Displaying publications 3521 - 3540 of 8055 in total

Abstract:
Sort:
  1. ß-blockers in congestive heart failure
    Teh BT, Wan Azman WA, Thuraisingham S, Choy AM, Tan KH, Jesudason P, et al.
    JUMMEC, 1999;4:26-33.
    Activation of the synlpathetic nervous system (SNS) and renin-angiotensin system (RAS) plays a pivotal role in the pathophysiology and progression of the disease in chronic heart failure (CHF). Blocking the activation of the RAS with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors not only improves sylnptonls but also prolongs life in symptomatic CHF. Does a similar analogy hold true for the use of ß-blockers in CHF? Evidence from a number of small trials and several recent large prospective trials show that b-blockers may improve ventricular function and symptoms in CHF. In a combination of trials investigating the use of carvedilol (an α, and ß-blocker) in congestive heart failure a mortality benefit appears to be evident. There are still a number of key questions that relnaill unanswered regarding the tolerability, patient type and stage of CHF in which ß-blockers should be advocated. Several large scale trials are in progress to answer some of these questions and also to add further information regarding its efficacy and impact on survival. KEYWORDS: Beta-adrenoreceptor antagonist, congestive heart failure.
  2. Stress and hypertension
    Haizal HK, Azman W, Tan KH, Choy AM, Chan CG, Amudha K, et al.
    JUMMEC, 2000;5:3-10.
  3. Fulltext Premature Mortality among Elderly in Malaysia, 2014
    Nazirah Alias, Mohd Azahadi Omar, Shubash Shander Ganapathy, Mohamad Fuad Mohamad Anuar, Chandrika Jeevananthan, Fazila Haryati Ahmad, et al.
    Int J Public Health Res, 2019;9(2):1108-1116.
    MyJurnal
    Substantial advances on the life expectancy have been achieved in Malaysia over the past few decades. It is essential that elderly lead a healthier old age which leans towards successful aging. Thus, this study describes the major causes of premature mortality among the elderly population in Malaysia, 2014.
  4. Patterns of Suffering in Palliative Care: A Descriptive Study
    Seng Beng T, Ting Ting T, Karupiah M, Xin Ni C, Li Li H, Chong Guan N, et al.
    Omega (Westport), 2021 Dec;84(2):512-524.
    PMID: 32019387 DOI: 10.1177/0030222820903221
    Suffering experiences are common phenomena in palliative care. In this study, we aim to explore the different patterns of suffering in palliative care. Adult palliative care patients were recruited from the University of Malaya Medical Centre. Suffering scores were charted 3 times a day for a week. The characteristics of the suffering charts were analyzed using SPSS. The patterns of suffering were analyzed using structural pattern recognition. A total of 53 patients participated. The overall trends of suffering were downward (64%), upward (19%), and stable (17%). Median minimum and maximum suffering scores were 2/10 and 6/10, with an average of 3.6/10. Nine patterns of suffering were recognized from categorizing two key characteristics of suffering (intensity and fluctuation)-named S1 to S9. Understanding the different patterns of suffering may lead to better suffering management.
  5. Age at menarche in Peninsular Malaysia: time trends, ethnic differentials, and association with ages at marriage and at first birth
    Tan Boon Ann, Othman R, Butz WP, Davanzo J
    Malays J Reprod Health, 1983 Dec;1(2):91-108.
    PMID: 12313339
  6. Systematic review of metformin monotherapy and dual therapy with sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitor (SGLT-2) in treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus
    Molugulu N, Yee LS, Ye YT, Khee TC, Nie LZ, Yee NJ, et al.
    Diabetes Res Clin Pract, 2017 Oct;132:157-168.
    PMID: 28797524 DOI: 10.1016/j.diabres.2017.07.025
    BACKGROUND: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic disorder and its treatment with only metformin often does not provide optimum glycemic control. Addition of sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor (SGLT2) will improve the glycemic control in patients on metformin alone. In this study, an attempt is made to investigate the combined therapy of SGLT-2 with metformin in managing T2DM in terms of lowering HbA1c and body weight and monotherapy using metformin alone in HbA1c and body weight reduction.

