Browse publications by year: 2023

  1. Ahmad MN, Ishak MR, Mohammad Taha M, Mustapha F, Leman Z
    Materials (Basel), 2023 May 29;16(11).
    PMID: 37297184 DOI: 10.3390/ma16114052
    Today, additive manufacturing (AM) is the most recent technology used to produce detailed and complexly built parts for a variety of applications. The most emphasis has been given to fused deposition modeling (FDM) in the development and manufacturing fields. Natural fibers have received attention in the area of 3D printing to be employed as bio-filters with thermoplastics, which have prompted an effort for more ecologically acceptable methods of manufacturing. The development of natural fiber composite filaments for FDM requires meticulous methods and in-depth knowledge of the properties of natural fibers and their matrices. Thus, this paper reviews natural fiber-based 3D printing filaments. It covers the fabrication method and characterization of thermoplastic materials blended with natural fiber-produced wire filament. The characterization of wire filament includes the mechanical properties, dimension stability, morphological study, and surface quality. There is also a discussion of the difficulties in developing a natural fiber composite filament. Last but not least, the prospects of natural fiber-based filaments for FDM 3D printing are also discussed. It is hoped that, after reading this article, readers will have enough knowledge regarding how natural fiber composite filament for FDM is created.
  2. Mustapa NB, Ahmad R, Ibrahim WMW, Abdullah MMAB, Wattanasakulpong N, Nemeș O, et al.
    Materials (Basel), 2023 May 31;16(11).
    PMID: 37297236 DOI: 10.3390/ma16114103
    Globally, there is an increasing need for ceramic materials that have a variety of applications in the environment, for precision tools, and for the biomedical, electronics, and environmental industries. However, in order to obtain remarkable mechanical qualities, ceramics have to be manufactured at a high temperature of up to 1600 °C over a long heating period. Furthermore, the conventional approach presents issues with agglomeration, irregular grain growth, and furnace pollution. Many researchers have developed an interest in using geopolymer to produce ceramic materials, focusing on improving the performances of geopolymer ceramics. In addition to helping to lower the sintering temperature, it also improves the strength and other properties of the ceramics. Geopolymer is a product of polymerization involving aluminosilicate sources such as fly ash, metakaolin, kaolin, and slag through activation using an alkaline solution. The sources of the raw materials, the ratio of the alkaline solution, the sintering time, the calcining temperature, the mixing time, and the curing time may have significant impacts on the qualities. Therefore, this review aims to study the effects of sintering mechanisms on the crystallization of geopolymer ceramics, concerning the strength achieved. A future research opportunity is also presented in this review.
  3. Mohamad IS, Doroody C, Alkharasani WM, Norizan MN, Chelvanathan P, Shahahmadi SA, et al.
    Materials (Basel), 2023 May 31;16(11).
    PMID: 37297240 DOI: 10.3390/ma16114106
    In this study, we investigated the pathways for integration of perovskite and silicon solar cells through variation of the properties of the interconnecting layer (ICL). The user-friendly computer simulation software wxAMPS was used to conduct the investigation. The simulation started with numerical inspection of the individual single junction sub-cell, and this was followed by performing an electrical and optical evaluation of monolithic 2T tandem PSC/Si, with variation of the thickness and bandgap of the interconnecting layer. The electrical performance of the monolithic crystalline silicon and CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite tandem configuration was observed to be the best with the insertion of a 50 nm thick (Eg ≥ 2.25 eV) interconnecting layer, which directly contributed to the optimum optical absorption coverage. These design parameters improved the optical absorption and current matching, while also enhancing the electrical performance of the tandem solar cell, which benefited the photovoltaic aspects through lowering the parasitic loss.
  4. Nisham Rosly H, Doroody C, Harif MN, Mohamad IS, Isah M, Amin N
    Materials (Basel), 2023 May 31;16(11).
