Displaying publications 21 - 40 of 89 in total

Abstract:
Sort:
  1. Predicting the intention and adoption of hydroponic farming among Chinese urbanites
    Al Mamun A, Naznen F, Jingzu G, Yang Q
    Heliyon, 2023 Mar;9(3):e14420.
    PMID: 36925515 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14420
    Urban agriculture has become increasingly popular as a viable solution to the global food insecurity, but the uncontrollable expansion of cities and populations has led to the significant decrease in cultivable space for conventional soil-based farming. Unlike conventional agriculture, soil-less hydroponic farming allows sustainable food production in urban areas without compromising the environment and public health. Using both theory of planned behaviour and knowledge-attitude-behaviour theory with four additional factors, the current study examined the intention and adoption of hydroponic farming among Chinese urbanites. An online survey, which involved 661 respondents from different cities in China, was conducted. The results of partial least squares structural equation modeling revealed the significant influence of tolerance of diversity, innovativeness, and knowledge about hydroponic system on attitude towards hydroponic system. Additionally, knowledge and attitude towards hydroponic system, perceived need for hydroponic farming, and hydroponic farming compatibility were found to significantly influence the intention of adopting hydroponic farming, which was also found to exhibit significant influence on its actual adoption. This study presented valuable insights that contribute to the development of a framework that promotes effective farming practices and strategies. The obtained findings can benefit marketers, practitioners, and policymakers in the agricultural and environmental fields, particularly in their efforts of planning, designing, marketing, and strategizing to promote modern agricultural practices and create a favourable environment for urban hydroponic farming in developing countries.
  2. The anti-inflammatory activity of probiotic Dadiah to activate Sirtuin-1 in inhibiting diabetic nephropathy progression
    Amelia R, Said FM, Yasmin F, Harun H, Tofrizal T
    J Diabetes Metab Disord, 2023 Dec;22(2):1425-1442.
    PMID: 37975108 DOI: 10.1007/s40200-023-01265-7
    PURPOSE: The activation of SIRT-1 in the kidney has become a new therapeutic target to increase resistance to many causal factors in DN development. Furthermore, antioxidative stress and anti-inflammation are essential to preventing renal fibrosis in DN. Therefore, finding "probiotic products" to treat and prevent DN is necessary. This study aimed to analyze the anti-inflammatory of probiotic dadiah to activate SIRT-1 in inhibiting DN progression.

    METHODS: This study is an experimental group designed with a post-test-only control group to observe the effect of dadiah, LAB, and bacteriocin on alloxan-induced nephropathy diabetic rats through two control groups and five intervention groups for eight weeks. The expression of antibodies SIRT-1 and TNF-α was examined using Immunohistochemistry and histopathology of kidney tissue. All data were analyzed using ANOVA test.

    RESULTS: The treatment of dadiah, lactic acid bacteria, and bacteriocin showed a higher expression of Sirtuin-1 than the positive control. They also, reduce TNF-α expression varies significantly between treatments. The highest average of interstitial fibrosis in the C + groups was substantially different from all groups, but all treatments showed decreased kidney fibrosis. Although all treatments showed a decrease in interstitial kidney fibrosis found in the control group, the treatment using dadiah showed the highest result.

    CONCLUSIONS: Dadiah has the potential to the prevention of fibrosis on kidney tissue of alloxan-induced nephropathy diabetic rats. The findings could be to develop novel treatments for DN that aim to reduce the cascade of oxidative stress and inflammatory signals in kidney tissue.

