Browse publications by year: 2019

  1. Lee WT, Tan BK, Eng SA, Yuen GC, Chan KL, Sim YK, et al.
    Food Funct, 2019 Sep 01;10(9):5759-5767.
    PMID: 31453615 DOI: 10.1039/c9fo01357a
    A strategy to circumvent the problem of multidrug resistant pathogens is the discovery of anti-infectives targeting bacterial virulence or host immunity. Black sea cucumber (Holothuria atra) is a tropical sea cucumber species traditionally consumed as a remedy for many ailments. There is a paucity of knowledge on the anti-infective capacity of H. atra and the underlying mechanisms involved. The objective of this study is to utilize the Caenorhabditis elegans-P. aeruginosa infection model to elucidate the anti-infective properties of H. atra. A bioactive H. atra extract and subsequently its fraction were shown to have the capability of promoting the survival of C. elegans during a customarily lethal P. aeruginosa infection. The same entities also attenuate the production of elastase, protease, pyocyanin and biofilm in P. aeruginosa. The treatment of infected transgenic lys-7::GFP worms with this H. atra fraction restores the repressed expression of the defense enzyme lys-7, indicating an improved host immunity. QTOF-LCMS analysis revealed the presence of aspidospermatidine, an indole alkaloid, and inosine in this fraction. Collectively, our findings show that H. atra possesses anti-infective properties against P. aeruginosa infection, by inhibiting pathogen virulence and, eventually, reinstating host lys-7 expression.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Anti-Infective Agents/pharmacology*; Anti-Infective Agents/chemistry; Bacterial Proteins/genetics*; Bacterial Proteins/metabolism; Disease Models, Animal; Female; Humans; Male; Pseudomonas aeruginosa/drug effects*; Pseudomonas aeruginosa/genetics; Pseudomonas aeruginosa/physiology; Quinolines/pharmacology; Quinolines/chemistry; Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial/drug effects; Caenorhabditis elegans/drug effects; Caenorhabditis elegans/genetics; Caenorhabditis elegans/immunology; Caenorhabditis elegans/microbiology*; Indole Alkaloids/pharmacology; Indole Alkaloids/chemistry; Virulence Factors/genetics*; Virulence Factors/metabolism; Holothuria/chemistry*
  2. Lee MS, 'Azmiyaty Amar Ma' Ruf C, Nadhirah Izhar DP, Nafisah Ishak S, Wan Jamaluddin WS, Ya'acob SNM, et al.
    Biomedicine (Taipei), 2019 Sep;9(3):18.
    PMID: 31453799 DOI: 10.1051/bmdcn/2019090318
    INTRODUCTION: The increasing rate of breast cancer (BC) incidence in Malaysia hints a lack of awareness among Malaysians. One (1) woman out of nineteen (19) is at risk with BC and almost up to fifty percent (50%) of women diagnosed with BC were reported to be under the age of fifty (50). Our main concern is to study the level of awareness among the women on risk factors, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, preventions and treatments.

    METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted exclusively among women in the public with total sample of three hundred and forty six (346), questionnaires were distributed using a simple random technique. Data was collected and analyzed by student T test in SPPS version 20.

    RESULTS: Our study reveals insufficient awareness on BC. Overall, awareness on risk factors is inadequate, but good knowledge on the importance of family history and diet as risk factors are discovered. Awareness on the cause and clinical manifestations of BC is required for improvement. As for treatment, alternatives especially surgery and chemotherapy are unclear to public, public is remotely unwitting on cessation of smoking to prevent BC at the early stage.

    CONCLUSION: Malaysian has spaces for improvement on awareness of BC in terms of risk factors, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, treatment and prevention. Early detection can be achieved with good awareness because it leads to better prognosis and lower mortality.

