Theorem; Dental Enamel/metabolism*; Fossils*; Humans; Male; Perissodactyla/classification*; Perissodactyla/genetics*; Perissodactyla/metabolism; Phosphorylation/genetics; Phylogeny*; Proteome/analysis; Proteome/genetics*; Amino Acid Motifs; Proteomics*; History, Ancient; DNA, Ancient/analysis*
Managing plastic waste disposal by assessing consumers' recycling behavior: the case of a densely populated developing country

Khan F, Ahmed W, Najmi A, Younus M

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2019 Nov;26(32):33054-33066.
PMID: 31512138 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-019-06411-4

The rapid increase in urbanization has given rise to the need of proper waste management. Within municipal waste, the plastic waste is a growing concern which is causing severe harm to our ecosystem. If ignored, this problem will have harmful effects on both human and wildlife. Therefore, this study aims to find out the factors that influence the recycling behavior patterns of consumers regarding plastic waste. The variables from the theory of planned behavior were adopted to study the behavior of consumers toward recycling plastic waste. The data was collected from 243 residents of Karachi-metropolitan city of Pakistan. The partial least square-structural equation modelling was applied to analyze the data. The findings of the current study reveal that different consumers' attributes and attitudes trigger different types of recycling behavior when it comes to waste disposal. Pressure from family and friends and perceived behavioral control trigger the behavior of reselling the waste plastic products while consumer's awareness of consequences and personal attitude toward proper waste disposal leads to reuse or donating that product to someone who can use that plastic product. The understanding of these consumer attributes may help to shape the behavioral outcomes in order to manage waste disposal. This study will be beneficial for business managers looking to improve reverse logistics as well as government/municipal policy makers and academics/researchers who are interested in a solution-oriented study.

MeSH terms: Adult; Attitude; Awareness; Cities; Developing Countries; Humans; Pakistan; Plastics*; Refuse Disposal; Waste Products*; Ecosystem; Waste Management; Recycling*
Fulltext Dengue-related Longitudinally Extensive Transverse Myelitis

Tan W, Lim CTS

Neurol India, 2019 9 13;67(4):1116-1117.
PMID: 31512649 DOI: 10.4103/0028-3886.266296
MeSH terms: Dengue/pathology*; Humans; Male; Myelitis, Transverse/diagnosis; Myelitis, Transverse/pathology*; Spine/pathology; Young Adult
Effect of Mobile Phase pH on the Electrospray Ionization Efficiency and Qualitative Analysis of Pharmaceuticals in ESI + LC-MS/MS

Kafeenah HIS, Osman R, Bakar NKA

J Chromatogr Sci, 2019 Oct 17;57(9):847-854.
PMID: 31512731 DOI: 10.1093/chromsci/bmz061

The effect of mobile phase pH on positive ionization process and retention time of nine pharmaceuticals on ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was discussed. The effective use of high and low mobile phase pH in LC-MS/MS qualitative analyses method was also evaluated by comparing the instrument detection limit, quantification limit, precision, linearity and signal to noise (S/N) under low and high mobile phase pH. In this work, six mobile phase pH that ranged between pH 2 and pH 10 were used to evaluate the effect of the mobile phase pH changes on the ionization process in electrospray ionization. Results revealed that high mobile phase pH ionized more pharmaceuticals molecules and gave a higher signal than low mobile phase pH in positive ionization mode. The results proved that ammonium ion was better as a proton donor in high pH mobile phase than the hydronium ion in acidic mobile phase. The results revealed that the qualitative LC-MS/MS analyses method by using high mobile phase pH has better performance for most analytes in terms of sensitivity, precision, linearity and S/N than the low mobile phase pH.
Fulltext Inactivating pathogenic bacteria in greywater by biosynthesized Cu/Zn nanoparticles from secondary metabolite of Aspergillus iizukae; optimization, mechanism and techno economic analysis

Noman E, Al-Gheethi A, Talip BA, Mohamed R, Kassim AH

PLoS One, 2019;14(9):e0221522.
PMID: 31513594 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0221522

