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  1. Differential activation of intraepithelial lymphocyte-natural killer cells in chickens infected with very virulent and vaccine strains of infectious bursal disease virus
    Jahromi MZ, Bello MB, Abdolmaleki M, Yeap SK, Hair-Bejo M, Omar AR
    Dev Comp Immunol, 2018 10;87:116-123.
    PMID: 29886054 DOI: 10.1016/j.dci.2018.06.004
    To gain insights into the role of CD3-/28.4+ intraepithelial lymphocytes-natural killer (CD3-/28.4+IEL-NK) cells during infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) infection, characterisation of the cells was performed following infection with different strains of the virus. In vitro treatment with IL-18 or ionomycin/PMA successfully stimulated and activated the cells via a significant increase in the expression of CD69, B-Lec, CHIR-AB1 and NK-lysin. Similarly, chickens infected with the vaccine strain of IBDV also up-regulated the expression of CD69, B-Lec, CHIR-AB1 and NK-lysin in CD3-/28.4+ IEL-NK cells up to 3 days post infection (dpi) and down-regulated the expression of the inhibitory receptor B-NK at 3 dpi. On the contrary, infection with the very virulent IBDV (vvIBDV) strain lead to a reduced activation of the cells by down-regulating the expression of the CD69, CHIR-AB1 and NK-lysin especially at 1 dpi. These findings altogether demonstrate the differential activation of CD3-/28.4+IEL-NK cells in chicken following infection with the vaccine or very virulent strains of IBDV. The study therefore provides an important clue into the differential pathogenesis of IBDV infection in chicken. Further studies are however required to determine the functional importance of these findings during IBDV vaccination and infection.
  2. Islamic moral judgement on abortion and its nursing applications: expository analysis
    Mohamad Ismail MF, Abdullahi Hashi A, Bin Nurumal MS, Bin Md Isa ML
    Enferm Clin, 2018 Feb;28 Suppl 1:212-216.
    PMID: 29650189 DOI: 10.1016/S1130-8621(18)30070-6
    Health workers, like nurses are tasked to save the lives of their patients, however, there are instances in which health workers have to deal with difficult cases in taking a life, such as abortion. Scholars in the field of healthcare assert that abortion is morally justified if it is sought for health reasons. Nevertheless, there are a number of cases in which abortion is sought on other grounds other than health, such as the individual choice to do so. Can a nurse refuse to provide their professional service towards these people? This paper uses analytical and comparative methods to address ethical issues in abortion from the Islamic and conventional perspectives. Nursing implication: Since the nurses instruct and assist people in forming a decision as they engage in nursing care, utilising a comprehensive view of abortion based on Islamic sources would provide a foundation in Muslim perspectives as they interact with Muslim patients. The subject area to investigate the degree of knowledge among nurses regarding the Islamic moral judgement on this event is extremely recommended for future management.
  3. The need for first aid education for adolescents
    Mohd Sharif NA, Che Hasan MK, Che Jamaludin FI, Zul Hasymi Firdaus MK
    Enferm Clin, 2018 Feb;28 Suppl 1:13-18.
    PMID: 29650169 DOI: 10.1016/S1130-8621(18)30028-7
    OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to identify the need for basic first aid knowledge and skills among adolescents.

    METHOD: A cross-sectional study using multistage sampling was conducted among 375 secondary school students in Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia. The survey was adapted from a Hong Kong Red Cross survey. A back to back translation of this instrument was carried out by two bilingual medical experts with Cronbach's alpha 0.8. The data were analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) in terms of descriptive analysis, and an independent t-test and chi-square test were carried out.

    RESULTS: There were 149 respondents from the lower form (grade level) and 226 respondents from the upper form. The majority of respondents (81.6%) were Malay. An independent t-test revealed a significant association between knowledge and attitude, as students who scored higher on first aid questions showed a more positive attitude towards first aid (1.475%). There were also significant associations between race and experience learning first aid.

    CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents receive minimal first aid education. Thus, there is an urgent need to educate adolescents more in first aid to promote a safer community and to prevent any further injuries.

  4. Fulltext The Sensitivity, Specificity and Accuracy of Warning Signs in Predicting Severe Dengue, the Severe Dengue Prevalence and Its Associated Factors
    Ahmad MH, Ibrahim MI, Mohamed Z, Ismail N, Abdullah MA, Shueb RH, et al.
    Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2018 09 15;15(9).
    PMID: 30223572 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph15092018
    Objectives: To study Malaysian dengue clinical practice guideline (CPG) warning signs (WS) in predicting severe dengue (SD) and its associated factors among confirmed cases presented to a teaching hospital in north-eastern Malaysia in 2014. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed in February 2015 using secondary data acquired from the hospital records. There were 2607 confirmed dengue cases presented to Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM) in 2014. Seven hundred patients were selected after proportionate stratified random sampling conducted according to the number of cases in 12 different months in 2014. Data were collected and analysed using SPSS version 22.0. Results: Severe dengue outcomes represented 4.9% of cases. The prevalence of any of WS in SD was 91.2%. The most common WSs prior to SD were persistent vomiting (55.9%), and abdominal pain/tenderness (52.9%). The most sensitive warning sign in detecting SD was abdominal pain (59%). Specificity of individual WS were generally good, especially of clinical fluid accumulation (99%), hepatomegaly (98%) and mucosal bleeding (93%). Factors associated with SD were persistent vomiting (Adjusted odds ratio (aOR)): 2.41), mucosal bleeding (aOR: 4.73) and haematocrit rise with rapid platelet drop (aOR: 2.74). Conclusion: A focus on sensitivity, specificity, predictive values and association of a number of particular WS should be emphasized in order to better predict severe dengue outcomes.
  5. Fulltext Microbiome analysis of Pacific white shrimp gut and rearing water from Malaysia and Vietnam: implications for aquaculture research and management
    Md Zoqratt MZH, Eng WWH, Thai BT, Austin CM, Gan HM
    PeerJ, 2018;6:e5826.
    PMID: 30397546 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5826
    Aquaculture production of the Pacific white shrimp is the largest in the world for crustacean species. Crucial to the sustainable global production of this important seafood species is a fundamental understanding of the shrimp gut microbiota and its relationship to the microbial ecology of shrimp pond. This is especially true, given the recently recognized role of beneficial microbes in promoting shrimp nutrient intake and in conferring resistance against pathogens. Unfortunately, aquaculture-related microbiome studies are scarce in Southeast Asia countries despite the severe impact of early mortality syndrome outbreaks on shrimp production in the region. In this study, we employed the 16S rRNA amplicon (V3-V4 region) sequencing and amplicon sequence variants (ASV) method to investigate the microbial diversity of shrimp guts and pond water samples collected from aquaculture farms located in Malaysia and Vietnam. Substantial differences in the pond microbiota were observed between countries with the presence and absence of several taxa extending to the family level. Microbial diversity of the shrimp gut was found to be generally lower than that of the pond environments with a few ubiquitous genera representing a majority of the shrimp gut microbial diversity such as Vibrio and Photobacterium, indicating host-specific selection of microbial species. Given the high sequence conservation of the 16S rRNA gene, we assessed its veracity at distinguishing Vibrio species based on nucleotide alignment against type strain reference sequences and demonstrated the utility of ASV approach in uncovering a wider diversity of Vibrio species compared to the conventional OTU clustering approach.
  6. Nanoencapsulation of betamethasone valerate using high pressure homogenization-solvent evaporation technique: optimization of formulation and process parameters for efficient dermal targeting
    Md S, Kuldeep Singh JKA, Waqas M, Pandey M, Choudhury H, Habib H, et al.
    Drug Dev Ind Pharm, 2019 Feb;45(2):323-332.
    PMID: 30404554 DOI: 10.1080/03639045.2018.1542704
    Betamethsone valerate (BMV), a medium potency topical corticosteroid, is one of the most commonly employed pharmacological agents for the management of atopic dermatitis in both adults and children. Despite having remarkable pharmacological efficacy, these agents have limited clinical implication due to poor penetration across the startum cornum (SC). To mitigate issues related to targeted delivery, stability, and solubility as well as to potentiate therapeutic and clinical implication, the nanodelivery systems have gained remarkable recognition. Therefore, this study was aimed to encapsulate BMV into the chitosan nanoparticles (CS-NPs) for optimum dermal targeting and improved penetration across the SC. The prepared NPs were characterized for particle size, zeta potential, polydispersity index, entrapment efficiency, loading capacity, crystallinity, thermal behavior, morphology, in vitro release kinetics, drug permeation across the SC, and percentage of drug retained into various skin layers. Results showed that optimized BMV-CS-NPs exhibited optimum physicochemical characteristics including small particle size (< 250 ± 28 nm), higher zeta potential (+58 ± 8 mV), and high entrapment efficiency (86 ± 5.6%) and loading capacity (34 ± 7.2%). The in vitro release study revealed that BMV-CS-NPs displayed Fickian-diffusion type mechanism of release in simulated skin surface (pH 5.5). Drug permeation efficiency and the amount of BMV retained into the epidermis and the dermis were comparatively higher in case of BMV-CS-NPs compared to BMV solution. Conclusively, we anticipated that BMV-CS-NPs could be a promising nanodelivery system for efficient dermal targeting of BMV and improved anti-AD efficacy.
  7. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) disclosure to health care providers: A qualitative insight from Malaysian thalassemia patients
    Ismail WI, Ahmad Hassali MA, Farooqui M, Saleem F, Roslan MNF
    Complement Ther Clin Pract, 2018 Nov;33:71-76.
    PMID: 30396630 DOI: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2018.06.004
    BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: This study investigated the disclosure of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use to health care providers by Malaysian thalassemia patients.