  3. Fulltext Predicting the Intention and Adoption of Near Field Communication Mobile Payment
    Malarvizhi CA, Al Mamun A, Jayashree S, Naznen F, Abir T
    Front Psychol, 2022;13:870793.
    PMID: 35465564 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.870793
    With the increasing use of mobile devices and new technologies, electronic payments, such as near field communication (NFC) mobile payments, are gaining traction and gradually replacing the currency-based cash payment methods. Despite multiple initiatives by various parties to encourage mobile payments, adoption rates in developing countries have remained low. The purpose of this research is to explore the prime determinants of NFC mobile-payment adoption intention and to develop a model of mobile payment adoption that includes perceived risk (PR) as one of the major elements by extending the UTAUT2 theory components. An online survey was used to acquire data from 370 NFC mobile payments users for the current study. To validate the components and their correlations, structural equation modelling (SEM) was implemented. According to the findings, performance expectancy (PE), hedonic motivation (HM), social influence (SI), and facilitating conditions (FC) have substantial impacts on the consumers' intentions to adopt NFC mobile payments (INFC). Effort expectancy (EE) and PR were reported to have no considerable effects on the adoption intention. In addition, INFC is revealed to be a major mediator between the associations of the actual adoption of NFC mobile payment (ANFC) with PE, HM, and SI. The findings of the study would assist providers and marketers in better understanding of the consumers' behavior, designing effective marketing strategies to enhance the consumers' positive intentions, and achieving the mass adoption of NFC mobile payments in different environmental contexts.
  4. Nutritional value and therapeutic potential of Moringa oleifera: a short overview of current research
    Bibi N, Rahman N, Ali MQ, Ahmad N, Sarwar F
    Nat Prod Res, 2023 Dec 03.
    PMID: 38043118 DOI: 10.1080/14786419.2023.2284862
    A member of the Moringaceae family, Moringa Oleifera Lam is a perennial deciduous tropical tree known as the 'Miracle Tree' for its medicinal and nutritional benefits. Food and nutrition are crucial aspects of the development and maintenance of healthy health. Moringa oleifera is a multi-purpose herbal bush that is used as both human food and a medical alternative all over the world. Various parts of the tree are used to treat chronic diseases such as hypertension, heart disease, inflammation, oxidative stress, diabetes, and cancer. Moringa is an excellent source of essential nutrients and has been found to have a significant impact on improving nutritional deficiencies in populations with limited access to food. Moringa oleifera contains essential amino acids, carotenoids, minerals, fats, carbohydrates, proteins, phytochemicals, vitamins, and fibre. Moringa offers nutritional and economic advantages, medicinal and therapeutic uses, and future biological potential for human well-being.
  5. Fulltext Modelling the significance of value-belief-norm framework to predict mass adoption potentials of internet of things-enabled wearable fitness devices
    Yang Q, Al Mamun A, Reza MNH, Naznen F
    Heliyon, 2024 May 15;10(9):e30179.
    PMID: 38737228 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e30179
    Self-health monitoring technologies have become increasingly popular in averting unanticipated health complications. However, the adoption rate of such technologies in developing countries is surprisingly low. Furthermore, empirical studies on the application of the value-belief-norm (VBN) model to elucidate intention to use IoT-enabled wearable fitness devices (IoT-enabled WFDs) are scarce. This study aimed to expand the VBN model by integrating health values, health consciousness, health knowledge-seeking, and social norms as influencing constructs. The proposed holistic framework was empirically tested to examine these constructs on users' decision-making process of adopting IoT-enabled WFDs. A web-based survey involving 866 adults in China aged 18-30 years was conducted. The gathered data were analysed using partial least squares-structural equation modeling. The results revealed the significant influence of health consciousness and health knowledge-seeking on personal health beliefs, as well as the favourable impact of personal health beliefs on personal norms and awareness of consequences. The results further demonstrated the substantial influence of awareness of consequences and ascription of responsibilities on personal norms. Besides that, personal norms and societal norms were found to have strong influence on the intention to adopt IoT-enabled WFDs, which was revealed to have significant influence on the actual usage. This study's findings offer novel theoretical insights on the behavioural characteristics of adopting IoT-enabled WFDs and serve as a practical guideline for industry experts and marketers to establish appropriate marketing strategies to support the IoT-enabled wearable sector. The findings also benefit policymakers in their efforts of developing strategies that emphasise the unique benefits of self-healthcare monitoring to encourage active lifestyle and decrease obesity and overweight-related health risks.
  6. Measuring spatial inequalities in maternal and child mortalities in Pakistan: evidence from geographically weighted regression
    Muhammad FS, Shahabudin SM, Talib MBA
    BMC Public Health, 2024 Aug 16;24(1):2229.
    PMID: 39152373 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-19682-5
    BACKGROUND: In developing countries, the death probability of a child and mother is more significant than in developed countries; these inequalities in health outcomes are unfair. The present study encompasses a spatial analysis of maternal and child mortalities in Pakistan. The study aims to estimate the District Mortality Index (DMI), measure the inequality ratio and slope, and ascertain the spatial impact of numerous factors on DMI scores across Pakistani districts.

