Displaying publications 201 - 220 of 257 in total

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  1. Ugwu CC, Hair-Bejo M, Nurulfiza MI, Omar AR, Ideris A
    J Adv Vet Anim Res, 2024 Sep;11(3):693-702.
    PMID: 39605767 DOI: 10.5455/javar.2024.k819
    OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to inactivate the FAdV isolate (UPM11142P5B1) produced in a bioreactor and assess the humoral and cellular immunity, efficacy, and virus shedding in broiler chickens.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: The isolate was grown in a bioreactor, inactivated using binary ethyleneimine, adjuvanted with Montanide 71VG, and injected into day-old broiler chickens either with or without booster groups. The following parameters were measured: T lymphocyte profile in the liver, spleen, and thymus; FAdV antibody titer; clinical symptoms; gross and histological alterations in the liver, spleen, and thymus; virus copy number in the liver and cloacal shedding.

    RESULTS: Compared to the unchallenged control group, booster (BG), and non-booster (NBG), the challenged control group (CCG) had a larger liver: body weight (BW) ratio, milder clinical signs, gross lesions, and histological alterations. They also had a lower BW. At 7, 21, 35, and 42 days post-inoculation (dpi), the NBG and BG exhibited higher antibody levels than the UCG. At 35 dpi, challenged BG and NBG produced more antibodies than CCG. In BG and NBG, T cells were stimulated in the spleen, thymus, and liver. At 35 and 42 dpi, the challenged BG and NBG showed significantly decreased viral copy numbers in the liver and shedding, respectively, along with increased lymphocyte counts.

    CONCLUSION: The inactivated UPM11142P5B1 with Montanide 71VG could be a vaccine against FAdV 8b infections in chickens.

  2. Harun MS, Kuan CO, Selvarajah GT, Wei TS, Arshad SS, Hair Bejo M, et al.
    Virol J, 2013;10:329.
    PMID: 24209771 DOI: 10.1186/1743-422X-10-329
    BACKGROUND:
    Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) is a lethal systemic disease, caused by the FIP Virus (FIPV); a virulent mutant of Feline Enteric Coronavirus (FECV). Currently, the viruses virulence determinants and host gene expressions during FIPV infection are not fully understood.

    METHODS:
    RNA sequencing of Crandell Rees Feline Kidney (CRFK) cells, infected with FIPV strain 79-1146 at 3 hours post infection (h.p.i), were sequenced using the Illumina next generation sequencing approach. Bioinformatic's analysis, based on Felis catus 2X annotated shotgun reference genome, using CLC bio Genome Workbench mapped both control and infected cell reads to 18899 genes out of 19046 annotated genes. Kal's Z test statistical analysis was used to analyse the differentially expressed genes from the infected CRFK cells. Real time RT-qPCR was developed for further transcriptional profiling of three genes (PD-1, PD-L1 and A3H) in infected CRFK cells and Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCs) from healthy and FIP-diseased cats.

    RESULTS:
    Based on Kal's Z-test, with False Discovery Rate (FDR) <0.05 and >1.99 fold change on gene expressions, a total of 61 genes were differentially expressed by both samples, where 44 genes were up-regulated and the remainder were down-regulated. Most genes were closely clustered together, suggesting a homogeneous expression. The majority of the genes that were significantly regulated, were those associated with monocytes-macrophage and Th1 cell functions, and the regulation of apoptosis. Real time RT-qPCR developed focusing on 2 up-regulated genes (PD-L1 and A3H) together with an apoptosis associated gene PD-1 expressions in FIPV infected CRFK cells and in PBMCs from healthy and FIP diagnosed cats produced concordant results with transcriptome data.

    CONCLUSION:
    The possible roles of these genes, and their importance in feline coronaviruses infection, are discussed.
  3. Abedini F, Hosseinkhani H, Ismail M, Domb AJ, Omar AR, Chong PP, et al.
    Int J Nanomedicine, 2012;7:4159-68.