    PMID: 37297242 DOI: 10.3390/ma16114108
    The effect of a nontoxic chloride treatment on the crystallinity and optoelectrical characteristics of a CdSe thin film was studied. A detailed comparative analysis was conducted utilizing four molarities (0.01 M, 0.10 M, 0.15 M, and 0.20 M) of indium (III) chloride (InCl3), where the results showed a notable improvement in CdSe properties. The crystallite size of treated CdSe samples increased from 31.845 nm to 38.819 nm, and the strain in treated films dropped from 4.9 × 10-3 to 4.0 × 10-3, according to XRD measurements. The highest crystallinity resulted from the 0.10 M InCl3-treated CdSe films. The In contents in the prepared samples were verified by compositional analysis, and FESEM images from treated CdSe thin films demonstrated compact and optimal grain arrangements with passivated grain boundaries, which are required for the development of a robust operational solar cell. The UV-Vis plot, similarly, showed that the samples were darkened after treatment and the band gap of 1.7 eV for the as-grown samples fell to roughly 1.5 eV. Furthermore, the Hall effect results suggested that the carrier concentration increased by one order of magnitude for samples treated with 0.10 M of InCl3, but the resistivity remained in the order of 103 ohm/cm2, suggesting that the indium treatment had no considerable effect on resistivity. Hence, despite the deficit in the optical results, samples treated at 0.10 M InCl3 showed promising characteristics as well as the viability of treatment with 0.10 M InCl3 as an alternative to standard CdCl2 treatment.
  5. Abdulrahman H, Muhamad R, Shukri AA, Al-Fakih A, Alqaifi G, Mutafi A, et al.
    Materials (Basel), 2023 May 31;16(11).
    PMID: 37297254 DOI: 10.3390/ma16114120
    Alkali-activated concrete is an eco-friendly construction material that is used to preserve natural resources and promote sustainability in the construction industry. This emerging concrete consists of fine and coarse aggregates and fly ash that constitute the binder when mixed with alkaline activators, such as sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and sodium silicate (Na2SiO3). However, understanding its tension stiffening and crack spacing and width is of critical importance in fulfilling serviceability requirements. Therefore, this research aims to evaluate the tension stiffening and cracking performance of alkali-activated (AA) concrete. The variables considered in this study were compressive strength (fc) and concrete cover-to-bar diameter (Cc/db) ratios. After casting the specimen, they were cured before testing at ambient curing conditions for 180 days to reduce the effects of concrete shrinkage and obtain more realistic cracking results. The results showed that both AA and OPC concrete prisms develop slightly similar axial cracking force and corresponding cracking strain, but OPC concrete prisms exhibited a brittle behavior, resulting in a sudden drop in the load-strain curves at the crack location. In contrast, AA concrete prisms developed more than one crack simultaneously, suggesting a more uniform tensile strength compared to OPC specimens. The tension-stiffening factor (β) of AA concrete exhibited better ductile behavior than OPC concrete due to the strain compatibility between concrete and steel even after crack ignition. It was also observed that increasing the confinement (Cc/db ratio) around the steel bar delays internal crack formation and enhances tension stiffening in AAC. Comparing the experimental crack spacing and width with the values predicted using OPC codes of practice, such as EC2 and ACI 224R, revealed that EC2 tends to underestimate the maximum crack width, while ACI 224R provided better predictions. Thus, models to predict crack spacing and width have been proposed accordingly.
  6. Halim AABA, Rafii MY, Osman MB, Chukwu SC, Oladosu Y
    Foods, 2023 May 31;12(11).