    MeSH terms: Awareness; Breast Neoplasms; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diet; Female; Humans; Malaysia; Prognosis; Surveys and Questionnaires; Risk Factors; Smoking; Health Behavior; Incidence; Early Detection of Cancer
  3. Alqadeeri F, Rukayadi Y, Abbas F, Shaari K
    Molecules, 2019 Aug 26;24(17).
    PMID: 31454974 DOI: 10.3390/molecules24173095
    Piper cubeba L. is the berry of a shrub that is indigenous to Java, Southern Borneo, Sumatra, and other islands in the Indian Ocean. The plant is usually used in folk traditional medicine and is an important ingredient in cooking. The purpose of this study was to isolate and purify the bioactive compounds from P. cubeba L. fractions. In addition, the isolated compounds were tested for their antibacterial and antispore activities against vegetative cells and spores of Bacilluscereus ATCC33019, B. subtilis ATCC6633, B.pumilus ATCC14884, and B.megaterium ATCC14581. The phytochemical investigation of the DCM fraction yielded two known compounds: β-asarone (1), and asaronaldehyde (2) were successfully isolated and identified from the methanol extract and its fractions of P. cubeba L. Results showed that exposing the vegetative cells of Bacillus sp. to isolated compounds resulted in an inhibition zone with a large diameter ranging between 7.21 to 9.61 mm. The range of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was between 63.0 to 125.0 µg/mL and had minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) at 250.0 to 500.0 µg/mL against Bacillus sp. Isolated compounds at a concentration of 0.05% inactivated more than 3-Log10 (90.99%) of the spores of Bacillus sp. after an incubation period of four hours, and all the spores were killed at a concentration of 0.1%. The structures were recognizably elucidated based on 1D and 2D-NMR analyses (1H, 13C, COSY, HSQC, and HMBC) and mass spectrometry data. Compounds 1, and 2 were isolated for the first time from this plant. In conclusion, the two compounds show a promising potential of antibacterial and sporicidal activities against Bacillus sp. and thus can be developed as an anti-Bacillus agent.
    MeSH terms: Aldehydes/isolation & purification; Aldehydes/pharmacology*; Anisoles/isolation & purification; Anisoles/pharmacology*; Anti-Bacterial Agents/isolation & purification; Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology*; Bacillus cereus/drug effects; Bacillus cereus/physiology; Bacillus megaterium/drug effects; Bacillus megaterium/chemistry; Bacillus subtilis/drug effects; Bacillus subtilis/physiology; Chromatography, Thin Layer; Medicine, Traditional; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Plant Extracts/isolation & purification; Plant Extracts/pharmacology; Spores, Bacterial/drug effects*; Molecular Structure; Piper/chemistry*; Bacillus pumilus/drug effects; Bacillus pumilus/physiology
  4. Kolda L, Krejcar O, Selamat A, Kuca K, Fadeyi O
    Sensors (Basel), 2019 Aug 26;19(17).
    PMID: 31455045 DOI: 10.3390/s19173709
    Biometric verification methods have gained significant popularity in recent times, which has brought about their extensive usage. In light of theoretical evidence surrounding the development of biometric verification, we proposed an experimental multi-biometric system for laboratory testing. First, the proposed system was designed such that it was able to identify and verify a user through the hand contour, and blood flow (blood stream) at the upper part of the hand. Next, we detailed the hard and software solutions for the system. A total of 40 subjects agreed to be a part of data generation team, which produced 280 hand images. The core of this paper lies in evaluating individual metrics, which are functions of frequency comparison of the double type faults with the EER (Equal Error Rate) values. The lowest value was measured for the case of the modified Hausdorff distance metric - Maximally Helicity Violating (MHV). Furthermore, for the verified biometric characteristics (Hamming distance and MHV), appropriate and suitable metrics have been proposed and experimented to optimize system precision. Thus, the EER value for the designed multi-biometric system in the context of this work was found to be 5%, which proves that metrics consolidation increases the precision of the multi-biometric system. Algorithms used for the proposed multi-biometric device shows that the individual metrics exhibit significant accuracy but perform better on consolidation, with a few shortcomings.
    MeSH terms: Algorithms; Biometry; Software; Transcription Factors
  5. Teh CH, Teh MW, Lim KH, Kee CC, Sumarni MG, Heng PP, et al.
    BMC Public Health, 2019 Aug 27;19(1):1177.
    PMID: 31455283 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-019-7516-4
    BACKGROUND: Lifestyle risk behaviours such as smoking, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, sedentary behaviour and low fruit/vegetable intake have been identified as the major causes of chronic diseases. Such behaviours are usually instigated in adolescence and tend to persist into adulthood. Studies on the clustering of lifestyle risk behaviours among adolescents are scarce, particularly in developing countries. Therefore, the present paper aimed to determine the clustering of lifestyle risk behaviours and its determinants among school-going adolescents in Malaysia.