    METHODS: The semi-structured interviews were audio taped, transcribed verbatim, and translated into English.

    RESULTS: Thematic analysis identified four themes: 1) reason for CAM disclosure, 2) attempt to disclose CAM, 3) withdrawal from CAM disclosure, and 4) non-disclosure of CAM use. The reason for patients' disclosure of CAM use to healthcare providers is because they wanted to find information about CAM and were afraid of the interaction between the conventional medicine and CAM. Patients also disclosed the use of CAM because they were not satisfied with the conventional medicine that had caused them harm.

    CONCLUSION: Effective communication between patients and health care providers is important, especially for patients who are undergoing conventional thalassemia treatment, for fear that there is an interaction between conventional treatment and CAM use.

  8. Knowledge of modes of HIV transmission among public secondary school students in urban and rural areas in Malaysia
    Khan MAN, Md Rosly NA, Abdul Majeed AB, Ismail NE
    Pak J Pharm Sci, 2018 Sep;31(5):1985-1990.
    PMID: 30150198
    The school students are of particular importance in the HIV/AIDS awareness policies at both local and international level. This study was conducted to assess the level of knowledge of the modes of HIV transmission among urban and rural public secondary school students in Malaysia. In this cross-sectional study, post local ethics approval, 600self-administered questionnaires were randomly disseminated to students in 6 different secondary schools and areas (i.e. 3 urban schools and 3 rural schools). Data were descriptively and inferentially analyzed using Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS®), version 17. The Pearson Chi-Square test was applied where applicable. Most respondents had heard about HIV (overall response rate: 96.2%). However, 8.9% of rural respondents (27/302) never heard about HIV and were excluded. Therefore, 275 urban students (Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, and Pahang) and 275 rural students (Terengganu) who successfully completed and returned the questionnaires were included in data analysis. Many respondents were female and within the age range of 15-16 years old. Most respondents in both areas knew that sharing needles can transmit HIV (93.5% urban; 97.1% rural). Out of 15 items concerning transmission modes of HIV, eight items showed significant values (p < 0.05) of rural vs. urban: saliva, urine, tears, using same swimming pool, blood transfusion, mosquito bites, sharing foods and donating blood to HIV patients. About 90.2% and 79.6% of respondents in urban and rural areas used television and newspapers as main source of knowledge on HIV, respectively. The implementation of incessant HIV and AIDS education programme could be useful in order to enhance and sustain awareness concerning HIV/AIDS among secondary school students.
  9. Synthesis, spectral analysis and antibacterial activity of some novel 5-substituted-2-((6-bromo-3,4-methylenedioxybenzyl)thio)-1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives
    Rehman A, Siddiqa A, Abbasi MA, Siddiqui SZ, Khan SG, Rasool S, et al.
    Pak J Pharm Sci, 2018 Sep;31(5):1783-1790.
    PMID: 30150171
    A number of novel 5-substituted-2-((6-bromo-3,4-methylenedioxybenzyl)thio)-1,3,4-Oxadiazole derivatives (6a-l) have been synthesized to evaluate their antibacterial activity. Using aryl/aralkyl carboxylic acids (1a-l) as precursors, 5-substituted-1,3,4-Oxadiazol-2-thiols (4a-l) were yielded in good amounts. The derivatives, 4a-l, were subjected to electrophilic substitution reaction on stirring with 6-bromo-3,4-methylenedioxybenzyl chloride (5) in DMF to synthesize the required compounds. All the synthesized molecules were well characterized by IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and EIMS spectral data and evaluated for antibacterial activity against some bacterial strains of Gram-bacteria. The molecule, 6d, demonstrated the best activity among all the synthesized molecules exhibiting weak to moderate inhibition potential.
