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  1. Natural Concurrent Infection of Vibrio harveyi and V. alginolyticus in Cultured Hybrid Groupers in Malaysia
    Mohamad N, Mohd Roseli FA, Azmai MNA, Saad MZ, Md Yasin IS, Zulkiply NA, et al.
    J Aquat Anim Health, 2019 03;31(1):88-96.
    PMID: 30536485 DOI: 10.1002/aah.10055
    In September 2016, a marine fish farm operator in Selangor, Malaysia, reported a disease outbreak affecting juvenile hybrid groupers (Camouflage Grouper Epinephelus polyphekadion × Tiger Grouper E. fuscoguttatus). The average daily mortality was 120 fish, resulting in a cumulative mortality rate of 29% within 10 d. The affected hybrid groupers displayed lethargy, excessive mucus production, rotten fins, congestion of livers and kidneys, and enlargement of spleens. Microscopically, general congestion of the brains and internal organs was evident. Vibrio harveyi and V. alginolyticus were successfully isolated from the diseased fish. The isolated pathogens were found to be sensitive to oxytetracycline and tetracycline, but resistant towards ampicillin and vancomycin. Experimental infections using the isolated V. harveyi (108  CFU/mL), V. alginolyticus (108  CFU/mL), and concurrent infection by V. harveyi (108  CFU/mL) and V. alginolyticus (108  CFU/mL) in juvenile Asian Seabass Lates calcarifer resulted in 60, 100, and 100% mortality, respectively, within 240 h postinfection. The experimentally infected Asian Seabass demonstrated similar clinical signs and histopathological changes as the naturally infected hybrid groupers. However, concurrently infected fish demonstrated severe clinical signs and histopathological changes compared with single infections. These results suggest that both isolates of Vibrio are pathogenic to fish and responsible for the disease outbreak. However, concurrent infection involving V. alginolyticus and V. harveyi leads to a more devastating impact to the cultured fish. This is the first report of concurrent Vibrio infection in cultured marine fish in Malaysia.
  2. A comparison study of HER2 protein overexpression and its gene status in breast cancer
    Md Pauzi SH, Saari HN, Roslan MR, Syed Khair Azman Jamalulil SNS, Tauan IS, Mohd Rusli FA, et al.
    Malays J Pathol, 2019 Aug;41(2):133-138.
    PMID: 31427548
    INTRODUCTION: Evaluation of HER2 status in breast cancer using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and in-situ-hybridisation (ISH) study is important to establish prognosis and to select patient for targeted therapy.

    OBJECTIVE: The study aims to determine the concordance between HER2 protein IHC score and its gene status by dual-colour dual-hapten in-situ-hybridization (DDISH) study.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective study was performed on 767 referred breast cancer cases over a period of five years. The HER2 IHC score (the initial and repeat test score) and the results of HER2 gene status by DDISH were retrieved from the histopathological reports. The agreement between initial IHC score with repeat test score was measured using Cohen Kappa. Chi square test analyzed the association between HER2 IHC score with its gene status by DDISH.

    RESULTS: The concordance of HER2 IHC score between the initial and repeat test were 52.7% and 89.4% for IHC score 2+ and 3+ respectively. There was moderate agreement of HER2 IHC score between the initial and repeat test score (ϰ = 0.526, p<0.001). A significant association noted between HER2 IHC score with its gene status by DDISH (p<0.001). Only 56 out of 207 cases (27.1%) with 2+ IHC score showed HER2 gene amplification while the majority of cases with 3+ IHC score were gene-amplified (446 out of 451, 98.9%).

    CONCLUSION: ISH study should be done in all IHC-equivocal cases (2+) to select patient for targeted therapy. Gene amplification must also be confirmed in IHC-positive cases (3+) to prevent from giving non-effective treatment with possible adverse effects to patient with non-amplified HER2 gene.

