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  1. Interference Potential of Tannins and Chlorophylls in Zebrafish Phenotypic-Based Assays
    Samat N, Ng MF, Ruslan NF, Okuda KS, Tan PJ, Patel V
    Assay Drug Dev Technol, 2018 10;16(7):408-419.
    PMID: 29985634 DOI: 10.1089/adt.2017.833
    Natural products are prolific producers of diverse chemical scaffolds, which have yielded several clinically useful drugs. However, the complex features of natural products present challenges for identifying bioactive molecules using high-throughput screens. For most assays, measured endpoints are either colorimetric or luminescence based. Thus, the presence of the major metabolites, tannins, and chlorophylls, in natural products could potentially interfere with these measurements to give either false-positive or false-negative hits. In this context, zebrafish phenotypic assays provide an alternative approach to bioprospect naturally occurring bioactive compounds. Whether tannins and/or chlorophylls interfere in zebrafish phenotypic assays, is unclear. In this study, we evaluated the interference potential of tannins and chlorophylls against efficacy of known small-molecule inhibitors that are known to cause phenotypic abnormalities in developing zebrafish embryos. First, we fractionated tannin-enriched fraction (TEF) and chlorophyll-enriched fraction (CEF) from Camellia sinensis and cotreated them with PD0325901 [mitogen-activated protein kinase-kinase (MEK) inhibitor] and sunitinib malate (SM; anti-[lymph]angiogenic drug). While TEF and CEF did not interfere with phenotypic or molecular endpoints of PD0325901, TEF at 100 μg/mL partially masked the antiangiogenic effect of SM. On the other hand, CEF (100 μg/mL) was toxic when treated up to 6 dpf. Furthermore, CEF at 100 μg/mL potentially enhanced the activity of γ-secretase inhibitors, resulting in toxicity of treated embryos. Our study provides evidence that the presence of tannin and/or chlorophyll in natural products do interfere with zebrafish phenotype assays used for identifying potential hits. However, this may be target/assay dependent and thus requiring additional optimization steps to assess interference potential of tannins and chlorophylls before performing any screening assay.
  2. Fulltext Electrochemical Biosensor for Nitrite Based on Polyacrylic-Graphene Composite Film with Covalently Immobilized Hemoglobin
    Raja Jamaluddin RZA, Yook Heng L, Tan LL, Chong KF
    Sensors (Basel), 2018 Apr 26;18(5).
    PMID: 29701688 DOI: 10.3390/s18051343
    A new biosensor for the analysis of nitrite in food was developed based on hemoglobin (Hb) covalently immobilized on the succinimide functionalized poly(n-butyl acrylate)-graphene [poly(nBA)-rGO] composite film deposited on a carbon-paste screen-printed electrode (SPE). The immobilized Hb on the poly(nBA)-rGO conducting matrix exhibited electrocatalytic ability for the reduction of nitrite with significant enhancement in the reduction peak at −0.6 V versus Ag/AgCl reference electrode. Thus, direct determination of nitrite can be achieved by monitoring the cathodic peak current signal of the proposed polyacrylic-graphene hybrid film-based voltammetric nitrite biosensor. The nitrite biosensor exhibited a reproducible dynamic linear response range from 0.05⁻5 mg L−1 nitrite and a detection limit of 0.03 mg L−1. No significant interference was observed by potential interfering ions such as Ca2+, Na⁺, K⁺, NH₄⁺, Mg2+, and NO₃− ions. Analysis of nitrite in both raw and processed edible bird’s nest (EBN) samples demonstrated recovery of close to 100%. The covalent immobilization of Hb on poly(nBA)-rGO composite film has improved the performance of the electrochemical nitrite biosensor in terms of broader detection range, lower detection limit, and prolonged biosensor stability.
  3. Fulltext The crucial role of molecular testing to facilitate the diagnosis of pneumocystis pneumonia during pregnancy
    Ding CH, Yusoff H, Muttaqillah NAS, Tang YL, Tan TL, Periyasamy P, et al.
    Malays J Pathol, 2018 Apr;40(1):69-72.
    PMID: 29704387 MyJurnal
    Pneumocystis pneumonia is an important human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated opportunistic infection, and especially so in pregnant HIV-positive patients. We report a case of a 40-year-old woman in her first trimester of pregnancy who initially presented with acute gastroenteritis symptoms but due to a history of high-risk behaviour and the observation of oral thrush, she was worked up for HIV infection. Her retroviral status was positive and her CD4+ T cell count was only 8 cells/µL. She was also worked up for pneumocystis pneumonia due to the presence of mild resting tachypnoea and a notable drop in oxygen saturation (from 100% to 88%) following brief ambulation. Her chest radiograph revealed bilaterally symmetrical lower zone reticular opacities and Giemsa staining of her bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was negative for Pneumocystis jirovecii cysts. However, real-time P. jirovecii polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing on the same BAL specimen revealed the presence of the organism. A course of oral co-trimoxazole plus prednisolone was commenced and her clinical condition improved.
  4. The spectrum of pathological findings of tonsils in children: A clinicopathological review
    Tan GC, Stalling M, Al-Rawabdeh S, Kahwash BM, Alkhoury RF, Kahwash SB
    Malays J Pathol, 2018 Apr;40(1):11-26.
    PMID: 29704380
    Tonsillectomy is among the most commonly performed operations in children. Although follicular lymphoid hyperplasia is usually the main and only pathologic finding at microscopic examination, a variety of other rare but important pathologic changes may be encountered. This review aims to provide an inclusive practical resource and reference for both training and practising pathologists. It discusses the spectrum of pathologic findings, including both neoplastic and non-neoplastic conditions and provides illustrative images.
  5. Biosorption of copper by endophytic fungi isolated from Nepenthes ampullaria
    Wong C, Tan LT, Mujahid A, Lihan S, Wee JLS, Ting LF, et al.
    Lett Appl Microbiol, 2018 Oct;67(4):384-391.
    PMID: 29998586 DOI: 10.1111/lam.13049
    Copper (Cu) tolerance was observed by endophytic fungi isolated from the carnivorous plant Nepenthes ampullaria (collected at an anthropogenically affected site, Kuching city; and a pristine site; Heart of Borneo). The fungal isolates, capable of tolerating Cu up to 1000 ppm (11 isolates in total), were identified through molecular method [internal transcribed spacer 4+5 (ITS4+5); ITS1+NL4; β-tubulin region using Bt2a + Bt2b], and all of them grouped with Diaporthe, Nigrospora, and Xylaria. A Cu biosorption study was then carried out using live and dead biomass of the 11 fungal isolates. The highest biosorption capacity of using live biomass was achieved by fungal isolates Xylaria sp. NA40 (73·26 ± 1·61 mg Cu per g biomass) and Diaporthe sp. NA41 (72·65 ± 2·23 mg Cu per g biomass), NA27 (59·81 ± 1·15 mg Cu per g biomass) and NA28 (56·85 ± 4·23 mg Cu per g biomass). The fungal isolate Diaporthe sp. NA41 also achieved the highest biosorption capacity of 59·33 ± 0·15 mg g-1 using dead biomass. The living biomass possessed a better biosorption capacity than the dead biomass (P 
  6. Anterior-apical single-incision mesh surgery (uphold): 1-year outcomes on lower urinary tract symptoms, anatomy and ultrasonography
    Lo TS, Pue LB, Tan YL, Hsieh WC, Kao CC, Uy-Patrimonio MC
    Int Urogynecol J, 2019 07;30(7):1163-1172.
    PMID: 30008078 DOI: 10.1007/s00192-018-3691-6
    INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: Our primary objective is to determine the presence of SUI at 6-12 months after surgery. The secondary objective is to determine the objective and subjective outcomes of POP.