    METHOD: This study used micro-level household datasets from multiple indicator cluster surveys (MICS) to estimate the DMI. To find out how different the DMI scores were, the inequality ratio and slope were used. This study further utilized spatial autocorrelation tests to determine the magnitude and location of the spatial dependence of the clusters with high and low mortality rates. The Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) model was also applied to examine the spatial impact of socioeconomic, environmental, health, and housing attributes on DMI.

    RESULTS: The inequality ratio for DMI showed that the upper decile districts are 16 times more prone to mortalities than districts in the lower decile, and the districts of Baluchistan depicted extreme spatial heterogeneity in terms of DMI. The findings of the Local Indicator of Spatial Association (LISA) and Moran's test confirmed spatial homogeneity in all mortalities among the districts in Pakistan. The H-H clusters of maternal mortality and DMI were in Baluchistan, and the H-H clusters of child mortality were seen in Punjab. The results of GWR showed that the wealth index quintile has a significant spatial impact on DMI; however, improved sanitation, handwashing practices, and antenatal care adversely influenced DMI scores.

    CONCLUSION: The findings reveal a significant disparity in DMI and spatial relationships among all mortalities in Pakistan's districts. Additionally, socioeconomic, environmental, health, and housing variables have an impact on DMI. Notably, spatial proximity among individuals who are at risk of death occurs in areas with elevated mortality rates. Policymakers may mitigate these mortalities by focusing on vulnerable zones and implementing measures such as raising public awareness, enhancing healthcare services, and improving access to clean drinking water and sanitation facilities.

