Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have increasingly dominated commodity crop production in the world in the endeavour to address issues related to food security. However, this technology is not without problems, and can give rise to bioethical issues for consumers, particularly Muslims. The Islamic perspective on GMOs is complex and goes beyond just the determination of whether food is halal or not. If the food is halal, but the process to obtain it is not thoyibban, as it is unethical, then the food cannot be permitted under the Maqasid al-Shari'ah. This paper examines ethical issues pertaining to GM crops and how the related ethical issues contradict with Islamic principles beyond the binary distinction between the contaminated and uncontaminated food. Since GM technology is a contemporary issue that may not be directly addressed in the al-Quran and Sunnah, other Islamic sources should also be referred to when drawing up this code of ethics to achieve the objective of Syariah (Maqasid al-Shari'ah). Maqasid al-Shari'ah can be applied to frame the Islamic bioethics guideline as it is comprehensive and encompasses moral principles directly applicable to modern biotechnology. The paper subsequently explores how the principles of Maqasid al-Shari'ah are applied in addressing these ethical issues.
Calligonum polygonoides L. also known as famine food plant, is normally consumed in times of food scarcity in India and Pakistan and also used traditionally in the management of common diseases. The present design aims to provide an insight into the medicinal potential of four solvent extracts of C. polygonoides via an assessment of its phytochemical profile, antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory potential. Phytochemical composition was estimated by deducing total bioactive constituents, UHPLC-MS secondary metabolites profile, and HPLC phenolic quantification. Antioxidant potential was determined via six methods (radical scavenging (DPPH and ABTS), reducing power (FRAP and CUPRAC), phosphomolybdenum total antioxidant capacity and metal chelation activity). Enzyme inhibitory potential was assessed against clinical enzymes (acetylcholinesterase -AChE, butyrylcholinesterase -BChE, tyrosinase, and α-amylase). The highest amounts of phenolic contents were found in chloroform extract (76.59 mg GAE/g extract) which may be attributed to its higher radical scavenging, reducing power and tyrosinase inhibition potential. The n-butanol extract containing the maximum amount of flavonoids (55.84 mg RE/g extract) exhibited highest metal chelating capacity. Similarly, the n-hexane extract was found to be most active against AChE (4.65 mg GALAE/g extract), BChE (6.59 mg GALAE/g extract), and α-amylase (0.70 mmol ACAE/g extract) enzymes. Secondary metabolite assessment of the crude methanol extract as determined by UHPLC-MS analysis revealed the presence of 24 (negative ionization mode) and 15 (positive ionization mode) secondary metabolites, with most of them belonging to phenolic, flavonoids, terpene, and alkaloid groups. Moreover, gallic acid and naringenin were the main phenolics quantified by HPLC-PDA analysis in all the tested extracts (except n-butanol extract). PCA statistical analysis was also conducted to establish any possible relationship amongst bioactive contents and biological activities. Overall, the C. polygonoides extracts could be further considered to isolate bioactive enzyme inhibitory and antioxidant natural phytocompounds.
The terrestrial Ludisia discolor, also referred to as the jewel orchid is prized for
the quality of its leaves. L. discolor is known as a medicinal herb and is touted for its heatand
pathogen-resisting qualities. L. discolor is valuable in the production of both flavonoids
and anthocyanins, antioxidants that are exalted in the health industry. Plant cell cultures
have emerged as alternative sources of anthocyanin production. Plant protoplast cultures
are used frequently in transient gene expression studies and in the establishment of callus
and cell suspension cultures. Benefits of plant protoplast system include similarity to cells
found in plant tissues, reproduction under controlled conditions, and prevention of masking
of stress responses to previous handling techniques. A study was conducted to assess the
amenability of the stem and leaves of L. discolor to protoplast isolation. The stem and leaf
segments were weighed, sliced into thin layers, immersed in a digestion medium, washed
and then cultured onto a recovery medium. Results indicated that the production of plant
protoplasts from L. discolor may be viewed as an alternative in the generation of cell
cultures and ultimately in the production of anthocyanins from the cell cultures.
