Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 65 in total

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  1. Bakri NM, Ramachandran V, Kee HF, Subrayan V, Isa H, Ngah NF, et al.
    Kaohsiung J. Med. Sci., 2017 Dec;33(12):602-608.
    PMID: 29132549 DOI: 10.1016/j.kjms.2017.08.003
    Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most widely recognised cause of irreversible vision loss and previous studies have suggested that the advancement of wet AMD is influenced by both modifiable and non-modifiable elements. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) and copy number of variations (CNVs) have been associated with AMD in various populations, however the results are conflicting. Our aim is to determine the CNVs of Complement Factor H-Related genes among Malaysian subjects with wet AMD. 130 patients with wet AMD and 120 healthy controls were included in this research. DNA was extracted from all subjects and CNVs of CFH, CFHR1 and CFHR3 genes; determined using quantitative real-time PCR and were compared between the two groups. A consistent association was observed between CFH gene and wet AMD susceptibility (P P 
  2. Mohamad NA, Ramachandran V, Ismail P, Mohd Isa H, Chan YM, Ngah NF, et al.
    Genet Test Mol Biomarkers, 2017 Oct;21(10):600-607.
    PMID: 28926292 DOI: 10.1089/gtmb.2017.0079
    AIM: To determine the association of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) polymorphisms with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD).

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred thirty-five nAMD patients and 135 controls were recruited to determine the association of the -460 C/T, the -2549 I/D, and the +405 G/C polymorphisms with the VEGF gene. Genotyping was conducted using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) approach, and association analyses were conducted using chi-square analysis and logistic regression analysis.

    RESULTS: A significant association was observed between nAMD and the VEGF +405 G/C genotypes (p = 0.002) and alleles (odds ratio = 1.36, 95% confidence interval = 1.12-1.62, p = < 0.001) compared with the controls. This association was confirmed by logistic regression analyses, using two different genetic models (additive and dominant) resulting in p-values of p = 0.001 and p

  3. Mohamad NA, Ramachandran V, Ismail P, Mohd Isa H, Chan YM, Ngah NF, et al.
    Int J Ophthalmol, 2017;10(12):1889-1897.
    PMID: 29259909 DOI: 10.18240/ijo.2017.12.16
    AIM: To describe the prevalence and changes in treatment patterns of ranibizumab and photodynamic therapy (PDT) among retinal disease patients who attended the Ophthalmology Clinic in the tertiary care Hospital Selayang from 2010 to 2014.

    METHODS: Study subjects were recruited retrospectively using the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) database software in Hospital Selayang. Demographic data, medical history, diagnostic procedure, treatments and diagnosis of patients were recorded.

    RESULTS: The five-year analysis included 821 patients with a mean age of 65.9±11.73y. Overall, there were a higher number of males (63.1%) and a higher number of Chinese (47.4%) patients. Among the 821 patients, 62.9% received ranibizumab injection followed by 19.2% PDT therapy and 17.9% had ranibizumab combined with PDT therapy. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) were the most common retinal eye diseases reported, recording prevalence of 25.0% and 45.6%, respectively. The trend in ranibizumab treatment was reported to increase while PDT showed a decrease in trend from year 2010 to 2014. In terms of treatment, following multiple logistic regression, AMD was associated with the subjects being more likely to have received ranibizumab monotherapy (P<0.001) while PCV was associated with more likely to have received PDT (P<0.001) and PDT combined with ranibizumab therapy (P<0.001).

    CONCLUSION: The tertiary care setting in Malaysia is consistent with management of patients from other countries whereby ranibizumab is the most common treatment given to patients with AMD, while PCV patients most commonly receive PDT and ranibizumab combined with PDT therapy.

    Study site: Ophthalmology Clinic, Hospital Selayang
  4. How V, Hashim Z, Ismail P, Omar D, Said SM, Tamrin SB
    Arch Environ Occup Health, 2015;70(2):102-9.
