Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 133 in total

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  1. Abdo Qaid EY, Abdullah Z, Zakaria R, Long I
    Int J Neurosci, 2024 Jun;134(1):56-65.
    PMID: 35638219 DOI: 10.1080/00207454.2022.2084092
    PURPOSE/AIM: Neuroinflammation and oxidative stress have been encountered in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the neuroprotective effects of minocycline against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced glial cells activation and oxidative stress damage in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of rats are still elusive. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of minocycline and memantine, an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, on the microglia and astrocytes expression, as well as oxidative stress levels in the mPFC of LPS injected rats.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty adult Male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into five groups: control, LPS (5 mg/kg), LPS treated with minocycline (25 mg/kg), LPS treated with minocycline (50 mg/kg) and LPS treated with memantine (10 mg/kg). The immunohistochemistry and western blotting were used to analyse the expressions and densities of microglia marker (Iba-1) and astrocyte marker, (GFAP) while enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure the protein carbonyl (PCO), malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase (CAT), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels.

    RESULTS: In comparison to the control group, the expression and density of Iba-1 and GFAP were significantly enhanced in the LPS group (p 

  2. Abdo Qaid EY, Abdullah Z, Zakaria R, Long I
    Neurol Res, 2024 Mar;46(3):261-271.
    PMID: 38122814 DOI: 10.1080/01616412.2023.2296754
    INTRODUCTION: The neuroinflammatory response was seen to impact the formation of phosphorylated tau protein in Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study aims to investigate the molecular mechanism of minocycline in reducing phosphorylated tau protein formation in the hippocampus of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced rats.

    METHODS: Fifty adult male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomly allocated to 1 of 5 groups: control, LPS (5 mg/kg), LPS + minocycline (25 mg/kg), LPS + minocycline (50 mg/kg) and LPS + memantine (10 mg/kg). Minocycline and memantine were administered intraperitoneally (i.p) for two weeks, and LPS was injected i.p. once on day 5. ELISA was used to determine the level of phosphorylated tau protein in SD rats' hippocampal tissue. The density and expression of Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR-4), nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-кβ), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 were determined using Western blot and immunohistochemistry.

    RESULTS: Minocycline, like memantine, prevented LPS-induced increasein phosphorylated tau protein level suggested via reduced density and expression of TLR-4, NF-кβ, TNF-αand COX-2 proteins in rat hippocampal tissue. Interestingly, higher doses were shown to be more neuroprotective than lower doses.

    CONCLUSION: This study suggests that minocycline suppresses the neuroinflammation signalling pathway and decreased phosphorylated tau protein formation induced by LPS in a dose-dependent manner. Minocycline can be used as a preventative and therapeutic drug for neuroinflammatory diseases such as AD.