    PMID: 37297452 DOI: 10.3390/foods12112207
    Heat treatment could affect the structure and properties of rice varieties. The present study was conducted in order to determine the effects of heat treatment on the physicochemical properties and tissue structure of Mahsuri Mutan, Basmati 370 and MR219 rice varieties. The three rice varieties were subjected to heat treatment (ageing) at 90 °C, using an oven, for 3 h. After the heat treatment, the samples were cooled at room temperature (25 °C) for 1 h. Physicochemical properties, such as alkali digestion value, water uptake ratio, solids in cooking water, high kernel elongation ratio and amylose contents, were determined. The procedure used in determining both apparent and absolute amylose involved measuring the iodine affinity of defatted whole starch. Ahigh-performance anion-exchange chromatograph was used to analyse branch chain length distribution of amylopectin quantitatively. The starch structure of the rice samples was observed under a scanning electron microscope. Data collected on physicochemical traits, heat treatment and control (ageing and non-ageing) were subjected to an analysis of variance using SAS software version 9.4. In this study, Mahsuri Mutan and Basmati 370 showed superior high kernel elongation as compared to their respective rice progenies. This study also found that heat treatment directly affected the increasingly high kernel elongation for both populations. The phenotypic correlation co-efficient indicated that there was a high positive correlation between high kernel elongation and water uptake ratio, implying that selection for water uptake ratio would increase the high kernel elongation characteristic. The heat treatment showed significant difference in all the physicochemical traits of the varieties studied. Heat treatment also affected the very long branch chains of starch, such as amylose. Observation under an electron microscope showed that the samples subjected to heat treatment had more cracks on the tissue structure compared to normal rice samples. The hexagon structure in Mahsuri Mutan produced a greater elongation effect on its kernel. The findings from this study could be useful to breeders in the selection and development of a new high kernel elongation rice variety.
  7. Nordin NL, Sulaiman R, Bakar J, Noranizan MA
    Foods, 2023 Jun 01;12(11).
    PMID: 37297477 DOI: 10.3390/foods12112233
    The peel and core discarded from the processing of MD2 pineapple have the potential to be valorized. This study evaluated the functional and volatile compounds in the extracts of MD pineapple peel and core (MD2-PPC). The total soluble solids, pH, titratable acidity, sweetness index, and astringency index were 9.34 °Brix, 4.00, 0.74%, 12.84, and 0.08, respectively, for the peel and 12.00 °Brix, 3.96, 0.32%, 37.66, and 0.03, respectively, for the core. The fat and protein contents of the peel and core were found to be significantly different (p < 0.05). The total phenolic (TPC) and flavonoid contents (TFC) were significantly higher in the peel. The peel also showed better antioxidant activity, with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 0.63 mg/mL for DPPH free radical activity compared with the core. The TPC of different phenolic fractions from peel extract was highest in the glycosylated fraction, followed by the esterified, insoluble-bound, and free phenolic fractions. GC-MS analysis identified 38 compounds in the peel and 23 in the core. The primary volatile compounds were 2-furan carboxaldehyde, 5-(hydroxymethyl), and 2,3-dihydro-3,5-dihydroxy-6-methyl-4H-pyran-4-one (DDMP). The identification of phenolics and volatile compounds provides important insights into the valorization of (MD2-PPC) waste.
  8. Devassy R, Devassy RR, de Wilde MS, Krentel H, Adlan A, Torres-de la Roche LA, et al.
    J Clin Med, 2023 May 23;12(11).
    PMID: 37297823 DOI: 10.3390/jcm12113628
    Contained electromechanical morcellation has emerged as a safety approach for laparoscopic myomatous tissue retrieval. This retrospective single-center analysis evaluated the bag deployment practicability and safety of electromechanical in-bag morcellation when used for big surgical benign specimens. The main age of patients was 39.3 years (range 21 to 71); 804 myomectomies, 242 supracervical hysterectomies, 73 total hysterectomies, and 1 retroperitoneal tumor extirpation were performed. A total of 78.7% of specimens weighed more than 250 g (n = 881) and 9% more than 1000 g. The largest specimens, weighing 2933 g, 3183 g, and 4780 g, required two bags for complete morcellation. Neither difficulties nor complications related to bag manipulation were recorded. Small bag puncture was detected in two cases, but peritoneal washing cytology was free of debris. One retroperitoneal angioleiomyomatosis and three malignancies were detected in histology (leiomyosarcoma = 2; sarcoma = 1); therefore, patients underwent radical surgery. All patients were disease-free at 3 years follow-up, but one patient presented multiple abdominal metastases of the leiomyosarcoma in the third year; she refused subsequent surgery and was lost from follow-up. This large series demonstrates that laparoscopic bag morcellation is a safe and comfortable method to remove large and giant uterine tumors. Bag manipulation takes only a few minutes, and perforations rarely occur and are easy to detect intraoperatively. This technique did not result in the spread of debris during myoma surgery, potentially avoiding the additional risk of parasitic fibroma or peritoneal sarcoma.