    PMID: 24965330 DOI: 10.1080/19338244.2013.823905
    This is a cross-sectional study conducted among paddy farmers to characterize potential risk factors that influence levels of DNA damage from exposure to mixtures of organophosphates. Comet assay was used to determine the level of DNA damage by measuring the comet tail length from the exfoliated buccal mucosa. The result suggests that farmers who chronically exposure to a mixture of organophosphates has at least 2-fold significant increase of DNA damage as compared with control group. Factor analysis and linear regression both suggest that DNA damage reported by farmers may influence individual, occupational, and residential factors and are reported as significant predictor factors, whereas this effect is mainly caused by individual factors among the control group. The findings of the present study suggest that either farmer or control group bear certain extent of genotoxic burden contributed by different risk factors.
  5. Ramachandran V, Ismail P, Stanslas J, Shamsudin N
    PMID: 19243623 DOI: 10.1186/1475-2840-8-11
    The renin-angiotensin aldosterone system (RAAS) plays an important role in regulating the blood pressure and the genetic polymorphisms of RAAS genes has been extensively studied in relation to the cardiovascular diseases in various populations with conflicting results. The aim of this study was to determine the association of five genetic polymorphisms (A6G and A20C of angiotensinogen (AGT), MboI of renin, Gly460Trp of aldosterone synthase and Lys173Arg of adducin) of RAAS genes in Malaysian essential hypertensive and type 2 diabetic subjects.
  6. Hamzah KA, Ismail P, Kassim AR, Hassan CH, Akeng G, Said NM
    Trop Life Sci Res, 2009 Dec;20(2):15-27.
    PMID: 24575176 MyJurnal
    Tropical peat swamp forest (PSF) is a unique wetland ecosystem with distinct vegetation types. Due to the waterlogged environment, the stand characteristics in this ecosystem are different from those of other inland forests. This paper highlights stand characteristics of a PSF based on our investigation of a 1 ha ecological plot established in a Virgin Jungle Reserve (VJR) at Compartment 100, Pekan Forest Reserve, Pahang, Malaysia. This site is considered a Gonystylus bancanus-rich area. From the inventory, we recorded a total of 49 tree species from 38 genera and 25 families among all trees of ≥ 10 cm in diameter at breast height. Calophyllum ferrugineum var. ferrugineum was the most abundant species, followed by G. bancanus. The forest appeared healthy, as all tree characteristics (crown shape, log grade and climber infestation) generally fell within Classes 1 and 2 (good and moderate categories), with the exception of crown illumination which majority of the trees were rated as class 3 (received less sunlight). The latter finding indicates that most of the trees living under the canopy received minimal illumination. In terms of total tree biomass, we estimated that about 414.6 tonnes exist in this 1 ha area; this tree biomass is higher than in some PSF areas of Sumatra, Indonesia.
  7. Pishva SR, Vasudevan R, Etemad A, Heidari F, Komara M, Ismail P, et al.
    Int J Mol Sci, 2013 Jan 28;14(2):2739-52.