  3. Khir NAM, Noh ASM, Long I, Zakaria R, Ismail CAN
    Mol Cell Biochem, 2024 Mar;479(3):539-552.
    PMID: 37106243 DOI: 10.1007/s11010-023-04749-5
    The role of carbon monoxide (CO) has evolved albeit controversial disputes on its toxicity. This biological gasotransmitter participates in the endogenous regulation of neurotransmitters and neuropeptides released in the nervous system. Exogenous CO gas inhalation at a lower concentration has been the subject of investigations, which have revealed its biological homeostatic mechanisms and protective effects against many pathological conditions. This therapeutic procedure of CO is, however, limited due to its immediate release, which favours haemoglobin at a high affinity with the subsequent generation of toxic carboxyhaemoglobin in tissues. In order to address this problem, carbon monoxide releasing molecule-2 (CORM-2) or also known as tricarbonyldichlororuthenium II dimer is developed to liberate a controlled amount of CO in the biological systems. In this review, we examine several potential mechanisms exerted by this therapeutic compound to produce the anti-nociceptive effect that has been demonstrated in previous studies. This review could shed light on the role of CORM-2 to reduce pain, especially in cases of chronic and neuropathic pain.
  4. Ab Aziz S, Mohd Nasir MH, Jusoh AR, Azman KF, Ismail CAN, Ahmad AH, et al.
    Heliyon, 2024 Feb 29;10(4):e26106.
    PMID: 38390049 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e26106
    Olfactory marker protein (OMP) is extensively studied in mature olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) for understanding olfaction physiology. However, no bibliometric analysis on this topic exists. We conducted a bibliometric analysis of OMP research articles, wherein the publication count was assessed by year, country, journal, and author, collaboration by country, and productivity of the authors. Additionally, key terms and research themes were identified. Using the search phrase "olfactory marker protein" in Scopus, we retrieved 691 original research articles by 2487 authors since 1974. Publications showed an increasing trend, with the United States leading in quantity and collaboration. Our thematic map highlights "Olfactory bulb, regeneration, olfactory" as the primary research domain, while "olfaction, olfactory sensory neuron, glomerulus" and "olfactory receptor neurons, apoptosis, olfactory dysfunction" emerge as essential future research topics. These bibliometric findings offer insights into the global OMP research landscape, guiding researchers in potential collaborations and intriguing future research fields.
  5. Yeoh SL, Choong PS, Zakaria R, Kamaruzaman NA, Md Rashid S, Razali MF, et al.
    Toxicon, 2024 Jan;237:107557.
    PMID: 38072318 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2023.107557
    Derris trifoliata is mainly found in mangrove area in tropical regions and the plant extract is traditionally used for fishing by poisoning. This is the first case report of rotenone poisoning in a child from ingesting Derris trifoliata seed. The child developed altered consciousness, vomiting, hypotension, metabolic acidosis, and acute kidney injury. Species identification of this case requires the collaborative efforts of various agencies. She survived from the poisoning with no neurological sequelae.
  6. Muhamad Pauzi KN, Zakaria R, Leong YY, Nik Fuad NF, Nik Ismail NA, Sukor N
    Ann Vasc Surg, 2024 Jan;98:258-267.
    PMID: 37820987 DOI: 10.1016/j.avsg.2023.08.021
    BACKGROUND: Primary hyperaldosteronism has been regarded as the commonest and potentially curable cause of secondary hypertension in up to 80% of cases if this condition is detected early. Laparoscopic adrenalectomy proved to be a promising curable method for primary hyperaldosteronism secondary to aldosterone producing adenoma, while primary hyperaldosteronism secondary to bilateral adrenal hyperplasia requires optimization of medical treatment. Adrenal venous sampling (AVS) has been recommended by the Endocrine Society's guideline in addressing the subtypes of primary hyperaldosteronism. Therefore, determining success rate of AVS in our center is crucial in the management of primary hyperaldosteronism and to prevent redundant procedures. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the success rate of AVS in our center and the associated factors that correlate with the success rate.

    METHODS: A retrospective study in a single center, all adult patients who were diagnosed with primary hyperaldosteronism and underwent AVS in our center between 2014 until 2022 were included. Successful samples defined by a selectivity index of ≥2, that is, the ratio of adrenal vein cortisol level to the peripheral vein cortisol level, were evaluated. The baseline demographic characteristics of each patient, technical parameters of AVS, and anatomical parameters of right adrenal vein from the venographic images were evaluated and analyzed to correlate with the outcome of AVS. A P-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

    RESULTS: The overall success rate of AVS in our center was 61.3%. The success rate significantly increased to 80.6% in the trained interventional radiologist (IR) group, which represents a single IR who had completed specific training in AVS, compared to non-trained IR group which consisted of a total of 10 IRs without specific AVS training (P = 0.046). The right AVS had lower success rate than the left AVS (64% vs. 94.6%). The type of right adrenal vein pattern showed significant association with the outcome of AVS (P = 0.014). There were 6 types of right adrenal vein patterns observed in our study; Type 1 - gland-like pattern with numerous branches, Type 2 - delta pattern, Type 3 - triangular pattern with central "blush", Type 4 - no discernible pattern and Type 5 - spidery or stellate pattern. The sixth pattern was the hepatic radicles blush with hepatic drainage, for which blood sampling were also collected due to its appearance was frequently indistinguishable from the Type 1 pattern. The results showed Type 2 pattern had the highest incidence (30.5%; 32/105 samples) and Type 5 had the highest success rate (100%; 11/11 samples), while the hepatic radicles blush pattern had the highest incidence in fail samples resulting in the highest failure rate (94.7%; 18/19 samples). The visualization of the inferior emissary vein (IEV) from the venographic images during right AVS had a significant association with the successful AVS (97.5% success rate; 39/40 samples; P = 0.003). Contrariwise, blood sampling withdrawn from the right adrenal vein in the presence of hepatic drainage communication associated with the failure AVS (86.7% failure rate; 26/30 samples; P = 0.001).

