MyMedR

Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 435 in total

Abstract:

Sort:

Fulltext Quantitative determination of fatty acids in marine fish and shellfish from warm water of Straits of Malacca for nutraceutical purposes

Abd Aziz N, Azlan A, Ismail A, Mohd Alinafiah S, Razman MR

Biomed Res Int, 2013;2013:284329.
PMID: 23509703 DOI: 10.1155/2013/284329

This study was conducted to quantitatively determine the fatty acid contents of 20 species of marine fish and four species of shellfish from Straits of Malacca. Most samples contained fairly high amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), especially alpha-linolenic acid (ALA, C18:3 n3), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20:5 n3), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6 n3). Longtail shad, yellowstripe scad, and moonfish contained significantly higher (P < 0.05) amounts of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), respectively. Meanwhile, fringescale sardinella, malabar red snapper, black pomfret, Japanese threadfin bream, giant seaperch, and sixbar grouper showed considerably high content (537.2-944.1 mg/100 g wet sample) of desirable omega-3 fatty acids. The polyunsaturated-fatty-acids/saturated-fatty-acids (P/S) ratios for most samples were higher than that of Menhaden oil (P/S = 0.58), a recommended PUFA supplement which may help to lower blood pressure. Yellowstripe scad (highest DHA, ω - 3/ω - 6 = 6.4, P/S = 1.7), moonfish (highest ALA, ω - 3/ω - 6 = 1.9, P/S = 1.0), and longtail shad (highest EPA, ω - 3/ω - 6 = 0.8, P/S = 0.4) were the samples with an outstandingly desirable overall composition of fatty acids. Overall, the marine fish and shellfish from the area contained good composition of fatty acids which offer health benefits and may be used for nutraceutical purposes in the future.
Fulltext Assessing disparities in medical students' knowledge and attitude about monkeypox: a cross-sectional study of 27 countries across three continents

Abd ElHafeez S, Gebreal A, Khalil MA, Youssef N, Sallam M, Elshabrawy A, et al.

Front Public Health, 2023;11:1192542.
PMID: 37575128 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1192542

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The recent monkeypox (Mpox) outbreak confirmed by the World Health Organization (WHO) underscores the importance of evaluating the knowledge and attitude of medical students toward emerging diseases, given their potential roles as healthcare professionals and sources of public information during outbreaks. This study aimed to assess medical students' knowledge and attitude about Mpox and to identify factors affecting their level of knowledge and attitude in low-income and high-income countries.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 11,919 medical students from 27 countries. A newly-developed validated questionnaire was used to collect data on knowledge (14 items), attitude (12 items), and baseline criteria. The relationship between a range of factors with knowledge and attitude was studied using univariate and multivariate analyses.
RESULTS: 46% of the study participants were males; 10.7% were in their sixth year; 54.6% knew about smallpox; 84% received the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine; and 12.5% had training on Mpox. 55.3% had good knowledge of Mpox and 51.7% had a positive attitude towards it. Medical students in their third, fifth, or sixth year high- income countries who obtained information on Mpox from friends, research articles, social media and scientific websites were positive predictors for good knowledge. Conversely, being male or coming from high-income countries showed a negative relation with good knowledge about Mpox. Additionally, a positive attitude was directly influenced by residing in urban areas, being in the fifth year of medical education, having knowledge about smallpox and a history of receiving the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine. Receiving information about Mpox from social media or scientific websites and possessing good knowledge about Mpox were also predictors of a positive attitude. On the other hand, being male, employed, or receiving a training program about Mpox were inversely predicting positive attitude about Mpox.
CONCLUSION: There were differences in knowledge and attitude towards Mpox between medical students in low and high-income countries, emphasizing the need for incorporating epidemiology of re-emerging diseases like Mpox into the medical curriculum to improve disease prevention and control.
CMF-iteMS: An automatic threshold selection for detection of copy-move forgery