Recent studies suggested that combined treatment approaches can be used to improve anticancer potency and circumvent the limitations of high-dose tocotrienols administration. Acalypha wilkesiana is a medicinal plant that has been used as an adjunct treatment for cancers in traditional medicine. Herein, the effects of single and combined treatments of β-, γ- and δ-tocotrienols and ethyl acetate extract (9EA) of Acalypha wilkesiana on lung (A549) and brain (U87MG) cancer cells were investigated. γ- and δ-tocotrienols exhibited higher potent antiproliferative effects against A549 (12.1 μg/ml and 13.6 μg/ml) and U87MG cells (3.3 μg/ml and 5.2 μg/ml) compared to β-tocotrienols (9.4 μg/ml and 92.4 μg/ml), respectively. Whereas, 9EA induced potent antiproliferative effects against U87MG cells only (2.0 μg/ml). Combined treatments of tocotrienols and 9EA induced a synergistic growth inhibition with up to 8.4-fold reduction in potent doses of β-, γ- and δ-tocotrienols on A549 cells. Apoptotic features were also evidenced on A549 cells receiving single and combined treatments. The synergism may greatly improve the therapeutic outcome for lung cancer.
Chinese medicine is one of the most famous traditional medicines in the world with a glorious and long written history of at least 2000 years. Recently, acupuncture and the use of other herbal medicine are being gradually accepted globally. In 2011,the International Medical University (IMU) started the Chinese Medicine programme which is the first of its kind in a western medicine university in Malaysia.The author introduced the background of Chinese medicine and the curriculum of the Chinese Medicine programme established in IMU, analyzed the situation regarding the quality of lectures given by internal and
external lecturers in this programme and also discussed on ways to integrate western and traditional medicine in IMU or in Malaysia. The launching of Chinese medicine in IMU is a great step in the development of IMU and also an important step in the development of medical education in Malaysia or even in South-east Asia.
Vapour pressure deficit (VPD) analysis introduces an approach to develop a better basis for the control of the environment of lowland greenhouses in Malaysia. The study of vapour pressure deficit (VPD) is to show air moisture conditions for plant production while taking into account different temperature levels. The purpose of this project is to develop a real-time automatic temperature and relative humidity control system in the lowland tropical greenhouse using a PIC16f876A microcontroller. The controller will then be used to monitor the temperature, relative humidity and VPD in the planting of Chili Kulai (Titisan 15). The fertigation system was introduced to the greenhouse to fertilize and irrigate the plant as well as to provide moisture to the environment. A swamp cooler was used to bring down the temperature and increase moisture content in the greenhouse. Ventilators were installed to remove the heat in the greenhouse. The study was carried out in an experimental greenhouse located at the Institute of Advanced Technology, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM).
Rice is a carbohydrate, one of the plant-based foods that can accumulate heavy metal from soil and the irrigation water. Since total heavy metal always overestimates the amount of heavy metal available in rice, bioavailability of heavy metal is always preferred. Many studies have been done and found that in vitro methods offer an appealing alternative to human and animal studies. They can be simple, rapid, low in cost and may provide insights which not achievable in the in vivo studies. In vitro digestion model for rice may differ from other in vitro digestion models applied in soil or other type of foods studies. This review aims to provide an overview of in vitro digestion model used to determine bioavailability of heavy metal in rice, summarize health risk assessment application of heavy metal in rice studies and highlight the importance of health risk assessment to be included in the studies. Future exploration of in vitro digestion model and health risk assessment application on the bioavailability of heavy metal in rice was also suggested.
Henna plant (Lawsonia inermis) is an Indian medicinal plant used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases, besides its popularity as a natural dye to colour hand and hair. Research in the recent past has accumulated enormous evidence revealing henna plant to be an excellent source of antioxidants such as total phenolics. In this study, the extraction of total phenolics from henna stems was evaluated using the Folin-Ciocalteu assay. A set of single factor experiments was carried out for identifying the optimum condition of each independent variable affecting total phenolic content (TPC) extraction efficiency of henna stems, namely the solvent type, solvent concentration (v/v, %), extraction time (min) and extraction temperature (oC). Generally, high extraction yield was obtained using aqueous acetone (about 40%) as solvent and the extraction yield could further be increased using a prolonged time of 270 min and a higher incubation temperature of 55°C. Under these optimized conditions, the experimental maximum yield of TPC of 5554.15 ± 73.04 mg GAE/100 g DW was obtained.