    CONCLUSIONS: The overall success rate of both AVS in our center was 61.3%, and the success rate was higher in the trained IR group than the non-trained IR group. The visualization of IEV and the type of right adrenal vein patterns were the key determining factors with significant association to the successful right AVS. Conversely, blood sampling withdrawn from the hepatic radicles and hepatic drainage had significant association with the failure right AVS.

  7. Zakaria WNA, Yoon SY, Wijaya A, Ahmad AH, Zakaria R, Othman Z
    Eur J Hum Genet, 2023 Oct;31(10):1181-1184.
    PMID: 37142766 DOI: 10.1038/s41431-023-01371-3
    This article seeks to highlight the most recent trends and themes in genetic counseling that are of broad interest. A total of 3505 documents were published between 1952 and 2021, with a trend toward increase in paper/year. The most common documents are original articles (2515, 71.8%), followed by review articles (341, 9.7%). Journal of Genetic Counseling publishes the highest number of genetic counseling articles (587, 16.7%), followed by Clinical Genetics (103, 2.9%) and the South American Journal of Medical Genetics (95, 2.7%). Co-occurrence analysis revealed five research themes: genetic testing, cancer, genetic counselor, prenatal diagnosis, and psychiatry. The genetic counselor theme contained most of the recent keywords, including "covid-19," "underrepresented population," "service delivery models," "workforce," "disparities," "service delivery," "professional development," "cultural competence," "access," "diversity," "telemedicine," and "health literacy." Genetic counseling researchers may use these keywords to find topics pertinent to their future research and practice.
  8. Sainuddin SS, Norhayati MN, Abdul Kadir A, Zakaria R
    Med J Malaysia, 2023 Sep;78(5):675-686.
    PMID: 37775497
    INTRODUCTION: Postpartum depression (PPD) is a mental and emotional condition that can affect women during their first postnatal year and concern globally. This study aimed to determine the overall prevalence and determinants of postpartum depression (PPD) in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic search of observational studies conducted in ASEAN countries between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2020 was performed in the Medline, PubMed and Google Scholar databases. The quality of studies was evaluated based on The Joanna Briggs Institute Checklist. The analysis was performed with Review Manager software version 5.4. Metaanalysis of the estimates from primary studies was conducted by adjusting for possible publication bias and heterogeneity.

    RESULTS: Twenty-five studies including 19924 postnatal mothers were included in this review. The pooled prevalence of PPD is 22.32% (95% CI: 18.48, 26.17). Thailand has the highest prevalence of PPD with a pooled prevalence of 74.1% (95% CI: 64.79, 83.41). The prevalence of PPD was highest when the assessment for PPD was conducted up to 6 weeks postpartum with a pooled prevalence of 25.24% (95% CI: 14.08, 36.41). The identified determinants of PPD were unplanned pregnancy, term pregnancy, lack of family support and physical violence. There were limited studies done and high heterogeneity in terms of quality, methodology, culture, screening method and time of PPD measurement.

    CONCLUSIONS: Approximately one in five postpartum women in ASEAN countries had PPD. The risk factor that lowers the risk of PPD is unplanned and term pregnancies, while women with a lack of family support and experienced physical violence increase the risk of PPD. Robust prevalence studies are needed to assess the magnitude of this problem in ASEAN countries.