Abd Warif NB, Idris MYI, Abdul Wahab AW, Salleh R, Ismail A

Forensic Sci Int, 2019 Feb;295:83-99.
PMID: 30576953 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2018.12.004

Taking into consideration that the prior CMF detection methods rely on several fixed threshold values in the filtering process, we propose an efficient CMF detection method with an automatic threshold selection, named as CMF-iteMS. The CMF-iteMS recommends a PatchMatch-based CMF detection method that adapts Fourier-Mellin Transform (FMT) as the feature extraction technique while a new automatic threshold selection based on iterative means of regions size (iteMS) procedure is introduced to have flexibility in changing the threshold value for various characteristics (quality, sizes, and attacks) in each input image. To ensure the reliability of the proposed CMF-iteMS, the method is compared with four state-of-the-art CMF detection methods based on Scale Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT), patch matching, multi-scale analysis and symmetry techniques using three available datasets that cover the variety of characteristics in CMF images. The results show that the F-score of the CMF-iteMS outperformed existing CMF detection methods by exceeding an average of 90% F-score values for image-level evaluation and 82% of F-score value for pixel-level evaluation for all datasets in original size. As special attention is given to the image resizing attack, the method is able to maintain the highest performance even if the images in the datasets are resized to 0.25 parameter.
Fulltext Antidepressant-Like Properties of Fish Oil on Postpartum Depression-Like Rats Model: Involvement of Serotonergic System

Abdul Aziz NU, Chiroma SM, Mohd Moklas MA, Adenan MI, Ismail A, Hidayat Baharuldin MT

Brain Sci, 2020 Oct 13;10(10).
PMID: 33066310 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10100733

Pathophysiology of postpartum depression (PPD) has been associated with many factors, such as neuroendocrine, neuroinflammation and neurotransmitter changes. Fish oil (FO) improves PPD both in humans and animals. However, little is known with regards to its pharmacology on a PPD-like rat model. Hence, the current study aimed at investigating the effects of FO on a PPD-like rat model. Female rats were induced with PPD-like symptoms and then randomly divided into six groups (n = 6) for two experimental protocols. Protocol 1 consisted of PPD-like rats (2 mL distilled water), PPD-like + FO (9 g/kg/d) and PPD-like + Fluoxetine (FLX) (15 mg/kg/d) groups of rats, whereas Protocol 2 consisted of PPD-like rats (2 mL distilled water) + PCPA (p-chlorophenylalanine) 150 mg/kg, PPD-like + FO (9 g/kg/d) + PCPA 150 mg/kg and PPD-like + FLX (15 mg/d) + PCPA 150 mg/kg groups of rats, respectively. All treatments were administered orally for 10 days postpartum, except PCPA, which was given intraperitoneally. Prior to euthanasia, the antidepressant-like effect of the FO was evaluated using the forced swimming test (FST) and open field test (OFT) on day 10 postpartum. Biochemical analysis of serotonin, serotonin metabolite and serotonin turnover from their prefrontal cortex and hippocampus were also measured. The results showed that FO decreased immobility time and increased swimming time significantly, but not climbing time in FST. Further, it also decreased serotonin metabolite and turnover significantly in the hippocampus of the PPD-like rats. In contrast, administration with PCPA reversed all the outcomes. The antidepressant-like effects of FO were found to be similar with that of FLX. Thus, it can be concluded that FO exerts its antidepressant-like effects in PPD-like rats through modulation of serotonergic system.
Menhaden fish oil attenuates postpartum depression in rat model via inhibition of NLRP3-inflammasome driven inflammatory pathway

Abdul Aziz NU, Chiroma SM, Mohd Moklas MA, Adenan MI, Ismail A, Basir R, et al.