  9. Zhu Y, Tan JK, Wong SK, Goon JA
    Int J Mol Sci, 2023 May 23;24(11).
    PMID: 37298120 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24119168
    Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has emerged as a global health problem that affects people even at young ages due to unhealthy lifestyles. Without intervention, NAFLD will develop into nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and eventually liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Although lifestyle interventions are therapeutic, effective implementation remains challenging. In the efforts to establish effective treatment for NAFLD/NASH, microRNA (miRNA)-based therapies began to evolve in the last decade. Therefore, this systematic review aims to summarize current knowledge on the promising miRNA-based approaches in NAFLD/NASH therapies. A current systematic evaluation and a meta-analysis were conducted according to the PRISMA statement. In addition, a comprehensive exploration of PubMed, Cochrane, and Scopus databases was conducted to perform article searches. A total of 56 different miRNAs were reported as potential therapeutic agents in these studies. miRNA-34a antagonist/inhibitor was found to be the most studied variant (n = 7), and it significantly improved the hepatic total cholesterol, total triglyceride, Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST), and Alanine Transaminase (ALT) levels based on a meta-analysis. The biological processes mediated by these miRNAs involved hepatic fat accumulation, inflammation, and fibrosis. miRNAs have shown enormous therapeutic potential in the management of NAFLD/NASH, wherein miRNA-34a antagonist has been found to be an exceptional potential agent for the treatment of NAFLD/NASH.
    MeSH terms: Humans; Liver/pathology; Liver Cirrhosis/genetics; Liver Cirrhosis/pathology; Liver Cirrhosis/therapy
  10. Low Z, Lani R, Tiong V, Poh C, AbuBakar S, Hassandarvish P
    Int J Mol Sci, 2023 May 31;24(11).
    PMID: 37298539 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24119589
    Despite the fact that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) treatment and management are now considerably regulated, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is still one of the leading causes of death in 2022. The availability of COVID-19 vaccines, FDA-approved antivirals, and monoclonal antibodies in low-income countries still poses an issue to be addressed. Natural products, particularly traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) and medicinal plant extracts (or their active component), have challenged the dominance of drug repurposing and synthetic compound libraries in COVID-19 therapeutics. Their abundant resources and excellent antiviral performance make natural products a relatively cheap and readily available alternative for COVID-19 therapeutics. Here, we deliberately review the anti-SARS-CoV-2 mechanisms of the natural products, their potency (pharmacological profiles), and application strategies for COVID-19 intervention. In light of their advantages, this review is intended to acknowledge the potential of natural products as COVID-19 therapeutic candidates.
    MeSH terms: Antiviral Agents/pharmacology; Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use; Humans
  11. Huang TT, Chen CM, Lin SS, Lan YW, Cheng HC, Choo KB, et al.
    Int J Mol Sci, 2023 May 31;24(11).