  9. Zakaria WNA, Wijaya A, Al-Rahbi B, Ahmad AH, Zakaria R, Othman Z
    Psychiatr Genet, 2023 Jun 01;33(3):102-112.
    PMID: 36825833 DOI: 10.1097/YPG.0000000000000338
    This study aims to use a bibliometric technique to evaluate the scientific output of gene and bipolar disorder research. The search query related to gene and bipolar disorder from the Scopus database identified 1848 documents from 1951 to 2020. The growth in the publications increased since early 1990, peaked in 2011, and started to decline thereafter. High occurrence in author keywords suggests that some research topics, such as "polymorphism", "linkage" and "association study" have waned over time, whereas others, such as "DNA methylation," "circadian rhythm," "" and "meta-analysis," are now the emerging trends in gene and bipolar disorder research. The USA was the country with the highest production followed by the UK, Canada, Italy and Germany. The leading institutions were Cardiff University in the UK, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) in the USA, King's College London in the UK and the University of California, San Diego in the USA. The leading journals publishing gene and bipolar literature were the American Journal of Medical Genetics Neuropsychiatric Genetics, Molecular Psychiatry and Psychiatric Genetics. The top authors in the number of publications were Craddock N, Serretti A and Rietschel M. According to the co-authorship network analysis of authors, the majority of the authors in the same clusters were closely linked together and originated from the same or neighbouring country. The findings of this study may be useful in identifying emerging topics for future research and promoting research collaboration in the field of genetic studies related to bipolar disorder.
  10. Qaid EYA, Abdullah Z, Zakaria R, Long I
    Neurochem Res, 2023 May;48(5):1480-1490.
    PMID: 36509985 DOI: 10.1007/s11064-022-03842-3
    The oxidative stress-induced dysregulation of the cyclic AMP response element-binding protein- brain-derived neurotrophic factor (CREB-BDNF) cascade has been linked to cognitive impairment in several studies. This study aimed to investigate the effect of minocycline on the levels of oxidative stress markers, CREB, and BDNF in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced cognitive impairment. Fifty adult male Sprague Dawley rats were divided randomly into five groups. Group 1 was an untreated control group. Groups 2, 3, 4 and 5 were treated concurrently with LPS (5 mg/kg, i.p) once on day 5 and normal saline (0.7 ml/rat, i.p) or minocycline (25 and 50 mg/kg, i.p) or memantine (10 mg/kg, i.p) once daily from day 1 until day 14, respectively. From day 15 to day 22 of the experiment, Morris Water Maze (MWM) was used to evaluate learning and reference memory in rats. The levels of protein carbonyl (PCO), malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase (CAT), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). CREB and BDNF expression and density were measured by immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis, respectively. LPS administration significantly increased escape latency to the hidden platform with decreased travelled distance, swimming speed, target crossings and time spent in the target quadrant. Besides, the hippocampal tissue of LPS rats showed increased levels of PCO and MDA, decreased levels of CAT and SOD, and reduced expression and density of BDNF and CREB. Treatment with minocycline reversed these effects in a dose-dependent manner, comparable to the effects of memantine. Both doses of minocycline treatment protect against LPS-induced cognitive impairment by reducing oxidative stress and upregulating the CREB-BDNF signalling pathway in the rat hippocampus.
  11. Zakaria WNA, Sasongko TH, Al-Rahbi B, Al-Sowayan N, Ahmad AH, Zakaria R, et al.
    Psychiatr Genet, 2023 Apr 01;33(2):37-49.
    PMID: 36825838 DOI: 10.1097/YPG.0000000000000336
    This study aimed to perform a bibliometric analysis on genetic studies in schizophrenia in the pregenome-wide association studies (GWAS) and post-GWAS era. We searched the literature on genes and schizophrenia using the Scopus database. The documents increased with time, especially after the human genome project and International HapMap Project, with the highest citation in 2008. The top occurrence author keywords were discovered to be different in the pre-GWAS and post-GWAS eras, reflecting the progress of genetic studies connected to schizophrenia. Emerging keywords highlighted a trend towards an application of precision medicine, showing an interplay of environmental exposures as well as genetic factors in schizophrenia pathogenesis, progression, and response to therapy. In conclusion, the gene and schizophrenia literature has grown rapidly after the human genome project, and the temporal variation in the author keywords pattern reflects the trend of genetic studies related to schizophrenia in the pre-GWAS and post-GWAS era.
  12. Loh SY, Zakaria R, Mohamad N
    Medeni Med J, 2023 Mar 28;38(1):45-53.
    PMID: 36974481 DOI: 10.4274/MMJ.galenos.2023.14478
    OBJECTIVE: Tuberculosis (TB) is an old disease and it has infected millions of people worldwide. Since it is a highly infectious disease, many people became TB contact due to prolonged exposure to a person with TB infection. This group of people is at a higher risk of getting latent and active TB infection, hence a vulnerable group for active TB screening. This study explored the factors that determined the attitude score, the level of knowledge, attitude, and stigma (KAS) regarding TB disease among TB contact.