J Tradit Complement Med, 2021 Sep;11(5):419-426.
PMID: 34522636 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtcme.2021.02.007

Background and aim: Postpartum depression (PPD) is a familiar problem which is associated with about 10-20% of women after child delivery. Fish oil (FO) has a therapeutic potentials to many diseases including mood disorders. However, there is paucity of data on the effects of FO supplementation on PPD rat model. Hence, this study aimed at investigating the potentials of FO in ameliorating depressive-like behaviors in PPD rat by evaluating the involvement of NLRP3-inflammasome.
Experimental procedure: Thirty six virgin adult female rats (n = 6) were randomly divided into six groups; Group 1-3 were normal control (NC), Sham (SHAM) and ovariectomized group (OVX) respectively whereas group 4-6 were PPD rats forced-fed once daily with distilled water (PPD), fish oil (PPD + FO; 9 g/kg) and Fluoxetine (PPD + FLX; 15 mg/kg) respectively from postpartum day 1 and continued for 10 consecutive days. Rats behaviors were evaluated on postpartum day 10 through open field test (OFT) and forced swimming test (FST), followed by biochemical analysis of NLRP3 inflammasome proteins pathway in their brain and determination of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR).
Results: PPD-induced rats exhibited high immobility and low swimming time in FST with increased inflammatory status; NLR, IL-1β and NFкB/NLRP3/caspase-1 activity in their hippocampus. However, administration of FO or fluoxetine reversed the aforementioned abnormalities.
Conclusion: In conclusion, 10 days supplementation with FO ameliorated the depressive-like behaviors in PPD rats by targeting the NFкB/NLRP3/caspase-1/IL-1β activity. This has shed light on the potential of NLRP3 as a therapeutic target in treatment of PPD in rats.
Efficacy of cocoa pod extract as antiwrinkle gel on human skin surface

Abdul Karim A, Azlan A, Ismail A, Hashim P, Abd Gani SS, Zainudin BH, et al.

J Cosmet Dermatol, 2016 Sep;15(3):283-95.
PMID: 27041391 DOI: 10.1111/jocd.12218

OBJECTIVE: Cocoa pods are abundant waste materials of cocoa plantation, which are usually discarded onto plantation floors. However, due to poor plantation management, the discarded cocoa pods can create suitable breeding ground for Phytophthora palmivora, which is regarded as the causal agent of the black pod disease. On the other hand, cocoa pods potentially contain antioxidant compounds. Antioxidant compounds are related to the protection of skin from wrinkles and can be used as functional cosmetic ingredients. Therefore, in this study, cocoa pods were extracted and to be used as active ingredients for antiwrinkles.
METHODS: The active compounds in cocoa pod extracts (CPE) were screened using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Fibroblast cells were used to determine the effective concentration of CPE to maintain the viability for at least 50% of the cells (EC50 ). The gel was tested by 12 panelists to determine the efficacy of CPE in gel form using Visioscan to reduce skin wrinkles and improve skin condition.
RESULTS: CPE was detected to contain malic acid, procyanidin B1, rosmarinic acid, procyanidin C1, apigenin, and ellagic acid, all of which may contribute to functional cosmetic properties of CPE. The EC50 value of cocoa pod extracts was used to calculate the amount of CPE to be incorporated into gel so that the formulated product could reach an effective concentration of extract while being nonintoxicant to the skin cell. The results showed that CPE is potential ingredient to reduce wrinkles. Skin wrinkles reduced at 6.38 ± 1.23% with the application of the CPE gel within 3 weeks and significantly improved further (12.39 ± 1.59%) after 5 weeks. The skin hydration increased (3.181 ± 1.06%) after 3 weeks of the CPE gel application.
CONCLUSION: Flavonoid compounds in CPE contributed to the functional cosmetic properties of CPE. The CPE which is nontoxic to skin cells help to reduce wrinkles on skin after 3 weeks of application. CPE can be used as the active ingredients in antiwrinkle products, and prolonged application may result in significant visual changes to the naked eyes.
Nutritional values and bioactive components of under-utilised vegetables consumed by indigenous people in Malaysia

Abdul Wahab N, Ahdan R, Ahmad Aufa Z, Kong KW, Johar MH, Shariff Mohd Z, et al.