This paper attempts to examine the real values of Malaysian herbal products in the aspects of quality, safety and efficacy as curing agents. In so doing it will also determine the driving force behind the intense public interest for herbal medicine as alternative or complementary to conventional medicine. Most herbal products in the Malaysian market are not sufficiently provided with information on their ingredients, indications, dosage, pharmacology, contraindications and possible side-effects. Most published information on the products on evidence of safety and efficacy is not supported with scientific evidence. The present practice of traditional medicine still depend heavily on information obtained through ethnopharmacological experiences. However, the herbal product market is experiencing a tremendous growth and there is an increased trend of incorporating herbal therapy into modern medical practice by many mainstream health professionals. Unfortunately, the popularity of herbal products is more associated with consumer attitudes and the ability of the herbalists to influence rather than their true quality as medicinal agents. Many people are exploited due to ignorance on the real value of herbals as therapeutic agents. It is especially disappointing when popular media, promotional literature and talk shows by individuals promoting quackery are given much publicity. Even worse, many individuals trained in the health sciences are promoting quackery. This has often left the consumers with the perception that the authority condones the improper use of herbal products. Thus, it is important for pharmacists and physicians to be trained in traditional herbal medicine so that they can educate the public on the benefits, quality, safety and proper use of herbal products.
Fly ash (PFA) is a complex material produced after combustion in coal-fired power plants. About half of this fly ash is disposed as solid wastes. A possible alternative to disposal of the fly ash is the synthesis of zeolite. Zeolite Boggsite (Na37Ca74Al185Si775O192 7H2O) was synthesized from fly ash by hydrothermal treatment with NaOH solutions as identified by x-ray diffraction. The zeolite type and degree of crystallization were found to be dependent on the reaction conditions and mineralogy of the raw material, particularly in terms of the relative concentrations of SiO2 and Al2O3.
The study was aimed to determine the antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibition activities of
the stem and leaf of five different traditional medicinal plants. The studied plants exhibited
varied antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibition activities. The antioxidant activities of the
plants were determined through their free radical scavenging capabilities using DPPH assay.
The most potent antioxidant activity was demonstrated by Neptunia oleracea with an IC50 of
35.45 and 29.72 μg/mL for leaf and stem, respectively. For α-glucosidase inhibition activity,
Neptunia oleracea exhibited potential α-glucosidase inhibition activity with IC50 value of
19.09 and 19.74 μg/mL for leaf and stem, respectively. The highest total phenolic content
(TPC) was also marked in Neptunia oleracea leaf and stem with value of 40.88 and 21.21 mg
GAE/g dry weight, respectively. The results also showed that Strobilanthes crispus collected
from two different locations possessed different levels of phenolic content, antioxidant and
α-glucosidase inhibition activities. The study revealed that phenolic compounds could be the
main contributors to the antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibition activities with R values of 78.9
and 67.4%, respectively. In addition, antioxidant and α-glucosidase were positively correlated
(R = 81.9%). Neptunia oleracea could be suggested as a potential natural source of antioxidant
and antidiabetic compounds that can be used for the prevention or treatment of diabetes.
A study has been carried out using a gamma-ray spectrometric system to determine the natural
radioactivity level in bricks made from industrial waste and their associated radiation hazard.
Brick-1 and brick-2 contained waste from coal power plant and granite industry, respectively. The
leachability of radionuclides from these bricks was also investigated. The activity concentration
values of 226Ra,
228Ra,
232Th, and 40K are 64.25, 63.15, 67.9 and 254.19 Bq/kg, respectively in brick-
1, and 193, 164.48, 164.63 and 1348.75 Bq/kg, respectively in brick-2. The radiation hazard
indexes such as radium equivalent activities (Raeq), representative level index (Iγr), external hazard
index (Hex) and internal hazard index (Hin) were calculated and compared with the internationally
approved values. Results indicate that brick-1 showed less radiological hazard than brick-2. This
suggested that brick-1 could be used in building construction without exceeding the proposed
criterion level.The leachability of 226Ra for bricks showed the activity concentration slightly
exceeded 1 Bq/L which is the limit generally used for industrial wastewater.
Dichloromethane and methanolic extracts of each plant were tested for their antiplasmodial activity on chloroquineresistant strain of Plasmodium falciparum (FCB strain), based on lactate dehydrogenase activity. Cytotoxicity was assessed with the MTT test on MRC-5 human diploid embryonic lung cells. Most extracts of ten selected plants used in Malay traditional medicine in Malaysia had activity in vitro. This supports continued investigations of traditional medicine in the search for new antimalarial agent. The compounds responsible for the observed antiplasmodial effects are under investigation.