  7. Evaluation of finger photoplethysmography fitness index on young women with cardiovascular disease risk factors
    Musilawati Muhajir, Amilia Aminuddin, Azizah Ugusman, Norizam Salamt, Zanariyah Asmawi, Aini Farzana Zulkefli, et al.
    Sains Malaysiana, 2018;47:2481-2489.
    The use of photoplethysmography (PPG) as one of cardiovascular disease (CVD) marker has got more attention due to
    its simplicity, noninvasive and portable characteristics. Two new markers had been developed from PPG namely PPG
    fitness index (PPGF) and vascular risk prediction index (VPRI). The aim of the present study was to compare PPGF level
    between young women with and without CVD risk factors, to investigate the relationship between PPGF with other CVD
    markers and to assess the sensitivity of VRPI in classifying young women that have CVD risk factors. A total of 148 young
    women aged 20-40 years old with and without CVD risk factors were involved in this study. CVD risk factors comprised of
    abdominal obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, smoking and family history of premature CVD. Subjects were categorized
    into healthy or having CVD risk factor. Measurements taken were anthropometric data, blood pressure, lipid profile,
    pulse wave velocity (PWV), augmentation index (AIx), high sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hs-CRP), PPGF and VRPI. SPSS
    version 20 was used for data analysis with p<0.05 as significant value. The mean subjects’ age was 29.97±5.27 years
    old. There was no difference in PPGF level between groups (p>0.05). PPGF was independently determined by PWV (β=-
    0.31, p<0.001) and height (β=0.16, p=0.04). VRPI had 77.9% sensitivity in identifying subjects with CVD risk factor. In
    conclusion, PPGF correlates with PWV and has potential to be an indicator of aortic stiffness while VRPI is sensitive to
    classify those with CVD risk factor.
  8. Fulltext A high-speed and low-offset dynamic latch comparator
    Rahman LF, Bin Ibne Reaz M, Yin CC, Marufuzzaman M, Rahman MA
    ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:258068.
    PMID: 25114959 DOI: 10.1155/2014/258068
    Circuit intricacy, speed, low-offset voltage, and resolution are essential factors for high-speed applications like analog-to-digital converters (ADCs). The comparator circuit with preamplifier increases the power dissipation, as it requires higher amount of currents than the latch circuitry. In this research, a novel topology of dynamic latch comparator is illustrated, which is able to provide high speed, low offset, and high resolution. Moreover, the circuit is able to reduce the power dissipation as the topology is based on latch circuitry. The cross-coupled circuit mechanism with the regenerative latch is employed for enhancing the dynamic latch comparator performance. In addition, input-tracking phase is used to reduce the offset voltage. The Monte-Carlo simulation results for the designed comparator in 0.18 μm CMOS process show that the equivalent input-referred offset voltage is 720 μV with 3.44 mV standard deviation. The simulated result shows that the designed comparator has 8-bit resolution and dissipates 158.5 μW of power under 1.8 V supply while operating with a clock frequency of 50 MHz. In addition, the proposed dynamic latch comparator has a layout size of 148.80 μm × 59.70 μm.
  9. Fulltext Synthesis of novel bisindolylmethane Schiff bases and their antibacterial activity
    Imran S, Taha M, Ismail NH, Khan KM, Naz F, Hussain M, et al.
    Molecules, 2014;19(8):11722-40.
    PMID: 25102118 DOI: 10.3390/molecules190811722
    In an effort to develop new antibacterial drugs, some novel bisindolylmethane derivatives containing Schiff base moieties were prepared and screened for their antibacterial activity. The synthesis of the bisindolylmethane Schiff base derivatives 3-26 was carried out in three steps. First, the nitro group of 3,3'-((4-nitrophenyl)-methylene)bis(1H-indole) (1) was reduced to give the amino substituted bisindolylmethane 2 without affecting the unsaturation of the bisindolylmethane moiety using nickel boride in situ generated. Reduction of compound 1 using various catalysts showed that combination of sodium borohydride and nickel acetate provides the highest yield for compound 2. Bisindolylmethane Schiff base derivatives were synthesized by coupling various benzaldehydes with amino substituted bisindolylmethane 2. All synthesized compounds were characterized by various spectroscopic methods. The bisindolylmethane Schiff base derivatives were evaluated against selected Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains. Derivatives having halogen and nitro substituent display weak to moderate antibacterial activity against Salmonella typhi, S. paratyphi A and S. paratyphi B.
  10. Fulltext Design of high speed and low offset dynamic latch comparator in 0.18 µm CMOS process
    Rahman LF, Reaz MB, Yin CC, Ali MA, Marufuzzaman M
    PLoS One, 2014;9(10):e108634.
    PMID: 25299266 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0108634
    The cross-coupled circuit mechanism based dynamic latch comparator is presented in this research. The comparator is designed using differential input stages with regenerative S-R latch to achieve lower offset, lower power, higher speed and higher resolution. In order to decrease circuit complexity, a comparator should maintain power, speed, resolution and offset-voltage properly. Simulations show that this novel dynamic latch comparator designed in 0.18 µm CMOS technology achieves 3.44 mV resolution with 8 bit precision at a frequency of 50 MHz while dissipating 158.5 µW from 1.8 V supply and 88.05 µA average current. Moreover, the proposed design propagates as fast as 4.2 nS with energy efficiency of 0.7 fJ/conversion-step. Additionally, the core circuit layout only occupies 0.008 mm2.
  11. Fulltext Designing a ring-VCO for RFID transponders in 0.18 μm CMOS process
    Jalil J, Reaz MB, Bhuiyan MA, Rahman LF, Chang TG
    ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:580385.
    PMID: 24587731 DOI: 10.1155/2014/580385
    In radio frequency identification (RFID) systems, performance degradation of phase locked loops (PLLs) mainly occurs due to high phase noise of voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs). This paper proposes a low power, low phase noise ring-VCO developed for 2.42 GHz operated active RFID transponders compatible with IEEE 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth, and Zigbee protocols. For ease of integration and implementation of the module in tiny die area, a novel pseudodifferential delay cell based 3-stage ring oscillator has been introduced to fabricate the ring-VCO. In CMOS technology, 0.18 μm process is adopted for designing the circuit with 1.5 V power supply. The postlayout simulated results show that the proposed oscillator works in the tuning range of 0.5-2.54 GHz and dissipates 2.47 mW of power. It exhibits a phase noise of -126.62 dBc/Hz at 25 MHz offset from 2.42 GHz carrier frequency.