J Sci Food Agric, 2015 Oct;95(13):2704-11.
PMID: 25410129 DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.7006

Diverse plants species in the forest remain under-utilised and they are mainly consumed only by local people. However, increasing issues in food security prompted the present study, which explores the nutritional and antioxidant aspects of Malaysian under-utilised vegetables. The studied vegetables were Paku Nyai (Stenochlaena palustris), Cemperai (Champereia manillana), Maman Pasir (Cleome viscose), Dudung (Erechtites valerianifolia) and Semambuk (Ardisia pendula).
Tracing sewage contamination based on sterols and stanols markers within the mainland aquatic ecosystem: a case study of Linggi catchment, Malaysia

Abdul Zali M, Juahir H, Ismail A, Retnam A, Idris AN, Sefie A, et al.

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2021 Apr;28(16):20717-20736.
PMID: 33405159 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-11680-5

Sewage contamination is a principal concern in water quality management as pathogens in sewage can cause diseases and lead to detrimental health effects in humans. This study examines the distribution of seven sterol compounds, namely coprostanol, epi-coprostanol, cholesterol, cholestanol, stigmasterol, campesterol, and β-sitosterol in filtered and particulate phases of sewage treatment plants (STPs), groundwater, and river water. For filtered samples, solid-phase extraction (SPE) was employed while for particulate samples were sonicated. Quantification was done by using gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS). Faecal stanols (coprostanol and epi-coprostanol) and β-sitosterol were dominant in most STP samples. Groundwater samples were influenced by natural/biogenic sterol, while river water samples were characterized by a mixture of sources. Factor loadings from principal component analysis (PCA) defined fresh input of biogenic sterol and vascular plants (positive varimax factor (VF)1), aged/treated sewage sources (negative VF1), fresh- and less-treated sewage and domestic sources (positive VF2), biological sewage effluents (negative VF2), and fresh-treated sewage sources (VF3) in the samples. Association of VF loadings and factor score values illustrated the correlation of STP effluents and the input of biogenic and plant sterol sources in river and groundwater samples of Linggi. This study focuses on sterol distribution and its potential sources; these findings will aid in sewage assessment in the aquatic environment.
Effect of biphasic calcium phosphate scaffold porosities on odontogenic differentiation of human dental pulp cells

AbdulQader ST, Rahman IA, Thirumulu KP, Ismail H, Mahmood Z

J Biomater Appl, 2016 Apr;30(9):1300-11.
PMID: 26740503 DOI: 10.1177/0885328215625759

Calcium phosphates (CaP) of different porosities have been widely and successfully used as scaffolds with osteoblast cells for bone tissue regeneration. However, the effects of scaffold porosities on cell viability and differentiation of human dental pulp cells for dentin tissue regeneration are not well known. In this study, biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) scaffolds of 20/80 hydroxyapatite to beta tricalcium phosphate ratio with a mean pore size of 300 μm were prepared into BCP1, BCP2, BCP3, and BCP4 of 25%, 50%, 65%, and 75% of total porosities, respectively. The extracts of these scaffolds were assessed with regard to cell viability, proliferation, and differentiation of human dental pulp cells. The high alkalinity, and more calcium and phosphate ions release that were exhibited by BCP3 and BCP4 decreased the viability and proliferation of human dental pulp cells as compared to BCP1 and BCP2. BCP2 significantly increased both cell viability and cell proliferation. However, the cells cultured with BCP3 extract revealed high alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and high expression of odontoblast related genes, collagen type I alpha 1, dentin matrix protein-1, and dentin sialophosphoprotein as compared to that cultured with BCP1, BCP2, and BCP4 extracts. The results highlight the effect of different scaffold porosities on the cell microenvironment and demonstrate that BCP3 scaffold of 65% porosity can support human dental pulp cells differentiation for dentin tissue regeneration.
Rapid detection of Salmonella Typhi by loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method

Abdullah J, Saffie N, Sjasri FA, Husin A, Abdul-Rahman Z, Ismail A, et al.

