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Unrestrictive identification of post-translational modifications in Hevea brasiliensis latex

Habib MAH, Gan CY, Abdul Latiff A, Ismail MN

Biochem. Cell Biol., 2018 12;96(6):818-824.
PMID: 30058361 DOI: 10.1139/bcb-2018-0020

The natural rubber latex extracted from the bark of Hevea brasiliensis plays various important roles in modern society. Post-translational modifications (PTMs) of the latex proteins are important for the stability and functionality of the proteins. In this study, latex proteins were acquired from the C-serum, lutoids, and rubber particle layers of latex without using prior enrichment steps; they were fragmented using collision-induced dissociation (CID), higher-energy collisional dissociation (HCD), and electron-transfer dissociation (ETD) activation methods. PEAKS 7 were used to search for unspecified PTMs, followed by analysis through PTM prediction tools to crosscheck both results. There were 73 peptides in 47 proteins from H. brasiliensis protein sequences derived from UniProtKB were identified and predicted to be post-translationally modified. The peptides with PTMs identified include phosphorylation, lysine acetylation, N-terminal acetylation, hydroxylation, and ubiquitination. Most of the PTMs discovered have yet to be reported in UniProt, which would provide great assistance in the research of the functional properties of H. brasiliensis latex proteins, as well as being useful biomarkers. The data are available via the MassIVE repository with identifier MSV000082419.
CT coronary angiogram in children with Kawasaki patients: experience in 52 patients

Borhanuddin BK, Abdul Latiff H, Mohamed Yusof AK

Cardiol Young, 2022 Dec;32(12):1994-1998.
PMID: 35707919 DOI: 10.1017/S1047951122000154

BACKGROUND: CT is an accepted non-invasive imaging tool to assess the coronary arteries in adults; however, its utilisation in children is limited by high heart rate and lack of standardised protocol. We sought to assess diagnostic quality and factors that affect image quality of CT in assessing coronary artery lesions in Kawasaki patients less than 18 years of age.
METHODOLOGY: CT coronary angiography was performed on patients with Kawasaki disease diagnosed with coronary aneurysm or suspected to have coronary stenosis. Studies were performed using electrocardiogram-gated protocols. General anaesthesia was used in patients who were not cooperative for breathing control. Heart rate, image quality, and effective radiation dose were documented.
RESULTS: Fifty-two Kawasaki patients underwent CT coronary angiography to assess coronary artery lesions. Median heart rate was 88 beats per minute (range 50-165 beats/minute). Image quality was graded as excellent in 34 (65%) patients, good in 17 (32%), satisfactory in 1, and poor in 1 patient. Coronary artery aneurysm was found in 25 (bilateral = 6, unilateral = 19, multiple = 11). Thrombus was found in 11 patients resulting in partial and total occlusion in 8 and 3 patients, respectively. Coronary stenosis was noted in 2 patients. The effective radiation dose was 1.296 millisievert (median 0.81 millisievert). Better diagnostic imaging quality was significantly related to lower heart rate (p = 0.007).
CONCLUSION: Electrocardiogram-triggered CT coronary angiography provides a good diagnostic assessment of coronary artery lesions in children with Kawasaki disease.
Successful Cases of Closed Reduction of Chronic Traumatic Atlantoaxial Rotatory Dislocation: A Report of Two Cases

Abdul Latiff A, Muhamad Ariffin MH, Kumar N

Cureus, 2023 Mar;15(3):e36445.
PMID: 37090403 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.36445

We report two cases of children with atlantoaxial rotatory dislocation (AARD) post-trauma with a chronic history of persistent neck pain and torticollis. The neurological examinations were normal. The dislocation reduction was challenging; however, cases with such delayed presentation, treated with closed reduction and external stabilization, are rare. After reduction, a serial CT scan during follow-up showed no recurrence.
Evaluating immune responses to pneumococcal vaccines

Thong BY, Pawankar R, Park HS, Abdul Latiff AH

Asia Pac Allergy, 2023 Sep;13(3):127-131.
PMID: 37744960 DOI: 10.5415/apallergy.0000000000000114

Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) is a significant cause of bacterial infections ranging from mild infections affecting the respiratory tract such as otitis media and sinusitis to severe diseases including bacteremia, pneumonia, and invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) (eg, meningitis, septic arthritis, and endocarditis). Pneumococcal vaccines were first developed in the 1970s as capsular pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccines, which were T-cell independent and hence lacked immunologic memory. Subsequently in the year 2000, pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV) conjugated to a protein to increase immunogenicity were developed and made commercially available. The increasing number of pneumococcal serotypes identified and the expanding pipeline of PCV vaccines with improved immunogenicity have significantly reduced the morbidity and mortality associated with IPD in high-risk patients. Pneumococcal vaccines also play an important role in the diagnosis and immunophenotyping of children and adults with inborn errors of immunity (IEI) given the increasing diversity/heterogeneity of IEI presenting with primary and/or specific antibody deficiency. Other than the quantitation of serotype levels in routine clinical care, other measurements of immune response including the functional activity of antibodies, antibody avidity, cell-mediated immunity, and immunological memory remain limited to clinical trials during vaccine development.
A systematic review of security and privacy issues in the internet of medical things; the role of machine learning approaches

Hameed SS, Hassan WH, Abdul Latiff L, Ghabban F

PeerJ Comput Sci, 2021;7:e414.
PMID: 33834100 DOI: 10.7717/peerj-cs.414

Background: The Internet of Medical Things (IoMTs) is gradually replacing the traditional healthcare system. However, little attention has been paid to their security requirements in the development of the IoMT devices and systems. One of the main reasons can be the difficulty of tuning conventional security solutions to the IoMT system. Machine Learning (ML) has been successfully employed in the attack detection and mitigation process. Advanced ML technique can also be a promising approach to address the existing and anticipated IoMT security and privacy issues. However, because of the existing challenges of IoMT system, it is imperative to know how these techniques can be effectively utilized to meet the security and privacy requirements without affecting the IoMT systems quality, services, and device's lifespan.
Methodology: This article is devoted to perform a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) on the security and privacy issues of IoMT and their solutions by ML techniques. The recent research papers disseminated between 2010 and 2020 are selected from multiple databases and a standardized SLR method is conducted. A total of 153 papers were reviewed and a critical analysis was conducted on the selected papers. Furthermore, this review study attempts to highlight the limitation of the current methods and aims to find possible solutions to them. Thus, a detailed analysis was carried out on the selected papers through focusing on their methods, advantages, limitations, the utilized tools, and data.
Results: It was observed that ML techniques have been significantly deployed for device and network layer security. Most of the current studies improved traditional metrics while ignored performance complexity metrics in their evaluations. Their studies environments and utilized data barely represent IoMT system. Therefore, conventional ML techniques may fail if metrics such as resource complexity and power usage are not considered.
The effect of multiple micronutrient supplementation on quality of life in patients with symptomatic heart failure secondary to ischemic heart disease: a prospective case series clinical study

Wong AP, Mohamed AL, Niedzwiecki A

Am J Cardiovasc Dis, 2015;5(3):146-52.
PMID: 26417534

Heart failure is a progressive cardiovascular disorder and, in most cases, begins with atherosclerosis and ischemic heart disease. The prognosis of patients with heart failure is poor, even with improvement on the management of all forms of ischemic heart disease. There have been studies on heart failure using a single nutrient or a combination of multiple nutrients. Results are mixed. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of multiple micronutrient supplementation using the quality of life measure on patients with heart failure secondary to ischemic heart disease. This prospective case series followed 12 patients for a period between 3 to 8 months, using the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) as the sole outcome measure. The primary outcome was a score change over time between the start and endpoint of treatment. Change in MLHFQ mean total score was 27.08 ± 20.43 and mean symptoms score was 4.67 ± 3.34. Paired t-test showed a difference between baseline and endpoint of treatment (P < 0.001), which was statistically significant. A high dose of multiple micronutrients may have beneficial effects on cardiac function in patients with symptomatic heart failure. This study indicates the need for long-term controlled studies to test the efficacy and safety of this economic approach in managing heart failure.
Duplication 17p11.2 (Potocki-Lupski Syndrome) in a child with developmental delay