  3. A review on the orthotics and prosthetics and the potential of kenaf composites as alternative materials for ankle-foot orthosis
    Shahar FS, Hameed Sultan MT, Lee SH, Jawaid M, Md Shah AU, Safri SNA, et al.
    J Mech Behav Biomed Mater, 2019 11;99:169-185.
    PMID: 31357064 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2019.07.020
    Since ancient Egypt, orthosis was generally made from wood and then later replaced with metal and leather which are either heavy, bulky, or thick decreasing comfort among the wearers. After the age of revolution, the manufacturing of products using plastics and carbon composites started to spread due to its low cost and form-fitting feature whereas carbon composite were due to its high strength/stiffness to weight ratio. Both plastic and carbon composite has been widely applied into medical devices such as the orthosis and prosthesis. However, carbon composite is also quite expensive, making it the less likely material to be used as an Ankle-Foot Orthosis (AFO) material whereas plastics has low strength. Kenaf composite has a high potential in replacing all the current materials due to its flexibility in controlling the strength to weight ratio properties, cost-effectiveness, abundance of raw materials, and biocompatibility. The aim of this review paper is to discuss on the possibility of using kenaf composite as an alternative material to fabricate orthotics and prosthetics. The discussion will be on the development of orthosis since ancient Egypt until current era, the existing AFO materials, the problems caused by these materials, and the possibility of using a Kenaf fiber composite as a replacement of the current materials. The results show that Kenaf composite has the potential to be used for fabricating an AFO due to its tensile strength which is almost similar to polypropylene's (PP) tensile strength, and the cheap raw material compared to other type of materials.
  4. Effect of isometric handgrip exercise on the size of cephalic veins in patients with stage 3 and 4 chronic kidney disease: A randomized controlled trial
    Kumar A/L S Katheraveloo K, Suryani Safri L, Guo Hou L, Hafiz Maliki A, Md Idris MA, Harunarashid H
    J Vasc Access, 2020 May;21(3):372-378.
    PMID: 31581898 DOI: 10.1177/1129729819879314
    BACKGROUND: Proper vascular access is essential for the long-term survival of chronic haemodialysis patients. The preferred vascular access in terms of long-term function is the native arteriovenous fistula. The success of native arteriovenous fistula depends mainly on a sufficient vein diameter. Thus, any intervention that could increase vein diameter before arteriovenous fistula creation could improve its patency. We conduct a study to investigate the effect of local physical training, namely handgrip exercise, on the distal forearm cephalic vein diameter in patients with chronic renal disease.

    MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 34 chronic renal disease patients (stage 3 and 4) were recruited in a randomized controlled trial. Handgrip exercise was performed for 8 weeks in the intervention group. Handgrip-strength measurement and distal forearm cephalic vein diameter of a non-dominant hand with and without tourniquet was recorded (measurement is taken 1 cm proximal to the radial styloid).

    RESULTS: After 8 weeks, the mean cephalic vein diameter in the intervention group increased from 1.77 and 1.97 mm to 2.15 and 2.43 mm, without and with a tourniquet, respectively (p < 0.05). There is also a significant change in the mean diameter of distal forearm cephalic vein (p < 0.05) in the intervention group when measured in both the absence (mean change 0.39 ± 0.06 mm vs 0.01 ± 0.02 mm) and the presence of tourniquet (mean change 0.47 ± 0.07 mm vs 0.01 ± 0.01 mm).

    CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that non-invasive handgrip exercise can increase in the diameter of the distal forearm cephalic vein, thereby increasing the rate of successful arteriovenous fistula creation.

  5. Histopathological changes in placenta and liver of pregnant rats administered with aqueous extract of Dioscorea hispida var. daemona (Roxb) Prain & Burkill
    Muhammad H, Maslan SF, Md Saad WM, Thani NSIA, Ibnu Rasid EN, Mahomoodally MF, et al.
    Food Chem Toxicol, 2019 Sep;131:110538.