Braz J Microbiol, 2014;45(4):1385-91.
PMID: 25763045

An in-house loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) reaction was established and evaluated for sensitivity and specificity in detecting the presence of Salmonella Typhi (S. Typhi) isolates from Kelantan, Malaysia. Three sets of primers consisting of two outer and 4 inner were designed based on locus STBHUCCB_38510 of chaperone PapD of S. Typhi genes. The reaction was optimised using genomic DNA of S. Typhi ATCC7251 as the template. The products were visualised directly by colour changes of the reaction. Positive results were indicated by green fluorescence and negative by orange colour. The test was further evaluated for specificity, sensitivity and application on field samples. The results were compared with those obtained by gold standard culture method and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). This method was highly specific and -10 times more sensitive in detecting S. Typhi compared to the optimised conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method.
Estimation of rainwater harvesting by the reflectance of the purity index of rainfall

Abdullah SNF, Ismail A, Juahir H, Lananan F, Hashim NM, Ariffin N, et al.

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2021 Jul;28(27):35613-35627.
PMID: 33666850 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-12772-6

Rainwater harvesting is an effective alternative practice, particularly within urban regions, during periods of water scarcity and dry weather. The collected water is mostly utilized for non-potable household purposes and irrigation. However, due to the increase in atmospheric pollutants, the quality of rainwater has gradually decreased. This atmospheric pollution can damage the climate, natural resources, biodiversity, and human health. In this study, the characteristics and physicochemical properties of rainfall were assessed using a qualitative approach. The three-year (2017-2019) data on rainfall in Peninsular Malaysia were analysed via multivariate techniques. The physicochemical properties of the rainfall yielded six significant factors, which encompassed 61.39% of the total variance as a result of industrialization, agriculture, transportation, and marine factors. The purity of rainfall index (PRI) was developed based on subjective factor scores of the six factors within three categories: good, moderate, and bad. Of the 23 variables measured, 17 were found to be the most significant, based on the classification matrix of 98.04%. Overall, three different groups of similarities that reflected the physicochemical characteristics were discovered among the rain gauge stations: cluster 1 (good PRI), cluster 2 (moderate PRI), and cluster 3 (bad PRI). These findings indicate that rainwater in Peninsular Malaysia was suitable for non-potable purposes.
Metabolite Variation in Lean and Obese Streptozotocin (STZ)-Induced Diabetic Rats via (1)H NMR-Based Metabolomics Approach

Abu Bakar Sajak A, Mediani A, Maulidiani, Ismail A, Abas F

Appl Biochem Biotechnol, 2017 Jun;182(2):653-668.
PMID: 27995574 DOI: 10.1007/s12010-016-2352-9

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is considered as a complex metabolic disease because it affects the metabolism of glucose and other metabolites. Although many diabetes studies have been conducted in animal models throughout the years, the pathogenesis of this disease, especially between lean diabetes (ND + STZ) and obese diabetes (OB + STZ), is still not fully understood. In this study, the urine from ND + STZ, OB + STZ, lean/control (ND), and OB + STZ rats were collected and compared by using (1)H NMR metabolomics. The results from multivariate data analysis (MVDA) showed that the diabetic groups (ND + STZ and OB + STZ) have similarities and dissimilarities for a certain level of metabolites. Differences between ND + STZ and OB + STZ were particularly noticeable in the synthesis of ketone bodies, branched-chain amino acid (BCAA), and sensitivity towards the oral T2DM diabetes drug metformin. This finding suggests that the ND + STZ group was more similar to the T1DM model and OB + STZ to the T2DM model. In addition, we also managed to identify several pathways and metabolism aspects shared by obese (OB) and OB + STZ. The results from this study are useful in developing drug target-based research as they can increase understanding regarding the cause and effect of DM.
Effect of Ipomoea aquatica ethanolic extract in streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic rats via1H NMR-based metabolomics approach

Abu Bakar Sajak A, Mediani A, Maulidiani, Mohd Dom NS, Machap C, Hamid M, et al.