    PMID: 22888250 DOI: 10.2147/IJN.S29823
    The failure of colorectal cancer treatments is partly due to overexpression of CXCR4 by tumor cells, which plays a critical role in cell metastasis. Moreover, serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels are frequently elevated in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. A polysaccharide, dextran, was chosen as the vector of siRNA. Spermine was conjugated to oxidized dextran by reductive amination process to obtain cationized dextran, so-called dextran-spermine, in order to prepare CXCR4-siRNAs/dextran-spermine nanoparticles. The fabricated nanoparticles were used in order to investigate whether downregulation of CXCR4 expression could affect serum ALP in mouse models of colorectal cancer.
  4. Abedini F, Ismail M, Hosseinkhani H, Ibrahim TA, Omar AR, Chong PP, et al.
    Cancer Manag Res, 2011;3:301-9.
    PMID: 21931504 DOI: 10.2147/CMR.S11678
    Liver metastasis is the main cause of mortality related to colorectal cancer. CXCR4 is necessary for the outgrowth of colon cancer micrometastases. In oncology, it has been demonstrated that several human tumors release lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) into the circulation. CXCR4 gene expression and serum LDH levels are often increased in patients with colorectal cancer. Despite technological advances in cancer therapy, five-year overall survival is still around 50%. Therefore, better treatment needs to be developed. RNA interference (RNAi) is a modern and powerful tool for inhibition of gene expression. However, the rate-limiting step in this technology is effective delivery of RNAi agents. We have investigated a novel strategy of CXCR4 siRNA therapy and its effect on serum LDH levels in a BALB/C mouse model of colorectal cancer metastasis to the liver. Hepatic metastasis was established by injecting a CT26.WT mouse colon carcinoma cell line via the tail vein. Our results demonstrated that CXCR4 siRNA/ dextran-spermine nanoparticles achieved high silencing efficiency with low toxicity. Favorable localization of the nanoparticles was confirmed with CXCR4 gene expression in the liver, that was correlated with serum LDH levels. More research will be needed to determine the effect of CXCR4 silencing on serum LDH levels, which may be a useful marker for predicting liver metastasis in colorectal cancer.
  5. Radwan EM, Abdullah R, Al-Qubaisi MS, El Zowalaty ME, Naadja SE, Alitheen NB, et al.
    Mol Med Rep, 2016 May;13(5):3945-52.
    PMID: 26987078 DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2016.4989
    Patients with cancer often exhibit signs of anemia as the result of the disease. Thus, cancer chemotherapies often include erythropoietin (EPO) in the regime to improve the survival rate of these patients. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of EPO on doxorubicin-treated breast cancer cells. The cytotoxicity of doxorubicin alone or in combination with EPO against the MCF-7 and MDA-MB‑231 human breast cancer cells were determined using an MTT cell viability assay, neutral red (NR) uptake assay and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay. The estimated half maximal inhibitory concentration values for doxorubicin and the combination of doxorubicin with EPO were between 0.140 and 0.260 µg/ml for all cells treated for 72 h. Treatment with doxorubicin in combination with EPO led to no notable difference in cytotoxicity, compared with treatment with doxorubicin alone. The antiproliferative effect of doxorubicin at a concentration of 1 µg/ml on the MDA‑MB‑231 cells was demonstrated by the decrease in viable cells from 3.6x10(5) at 24 h to 2.1x10(5) at 72 h of treatment. In order to confirm apoptosis in the doxorubicin-treated cells, the activities of caspases-3/7 and ‑9 were determined using a TBE assay. The results indicated that the activities of caspases-3/7 and ‑9 were significantly elevated in the doxorubicin-treated MDA-MB-231 cells by 571 and 645%, respectively, and in the MCF 7 cells by 471 and 345%, respectively, compared with the control cells. EPO did not modify the effect of doxorubicin on these cell lines. The results of the present study suggested that EPO was safe for use in combination with doxorubicin in the treatment of patients with breast cancer and concurrent anemia.
  6. Zeenathul NA, Mohd-Azmi ML, Ali AS, Aini I, Sheik-Omar AR, Abdul-Rahim AM, et al.
    Rev. Argent. Microbiol., 2002 Jan-Mar;34(1):7-14.
