Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 89 in total

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  1. Fulltext What information and the extent of information research participants need in informed consent forms: a multi-country survey
    Karbwang J, Koonrungsesomboon N, Torres CE, Jimenez EB, Kaur G, Mathur R, et al.
    BMC Med Ethics, 2018 09 15;19(1):79.
    PMID: 30219106 DOI: 10.1186/s12910-018-0318-x
    BACKGROUND: The use of lengthy, detailed, and complex informed consent forms (ICFs) is of paramount concern in biomedical research as it may not truly promote the rights and interests of research participants. The extent of information in ICFs has been the subject of debates for decades; however, no clear guidance is given. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine the perspectives of research participants about the type and extent of information they need when they are invited to participate in biomedical research.

    METHODS: This multi-center, cross-sectional, descriptive survey was conducted at 54 study sites in seven Asia-Pacific countries. A modified Likert-scale questionnaire was used to determine the importance of each element in the ICF among research participants of a biomedical study, with an anchored rating scale from 1 (not important) to 5 (very important).

    RESULTS: Of the 2484 questionnaires distributed, 2113 (85.1%) were returned. The majority of respondents considered most elements required in the ICF to be 'moderately important' to 'very important' for their decision making (mean score, ranging from 3.58 to 4.47). Major foreseeable risk, direct benefit, and common adverse effects of the intervention were considered to be of most concerned elements in the ICF (mean score = 4.47, 4.47, and 4.45, respectively).

    CONCLUSIONS: Research participants would like to be informed of the ICF elements required by ethical guidelines and regulations; however, the importance of each element varied, e.g., risk and benefit associated with research participants were considered to be more important than the general nature or technical details of research. Using a participant-oriented approach by providing more details of the participant-interested elements while avoiding unnecessarily lengthy details of other less important elements would enhance the quality of the ICF.