Phytomedicine, 2017 Dec 01;36:201-209.
PMID: 29157816 DOI: 10.1016/j.phymed.2017.10.011

BACKGROUND: Ipomoea aquatica (locally known as "kangkung") has previously been reported to have hypoglycemic activities on glucose level in diabetes patients. However, the effect of I. aquatica ethanolic extract on the metabolites in the body has remained unknown.
PURPOSE: This study provides new insights on the changes of endogenous metabolites caused by I. aquatica ethanolic extract and improves the understanding on the therapeutic efficacy and mechanism of I. aquatica ethanolic extract.
METHODS: By using a combination of 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) with multivariate analysis (MVDA), the changes of metabolites due to I. aquatica ethanolic extract administration in obese diabetic-induced Sprague Dawley rats (OB+STZ+IA) were identified.
RESULTS: The results suggested 19 potential biomarkers with variable importance projections (VIP) above 0.5, which include creatine/creatinine, glucose, creatinine, citrate, carnitine, 2-oxoglutarate, succinate, hippurate, leucine, 1-methylnicotinamice (MNA), taurine, 3-hydroxybutyrate (3-HB), tryptophan, lysine, trigonelline, allantoin, formiate, acetoacetate (AcAc) and dimethylamine. From the changes in the metabolites, the affected pathways and aspects of metabolism were identified.
CONCLUSION: I. aquatica ethanolic extract increases metabolite levels such as creatinine/creatine, carnitine, MNA, trigonelline, leucine, lysine, 3-HB and decreases metabolite levels, including glucose and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) intermediates. This implies capabilities of I. aquatica ethanolic extract promoting glycolysis, gut microbiota and nicotinate/nicotinamide metabolism, improving the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and reducing the β-oxidation rate. However, the administration of I. aquatica ethanolic extract has several drawbacks, such as unimproved changes in amino acid metabolism, especially in reducing branched chain amino acid (BCAA) synthesis pathways and lipid metabolism.
Klebsiella sp. FIRD 2, a TBT-resistant bacterium isolated from contaminated surface sediment along Strait of Johor Malaysia

Abubakar A, Mustafa MB, Johari WLW, Zulkifli SZ, Ismail A, Mohamat-Yusuff FB

Mar Pollut Bull, 2015 Dec 15;101(1):280-283.
PMID: 26434791 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.09.041

A possible tributyltin (TBT)-degrading bacterium isolated from contaminated surface sediment was successfully identified as Klebsiella sp. FIRD 2. It was found to be the best isolate capable of resisting TBT at a concentration of 1000 μg L(-1). This was a concentration above the reported contaminated level at the sampling station, 790 μg L(-1). Further studies revealed that the isolate was Gram negative and resisted TBT concentrations of up to 1500 μg L(-1) in a Minimal Salt Broth without the addition of any carbon source within the first 48 h of incubation. It is expected that additional work could be conducted to check the degradation activity of this new isolate and possibly improve the degradation capacity in order to contribute to finding a safe and sustainable remediation solution of TBT contamination.
The adsorptive removal of chromium (VI) in aqueous solution by novel natural zeolite based hollow fibre ceramic membrane

Adam MR, Salleh NM, Othman MHD, Matsuura T, Ali MH, Puteh MH, et al.