    PMID: 11942085
    Both wild-type virulent and mutant strains of pseudorabies virus (PrV) were used in this study. Mutants used were derived from the plaque purified strain PrVmAIP. A total of six drug resistant mutants, three bromodeoxyuridine (BUdR) resistant and three iododeoxyuridine (IUdR) resistant, respectively, were isolated and passaged in chicken embryo fibroblast (CEF) cells. The DNA of these PrVs were compared with the wild-type isolates by means of the restriction fragment pattern (RFP) findings produced with Bam HI, Kpn I, Hind III and Bgl II restriction enzymes (RE). Compared to the wild-type PrVs (PrV-VBA1-parental strain of PrVmAIP; PrV-VBA2; PrV-VBA3), the RFP of PrVmAIP showed the presence of mutations within the RE sites studied. Both PrV-VBA1 and PrV-VBA2 appeared to be closely related but their RFPs differed from PrV-VBA3. Significant differences either in the number, size or migrations of the DNA fragments could also be detected in the BUdR resistant strains. Even though different features of cytopathic effect (GPE) were observed in the IUdR resistant PrVs, the RFP findings remained identical. The PrVs studied showed considerable differences from the reference PrV (PrV-CD).
  7. Alazawy A, Arshad SS, Bejo MH, Omar AR, Tengku Ibrahim TA, Sharif S, et al.
    J Electron Microsc (Tokyo), 2011;60(4):275-82.
    PMID: 21593079 DOI: 10.1093/jmicro/dfr031
    Feline coronavirus (FCoV) consists of two biotypes based on their growth in cell culture and their antigenicity. Infections with FCoV are highly prevalent in the cat population worldwide. In this study, Felis catus whole fetus (Fcwf-4)cell culture was infected with FCoV UPM11C/08. Virus multiplication in cell culture was monitored and examined under the transmission electron microscope. The virus particles revealed the characteristic morphology of feline FCoV represented by envelope viruses surrounded by peplomers. Virus attachment and entry into the cell occurred 15 h post-infection (pi), and the myriad of virus particles were observed both extracellularly and intracellularly after 48 h pi. Thereafter, intracellular virus particles were observed to be present in vacuoles or present freely in the cytoplasm.
  8. Mohd Isa NH, Selvarajah GT, Khor KH, Tan SW, Manoraj H, Omar NH, et al.
    Vet Microbiol, 2019 Sep;236:108382.
    PMID: 31500720 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2019.08.005
    Feline morbillivirus (FeMV), a novel virus from the family of Paramyxoviridae, was first identified in stray cat populations. The objectives of the current study were to (i) determine the molecular prevalence of FeMV in Malaysia; (ii) identify risk factors associated with FeMV infection; and (iii) characterise any FeMV isolates by phylogenetic analyses. Molecular analysis utilising nested RT-PCR assay targeting the L gene of FeMV performed on either urine, blood and/or kidney samples collected from 208 cats in this study revealed 82 (39.4%) positive cats. FeMV-positive samples were obtained from 63/124 (50.8%) urine and 20/25 (80.0%) kidneys while all blood samples were negative for FeMV. In addition, from the 35 cats that had more than one type of samples collected (blood and urine; blood and kidney; blood, urine and kidney), only one cat had FeMV RNA in the urine and kidney samples. Risk factors such as gender, presence of kidney-associated symptoms and cat source were also investigated. Male cats had a higher risk (p = 0.031) of FeMV infection than females. In addition, no significant association (p = 0.083) was observed between the presence of kidney-associated symptoms with FeMV status. From the 82 positive samples, FeMV RNA was detected from 48/82 (58.5%) pet cats and 34/126 (27.0%) shelter cats (p 
  9. Beh CY, Rasedee A, Selvarajah GT, Yazan LS, Omar AR, Foong JN, et al.
    PLoS One, 2019;14(7):e0219285.