    PMID: 37298555 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24119606
    E7050 is an inhibitor of VEGFR2 with anti-tumor activity; however, its therapeutic mechanism remains incompletely understood. In the present study, we aim to evaluate the anti-angiogenic activity of E7050 in vitro and in vivo and define the underlying molecular mechanism. It was observed that treatment with E7050 markedly inhibited proliferation, migration, and capillary-like tube formation in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). E7050 exposure in the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) also reduced the amount of neovessel formation in chick embryos. To understand the molecular basis, E7050 was found to suppress the phosphorylation of VEGFR2 and its downstream signaling pathway components, including PLCγ1, FAK, Src, Akt, JNK, and p38 MAPK in VEGF-stimulated HUVECs. Moreover, E7050 suppressed the phosphorylation of VEGFR2, FAK, Src, Akt, JNK, and p38 MAPK in HUVECs exposed to MES-SA/Dx5 cells-derived conditioned medium (CM). The multidrug-resistant human uterine sarcoma xenograft study revealed that E7050 significantly attenuated the growth of MES-SA/Dx5 tumor xenografts, which was associated with inhibition of tumor angiogenesis. E7050 treatment also decreased the expression of CD31 and p-VEGFR2 in MES-SA/Dx5 tumor tissue sections in comparison with the vehicle control. Collectively, E7050 may serve as a potential agent for the treatment of cancer and angiogenesis-related disorders.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Cell Movement; Chick Embryo; Humans; Neovascularization, Pathologic/drug therapy; Neovascularization, Pathologic/metabolism; Signal Transduction*; Angiogenesis Inhibitors/therapeutic use; Cell Proliferation; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells/metabolism
  12. Surien O, Masre SF, Basri DF, Ghazali AR
    Int J Mol Sci, 2023 Jun 03;24(11).
    PMID: 37298657 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24119707
    Cancer incidence keeps increasing every year around the world and is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Cancer has imposed a major burden on the human population, including the deterioration of physical and mental health as well as economic or financial loss among cancer patients. Conventional cancer treatments including chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy have improved the mortality rate. However, conventional treatments have many challenges; for example, drug resistance, side effects, and cancer recurrence. Chemoprevention is one of the promising interventions to reduce the burden of cancer together with cancer treatments and early detection. Pterostilbene is a natural chemopreventive compound with various pharmacological properties such as anti-oxidant, anti-proliferative, and anti-inflammatory properties. Moreover, pterostilbene, due to its potential chemopreventive effect on inducing apoptosis in eliminating the mutated cells or preventing the progression of premalignant cells to cancerous cells, should be explored as a chemopreventive agent. Hence, in the review, we discuss the role of pterostilbene as a chemopreventive agent against various types of cancer via its modulation of the apoptosis pathway at the molecular levels.
    MeSH terms: Antioxidants/pharmacology; Humans; Apoptosis; Cell Line, Tumor
  13. Mustapa MA, Guswenrivo I, Zurohtun A, Khairul Ikram NK, Muchtaridi M
    Molecules, 2023 May 23;28(11).
    PMID: 37298745 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28114269
    This research serves as the basis for developing essential oil-based repellent activity tests against Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. The method used for the isolation of essential oils was the steam distillation method. Virus-free Aedes aegypti mosquitoes were used as test animals by applying the 10% essential oil repellent on the arms of volunteers. The analysis of the essential oils activities and aromas' components was carried out using headspace repellent and GC-MS methods. Based on the results, the yields of essential oil from 5000 g samples for cinnamon bark, clove flowers, patchouli, nutmeg seed, lemongrass, citronella grass, and turmeric rhizome were 1.9%, 16%, 2.2%, 16.8%, 0.9%, 1.4%, and 6.8%, respectively. The activity test showed that the average repellent power of 10% essential oils, patchouli, cinnamon, nutmeg, turmeric, clove flowers, citronella grass, and lemongrass, was 95.2%, 83.8%, 71.4%, 94.7%, 71.4%, 80.4%, and 85%, respectively. Patchouli and cinnamon had the best average repellent power. Meanwhile, the aroma activities showed that the average repellent power of the patchouli oil was 96%, and the cinnamon oil was 94%. From the GC-MS analysis, nine components were identified in the patchouli essential oil aromas' with the highest concentration being patchouli alcohol (42.7%), Azulene, 1,2,3,5,6,7,8,8a-octahydro-1,4-dimethyl-7-(1-methylethenyl)-, [1S-(1α,7α,8aβ)] (10.8%), α-guaiene (9.22%), and seychellene (8.19%)., whereas using the GC-MS headspace repellent method showed that there were seven components identified in the patchouli essential oil aroma with a high concentration of the components, which were patchouli alcohol (52.5%), Seychellene (5.2%), and α-guaiene (5.2%). The analysis results of cinnamon essential oil using the GC-MS method showed that there were five components identified in the aroma, with E-cinnamaldehyde (73%) being the highest component, whereas using the GC-MS headspace repellent method showed that there were five components identified in the aroma, with highest concentrations of cinnamaldehyde (86.1%). It can be concluded that the chemical compounds contained in patchouli and cinnamon bark have the potential to be environmentally friendly repellents in controlling and preventing Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.