J Environ Manage, 2018 Oct 15;224:252-262.
PMID: 30055458 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.07.043

Adsorption is one of the most efficient ways to remove heavy metal from wastewater. In this study, the adsorptive removal of hexavalent chromium, Cr (VI) from aqueous solution was investigated using natural zeolite, clinoptilolite, in the form of hollow fibre ceramic membrane (HFCM). The HFCM sample was prepared using phase inversion-based extrusion technique and followed by sintering process at different sintering temperatures in the range of 900-1050 °C. The fabricated HFCM was characterised using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), contact angle, water permeability, and mechanical strength for all HFCMs sintered at different temperatures. The adsorption and filtration test of Cr (VI) were performed using an in-house water permeation set up with a dead-end cross-flow permeation test. An asymmetric structure with sponge- and finger-like structures across the cross-section of HFCM was observed using SEM. Based on the characterisation data, 1050 °C was chosen to be the best sintering temperature as the water permeability and mechanical strength of this HFCM were 29.14 L/m2∙h and 50.92 MPa, respectively. The performance of the HFCM in adsorption/filtration was 44% of Cr (VI) removal at the Cr (VI) concentration of 40 mg/L and pH 4. In addition, the mathematical model was also performed in simulating the experimental data obtained from this study. All in all, the natural zeolite-based HFCM has a potential as a single-step Cr (VI) removal by membrane adsorption for the wastewater treatment.
Fulltext Ficus deltoidea: A Potential Alternative Medicine for Diabetes Mellitus

Adam Z, Khamis S, Ismail A, Hamid M

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2012;2012:632763.
PMID: 22701507 DOI: 10.1155/2012/632763

Ficus deltoidea from the Moraceae family has been scientifically proven to reduce hyperglycemia at different prandial states. In this study, we evaluate the mechanisms that underlie antihyperglycemic action of Ficus deltoidea. The results had shown that hot aqueous extract of Ficus deltoidea stimulated insulin secretion significantly with the highest magnitude of stimulation was 7.31-fold (P < 0.001). The insulin secretory actions of the hot aqueous extract involved K(+) (ATP) channel-dependent and K(+) (ATP)-channel-independent pathway. The extract also has the ability to induce the usage of intracellular Ca(2+) to trigger insulin release. The ethanolic and methanolic extracts enhanced basal and insulin-mediated glucose uptake into adipocytes cells. The extracts possess either insulin-mimetic or insulin-sensitizing property or combination of both properties during enhancing glucose uptake into such cells. Meanwhile, the hot aqueous and methanolic extracts augmented basal and insulin-stimulated adiponectin secretion from adipocytes cells. From this study, it is suggested that Ficus deltoidea has the potential to be developed as future oral antidiabetic agent.
Evaluation of nutritional quality of complementary foods formulated from blends of Nigerian yellow maize (Zea mays), soybean (Glycine max) and crayfish (Procambarus clarkii)

Adegbusi HS, Ismail A, Mohd Esa N, Mat Daud ZA

J Sci Food Agric, 2022 Dec;102(15):6961-6973.
PMID: 35672266 DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.12057

BACKGROUND: Plant-based complementary foods (CFs) supply insufficient amount of nutrients to meet recommended nutrient intakes for 6-23-month-old children. The present study determined the nutritional quality of CFs formulated from blends of Nigerian yellow maize (Zea mays), soybean (Glycine max) and crayfish (Procambarus clarkii). Three CFs were formulated; namely, maize flour (MF, 100:0% w/w), blends of maize and soybean flour (MSF, 72:28% w/w), and maize, soybean and crayfish flour (MSCF, 80:10:10% w/w). Nutritional quality was evaluated using analyses of chemical composition of CFs and of protein quality of complementary food diets. Data were compared by multivariate analysis of variance and significantly differentiated. Nine selected nutritional criteria were used to decide the CF that had best nutritional characteristics compared to MF and fortified wheat flour (FWMF).
RESULTS: Total scores obtained from the selected nutritional criteria ranked MSCF, with total score of 15, as the lowest and thus it was considered to have the most desirable nutritional characteristics compared to MF, MSF and FWMF, which had respective total scores of 31, 22 and 20.
CONCLUSION: Conclusively, MSCF may serve as a better alternative CF for MF, MSC and FWMF. The present study has produced a potential alternative cost-effective and adequate CF, formulated from crayfish (P. clarkii) supplementation of locally available blend of yellow maize (Z. mays) and soybean (G. max), for the poor human population, aiming to encourage the consumption of animal-sourced CF for alleviating the prevalence of childhood undernutrition. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.
Exposure assessment for trace elements from consumption of marine fish in Southeast Asia

Agusa T, Kunito T, Sudaryanto A, Monirith I, Kan-Atireklap S, Iwata H, et al.