    METHODS: This cross-sectional study used a validated KAS questionnaire, performed among 338 TB contacts from 5 health clinics in Kedah, Malaysia. The respondents were selected via convenience sampling. Simple and multiple linear regressions were used to analyze the data.

    RESULTS: The mean KAS scores of participants are 73.5% [standard deviation (SD)=17.06], 83.0% (SD=10.33), and 67.0% (SD=16.72), respectively. Higher income (p=0.001), better knowledge score (p<0.001), and higher stigma score (p=0.003) are the significant associated factors for the attitude score.

    CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that most of the TB contacts have good knowledge and constructive attitude toward TB prevention and screening, but their level of stigma on TB is high. The implementation of TB education and intervention programs among TB contacts are required especially among low-income groups.

  13. Zulkifli N'A, Zahir NH, Abdullah Ripain AH, Said SM, Zakaria R
    Nanoscale Adv, 2023 Jan 31;5(3):879-892.
    PMID: 36756501 DOI: 10.1039/d2na00756h
    Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has been attracting considerable attention due to its excellent electrical and optical properties. We successfully grew high-quality, large-area and uniform few-layer (FL)-MoS2 on p-doped gallium nitride (p-GaN) using a simplified sulfurization technique by the single-zone CVD of a Mo seed layer via E-beam evaporation. Tuning the sulfurization parameters, namely temperature and duration, has been discovered to be an effective strategy for improving MoS2 orientation (horizontally aligned and vertically aligned) and quality, which affects photodetector (PD) performance. The increase in the sulfurization temperature to 850 °C results in improved structural quality and crystallite size. However, a prolonged sulfurization duration of 60 minutes caused the degradation of the film quality. The close lattice match between p-GaN and MoS2 contributes to the excellent quality growth of deposited MoS2. Following this, an n-MoS2/p-GaN heterostructure PD was successfully built by a MoS2 position-selectivity method. We report a highly sensitive and self-powered GaN/MoS2 p-n heterojunction PD with a relatively high responsivity of 14.3 A W-1, a high specific detectivity of 1.12 × 1013 Jones, and a fast response speed of 8.3/13.4 μs (20 kHz) under a UV light of 355 nm at zero-bias voltage. Our PD exhibits superior performance to that of the previously reported MoS2/GaN p-n PD. Our findings suggest a more efficient and straightforward approach to building high-performance self-powered UV PDs.
  14. Tang LW, Alias Y, Zakaria R, Woi PM
    Crit Rev Anal Chem, 2023;53(4):869-886.
    PMID: 34672838 DOI: 10.1080/10408347.2021.1989657
    A detailed overview toward the advancement of amino acid-based electrochemical sensors on the detection of heavy metals is presented. Discussion is focused on the unique properties of various amino acids (AAs) and its composites which allow them being employed in a diverse range of sensing platforms. Formation of metal-ligand complexes in between metal ions and different AAs has been discussed. The essential insights on the interaction between amino acid-based sensors and target heavy metal ions (HMIs) are provided, along with the discussion on their pros and cons. Voltammetry analysis of metal ions based on various interfaces of electrochemical sensors has been highlighted, together with the incorporation of AAs with organic, inorganic and bio-materials. In all these cases, the amino acid modified electrodes have demonstrated large active surface area with abundant adsorption sites for HMIs. The developed sensors are promising for environmental applications, as evidenced by the high selectivity, high sensitivity, high catalytic activity, and low detection limits. The materials involved, fabrication techniques and its sensing mechanism were comprehensively discussed, and the future outlooks of electrochemical sensing platforms are emphasized in this review.
  15. Haron Z, Sutan R, Zakaria R, Abdullah Mahdy Z
    Belitung Nurs J, 2023;9(1):6-16.
    PMID: 37469635 DOI: 10.33546/bnj.2396
    BACKGROUND: Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) is a common form of poor carbohydrate intolerance, prevalent among pregnant women and associated with unhealthy lifestyle behaviors. Given the dearth of information on self-empowerment among mothers with GDM, a self-care health education package needs to be developed to prevent related complications.

    OBJECTIVE: This review aimed to identify self-care approaches, domains, and their effectiveness for a proper self-care educational guide package for women with GDM.