    OBJECTIVES: To compare the clinical effectiveness of combined therapy using SGLT2 inhibitor and metformin with monotherapy using metformin alone in HbA1c and body weight reduction.

    METHOD: A systematic review of the randomized controlled trials has been carried out and Cochrane risk of bias tool was used for the quality assessment. Patient, Intervention, Comparison and Outcomes (PICO) technique is used to select the relevant articles to meet the objective.

    RESULTS: The studies used in this article are multicenter, double-blinded randomized controlled trials on SGLT2 inhibitors with methformin, there were a total of 3897 participants, with a range of 182 to 1186 individual study size were included. Studies showed that combined therapy were more effective in HbA1c and body weight reduction as compared to monotherapy.

    CONCLUSION: The combined therapy of SGLT2 inhibitor along with metformin is more effective in HbA1c reduction and weight reduction as compared to monotherapy using metformin alone. Among the three SGLT2 inhibitors such as dapagliflozin canagliflozin and empagliflozin do not differ much in the efficiency of weight reduction. However, Empagliflozin 25mg is effective in HbA1c reduction.

  7. Fulltext Optimisation of polymerase chain reaction conditions for detection of mineralization markers in isolated odontoblasts from human teeth
    Wafa' Zahari, Ong, Wei Shen, Tan, Hong Jin, Azlina Ahmad, Khairul Bariah Ahmad Amin Noordin, Saaid Al Shehadat
    Archives of Orofacial Sciences, 2017;12(1):45-54.
    MyJurnal
    The present study aimed to determine the best polymerase chain reaction (PCR) conditions for
    amplification of odontoblast markers; alkaline phosphatase (ALP), dentin matrix protein 1 (DMP1), dentin
    sialophosphoprotein (DSPP) and osteopontin (OPN). Informed consent was obtained from the individuals
    prior to tooth extraction. RNA was extracted from odontoblasts obtained from extracted teeth using
    innuPREP RNA Mini kit (Analytik Jena, Germany). Five selected target factors in enhancing PCR: primer
    concentration, extension time, number of cycles, annealing time, and annealing temperature were
    manipulated to yield the correct size of amplicons. One step reverse transcriptase PCR reactions were
    performed using MyTaq One-Step RT-PCR kit (Bioline, USA) with a C1000 Thermal Cycler (Bio-Rad, USA)
    in a 25 µL reaction, keeping the amount of 2 ng/µL RNA, 0.25 µL reverse transcriptase, 0.5 µL RiboSafe
    Rnase inhibitor and 1X MyTaq One-Step Mix, constant. The optimal conditions were determined to be
    400nM of primers for DMP1 and DSPP, 200 nM for ALP and OPN; 30 seconds of extension time and 35
    PCR cycles for all genes; 10 seconds of annealing time for ALP, DMP1 and DSPP, 7 seconds for OPN. The
    annealing temperature were 56.4°C for ALP, 58.6°C for DMP1, 52.7°C for DSPP, and 56.3°C for OPN,
    respectively. The optimized PCR protocols produced the correct size of odontoblast markers.
  8. Silencing of novel TtVtg6-like induced ovarian cell apoptosis in ancient chelicerate Tachypleus tridentatus
    Tan K, Waiho K, Tan K, Qiao Y, Lim LS, Yang X, et al.
    Biochem Biophys Res Commun, 2023 Oct 30;679:66-74.
    PMID: 37673004 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2023.08.066
    Vitellogenin (Vtg) serves as the precursor of yolk protein and exhibits widespread distribution in tissues, including in the ovary of both vertebrates and invertebrates. Vtg plays a critical role in facilitating oocyte maturation and embryonic development following oviposition. In this study, we have successfully elucidated the complete transcript sequence of TtVtg6-like from an ancient chelicerate Tachypleus tridentatus. The TtVtg6-like transcript encompassed a length of 4887 bp and encoded 1629 amino acids residues. Notably, TtVtg6-like was found to contain 25 exons. Furthermore, the molecular weight and isoelectric point of TtVtg6-like were determined to be 191.6 KDa and 6.73, respectively. Subsequent mRNA expression analysis demonstrated the specific expression of TtVtg6-like in ovary and yellow connective tissue. In addition, TtVtg6-like was located and distributed in both ovary and yellow connective tissue. Intriguingly, employing an siRNA approach to silence TtVtg6-like resulted in a decrease in TtVtg6-like transcription levels. Concomitantly, TtVtg6-like silencing led to increase production of ROS, ultimately resulting in DNA damage and cell apoptosis within the ovarian primary cell. The induction of apoptosis ovarian primary cells due to TtVtg6-like silencing was further corroborated through TUNEL assay and flow cytometry analysis. Overall, our findings underscore the significance of TtVtg6-like in ovarian cell development, revealing its potential association with ovarian cell apoptosis. Consequently, the insights gained from this study contribute to the future exploration of vitellogenesis and ovarian development in T. tridentatus.