    PMID: 31291309 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0219285
    Nanomedicine is an emerging area in the medical field, particularly in the treatment of cancers. Nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC) was shown to be a good nanoparticulated carrier for the delivery of tamoxifen (TAM). In this study, the tamoxifen-loaded erythropoietin-coated nanostructured lipid carriers (EPO-TAMNLC) were developed to enhance the anti-cancer properties and targetability of TAM, using EPO as the homing ligand for EPO receptors (EpoRs) on breast cancer tissue cells. Tamoxifen-loaded NLC (TAMNLC) was used for comparison. The LA7 cells and LA7 cell-induced rat mammary gland tumor were used as models in the study. Immunocytochemistry staining showed that LA7 cells express estrogen receptors (ERs) and EpoRs. EPO-TAMNLC and TAMNLC significantly (p<0.05) inhibited proliferation of LA7 in dose- and time-dependent manner. EPO-TAMNLC induced apoptosis and G0/G1 cell cycle arrest of LA7 cells. Both drug delivery systems showed anti-mammary gland tumor properties. At an intravenous dose of 5 mg kg-1 body weight, EPO-TAMNLC and TAMNLC were not toxic to rats, suggesting that both are safe therapeutic compounds. In conclusion, EPO-TAMNLC is not only a unique drug delivery system because of the dual drug-loading feature, but also potentially highly specific in the targeting of breast cancer tissues positive for ERs and EpoRs. The incorporation of TAM into NLC with and without EPO coat had significantly (p<0.05) improved specificity and safety of the drug carriers in the treatment of mammary gland tumors.
  10. Bello MB, Yusoff KM, Ideris A, Hair-Bejo M, Peeters BPH, Jibril AH, et al.
    Adv Virol, 2018;2018:6097291.
    PMID: 30631359 DOI: 10.1155/2018/6097291
    Newcastle disease (ND) is one of the most important avian diseases with considerable threat to the productivity of poultry all over the world. The disease is associated with severe respiratory, gastrointestinal, and neurological lesions in chicken leading to high mortality and several other production related losses. The aetiology of the disease is an avian paramyxovirus type-1 or Newcastle disease virus (NDV), whose isolates are serologically grouped into a single serotype but genetically classified into a total of 19 genotypes, owing to the continuous emergence and evolution of the virus. In Nigeria, molecular characterization of NDV is generally very scanty and majorly focuses on the amplification of the partial F gene for genotype assignment. However, with the introduction of the most objective NDV genotyping criteria which utilize complete fusion protein coding sequences in phylogenetic taxonomy, the enormous genetic diversity of the virus in Nigeria became very conspicuous. In this review, we examine the current ecological distribution of various NDV genotypes in Nigeria based on the available complete fusion protein nucleotide sequences (1662 bp) in the NCBI database. We then discuss the challenges of ND control as a result of the wide genetic distance between the currently circulating NDV isolates and the commonest vaccines used to combat the disease in the country. Finally, we suggest future directions in the war against the economically devastating ND in Nigeria.
  11. Tang HC, Sieo CC, Abdullah N, Chong CW, Gan HM, Mohd Asrore MS, et al.
    J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr (Berl), 2020 Jan;104(1):116-125.
    PMID: 31556187 DOI: 10.1111/jpn.13208
    Inclusion of phytase in animal feedstuff is a common practice to enhance nutrients availability. However, little is known about the effects of phytase supplementation on the microbial ecology of the gastrointestinal tract. In this study, freeze-dried Mitsuokella jalaludinii phytase (MJ) was evaluated in a feeding trial with broilers fed a low available phosphorus (aP) diet. A total of 180 male broiler chicks (day-old Cobb) were assigned into three dietary treatments: Control fed with 0.4% (w/w) of available phosphorus (aP); Group T1 fed low aP [0.2% (w/w)] supplemented with MJ; and T2 fed low aP and deactivated MJ. The source of readily available P, dicalcium phosphate (DCP), was removed from low aP diet, whereby additional limestone was provided to replace the amount of Ca normally found in DCP. For each treatment, 4 replicate pens were used, where each pen consisted of 15 animals. The animals' energy intake and caecal bacterial community were monitored weekly for up to 3 weeks. The apparent metabolizable energy (AME) and apparent digestibility of dry matter (ADDM) of broilers fed with different diets were determined. In addition, the caecal microbial diversities of broilers were assessed using high-throughput next-generation sequencing targeting the V3-V4 region of bacterial 16S rRNA. The results showed that broilers fed with T1 diet have better feed conversion ratio (FCR) when compared to the Control (p 
  12. Subramani T, Yeap SK, Ho WY, Ho CL, Omar AR, Aziz SA, et al.
    J Cell Mol Med, 2014 Feb;18(2):305-13.