  10. Fulltext Data on degradome sequencing and analysis from mock-inoculated and Fusarium oxysporum treated leaves samples in Persicaria minor
    Samad AFA, Sajad M, Jani J, Murad AMA, Ismail I
    Data Brief, 2018 Oct;20:555-557.
    PMID: 30197911 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2018.08.034
    Degradome sequencing referred as parallel analysis of RNA ends (PARE) by modifying 5'-rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) with deep sequencing method. Deep sequencing of 5' products allow the determination of cleavage sites through the mapping of degradome fragments against small RNAs (miRNA or siRNA) on a large scale. Here, we carried out degradome sequencing in medicinal plant, Persicaria minor, to identify cleavage sites in small RNA libraries in control (mock-inoculated) and Fusarium oxysporum treated plants. The degradome library consisted of both control and treated samples which were pooled together during library preparation and named as D4. The D4 dataset have been deposited at GenBank under accession number SRX3921398, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sra/SRX3921398.
  11. Molecular Modulation of Stress Induced to Abnormal Haematological Indices in Medical Students, Malaysian Perspective
    Al-Hatamleh MAI, Baig AA, Simbak NB, Nadeem MI, Khan SU, Ariff TM
    Pak J Biol Sci, 2017;20(10):478-488.
    PMID: 30187724 DOI: 10.3923/pjbs.2017.478.488
    Medical students in Malaysia and globally were considered among the most exposure groups in the community to stress due to several sources. The most significant and severe sources of stress in medical students is an academic sources, includes a lot of exams/tests, lack of time and facilities for entertainment, stay in a hostel, high parental expectations and vastness of syllabus, in addition to emotional problems and others personal sources. Stress is a very important issue that leads to a worsening of health problems. Stress develops in the body and leads to oxidative stress which in turn leads to a disorder in the whole body. Oxidative stress may lead to abnormal haematological indices elevated white blood cells (WBCs) count. Oxidative stress can lead to massive destruction of red blood cells (RBCs). The brain and the gastrointestinal system (GI) are intimately connected as one system. The brain has a direct impact on the GI tract. A stressful brain can send signals to the gut, just as a troubled intestine can send signals to the brain. Therefore, stress can be the cause of block the breakdown and assimilation of food for energy and nutriment. This malabsorption can then lead to a reciprocal negative effect to the stress and can be another cause of anaemia through malabsorption minerals and vitamins that are to erythropoiesis. So, stress can be one of the leading causes of anaemia among medical students. Stress is a chronic epidemic in the most medical students and can directly affect how well body works. This review article discovers the effect of stress in medical students that can be effect on their studies and further create researcher's interest to generate database that help to reduce stress response and bring about the empowerment of balanced life among Malaysian medical students besides the increasing level of health and academic performance.
  12. Synthesis of novel N-(1,3-thiazol-2-yl)benzamide clubbed oxadiazole scaffolds: Urease inhibition, Lipinski rule and molecular docking analyses
    Athar Abbasi M, Raza H, Aziz-Ur-Rehman, Zahra Siddiqui S, Adnan Ali Shah S, Hassan M, et al.
    Bioorg Chem, 2019 03;83:63-75.
    PMID: 30342387 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2018.10.018