Trees planted from agroforestry practices can become valuable resources in meeting the wood requirements of many nations. Gliricidia sepium is an exotic species introduced to the agricultural sector in Malaysia mainly for providing shade for cocoa and coffee plantations. This study investigates its wood physical properties (specific gravity and moisture content) and fibre morphology (length, lumen diameter and cell wall thickness) of G.sepium at three intervals according to age groups (three, five and seven years of ages). Specific gravity (0.72) was significantly higher at seven years of age as compared to five (0.41) and three (0.35) years age group with a mean of 0.43 (p0.05). Mean moisture content was 58.3 % with no significant difference existing between the tree age groups. fibre diameter (22.4 m) was significantly lower (p0.05) for the trees which were three years of age when compared to five and seven years age groups (26.6 m and 24.7 m), respectively. Means of fibre length, lumen diameter and cell wall thickness was 0.83 m, 18.3 m, and 6.2 m, respectively, with no significant differences detected between trees in all age groups in this study. Further calculation on the coefficient of suppleness and runkel ratio suggest that wood from G. sepium may have the potential for insulation board manufacture and paper making. However, future studies should experiment the utilization of this species for these products to determine its full potential.
Industrial heat pumps are heat-recovery systems that allow the temperature of waste-heat stream to be increased to a higher, more efficient temperature. Consequently, heat pumps can improve energy efficiency in industrial processes as well as energy savings when conventional passive-heat recovery is not possible. In this paper, possible ways of saving energy in the chemical industry are considered, the objective is to reduce the primary energy (such as coal) consumption of power plant. Particularly the thermodynamic analyses of integrating backpressure turbine of a power plant with distillation units have been considered. Some practical examples such as conventional distillation unit and heat pump are used as a means of reducing primary energy consumption with tangible indications of energy savings. The heat pump distillation is operated via electrical power from the power plant. The exergy efficiency of the primary fuel is calculated for different operating range of the heat pump distillation. This is then compared with a conventional distillation unit that depends on saturated steam from a power plant as the source of energy. The results obtained show that heat pump distillation is an economic way to save energy if the temperature difference between the overhead and the bottom is small. Based on the result, the energy saved by the application of a heat pump distillation is improved compared to conventional distillation unit.
Anthropogenic airborne depositions of 210Po,
210Pb and 210Po/210Pb in the mosses and surface soils
collected at the vicinity of a coal-fired power plant were studied. The purpose of the study was to
determine activity concentrations of 210Po,
210Pb and 210Po/210Pb for assessing their variation
accumulation in the mosses and surface soils collected at the vicinity of a coal-fired power plant.
Other purposes were to determine their concentration factor (CF) in relation to track the potential
source of those radionuclides and to identify most suitable moss species as a biological indicator
for atmospheric deposition contaminants. In this study, different species of moss Leucobryum
aduncum, Campylopus serratus, Syrrhopodon ciliates and Vesicularia montagnei were collected in
May 2011 at the area around 15 km radius from Tanjung Bin coal-fired power plant located in
Pontian, Johor. The activity concentrations of 210Po,
210Pb and 210Po/210Pb in mosses were in the
range of 76.81 ± 4.94 – 251.33 ± 16.33 Bq/kg dry wt., 54.37 ± 3.38 – 164.63 ± 11.64 Bq/kg dry wt.