    PMID: 24266867 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.12188
    Vitamin C is generally thought to enhance immunity and is widely taken as a supplement especially during cancer treatment. Tamoxifen (TAM) has both cytostatic and cytotoxic properties for breast cancer. TAM engaged mitochondrial oestrogen receptor beta in MCF-7 cells and induces apoptosis by activation of pro-caspase-8 followed by downstream events, including an increase in reactive oxygen species and the release of pro-apoptotic factors from the mitochondria. In addition to that, TAM binds with high affinity to the microsomal anti-oestrogen-binding site and inhibits cholesterol esterification at therapeutic doses. This study aimed to investigate the role of vitamin C in TAM-mediated apoptosis. Cells were loaded with vitamin C by exposure to dehydroascorbic acid, thereby circumventing in vitro artefacts associated with the poor transport and pro-oxidant effects of ascorbic acid. Pre-treatment with vitamin C caused a dose-dependent attenuation of cytotoxicity, as measured by acridine-orange/propidium iodide (AO/PI) and Annexin V assay after treatment with TAM. Vitamin C dose-dependently protected cancer cells against lipid peroxidation caused by TAM treatment. By real-time PCR analysis, an impressive increase in FasL and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) mRNA was detected after TAM treatment. In addition, a decrease in mitochondrial transmembrane potential was observed. These results support the hypothesis that vitamin C supplementation during cancer treatment may detrimentally affect therapeutic response.
  13. Mummoorthy K, Yasmin AR, Arshad SS, Omar AR, Nur-Fazila SH, Anand P, et al.
    Vet World, 2021 Feb;14(2):405-409.
    PMID: 33776305 DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2021.405-409
    Background and Aim: Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) is classified as Retroviridae gammaretrovirus. FeLV occurs worldwide, including Malaysia. Thus far, only one decade-old study on molecular characterization of Malaysian FeLV isolates exists, which resulted in a scarcity of updated information of current FeLV isolates circulating in Malaysia. This study was conducted to determine the status of FeLV in clinically ill cats and to study the molecular characterization and phylogenetic relatedness of the current isolates.

    Materials and Methods: Convenience sampling was performed in 20 cats from the Gasing Veterinary Hospital in Selangor. Plasma and saliva samples were collected from 15 clinically ill cats and 5 healthy cats subjected to one-step reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction with primers targeting a highly conserved gene of U3-LTR-gag.

    Results: Two clinically ill cats' plasma and saliva samples tested positive for FeLV RNA. Partial nucleotide sequencing and phylogenetic analysis revealed that the current isolates were 94-99% homologous to the previous Malaysian and Japanese FeLV isolates.

    Conclusion: Current FeLV isolates from this study displayed higher similarity with the previous Malaysian isolates, signifying that a similar FeLV strain circulated among the cat population in Selangor.

  14. Rasoli M, Yeap SK, Tan SW, Moeini H, Ideris A, Bejo MH, et al.
    Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis, 2014 Jan;37(1):11-21.
    PMID: 24225159 DOI: 10.1016/j.cimid.2013.10.003
    Newcastle disease (ND) is a highly contagious avian disease and one of the major causes of economic losses in the poultry industry. The emergence of virulent NDV genotypes and repeated outbreaks of NDV in vaccinated chickens have raised the need for fundamental studies on the virus-host interactions. In this study, the profiles of B and T lymphocytes and macrophages and differential expression of 26 immune-related genes in the spleen of specific-pathogen-free (SPF) chickens, infected with either the velogenic genotype VII NDV strain IBS002 or the genotype VIII NDV strain AF2240, were evaluated. A significant reduction in T lymphocyte population and an increase in the infiltration of IgM+ B cells and KUL01+ macrophages were detected in the infected spleens at 1, 3 and 4 days post-infection (dpi) (P<0.05). The gene expression profiles showed an up-regulation of CCLi3, CXCLi1, CXCLi2 (IL-8), IFN-γ, IL-12α, IL-18, IL-1β, IL-6, iNOS, TLR7, MHCI, IL-17F and TNFSF13B (P<0.05). However, these two genotypes showed different cytokine expression patterns and viral load. IBS002 showed higher viral load than AF2240 in spleen at 3 and 4dpi and caused a more rapid up-regulation of CXCLi2, IFN-γ, IL-12α, IL-18, IL-1β, iNOS and IL-10 at 3dpi. Meanwhile, the expression levels of CCLI3, CXCLi1, IFN-γ, IL-12α, IL-1β and iNOS genes were significantly higher in AF2240 at 4dpi. In addition, the expression levels of IL-10 were significantly higher in the IBS002-infected chickens at 3 and 4dpi. Hence, infection with velogenic genotype VII and VIII NDV induced different viral load and production of cytokines and chemokines associated with inflammatory reactions.