    METHODS: A retrospective study conducted between February 2015 and July 2016 at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. The subjects had had symptomatic anterior or apical prolapse with stage III or IV and undergone pelvic reconstructive surgery using Uphold™ LITE. Patients completed a 3-day voiding diary, urodynamic study, real-time ultrasonography and validated quality-of-life questionnaires at baseline and 12-month follow-up. Primary outcome was the absence of USI. Secondary outcomes included the objective cure rate of POP, ≤ stage 1 at the anterior/apical vaginal wall, and the subjective cure rate, negative feedback to POPDI-6.

    RESULTS: Ninety-five women were eligible. Six were excluded because of incomplete data. The postoperative de novo USI and SUI were 22.7 and 19.7%, respectively. There was significant improvement of USI in patients who had MUS insertion (93.8%) and bladder outlet obstruction (96.7%). The objective and subjective cure rate for prolapse was 95.5 and 94.3%, respectively. POP-Q measurements pre- and postoperatively were significantly improved at all points except for Gh and Pb. There was a significant difference in the distance between the bladder neck to the distal end of the mesh during straining both at both the postoperative 3rd month and 1 year.

    CONCLUSIONS: Uphold™ mesh has a 20% incidence of de novo USI with acceptable objective and subjective cure rates at 1 year postoperatively. The de novo USI rate was high but not bothersome enough to require surgery.