    PMID: 31152790 DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2019.05.046
    Dioscorea hispida var. daemona (Roxb) Prain & Burkill (DH), also known a tropical yam or intoxicating yam is a bitter wild tuber which is consumed as a staple food and traditionally used as a remedy in Malaysia. However, DH is also notorious for its intoxicating effects and there is currently a dearth of study of possible effects of DH on liver and placental tissues and hence its safe consumption warrants in-depth investigation. This study was therefore designed to investigate into the effect of DH on liver and placenta of pregnant rat via histopathological examination. Thirty pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups consisting of a control (distilled water) and four DH aqueous extract groups (250, 500, 1000 and 2000 mg/kg body weight). The extracts were administered via oral gavage daily throughout the study and animals were sacrificed on day 21. Paraffin-embedded, hematoxylin and eosin stained sections of placenta and liver were examined. Significant changes (p 
  6. Fulltext Melanogenic Inhibition and Toxicity Assessment of Flavokawain A and B on B16/F10 Melanoma Cells and Zebrafish (Danio rerio)
    Mohd Sakeh N, Md Razip NN, Mohd Ma'in FI, Abdul Bahari MN, Latif N, Akhtar MN, et al.
    Molecules, 2020 Jul 28;25(15).
    PMID: 32731323 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25153403
    Excessive production of melanin implicates hyperpigmentation disorders. Flavokawain A (FLA) and flavokawain B (FLB) have been reported with anti-melanogenic activity, but their melanogenic inhibition and toxicity effects on the vertebrate model of zebrafish are still unknown. In the present study, cytotoxic as well as melanogenic effects of FLA and FLB on cellular melanin content and tyrosinase activity were evaluated in α-MSH-induced B16/F10 cells. Master regulator of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (Mitf) and the other downstream melanogenic-related genes were verified via quantitative real time PCR (qPCR). Toxicity assessment and melanogenesis inhibition on zebrafish model was further observed. FLA and FLB significantly reduced the specific cellular melanin content by 4.3-fold and 9.6-fold decrement, respectively in α-MSH-induced B16/F10 cells. Concomitantly, FLA significantly reduced the specific cellular tyrosinase activity by 7-fold whilst FLB by 9-fold. The decrement of melanin production and tyrosinase activity were correlated with the mRNA suppression of Mitf which in turn down-regulate Tyr, Trp-1 and Trp-2. FLA and FLB exhibited non-toxic effects on the zebrafish model at 25 and 6.25 µM, respectively. Further experiments on the zebrafish model demonstrated successful phenotype-based depigmenting activity of FLA and FLB under induced melanogenesis. To sum up, our findings provide an important first key step for both of the chalcone derivatives to be further studied and developed as potent depigmenting agents.
  7. Fulltext Elucidation of prazosin biodegradation by isolated Bacillus spp. from the tropical environment
    Mohd Mohsi NF, Apandi A, Megat Mohd Noor MJ, Md Akhir FN, Sugiura N, Utsumi M, et al.
    J Gen Appl Microbiol, 2020 Apr 13;66(1):8-14.
    PMID: 31281138 DOI: 10.2323/jgam.2019.04.001
    Prazosin (PRZ), a drug used to treat hypertensive patients, is an emergent contaminant in water systems. PRZ is an alpha-adrenergic receptor blocker used to treat anxiety, and is believed to reach the environment through human excretion, irresponsible disposal of unused medicine, and waste products from manufacturing plants. The purpose of this research was to isolate and characterize potential microbes for PRZ biodegradation and to identify the degradation pathway. After screening, isolated strain STP3 showed a capability for PRZ degradation and was chosen for further analysis. Resting cell assays with PRZ were conducted to identify the intermediate metabolites formed from biodegradation by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer (FT-ICR MS) analysis. Two metabolites degraded from PRZ by STP3 were successfully found, and as these metabolites are derived from the main structure of PRZ, their presence proved PRZ degradation. Draft genome sequencing analysis of STP3 was performed to identify potential enzymes for PRZ biodegradation based on the metabolites found.