  12. Synthesis and in vitro urease inhibitory activity of N,N'-disubstituted thioureas
    Khan KM, Naz F, Taha M, Khan A, Perveen S, Choudhary MI, et al.
    Eur J Med Chem, 2014 Mar 3;74:314-23.
    PMID: 24486414 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2014.01.001
    Thiourea derivatives (1-38) were synthesized and evaluated for their urease inhibition potential. The synthetic compounds showed a varying degree of in vitro urease inhibition with IC50 values 5.53 ± 0.02-91.50 ± 0.08 μM, most of which are superior to the standard thiourea (IC₅₀ = 21.00 ± 0.11 μM). In order to ensure the mode of inhibition of these compounds, the kinetic study of the most active compounds has been carried out. Most of these inhibitors were found to be mixed-type of inhibitors, except compounds 13 and 30 which were competitive, while compound 19 was identified as non-competitive inhibitor with Ki values between 8.6 and 19.29 μM.
  13. Dataset on the influence of software development agility on software firms' performance in Bangladesh
    Sadia F, Mahmud I, Dhar E, Jahan N, Hossain SS, Zaidi Satter AKM
    Data Brief, 2019 Apr;23:103741.
    PMID: 31372407 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2019.103741
    The article identifies the relationship among different agile software development approaches such as response extensiveness, response efficiency, team autonomy, team diversity, and software functionality that software teams face difficult challenges in associating and achieving the right balance between the two agility dimensions. This research strategy, in terms of quantity, is descriptive and correlational. Statistical analysis of the data was carried out, using SmartPLS 3.0. Statistical population, consist of employees of software industries in Bangladesh, who were engaged in 2017 and their total number is about 100 people. The data show that the response extensiveness, response efficiency, team autonomy, team diversity, and software functionality have impact on software development agility and software development performance.
  14. Assessment of health risks and individuals' willingness to participate in drinking water management at flood-prone Pahang River Basin, Malaysia
    Alam L, Rahman LF, Ahmed MF, Bari MA, Masud MM, Mokhtar MB
    Environ Geochem Health, 2021 May;43(5):2049-2063.
    PMID: 33389458 DOI: 10.1007/s10653-020-00783-0
    Rivers, the main source of the domestic water supply in Malaysia, have been threatened by frequent flooding in recent years. This study aims to assess human health risks associated with exposure to concentrated heavy metals in a flood-prone region of Malaysia and investigate the affected individuals' willingness to participate in managing water resources. Hazard indices and cancer risks associated with water contamination by heavy metals have been assessed following the method prescribed by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Yearly data of heavy metal contamination (Cd, Cr, Pb, Zn, Fe), water quality parameters (DO, BOD, COD, pH), and climatic information (annual rainfall, annual temperature) have been collected from the Department of Environment and Meteorological Department of Malaysia, respectively. The inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry technique has been used by the department of environment for analyzing heavy metal concentration in river water samples. In this study, data from a stratified random sample of households in the affected region were analyzed, using partial least squares structural equation modeling, to predict the link between individuals' perceptions and attitudes about water resources and their willingness to engage in water management program. The health risk estimation indicated that the hazard index values were below the acceptable limit, representing no non-carcinogenic risk to adults and children residing in the study area via oral intake and dermal adsorption of water. However, the calculated value for cancer risk signified possible carcinogenic risks associated with Pb and Cd. In general, contamination due to pollution and flooding tends to increase in the basin region, and appropriate management is needed. The results identified perceived water quality as a significant factor influencing people's attitudes toward involvement in water management programs. As in many developing countries, there is no legal provision guaranteeing public representation in water management in Malaysia. The conclusion discusses the importance of these for the literature and for informing future policy actions.
  15. Fulltext Edible Bird's Nest Supplementation Improves Male Reproductive Parameters of Sprague Dawley Rat
    Jaffar FHF, Osman K, Hui CK, Zulkefli AF, Ibrahim SF
    Front Pharmacol, 2021;12:631402.
    PMID: 33986667 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.631402
    Edible bird's nest (EBN) is reported to have a positive in vitro proliferative effect and contain male reproductive hormones. Spermatogonia cells proliferate during spermatogenesis under male reproductive hormones stimulation that include testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH). Characterization of EBN through liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LCMS) has found testosterone as a base peak. Six types of amino acids, estradiol and sialic acid were among the major peaks that have been characterized. Based on the presence of these reproductive components, this study evaluated different doses of EBN on sperm parameters and male reproductive hormones of Sprague Dawley rats. Sixteen Sprague Dawley rats at the age of eight weeks were randomly and equally divided into four groups, which are Control, 10 mg/kg BW/d 50 mg/kg BW/d, and 250 mg/kg BW/d EBN group. The rats were fed with EBN enriched pellet daily and water ad-libitum. Rats were sacrificed and the organ was weighed for organ coefficients after eight weeks of treatment. Sperm concentration, percentage of sperm motility, and sperm viability were evaluated. Meanwhile, ELISA method was used to measure testosterone, FSH, and LH. Findings showed that there were no significant differences in organ coefficient between groups. Supplementation of 250 mg/kg BW/d EBN demonstrated a significant increase in sperm concentration, percentage of sperm motility as well as FSH and LH level compared to 10 mg/kg BW/d group. There was a dose-dependent increase in testosterone level but was not significant between groups. Based on these findings, EBN is concluded to have crucial effects on male reproductive parameters.