    MeSH terms: Aedes*; Animals
  14. Syahputra RA, Harahap U, Harahap Y, Gani AP, Dalimunthe A, Ahmed A, et al.
    Molecules, 2023 May 24;28(11).
    PMID: 37298779 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28114305
    Doxorubicin (DOX) has been extensively utilized in cancer treatment. However, DOX administration has adverse effects, such as cardiac injury. This study intends to analyze the expression of TGF, cytochrome c, and apoptosis on the cardiac histology of rats induced with doxorubicin, since the prevalence of cardiotoxicity remains an unpreventable problem due to a lack of understanding of the mechanism underlying the cardiotoxicity result. Vernonia amygdalina ethanol extract (VAEE) was produced by soaking dried Vernonia amygdalina leaves in ethanol. Rats were randomly divided into seven groups: K- (only given doxorubicin 15 mg/kgbw), KN (water saline), P100, P200, P400, P4600, and P800 (DOX 15 mg/kgbw + 100, 200, 400, 600, and 800 mg/kgbw extract); at the end of the study, rats were scarified, and blood was taken directly from the heart; the heart was then removed. TGF, cytochrome c, and apoptosis were stained using immunohistochemistry, whereas SOD, MDA, and GR concentration were evaluated using an ELISA kit. In conclusion, ethanol extract might protect the cardiotoxicity produced by doxorubicin by significantly reducing the expression of TGF, cytochrome c, and apoptosis in P600 and P800 compared to untreated control K- (p < 0.001). These findings suggest that Vernonia amygdalina may protect cardiac rats by reducing the apoptosis, TGF, and cytochrome c expression while not producing the doxorubicinol as doxorubicin metabolite. In the future, Vernonia amygdalina could be used as herbal preventive therapy for patient administered doxorubicin to reduce the incidence of cardiotoxicity.
    MeSH terms: Ethanol/adverse effects; Animals; Doxorubicin/adverse effects; Plant Extracts/pharmacology; Transforming Growth Factor beta/metabolism; Apoptosis; Oxidative Stress; Vernonia*; Cytochromes c/metabolism; Rats
  15. Putra NR, Rizkiyah DN, Che Yunus MA, Abdul Aziz AH, Md Yasir ASH, Irianto I, et al.
    Molecules, 2023 May 25;28(11).
    PMID: 37298801 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28114325
    Peanuts (Arachis hypogea) can be made into various products, from oil to butter to roasted snack peanuts and candies, all from the kernels. However, the skin is usually thrown away, used as cheap animal feed, or as one of the ingredients in plant fertilizer due to its little value on the market. For the past ten years, studies have been conducted to determine the full extent of the skin's bioactive substance repertoire and its powerful antioxidant potential. Alternatively, researchers reported that peanut skin could be used and be profitable in a less-intensive extraction technique. Therefore, this review explores the conventional and green extraction of peanut oil, peanut production, peanut physicochemical characteristics, antioxidant activity, and the prospects of valorization of peanut skin. The significance of the valorization of peanut skin is that it contains high antioxidant capacity, catechin, epicatechin resveratrol, and procyanidins, which are also advantageous. It could be exploited in sustainable extraction, notably in the pharmaceutical industries.