Shuib S, Saaid NN, Zakaria Z, Ismail J, Abdul Latiff Z

Malays J Pathol, 2017 Apr;39(1):77-81.
PMID: 28413209 MyJurnal

Potocki-Lupski syndrome (PTLS), also known as duplication 17p11.2 syndrome, trisomy 17p11.2 or dup(17)(p11.2p11.2) syndrome, is a developmental disorder and a rare contiguous gene syndrome affecting 1 in 20,000 live births. Among the key features of such patients are autism spectrum disorder, learning disabilities, developmental delay, attention-deficit disorder, infantile hypotonia and cardiovascular abnormalities. Previous studies using microarray identified variations in the size and extent of the duplicated region of chromosome 17p11.2. However, there are a few genes which are considered as candidates for PTLS which include RAI1, SREBF1, DRG2, LLGL1, SHMT1 and ZFP179. In this report, we investigated a case of a 3-year-old girl who has developmental delay. Her chromosome analysis showed a normal karyotype (46,XX). Analysis using array CGH (4X44 K, Agilent USA) identified an ~4.2 Mb de novo duplication in chromosome 17p11.2. The result was confirmed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using probes in the critical PTLS region. This report demonstrates the importance of microarray and FISH in the diagnosis of PTLS.
Fulltext A descriptive analysis of exercise tolerance test at seremban hospital : an audit for the year 2001

Mohamed AL, Nee CC, Azzad A

Malays J Med Sci, 2004 Jul;11(2):59-64.
PMID: 22973128

Our purpose is to report on the epidemiological variables and their association with the results of the exercise tolerance test (ETT) in the series of patients referred for standard diagnostic ETT at Seremban Hospital during the year 2001. ETT is widely performed, but, in Malaysia, an analysis of the associations between the epidemiological data and the results of the ETT has not been presented. All patients referred for ETT at Seremban Hospital who underwent exercise treadmill tests for the year 2001 were taken as the study population. Demographic details and patients with established heart disease (i.e. prior coronary bypass surgery, myocardial infarction, or congestive heart failure) were noted. Clinical and ETT variables were collected retrospectively from the hospital records. Testing and data management were performed in a standardized fashion with a computer-assisted protocol. This study showed that there was no significant predictive epidemiological variable on the results of the ETT. However, it was found that there was statistically significant difference between the peak exercise time of males and females undergoing the ETT.
Fulltext Effects of happy music on repetitive and restricted behaviours in children with autism spectrum disorders: a concept paper

Nurul Izzah Wahidul Azam, Amir Muhriz Abdul Latiff, Chandra Kannan Thanapalan, Raja Mohamad Alif Raja Adnan

Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2019;15(104):93-93.
MyJurnal

Introduction: Restricted and repetitive behaviours (RRBs) is one of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) core criteria. Exhibitions of RRBs produce profound implications on the functional aspect of these children and family. Evidence found that RRBs is related to the reward system dysfunction in the basal ganglia of these children. RRBs induces intrinsically rewarding effects on children with ASD. Listening to music was found to influence the reward system on the typical population and also discover to be promising as complementary strategies for ASD. A study found that high functioning adolescents with ASD cognitively stimulated through listening to happy music. Planning inter-vention for RRBs by looking towards the mechanism of reward system function remained unexplored. The primary objectives of this study is to examine the effect of happy music on RRBs symptoms. Methods: This study will use a randomised control trial research design with pre-test and post-test assessments in 20 children with ASD. Two parallel randomly assigned group will undergo twelve weeks of intervention sessions. The experimental group will listen to happy music and engage in free play sessions. For the control group, they will engage in free play session only without the music. Parents will complete the Repetitive Behaviour Scale-Revised, which consists of 6 subscales on RRBs to measure the outcome of the study. Results: The study will compare the RRBs between two groups. Con-clusion: Outcome of this study may set forth further investigation on the management of RRB using non-aversive contemporary approach.
Fulltext The effect of listening to Qur’anic recitation on social skills among children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Wan Fara Adila Wan Ahmad Kaspi, Kartini Ilias, Amir Muhriz Abdul Latiff, Mohd Zaid Daud

Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2019;15(104):101-101.
MyJurnal