    PMID: 23358257 DOI: 10.3390/ijms14022739
    Ventricular septal defect (VSD) is one of the most common types of congenital heart defects (CHD). There are vivid multifactorial causes for VSD in which both genetic and environmental risk factors are consequential in the development of CHD. Methionine synthase reductase (MTRR) and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) are two of the key regulatory enzymes involved in the metabolic pathway of homocysteine. Genes involved in homocysteine/folate metabolism may play an important role in CHDs. In this study; we determined the association of A66G and C524T polymorphisms of the MTRR gene and C677T polymorphism of the MTHFR gene in Iranian VSD subjects. A total of 123 children with VSDs and 125 healthy children were included in this study. Genomic DNA was extracted from the buccal cells of all the subjects. The restriction fragment length polymorphism polymerase chain reaction (PCR-RFLP) method was carried out to amplify the A66G and C524T polymorphism of MTRR and C677T polymorphism of MTHFR genes digested with Hinf1, Xho1 and Nde1 enzymes, respectively. The genotype frequencies of CC, CT and TT of MTRR gene among the studied cases were 43.1%, 40.7% and 16.3%, respectively, compared to 52.8%, 43.2% and 4.0%, respectively among the controls. For the MTRR A66G gene polymorphism, the genotypes frequencies of AA, AG and GG among the cases were 33.3%, 43.9% and 22.8%, respectively, while the frequencies were 49.6%, 42.4% and 8.0%, respectively, among control subjects. The frequencies for CC and CT genotypes of the MTHFR gene were 51.2% and 48.8%, respectively, in VSD patients compared to 56.8% and 43.2% respectively, in control subjects. Apart from MTHFR C677T polymorphism, significant differences were noticed (p < 0.05) in C524T and A66G polymorphisms of the MTRR gene between cases and control subjects.
  8. Macaulay V, Hill C, Achilli A, Rengo C, Clarke D, Meehan W, et al.
    Science, 2005 May 13;308(5724):1034-6.
    PMID: 15890885
    A recent dispersal of modern humans out of Africa is now widely accepted, but the routes taken across Eurasia are still disputed. We show that mitochondrial DNA variation in isolated "relict" populations in southeast Asia supports the view that there was only a single dispersal from Africa, most likely via a southern coastal route, through India and onward into southeast Asia and Australasia. There was an early offshoot, leading ultimately to the settlement of the Near East and Europe, but the main dispersal from India to Australia approximately 65,000 years ago was rapid, most likely taking only a few thousand years.
  9. Hill C, Soares P, Mormina M, Macaulay V, Meehan W, Blackburn J, et al.
    Mol Biol Evol, 2006 Dec;23(12):2480-91.
    PMID: 16982817
    Studying the genetic history of the Orang Asli of Peninsular Malaysia can provide crucial clues to the peopling of Southeast Asia as a whole. We have analyzed mitochondrial DNA (mtDNAs) control-region and coding-region markers in 447 mtDNAs from the region, including 260 Orang Asli, representative of each of the traditional groupings, the Semang, the Senoi, and the Aboriginal Malays, allowing us to test hypotheses about their origins. All of the Orang Asli groups have undergone high levels of genetic drift, but phylogeographic traces nevertheless remain of the ancestry of their maternal lineages. The Semang have a deep ancestry within the Malay Peninsula, dating to the initial settlement from Africa >50,000 years ago. The Senoi appear to be a composite group, with approximately half of the maternal lineages tracing back to the ancestors of the Semang and about half to Indochina. This is in agreement with the suggestion that they represent the descendants of early Austroasiatic speaking agriculturalists, who brought both their language and their technology to the southern part of the peninsula approximately 4,000 years ago and coalesced with the indigenous population. The Aboriginal Malays are more diverse, and although they show some connections with island Southeast Asia, as expected, they also harbor haplogroups that are either novel or rare elsewhere. Contrary to expectations, complete mtDNA genome sequences from one of these, R9b, suggest an ancestry in Indochina around the time of the Last Glacial Maximum, followed by an early-Holocene dispersal through the Malay Peninsula into island Southeast Asia.
  10. Ellulu MS, Khaza'ai H, Abed Y, Rahmat A, Ismail P, Ranneh Y
    Inflammopharmacology, 2015 Jun;23(2-3):79-89.