  7. Photodynamic inactivation of Burkholderia cepacia by curcumin in combination with EDTA
    Hu J, Lin S, Tan BK, Hamzah SS, Lin Y, Kong Z, et al.
    Food Res Int, 2018 09;111:265-271.
    PMID: 30007685 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2018.05.042
    Burkholderia cepacia (B. cepacia) is an aerobic Gram-negative bacillus found in various aquatic environments and can cause food contamination. We investigated the photodynamic antibacterial effects of food additive curcumin combined with EDTA on B. cepacia. We found a ~4-log reduction in B. cepacia viability when photo-irradiated with curcumin at 50 μM by blue LED light (16 mW/cm2) for 30 min with 0.4% (w/v) EDTA. Moreover, the bacterial morphological alterations and the leakage of intracellular contents were observed after photodynamic treatment. There were also obvious genomic DNA cleavage and a general loss of bacterial proteins assigned to large-scale protein degradation after photodynamic inactivation treatment. Collectively, curcumin in combination with EDTA illuminated by blue LED is a potential candidate for photodynamic inactivation of B. cepacia.
  8. Diatom Nitzschia navis-varingica (Bacillariophyceae) and its domoic acid production from the mangrove environments of Malaysia
    Tan SN, Teng ST, Lim HC, Kotaki Y, Bates SS, Leaw CP, et al.
    Harmful Algae, 2016 12;60:139-149.
    PMID: 28073557 DOI: 10.1016/j.hal.2016.11.003
    The distribution of the toxic pennate diatom Nitzschia was investigated at four mangrove areas along the coastal brackish waters of Peninsular Malaysia. Eighty-two strains of N. navis-varingica were isolated and established, and their identity confirmed morphologically and molecularly. Frustule morphological characteristics of the strains examined are identical to previously identified N. navis-varingica, but with a sightly higher density of the number of areolae per 1μm (4-7 areolae). Both LSU and ITS rDNAs phylogenetic trees clustered all strains in the N. navis-varingica clade, with high sequence homogeneity in the LSU rDNA (0-0.3%), while the intraspecific divergences in the ITS2 data set reached up to 7.4%. Domoic acid (DA) and its geometrical isomers, isodomoic A (IA) and isodomoic B (IB), were detected in cultures of N. navis-varingica by FMOC-LC-FLD, and subsequently confirmed by LC-MS/MS, with selected ion monitoring (SIM) and multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) runs. DA contents ranged between 0.37 and 11.06pgcell-1. This study demonstrated that the toxigenic euryhaline diatom N. navis-varingica is widely distributed in Malaysian mangrove swamps, suggesting the risk of amnesic shellfish poisoning and the possibility of DA contamination in the mangrove-related fisheries products.
  9. Recent Modifications and Validation of QuEChERS-dSPE Coupled to LC-MS and GC-MS Instruments for Determination of Pesticide/Agrochemical Residues in Fruits and Vegetables: Review
    Lawal A, Wong RCS, Tan GH, Abdulra'uf LB, Alsharif AMA
    J Chromatogr Sci, 2018 Aug 01;56(7):656-669.
    PMID: 29688338 DOI: 10.1093/chromsci/bmy032
    Fruits and vegetables constitute a major type of food consumed daily apart from whole grains. Unfortunately, the residual deposits of pesticides in these products are becoming a major health concern for human consumption. Consequently, the outcome of the long-term accumulation of pesticide residues has posed many health issues to both humans and animals in the environment. However, the residues have previously been determined using conventionally known techniques, which include liquid-liquid extraction, solid-phase extraction (SPE) and the recently used liquid-phase microextraction techniques. Despite the positive technological effects of these methods, their limitations include; time-consuming, operational difficulty, use of toxic organic solvents, low selective property and expensive extraction setups, with shorter lifespan of instrumental performances. Thus, the potential and maximum use of these methods for pesticides residue determination has resulted in the urgent need for better techniques that will overcome the highlighted drawbacks. Alternatively, attention has been drawn recently towards the use of quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe technique (QuEChERS) coupled with dispersive solid-phase extraction (dSPE) to overcome the setback challenges experienced by the previous technologies. Conclusively, the reviewed QuEChERS-dSPE techniques and the recent cleanup modifications justifiably prove to be reliable for routine determination and monitoring the concentration levels of pesticide residues using advanced instruments such as high-performance liquid chromatography, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.
  10. Direct recovery of mangostins from Garcinia mangostana pericarps using cellulase-assisted aqueous micellar biphasic system with recyclable surfactant
    Ng HS, Tan GYT, Lee KH, Zimmermann W, Yim HS, Lan JC
    J Biosci Bioeng, 2018 Oct;126(4):507-513.
    PMID: 29764763 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiosc.2018.04.008
    The α- and γ-mangostins from Garcinia mangostana pericarps (GMP) exhibit antioxidant, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor properties. The extraction yields α- and γ-mangostins are often limited by the presence of the GMP cell walls. Therefore, the extraction and recovery of mangostins from GMP with an Aspergillus niger cellulase-assisted aqueous micellar biphasic system (CA-AMBS) was developed for enhanced yield of mangostins. Effects of the concentration of cellulase, the incubation time and the temperature of the system on the recovery of mangostins were investigated. The optimum condition for the recovery of α- and γ-mangostins was obtained with the addition of 0.5% (w/w) cellulase incubated at 40°C for 2 h. High log partition coefficients of α-mangostins (log Kα 4.79 ± 0.02) and γ-mangostins (log Kγ 4.02 ± 0.02) were achieved. High yields of α-mangostins (73.4%) and γ-mangostins (14.0%) were obtained from the micelle-rich bottom phase with final concentrations of 3.67 mg/mL and 0.70 mg/mL, respectively. The back-extraction of mangostins was performed with the addition of 30% (w/w) of isopropanol and 0.05 M of KCl at pH 9 to the bottom phase of the CA-AMBS. The yields of the α- and γ-mangostins from GMP were considerably enhanced with the CA-AMBS and the direct recovery of mangostins was demonstrated without additional downstream processing steps.