  9. Survival of beneficial microbes in liquid bioformulation and optimization of different carrier materials using RSM technique
    Chompa SS, Zuan ATK, Amin AM, Hun TG, Ghazali AHA, Sadeq BM, et al.
    Int Microbiol, 2023 Aug 31.
    PMID: 37651053 DOI: 10.1007/s10123-023-00423-4
    Soil salinity in rice cultivation areas is considered a severely limiting factor that adversely affects the quantity and quality of rice production in wetlands. Recently, the alternative use of salt-tolerant plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) inhabiting extreme saline conditions has gained remarkable attention and had positive effects on soil and crops. Therefore, a study has been initiated to develop a liquid biofertilizer formulation from locally isolated multi-strain salt-tolerant PGPR strains such as Bacillus tequilensis and Bacillus aryabhattai, using glycerol (5 mM), trehalose (10 mM), and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) at 1% as additives to prolong the shelf-life of the bacteria. After 3 months of incubation, the bacterial population in the trehalose-supplemented mixed strain was highest at 9.73×107 CFU/mL, followed by UPMRE6 and UPMRB9 at 9.40×107 CFU/mL and 8.50×107 CFU/mL respectively. The results showed that the optimal trehalose concentration successfully prolonged the shelf-life of bacteria with minimal cell loss. Validation of quadratic optimization by response surface methodology revealed that the cell density of the mixed strain was 4.278×107 log CFU/mL after 24 h. The precision ratio was 99.7% higher than the predicted value in the minimized medium formulation: 0.267 g/mL trehalose, 1% glycerol, at 120 rpm agitation using the data analysis tools of Design Expert software. The population study confirmed the better and longer survival of salt-tolerant PGPR fortified with 10 mM trehalose, which was considered the best liquid biofertilizer formulation. Moreover, the optimized trehalose-glycerol liquid formulation can be used commercially as it is cost-effective.
  10. Growth and protein response of rice plant with plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria inoculations under salt stress conditions
    Chompa SS, Zuan ATK, Amin AM, Hun TG, Ghazali AHA, Sadeq BM, et al.
    Int Microbiol, 2024 Jan 03.
    PMID: 38172302 DOI: 10.1007/s10123-023-00469-4
    Soil salinity has been one of the significant barriers to improving rice production and quality. According to reports, Bacillus spp. can be utilized to boost plant development in saline soil, although the molecular mechanisms behind the interaction of microbes towards salt stress are not fully known. Variations in rice plant protein expression in response to salt stress and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) inoculations were investigated using a proteomic method and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Findings revealed that 54 salt-responsive proteins were identified by mass spectrometry analysis (LC-MS/MS) with the Bacillus spp. interaction, and the proteins were functionally classified as gene ontology. The initial study showed that all proteins were labeled by mass spectrometry analysis (LC-MS/MS) with Bacillus spp. interaction; the proteins were functionally classified into six groups. Approximately 18 identified proteins (up-regulated, 13; down-regulated, 5) were involved in the photosynthetic process. An increase in the expression of eight up-regulated and two down-regulated proteins in protein synthesis known as chaperones, such as the 60 kDa chaperonin, the 70 kDa heat shock protein BIP, and calreticulin, was involved in rice plant stress tolerance. Several proteins involved in protein metabolism and signaling pathways also experienced significant changes in their expression. The results revealed that phytohormones regulated the manifestation of various chaperones and protein abundance and that protein synthesis played a significant role in regulating salt stress. This study also described how chaperones regulate rice salt stress, their different subcellular localizations, and the activity of chaperones.