    Present work aimed to synthesize some unique bi-heterocyclic benzamides as lead compounds for the in vitro inhibition of urease enzyme, followed by in silico studies. These targeted benzamides were synthesized in good yields through a multi-step protocol and their structures were confirmed by IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, EI-MS and elemental analysis. The in vitro screening results showed that most of the ligands exhibited good inhibitory potentials against the urease. Chemo-informatics analysis envisaged that all these compounds obeyed the Lipinski's rule. Molecular docking results showed that 7h exhibited good binding energy value (-8.40 kcal/mol) and was bound within the active region of urease enzyme. From the present investigation, it was inferred that some of these potent urease inhibitors might serve as novel templates in drug designing.
  13. Fulltext Diagnostic and Vaccination Approaches for Newcastle Disease Virus in Poultry: The Current and Emerging Perspectives
    Bello MB, Yusoff K, Ideris A, Hair-Bejo M, Peeters BPH, Omar AR
    Biomed Res Int, 2018;2018:7278459.
    PMID: 30175140 DOI: 10.1155/2018/7278459
    Newcastle disease (ND) is one of the most devastating diseases that considerably cripple the global poultry industry. Because of its enormous socioeconomic importance and potential to rapidly spread to naïve birds in the vicinity, ND is included among the list of avian diseases that must be notified to the OIE immediately upon recognition. Currently, virus isolation followed by its serological or molecular identification is regarded as the gold standard method of ND diagnosis. However, this method is generally slow and requires specialised laboratory with biosafety containment facilities, making it of little relevance under epidemic situations where rapid diagnosis is seriously needed. Thus, molecular based diagnostics have evolved to overcome some of these difficulties, but the extensive genetic diversity of the virus ensures that isolates with mutations at the primer/probe binding sites escape detection using these assays. This diagnostic dilemma leads to the emergence of cutting-edge technologies such as next-generation sequencing (NGS) which have so far proven to be promising in terms of rapid, sensitive, and accurate recognition of virulent Newcastle disease virus (NDV) isolates even in mixed infections. As regards disease control strategies, conventional ND vaccines have stood the test of time by demonstrating track record of protective efficacy in the last 60 years. However, these vaccines are unable to block the replication and shedding of most of the currently circulating phylogenetically divergent virulent NDV isolates. Hence, rationally designed vaccines targeting the prevailing genotypes, the so-called genotype-matched vaccines, are highly needed to overcome these vaccination related challenges. Among the recently evolving technologies for the development of genotype-matched vaccines, reverse genetics-based live attenuated vaccines obviously appeared to be the most promising candidates. In this review, a comprehensive description of the current and emerging trends in the detection, identification, and control of ND in poultry are provided. The strengths and weaknesses of each of those techniques are also emphasised.
  14. New Hybrid Scaffolds based on Hydrazinyl Thiazole Substituted Coumarin; As Novel Leads of Dual Potential; In Vitro α-Amylase Inhibitory and Antioxidant (DPPH and ABTS Radical Scavenging) Activities
    Salar U, Khan KM, Chigurupati S, Syed S, Vijayabalan S, Wadood A, et al.
    Med Chem, 2019;15(1):87-101.
    PMID: 30179139 DOI: 10.2174/1573406414666180903162243
    BACKGROUND: Despite many side effects associated, there are many drugs which are being clinically used for the treatment of type-II diabetes mellitus (DM). In this scenario, there is still need to develop new therapeutic agents with more efficacy and less side effects. By keeping in mind the diverse spectrum of biological potential associated with coumarin and thiazole, a hybrid class based on these two heterocycles was synthesized.