  11. Isolation and characterization of a novel anti-salbutamol chicken scFv for human doping urinalysis
    Lee W, Syed A A, Leow CY, Tan SC, Leow CH
    Anal Biochem, 2018 08 15;555:81-93.
    PMID: 29775561 DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2018.05.009
    Anti-salbutamol antibodies remain as important tools for the detection of salbutamol abuse in athletic doping. This study evaluated the feasibility and efficiency of the chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) as an immunization host to generate anti-salbutamol scFv antibodies by phage display. A phage display antibody library was constructed from a single chicken immunized against salbutamol-KLH conjugate. After a stringent biopanning strategy, a novel scFv clone which was inhibited by free salbutamol recorded the highest affinity. This scFv was expressed as soluble and functional protein in Escherichia coli T7 SHuffle Express B (DE3) strain. Cross-reactivity studies of the scFv towards other relevant β2-agonists revealed that the scFv cross-reacted significantly towards clenbuterol. The determined IC50 of the scFv towards the two β2-agonists were; IC50 salbutamol = ∼0.310 μg/ml, IC50 clenbuterol = ∼0.076 μg/ml. The generated scFv demonstrated poor stability based on accelerated stability studies. The scFv was used to develop an competitive indirect ELISA (LOD = 0.125 μg/ml) for detection of parent salbutamol in spiked human urine (n = 18) with ∼83.4% reliability at the cut-off of 1 μg/ml currently implemented by WADA and may be of potential use in human doping urinalysis.
  12. Characteristics of Chamaerops humilis L. var. humilis seed oil and study of the oxidative stability by blending with soybean oil
    Mokbli S, Sbihi HM, Nehdi IA, Romdhani-Younes M, Tan CP, Al-Resayes SI
    J Food Sci Technol, 2018 Jun;55(6):2170-2179.
    PMID: 29892118 DOI: 10.1007/s13197-018-3134-x
    Herein we examine the characteristics of date seed oil extracted from Chamaerops humilis L. var. humilis seeds (HSO) cultivated in a gardening zone in Tunisia. Its physicochemical properties, fatty acid composition, and thermal and antioxidant properties were evaluated and compared with those of seed oil from another variety of Chamaerops humilis. The results showed that HSO possessed higher contents of oleic (44%) and linoleic (20%) acids than the other seed oil. The total tocopherol and tocotrienol content was 88 mg/100 g oil, where α-tocotrienol (64%) was the major isomer. The total phenolic (91 μg/g oil) and flavonoid contents (18 μg/g oil) of the HSO were determined, and its antioxidant capacities, measured in terms of ABTS and DPPH radical-scavenging capacities, were 210 µM TEAC/g DW and 4.3 mM TEAC/g DW, respectively. The oxidative stability index (OSI) of the oil was 16 h at 110 °C. Furthermore, the OSI of soybean oil was significantly enhanced upon blending with HSO. HSO exhibited higher thermal stability than the other oils and significantly different thermal behavior. The determination of fatty acid composition, physicochemical properties, bioactive content, oxidative stability, and thermal behavior of HSO demonstrated that this renewable resource can be used for edible purposes.
  13. Nanoparticle-Hydrogel Composites: Concept, Design, and Applications of These Promising, Multi-Functional Materials
    Thoniyot P, Tan MJ, Karim AA, Young DJ, Loh XJ
    Adv Sci (Weinh), 2015 02;2(1-2):1400010.
    PMID: 27980900
    New technologies rely on the development of new materials, and these may simply be the innovative combination of known components. The structural combination of a polymer hydrogel network with a nanoparticle (metals, non-metals, metal oxides, and polymeric moieties) holds the promise of providing superior functionality to the composite material with applications in diverse fields, including catalysis, electronics, bio-sensing, drug delivery, nano-medicine, and environmental remediation. This mixing may result in a synergistic property enhancement of each component: for example, the mechanical strength of the hydrogel and concomitantly decrease aggregation of the nanoparticles. These mutual benefits and the associated potential applications have seen a surge of interest in the past decade from multi-disciplinary research groups. Recent advances in nanoparticle-hydrogel composites are herein reviewed with a focus on their synthesis, design, potential applications, and the inherent challenges accompanying these exciting materials.
  14. Fulltext Estimating renal function in the elderly Malaysian patients attending medical outpatient clinic: a comparison between creatinine-based and cystatin-C based equations
    Jalalonmuhali M, Elagel SMA, Tan MP, Lim SK, Ng KP
    Int J Nephrol, 2018;2018:3081518.
    PMID: 29862077 DOI: 10.1155/2018/3081518
    Background: To assess the performance of different GFR estimating equations, test the diagnostic value of serum cystatin-C, and compare the applicability of cystatin-C based equation with serum creatinine based equation for estimating GFR (eGFR) in comparison with measured GFR in the elderly Malaysian patients.