  11. Fulltext Treatment outcomes of sofosbuvir/velpatasvir/voxilaprevir among NS5A inhibitor-experienced patients with hepatitis C: Real-world data from a multicenter Asian registry
    Wong YJ, Kumar R, Kumar R, Tan J, Liu CH, Hui VK, et al.
    J Gastroenterol Hepatol, 2022 Aug;37(8):1642-1644.
    PMID: 35723645 DOI: 10.1111/jgh.15918
  12. Metabolic and biochemical changes in streptozotocin induced obese-diabetic rats treated with Phyllanthus niruri extract
    Mediani A, Abas F, Maulidiani M, Khatib A, Tan CP, Ismail IS, et al.
    J Pharm Biomed Anal, 2016 Sep 05;128:302-312.
    PMID: 27318080 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2016.06.003
    Herbal medicine has been proven to be an effective therapy offering a variety of benefits, such as moderate reduction in hypoglycemia, in the treatment and prevention of obesity and diabetes. Phyllanthus niruri has been used as a treatment for diabetes mellitus. Herein, the induction of type 2 diabetes in Sprague-Dawley rats was achieved by a low dose of streptozotocin (STZ) (25mg/kgbw). Here, we evaluated the in vivo antidiabetic properties of two concentrations (250 and 500mg/kg bw) of P. niruri via metabolomics approach. The administration of 500mg/kgbw of P. niruri extract caused the metabolic disorders of obese diabetic rats to be improved towards the normal state. The extract also clearly decreased the serum glucose level and improved the lipid profile in obese diabetic rats. The results of this study may contribute towards better understanding the molecular mechanism of this medicinal plant in managing diabetes mellitus.
  13. Aptamer-Mediated Polymeric Vehicles for Enhanced Cell-Targeted Drug Delivery
    Tan KX, Danquah MK, Sidhu A, Yon LS, Ongkudon CM
    Curr Drug Targets, 2018 02 08;19(3):248-258.
    PMID: 27321771 DOI: 10.2174/1389450117666160617120926
    BACKGROUND: The search for smart delivery systems for enhanced pre-clinical and clinical pharmaceutical delivery and cell targeting continues to be a major biomedical research endeavor owing to differences in the physicochemical characteristics and physiological effects of drug molecules, and this affects the delivery mechanisms to elicit maximum therapeutic effects. Targeted drug delivery is a smart evolution essential to address major challenges associated with conventional drug delivery systems. These challenges mostly result in poor pharmacokinetics due to the inability of the active pharmaceutical ingredients to specifically act on malignant cells thus, causing poor therapeutic index and toxicity to surrounding normal cells. Aptamers are oligonucleotides with engineered affinities to bind specifically to their cognate targets. Aptamers have gained significant interests as effective targeting elements for enhanced therapeutic delivery as they can be generated to specifically bind to wide range of targets including proteins, peptides, ions, cells and tissues. Notwithstanding, effective delivery of aptamers as therapeutic vehicles is challenged by cell membrane electrostatic repulsion, endonuclease degradation, low pH cleavage, and binding conformation stability.

    OBJECTIVE: The application of molecularly engineered biodegradable and biocompatible polymeric particles with tunable features such as surface area and chemistry, particulate size distribution and toxicity creates opportunities to develop smart aptamer-mediated delivery systems for controlled drug release.

    RESULTS: This article discusses opportunities for particulate aptamer-drug formulations to advance current drug delivery modalities by navigating active ingredients through cellular and biomolecular traffic to target sites for sustained and controlled release at effective therapeutic dosages while minimizing systemic cytotoxic effects.

    CONCLUSION: A proposal for a novel drug-polymer-aptamer-polymer (DPAP) design of aptamer-drug formulation with stage-wise delivery mechanism is presented to illustrate the potential efficacy of aptamer- polymer cargos for enhanced cell targeting and drug delivery.