    METHODS: Data were extracted from a cross-sectional study, the Malaysian Adolescent Health Risk Behaviour (MyAHRB) study, which was conducted from May to September 2013 across 11 states in Peninsular Malaysia. A two-stage proportionate-to-size sampling method was employed to select a total of 3578 school-going adolescents aged 16-17 years from 20 selected schools in urban and rural settlements, respectively. The MyAHRB study adopted a set of self-administered questionnaires adapted from the Global School-based Student's Health Survey (GSHS) and the Youth Risk Behaviour Surveillance.

    RESULTS: The results from the analysis of 2991 school-going adolescents aged 16-17 years showed that 16 (in boys) and 15 (in girls) out of 32 combinations of lifestyle risk behaviours clustered. Girls (aOR 2.82, 95% CI: 2.32-3.43) were significantly more likely to have clustered risk behaviours than boys; however, no significant associated factors were observed among girls. In contrast, boys of Malay descent (aOR 0.64, 95% CI: 0.46-0.89) or boys who had at least three friends (aOR 0.65, 95% CI: 0.43-0.99) were less likely to engage in multiple risk behaviours.

    CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated the clustering of multiple risk behaviours that occurred in both genders; these results suggest that multiple behaviour intervention programmes, instead of programmes based on siloed approaches, should be advocated and targeted to the high-risk sub-populations identified in the present study.

    MeSH terms: Adolescent; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Humans; Life Style*; Malaysia; Male; Surveys and Questionnaires; Risk Factors; Risk-Taking*; Sex Factors; Students/psychology*; Students/statistics & numerical data; Friends/psychology
  6. Du S, Cao Y, Zhou T, Setiawan A, Thandar M, Koy V, et al.
    BMC Health Serv Res, 2019 Aug 27;19(1):602.
    PMID: 31455377 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-019-4402-9
    BACKGROUND: Primary health care (PHC) is usually the initial point of contact for individuals seeking to access health care and providers of PHC play a crucial role in the healthcare model. However, few studies have assessed the knowledge, ability, and skills (capacity) of PHC providers in delivering care. This study aimed to identify the capacity of PHC providers in countries of the Southeast and East Asian Nursing Education and Research Network (SEANERN).

    METHODS: A multi-national cross-sectional survey was performed among SEANERN countries. A 1-5 Likert scale was used to measure eight components of knowledge, ability, and skill of PHC providers. Descriptive statistics were employed, and radar charts were used to depict the levels of the three dimensions (knowledge, skill and ability) and eight components.

    RESULTS: Totally, 606 valid questionnaires from PHC providers were returned from seven countries of SEANERN (China, Myanmar, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Malaysia), with a responsive rate of 97.6% (606/621). For the three dimensions the ranges of total mean scores were distributed as follows: knowledge dimension: 2.78~3.11; skill dimension: 2.66~3.16; ability dimension: 2.67~3.06. Furthermore, radar charts revealed that the transition of PHC provider's knowledge into skill and from skill into ability decreased gradually. Their competencies in four areas, including safe water and sanitation, nutritional promotion, endemic diseases prevention, and essential provision of drugs, were especially low.

    CONCLUSIONS: The general capacity perceived by PHC providers themselves seems relatively low and imbalanced. To address the problem, SEANERN, through the collaboration of the members, can facilitate the appropriate education and training of PHC providers by developing feasible, practical and culturally appropriate training plans.

    MeSH terms: Adult; Asia, Southeastern; China; Cross-Sectional Studies; Employment; Female; Health Personnel/standards*; Health Personnel/statistics & numerical data; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Primary Health Care*; Surveys and Questionnaires
  7. Ng KT, Teoh WY
    Prehosp Disaster Med, 2019 Oct;34(5):532-539.
    PMID: 31455452 DOI: 10.1017/S1049023X19004758
    INTRODUCTION: Epinephrine has been recommended for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) resuscitation for nearly one century, but its efficacy and safety remain unclear in the literature. The primary aim of this review was to determine whether epinephrine increases the return of spontaneous circulation in OHCA patients.

    METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted using the following databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL, from their inception until October 2018. All the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included. Observational studies, case reports, case series, and non-systematic reviews were excluded.