  8. Novel cross-linked enzyme aggregates of levanase from Bacillus lehensis G1 for short-chain fructooligosaccharides synthesis: Developmental, physicochemical, kinetic and thermodynamic properties
    Abd Rahman NH, Jaafar NR, Abdul Murad AM, Abu Bakar FD, Shamsul Annuar NA, Md Illias R
    Int J Biol Macromol, 2020 Sep 15;159:577-589.
    PMID: 32380107 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.04.262
    Short-chain fructooligosaccharides (scFOSs) can be produced from the levan hydrolysis using levanase. Levanase from Bacillus lehensis G1 (rlevblg1) is an enzyme that specifically converts levan to scFOSs. However, the use of free levanase presents a lack of stability and reusability, thus hindering the synthesis of scFOSs for continuous reactions. Here, CLEAs for rlevblg1 were prepared and characterized. Cross-linked levanase aggregates using glutaraldehyde (CLLAs-ga) and bovine albumin serum (CLLAs-ga-bsa) showed the best activity recovery of 92.8% and 121.2%, respectively. The optimum temperature of CLLAs-ga and CLLAs-ga-bsa was increased to 35 °C and 40 °C, respectively, from its free rlevblg1 (30 °C). At high temperature (50 °C), the half-life of CLLAs-ga-bsa was higher than that of free rlevblg1 and CLLAs-ga. Both CLLAs exhibited higher stability at pH 9 and pH 10. Hyperactivation of CLLAs-ga-bsa was achieved with an effectiveness factor of more than 1 and with improved catalytic efficiency. After 3 h reaction, CLLAs-ga-bsa produced the highest total scFOSs yield of 35.4% and total sugar of 60.4% per gram levan. Finally, the reusability of CLLAs for 8 cycles with more than 50% activity retained makes them as a potential synthetic catalyst to be explored for scFOSs synthesis.
  9. Fulltext The classification of movement intention through machine learning models: the identification of significant time-domain EMG features
    Mohd Khairuddin I, Sidek SN, P P Abdul Majeed A, Mohd Razman MA, Ahmad Puzi A, Md Yusof H
    PeerJ Comput Sci, 2021;7:e379.
    PMID: 33817026 DOI: 10.7717/peerj-cs.379
    Electromyography (EMG) signal is one of the extensively utilised biological signals for predicting human motor intention, which is an essential element in human-robot collaboration platforms. Studies on motion intention prediction from EMG signals have often been concentrated on either classification and regression models of muscle activity. In this study, we leverage the information from the EMG signals, to detect the subject's intentions in generating motion commands for a robot-assisted upper limb rehabilitation platform. The EMG signals are recorded from ten healthy subjects' biceps muscle, and the movements of the upper limb evaluated are voluntary elbow flexion and extension along the sagittal plane. The signals are filtered through a fifth-order Butterworth filter. A number of features were extracted from the filtered signals namely waveform length (WL), mean absolute value (MAV), root mean square (RMS), standard deviation (SD), minimum (MIN) and maximum (MAX). Several different classifiers viz. Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA), Logistic Regression (LR), Decision Tree (DT), Support Vector Machine (SVM) and k-Nearest Neighbour (k-NN) were investigated on its efficacy to accurately classify the pre-intention and intention classes based on the significant features identified (MIN and MAX) via Extremely Randomised Tree feature selection technique. It was observed from the present investigation that the DT classifier yielded an excellent classification with a classification accuracy of 100%, 99% and 99% on training, testing and validation dataset, respectively based on the identified features. The findings of the present investigation are non-trivial towards facilitating the rehabilitation phase of patients based on their actual capability and hence, would eventually yield a more active participation from them.
  10. Fulltext Metabarcoding in Diet Assessment of Heterotrigona itama Based on trnL Marker towards Domestication Program
    Fahimee J, Badrulisham AS, Zulidzham MS, Reward NF, Muzammil N, Jajuli R, et al.