    MeSH terms: Animals
  16. Guo C, Dong J, Deng L, Cheng K, Xu Y, Zhu H, et al.
    Molecules, 2023 May 25;28(11).
    PMID: 37298809 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28114332
    The quality of Panax Linn products available in the market is threatened by adulteration with different Panax species, such as Panax quinquefolium (PQ), Panax ginseng (PG), and Panax notoginseng (PN). In this paper, we established a 2D band-selective heteronuclear single quantum coherence (bs-HSQC) NMR method to discriminate species and detect adulteration of Panax Linn. The method involves selective excitation of the anomeric carbon resonance region of saponins and non-uniform sampling (NUS) to obtain high-resolution spectra in less than 10 min. The combined strategy overcomes the signal overlap limitation in 1H NMR and the long acquisition time in traditional HSQC. The present results showed that twelve well-separated resonance peaks can be assigned in the bs-HSQC spectra, which are of high resolution, good repeatability, and precision. Notably, the identification accuracy of species was found to be 100% for all tests conducted in the present study. Furthermore, in combination with multivariate statistical methods, the proposed method can effectively determine the composition proportion of adulterants (from 10% to 90%). Based on the PLS-DA models, the identification accuracy was greater than 80% when composition proportion of adulterants was 10%. Thus, the proposed method may provide a fast, practical, and effective analysis technique for food quality control or authenticity identification.
    MeSH terms: Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Saponins*
  17. Yaqoob AA, Al-Zaqri N, Alamzeb M, Hussain F, Oh SE, Umar K
    Molecules, 2023 May 25;28(11).
    PMID: 37298824 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28114349
    Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) seem to have emerged in recent years to degrade the organic pollutants from wastewater. The current research also focused on phenol biodegradation using MFCs. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), phenol is a priority pollutant to remediate due to its potential adverse effects on human health. At the same time, the present study focused on the weakness of MFCs, which is the low generation of electrons due to the organic substrate. The present study used rotten rice as an organic substrate to empower the MFC's functional capacity to degrade the phenol while simultaneously generating bioenergy. In 19 days of operation, the phenol degradation efficiency was 70% at a current density of 17.10 mA/m2 and a voltage of 199 mV. The electrochemical analysis showed that the internal resistance was 312.58 Ω and the maximum specific capacitance value was 0.00020 F/g on day 30, which demonstrated mature biofilm production and its stability throughout the operation. The biofilm study and bacterial identification process revealed that the presence of conductive pili species (Bacillus genus) are the most dominant on the anode electrode. However, the present study also explained well the oxidation mechanism of rotten rice with phenol degradation. The most critical challenges for future recommendations are also enclosed in a separate section for the research community with concluding remarks.
    MeSH terms: Electricity; Electrodes; Humans; Oxidation-Reduction; Phenols; Phenol; Waste Water
  18. SiouNing AS, Seong TS, Kondo H, Bhassu S
    Molecules, 2023 May 26;28(11).
    PMID: 37298833 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28114357
    An infectious disease is the most apprehensive problem in aquaculture as it can lead to high mortality in aquatic organisms and massive economic loss. Even though significant progress has been accomplished in therapeutic, prevention, and diagnostic using several potential technologies, more robust inventions and breakthroughs should be achieved to control the spread of infectious diseases. MicroRNA (miRNA) is an endogenous small non-coding RNA that post-transcriptionally regulates the protein-coding genes. It involves various biological regulatory mechanisms in organisms such as cell differentiation, proliferation, immune responses, development, apoptosis, and others. Furthermore, an miRNA also acts as a mediator to either regulate host responses or enhance the replication of diseases during infection. Therefore, the emergence of miRNAs could be potential candidates for the establishment of diagnostic tools for numerous infectious diseases. Interestingly, studies have revealed that miRNAs can be used as biomarkers and biosensors to detect diseases, and can also be used to design vaccines to attenuate pathogens. This review provides an overview of miRNA biogenesis and specifically focuses on its regulation during infection in aquatic organisms, especially on the host immune responses and how miRNAs enhance the replication of pathogens in the organism. In addition to that, we explored the potential applications, including diagnostic methods and treatments, that can be employed in the aquaculture industry.