  2. Use of tryptic peptide MALDI mass spectrometry imaging to identify the spatial proteomic landscape of colorectal cancer liver metastases
    Li CMY, Briggs MT, Lee YR, Tin T, Young C, Pierides J, et al.
    Clin Exp Med, 2024 Mar 16;24(1):53.
    PMID: 38492056 DOI: 10.1007/s10238-024-01311-5
    Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. CRC liver metastases (CRLM) are often resistant to conventional treatments, with high rates of recurrence. Therefore, it is crucial to identify biomarkers for CRLM patients that predict cancer progression. This study utilised matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) in combination with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to spatially map the CRLM tumour proteome. CRLM tissue microarrays (TMAs) of 84 patients were analysed using tryptic peptide MALDI-MSI to spatially monitor peptide abundances across CRLM tissues. Abundance of peptides was compared between tumour vs stroma, male vs female and across three groups of patients based on overall survival (0-3 years, 4-6 years, and 7+ years). Peptides were then characterised and matched using LC-MS/MS. A total of 471 potential peptides were identified by MALDI-MSI. Our results show that two unidentified m/z values (1589.876 and 1092.727) had significantly higher intensities in tumours compared to stroma. Ten m/z values were identified to have correlation with biological sex. Survival analysis identified three peptides (Histone H4, Haemoglobin subunit alpha, and Inosine-5'-monophosphate dehydrogenase 2) and two unidentified m/z values (1305.840 and 1661.060) that were significantly higher in patients with shorter survival (0-3 years relative to 4-6 years and 7+ years). This is the first study using MALDI-MSI, combined with LC-MS/MS, on a large cohort of CRLM patients to identify the spatial proteome in this malignancy. Further, we identify several protein candidates that may be suitable for drug targeting or for future prognostic biomarker development.
  3. Uncovering Tumor-Stroma Inter-relationships Using MALDI Mass Spectrometry Imaging
    Boyle ST, Mittal P, Kaur G, Hoffmann P, Samuel MS, Klingler-Hoffmann M
    J Proteome Res, 2020 10 02;19(10):4093-4103.
    PMID: 32870688 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.0c00511
    Tumorigenesis involves a complex interplay between genetically modified cancer cells and their adjacent normal tissue, the stroma. We used an established breast cancer mouse model to investigate this inter-relationship. Conditional activation of Rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK) in a model of mammary tumorigenesis enhances tumor growth and progression by educating the stroma and enhancing the production and remodeling of the extracellular matrix. We used peptide matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) to quantify the proteomic changes occurring within tumors and their stroma in their regular spatial context. Peptides were ranked according to their ability to discriminate between the two groups, using a receiver operating characteristic tool. Peptides were identified by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, and protein expression was validated by quantitative immunofluorescence using an independent set of tumor samples. We have identified and validated four key proteins upregulated in ROCK-activated mammary tumors relative to those expressing kinase-dead ROCK, namely, collagen I, α-SMA, Rab14, and tubulin-β4. Rab14 and tubulin-β4 are expressed within tumor cells, whereas collagen I is localized within the stroma. α-SMA is predominantly localized within the stroma but is also expressed at higher levels in the epithelia of ROCK-activated tumors. High expression of COL1A, the gene encoding the pro-α 1 chain of collagen, correlates with cancer progression in two human breast cancer genomic data sets, and high expression of COL1A and ACTA2 (the gene encoding α-SMA) are associated with a low survival probability (COLIA, p = 0.00013; ACTA2, p = 0.0076) in estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer patients. To investigate whether ROCK-activated tumor cells cause stromal cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) to upregulate expression of collagen I and α-SMA, we treated CAFs with medium conditioned by primary mammary tumor cells in which ROCK had been activated. This led to abundant production of both proteins in CAFs, clearly highlighting the inter-relationship between tumor cells and CAFs and identifying CAFs as the potential source of high levels of collagen 1 and α-SMA and associated enhancement of tissue stiffness. Our research emphasizes the capacity of MALDI-MSI to quantitatively assess tumor-stroma inter-relationships and to identify potential prognostic factors for cancer progression in human patients, using sophisticated mouse cancer models.
  4. Trichuriasis: localized inflammatory responses in the colon
    Kaur G, Raj SM, Naing NN
    Southeast Asian J. Trop. Med. Public Health, 2002 Jun;33(2):224-8.
    PMID: 12236416
    Most patients with trichuriasis have light worm burdens. Data regarding the inflammatory response to Trichuris worms in the colon of lightly infected persons are scant. Nine patients whose Trichuris infection was found by colonoscopy had biopsies taken from a site adjacent to visible worms and from a second site some 20 cm distally. The biopsies were studied by routine and immunohistochemical methods. None of the biopsies showed mucosal ulceration, significant congestion, fibrosis, gland distortion or goblet cell mucin depletion. There was no difference between worm and worm-free sites in terms of edema, lymphoid follicles or epithelial slough. Worm sites had higher numbers of eosinophils, neutrophils and total inflammatory cells and lower numbers of plasma cells. However there was no difference in lymphocyte, mast cell, and B- and T-cell counts between the two sites. This suggests that the T. trichiura worm incites a local inflammatory response involving eosinophils and neutrophils, even when the colon has only a light burden of worms.
  5. Trends in food waste valorization for the production of chemicals, materials and fuels: Case study South and Southeast Asia
    Ong KL, Kaur G, Pensupa N, Uisan K, Lin CSK
    Bioresour Technol, 2018 Jan;248(Pt A):100-112.
    PMID: 28662903 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2017.06.076
    Staggering amounts of food waste are being generated in Asia by means of agricultural processing, food transportation and storage, and human food consumption activities. This along with the recent sustainable development goals of food security, environmental protection, and energy efficiency are the key drivers for food waste valorization. The aim of this review is to provide an insight on the latest trends in food waste valorization in Asian countries such as India, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Landfilling, incineration, and composting are the first-generation food waste processing technologies. The advancement of valorisation alternatives to tackle the food waste issue is the focus of this review. Furthermore, a series of examples of key food waste valorization schemes in this Asian region as case studies to demonstrate the advancement in bioconversions in these countries are described. Finally, important legislation aspects for food waste disposal in these Asian countries are also reported.