  16. Dilution rate of compost leachate from different biowaste for the fertigation of vegetables
    Ahamad Sanadi NFB, Ibrahim N, Ong PY, Klemeš JJ, Li C, Lee CT
    J Environ Manage, 2021 Oct 01;295:113010.
    PMID: 34348429 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113010
    Compost leachate (CL) is often treated as sewage. Limited studies have characterised the use of CL for agriculture application due to the variation of nutrient range, potential pollutants and need for pretreatment before use. This paper reviewed the characteristics of CL in terms of its nutrients and physical characteristics from three types of biowastes, i.e. the organic portion of municipal solid waste (OP-MSW), animal manure and green waste. The nutrient range characterised are used to develop the dilution rate of the CL as fertigation water for three types of vegetables. The dilution rate of CL developed is based on the fertigation standards set by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and Malaysia Standards. The results show that all CL contain high organic content and micronutrients, which exceeded the upper limits. For the fertigation of vegetables using the CL, based on the requirement of COD and micronutrients (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Pb, Ni, Cd, Cr) of the vegetables, the CL from green waste required the lowest dilution rate (8-45 fold), followed by animal waste (33-65 fold) and the OP-MSW (193-1770 fold). The novel dilution range developed is vital to balance the essential nutrients in the CL while avoiding phototoxicity on plant and soil pollution. The dilution strategy developed is essential to support the conversion of CL as an organic liquid fertiliser for agricultural application.
  17. Fulltext The Physicochemical Characteristics of Gelam Honey and Its Outcome on the Female Reproductive Tissue of Sprague-Dawley Rats: A Preliminary Study
    Ismail NH, Osman K, Zulkefli AF, Mokhtar MH, Ibrahim SF
    Molecules, 2021 Jun 02;26(11).
    PMID: 34199433 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26113346
    Gelam honey (GH) is a prized natural product synthesized from the nectar of flowers from Gelam trees (Melaleuca sp.). Gelam is an evergreen tree species that grows in tropical regions such as Malaysia. GH is a multifloral honey with proven antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. However, the beneficial effect of GH on female reproductive tissue has yet to be substantiated. Herein, we investigated the effects of GH administration on the uterine and vaginal epithelial thickness of sexually mature Sprague-Dawley rats. Epithelia thickness could be an indicator of an atrophy manifesting as a symptom of a cardio syndrome. Rats were given oral doses of GH in four groups for 14 days; the lowest dose was 0.2 g GH/kg body weight (bw) rat/day and the highest dose was 8 g GH/kg bw rat/day. The physicochemical characteristics of GH were assessed through hydroxymethylfurfural and moisture content determination and sugar identification. GH attenuated the atrophy of the uterine and vaginal epithelia and increased the thickness of the endometrial stroma and endometrial surface endothelial layer. However, the dissonance observed in the effect of GH administration on the vaginal epithelium requires further investigation. Nevertheless, GH may have a strong potential in attenuating uterine and vaginal atrophies.
  18. Fulltext Evolutionary and genomic analysis of the caleosin/peroxygenase (CLO/PXG) gene/protein families in the Viridiplantae
    Rahman F, Hassan M, Rosli R, Almousally I, Hanano A, Murphy DJ
    PLoS One, 2018;13(5):e0196669.
    PMID: 29771926 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0196669
    Bioinformatics analyses of caleosin/peroxygenases (CLO/PXG) demonstrated that these genes are present in the vast majority of Viridiplantae taxa for which sequence data are available. Functionally active CLO/PXG proteins with roles in abiotic stress tolerance and lipid droplet storage are present in some Trebouxiophycean and Chlorophycean green algae but are absent from the small number of sequenced Prasinophyceaen genomes. CLO/PXG-like genes are expressed during dehydration stress in Charophyte algae, a sister clade of the land plants (Embryophyta). CLO/PXG-like sequences are also present in all of the >300 sequenced Embryophyte genomes, where some species contain as many as 10-12 genes that have arisen via selective gene duplication. Angiosperm genomes harbour at least one copy each of two distinct CLO/PX isoforms, termed H (high) and L (low), where H-forms contain an additional C-terminal motif of about 30-50 residues that is absent from L-forms. In contrast, species in other Viridiplantae taxa, including green algae, non-vascular plants, ferns and gymnosperms, contain only one (or occasionally both) of these isoforms per genome. Transcriptome and biochemical data show that CLO/PXG-like genes have complex patterns of developmental and tissue-specific expression. CLO/PXG proteins can associate with cytosolic lipid droplets and/or bilayer membranes. Many of the analysed isoforms also have peroxygenase activity and are involved in oxylipin metabolism. The distribution of CLO/PXG-like genes is consistent with an origin >1 billion years ago in at least two of the earliest diverging groups of the Viridiplantae, namely the Chlorophyta and the Streptophyta, after the Viridiplantae had already diverged from other Archaeplastidal groups such as the Rhodophyta and Glaucophyta. While algal CLO/PXGs have roles in lipid packaging and stress responses, the Embryophyte proteins have a much wider spectrum of roles and may have been instrumental in the colonisation of terrestrial habitats and the subsequent diversification as the major land flora.
  19. Fulltext An approach for developing integrated undergraduate medical curriculum
    Akram A, Rizwan F, Sattar K, Hadi JIS, Meo SA
    Pak J Med Sci, 2018 9 8;34(4):804-810.
    PMID: 30190732 DOI: 10.12669/pjms.344.14565
    Background and Objectives: Medical schools are to develop integrated medical curricula because the term 'integrated curriculum' has grown up and flourished globally and it has become mandatory to align the medical education with the global concept in Pakistan. This paper aims to present a guideline to design an undergraduate integrated medical curriculum.