    METHOD: Hydrazinyl thiazole substituted coumarins 4-20 were synthesized via two step reaction. First step was the acid catalyzed reaction of 3-formyl/acetyl coumarin derivatives with thiosemicarbazide to form thiosemicarbazone intermediates 1-3, followed by the reaction with different phenacyl bromides to afford products 4-20. All the synthetic analogs 4-20 were characterized by different spectroscopic techniques such as EI-MS, HREI-MS, 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR. Stereochemical assignment of the iminic double bond was carried out by the NOESY experiments. Elemental analysis was found in agreement with the calculated values.

    RESULTS: Compounds 4-20 were screened for α-amylase inhibitory activity and showed good activity in the range of IC50 = 1.829 ± 0.102-3.37 ± 0.17 µM as compared to standard acarbose (IC50 = 1.819 ± 0.19 µM). Compounds were also investigated for their DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities and displayed good radical scavenging potential. In addition to that molecular modelling study was conducted on all compounds to investigate the interaction details of compounds 4- 20 (ligands) with active site (receptor) of enzyme.

    CONCLUSION: The newly identified hybrid class may serve as potential lead candidates for the management of diabetes mellitus.

  15. Fulltext Pseudogene product YqiG is important for pflB expression and biohydrogen production in Escherichia coli BW25113
    Zakaria MA, Mohd Yusoff MZ, Zakaria MR, Hassan MA, Wood TK, Maeda T
    3 Biotech, 2018 Oct;8(10):435.
    PMID: 30306004 DOI: 10.1007/s13205-018-1461-2
    Pseudogenes in the Escherichia coli genome are assumed to be non-functional. In this study, Keio collection BW25113∆yqiG and YqiG-producing strain (BW25113/pCA24N-YqiG) were used to evaluate the importance of pseudogene yqiG in hydrogen metabolism. Our results show pseudogene protein YqiG was identified as an essential protein in the production of biohydrogen from glucose. The mutant yqiG decreased biohydrogen production from 37 µmol mg-1 protein to 6 µmol mg-1 protein compared to the wild-type strain, and glucose consumption was reduced by 80%. Through transcriptional analysis, we found that the yqiG mutation represses pflB transcription tenfold; pflB encodes pyruvate-formate lyase, one of the key enzymes in the anaerobic metabolism of E. coli. Moreover, production of YqiG stimulated glycolysis and increased biohydrogen productivity 1.5-fold compared to that of the wild-type strain. Thus, YqiG is important for the central glycolysis reaction and is able to influence hydrogen metabolism activity in E. coli.
  16. MULTILEVEL LINEAR REGRESSION ANALYSIS OF FACTORS INFLUENCING BODY MASS INDEX AMONG BANGLADESHI MARRIED NON-PREGNANT WOMEN
    Kamruzzaman M, Mamun ASMA, Bakar SMA, Saw A, Kamarul T, Islam MN, et al.
    J Biosoc Sci, 2017 Jul;49(4):498-508.
    PMID: 27866490 DOI: 10.1017/S0021932016000572
    The aim of this study was to investigate the socioeconomic and demographic factors influencing the body mass index (BMI) of non-pregnant married Bangladeshi women of reproductive age. Secondary (Hierarchy) data from the 2011 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey, collected using two-stage stratified cluster sampling, were used. Two-level linear regression analysis was performed to remove the cluster effect of the variables. The mean BMI of married non-pregnant Bangladeshi women was 21.60±3.86 kg/m2, and the prevalence of underweight, overweight and obesity was 22.8%, 14.9% and 3.2%, respectively. After removing the cluster effect, age and age at first marriage were found to be positively (p<0.01) related with BMI. Number of children was negatively related with women's BMI. Lower BMI was especially found among women from rural areas and poor families, with an uneducated husband, with no television at home and who were currently breast-feeding. Age, total children ever born, age at first marriage, type of residence, education level, level of husband's education, wealth index, having a television at home and practising breast-feeding were found to be important predictors for the BMI of married Bangladeshi non-pregnant women of reproductive age. This information could be used to identify sections of the Bangladeshi population that require special attention, and to develop more effective strategies to resolve the problem of malnutrition.
  17. Experiences of people living with disorders of sex development and sex reassignment: Meta-ethnography of qualitative studies
    Sani AM, Soh KL, Ismail IA, Arshad MM, Mungadi IA, Yau SL, et al.
    J Adv Nurs, 2019 Feb;75(2):277-290.
    PMID: 30132959 DOI: 10.1111/jan.13833
    AIM: The aim of this study was to synthesize the experiences of people with disorders of sex development.