  14. Fulltext The Use of NS1 Rapid Diagnostic Test and qRT-PCR to Complement IgM ELISA for Improved Dengue Diagnosis from Single Specimen
    Teoh BT, Sam SS, Tan KK, Johari J, Abd-Jamil J, Hooi PS, et al.
    Sci Rep, 2016 06 09;6:27663.
    PMID: 27278716 DOI: 10.1038/srep27663
    Timely and accurate dengue diagnosis is important for differential diagnosis and immediate implementation of appropriate disease control measures. In this study, we compared the usefulness and applicability of NS1 RDT (NS1 Ag Strip) and qRT-PCR tests in complementing the IgM ELISA for dengue diagnosis on single serum specimen (n = 375). The NS1 Ag Strip and qRT-PCR showed a fair concordance (κ = 0.207, p = 0.001). While the NS1 Ag Strip showed higher positivity than qRT-PCR for acute (97.8% vs. 84.8%) and post-acute samples (94.8% vs. 71.8%) of primary infection, qRT-PCR showed higher positivity for acute (58.1% vs. 48.4%) and post-acute (50.0% vs.41.4%) samples in secondary infection. IgM ELISA showed higher positivity in samples from secondary dengue (74.2-94.8%) than in those from primary dengue (21.7-64.1%). More primary dengue samples showed positive with combined NS1 Ag Strip/IgM ELISA (99.0% vs. 92.8%) whereas more secondary samples showed positive with combined qRT-PCR/IgM ELISA (99.4% vs. 96.2%). Combined NS1 Ag Strip/IgM ELISA is a suitable combination tests for timely and accurate dengue diagnosis on single serum specimen. If complemented with qRT-PCR, combined NS1 Ag Strip/IgM ELISA would improve detection of secondary dengue samples.
  15. Fulltext Phenotypic and Genetic Diversity of Aeromonas Species Isolated from Fresh Water Lakes in Malaysia
    Khor WC, Puah SM, Tan JA, Puthucheary SD, Chua KH
    PLoS One, 2015;10(12):e0145933.
    PMID: 26710336 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0145933
    Gram-negative bacilli of the genus Aeromonas are primarily inhabitants of the aquatic environment. Humans acquire this organism from a wide range of food and water sources as well as during aquatic recreational activities. In the present study, the diversity and distribution of Aeromonas species from freshwater lakes in Malaysia was investigated using glycerophospholipid-cholesterol acyltransferase (GCAT) and RNA polymerase sigma-factor (rpoD) genes for speciation. A total of 122 possible Aeromonas strains were isolated and confirmed to genus level using the API20E system. The clonality of the isolates was investigated using ERIC-PCR and 20 duplicate isolates were excluded from the study. The specific GCAT-PCR identified all isolates as belonging to the genus Aeromonas, in agreement with the biochemical identification. A phylogenetic tree was constructed using the rpoD gene sequence and all 102 isolates were identified as: A. veronii 43%, A. jandaei 37%, A. hydrophila 6%, A. caviae 4%, A. salmonicida 2%, A. media 2%, A. allosaccharophila 1%, A. dhakensis 1% and Aeromonas spp. 4%. Twelve virulence genes were present in the following proportions--exu 96%, ser 93%, aer 87%, fla 83%, enolase 70%, ela 62%, act 54%, aexT 33%, lip 16%, dam 16%, alt 8% and ast 4%, and at least 2 of these genes were present in all 102 strains. The ascV, aexU and hlyA genes were not detected among the isolates. A. hydrophila was the main species containing virulence genes alt and ast either present alone or in combination. It is possible that different mechanisms may be used by each genospecies to demonstrate virulence. In summary, with the use of GCAT and rpoD genes, unambiguous identification of Aeromonas species is possible and provides valuable data on the phylogenetic diversity of the organism.
  16. Facile hydrothermal growth graphene/ZnO nanocomposite for development of enhanced biosensor
    Low SS, Tan MT, Loh HS, Khiew PS, Chiu WS
    Anal Chim Acta, 2016 Jan 15;903:131-41.