    Insects, 2021 Feb 28;12(3).
    PMID: 33671045 DOI: 10.3390/insects12030205
    Honey quality is the main criterion used for evaluating honey production in the stingless bee Heterotrigona itama, and it is correlated with the plant species consumed as its main diet. The objective of this study was to obtain the metabarcode data from 12 populations of H. itama species throughout Malaysia (Borneo and Peninsular Malaysia) using the trnL marker. A total of 262 species under 70 families and five phyla of plants were foraged by H. itama in the studied populations. Spermatophyta and Magnoliophyta were recorded as the two most abundant phyla foraged, at 55.95% and 32.39%, respectively. Four species, Garcinia oblongifolia, Muntingia calabura, Mallotus pellatus, and Pinus squamata, occurred abundantly and were consumed by H. itama in all the populations. These data are considered as a fundamental finding that is specific to the diet of H. itama for strategizing the management of the domestication process specifically in a mono-cropping system and in a netted structure. Thus, based on these findings, we recommend Momordica charantia, Melastoma sp., and Cucumis sativa as the best choices of food plant species to be planted and utilized by H. itama in meliponiculture.
  11. Fulltext Elevated levels of IL-8 in fatal leptospirosis
    Wan Yusoff WSY, Abdullah M, Sekawi Z, Amran F, Yuhana MY, Mohd Taib N, et al.
    Pathog Glob Health, 2020 03;114(2):99-103.
    PMID: 32024441 DOI: 10.1080/20477724.2020.1724356
    Leptospirosis causes a wide range of clinical outcomes, including organ failure and death. Early treatment significantly increases the chances of cure. Interleukin-8 (IL-8) is a chemoattractant cytokine for neutrophil and is associated with multiple organ failure. Research has indicated IL-8 to be raised in severe and fatal cases of leptospirosis, but its suitability as a prognostic biomarker has yet to be confirmed. This study aimed to evaluate the significance of IL-8 with the clinical outcomes of leptospirosis patients. Plasma IL-8 was measured in fifty-two samples from hospitalized patients and nineteen healthy controls. The comparisons were made between mild, severe-survived and fatal groups identified by clinical or laboratory findings. IL-8 was significantly higher in fatal (p = 0.01) compared to mild cases. IL-8 was also significantly higher in fatal (p = 0.02) when compared to survived cases of leptospirosis. IL-8 levels in the plasma of fatal leptospirosis cases were significantly elevated compared to survived cases and may serve as a potential prognostic biomarker in determining the possible outcome of leptospirosis patients.
  12. Fulltext The complete mitochondrial genome of Malayan Gaur (Bos gaurus hubbacki) from Peninsular Malaysia
    Rosli N, Sitam FT, Rovie-Ryan JJ, Gan HM, Lee YP, Hartini Ithnin, et al.
    Mitochondrial DNA B Resour, 2019 Jul 13;4(2):2535-2536.
    PMID: 33365614 DOI: 10.1080/23802359.2019.1640085
    Here, we present the first complete mitochondrial genome of Malayan Gaur (Bos gaurus hubbacki) inferred using next-generation sequencing. The mitogenome is 16,367 bp in length with the structural organization of a typical bovine mitochondrial arrangement comprising 13 protein-coding genes, 21 tRNAs, and 2 rRNAs. No internal stop codon was found in the protein-coding genes. Phylogenetic tree analysis revealed that Malayan gaur is more closely related to Burmese banteng instead of gaur.
  13. Fulltext A Review on Citric Acid as Green Modifying Agent and Binder for Wood
    Lee SH, Md Tahir P, Lum WC, Tan LP, Bawon P, Park BD, et al.
    Polymers (Basel), 2020 Jul 29;12(8).