  6. Translating N-Glycan Analytical Applications into Clinical Strategies for Ovarian Cancer
    Briggs MT, Condina MR, Klingler-Hoffmann M, Arentz G, Everest-Dass AV, Kaur G, et al.
    Proteomics Clin Appl, 2019 05;13(3):e1800099.
    PMID: 30367710 DOI: 10.1002/prca.201800099
    Protein glycosylation, particularly N-linked glycosylation, is a complex posttranslational modification (PTM), which plays an important role in protein folding and conformation, regulating protein stability and activity, cell-cell interaction, and cell signaling pathways. This review focuses on analytical techniques, primarily MS-based techniques, to qualitatively and quantitatively assess N-glycosylation while successfully characterizing compositional, structural, and linkage features with high specificity and sensitivity. The analytical techniques explored in this review include LC-ESI-MS/MS and MALDI time-of-flight MS (MALDI-TOF-MS), which have been used to analyze clinical samples, such as serum, plasma, ascites, and tissue. Targeting the aberrant N-glycosylation patterns observed in MALDI-MS imaging (MSI) offers a platform to visualize N-glycans in tissue-specific regions. The studies on the intra-patient (i.e., a comparison of tissue-specific regions from the same patient) and inter-patient (i.e., a comparison of tissue-specific regions between different patients) variation of early- and late-stage ovarian cancer (OC) patients identify specific N-glycan differences that improve understanding of the tumor microenvironment and potentially improve therapeutic strategies for the clinic.
  7. Fulltext Toxicological studies of Orthosiphon stamineus (Misai Kucing) standardized ethanol extract in combination with gemcitabine in athymic nude mice model
    Yehya AHS, Asif M, Kaur G, Hassan LEA, Al-Suede FSR, Abdul Majid AMS, et al.
    J Adv Res, 2019 Jan;15:59-68.
    PMID: 30581613 DOI: 10.1016/j.jare.2018.05.006
    Pancreatic cancer has the highest mortality rate among cancers due to its aggressive biology and lack of effective treatment. Gemcitabine, the first line anticancer drug has reduced efficacy due to acquired resistance. The current study evaluates the toxicological effects of Orthosiphon stamineus (O.s) and its marker compound (rosmarinic acid) in combination with gemcitabine. O.s (200 or 400 mg/kg/day) and rosmarinic acid (32 mg/kg/day) were administered orally and gemcitabine (10 mg/kg/3 days) intraperitoneally either alone or in combination treatment for fourteen days. Parameters including blood serum biochemistry, hematology, myeloid-erythroid ratio, incident of lethality, and histopathological analysis of liver, kidney, and spleen tissues were studied. Neither, individual drugs/extract nor chemo-herbal combinations at tested doses induced any toxicity and damage to organs in nude mice when compared to control group. Toxicological data obtained from this study will help to select the best doses of chemo-herbal combination for future pancreatic xenograft tumor studies.
  8. The inhibitory effects of mitragynine on P-glycoprotein in vitro
    Rusli N, Amanah A, Kaur G, Adenan MI, Sulaiman SF, Wahab HA, et al.
    Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol, 2019 04;392(4):481-496.
    PMID: 30604191 DOI: 10.1007/s00210-018-01605-y
    Mitragynine is a major component isolated from Mitragyna speciosa Korth or kratom, a medicinal plant known for its opiate-like and euphoric properties. Multiple toxicity and fatal cases involving mitragynine or kratom have been reported but the underlying causes remain unclear. P-glycoprotein (P-gp) is a multidrug transporter which modulates the pharmacokinetics of xenobiotics and plays a key role in mediating drug-drug interactions. This study investigated the effects of mitragynine on P-gp transport activity, mRNA, and protein expression in Caco-2 cells using molecular docking, bidirectional assay, RT-qPCR, Western blot analysis, and immunocytochemistry techniques, respectively. Molecular docking simulation revealed that mitragynine interacts with important residues at the nucleotide binding domain (NBD) site of the P-gp structure but not with the residues from the substrate binding site. This was consistent with subsequent experimental work as mitragynine exhibited low permeability across the cell monolayer but inhibited digoxin transport at 10 μM, similar to quinidine. The reduction of P-gp activity in vitro was further contributed by the downregulation of mRNA and protein expression of P-gp. In summary, mitragynine is likely a P-gp inhibitor in vitro but not a substrate. Hence, concurrent administration of mitragynine-containing kratom products with psychoactive drugs which are P-gp substrates may lead to clinically significant toxicity. Further clinical study to prove this point is needed.
  9. The effects of tempol on renal function and hemodynamics in cyclosporine-induced renal insufficiency rats
    Chia TY, Sattar MA, Abdulla MH, Rathore HA, Ahmad Fu, Kaur G, et al.
    Ren Fail, 2013 Aug;35(7):978-88.
    PMID: 23822648 DOI: 10.3109/0886022X.2013.809563
    This study investigated the effects of tempol, a superoxide dismutase (SOD) mimetic and L-NAME, a nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor on the renal function and hemodynamics in cyclosporine A (CsA) induced renal insufficiency rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with either vehicle (C), tempol (T, 1 mmol/L in drinking fluid), L-NAME (L, 1 mmol/L in drinking fluid), CsA (Cs, 25 mg/kg/day via gavage), CsA plus tempol (TCs), CsA plus L-NAME (LCs) or CsA plus a combination of tempol and L-NAME (TLCs) for 21 consecutive days. At the end of treatment regimen, the renal responses to noradrenaline (NA), phenylephrine (PE), methoxamine and angiotensin II (Ang II) were determined. Cs and LCs rats had lower creatinine clearance (0.7 ± 0.1 and 0.6 ± 0.5 vs. 1.3 ± 0.2 mL/min/kg) and fractional excretion of sodium (0.12 ± 0.02 and 0.17 ± 0.01 vs. 0.67 ± 0.04%) but higher systolic blood pressure (145 ± 2 and 178 ± 4 vs. 116 ± 2) compared to the control (all p 
  10. Fulltext Systematic review on international practices in controlling waterpipe tobacco smoking
    Tee GH, Hairi NN, Nordin F, Choo WY, Chan YY, Kaur G, et al.
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2015;16(9):3659-65.
    PMID: 25987018
    BACKGROUND: Waterpipe tobacco smoking has becoming popular especially among young people worldwide. Smokers are attracted by its sweeter, smoother smoke, social ambience and the misconception of reduced harm. The objective of this study was to systematically review the effects of waterpipe tobacco policies and practices in reducing its prevalence.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic review was conducted electronically using the PubMed, OVID, Science Direct, Proquest and Embase databases. All possible studies from 1980 to 2013 were initially screened based on titles and abstracts. The selected articles were subjected to data extraction and quality rating.