    RESULTS: Two trials including 8,548 patients were eligible for inclusion in the data synthesis. In patients who received epinephrine during OHCA, the incidence of return of spontaneous circulation was increased, with an odds ratio (95%CI) of 4.25 (3.79-4.75), P

    MeSH terms: Emergency Medical Services; Epinephrine/administration & dosage; Epinephrine/therapeutic use*; Humans; Vasoconstrictor Agents/administration & dosage; Vasoconstrictor Agents/therapeutic use*; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation; Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest/therapy*
  8. Liu C, Kanazawa T, Tian Y, Mohamed Saini S, Mancuso S, Mostaid MS, et al.
    Transl Psychiatry, 2019 08 27;9(1):205.
    PMID: 31455759 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-019-0532-4
    Over 3000 candidate gene association studies have been performed to elucidate the genetic underpinnings of schizophrenia. However, a comprehensive evaluation of these studies' findings has not been undertaken since the decommissioning of the schizophrenia gene (SzGene) database in 2011. As such, we systematically identified and carried out random-effects meta-analyses for all polymorphisms with four or more independent studies in schizophrenia along with a series of expanded meta-analyses incorporating published and unpublished genome-wide association (GWA) study data. Based on 550 meta-analyses, 11 SNPs in eight linkage disequilibrium (LD) independent loci showed Bonferroni-significant associations with schizophrenia. Expanded meta-analyses identified an additional 10 SNPs, for a total of 21 Bonferroni-significant SNPs in 14 LD-independent loci. Three of these loci (MTHFR, DAOA, ARVCF) had never been implicated by a schizophrenia GWA study. In sum, the present study has provided a comprehensive summary of the current schizophrenia genetics knowledgebase and has made available all the collected data as a resource for the research community.
    MeSH terms: Alleles; Gene Frequency; Humans; Schizophrenia/genetics*; Linkage Disequilibrium*; Genetic Predisposition to Disease*; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide*; Knowledge Bases; Genetic Loci; Genetic Association Studies
  9. Toki W, Matsuo S, Pham HT, Meleng P, Lee CY
    Naturwissenschaften, 2019 Aug 27;106(9-10):50.
    PMID: 31456022 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-019-1645-6
    The cavities of bamboos (Poaceae) are used by various animals. Most of the animals access these cavities either by existing cracks or by excavating bamboos with soft walls or small, thin-walled bamboos. Only a few animals excavate into the cavities of large and thick- and hard-walled internodes of mature bamboos. We studied two lizard beetle species (Coleoptera: Erotylidae: Languriinae), Doubledaya ruficollis and Oxylanguria acutipennis, that excavate into large internode cavities of recently dead mature bamboos and have morphological modifications. We observed that females of D. ruficollis used their mandibles to bore oviposition holes on Schizostachyum sp. (mean wall thickness = 3.00 mm) and O. acutipennis did so on Dendrocalamus sp. (3.37 mm) bamboos. Previous studies suggested that the markedly asymmetrical mandibles and needle-like ovipositors of females in the genus Doubledaya are adaptive traits for excavating hard-walled bamboos for oviposition. Therefore, we measured their mandibular lengths and ovipositor lengths. D. ruficollis females had greater asymmetry in the mandibles and shorter and less-sclerotized ovipositors than females of congeners using small bamboos. In contrast, O. acutipennis females had slightly asymmetrical mandibles and elongated, well-sclerotized ovipositors. Oviposition holes of D. ruficollis were cone-shaped (evenly tapering), whereas those of O. acutipennis were funnel-shaped (tube-like at the internal apex). This suggests that D. ruficollis females excavate oviposition holes using the mandibles only, and O. acutipennis females use both the mandibles and ovipositors. These differences suggest different oviposition-associated morphological specialization for using large bamboos: the extremely asymmetrical mandibles in D. ruficollis and elongated, needle-like ovipositors in O. acutipennis.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Animal Structures/anatomy & histology; Beetles/anatomy & histology*; Beetles/physiology*; Behavior, Animal/physiology; Female; Poaceae/anatomy & histology; Poaceae/parasitology; Organ Size/physiology
  10. Ahmad H, Haseen U, Umar K, Ansari MS, Ibrahim MNM
    Mikrochim Acta, 2019 08 27;186(9):649.
    PMID: 31456042 DOI: 10.1007/s00604-019-3753-6