    PMID: 32751175 DOI: 10.3390/polym12081692
    Citric acid (CA) can be found naturally in fruits and vegetables, particularly citrus fruit. CA is widely used in many fields but its usage as a green modifying agent and binder for wood is barely addressed. Esterification is one of the most common chemical reactions applied in wood modification. CA contains three carboxyl groups, making it possible to attain at least two esterification reactions that are required for crosslinking when reacting with the hydroxyl groups of the cell wall polymers. In addition, the reaction could form ester linkages to bring adhesivity and good bonding characteristics, and therefore CA could be used as wood binder too. This paper presents a review concerning the usage of CA as a wood modifying agent and binder. For wood modification, the reaction mechanism between wood and CA and the pros and cons of using CA are discussed. CA and its combination with various reactants and their respective optimum parameters are also compiled in this paper. As for the major wood bonding component, the bonding mechanism and types of wood composites bonded with CA are presented. The best working conditions for the CA in the fabrication of wood-based panels are discussed. In addition, the environmental impacts and future outlook of CA-treated wood and bonded composite are also considered.
  14. Fulltext Efficacy of Whole Cell Inactivated Vibrio harveyi Vaccine against Vibriosis in a Marine Red Hybrid Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus × O. mossambicus) Model
    Abu Nor N, Zamri-Saad M, Md Yasin IS, Salleh A, Mustaffa-Kamal F, Matori MF, et al.
    Vaccines (Basel), 2020 Dec 04;8(4).
    PMID: 33291587 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines8040734
    Vibrio harveyi causes vibriosis in various commercial marine fish species. The infection leads to significant economic losses for aquaculture farms, and vaccination is an alternative approach for the prevention and control of fish diseases for aquaculture sustainability. This study describes the use of formalin-killed Vibrio harveyi (FKVh) strain Vh1 as a vaccine candidate to stimulate innate and adaptive immunities against vibriosis in a marine red hybrid tilapia model. Tilapia are fast growing; cheap; resistant to diseases; and tolerant to adverse environmental conditions of fresh water, brackish water, and marine water and because of these advantages, marine red hybrid tilapia is a suitable candidate as a model to study fish diseases and vaccinations against vibriosis. A total of 180 healthy red hybrid tilapias were gradually adapted to the marine environment before being divided into two groups, with 90 fish in each group and were kept in triplicate with 30 fish per tank. Group 1 was vaccinated intraperitoneally with 100 µL of FKVh on week 0, and a booster dose was similarly administered on week 2. Group 2 was similarly injected with PBS. Skin mucus, serum, and gut lavage were collected weekly for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and a lysozyme activity assay from a total of 30 fish of each group. On week 4, the remaining 60 fish of Groups 1 and 2 were challenged with 108 cfu/fish of live Vibrio harveyi. The clinical signs were monitored while the survival rate was recorded for 48 h post-challenge. Vaccination with FKVh resulted in a significantly (p < 0.05) higher rate of survival (87%) compared to the control (20%). The IgM antibody titer and lysozyme activities of Group 1 were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than the unvaccinated Groups 2 in most weeks throughout the experiment. Therefore, the intraperitoneal exposure of marine red hybrid tilapia to killed V. harveyi enhanced the resistance and antibody response of the fish against vibriosis.
  15. Depolymerization of lignocellulose of oil palm empty fruit bunch by thermophilic microorganisms from tropical climate
    Azman NF, Megat Mohd Noor MJ, Md Akhir FN, Ang MY, Hashim H, Othman N, et al.
    Bioresour Technol, 2019 May;279:174-180.
    PMID: 30721818 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2019.01.122
    Previous studies on screening of lignin-degrading bacteria mainly focused on the ligninolytic ability of the isolated bacteria for the utilization of lignin monomers. In this study, we focused on the depolymerization of alkali lignin to prove the ability of the isolated thermophilic bacterial strains to utilize and depolymerize more than a monomer of alkali lignin within 7 days of incubation. Indigenous thermophilic bacterial isolates from the palm oil plantation were used to evaluate the depolymerization and utilization of alkali lignin. The confirmation of the bacterium-mediated depolymerization of oil palm empty fruit bunch was achieved through the removal of silica bodies, as observed with scanning electron microscopy. Stenotrophomonas sp. S2 and Bacillus subtilis S11Y were able to reduce approximately 50% and 20% of alkali lignin at 7 days of incubation without the requirement for additional carbon sources.