Introduction: The number of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) keeps increasing every year. ASD is a neurodevelopmental disability that affects social communication and social interaction. They also demon-strate restricted, repetitive pattern of behaviour, interest or activities (RRB) that shows at an early developmental age. Due to this characteristic, ASD children are facing difficulties in social skills aspect such as eye contact, expression, and making friends. Studying and reciting the Quran are often used in Malaysia to ameliorate the symptoms, but there is no specific study in Malaysia that demonstrates the impact of these renditions on ASD’s children’s social skills. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect selected Qur’anic verses recitation on the social skills of the children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Methods: This study will use the quasi-experimental research design. This study will be held at IDEAS Autism Centre, Rawang. The purposive sampling technique will be used and 14 ASD Muslim children aged 4-6 years old will be chosen. The ASD children will be divided into an experimental and control group. The experimental group will be listening to selected Qur’anic verses before the intervention. The Social Responsiveness Scale- Second Edition (SRS-2) will be used to assess the response. The scale consists of a 65-item questionnaire, with a 4-point Likert-scale. Results: The expected result for this study is the ASD children in the experimental group will have lower Total-scores of SRS-2 compared to control group. Conclusion: Listening to Qur’anic recitation provides a cost-effective complementary therapy to improve social skills among Muslim ASD children. Information from this study also can be used as a stepping stone in developing the teaching module to ASD children.
Fulltext THE PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF OPTICAL WAVE PROPAGATION FOR UNDERWATER WIRELESS COMMUNICATION

MUHAMMAD SAFIY SABRIL, MUHAMMAD SAFIY SABRIL, FAEZAH JASMAN, NURUL ADILAH ABDUL LATIFF, SEVIA MAHDALIZA IDRUS, WAN HAFIZA WAN HASSAN

UMT Journal of Undergraduate Research, 2020;2(3):73-82.
MyJurnal

Underwater wireless communications refer to transmitting data in an unguided water environment by wireless carriers including acoustic, radio frequency (RF), and optical waves. Relative to acoustic and RF, the optical wave is more promising to offer higher bandwidth at a lower energy consumption rate. However, an optical wave has its challenges such as attenuation due to absorption, scattering and turbulence effects. Therefore, this work attempts to investigate the performance of lightwave propagation for underwater optical wireless communication (UOWC) using simulation and experimental approaches. First, the performance of optical waves was analyzed using MATLAB by simulating the light attenuation model which based on depth-dependent chlorophyll concentration. A depth profile that related to the surface chlorophyll levels for the range 0-4 mg/m3 was used to represent the open ocean. The simulation showed that the attenuation of light less affected for operating wavelength range of 450 – 550 nm. Further, an experimental set-up was developed which consists of a transmitter, receiver, and aquarium to emulate the UOWC channel. Three types of water including clear, sea and cloudy were tested to analyze their interaction with the light emitted by a light-emitting diode (LED) and a laser diode. The emitted light detected by the light sensor and the strength of an audio signal transmitted through the UOWC were measured using a light meter and sound meter respectively. The measured power was plotted against distance and the attenuation constant c was deduced through curve fitting method. The analysis showed irrespective of the light sources, UOWC in cloudy water suffered the highest attenuation relative to still clear and seawater. The received power emitted by laser was at least 41% higher than the LED. This study contributes to identify the potential and limitations of different operating schemes to optimize UOWC performance.
Fulltext Application of online halal label among consumer intention toward the halal label system in Malaysia

Nursalwani Muhamad, Zul Ariff Abdul Latiff, Noor Zariana Kasim, Nor Amilia Din, Nornadillanadia Abdul Rapar

Borneo Journal of Sciences and Technology, 2019;1(1):15-20.
MyJurnal

Halal products must be healthy and safe for consumers. With nowadays technologies, the media sometime manipulates the old stories and invalid news to become viral through media social that fast delivered to consumers that make consumers more believes to the story that is not true. With the existence of the application of online Halal label system in Malaysia, the consumers can check the authenticity of the news. The intention level can be increased regarding the application of online Halal label system among consumers intention toward Halal label system in Malaysia. Application of online Halal label system in Malaysia influenced by many factors among consumer intention toward halal label. The present study has assessed to investigate the application of online Halal label among consumers intention toward the Halal label system in Malaysia based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). Data were gathered from a self-reported questionnaire completed by 108 consumers on the questionnaire paper located at Malaysia International Halal Show (MIHAS) on Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Four underlying factors were assumed and extracted, including attitudes toward the application of online Halal label system in Malaysia, subjective norms, perceived behaviour control and intention among consumers. There is significantly relationship found between sociodemographic and intention of consumers toward Halal label in Malaysia. Relationship between different demographic information with intention of consumers was observed. The study contributes positive feedback of the application of online Halal label system among consumer intention toward the Halal label system in Malaysia and the TPB.
Fulltext Preferences for traditional & complementary medicine among Malaysian hospitalised patients in UKM Medical Centre 2012