    RESULTS: Three studies met the inclusion criteria and were eligible for this review. Almost all of the waterpipe tobacco products and its accessories did not comply with the regulations on health warning labelling practices as stipulated under Article 11 of WHO FCTC. In addition, the grisly new warning labels for cigarettes introduced by Food and Drug Administration did not affect hookah tobacco smoking generally. Indoor air quality in smoking lounges was found to be poor and some hookah lounges were operated without smoke shop certification.

    CONCLUSIONS: Our findings revealed the availability of minimal information on the practices in controlling waterpipe smoking in reducing its prevalence. The lack of comprehensive legislations or practices in controlling waterpipe smoking warrants further research and policy initiatives to curb this burgeoning global epidemic, especially among the vulnerable younger population.
  11. Simultaneous dual syringe electrospinning system using benign solvent to fabricate nanofibrous P(3HB-co-4HB)/collagen peptides construct as potential leave-on wound dressing
    Vigneswari S, Murugaiyah V, Kaur G, Abdul Khalil HPS, Amirul AA
    Mater Sci Eng C Mater Biol Appl, 2016 Sep 01;66:147-155.
    PMID: 27207048 DOI: 10.1016/j.msec.2016.03.102
    The main focus of this study is the incorporation of collagen peptides to fabricate P(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate) [P(3HB-co-4HB)] nano-fiber construct to further enhance surface wettability and support cell growth while harbouring desired properties for biodegradable wound dressing. Simultaneous electrospinning of nanofiber P(3HB-co-4HB)/collagen peptides construct was carried out using dual syringe system. The wettability of the constructs increased with the increase in 4HB molar fraction from 20mol% 4HB [53.2°], P(3HB-co-35mol%4HB)[48.9°], P(3HB-co-50mol%4HB)[44.5°] and P(3HB-co-82mol%4HB) [37.7°]. In vitro study carried out using mouse fibroblast cells (L929) grown on nanofiber P(3HB-co-4HB)/collagen peptides construct showed an increase in cell proliferation. In vivo study using animal model (Sprague Dawley rats) showed that nanofibrous P(3HB-co-4HB)/collagen peptides construct had a significant effect on wound contractions with the highest percentage of wound closure of 79%. Hence, P(3HB-co-4HB)/collagen peptides construct suitable for wound dressing have been developed using nano-fabrication technique.
  12. Fulltext S100A4 overexpression proves to be independent marker for breast cancer progression
    Ismail NI, Kaur G, Hashim H, Hassan MS
    Cancer Cell Int, 2008 Sep 05;8:12.
    PMID: 18771601 DOI: 10.1186/1475-2867-8-12
    BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most common cancer and cause of deaths in women around the world. Oncogene amplification usually occurs late in tumor progression and correlates well with aggressiveness of tumor. In fact the function of the S100A4 protein and its role in metastasis is unclear at present. The purpose of the study was to determine the expression of S100A4 protein in the invasion status and metastatic potential of breast cancer by using tissue microarray and to determine its role in breast cancer based on the expression of S100A4 gene product.