The inactivation of antibiotic resistant Escherichia coli (Gram negative) and Staphylococcus aureus (Gram positive) seeded in greywater by bimetallic bio-nanoparticles was optimized by using response surface methodology (RSM). The bimetallic nanoparticles (Cu/Zn NPs) were synthesized in secondary metabolite of a novel fungal strain identified as Aspergillus iizukae EAN605 grown in pumpkin medium. Cu/Zn NPs were very effective for inhibiting growth of E. coli and S. aureus. The maximum inactivation was optimized with 0.028 mg mL-1 of Cu/Zn NPs, at pH 6 and after 60 min, at which the reduction of E. coli and S. aureus was 5.6 vs. 5.3 and 5.2 vs. 5.4 log reduction for actual and predicted values, respectively. The inactivation mechanism was described based on the analysis of untreated and treated bacterial cells by Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDS), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) revealed a damage in the cell wall structure due to the effect of Cu/Zn NPs. Moreover, the Raman Spectroscopy showed that the Cu/Zn NPs led to degradation of carbohydrates and amino structures on the bacteria cell wall. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis confirmed that the destruction take place in the C-C bond of the functional groups available in the bacterial cell wall. The techno economic analysis revealed that the biosynthesis Cu/Zn NPs is economically feasible. These findings demonstrated that Cu/Zn NPs can effectively inhibit pathogenic bacteria in the greywater.

MeSH terms: Anti-Bacterial Agents/biosynthesis*; Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology*; Anti-Bacterial Agents/chemistry; Aspergillus/growth & development*; Aspergillus/metabolism; Cell Wall; Copper/chemistry*; Escherichia coli/drug effects; Escherichia coli/isolation & purification; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Staphylococcus aureus/drug effects; Staphylococcus aureus/isolation & purification; Zinc/chemistry*; Cucurbita/microbiology; Microbial Viability/drug effects; Metal Nanoparticles; Waste Water/microbiology*; Secondary Metabolism
Expansion of Hydra actinoporin-like toxin (HALT) gene family: Expression divergence and functional convergence evolved through gene duplication

Yap WY, Tan KJSX, Hwang JS

Toxicon, 2019 Dec;170:10-20.
PMID: 31513812 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2019.09.007

Hydra actinoporin-like toxin 1 (HALT-1) was previously shown to cause cytolysis and haemolysis in a number of human cells and has similar functional properties to the actinoporins equinatoxin and sticholysin. In addition to HALT-1, five other HALTs (HALTs 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7) were also isolated from Hydra magnipapillata and expressed as recombinant proteins in this study. We demonstrated that recombinant HALTs have cytolytic activity on HeLa cells but each exhibited a different range of toxicity. All six recombinant HALTs bound to sulfatide, while rHALT-1 and rHALT-3 bound to two additional sphingolipids, lysophosphatidic acid and sphingosine-1-phosphate as indicated by the protein-lipid overlay assay. When either tryptophan133 or tyrosine129 of HALT-1 was mutated, the mutant protein lost binding to sulfatide, lysophosphatidic acid and sphingosine-1-phosphate. As further verification of HALTs' binding to sulfatide, we performed ELISA for each HALT. To determine the cell-type specific gene expression of seven HALTs in Hydra, we searched for individual HALT expression in the single-cell RNA-seq data set of Single Cell Portal. The results showed that HALT-1, 4 and 7 were expressed in differentiating stenoteles. HALT-1 and HALT-6 were expressed in the female germline during oogenesis. HALT-2 was strongly expressed in the gland and mucous cells in the endoderm. Information on HALT-3 and HALT-5 could not be found in the single-cell data set. Our findings show that subfunctionalisation of gene expression following duplication enabled HALTs to become specialized in various cell types of the interstitial cell lineage.

MeSH terms: Animals; Cnidarian Venoms; Endoderm; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Female; HeLa Cells; Hemolysis; Humans; Hydra; Lysophospholipids; Oogenesis; Recombinant Proteins; RNA; Sphingolipids; Sphingosine; Sulfoglycosphingolipids; Cell Lineage; Mutant Proteins
Utilization of waste fish oil and glycerol as carbon sources for polyhydroxyalkanoate production by Salinivibrio sp. M318

Van Thuoc D, My DN, Loan TT, Sudesh K

Int J Biol Macromol, 2019 Dec 01;141:885-892.
PMID: 31513855 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2019.09.063

A moderately halophilic bacterium isolated from fermenting shrimp paste, Salinivibrio sp. M318 was found capable of using fish sauce and mixtures of waste fish oil and glycerol as nitrogen and carbon sources, respectively, for poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) production. A cell dry weight (CDW) of up to 10 g/L and PHB content of 51.7 wt% were obtained after 48 h of cultivation in flask experiment. Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate) [P(3HB-co-4HB)] was synthesized when 1,4-butanediol, γ-butyrolactone, or sodium 4-hydroxybutyrate was added as precursors to the culture medium. The biosynthesis of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) [P(3HB-co-3HV)] was achieved by supplying precursors such as sodium valerate, sodium propionate, and sodium heptanoate. Salinivibrio sp. M318 was able to accumulate the above mentioned PHAs during the growth phase. High CDW of 69.1 g/L and PHB content of 51.5 wt% were obtained by strain Salinivibrio sp. M318 after 78 h of cultivation in fed-batch culture. The results demonstrate Salinivibrio sp. M318 to be a promising wild-type bacterium for the production of PHA from aquaculture residues.