Choy, Hew Hei, Khalib Abdul Latiff, Mohd Rohaizat Hassan, Hasanain Faisal Ghazi

Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine, 2015;15(3):122-131.
MyJurnal

The uprising needs of traditional & complementary medicine (T&CM) despite the availability of conventional medical (CVM) treatments has gained a serious concern to the authorities in hospital care delivery systems. It was about suffices the supply and demand for T&CM and its absence may interfere the quality of patient care. Malaysia was not exempted of this phenomenon. Moreover, its rich tropical biodiversity and multi-ethnical medical systems promoted T&CM usage. This research was aimed to determine the overall T& CM preferences, the preferred future patient care services (FPCS) and its socio-demographic and warding characteristics. Using a self-administered standardised questionnaire, instrumented by cross sectional study, a total 132 warded patients in a UKM Medical Center (UKMMC) were interviewed. T&CM preferences were the composite of seven domains. The finding revealed that the T&CM preference was 64.4%, dominated by older age (66.2%), women (68.2%), low education (66.0%), employed (66.7%), high income (67.5%) and married (66.0%). Oncology (81.3%) and orthopaedic (75.7%) ward patients were more in preference compared to other wards. When asked about the FPCS preference, about 80.3% expected integrative medicine services to be provided, whereas the remaining were still exclusively preferred modern medicine (15.2%) and alternative medicine (4.5%) respectively. As conclusion, this study has affirmed that there is a great need towards T&CM among hospitalized patients who are accessible to modern CVM.
Fulltext Psychosocial problem and its associated factors among adolescents in the secondary schools in Pasir Gudang, Johor

Latiffah Abdul Latiff, Esra Tajik, Shirin Shameema Albar Ali Shirin, Normala Ibrahim, Azrin Shah Abu Bakar

Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2017;13(1):35-44.
MyJurnal

Introduction: Adolescence is a crucial period with impressive emotional changes. Emotional disorders such as
depression, anxiety and stress are high among adolescents worldwide; however the psychosocial changes are often
neglected. The aim of the current study was to determine the depression, anxiety and stress symptoms and their
associated factors among adolescents. Methods: A cross-sectional study using cluster sampling was carried out
among school-going adolescents in 10 secondary schools in Pasir Gudang, Johor, Malaysia. Respondents answered
a self-administered questionnaire including socio-demographic, Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA),
Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) and Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Using SPSS-21,
chi-square test and binomial logistic regression were conducted to examine the associations between dependent and
independent variables. Results: Respondents (52.6% female and 53.9% Malay) had 46.0% prevalence of depression
symptoms, 59.1% anxiety, 38.1% stress and 45.6% psychosocial status (internalizing and externalizing problems).
Age, father occupation and parental bonding were significantly predicted having moderate to extremely severe
depression symptom (p
Fulltext Memory polynomial with binomial reduction in digital pre-distortion for wireless communication systems

Hong, Ning Choo, Nurul Adilah Abdul Latiff, Borhanuddin Mohd Ali, Varahram, Pooria

Pertanika Journal of Science & Technology, 2017;25(101):49-58.
MyJurnal

One of the biggest power consuming devices in wireless communications system is the Power Amplifier
(PA) which amplifies signals non-linearly when operating in real-world systems. The negative effects of
PA non-linearity are energy inefficiency, amplitude and phase distortion. The increases in transmission
speed in present day communication technology introduces Memory Effects, where signal spreading
happens at the PA output, thus causing overhead in signal processing at the receiver side. PA Linearization
is therefore required to counter the non-linearity and Memory Effects. Digital Pre-distortion (DPD) is
one of the outstanding PA Linearization methods in terms of its strengths in implementation simplicity,
bandwidth, efficiency, flexibility and cost. DPD pre-distorts the input signal, using an inversed model
function of the PA. Modelling of the PA is therefore vital in DPD, where the Memory Polynomial
Method (MP) is used to model the PA with memory effects. In this paper, the MP method is improved
in Memory Polynomial using Binomial Reduction method (MPB-imag-2k). The method is simulated
using a modelled ZVE-8G Power Amplifier and sampled 4G (LTE) signals. It was found MPB-imag-2k
is capable of achieving comparable anti-scattering/anti-distortion in MP for non-linearity order of 3,
memory depth of 3 and pre-amplifier gain of 2.
Elevated neutrophil respiratory burst activity in essential hypertensive patients