    METHODS: S100A4 protein expression was examined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) using commercially available tissue microarray containing malignant and normal breast tissue cores from 216 patients.

    RESULTS: S100A4 was absent in normal breast tissues while positive in 45.1% of infiltrating ductal carcinoma (IDC) node negative and 48.8% of infiltrating lobular carcinoma node negative. In paired samples, S100A4 protein was expressed in 13.5% of IDC node positive cases and 35.1% of matched lymph node metastasis.

    CONCLUSION: S100A4 protein expression appears widely expressed in early and advanced breast cancer stages compared with normal breast. Our study suggests S100A4 may play a role in breast cancer progression and may prove to be an independent marker of breast cancer which appears to be down regulated in more advanced stages of breast cancer.

  13. Fulltext Revisiting the single cell protein application of Cupriavidus necator H16 and recovering bioplastic granules simultaneously
    Kunasundari B, Murugaiyah V, Kaur G, Maurer FH, Sudesh K
    PLoS One, 2013;8(10):e78528.
    PMID: 24205250 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0078528
    Cupriavidus necator H16 (formerly known as Hydrogenomonas eutropha) was famous as a potential single cell protein (SCP) in the 1970s. The drawback however was the undesirably efficient accumulation of non-nutritive polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) storage compound in the cytoplasm of this bacterium. Eventually, competition from soy-based protein resulted in SCP not receiving much attention. Nevertheless, C. necator H16 remained in the limelight as a producer of PHB, which is a material that resembles commodity plastics such as polypropylene. PHB is a 100% biobased and biodegradable polyester. Although tremendous achievements have been attained in the past 3 decades in the efficient production of PHB, this bioplastic is still costly. One of the main problems has been the recovery of PHB from the cell cytoplasm. In this study, we showed for the first time that kilogram quantities of PHB can be easily recovered in the laboratory without the use of any solvents and chemicals, just by using the cells as SCP. In addition, the present study also demonstrated the safety and tolerability of animal model used, Sprague Dawley given lyophilized cells of C. necator H16. The test animals readily produced fecal pellets that were whitish in color, as would be expected of PHB granules. The pellets were determined to contain about 82-97 wt% PHB and possessed molecular mass of around 930 kg/mol. The PHB granules recovered biologically possessed similar molecular mass compared to chloroform extracted PHB [950 kg/mol]. This method now allows the production and purification of substantial quantities of PHB for various experimental trials. The method reported here is easy, does not require expensive instrumentation, scalable and does not involve extensive use of solvents and strong chemicals.
  14. Renal ischemic injury affects renal hemodynamics and excretory functions in Sprague Dawley rats: involvement of renal sympathetic tone
    Salman IM, Sattar MA, Abdullah NA, Ameer OZ, Yam MF, Kaur G, et al.
    Ren Fail, 2010 Jan;32(1):96-102.
    PMID: 20113274 DOI: 10.3109/08860220903389196
    The role of renal sympathetic nerves in the pathogenesis of ischemic acute renal failure (ARF) and the immediate changes in the renal excretory functions following renal ischemia were investigated. Two groups of male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were anesthetized (pentobarbitone sodium, 60 mg kg(-1) i.p.) and subjected to unilateral renal ischemia by clamping the left renal artery for 30 min followed by reperfusion. In group 1, the renal nerves were electrically stimulated and the responses in the renal blood flow (RBF) and renal vascular resistance (RVR) were recorded, while group 2 was used to study the early changes in the renal functions following renal ischemia. In post-ischemic animals, basal RBF and the renal vasoconstrictor reperfusion to renal nerve stimulation (RNS) were significantly lower (all p < 0.05 vs. control). Mean arterial pressure (MAP), basal RVR, urine flow rate (UFR), absolute and fractional excretions of sodium (U(Na)V and FE(Na)), and potassium (U(K)V and FE(K)) were higher in ARF rats (all p < 0.05 vs. control). Post-ischemic animals showed markedly lower glomerular filtration rate (GFR) (p < 0.05 vs. control). No appreciable differences were observed in urinary sodium to potassium ratio (U(Na)/U(K)) during the early reperfusion phase of renal ischemia (p > 0.05 vs. control). The data suggest an immediate involvement of renal sympathetic nerve action in the pathogenesis of ischemic ARF primarily through altered renal hemodynamics. Diuresis, natriuresis, and kaliuresis due to impaired renal tubular functions are typical responses to renal ischemia and of comparable magnitudes.
  15. Fulltext Relationship between coping styles and lipid profile among public university staff
    Ariaratnam S, Krishnapillai AD, Daher AM, Fadzil MA, Razali S, Omar SA, et al.
    Lipids Health Dis, 2017 Feb 28;16(1):50.
    PMID: 28245847 DOI: 10.1186/s12944-017-0438-1
    BACKGROUND: The scarcity of data about coping styles with a biochemical marker namely lipid profile, potentially associated with cardiovascular risk factors is most striking among professionals working in public university. Hence, this research aimed to investigate the relationship between coping styles and lipid profile comprising total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), HDL-cholesterol (high density lipoprotein-cholesterol) and LDL-cholesterol (Low density lipoprotein-cholesterol) among this group of professionals.