    Methods: A cross-sectional study recruiting volunteered patients 65 years and older attending medical outpatient clinic. 51 chromium EDTA (51Cr-EDTA) was used as measured GFR. The predictive capabilities of Cockcroft-Gault equation corrected for body surface area (CGBSA), four-variable Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (4-MDRD), and Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equations using serum creatinine (CKD-EPIcr) as well as serum cystatin-C (CKD-EPIcys) were calculated.

    Results: A total of 40 patients, 77.5% male, with mean measured GFR 41.2 ± 18.9 ml/min/1.73 m2 were enrolled. Mean bias was the smallest for 4-MDRD; meanwhile, CKD-EPIcr had the highest precision and accuracy with lower limit of agreement among other equations. CKD-EPIcys equation did not show any improvement in GFR estimation in comparison to CKD-EPIcr and MDRD.

    Conclusion: The CKD-EPIcr formula appears to be more accurate and correlates better with measured GFR in this cohort of elderly patients.

    Study site: medical outpatient clinic. University of Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC)
  15. Comparison between effect of desflurane/remifentanil and propofol/remifentanil anesthesia on somatosensory evoked potential monitoring during scoliosis surgery-A randomized controlled trial
    Hasan MS, Tan JK, Chan CYW, Kwan MK, Karim FSA, Goh KJ
    J Orthop Surg (Hong Kong), 2018 7 31;26(3):2309499018789529.
    PMID: 30058437 DOI: 10.1177/2309499018789529
    BACKGROUND: Drugs used in anesthesia can affect somatosensory evoked potential (SSEP) monitoring, which is used routinely for intraoperative monitoring of spinal cord integrity during spinal surgery.

    OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine whether combined total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) technique with propofol/remifentanil is associated with less SSEP suppression when compared to combined volatile agent desflurane/remifentanil anesthesia during corrective scoliosis surgery at a comparable depth of anesthesia.

    DESIGN: It is a randomized controlled trial.

    SETTING: The study was conducted at the Single tertiary University Hospital during October 2014 to June 2015.

    PATIENTS: Patients who required SSEP and had no neurological deficits, and were of American Society of Anesthesiologist I and II physical status, were included. Patients who had sensory or motor deficits preoperatively and significant cardiovascular and respiratory disease were excluded. A total of 72 patients were screened, and 67 patients were randomized and allocated to two groups: 34 in desflurane/remifentanil group and 33 in TIVA group. Four patients from desflurane/remifentanil group and three from TIVA group were withdrawn due to decrease in SSEP amplitude to <0.3 µV after induction of anesthesia. Thirty patients from each group were analyzed.

    INTERVENTIONS: Sixty-seven patients were randomized to receive TIVA or desflurane/remifentanil anesthesia.

    MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The measurements taken were the amplitude and latency of SSEP monitoring at five different time points during surgery: before and after the induction of anesthesia, at skin incision, at pedicle screw insertion, and at rod insertion.

    RESULTS: Both anesthesia techniques, TIVA and desflurane/remifentanil, resulted in decreased amplitude and increased latencies of both cervical and cortical peaks. The desflurane/remifentanil group had a significantly greater reduction in the amplitude ( p = 0.004) and an increase in latency ( p = 0.002) of P40 compared with the TIVA group. However, there were no differences in both amplitude ( p = 0.214) and latency ( p = 0.16) in cervical SSEP between the two groups.

    CONCLUSIONS: Compared with TIVA technique, desflurane/remifentanil anesthesia caused more suppression in cortical SSEP, but not in cervical SSEP, at a comparable depth of anesthesia.

