CONTEXT: Orthosiphon stamineus is a medicinal herb widely grown in Southeast Asia and tropical countries. It has been used traditionally as a diuretic, abdominal pain, kidney and bladder inflammation, gout, and hypertension.
AIMS: This study aims to develop and validate the high-performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) method for quantification of rosmarinic acid (RA), 3'-hydroxy-5,6,7,4'-tetramethoxyflavone (TMF), sinensitin (SIN) and eupatorin (EUP) found in ethanol, 50% ethanol and water extract of O. stamineus leaves.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: HPTLC method was conducted using an HPTLC system with a developed mobile phase system of toluene: ethyl acetate: formic acid (3:7:0.1) performed on precoated silica gel 60 F254 TLC plates. The method was validated based on linearity, accuracy, precision, limit of detection, limit of quantification (LOQ), and specificity, respectively. The detection of spots was observed at ultraviolet 254 nm and 366 nm.
RESULTS: The linearity of RA, TMF, SIN, and EUP were obtained between 10 and 100 ng/spot with high correlation coefficient value (R2) of more than 0.986. The limit of detection was found to be 122.47 ± 3.95 (RA), 43.38 ± 0.79 (SIN), 17.26 ± 1.16 (TMF), and 46.80 ± 1.33 ng/spot (EUP), respectively. Whereas the LOQ was found to be 376.44 ± 6.70 (RA), 131.45 ± 2.39 (SIN), 52.30 ± 2.01 (TMF), and 141.82 ± 1.58 ng/spot (EUP), respectively.
CONCLUSION: The proposed method showed good linearity, precision, accuracy, and high sensitivity. Hence, it may be applied in a routine quantification of RA, SIN, TMF, and EUP found in ethanol, 50% of ethanol and water extract of O. stamineus leaves.
SUMMARY: HPTLC method provides rapid estimation of the marker compound for routine quality control analysis.The established HPTLC method is rapid for qualitative and quantitative fingerprinting of Orthosiphon stamineus extract used for commercial product.Four identified markers (RA, SIN, EUP and TMF) found in three a different type of O. stamineus extracts specifically ethanol, 50% ethanol and water extract were successfully quantified using HPTLC method. Abbreviations Used: HPTLC: High-performance thin layer chromatography; RA: Rosmarinic acid; TMF: 3'-hydroxy-5,6,7,4'-tetramethoxyflavone; SIN: Sinensitin; EUP: Eupatorin; E: Ethanol; EW: 50% ethanol; W: Water; BK: Batu Kurau; KB: Kepala Batas; S: Sik; CJ: Changkat Jering; SB: Sungai Buloh.
KEYWORDS: rosmarinic acid; Eupatorin; Orthosiphon stamineus; high-performance thin-layer chromatography; sinensitin; validation
This paper reports an intense up-conversion luminescence from Dy3+-doped strontium-telluro-alumino-magnesium-borate glasses for the first time. The samples were made via the melt-quenching method and characterized to determine the influence of various CuO nanoparticles contents change on their up-conversion emission traits. Absorption spectral data were used to calculate the Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters. The sample without CuO nanoparticles revealed two intense photoluminescence up-conversion emission peaks at 478 and 570 nm. In addition, CuO nanoparticles-activated sample displayed about 1.4-fold up-conversion emission intensity improvement due to strong light absorption in the visible to the infrared region at 799 nm excitation. The stimulated emission cross-section of the CuO nanoparticles-activated glasses was increased from 102.4 × 10-23 to 1301.1 × 10-23 cm2 (nearly 10-fold amplification) while the branching ratio was reduced to 66.9%. Thus, CuO nanoparticles as an additive in the current glass matrix enhanced the up-conversion emission and strengthened the associated nonlinear optical properties. CIE 1931 color matching revealed the influence of CuO in modifying the up-conversion color coordinates, thereby improving the white color purity. The achieved up-conversion emission coupled with the color tunability of the proposed glasses may be advantageous for the up-conversion UV tunable laser making.