    METHODS: A cross sectional survey was conducted among staff from a tertiary education centre. Subjects were contacted to ascertain their medical history. A total of 320 subjects were interviewed and 195 subjects were eligible and subsequently recruited on a suitable date for taking blood and administration of the questionnaires. The subjects completed questionnaires pertaining to demographic details and coping styles. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to measure the strength of association between lipid profile and coping styles.

    RESULTS: Majority of the subjects were non-academic staff (60.0%), female (67.2%), Malay (91.8%), married (52.3%) and educated until Diploma level (34.9%). Academic staff scored significantly higher mean scores in task-oriented coping styles (Mean = 64.12). Non-academic staff scored significantly higher mean scores in emotion (Mean = 48.05) and avoidance-oriented coping styles (Mean = 57.61). Malay subjects had significantly higher mean scores in emotion (Mean = 47.14) and avoidance-oriented coping styles (Mean = 55.23). Non-malay subjects (Mean = 66.00) attained significantly higher mean scores in task-oriented coping styles. Single/divorced/widowed individuals scored significantly higher mean scores in emotion (Mean = 48.13) and avoidance-oriented coping styles (Mean = 56.86). There was a significant negative correlation between TC (r = -0.162) and LDL (r = -0.168) with avoidance-oriented coping styles (p = 0.023, p = 0.019 respectively).

    CONCLUSION: Avoidance-oriented coping style was more likely to engender favourable lipid profile. Hence, assessment of coping styles would certainly assist health care practitioners in predicting subjects who would be at a greater risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.