    PMID: 25676565 DOI: 10.1007/s10787-015-0228-1
    The roles of Omega-3 FAs are inflammation antagonists, while Omega-6 FAs are precursors for inflammation. The plant form of Omega-3 FAs is the short-chain α-linolenic acid, and the marine forms are the long-chain fatty acids: docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid. Omega-3 FAs have unlimited usages, and they are considered as omnipotent since they may benefit heart health, improve brain function, reduce cancer risks and improve people's moods. Omega-3 FAs also have several important biological effects on a range of cellular functions that may decrease the onset of heart diseases and reduce mortality among patients with coronary heart disease, possibly by stabilizing the heart's rhythm and by reducing blood clotting. Some review studies have described the beneficial roles of Omega-3 FAs in cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), cancer, diabetes, and other conditions, including inflammation. Studies of the effect of Omega-3 FAs gathered from studies in diseased and healthy population. CVDs including atherosclerosis, coronary heart diseases, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome were the major fields of investigation. In studies of obesity, as the central obesity increased, the level of adipocyte synthesis of pro-inflammatory cytokines like tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) were increased and the level of anti-inflammatory adiponectin was decreased indicating a state of inflammation. The level of C reactive protein (CRP) synthesized from hepatocyte is increased by the influence of IL-6. CRP can be considered as a marker of systemic inflammation associated with increased risks of CVDs. In molecular studies, Omega-3 FAs have direct effects on reducing the inflammatory state by reducing IL-6, TNF-α, CRP and many other factors. While the appropriate dosage along with the administrative duration is not known, the scientific evidence-based recommendations for daily intake are not modified.
  11. Ramli NS, Ismail P, Rahmat A
    ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:964731.
    PMID: 25379555 DOI: 10.1155/2014/964731
    The aim of this study was to examine the effects of extraction methods on antioxidant capacities of red dragon fruit peel and flesh. Antioxidant capacities were measured using ethylenebenzothiozoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radical cation assay and ferric reducing antioxidant power assay (FRAP). Total phenolic content (TPC) was determined using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent while quantitative determination of total flavonoid content (TFC) was conducted using aluminium trichloride colorimetric method. Betacyanin content (BC) was measured by spectrophotometer. Red dragon fruit was extracted using conventional (CV) and ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UE) technique to determine the most efficient way of extracting its antioxidant components. Results indicated that UE increased TFC, reduced the extraction yield, BC, and TPC, but exhibited the strongest scavenging activity for the peel of red dragon fruit. In contrast, UE reduced BC, TFC, and scavenging activity but increased the yield for the flesh. Nonetheless, UE slightly increases TPC in flesh. Scavenging activity and reducing power were highly correlated with phenolic and flavonoid compounds. Conversely, the scavenging activity and reducing power were weakly correlated with betacyanin content. This work gives scientific evidences for the consideration of the type of extraction techniques for the peel and flesh of red dragon fruit in applied research and food industry.
  12. Ramli NS, Brown L, Ismail P, Rahmat A
    PMID: 24919841 DOI: 10.1186/1472-6882-14-189
    The fruit of Hylocereus polyrhizus, also known as red pitaya, and buah naga in Malay, is one of the tropical fruits of the cactus family, Cactaceae. Red pitaya has been shown to protect aorta from oxidative damage and improve lipid profiles in hypercholesterolemic rats probably due to phytochemicals content including phenolics and flavonoids. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in cardiac stiffness, hepatic and renal function in high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet-induced obese rats following supplementation of red pitaya juice.
  13. Al-Zubairi A, Ismail P, Pei Pei C, Rahmat A
    Environ Toxicol Pharmacol, 2008 May;25(3):298-303.
    PMID: 21783866 DOI: 10.1016/j.etap.2007.10.032
    The aim of this study was to evaluate the genotoxic effects of a crude extract of khat (Catha edulis, Forsk) leaves in rats. Two groups were fed khat crude extract, 1000 and 2000mg/kg body weight, for 90 days and were compared with a control group. The alkaline (pH>13) version of comet assay was used in this study. However, no previous published work has been undertaken and showed the effect of khat on DNA migration in the comet assay. To compare the comet assay results with another genetic endpoint, blood samples were analyzed for chromosomal aberrations. These results showed no DNA damage detected using comet assay in both the khat treated groups, while the results of chromosomal aberrations assay showed a significant increase (P<0.05) in the 2000mg/kg body weight treated group compared to the control group.