    Methods: Various themes are used to develop integrated curriculum which are basic medical science, simulation skills, clinical science, personality development, research, entrepreneurship and pre specialization. Each theme is subdivided, termed a module and its contents primarily focus on particular aspect.

    Results: Knowledge, skill and attitude, embodied in themes or modules, are planted in specific way that they have horizontal as well as vertical integration. There is no boundary of various traditional disciplines in template of five years curriculum. For example, diagnosis is a theme which carries contents from medicine, surgery, orthopedics etc.

    Conclusion: The blueprint introduced in this paper would help medical educators to draft integrated medical curricula for those institutions which intend to switch their medical programs from traditional to integrated one.

  20. Fulltext Synthesis of Novel Triazinoindole-Based Thiourea Hybrid: A Study on α-Glucosidase Inhibitors and Their Molecular Docking
    Taha M, Alshamrani FJ, Rahim F, Hayat S, Ullah H, Zaman K, et al.
    Molecules, 2019 Oct 23;24(21).
    PMID: 31652777 DOI: 10.3390/molecules24213819
    A new class of triazinoindole-bearing thiosemicarbazides (1-25) was synthesized and evaluated for α-glucosidase inhibitory potential. All synthesized analogs exhibited excellent inhibitory potential, with IC50 values ranging from 1.30 ± 0.01 to 35.80 ± 0.80 µM when compared to standard acarbose (an IC50 value of 38.60 ± 0.20 µM). Among the series, analogs 1 and 23 were found to be the most potent, with IC50 values of 1.30 ± 0.05 and 1.30 ± 0.01 µM, respectively. The structure-activity relationship (SAR) was mainly based upon bringing about different substituents on the phenyl rings. To confirm the binding interactions, a molecular docking study was performed.
Related Terms
    Try searching for something
Filters
Contact Us

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

External Links