    BACKGROUND: The quality of life of people with disorders of sex development depends largely on the availability of good psychosocial and psychosexual management. There is a lack of qualitative systematic reviews of the literature on the experiences of people with disorders of sex development.

    DESIGN: The seven steps of qualitative meta-ethnography were employed in this review.

    DATA SOURCES: The following electronic databases were systematically searched until January 2017: Science Direct, Scopus, Sage online, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Medline, Wiley Online Library, and Google Scholar. Search terms for this review were "disorders of sex development," "intersex," "ambiguous genitalia," "experiences," "qualitative study," and "method".

    REVIEW METHOD: A 13-item scale was applied to evaluate the quality of the selected studies and synthesized using the principles of meta-ethnography.

    FINDINGS: Twelve studies met the eligibility criteria. Six major themes described the experiences of people with disorders of sex development. These included a range of physical, psychological, social, and sexual experiences which affect their quality of life. Different coping strategies were employed by individuals who live with the lifelong condition.

    CONCLUSION: Disorders of sex development affect the quality of life of people living with these disorders. Nurses are tasked with providing holistic care for people with disorders of sex development in order to improve their quality of lives. As such, there is a need to explore the experiences of nurses in the management of disorders of sex development.

  18. Fulltext A bimodal theranostic nanodelivery system based on [graphene oxide-chlorogenic acid-gadolinium/gold] nanoparticles
    Usman MS, Hussein MZ, Fakurazi S, Masarudin MJ, Ahmad Saad FF
    PLoS One, 2018;13(7):e0200760.
    PMID: 30044841 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0200760
    We have synthesized a bimodal theranostic nanodelivery system (BIT) that is based on graphene oxide (GO) and composed of a natural chemotherapeutic agent, chlorogenic acid (CA) used as the anticancer agent, while gadolinium (Gd) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were used as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) modality. The CA and Gd guest agents were simultaneously loaded on the GO nanolayers using chemical interactions, such as hydrogen bonding and π-π non-covalent interactions to form GOGCA nanocomposite. Subsequently, the AuNPs were doped on the surface of the GOGCA by means of electrostatic interactions, which resulted in the BIT. The physico-chemical studies of the BIT affirmed its successful development. The X-ray diffractograms (XRD) collected of the various stages of BIT synthesis showed the successive development of the hybrid system, while 90% of the chlorogenic acid was released in phosphate buffer solution (PBS) at pH 4.8. This was further reaffirmed by the in vitro evaluations, which showed stunted HepG2 cancer cells growth against the above 90% cell growth in the control cells. A reverse case was recorded for the 3T3 normal cells. Further, the acquired T1-weighted image of the BIT doped samples obtained from the MRI indicated contrast enhancement in comparison with the plain Gd and water references. The abovementioned results portray our BIT as a promising future chemotherapeutic for anticancer treatment with diagnostic modalities.
  19. Asiatic acid stabilizes cytoskeletal proteins and prevents TNF-α-induced disorganization of cell-cell junctions in human aortic endothelial cells
    Fong LY, Ng CT, Yong YK, Hakim MN, Ahmad Z
    Vascul Pharmacol, 2019 06;117:15-26.
    PMID: 30114509 DOI: 10.1016/j.vph.2018.08.005
