Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we recruited all 122 preclinical medical students. The validated depression anxiety stress scales-21 (DASS-21) questionnaire was distributed and blood samples were collected from each subject for DNA extraction. Genotyping analysis of the BDNF gene (Val66Met) polymorphism was performed via an optimised polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method.
Results: A total of 105 subjects agreed to participate in this study. Indian students were found to more likely have the Val/Val genotype, whereas Malay students were more likely to have the Met/Met genotype (p = 0.027). Individuals carrying any one of the three BDNF genotypes (Val/Val, Val/Met and Met/Met) differed significantly from each other in terms of their perception of stress (p = 0.010); students carrying the Val/Val genotype (M = 10.6) perceived significantly lower stress than students carrying the Val/Met (M = 14) and Met/Met (M = 15.1) genotypes.
Conclusion: In our study, the Met-allele was associated with higher stress levels. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study investigating this stress-related gene in medical students. The findings from this study should trigger more investigators to focus on the impact of stress on genetically predisposed medical students.
OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed to inspect the ameliorative action of A. chinensis synthesized ZnONPs against M. pneumoniae infected pneumonia mice model.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: ZnO NPs was synthesized from Albizia chinensis bark extract and characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and atomic force microscope (AFM) analyses. The antibacterial effectual of synthesized ZnONPs were examined against clinical pathogens. The pneumonia was induced to BALB/c mice via injecting the M. pneumoniae and treated with synthesized ZnONPs, followed by the total protein content, total cell counts and inflammatory mediators level was assessed in the BALF of experimental animals. The Histopathological investigation was done in the lung tissues of test animals.
RESULTS: The outcomes of this work revealed that the formulated ZnONPs was quasi-spherical, radial and cylindrical; the size was identified as 116.5 ± 27.45 nm in diameter. The in vitro antimicrobial potential of formulated ZnO-NPs displayed noticeable inhibitory capacity against the tested fungal and bacterial strains. The administration of synthesized ZnO-NPs in MP infected mice model has significantly reduced the levels of total protein, inflammatory cells, inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1, IL-6, IL-8, tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a) and transforming growth factor (TGF). Besides, the histopathological examination of MP infected mice lung tissue showed the cellular arrangements were effectively retained after administration of synthesized ZnO-NPs.
CONCLUSION: In conclusion, synthesized ZnO-NPs alleviate pneumonia progression via reducing the level of inflammatory cytokines and inflammatory cells in MP infected mice model.