    The authors describe a method for solvent-free mechano-chemical synthesis of a bioinspired sorbent. A 2D ultra-thin carbon sheet similar to graphene oxide was prepared using a natural waste (onion sheet). The formation of 2D carbon sheets was confirmed by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and ATR-IR. The surface morphology was characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy and high-resolution tunneling electron microscopy. The carbon sheets were decorated with crystalline MnFe2O4 nanoparticles by solid-state reaction at room temperature. The presence of magnetic particles in the final product was confirmed by vibrating sample magnetometry and electron microscopy. The synergistic effect of carbon sheets and MnFe2O4 led to an enhanced sorption of arsenic species compared to bare carbon sheets or to MnFe2O4 nanoparticles. A column was prepared for the simultaneous preconcentration and determination of trace levels of As(III) and As(V) from water samples. The preconcentration factors are between 900 and 833 for As(III) and As(V) species, respectively. The linearity of the calibration plot ranges from 0.4-10 ng mL-1. The detection limits (at 3σ) for both As(III) and As(V) are 30 pg mL-1. The Student's t values for the analysis of spiked samples are lower than the critical Student's t values at a 95% confidence level. The recoveries from spiked water samples range between 99 and 102.8%. Graphical abstract Schematic representation of the preparation of carbon sheets similar to graphene oxide from onion sheaths after pyrolysis at 800 °C. The prepared carbon sheet-MnFe2O4 composite shows excellent arsenic sorption and preconcentration down to the pg mL-1 concentration.
    MeSH terms: Arsenic; Calibration; Carbon; Ferric Compounds; Graphite; Magnetics; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Oxides; Solvents; Temperature; Water; Manganese Compounds; Onions; Nanoparticles; Photoelectron Spectroscopy; Limit of Detection; Magnetometry
  11. Ariffin AF, Yusof N, Mohd S, Rahman SA, Ramalingam S, Mansor A, et al.
    Cell Tissue Bank, 2019 Dec;20(4):527-534.
    PMID: 31456097 DOI: 10.1007/s10561-019-09785-4
    Calcium contents of demineralised human cortical bone determined by titrimetric assay and atomic absorption spectrophotometry technique were verified by comparing to neutron activation analysis which has high recovery of more than 90%. Conversion factors determined from the comparison is necessary to correct the calcium content for each technique. Femurs from cadaveric donors were cut into cortical rings and demineralised in 0.5 M hydrochloric acid for varying immersion times. Initial calcium content in the cortical bone measured by titration was 4.57%, only 21% of the measurement by neutron activation analysis; while measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometer was 13.4%, only 61% of neutron activation analysis. By comparing more readings with the measurements by neutron activation analysis with 93% recovery, a conversion factor of 4.83 was verified and applied for the readings by titration and 1.45 for atomic absorption spectrophotometer in calculating the correct calcium contents. The residual calcium content started to reduce after the cortical bone was demineralised in hydrochloric acid for 8 h and reduced to 13% after 24 h. Using the linear relationship, the residual calcium content could be reduced to less than 8% after immersion in hydrochloric acid for 40 h. Atomic absorption spectrophotometry technique is the method of choice for calcium content determination as it is more reliable compared to titrimetric assay.
    MeSH terms: Adult; Cadaver; Calcification, Physiologic; Calcium/analysis*; Femur/chemistry*; Humans; Hydrochloric Acid/chemistry; Male; Middle Aged; Neutron Activation Analysis; Tissue and Organ Procurement; Spectrophotometry, Atomic; Bone Density; Cortical Bone/chemistry*
  12. Al-Amin AQ, Doberstein B
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2019 Oct;26(30):31062-31076.
    PMID: 31456153 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-019-06128-4
    Alternative energy policies targeting the adoption of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (HFCVs) could have significant positive impacts on Malaysia's ability to meet both its carbon reduction goal and its energy security needs. The transport sector generally contributes heavily to carbon emissions, and is also difficult to decarbonize because of the costs associated with many greener options. This study explores the possibility of decarbonizing the Malaysian transport sector by promoting the use of hydrogen vehicles, and analyzes the adoption challenges and economic obstacles (especially public acceptance) associated with introducing HFCVs. This study contends that the adoption challenges of this new technology can be overcome through the use of development strategies outlined. This study also addresses the regulatory framework that Malaysia (and other countries) might use to overcome common policy adoption challenges of HFCVs.
    MeSH terms: Air Pollution/prevention & control; Carbon*; Energy-Generating Resources*; Humans; Hydrogen*; Malaysia; Public Opinion; Motor Vehicles*
  13. Leung AKC, Lam JM, Leong KF
    World J Pediatr, 2019 Dec;15(6):536-545.
    PMID: 31456157 DOI: 10.1007/s12519-019-00304-9
    BACKGROUND: Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a group of diseases characterized by the proliferation and accumulation of Langerhans cells. Clinical presentations of LCH vary widely.