    Endothelial hyperpermeability represents an initiating step in early atherosclerosis and it often occurs as a result of endothelial barrier dysfunction. Asiatic acid, a major triterpene isolated from Centella asiatica (L.) Urban, has previously been demonstrated to protect against tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α-induced endothelial barrier dysfunction. The present study aimed to investigate the mechanisms underlying the barrier protective effect of asiatic acid in human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs). The localization of F-actin, diphosphorylated myosin light chain (diphospho-MLC), adherens junctions (AJs) and tight junctions (TJs) was studied using immunocytochemistry techniques and confocal microscopy. Their total protein expressions were examined using western blot analysis. The endothelial permeability was assessed using In Vitro Vascular Permeability Assay kits. In addition, intracellular redistribution of the junctional proteins was evaluated using subcellular fractionation kits. We show that asiatic acid stabilized F-actin and diphospho-MLC at the cell periphery and prevented their rearrangement stimulated by TNF-α. However, asiatic acid failed to attenuate cytochalasin D-induced increased permeability. Besides, asiatic acid abrogated TNF-α-induced structural reorganization of vascular endothelial (VE)-cadherin and β-catenin by preserving their reticulum structures at cell-cell contact areas. In addition, asiatic acid also inhibited TNF-α-induced redistribution of occludin and zona occludens (ZO)-1 in different subcellular fractions. In conclusion, the barrier-stabilizing effect of asiatic acid might be associated with preservation of AJs and prevention of TJ redistribution caused by TNF-α. This study provides evidence to support the potential use of asiatic acid in the prevention of early atherosclerosis, which is initiated by endothelial barrier dysfunction.
  20. Fulltext New sporopollenin-based β-cyclodextrin functionalized magnetic hybrid adsorbent for magnetic solid-phase extraction of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs from water samples
    Syed Yaacob SFF, Kamboh MA, Wan Ibrahim WA, Mohamad S
    R Soc Open Sci, 2018 Jul;5(7):171311.
    PMID: 30109037 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.171311
    A magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) procedure on the newly synthesized magnetic β-cyclodextrin functionalized with toluene diisocyanate (TDI) as a linker and further modified with bio-polymeric spores of sporopollenin (MSp-TDI-βCD), was developed for the extraction of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), namely, indoprofen (INP), ketoprofen (KTP), ibuprofen (IBP) and fenoprofen (FNP) from water samples prior to their HPLC-DAD determination. The newly synthesized MSp-TDI-βCD was comprehensibly characterized using FT-IR, XRD, SEM-EDX, BET and VSM analyses. The separation of selected NSAIDs on MSp-TDI-βCD from aqueous solution was simply achieved by applying an external magnetic field via a permanent magnet. The MSPE parameters affecting extraction performance, i.e. sorbent dosage, sample volume, extraction and desorption time, type of organic eluent and volume and solution pH were investigated and optimized. The proposed method showed linear range between 0.5 and 500 ng ml-1, low limit of detection at S/N = 3 (0.16-0.37 ng ml-1) and limit of quantification at S/N = 10 (0.53-1.22 ng ml-1). The inter-day (n = 15) and intra-day (n = 5) precision for the proposed methods given by relative standard deviation (RSD%) was in the range of 2.5-4.0 and 2.1-5.5, respectively. The extraction recoveries of NSAIDs from environmental samples (tap, drinking and river water) ranged from 92.5% to 123.6%, with satisfactory precision (RSD% less than 12.4%).
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