  16. Rapid diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection in gastric imprint smears
    Kaur G, Madhavan M, Basri AH, Sain AH, Hussain MS, Yatiban MK, et al.
    Southeast Asian J. Trop. Med. Public Health, 2004 Sep;35(3):676-80.
    PMID: 15689086
    The objective of this study was to determine the sensitivity, specificity, positive (PPV), and negative predictive values (NPV) of Diff-Quik-stained gastric imprint cytology smears in the detection of H. pylori compared with histology. Air-dried imprint smears of gastric biopsies from 150 patients were stained by the Diff-Quik method in the endoscopy suite and examined for H. pylori, providing results within minutes. The presence of inflammation and intestinal metaplasia were documented. The same biopsy was processed and stained with H&E and Warthin-Starry stains, and reviewed by a different pathologist blind to the imprint cytology results. Ninety-four of the 150 patients were male with a mean age of 50 years. Based on histology, the H. pylori prevalence was very low at 8%. The sensitivity and specificity of imprint cytology in the detection of H. pylori were 83.3% and 100%, respectively. The PPV and NPV were 100% and 98.6%, respectively. There were two false negatives and no false positives. A combination of imprint cytology and histology achieved 100% sensitivity. Imprint smears did not provide added value over histology with regards to inflammation and metaplasia. Gastric imprint smears stained with Diff-Quik method is a rapid, cheap, and reliable method for the detection of H. pylori and have their best results when complemented with histology.
  17. Proteomics of endometrial cancer diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis
    Mittal P, Klingler-Hoffmann M, Arentz G, Zhang C, Kaur G, Oehler MK, et al.
    Proteomics Clin Appl, 2016 Mar;10(3):217-29.
    PMID: 26541900 DOI: 10.1002/prca.201500055
    This review discusses the current status of proteomics technology in endometrial cancer diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. The first part of this review focuses on recently identified biomarkers for endometrial cancer, their importance in clinical use as well as the proteomic methods used in their discovery. The second part highlights some of the emerging mass spectrometry based proteomic technologies that promise to contribute to a better understanding of endometrial cancer by comparing the abundance of hundreds or thousands of proteins simultaneously.
  18. Fulltext Protein Profiling in Human Papillomavirus-Associated Cervical Carcinogenesis: Cornulin as a Biomarker for Disease Progression
    Kumarasamy G, Ismail MN, Tuan Sharif SE, Desire C, Mittal P, Hoffmann P, et al.
    Curr Issues Mol Biol, 2023 Apr 20;45(4):3603-3627.
    PMID: 37185759 DOI: 10.3390/cimb45040235
    Nearly 90% of cervical cancers are linked to human papillomavirus (HPV). Uncovering the protein signatures in each histological phase of cervical oncogenesis provides a path to biomarker discovery. The proteomes extracted from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues of the normal cervix, HPV16/18-associated squamous intraepithelial lesion (SIL), and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) were compared using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). A total of 3597 proteins were identified, with 589, 550, and 1570 proteins unique to the normal cervix, SIL, and SCC groups, respectively, while 332 proteins overlapped between the three groups. In the transition from normal cervix to SIL, all 39 differentially expressed proteins were downregulated, while all 51 proteins discovered were upregulated in SIL to SCC. The binding process was the top molecular function, while chromatin silencing in the SIL vs. normal group, and nucleosome assembly in SCC vs. SIL groups was the top biological process. The PI3 kinase pathway appears crucial in initiating neoplastic transformation, while viral carcinogenesis and necroptosis are important for cell proliferation, migration, and metastasis in cervical cancer development. Annexin A2 and cornulin were selected for validation based on LC-MS results. The former was downregulated in the SIL vs. normal cervix and upregulated in the progression from SIL to SCC. In contrast, cornulin exhibited the highest expression in the normal cervix and lowest in SCC. Although other proteins, such as histones, collagen, and vimentin, were differentially expressed, their ubiquitous expression in most cells precluded further analysis. Immunohistochemical analysis of tissue microarrays found no significant difference in Annexin A2 expression between the groups. Conversely, cornulin exhibited the strongest expression in the normal cervix and lowest in SCC, supporting its role as a tumor suppressor and potential biomarker for disease progression.
  19. Fulltext Prevalence of clinical malaria among an Orang Asli community in Malaysia
    Kaur G
    Southeast Asian J. Trop. Med. Public Health, 2009 Jul;40(4):665-73.
    PMID: 19842399
    An epidemiological cross-sectional study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of clinical malaria among the Orang Asli population of Raub, Pahang, Malaysia. The study was conducted on a representative sample of 520 Orang Asli. Malariometric and clinical measurements were taken. The overall parasitemic rate was 24.2% (95% CI 20.7-28.1). Twenty-three point four percent (95% CI 19.5-26.9) of respondents age two years and above were clinically febrile. The prevalence of fever, chills, perspiration and body aches during a one month period prior to the survey among the same group ranged between 4.2% (95% CI 2.7-6.4) and 13.5% (95% CI 10.6-16.7). Children 2-12 years old were more likely to present with fever, and symptoms of malaria than older children. Gender was not significantly associated with fever or any of the other malaria symptoms. Presence of clinical fever and history of malaria symptoms were all strongly associated with current infection. The association was significant even after controlling for age (adjusted OR 2.8-5.1, 95% CI 1.1-8.3). Orang Asli children significantly experienced greater morbidity due to malaria compared to adults. Control and treatment of malaria should focus on children, while further research should explore the effects of malaria morbidity on the quality of life of these children.
  20. Fulltext Prevalence and ethnic distribution of helicobacter pylori infection among endoscoped patients in north eastern peninsular malaysia
    Kaur G, Naing NN
    Malays J Med Sci, 2003 Jul;10(2):66-70.
    PMID: 23386799 MyJurnal
    The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and ethnic distribution of Helicobacter pylori infection in an endoscoped population in North Eastern Peninsular Malaysia.
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