and 1.10 – 2.00, respectively. Meanwhile the ranges for those radionuclides in the surface soil
were 33.53 ± 2.10 – 179.67 ± 12.15 Bq/kg dry wt., 20.55 ± 1.33 – 106.62 ± 6.64 Bq/kg dry wt. and
1.61 – 2.44, respectively. Corresponding high ability of Leucobryum aduncum to accumulate more
210Po and 210Pb, wide geographical distribution, most abundant and high CF, therefore, the
findings can be concluded this species was the most suitable as a biological indicator for
atmospheric deposition contaminants such as 210Po and 210Pb. Furthermore, it is clear the
accumulation of 210Po and 210Pb in mosses might be supplied from various sources of atmospheric
deposition such as coal-fired power plant operation, industrial, agriculture and fertilizer activities,
burned fuel fossil and forest; and other potential sources. Meanwhile, the
Genetically modified organisms (GMO) are increased remarkably from year to year and the estimated global area cultivated with genetically modified (GM) crops reached 125 million hectares in year 2008. However, insect resistance maize based on Bacillus thuringienses (Bt) is of the most cultivated GM crop in worldwide. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is an aerobic, gram-positive bacterium that synthesize one or more Cry protein that are toxic to various types crop and forestry insects pests. To date, several cry genes have been introduced into GM plant to combat with various type of insect. Worldwide commercialization of GM crops has raised the customers’ concern about the Biosafety issues, and thus, many countries have implemented the labeling legislations for GM food and their derivatives. In this study, we introduced the quantitative analysis method based on the recombinant plasmid DNA as calibrators that can be used to determine the percentage of GMO content in various types of food and feed samples. Therefore, we have reported 7.5% (6/80) of the samples were contained StarLink maize and 1.25% (1/80) samples were contained Bt176 maize. Additionally, the percentage of GM content in each positive sample were further determined with the developed quantitative method. The percentage of the StarLink corns that present in the positive samples were varies from 0.09% to 2.53% and Bt176 corn that present in the positive sample was 16.90%. The present study demonstrated that the recombinant plasmid DNA that used in quantitative real-time method as good alternative quantitative analysis of GM content.
Precipitation patterns are changing across the globe causing more severe and frequent drought for many forest ecosystems. Although research has focused on the resistance of tree populations and communities to these novel precipitation regimes, resilience of forests is also contingent on recovery following drought, which remains poorly understood, especially in aseasonal tropical forests. We used rainfall exclusion shelters to manipulate the interannual frequency of drought for diverse seedling communities in a tropical forest and assessed resistance, recovery and resilience of seedling growth and mortality relative to everwet conditions. We found seedlings exposed to recurrent periods of drought altered their growth rates throughout the year relative to seedlings in everwet conditions. During drought periods, seedlings grew slower than seedlings in everwet conditions (i.e., resistance phase) while compensating with faster growth after drought (i.e., recovery phase). However, the response to frequent drought was species dependent as some species grew significantly slower with frequent drought relative to everwet conditions while others grew faster with frequent drought due to overcompensating growth during the recovery phase. In contrast, mortality was unrelated to rainfall conditions and instead correlated with differences in light. Intra-annual plasticity of growth and increased annual growth of some species led to an overall maintenance of growth rates of tropical seedling communities in response to more frequent drought. These results suggest these communities can potentially adapt to predicted climate change scenarios and that plasticity in the growth of species, and not solely changes in mortality rates among species, may contribute to shifts in community composition under drought.
Swietenia macrophylla (SM) is a medicinally important plant found in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. The ethyl acetate fraction of the seeds of S. macrophylla (SMEAF) is reported to exhibit potent anticancer, antitumor, anti-inflammatory and antifeedant activities. Till date, there have been no studies reported on the acute oral toxicity profile of the ethyl acetate fraction of the seeds of SM. The objective of the present study was to determine the acute toxicity of SMEAF and evaluate the in-vitro neuroprotective activity of SMEAF using primary neuronal cell cultures. In acute oral toxicity study, the SMEAF did not produce any lethal signs of morbidity and mortality. Histo-pathological findings, support the safety of SMEAF, as there were no significant changes observed in any of the parameters studied. Based on the results obtained in MTT assay, we infer that SMEAF has a significant neuroprotective effect, as it increased the cell viability and exhibited protection to the neuronal cells against TBHP induced oxidative stress. Thus, SMEAF can be suggested for use in the development of herbal drug formulations with neuroprotective potential.
The growing concern over the workers safety and health has lead many factories and organizations do the air monitoring to ensure the airborne at their workplace is safe for the worker’s health and complying the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 (Act 514). In this study, the monitoring covers an indoor air quality and chemical exposure to the workers in one of the power plant repair shop. A few workers from different sections namely blasting, welding, grinding, fitting and maintenance area were chosen to assist in the personal monitoring for 8 hours measurement. PM10 were measured at a few sampling points to collect dusts for 24 hours duration. The samples were brought back to the laboratory for gravimetric and SEM-EDAX analysis. The results were certainly exceed the limit for air quality, and many elements were detected such as Fe, Ni, Al, Si, Ca, K, Ba, S, Cr, Zn and Cl. The present of these elements shows that exposure to these particulate matters is quite risky and some measure needs to be taken for remedial action.