  16. Fulltext General Pathways of Pain Sensation and the Major Neurotransmitters Involved in Pain Regulation
    Yam MF, Loh YC, Tan CS, Khadijah Adam S, Abdul Manan N, Basir R
    Int J Mol Sci, 2018 Jul 24;19(8).
    PMID: 30042373 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19082164
    Pain has been considered as a concept of sensation that we feel as a reaction to the stimulus of our surrounding, putting us in harm's way and acting as a form of defense mechanism that our body has permanently installed into its system. However, pain leads to a huge chunk of finances within the healthcare system with continuous rehabilitation of patients with adverse pain sensations, which might reduce not only their quality of life but also their productivity at work setting back the pace of our economy. It may not look like a huge deal but factor in pain as an issue for majority of us, it becomes an economical burden. Although pain has been researched into and understood by numerous researches, from its definition, mechanism of action to its inhibition in hopes of finding an absolute solution for victims of pain, the pathways of pain sensation, neurotransmitters involved in producing such a sensation are not comprehensively reviewed. Therefore, this review article aims to put in place a thorough understanding of major pain conditions that we experience-nociceptive, inflammatory and physiologically dysfunction, such as neuropathic pain and its modulation and feedback systems. Moreover, the complete mechanism of conduction is compiled within this article, elucidating understandings from various researches and breakthroughs.
  17. Peptide inhibitors of Macrobrachium rosenbergii nodavirus
    Thong QX, Wong CL, Ooi MK, Kueh CL, Ho KL, Alitheen NB, et al.
    J Gen Virol, 2018 09;99(9):1227-1238.
    PMID: 30041713 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.001116
    Macrobrachium rosenbergii nodavirus (MrNv) causes white tail disease (WTD) in giant freshwater prawns, which leads to devastating economic losses in the aquaculture industry. Despite extensive research on MrNv, there is still no antiviral agent to treat WTD. Thus, the main aim of this study was to identify potential anti-MrNv molecules. A 12-mer phage-displayed peptide library was biopanned against the MrNv virus-like particle (VLP). After four rounds of biopanning, two dominant phages harbouring the amino acid sequences HTKQIPRHIYSA and VSRHQSWHPHDL were selected. An equilibrium binding assay in solution was performed to determine the relative dissociation constant (KDrel) of the interaction between the MrNv VLP and the selected fusion phages. Phage-HTKQIPRHIYSA has a KDrel value of 92.4±22.8 nM, and phage-VSRHQSWHPHDL has a KDrel value of 12.7±3.8 nM. An in-cell elisa was used to determine the inhibitory effect of the synthetic peptides towards the entry of MrNv VLP into Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) cells. Peptides HTKQIPRHIYSA and VSRHQSWHPHDL inhibited the entry of the MrNv VLP into Sf9 cells with IC50 values of 30.4±3.6 and 26.5±8.8 µM, respectively. Combination of both peptides showed a significantly higher inhibitory effect with an IC50 of 4.9±0.4 µM. An MTT assay revealed that the viability of MrNv-infected cells increased to about 97 % in the presence of both peptides. A real-time RT-PCR assay showed that simultaneous application of both peptides significantly reduced the number of MrNv per infected cell, from 97±9 to 11±4. These peptides are lead compounds which can be further developed into potent anti-MrNv agents.
  18. Development of self-assembled nanocrystalline cellulose as a promising practical adsorbent for methylene blue removal
    Tan KB, Reza AK, Abdullah AZ, Amini Horri B, Salamatinia B
    Carbohydr Polym, 2018 Nov 01;199:92-101.
    PMID: 30143178 DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2018.07.006
    This study is focused on nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) flakes for methylene blue (MB) removal via adsorption. NCC flakes exhibit a high adsorption capacity (188.7 mg/g fixed at 0.7 g/L adsorbent dosage, 25 °C and pH 6) compared to other nanomaterials, such as carbon nanotube and other cellulosic materials, such as coffee husks. Unlike NCC powder, it was observed that NCC flakes can be easily separated from wastewater containing MB. Further adsorption studies were conducted on NCC flakes, and it was found that 0.7 g/L was the optimum adsorbent dosage, which fitted well with the Langmuir Isotherm. The mean free energy value from Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm was less than 8 kJ/mol. ΔGo values at different temperatures were within the -20 kJ/mol to 0 kJ/mol range. In conclusion, NCC flakes is a promising and practical 'green' nanomaterial that can be further developed for industrial applications.
  19. Fulltext Overlap of Bickerstaff brainstem encephalitis/Guillain-Barré syndrome simulating brain death
    Tan CY, Ahmad SB, Goh KJ, Latif LA, Shahrizaila N
    Neurol India, 2018 9 21;66(5):1475-1480.
    PMID: 30233023 DOI: 10.4103/0028-3886.241342
  20. Neighbourhood influences and its association with the mental health of adolescents in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
    Zahir Izuan A, Shamsul Azhar S, Tan MKS, Syed-Sharizman SAR
    Asian J Psychiatr, 2018 Dec;38:35-41.
    PMID: 30408711 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajp.2018.10.018
    BACKGROUND: Mental health problems are affecting more children and adolescents worldwide. Individual, family and school factors are often linked with mental health problems among adolescents.

    AIM: To determine the neighbourhood factors influencing the prevalence of abnormal mental health status among adolescents in an urban population.

    METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted among adolescents aged 13, 14 and 16 years old from thirteen secondary schools in Kuala Lumpur using validated questionnaires. A total of 567 adolescents participated in this study.

    RESULTS: The prevalence of abnormal mental health status in this study was 4.4%. In multivariable analysis, female (OR = 1.79, 95%CI: 1.11-2.89), having divorced parents (OR = 3.53, 95%CI: 1.96-6.36), high educational stress (OR = 8.18, 95%CI: 4.25-15.75), medium educational stress (OR = 2.99, 95%CI: 1.53-5.83), whose house has been broken in before (OR = 2.02, 95%CI: 1.11-3.68) and living in a neighbourhood with low socioeconomic status (OR = 2.09, 95%CI: 1.23-3.56) were more likely to have abnormal mental health status.

    CONCLUSIONS: Neighbourhood factors were found to be significant in determining adolescents' mental health status. The findings emphasize the importance of those in the public health sector to highlight these significant neighbourhood factors to the Ministry of Housing and Local Government. Swift action needs to be taken by the Ministry to provide solutions related to the neighbourhood factors and this can contribute to improvement in the adolescents' mental health.

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