  15. Hussein EA, Hair-Bejo M, Liew PS, Adamu L, Omar AR, Arshad SS, et al.
    Microb Pathog, 2019 Apr;129:195-205.
    PMID: 30738178 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2019.01.049
    Infectious bursal disease is one of an OIE list of notifiable diseases. Chicken is the only host that manifests clinical signs and its pathogenicity is correlated with the distribution of antigens in organs. This study was conducted to determine disease pathogenesis and virus tissue tropism by in situ PCR, immunoperoxidase staining (IPS), and HE staining. Twenty four chickens were infected with very virulent Infectious Bursal Disease Virus (vvIBDV). Fifteen chickens were kept as a control group. Infected chickens were sacrificed at hrs 2, 4, 6, 12, days 1, 2, 4, and 6 post-inoculation (pi). While, control chickens were euthanized on days 0, 1, 2, 4, and 6 pi. Different tissues were collected, fixed in 10% buffered formalin, and processed. At hr 2 pi, virus was detected in intestinal, junction of the proventriculus and gizzard, cecal tonsil, liver, kidney, and bursa of Fabricius. At hr 4 pi, virus reached spleen, and at hr 6 pi, it entered thymus. At hr 12 pi, virus concentration increased in positive tissues. The latest invaded tissue was muscle on day 1 pi. Secondary viraemia occurred during 12-24 h pi. In situ PCR was the most sensitive technique to highlight obscure points of infection in this study.
  16. Khanh NP, Tan SW, Yeap SK, Lee HJ, Choi KS, Hair-Bejo M, et al.
    J Comp Pathol, 2018 May;161:43-54.
    PMID: 30173857 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcpa.2018.04.006
    Infectious bronchitis viruses (IBVs) circulating in Malaysia are classified into two groups as Malaysian QX-like and variant strains. In this study, the pathogenicity of IBS130/2015 (QX-like) and IBS037A/2014 (variant) IBVs in 1-day-old and 30-day-old specific pathogen free (SPF) chickens was characterized. Both strains caused respiratory and kidney infections based on immunohistochemistry (IHC), real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and a ciliostasis study; however, the results showed that the QX-like strain was more pathogenic, caused higher mortality and showed higher tissue tropism for the kidney than the variant strain. In contrast, despite causing low or no mortality depending on the age of the infected chickens, the Malaysian variant strain showed high tissue tropism for the respiratory tract compared with the QX-like strain. IHC and qPCR indicated the presence of both IBV strains in the epithelial lining of villi in the jejunum and the caecal tonsil; however, no pathological changes were detected in these organs. Both the Malaysian QX-like and variant IBV strains are able to infect the respiratory tract and kidney of chickens irrespective of age.
  17. DeCarlo C, Omar AH, Haroun MI, Bigler L, Bin Rais MN, Abu J, et al.
    Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis, 2017 10;17(10):709-713.
    PMID: 28873035 DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2016.2098
    West Nile virus (WNV) is a zoonotic single-strand RNA arbovirus (family Flaviviridae: Flavivirus), transmitted among avian hosts in enzootic cycles by a mosquito vector. The virus has a significant disease effect on humans and equines when it bridges into a cycle with various sequelae with epidemic potential. This study was carried out to identify the potential spectrum of WNV hosts in three geographic areas with climatologically distinct features: Malaysia, Qatar, and the United States of America (U.S.). Serum samples were collected from avian and mammal species suspected to be reservoirs for the virus at these areas in a cross-sectional epidemiologic study. The samples were tested for the presence of antibodies against the virus using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Data on putative risk factors were also collected and analyzed for significance of association with seropositivity using the logistic regression analysis. Among the tested avian and mammalian species, raccoons had the highest seroconversion rate (54%) followed by crows (30%), horses (27%), camels (10%), other avian species (7%), and canine species (3%). It was almost twice as likely to detect seroconversion among these mammalian and avian species in the fall in comparison to other seasons of the year. Only mammalian and avian species and seasons of the year were significantly associated with the likelihood of seroconversion to WNV when we controlled for other factors in the multivariate analysis. Our data from the U.S. showed that raccoons and camels are susceptible to infection by the virus and may play a role in the perpetuation of endemic foci for the disease.