Environ Pollut, 2007 Feb;145(3):766-77.
PMID: 16828209

Concentrations of 20 trace elements were determined in muscle and liver of 34 species of marine fish collected from coastal areas of Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Large regional difference was observed in the levels of trace elements in liver of one fish family (Carangidae): the highest mean concentration was observed in fish from the Malaysian coastal waters for V, Cr, Zn, Pb and Bi and those from the Java Sea side of Indonesia for Sn and Hg. To assess the health risk to the Southeast Asian populations from consumption of fish, intake rates of trace elements were estimated. Some marine fish showed Hg levels higher than the guideline values by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). This suggests that consumption of these fish may be hazardous to the people.
Concentrations of trace elements in marine fish and its risk assessment in Malaysia

Agusa T, Kunito T, Yasunaga G, Iwata H, Subramanian A, Ismail A, et al.

Mar Pollut Bull, 2005;51(8-12):896-911.
PMID: 16023148

Concentrations of trace elements (V, Cr, Mn, Co, Cu, Zn, Ga, Se, Rb, Sr, Mo, Ag, Cd, Sn, Sb, Cs, Ba, Hg, Tl, Pb and Bi) were determined in muscle and liver of 12 species of marine fish collected from coastal areas in Malaysia. Levels of V, Cr, Mn, Co, Cu, Zn, Ga, Sr, Mo, Ag, Cd, Sn, Ba and Pb in liver were higher than those in muscle, whereas Rb and Cs concentrations showed the opposite trend. Positive correlations between concentrations in liver and muscle were observed for all the trace elements except Cu and Sn. Copper, Zn, Se, Ag, Cd, Cs and Hg concentrations in bigeye scads from the east coast of the Peninsular Malaysia were higher than those from the west, whereas V showed the opposite trend. The high concentration of V in the west coast might indicate oil contamination in the Strait of Malacca. To evaluate the health risk to Malaysian population through consumption of fish, intake rates of trace elements were estimated on the basis of the concentrations of trace elements in muscle of fish and daily fish consumption. Some specimens of the marine fish had Hg levels higher than the guideline value by US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), indicating that consumption of these fish at the present rate may be hazardous to Malaysian people. To our knowledge, this is the first study on multielemental accumulation in marine fish from the Malaysian coast.
Investigating membrane morphology and quantity of immobilized protein for the development of lateral flow immunoassay

Ahmad AL, Low SC, Shukor SR, Ismail A

J Immunoassay Immunochem, 2012 Jan;33(1):48-58.
PMID: 22181820 DOI: 10.1080/15321819.2011.591479

This study was aimed at gaining a quantitative understanding of the effect of protein quantity and membrane pore structure on protein immobilization. The concentration of immobilized protein was measured by staining with Ponceau S and measuring its color intensity. In this study, both membrane morphology and the quantity of deposited protein significantly influenced the quantity of protein immobilization on the membrane surface. The sharpness and intensity of the red protein spots varied depending on the membrane pore structure, indicating a dependence of protein immobilization on this factor. Membranes with smaller pores resulted in a higher color density, corresponding to enhanced protein immobilization and an increased assay sensitivity level. An increased of immobilized volume has a significant jagged outline on the protein spot but, conversely, no difference in binding capacity.

Filters

Please provide feedback to Administrator (afdal@afpm.org.my)

External Links