    MeSH terms: Communicable Diseases*; Humans; Biosensing Techniques*; Aquaculture; Aquatic Organisms
  19. Muthuraman A, Ramesh M, Mustaffa F, Nadeem A, Nishat S, Paramakrishnan N, et al.
    Molecules, 2023 May 26;28(11).
    PMID: 37298835 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28114358
    Molecular docking is widely used in the assessment of the therapeutic potential of pharmaceutical agents. The binding properties of beta-carotene (BC) to acetylcholine esterase (AChE) proteins were characterized using the molecular docking method. The mechanism of AChE inhibition was assessed by an experimental in vitro kinetic study. In addition, the role of BC action was tested by the zebrafish embryo toxicity test (ZFET). The results of the docking ability of BC to AChE showed significant ligand binding mode. The kinetic parameter, i.e., the low AICc value shown as the compound was the competitive type of inhibition of AChE. Further, BC also showed mild toxicity at a higher dose (2200 mg/L) in ZFET assessment with changes in biomarkers. The LC50 value of BC is 1811.94 mg/L. Acetylcholine esterase (AChE) plays a pivotal role in the hydrolysis of acetylcholine, which leads to the development of cognitive dysfunction. BC possesses the regulation of acetylcholine esterase (AChE) and acid phosphatase (AP) activity to prevent neurovascular dysfunction. Therefore, the characterization of BC could be used as a pharmaceutical agent for the treatment of cholinergic neurotoxicity-associated neurovascular disorders such as developmental toxicity, vascular dementia, and Alzheimer's disease due to its AChE and AP inhibitory actions.
    MeSH terms: Acetylcholine; Acetylcholinesterase/metabolism; Animals; Pharmaceutical Preparations; Zebrafish/metabolism; beta Carotene; Molecular Docking Simulation
  20. Azlan A, Sultana S, Mahmod II
    Molecules, 2023 May 28;28(11).
    PMID: 37298880 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28114403
    The health benefits of sugar cane products are attributed to certain antioxidant compounds in plant materials. The presence of antioxidants in plant materials depends on the extraction method in terms of yield and the number of phenolic compounds identified. This study was carried out to evaluate the performance of the three extraction methods, which were selected from previous studies to show the effect of the extraction method on the content of antioxidant compounds in different types of sugar. This study also evaluates the potential of different sugar extracts in anti-diabetic activity based on in vitro assays (α-glucosidase and α-amylase). The results showed that sugar cane extracted with acidified ethanol (1.6 M HCl in 60% ethanol) was the best condition to extract a high yield of phenolic acids compared to other methods. Among the three types of sugar, less refined sugar (LRS) showed the highest yield of phenolic compounds, 57.72 µg/g, compared to brown sugar (BS) and refined sugar (RS) sugar, which were at 42.19 µg/g and 22.06 µg/g, respectively. Whereas, among the sugar cane derivatives, LRS showed minor and BS moderate inhibition towards α-amylase and α-glucosidase activity compared to white sugar (RS). Thus, it is suggested that sugar cane extracted with acidified ethanol (1.6 M HCl in 60% ethanol) is the optimum experimental condition for antioxidant content determination and provides a basis for further exploitation of the health-beneficial resources of the sugarcane products.
    MeSH terms: Ethanol; alpha-Amylases; alpha-Glucosidases; Phenols/pharmacology; Plant Extracts/pharmacology; Saccharum*
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