  18. Camalxaman SN, Zeenathul NA, Quah YW, Loh HS, Zuridah H, Hani H, et al.
    In Vitro Cell Dev Biol Anim, 2013 Mar;49(3):238-44.
    PMID: 23435855 DOI: 10.1007/s11626-012-9553-5
    Endothelial cells have been implicated as key cells in promoting the pathogenesis and spread of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. This study describes the isolation and culture of rat brain endothelial cells (RBEC) and further evaluates the infectious potential of a Malaysian rat CMV (RCMV ALL-03) in these cultured cells. Brain tissues were mechanically fragmented, exposed to enzymatic digestion, purified by gradient density centrifugation, and cultured in vitro. Morphological characteristics and expression of von Willebrand factor (factor VIII-related antigen) verified the cells were of endothelial origin. RBEC were found to be permissive to the virus by cytopathic effects with detectable plaques formed within 7 d of infection. This was confirmed by electron microscopy examination which proved the existence of the viral particles in the infected cells. The susceptibility of the virus to these target cells under the experimental conditions described in this report provides a platform for developing a cell-culture-based experimental model for studies of RCMV pathogenesis and allows stimulation of further studies on host cell responses imposed by congenital viral infections.
  19. Salehinejad P, Alitheen NB, Ali AM, Omar AR, Mohit M, Janzamin E, et al.
    In Vitro Cell Dev Biol Anim, 2012 Feb;48(2):75-83.
    PMID: 22274909 DOI: 10.1007/s11626-011-9480-x
    Several techniques have been devised for the dissociation of tissues for primary culture. These techniques can affect the quantity and quality of the isolated cells. The aim of our study was to develop the most appropriate method for the isolation of human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal (hUCM) cells. In the present study, we compared four methods for the isolation of hUCM cells: three enzymatic methods; collagenase/hyaluronidase/trypsin (CHT), collagenase/trypsin (CT) and trypsin (Trp), and an explant culture (Exp) method. The trypan blue dye exclusion test, the water-soluble tetrazolium salt-1 (WST-1) assay, flow cytometry, alkaline phosphatase activity and histochemical staining were used to evaluate the results of the different methods. The hUCM cells were successfully isolated by all methods but the isolation method used profoundly altered the cell number and proliferation capacity of the isolated cells. The cells were successfully differentiated into adipogenic and osteogenic lineages and alkaline phosphatase activity was detected in the hUCM cell colonies of all groups. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that CD44, CD73, CD90 and CD105 were expressed in all groups, while CD34 and CD45 were not expressed. The expression of C-kit in the enzymatic groups was higher than in the explant group, while the expression of Oct-4 was higher in the CT group compared to the other groups. We concluded that the collagenase/trypsin method of cell isolation yields a higher cell density than the others. These cells expressed a higher rate of pluripotent cell markers such as C-kit and Oct-4, while the explant method of cell isolation resulted in a higher cell proliferation rate and activity compared to the other methods.
  20. Azizi NF, Kumar MR, Yeap SK, Abdullah JO, Khalid M, Omar AR, et al.
    Foods, 2021 May 27;10(6).
    PMID: 34071977 DOI: 10.3390/foods10061210
    Kefir is a fermented beverage with renowned probiotics that coexist in symbiotic association with other microorganisms in kefir grains. This beverage consumption is associated with a wide array of nutraceutical benefits, including anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative, anti-cancer, anti-microbial, anti-diabetic, anti-hypertensive, and anti-hypercholesterolemic effects. Moreover, kefir can be adapted into different substrates which allow the production of new functional beverages to provide product diversification. Being safe and inexpensive, there is an immense global interest in kefir's nutritional potential. Due to their promising benefits, kefir and kefir-like products have a great prospect for commercialization. This manuscript reviews the therapeutic aspects of kefir to date, and potential applications of kefir products in the health and food industries, along with the limitations. The literature reviewed here demonstrates that there is a growing demand for kefir as a functional food owing to a number of health-promoting properties.
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