    DATA SOURCES: A PubMed search was conducted using Clinical Queries with the key term "Langerhans cell histiocytosis". The search strategy included meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials, clinical trials, observational studies, and reviews. This paper is based on, but not limited to, the search results.

    RESULTS: Generally, patients with LCH can be divided into two groups based on the extent of involvement at diagnosis, namely, single-system LCH and multisystem LCH. The involvement may be unifocal or multifocal. Patients with isolated bone lesions typically present between 5 and 15 years of age, whereas those with multisystem LCH tend to present before 5 years of age. The clinical spectrum is broad, ranging from an asymptomatic isolated skin or bone lesion to a life-threatening multisystem condition. Clinical manifestations include, among others, "punched out" lytic bone lesion, seborrheic dermatitis-like eruption, erythematous/reddish-brown crusted/scaly papules/maculopapules/plaques/patches, and eczematous lesions, diabetes insipidus, hepatosplenomegaly, cytopenias, lymphadenopathy, and an acute fulminant disseminated multisystem condition presenting with fever, skin rash, anemia, thrombocytopenia, lymphadenopathy, and hepatosplenomegaly. The diagnosis is clinicopathologic, based on typical clinical findings and histologic/immunohistochemical examination of a biopsy of lesional tissue. Positive CD1a, S100, and/or CD207 (Langerin) immunohistochemical staining of lesional cells is required for a definitive diagnosis. Watchful waiting is recommended for patients with skin-only LCH. Patients with symptomatic or refractory skin-only LCH may be treated with topical tacrolimus/corticosteroids, topical nitrogen mustard, oral methotrexate, or oral hydroxyurea. The current recommended first-line therapy for patients with multisystem LCH is 12 months therapy with prednisone and vinblastine. Mercaptopurine is added for patients with risk organ involvements.

    CONCLUSIONS: Because of the broad spectrum of clinical manifestations and the extreme diversity of disease, LCH remains a diagnostic dilemma. Morphological identification of LCH cells and positive immunochemical staining with CD1a, S100, and/or CD207 (Langerin) of lesional cells are necessary for a definitive diagnosis.