  14. Ramli NS, Ismail P, Rahmat A
    BMC Complement Altern Med, 2016 Jul 26;16:243.
    PMID: 27456968 DOI: 10.1186/s12906-016-1200-3
    Red pitaya (Hylocereus polyrhizus) or known as buah naga merah in Malay belongs to the cactus family, Cactaceae. Red pitaya has been shown to give protection against liver damage and may reduce the stiffness of the heart. Besides, the beneficial effects of red pitaya against obesity have been reported; however, the mechanism of this protection is not clear. Therefore, in the present study, we have investigated the red pitaya-targeted genes in obesity using high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet-induced metabolic syndrome rat model.
  15. Mohamad Zaki FH, Nik Hussain NH, Ismail P, Wan Yusoff WZ, Othman NH
    Pathology, 2016 Feb;48 Suppl 1:S148.
    PMID: 27772923 DOI: 10.1016/j.pathol.2015.12.402
    Background: The major problem with cervical cancer screening in countries which have no organized national screening program for cervical cancer is sub-optimal participation. Implementation of self-sampling method may increase the participation of women to screen for cervical cancer.
    Aims: To determine the agreement of cytological diagnoses made on samples collected by women themselves (self-sampling) versus cytological diagnoses made on samples collected
    by physicians (Physician sampling)
    Methods: We invited women volunteers to undergo two procedures; cervical self-sampling using the Evalyn brush and physician scraping using Cervex brush. They women were
    shown a video presentation on how to take their own cervical samples before the procedure. The samples taken by physicians were taken as per routine testing (Gold Standard). All
    samples were subjected to Thin Prep monolayer smears. The diagnoses made were according to the Bethesda classification. The results from the two sampling methods were analysed and compared.
    Results: A total of 367 women were recruited into the study. Thin Prep smears by physicians were better in terms of volume and variety of the cells seen. There is significant good agreement of the cytological diagnoses made on the samples from the two sampling methods with the Kappa value of 0.568 (p=0.040). The Thin Prep smears by self-sampling method were better in detecting microorganisms.
    Conclusion: This study shows that samples taken by women themselves (self-sampling) and physicians sampling had good cytology agreement. Self-sampling could be the method of
    choice in countries in which the coverage of women attending clinics for screening for cervical cancer is poor.
  16. Saedi TA, Ghafourian S, Jafarlou M, Sabariah MN, Ismail P, Eusni RM, et al.
    J Biol Regul Homeost Agents, 2015 Apr-Jun;29(2):395-9.
    PMID: 26122228
    Tumor protein p53 encoded by the TP53 gene in humans is known as a cancer biomarker in patients diagnosed with cancer, and it plays an essential role in apoptosis, genomic stability, and inhibition of angiogenesis. Cancer therapies with common chemotherapy methods are effective, as known, but have some side effects. Berberis vulgaris is traditionally administrated as a cancer drug. The current research aims to evaluate p53 as a biomarker in WEHI-3 cell line and to demonstrate the Berberis vulgaris fruit crude extract (BVFCE) as a new anticancer drug. For this purpose, we evaluated the effect of BVFCE in different concentrations against WEHI-3cell line in vitro and determined the quantitative level of p53 gene in the treated WEHI-3 cells. The results demonstrated that even at only 1 mg/ml concentration of Berberis vulgaris crude extract, there was a low level of p53 biomarker expression on WEHI-3 cells in comparison with doxorubicin. Therefore, the current study suggests BVFCE as a reliable anti-leukaemic drug and candidate for anticancer therapy. However, further investigation need be carried out to confirm its efficiency in vivo.
  17. Jafarlou M, Baradaran B, Shanehbandi D, Saedi TA, Jafarlou V, Ismail P, et al.
    Cell Mol Biol (Noisy-le-grand), 2016 May 30;62(6):44-9.