    PMID: 26709306 DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2015.11.006
    Graphene/zinc oxide nanocomposite was synthesised via a facile, green and efficient approach consisted of novel liquid phase exfoliation and solvothermal growth for sensing application. Highly pristine graphene was synthesised through mild sonication treatment of graphite in a mixture of ethanol and water at an optimum ratio. The X-ray diffractometry (XRD) affirmed the hydrothermal growth of pure zinc oxide nanoparticles from zinc nitrate hexahydrate precursor. The as-prepared graphene/zinc oxide (G/ZnO) nanocomposite was characterised comprehensively to evaluate its morphology, crystallinity, composition and purity. All results clearly indicate that zinc oxide particles were homogenously distributed on graphene sheets, without any severe aggregation. The electrochemical performance of graphene/zinc oxide nanocomposite-modified screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) was evaluated using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and amperometry analysis. The resulting electrode exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity towards the reduction of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in a linear range of 1-15 mM with a correlation coefficient of 0.9977. The sensitivity of the graphene/zinc oxide nanocomposite-modified hydrogen peroxide sensor was 3.2580 μAmM(-1) with a limit of detection of 7.4357 μM. An electrochemical DNA sensor platform was then fabricated for the detection of Avian Influenza H5 gene based on graphene/zinc oxide nanocomposite. The results obtained from amperometry study indicate that the graphene/zinc oxide nanocomposite-enhanced electrochemical DNA biosensor is significantly more sensitive (P 
  17. Fulltext Occurrence and Antibiotic Resistance of Vibrio parahaemolyticus from Shellfish in Selangor, Malaysia
    Letchumanan V, Pusparajah P, Tan LT, Yin WF, Lee LH, Chan KG
    Front Microbiol, 2015;6:1417.
    PMID: 26697003 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.01417
    High consumer demand for shellfish has led to the need for large-scale, reliable shellfish supply through aquaculture or shellfish farming. However, bacterial infections which can spread rapidly among shellfish poses a major threat to this industry. Shellfish farmers therefore often resort to extensive use of antibiotics, both prophylactically and therapeutically, in order to protect their stocks. The extensive use of antibiotics in aquaculture has been postulated to represent a major contributing factor in the rising incidence of antimicrobial resistant pathogenic bacteria in shellfish. This study aimed to investigate the incidence of pathogenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus and determine the antibiotic resistance profile as well as to perform plasmid curing in order to determine the antibiotic resistance mediation. Based on colony morphology, all 450 samples tested were positive for Vibrio sp; however, tox-R assay showed that only 44.4% (200/450) of these were V. parahaemolyticus. Out of these 200 samples, 6.5% (13/200) were trh-positive while none were tdh-positive. Antibiotic resistance was determined for all V. parahaemolyticus identified against 14 commonly used antibiotics and the multiple antibiotic resistance index (MAR) was calculated. The isolates demonstrated high resistance to several antibiotics tested- including second and third-line antibiotics- with 88% resistant to ampicillin, 81% to amikacin,70.5% to kanamycin, 73% to cefotaxime, and 51.5% to ceftazidime. The MAR index ranged from 0.00 to 0.79 with the majority of samples having an index of 0.36 (resistant to five antibiotics). Among the 13 trh-positive strains, almost 70% (9/13) demonstrated resistance to 4 or more antibiotics. Plasmid profiling for all V. parahaemolyticus isolates revealed that 86.5% (173/200) contained plasmids - ranging from 1 to 7 plasmids with DNA band sizes ranging from 1.2 kb to greater than 10 kb. 6/13 of the pathogenic V. pathogenic strains contained plasmid. After plasmid curing, the plasmid containing pathogenic strains isolated in our study have chromosomally mediated ampicillin resistance while the remaining resistance phenotypes are plasmid mediated. Overall, our results indicate that while the incidence of pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus in shellfish in Selangor still appears to be at relatively reassuring levels, antibiotic resistance is a real concern and warrants ongoing surveillance.
  18. Fulltext Renin-Angiotensin System Gene Variants and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Influence of Angiotensinogen
    Joyce-Tan SM, Zain SM, Abdul Sattar MZ, Abdullah NA
    J Diabetes Res, 2016;2016:2161376.