    MeSH terms: Adolescent; Child; Child, Preschool; Histiocytosis, Langerhans-Cell/complications*; Histiocytosis, Langerhans-Cell/diagnosis*; Humans
  14. Mansor NI, Nordin N, Mohamed F, Ling KH, Rosli R, Hassan Z
    Curr Drug Deliv, 2019;16(8):698-711.
    PMID: 31456519 DOI: 10.2174/1567201816666190828153017
    Many drugs have been designed to treat diseases of the central nervous system (CNS), especially neurodegenerative diseases. However, the presence of tight junctions at the blood-brain barrier has often compromised the efficiency of drug delivery to target sites in the brain. The principles of drug delivery systems across the blood-brain barrier are dependent on substrate-specific (i.e. protein transport and transcytosis) and non-specific (i.e. transcellular and paracellular) transport pathways, which are crucial factors in attempts to design efficient drug delivery strategies. This review describes how the blood-brain barrier presents the main challenge in delivering drugs to treat brain diseases and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of ongoing neurotherapeutic delivery strategies in overcoming this limitation. In addition, we discuss the application of colloidal carrier systems, particularly nanoparticles, as potential tools for therapy for the CNS diseases.
    MeSH terms: Blood-Brain Barrier; Brain; Brain Diseases; Pharmaceutical Preparations; Drug Delivery Systems; Tight Junctions; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Protein Transport; Nanoparticles; Transcytosis
  15. Mudassir J, Darwis Y, Muhamad S, Khan AA
    Int J Nanomedicine, 2019;14:4895-4909.
    PMID: 31456636 DOI: 10.2147/IJN.S199507
    Introduction: Insulin is given by injection, because when administered orally, it would be destroyed by enzymes in the digestive system, hence only about 0.1% reaches blood circulation. The purpose of the present study was to use pH sensitive polyelectrolyte methyl methacrylate (MMA)/itaconic acid (IA) nanogels as carriers in an attempt to improve absorption of insulin administered orally. Methods: Insulin (Ins) was incorporated into the MMA/IA nanogels (NGs) using the polyelectrolyte complexation (PEC) method to form Ins/NGs-PEC. Several parameters, including Ins:NGs ratio, pH, incubation time and stirring rate were optimized during preparation of InsNGs-PEC. The prepared formulations were characterized in terms of particle size (PS), polydispersity index (PdI), zeta potential (ZP) and percent entrapment efficiency (% EE). Results: The optimized InF12 nanogels had a PS, PdI, ZP and %EE of 190.43 nm, 0.186, -16.70 mV and 85.20%, respectively. The InF12 nanogels were lyophilized in the presence of different concentrations of trehalose as cryoprotectant. The lyophilized InF12 containing 2%w/v trahalose (InF12-Tre2 nanogels) was chosen as final formulation which had a PS, PdI, ZP and %EE of 430.50 nm, 0.588, -16.50 mv and 82.10, respectively. The in vitro release of insulin from InF12-Tre2 nanogels in the SGF and SIF were 28.71% and 96.53%, respectively. The stability study conducted at 5±3°C for 3 months showed that lnF12-Tre2 nanogels were stable. The SDS-PAGE assay indicated that the primary structure of insulin in the lnF12-Tre2 nanogels was intact. The in-vivo study in the diabetic rats following oral administration of InF12-Tre2 nanogels at a dose of 100 IU/kg body weight reduced blood glucose level significantly to 51.10% after 6 hours compared to the control groups. Conclusions: The pH sensitive MMA/IA nanogels are potential carriers for oral delivery of insulin as they enhanced the absorption of the drug.
    MeSH terms: Administration, Oral; Animals; Blood Glucose; Body Weight; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental; Digestive System; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; Freeze Drying; Insulin; Methacrylates; Particle Size; Polyethyleneimine; Succinates; Trehalose; Methylmethacrylate; Control Groups; Rats; Nanoparticles; Polyelectrolytes
  16. Chong PP, Chin VK, Looi CY, Wong WF, Madhavan P, Yong VC
    Front Microbiol, 2019 08 13;10:1870.
    PMID: 31456783 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.01870
    [This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.01136.].
    MeSH terms: Humans
  17. Gan HM, Szegedi E, Fersi R, Chebil S, Kovács L, Kawaguchi A, et al.
    Front Microbiol, 2019;10:1896.
    PMID: 31456792 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.01896
    Crown gall (CG) is a globally distributed and economically important disease of grapevine and other important crop plants. The causal agent of CG is Agrobacterium or Allorhizobium strains that harbor a tumor-inducing plasmid (pTi). The microbial community within the CG tumor has not been widely elucidated and it is not known if certain members of this microbial community promote or inhibit CG. This study investigated the microbiotas of grapevine CG tumor tissues from seven infected vineyards located in Hungary, Japan, Tunisia, and the United States. Heavy co-amplification of grapevine chloroplast and mitochondrial ribosomal RNA genes was observed with the widely used Illumina V3-V4 16S rRNA gene primers, requiring the design of a new reverse primer to enrich for bacterial 16S rRNA from CG tumors. The operational taxonomic unit (OTU) clustering approach is not suitable for CG microbiota analysis as it collapsed several ecologically distinct Agrobacterium species into a single OTU due to low interspecies genetic divergence. The CG microbial community assemblages were significantly different across sampling sites (ANOSIM global R = 0.63, p-value = 0.001) with evidence of site-specific differentially abundant ASVs. The presence of Allorhizobium vitis in the CG microbiota is almost always accompanied by Xanthomonas and Novosphingobium, the latter may promote the spread of pTi plasmid by way of acyl-homoserine lactone signal production, whereas the former may take advantage of the presence of substrates associated with plant cell wall growth and repair. The technical and biological insights gained from this study will contribute to the understanding of complex interaction between the grapevine and its microbial community and may facilitate better management of CG disease in the future.
  18. Thong HK, Athar PPSH, Mustaffa WMW
    Open Access Maced J Med Sci, 2019 Jul 15;7(13):2142-2145.
    PMID: 31456841 DOI: 10.3889/oamjms.2019.577
    BACKGROUND: Lymphoepithelial cysts, which are benign and slow-growing tumours, usually involve the head and neck regions. Benign lymphoepithelial cysts (BLECs) are the most common cause of parotid swelling in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients and are less common in immunocompetent patients.