  16. Fulltext The effect of kelulut honey on fasting blood glucose and metabolic parameters in patients with impaired fasting glucose
    Rashid MR, Nor Aripin KN, Syed Mohideen FB, Baharom N, Omar K, Md Taujuddin NMS, et al.
    J Nutr Metab, 2019;2019:3176018.
    PMID: 30863635 DOI: 10.1155/2019/3176018
    Background: Impaired fasting glucose (IFG) poses a higher risk of diabetes. Honey has been reported to improve metabolic abnormalities including lowering hyperglycemia. This study is sought at determining the effect of Malaysian Kelulut honey (KH) on fasting glucose levels and metabolic parameters in IFG patients.
    Methods: This quasi-experimental intervention study of 30-day duration was conducted among 60 adult patients with IFG. They were allocated into taking 30 g/day KH group (experimental group, n=30) and not taking KH group (control group, n=30). Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, blood pressure (BP), fasting glucose, and lipid profile levels (total cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein, and low-density lipoprotein) were measured before and after treatment.
    Results: There was no significant difference in all measured variables at day 30 compared to day 1 within both groups. Similarly, all measured variables neither at day 1 nor at day 30 had shown a statistically significant difference between the groups.
    Conclusions: Daily intake of 30 g KH for 30 days resulted in insignificant effect on fasting glucose, fasting lipid profiles, and other metabolic parameters in patients with IFG. Further studies that employ longer study duration are needed to ascertain the finding.
    Study site: Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) Specialist Centre, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia, and Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.
  17. Calcium lignosulfonate improves proliferation of recalcitrant indica rice callus via modulation of auxin biosynthesis and enhancement of nutrient absorption
    Wan Abdullah WMAN, Tan NP, Low LY, Loh JY, Wee CY, Md Taib AZ, et al.
    Plant Physiol Biochem, 2021 Apr;161:131-142.
    PMID: 33581621 DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2021.01.046
    Lignosulfonate (LS) is a commonly used to promote plant growth. However, the underlying growth promoting responses of LS in plant remain unknown. Therefore, this study was undertaken to elucidate the underlying growth promoting mechanisms of LS, specifically calcium lignosulfonate (CaLS). Addition of 100 mg/L CaLS in phytohormone-free media enhanced recalcitrant indica rice cv. MR219 callus proliferation rate and adventitious root formation. Both, auxin related genes (OsNIT1, OsTAA1 and OsYUC1) and tryptophan biosynthesis proteins were upregulated in CaLS-treated calli which corroborated with increased of endogenous auxin content. Moreover, increment of OsWOX11 gene on CaLS-treated calli implying that the raised of endogenous auxin was utilized as a cue to enhance adventitious root development. Besides, CaLS-treated calli showed higher nutrient ions content with major increment in calcium and potassium ions. Consistently, increased of potassium protein kinases genes (OsAKT1, OsHAK5, OsCBL, OsCIPK23 and OsCamk1) were also recorded. In CaLS treated calli, the significant increase of calcium ion was observed starting from week one while potassium ion only recorded significant increase on week two onwards, suggesting that increment of potassium ion might be dependent on the calcium ion content in the plant cell. Additionally, reduced callus blackening was also coherent with downregulation of ROS scavenging protein and reduced H2O2 content in CaLS-treated calli suggesting the role of CaLS in mediating cellular homeostasis via prevention of oxidative burst in the cell. Taken together, CaLS successfully improved MR219 callus proliferation and root formation by increasing endogenous auxin synthesis, enhancing nutrients uptake and regulating cellular homeostasis.