    PMID: 26682227 DOI: 10.1155/2016/2161376
    Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been successfully used to call for variants associated with diseases including type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, some variants are not included in the GWAS to avoid penalty in multiple hypothetic testing. Thus, candidate gene approach is still useful even at GWAS era. This study attempted to assess whether genetic variations in the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and their gene interactions are associated with T2DM risk. We genotyped 290 T2DM patients and 267 controls using three genes of the RAS, namely, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), angiotensinogen (AGT), and angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AGTR1). There were significant differences in allele frequencies between cases and controls for AGT variants (P = 0.05) but not for ACE and AGTR1. Haplotype TCG of the AGT was associated with increased risk of T2DM (OR 1.92, 95% CI 1.15-3.20, permuted P = 0.012); however, no evidence of significant gene-gene interactions was seen. Nonetheless, our analysis revealed that the associations of the AGT variants with T2DM were independently associated. Thus, this study suggests that genetic variants of the RAS can modestly influence the T2DM risk.
  19. Fulltext Investigation of Antioxidative and Anticancer Potentials of Streptomyces sp. MUM256 Isolated from Malaysia Mangrove Soil
    Tan LT, Ser HL, Yin WF, Chan KG, Lee LH, Goh BH
    Front Microbiol, 2015;6:1316.
    PMID: 26635777 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.01316
    A Streptomyces strain, MUM256 was isolated from Tanjung Lumpur mangrove soil in Malaysia. Characterization of the strain showed that it has properties consistent with those of the members of the genus Streptomyces. In order to explore the potential bioactivities, extract of the fermented broth culture of MUM256 was prepared with organic solvent extraction method. DPPH and SOD activity were utilized to examine the antioxidant capacity and the results have revealed the potency of MUM256 in superoxide anion scavenging activity in dose-dependent manner. The cytotoxicity of MUM256 extract was determined using cell viability assay against 8 different panels of human cancer cell lines. Among all the tested cancer cells, HCT116 was the most sensitive toward the extract treatment. At the highest concentration of tested extract, the result showed 2.3-, 2.0-, and 1.8-folds higher inhibitory effect against HCT116, HT29, and Caco-2 respectively when compared to normal cell line. This result has demonstrated that MUM256 extract was selectively cytotoxic toward colon cancer cell lines. In order to determine the constituents responsible for its bioactivities, the extract was then subjected to chemical analysis using GC-MS. The analysis resulted in the identification of chemical constituents including phenolic and pyrrolopyrazine compounds which may responsible for antioxidant and anticancer activities observed. Based on the findings of this study, the presence of bioactive constituents in MUM256 extract could be a potential source for the development of antioxidative and chemopreventive agents.
  20. Small interfering RNA silencing of interleukin-6 in mesenchymal stromal cells inhibits multiple myeloma cell growth
    Teoh HK, Chong PP, Abdullah M, Sekawi Z, Tan GC, Leong CF, et al.
    Leuk. Res., 2016 Jan;40:44-53.
    PMID: 26626206 DOI: 10.1016/j.leukres.2015.10.004
    Studies demonstrated that mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) from bone marrow stroma produced high concentration of interleukin-6 (IL-6) that promoted multiple myeloma cell growth. In view of the failure of IL-6 monoclonal antibody therapy to demonstrate substantial clinical responses in early clinical trials, more effective methods are needed in order to disrupt the favourable microenvironment provided by the bone marrow stroma. In this study, we evaluated the short interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated silencing of IL-6 in MSC and the efficacy of these genetically modified MSC, with IL-6 suppression, on inhibition of U266 multiple myeloma cell growth. IL-6 mRNA and protein were significantly suppressed by 72h post IL-6 siRNA transfection without affecting the biological properties of MSC. Here we show significant inhibition of cell growth and IL-6 production in U266 cells co-cultured with MSC transfected with IL-6 siRNA when compared to U266 cells co-cultured with control MSC. We also show that the tumour volume and mitotic index of tumours in nude mice co-injected with U266 and MSC transfected with IL-6 siRNA were significantly reduced compared to tumours of mice co-injected with control MSC. Our results suggest potential use of RNA interference mediated therapy for multiple myeloma.
Related Terms
Filters
Contact Us

Please provide feedback to Administrator (afdal@afpm.org.my)

External Links