This research was focused on the thermoluminescence (TL) response of commercially produced single-mode telecommunication optical fibre manufactured by INOCORP (Canada). The fibres were either in the form of pure silica (SiO2) or as SiO2 doped with Ge or Al at concentrations appropriate for total internal reflection, as required for telecommunication purposes. Each of these INOCORP fibres had a core diameter of 125 ± 0.1 μm. It was noted that dopant concentration was not included among the data provided in the accompanying product data sheet. A particularly important parameter for obtaining the highest TL yield in this study was the dopant concentration of the SiO2 fibre. The dopants tended to diffuse during the production of the optical fibre. To obtain this parameter, proton induced X-ray emission (PIXE) analysis was utilised. PIXE while having limited depth resolution could unambiguously identify elements and analyse trace elements with a detection limit approaching μg g–1. For Al-doped fibres, dopant concentrations in the range of 0.98 – 2.93 mol% had been estimated, the equivalent range for Ge-doped fibres was 0.53 – 0.71 mol%. A linear dose response was observed following 2.5 MeV proton irradiation for Ge- and Al-doped fibres for up to 7 min exposure.
A cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the effects of acute and chronic pesticide exposure on the plasma beta-glucuronidase enzyme activity among five patients of acute pesticide poisoning in Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital, Klang, 230 farmers in the MADA area, Kedah and 49 fishermen in Setiu, Terengganu. The duration of pesticide exposure among the patients was unknown, but the plasma samples from patients were collected on day one in the hospital. The duration of pesticide exposure among the farmers was between 1 and 45 years. The beta-glucuronidase activity was compared with plasma cholinesterase activity in the same individual. The plasma cholinesterase activity was measured using Cholinesterase (PTC) Reagent set kit (Teco Diagnostics, UK) based on colorimetric method, while the plasma beta-glucuronidase activity was measured fluorometrically based on beta-glucuronidase assay. The plasma cholinesterase activity was significantly reduced (p<0.05) among the patients (1386.786+/-791.291 U/L/min) but the inhibition in plasma cholinesterase activity among the farmers (7346.5+/-1860.786 U/L/min) was not significant (p>0.05). The plasma beta-glucuronidase activity among the farmers was significantly elevated (p<0.05) (0.737+/-0.425 microM/h) but not significant among the patients (p>0.05). The plasma cholinesterase activity was positively correlated with the plasma beta-glucuronidase activity among the farmers (r=0.205, p<0.01) but not among the patients (r=0.79, p>0.05). Thus, plasma beta-glucuronidase enzyme activity can be measured as a biomarker for the chronic exposure of pesticide. However, further studies need to be performed to confirm whether plasma beta-glucuronidase can be a sensitive biomarker for anticholinesterase pesticide poisoning.
A study was carried out to isolate Brucella melitensis using established bacteriological and PCR techniques in Brucella seropositive goats in farms in Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka and Pulau Pinang. Brucella melitensis was isolated from 7 of 134 reactors with the highest isolation from the vaginal swabs (57.14%) followed by the spleen (28.57%), uterine fluid (14.29%). No Brucella was isolated from the lymph nodes. PCR confirmed all the seven isolates as B. melitensis and isolates were phylogenetically related to other isolates from India, Iran, and Israel but most closely related to isolates from Singapore.
Syzygium campanulatum Korth is an equatorial, evergreen, aboriginal shrub of Malaysia. Conventionally it has been used as a stomachic. However, in the currently conducted study dimethyl cardamonin or 2',4'-dihydroxy-6'-methoxy-3',5'-dimethylchalcone (DMC) was isolated from S. campanulatum Korth, leaf extract. The structural characterization of DMC was carried out by making use of various techniques including UV, IR, NMR spectral followed by LC-MS, and X-ray crystallographic techniques. For determining the purity of compound, highly effective techniques including TLC, HPLC, and melting point were used. The cytotoxicity of DMC and three different extracts of S. campanulatum was evaluated against human colon cancer cell line (HT-29) by three different assays. DMC and ethanolic extract revealed potent and dose-dependent cytotoxic activity on the cancer cell line with IC50 12.6 and 90.1 µg/mL, respectively. Quite astonishingly to our knowledge, this is the very first report on S. campanulatum as being a rich source (3.5%) of DMC, X-ray crystallography, and anticancer activity on human colon cancer cells.