Ramasamy R, Maqbool M, Mohamed AL, Noah RM

Cell Immunol, 2010;263(2):230-4.
PMID: 20471005 DOI: 10.1016/j.cellimm.2010.04.004

Neutrophils play a significant role in maintaining the integrity of innate immunity via their potent respiratory burst activity. However, the uncontrolled activation of respiratory burst in neutrophils also attributes to chronic diseases such as primary hypertension and atherosclerosis. In our study, we have investigated the activation of respiratory burst function of neutrophils harvested from essential hypertensive patients. In the presence of stimuli PMA and opsonized zymosan (OZ), hypertensive patients' neutrophils secrete significantly higher amount of superoxide anions compared to normotensive control. Although the magnitude of activation varies between both groups, yet the kinetics of activation is similar. When normotensive control's neutrophils were pre-treated with hypertensive serum, the cells failed to migrate toward fMLP which indicates the impairment of the migration property. In conclusion, the respiratory burst activity of neutrophils is affected by hypertension and their elevated superoxide anions production could be an aggravating factor in hypertension-related complication.
Fulltext Review: Beyond conventional therapies: Complementary and alternative medicine in the management of hypertension: An evidence-based review

Wong AP, Kassab YW, Mohamed AL, Abdul Qader AM

Pak J Pharm Sci, 2018 Jan;31(1):237-244.
PMID: 29348109

Hypertension is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality. Worldwide, Hypertension is estimated to cause 7.5 million deaths, about 12.8% of the total of all deaths. This accounts for 57 million disability adjusted life years (DALYS) or 3.7% of total DALYS. This led WHO to set a target of 25% reduction in prevalence by 2025. To reach that, WHO has adopted non-conventional methods for the management of hypertension? Despite worldwide popularity of such non-conventional therapies, only small volume of evidence exists that supports its effectiveness. This review attempted to make a critical appraisal of the evidence, with the aim to (1) describe the therapeutic modalities frequently used, and (2) review the current level of evidence attributable to each modality. Databases from Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, PUBMED, and EMBASE were searched from 2005-2015. A total of 23 publications have been identified and selected. Out of these, 15 systematic reviews and/or meta-analysis of RCTs, 5 RCTs, 1 non-RCT, and 2 observational studies without control. Among those 23 publications, therapeutic modalities identified are: fish oil, qigong, yoga, coenzyme Q10, melatonin, meditation, vitamin D, vitamin C, monounsaturated fatty acids, dietary amino-acids, chiropractic, osteopathy, folate, inorganic nitrate, beetroot juice, beetroot bread, magnesium, and L-arginine. The followings were found to have weak or no evidence: fish oil, yoga, vitamin D, monounsaturated fatty acid, dietary amino-acids, and osteopathy. Those found to have significant reduction in blood pressure are: magnesium, qigong, melatonin, meditation, vitamin C, chiropractic, folate, inorganic nitrate, beetroot juice and L-arginine. Coenzyme Q10on the other hand, showed contradicting results were some studies found weak or no effect on blood pressure while others showed significant blood pressure reduction effect. By virtue of the research designs and methodologies, the evidence contributed from these studies is at level 1. Results from this review suggest that certain non-conventional therapies may be effective in treating hypertension and improving cardiac function and therefore considered as part of an evidence-based approach.
Genetic variation of Trigonobalanus verticillata, a primitive species of Fagaceae, in Malaysia revealed by chloroplast sequences and AFLP markers