    DESIGN: A systematic review using electronic literature databases published between January 2016 and December 2022 was conducted.

    DATA SOURCES: Web of Science, Scopus, and Ovid databases were used.

    REVIEW METHODS: This review utilized the PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcomes) framework to screen the retrieved articles for eligibility in which mothers with GDM, educational materials, standard practice or intervention, and effectiveness were considered the PICO, respectively. The CIPP (Context, Input, Process, Product) model served as a framework for adopting the education development model. Mixed methods appraisal tool was used for quality assessment. Data extraction and synthesis without meta-analysis were presented as evidence tables.

    RESULTS: A total of 19 articles on GDM were included in the final analysis (16 Intervention studies, two qualitative studies, and one mixed-methods study). Four broad domains emerged from the analysis: 1) information or knowledge of GDM, 2) monitoring of blood glucose levels, 3) practice of healthy lifestyles, and 4) other non-specific activities. The majority of the articles employed a face-to-face approach in executing the educational group sessions, and most studies disclosed their positive effects on GDM management. Other methods of evaluating intervention effectiveness were described as improved self-care behavior, increased satisfaction score, enhanced self-efficacy, good glucose control, and better pregnancy outcome.

    CONCLUSION: Knowledge or information about GDM, healthy diet, and exercise or physical activity was found to be the most applied domains of intervention. Framework domains based on the present review can be used in the future development of any interventional program for GDM women in enhancing health information reaching the targeted group in promoting self-efficacy.

    PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42021229610.