    PMID: 27262801
    Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is one of the most frequent types of leukemia which mostly affects adult people. Resistance to therapeutic drugs is considered as a major clinical concern resulting in a weaker response to chemotherapy, disease relapse and decreased survival rate. Survivin, a member of Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins (IAPs), is associated with drug resistance and inhibition of apoptotic mechanisms in numerous hematological malignancies. In the present study, we examined the combined effect of etoposide and siRNA-mediated silencing of survivin on U-937 acute myeloid leukemia cells. The AML cells were transfected with survivin specific siRNA and gene knockdown was confirmed by quantitative real time PCR and western blotting. Subsequently, U-937 cells were assessed for response to etoposide treatment and apoptosis rate was measured with flowcytometery. The cytotoxic effects in siRNA-etoposide group were measured and compared to etoposide single therapy group. Survivin siRNA effectively knocked down the mRNA and protein levels of survivin, which led to lower cell proliferation and enhanced apoptosis. Furthermore, combined treatment of etoposide and survivin siRNA synergistically increased the cell toxic effects of etoposide and its ability to induce apoptosis.
  18. Saedi TA, Md Noor S, Ismail P, Othman F
    PMID: 25250054 DOI: 10.1155/2014/494136
    In developing countries, herbal therapy is the first and basis form of treatment for most types of diseases. About 75-80% of the world's population prefers herbal therapy as a major treatment due to its better adequacy and satisfactoriness, which enhance human body's symmetry with minimal side effects. Fruits and plants have been presented from the past as promising tools in becoming a natural anticancer agents. Many of these plant extracts are currently used in cancer therapy and prevention. This review paper will particularly explore and emphasize on herbs and fruits used in the treatment of the leukaemia.
  19. Eshkoor SA, Ismail P, Rahman SA, Oshkour SA
    Arch Med Res, 2008 Oct;39(7):668-73.
    PMID: 18760195 DOI: 10.1016/j.arcmed.2008.06.003
    Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) develops predominantly in sun-exposed skin in fair-skinned individuals prone to sunburn. BCC typically occurs in adults. High exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation increases rate of developing BCC, a slowly growing tumor that occurs in hair-growing squamous epithelium and rarely metastasizes. In genetic studies, BCC patients have cell-cycle abnormalities of different parts of the signaling pathway. Retinoblastoma regulatory pathway is important in cell cycle arrest. In this pathway, p16INK4a, an inhibitor of Rb pathway, binds to CDK4 and CDK6 competitively with cyclin D1 to prevent phosphorylation of tumor suppressor pRB gene. Alteration of this pathway contributes to development of human cancers and also is effective in skin cancers. In this study, we analyzed mRNA expression using in situ RT-PCR and the role of immunohistochemical expression of p16INK4a in BCC.
  20. Eshkoor SA, Ismail P, Rahman SA, Mirinargesi M, Oshkour SA
    Biosci Trends, 2009 Jun;3(3):105-9.
    PMID: 20103831
    Abnormalities of Rb-pathway components are common in the formation of cancer. The immunostaining for cyclin D1 and p16 protein was applied on 1 mm serial tissue microarray (TMA) paraffin sections. Tissue microarray (TMAs) is potentially a good method to find the molecular features of the genes and expressions of them. The aim of this study was to evaluate the protein expressions of cyclin D1 and p16 genes in squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) of skin and compare with the normal skin tissue. Twenty-five cases of cutaneous SCCs expressed cyclin D1 and p16 proteins. All SCCs samples on the slides showed positive protein expressions of cyclin D1 and p16 genes. Our findings suggested that the increased protein expressions of cyclin D1 and p16 genes might lead to aberrant expressions of these proteins in the affected tumor cells. This study demonstrated that cell cycle controlled deregulation and uncontrolled cell cycle progression might result in the carcinogenesis.
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