    CASE PRESENTATION: Here, we present two cases of immunocompetent patients with long-standing, progressively enlarging parotid swelling. Postoperative histopathological examination of these patients revealed features of BLEC.

    CONCLUSION: Wide surgical excision is the gold standard for treatment and recurrences is rare. These cases are of particular interest because of the rarity of BLEC in HIV-negative patients and highlight an important differential diagnosis of parotid swelling.

    MeSH terms: Diagnosis, Differential; Epidermal Cyst; HIV Seropositivity; Humans; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local
  19. Goonewardene ST, Tang C, Tan LT, Chan KG, Lingham P, Lee LH, et al.
    Front Pediatr, 2019;7:339.
    PMID: 31456997 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2019.00339
    Nephrotic syndrome affects both children and adults. Idiopathic nephrotic syndrome is reported to be one of the most frequent renal pathologies in childhood. Nephrotic children are at high risk for severe pneumococcal infections as one of the life-threatening complications of nephrotic syndrome due to involvement of the immunosuppressive regimen and the acquired immune deficiency induced by nephrotic syndrome including decreased plasma IgG and low complement system components. Aiming to prevent pneumococcal infection is of paramount importance especially in this era of ever-increasing pneumococcal resistance to penicillins and cephalosporins. The pneumococcal vaccines currently available are inactivated vaccines-the two main forms in use are polysaccharide vaccines and conjugated vaccines. However, the data supporting the use of these vaccines and to guide the timing and dosage recommendations is still limited for nephrotic children. Thus, this review discusses the evidences of immunogenicity and safety profile of both vaccinations on nephrotic patients as well as the effect of nephrotic syndrome treatment on vaccine seroresponses.
    MeSH terms: Adult; Cephalosporins; Child; Humans; Immunoglobulin G; Nephrosis, Lipoid; Nephrotic Syndrome; Penicillins; Pneumococcal Infections; Polysaccharides; Streptococcus pneumoniae; Vaccination; Vaccines, Inactivated; Vaccines, Conjugate; Pneumococcal Vaccines
  20. El-Deeb NM, El-Adawi HI, El-Wahab AEA, Haddad AM, El Enshasy HA, He YW, et al.
    Front Cell Dev Biol, 2019;7:165.
    PMID: 31457012 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2019.00165
    Medicinal mushrooms have been used for centuries against cancer and infectious diseases. These positive biological effects of mushrooms are due in part to the indirect action of stimulating immune cells. The objective of the current study is to investigate the possible immunomodulatory effects of mushroom polysaccharides on NK cells against different cancer cells. In this current study, fruiting bodies isolated from cultured Pleurotus ostreatus were extracted and partially purified using DEAE ion-exchange chromatography. The activation action of the collected fractions on Natural Killer cells was quantified against three different cancer cell lines in the presence or absence of human recombinant IL2 using three different activation and co-culture conditions. The possible modes of action of mushroom polysaccharides against cancer cells were evaluated at the cellular and molecular levels. Our results indicate that P. ostreatus polysaccharides induced NK-cells cytotoxic effects against lung and breast cancer cells with the largest effect being against breast cancer cells (81.2%). NK cells activation for cytokine secretion was associated with upregulation of KIR2DL genes while the cytotoxic activation effect of NK cells against cancer cells correlated with NKG2D upregulation and induction of IFNγ and NO production. These cytotoxic effects were enhanced in the presence of IL2. Analysis of the most active partially purified fraction indicates that it is predominantly composed of glucans. These results indicate bioactive 6-linked glucans present in P. ostreatus extracts activate NK-cell cytotoxicity via regulation of activation and induction of IFNγ and NO. These studies establish a positive role for bioactive P. ostreatus polysaccharides in NK-cells activation and induction of an innate immune response against breast and lung cancer cells.
    MeSH terms: Agaricales; Breast Neoplasms; Cell Line; Chromatography, Ion Exchange; Glucans; Humans; Immunity, Innate; Interleukin-2; Killer Cells, Natural; Lung Neoplasms; Lymphocyte Activation; Polysaccharides; Recombinant Proteins; Up-Regulation; Coculture Techniques; Pleurotus; Fruiting Bodies, Fungal
External Links