  16. Ahmad R, Azman KF, Yahaya R, Shafin N, Omar N, Ahmad AH, et al.
    AIMS Neurosci, 2023;10(1):5-32.
    PMID: 37077958 DOI: 10.3934/Neuroscience.2023002
    This review aims to perform a bibliometric analysis of the research related to brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in schizophrenia and offer suggestions for further work. Based on the keywords used, our study retrieved 335 documents for further analysis using a combination of three bibliometric techniques: co-word analysis, document co-citation analysis, and bibliographic coupling. A general rising trend in the number of publications was found in BDNF and schizophrenia research. Researchers from China and the United States have mostly researched BDNF and schizophrenia. Molecular Psychiatry is the most prestigious journal in the field of BDNF and schizophrenia research. The main topics and important research areas are cognition and the involvement of BDNF as a neurobiological marker (pathogenesis, therapy monitoring, and risk factors). Future research is anticipated to concentrate on relevant subjects, such as factors that affect BDNF levels or are connected to BDNF dysfunction in schizophrenia, as well as animal models of schizophrenia, in addition to cognition in schizophrenia.
  17. Ngu MH, Zakaria R, Mohd Zulkifli M, Ab Rahman R
    PMID: 37207247 DOI: 10.51866/cr.282
    Metformin-induced sexual dysfunction is rare in patients with diabetes mellitus. Herein, we present the case of a 57-year-old man newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus who developed erectile dysfunction following treatment with metformin 500 mg BD. Prior to taking metformin, he had well-controlled hypertension, hyperlipidaemia and normal sexual function. Two weeks after beginning metformin therapy, he was diagnosed with erectile dysfunction after experiencing persistent difficulty achieving an erection. After discontinuation of metformin, his sexual function returned to normal. To determine whether sexual dysfunction is caused by metformin, we rechallenged the patient with metformin 500 mg BD. After 15 days, he became impotent again, confirming that metformin was the most likely cause of his sexual problem. Metformin was stopped, and his sexual function returned to normal after 3 weeks. The adverse reaction is 'probable' according to the World Health Organization-Uppsala Monitoring Centre.
  18. Wijaya A, Setiawan NA, Ahmad AH, Zakaria R, Othman Z
    AIMS Neurosci, 2023;10(2):154-171.
    PMID: 37426780 DOI: 10.3934/Neuroscience.2023012
    Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is often considered a precursor to Alzheimer's disease (AD) and early diagnosis may help improve treatment effectiveness. To identify accurate MCI biomarkers, researchers have utilized various neuroscience techniques, with electroencephalography (EEG) being a popular choice due to its low cost and better temporal resolution. In this scoping review, we analyzed 2310 peer-reviewed articles on EEG and MCI between 2012 and 2022 to track the research progress in this field. Our data analysis involved co-occurrence analysis using VOSviewer and a Patterns, Advances, Gaps, Evidence of Practice, and Research Recommendations (PAGER) framework. We found that event-related potentials (ERP), EEG, epilepsy, quantitative EEG (QEEG), and EEG-based machine learning were the primary research themes. The study showed that ERP/EEG, QEEG, and EEG-based machine learning frameworks provide high-accuracy detection of seizure and MCI. These findings identify the main research themes in EEG and MCI and suggest promising avenues for future research in this field.
  19. Vit P, van der Meulen J, Diaz M, Pedro SRM, Esperança I, Zakaria R, et al.
    Curr Res Food Sci, 2023;6:100386.
    PMID: 36846470 DOI: 10.1016/j.crfs.2022.11.005
    The biodiversity of Ecuadorian stingless bees is almost 200 species. Traditional pot-honey harvest in Ecuador is mostly done from nests of the three genera selected here Geotrigona Moure, 1943, Melipona Illiger, 1806, and Scaptotrigona Moure, 1942. The 20 pot-honey samples collected from cerumen pots and three ethnic honeys "abeja de tierra", "bermejo", and "cushillomishki" were analyzed for qualitative and quantitative targeted 1H-NMR honey profiling, and for the Honey Authenticity Test by Interphase Emulsion (HATIE). Extensive data of targeted organic compounds (41 parameters) were identified, quantified, and described. The three honey types were compared by ANOVA. Amino acids, ethanol, hydroxymethylfurfural, aliphatic organic acids, sugars, and markers of botanical origin. The number of phases observed with the HATIE were one in Scaptotrigona and three in Geotrigona and Melipona honeys. Acetic acid (19.60 ± 1.45 g/kg) and lactic acid (24.30 ± 1.65 g/kg) were particularly high in Geotrigona honey (in contrast to 1.3 g/kg acetic acid and 1.6 g/kg lactic acid in Melipona and Scaptotrigona), and with the lowest fructose + glucose (18.39 ± 1.68) g/100g honey compared to Melipona (52.87 ± 1.75) and Scaptotrigona (52.17 ± 0.60). Three local honeys were tested using PCA (Principal Component Analysis), two were assigned with a correct declared bee origin, but "bermejo" was not a Melipona and grouped with the Scaptotrigona cluster. However after HCA (Hierarchical Cluster Analysis) the three honeys were positioned in the Melipona-Scaptotrigona cluster. This research supports targeted 1H-NMR-based profiling of pot-honey metabolomics approach for multi-parameter visualization of organic compounds, as well as descriptive and pertained multivariate statistics (HCA and PCA) to discriminate the stingless bee genus in a set of Geotrigona, Melipona and Scaptotrigona honey types. The NMR characterization of Ecuadorian honey produced by stingless bees emphasizes the need for regulatory norms. A final note on stingless bee markers in pot-honey metabolites which should be screened for those that may extract phylogenetic signals from nutritional traits of honey. Scaptotrigona vitorum honey revealed biosurfactant activity in the HATIE, originating a fingerprint Honey Biosurfactant Test (HBT) for the genus in this set of pot-honeys.
  20. Shafin N, Ismail CAN, Mustafa MZ, Ghani N, Ahmad AH, Othman Z, et al.
    Mult Scler, 2022 Dec;28(14):2160-2170.
    PMID: 35164590 DOI: 10.1177/13524585221075542
    Recent interest in multiple sclerosis research warrants literature analysis to evaluate the current state of the discipline and new research domains. This bibliometric review summarised the research trends and analysed research areas in multiple sclerosis over the last decade. The documents containing the term 'multiple sclerosis' in the article title were retrieved from the Scopus database. We used Harzing's Publish or Perish and VOSviewer for citation analysis and data visualisation, respectively. We found a total of 18,003 articles published in journals in the English language between 2012 and 2021. The emerging keywords identified utilising the enhanced strategic diagram were 'covid-19', 'teriflunomide', 'clinical trial', 'microglia', 'b cells', 'myelin', 'brain', 'white matter', 'functional connectivity', 'pain', 'employment', 'health-related quality of life', 'meta-analysis' and 'comorbidity'. This study demonstrates the tremendous growth of multiple sclerosis literature worldwide, which is expected to grow more than double during the next decade especially in the identified emerging topics.
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