MeSH terms: Biotransformation*; Carbon/chemistry*; Fatty Acids/analysis; Fermentation; Fish Oils/chemistry*; Glycerol/chemistry*; Nitrogen/chemistry; Vibrionaceae/metabolism*; Waste Disposal, Fluid*; Molecular Structure; Polyhydroxyalkanoates/analysis; Polyhydroxyalkanoates/biosynthesis*
Synthesis of benzotriazoles derivatives and their dual potential as α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitors in vitro: Structure-activity relationship, molecular docking, and kinetic studies

Hameed S, Kanwal, Seraj F, Rafique R, Chigurupati S, Wadood A, et al.

Eur J Med Chem, 2019 Dec 01;183:111677.
PMID: 31514061 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2019.111677

Benzotriazoles (4-6) were synthesized which were further reacted with different substituted benzoic acids and phenacyl bromides to synthesize benzotriazole derivatives (7-40). The synthetic compounds (7-40) were characterized via different spectroscopic techniques including EI-MS, HREI-MS, 1H-, and 13C NMR. These molecules were examined for their anti-hyperglycemic potential hence were evaluated for α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitory activities. All benzotriazoles displayed moderate to good inhibitory activity in the range of IC50 values of 2.00-5.6 and 2.04-5.72 μM against α-glucosidase and α-amylase enzymes, respectively. The synthetic compounds were divided into two categories "A" and "B", in order to understand the structure-activity relationship. Compounds 25 (IC50 = 2.41 ± 1.31 μM), (IC50 = 2.5 ± 1.21 μM), 36 (IC50 = 2.12 ± 1.35 μM), (IC50 = 2.21 ± 1.08 μM), and 37 (IC50 = 2.00 ± 1.22 μM), (IC50 = 2.04 ± 1.4 μM) with chloro substitution/s at aryl ring were found to be most active against α-glucosidase and α-amylase enzymes. Molecular docking studies on all compounds were performed which revealed that chloro substitutions are playing a pivotal role in the binding interactions. The enzyme inhibition mode was also studied and the kinetic studies revealed that the synthetic molecules have shown competitive mode of inhibition against α-amylase and non-competitive mode of inhibition against α-glucosidase enzyme.

MeSH terms: alpha-Amylases/antagonists & inhibitors*; alpha-Glucosidases/metabolism*; Diabetes Mellitus/drug therapy; Humans; Structure-Activity Relationship; Molecular Targeted Therapy; Molecular Docking Simulation
Fulltext Cryptococcal Meningitis in an immunocompetent Swiftlet Rancher – first reported case

Tan, Sin Nee, Lim, Thiam Seong Christopher

Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2019;15(1):82-84.
MyJurnal

Cryptococcal meningitis is a central nervous system infection cause by Cryptococcus neoformans. Although Cryptococcus is found in bird droppings, it has never been reported for those ranchers involved in the niche swiftlet ranching industry despite having close proximity with the bird droppings. We present here a case of a 41-year-old healthy swiftlet rancher who presents with a history of prolonged fever, headache and altered behaviour of a month duration. Cerebral spinal fluid analysis revealed the presence of Cryptococcus. He was treated with intravenous amphotericin B and flucytosine and discharged well with fluconazole consolidation therapy for 8 weeks, followed by maintenance therapy for 1 year. We believe this is the first reported case of Cryptococcal meningitis (CM) occurring in an immunocompetent swiftlet rancher. This case should highlight the needs to wear a proper personal protective equipment inside a swiftlet ranch due to the constant exposure to the potential cryptococcal-rich environment. A high index of suspicion, careful history taking and physical examination focusing on neurologic assessment is key to early diagnosis and timely management of CM.

MeSH terms: Personal Protective Equipment; Farmers; Amphotericin B; Animals; Antifungal Agents; Birds; Cryptococcosis; Cryptococcus neoformans; Flucytosine; Headache; Male; Medical History Taking; Neurologic Examination; Fluconazole; Meningitis, Cryptococcal; Early Diagnosis; Consolidation Chemotherapy

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