Kamiya K, Harada K, Clyde MM, Mohamed AL

Genes Genet Syst, 2002 Jun;77(3):177-86.
PMID: 12207039

The genetic variation of Trigonobalanus verticillata, the most recently described genus of Fagaceae, was studied using chloroplast DNA sequences and AFLP fingerprinting. This species has a restricted distribution that is known to include seven localities in tropical lower montane forests in Malaysia and Indonesia. A total of 75 individuals were collected from Bario, Kinabalu, and Fraser's Hill in Malaysia. The sequences of rbcL, matK, and three non-coding regions (atpB-rbcL spacer, trnL intron, and trnL-trnF spacer) were determined for 19 individuals from these populations. We found a total of 30 nucleotide substitutions and four length variations, which allowed identification of three haplotypes characterizing each population. No substitutions were detected within populations, while the tandem repeats in the trnL -trnF spacer had a variable repeat number of a 20-bp motif only in Kinabalu. The differentiation of the populations inferred from the cpDNA molecular clock calibrated with paleontological data was estimated to be 8.3 MYA between Bario and Kinabalu, and 16.7 MYA between Fraser's Hill and the other populations. In AFLP analysis, four selective primer pairs yielded a total of 431 loci, of which 340 (78.9%) were polymorphic. The results showed relatively high gene diversity (H(S) = 0.153 and H(T) = 0.198) and nucleotide diversity (pi(S) = 0.0132 and pi(T) = 0.0168) both within and among the populations. Although the cpDNA data suggest that little or no gene flow occurred between the populations via seeds, the fixation index estimated from AFLP data (F(ST) = 0.153 and N(ST) = 0.214) implies that some gene flow occurs between populations, possibly through pollen transfer.
Fulltext Comparative leaf anatomy of selected medicinal plants in acanthaceae.

Nur Shuhada Tajudin, Rozilawati Shahari, Fatin Munirah Azmi, Noraini Talip, Abdul Latiff Mohamad, Che Nurul Aini Che Amri

IIUM Medical Journal Malaysia, 2018;17(102):0-0.
MyJurnal

Comparative leaf anatomy study were conducted in three taxa of Acanthaceae from peninsular Malaysia. Three chosen taxa were Acanthus ebracreatus(Vahl), Andrographis paniculata (Burm.f.) Wall. exNees and Chroesthes longifolia(Wight) B. Hansen which is commonly used as traditional medicine especially in peninsular Malaysia. The main objective is to identify the leaf anatomical characteristics that can be used in plant identification and also for supportive data in plant classification. The procedures involved such as cross section using sliding microtome on the petiole, lamina, midribs and marginal, leaf clearing and observation under light microscope. Results have shown the similarities and variations in leaf anatomical characteristics. The anatomical characteristics observed include petiole and midrib outlines, patterns of petiole and midrib vascular bundles, presence of cystolith cells, presence of hypodermis layers in lamina and presence and types of trichomes. In conclusion, results showed that anatomical characteristics have taxonomic significance that can be used in classification especially at species level.
Fulltext Isolation of bacteria associated with the tentacles of holothuria (lessonothuria) pardalis (Selenka 1867) from Pulau Tinggi, Johor including Pigment-producing Chryseobacterium Sp.

Nor Shahida Ab Rahman, Muhammad Abdul Latiff Abu Bakara, Kamarul Rahim Kamarudin, 'Aisyah Mohamed Rehan, Siti Najihah Solehin

Journal of Engineering and Health Sciences, 2020;4(1):111-122.
MyJurnal

Pigment-producing microorganisms have become a main focus due to the search
of food-grade microbial pigments for natural food colourant industry. Therefore,
this study aimed to isolate and genetically identify bacteria including pigmentproducing
bacterial strains associated with the tentacles of Holothuria
(Lessonothuria) pardalis (Selenka 1867) from Pulau Tinggi, Johor.
Morphological characteristics of bacteria based on Gram staining were observed
using a digital compound microscope. Partial 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene
sequencing was also incorporated to support the morphological approach. A
number of six partial gene sequences of non-protein coding 16S rRNA were
obtained and the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) analysis
suggested the presence of three known bacteria species from the genera of
Pseudomonas, Chryseobacterium and Klebsiella. The neighbourhood-joining
method and Maximum Likelihood method used in the phylogenetic analysis
supported the identification and classification of the bacteria species. Among the
bacterial isolates, only strain B14 identified as Chryseobacterium sp. produced
pigment i.e. orange pigment. The highest point of cell density of
Chryseobacterium sp. was recorded at 16 hours. However, further analysis is
needed to confirm the pigment characterisation and the potential of this pigment
to be exploited as natural colourant in the food industry.

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