  18. Fulltext Optical pH Sensor Based on Immobilization Anthocyanin from Dioscorea alata L. onto Polyelectrolyte Complex Pectin-Chitosan Membrane for a Determination Method of Salivary pH
    Safitri E, Humaira H, Murniana M, Nazaruddin N, Iqhrammullah M, Md Sani ND, et al.
    Polymers (Basel), 2021 Apr 14;13(8).
    PMID: 33919956 DOI: 10.3390/polym13081276
    A simple optical pH sensor based on immobilization, Dioscorea alata L. anthocyanin methanol extract, onto a pectin-chitosan polyelectrolyte complex (pectin-chitosan PEC), has been successfully fabricated. The optical pH sensor was manufactured as a membrane made of pectin-chitosan PEC and the extracted anthocyanin. This sensor has the highest sensitivity of anthocyanin content at 0.025 mg/L in phosphate buffer and 0.0375 mg/L in citrate buffer. It also has good reproducibility with a relative standard deviation (%RSD) of 7.7%, and gives a stable response at time values greater than 5 min from exposure in a buffer solution, and the sensor can be utilized within five days from its synthesis. This optical pH sensor has been employed to determine saliva pH of people of different ages and showed no significant difference when compared to a potentiometric method.
  19. Fulltext Ultrasound exposure during pregnancy affects rabbit foetal parathyroid hormone (PTH) level
    Md Dom S, Abdul Razak HR, Ahmad Zaiki FW, Saat NH, Abd Manan K, Che Isa IN, et al.
    Quant Imaging Med Surg, 2013 Feb;3(1):49-53.
    PMID: 23483040 DOI: 10.3978/j.issn.2223-4292.2013.02.06
    The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in parathyroid hormone (PTH) level of rabbit foetal bodies exposed to ultrasound at different gestational stages. A total of 9 pregnant rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) were insonated for 60 minutes at the middle of 1(st), 2(nd) and 3(rd) gestational stages for group A (n=14 newborns), group B (n=7 newborns) and group C (n=24 newborns) respectively. Seven pregnant rabbits with 41 newborns severed as negative control group. Blood samples were withdrawn from each newborn rabbits for Parathyroid Hormone-Intact (PTH-I) test. Results of the independent samples t-test implied statistically significant differences (P<0.05) between the control group and the 1(st) stage (P=0.001), the 2(nd) stage (P<0.001) and the 3(rd) stage group (P<0.001). This in-vivo study revealed diagnostic ultrasound heating has the potential of affecting foetal PTH level. This study observed significantly low PTH level for all the treated groups. A further study should be instituted to determine whether this finding in rabbit may also occur in human by means of clinical trials.
  20. Quantitative and qualitative comparison of low- and high-cost 3D-printed heart models
    Lau I, Wong YH, Yeong CH, Abdul Aziz YF, Md Sari NA, Hashim SA, et al.
    Quant Imaging Med Surg, 2019 Jan;9(1):107-114.
    PMID: 30788252 DOI: 10.21037/qims.2019.01.02
    Current visualization techniques of complex congenital heart disease (CHD) are unable to provide comprehensive visualization of the anomalous cardiac anatomy as the medical datasets can essentially only be viewed from a flat, two-dimensional (2D) screen. Three-dimensional (3D) printing has therefore been used to replicate patient-specific hearts in 3D views based on medical imaging datasets. This technique has been shown to have a positive impact on the preoperative planning of corrective surgery, patient-doctor communication, and the learning experience of medical students. However, 3D printing is often costly, and this impedes the routine application of this technology in clinical practice. This technical note aims to investigate whether reducing 3D printing costs can have any impact on the clinical value of the 3D-printed heart models. Low-cost and a high-cost 3D-printed models based on a selected case of CHD were generated with materials of differing cost. Quantitative assessment of dimensional accuracy of the cardiac anatomy and pathology was compared between the 3D-printed models and the original cardiac computed tomography (CT) images with excellent correlation (r=0.99). Qualitative evaluation of model usefulness showed no difference between the two models in medical applications.
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