BACKGROUND: Knowledge is believed to be a driving factor for patients' early presentation for healthcare. This study was conducted to assess knowledge of colorectal cancer among subjects presenting with rectal bleeding and to determine its association with late presentation.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study of 80 patients with rectal bleeding, aged 40 and above, was conducted between December 2008 and June 2009 in the endoscopy unit, University Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre. The research instruments used in this study was a self-administered questionnaire including data on duration of rectal bleeding, first medical consultation and knowledge of colorectal cancer.
RESULTS: Sixty percent of subjects with rectal bleeding delayed seeking medical advice. Subjects were more aware of symptoms of non-colorectal cancers compared to symptoms of colorectal cancer. The majority of subjects (63.8%) correctly identified rectal bleeding as a symptom but were not aware of the best screening method to detect colorectal cancer. Half of the subjects knew increasing age and genetic background to be risk factors for colorectal carcinoma. However, knowledge of colorectal cancer was not found to be significantly associated with delay in seeking help.
CONCLUSION: Findings indicate poor awareness of colorectal cancer among the subjects. Although public education of colorectal cancer is important for early presentation on rectal bleeding, further studies are advocated to evaluate other factors influencing patients' help seeking behavior other than knowledge.
Introduction: Osteoporosis has frequently been regards as a disease of women only. However, men are also at risk of developing osteoporosis. We aimed to evaluate the knowledge of osteoporosis among men and its associated factors.
Materials and method: A cross-sectional study of 245 male patients aged 50 and above was conducted in the primary care clinic, University Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre. The research instrument used in this study was a validated self-administered questionnaire which consists of socio-demographic data and 16 items of knowledge of osteoporosis among men.
Results: The mean score for knowledge was 7.78± 3.32 out of 16 points. Most of the subjects (83 percent) knew the definition of osteoporosis but were not aware that osteoporosis was a silent disease. Only a quarter of subjects (38 percent) recognized family history as a risk factors for osteoporosis. Despite 78 percent of subjects answer correctly regarding importance of calcium intake in their diet however only 7 percent
of them knew the recommended dosage of daily calcium intake. Knowledge of osteoporosis was found to be significantly associated with education and total monthly household income.
Conclusion: Findings indicate limited knowledge of osteoporosis among the subjects. Public education of osteoporosis among men is important to increase their knowledge. Meanwhile, primary care doctors should also emphasize and educate men regarding osteoporosis to enhance their knowledge of the disease.
Influenza-like illnesses (ILI) were defined as a triad of cough, sore throat and fever. The aim of this study is to determine the changes in knowledge, perceptions and practices towards preventive measures of succumbing to ILI before and after hajj among Malaysian hajj pilgrims.Methodology: An open-labeled randomized control trial study performed on five hundred Malaysian hajj pilgrims in the year 2013. After validated pre-hajj questionnaires completed, 250 subjects were given health education, benzalkonium-based handrub and demonstration of the handrub usage together with pamphlets and labelled as an intervention group. Another 250 subjects from another flight batch were given the same questionnaires without health education with unmedicated hand lotion as a control group. The knowledge, perception, practices and compliances to the handrub practice in both groups were compared with the pre-hajj results. Results: No significant difference between pre and post hajj knowledge and practice among hajj pilgrims in intervention group. Pre hajj perception score [ M (IQR) = 30 (5.00), Z= -2.441, p < 0.05 ] is much higher compared to post hajj perception [ M (IQR) = 29 (6.00), Z = -2.441, p < O.O5 ]. No significant difference between pre and post hajj knowledge, perception and practices among hajj pilgrims in control group. Hand hygiene compliance was not improved with provision of health education and free handrub supply. Conclusion: No significant changes in knowledge, perceptions and practices of Malaysian hajj pilgrims pre and post-hajj in both groups. Provision of handrub did not improved hajj pilgrims compliance.
Understanding the influence of co-dopants in the luminescence enhancement of carbonate glasses is the key issue in dosimetry. A series of borate glasses modified by lithium and potassium carbonate were synthesized by the melt-quenching method. The glass mixture activated with various concentrations of TiO2 and MgO was subjected to various doses of gamma-rays ((60)Co). The amorphous nature of the samples was confirmed by x-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra. The simple glowing curve of the glass doped with TiO2 features a peak at 230°C, whose intensity is maximal at 0.5 mol% of the dopant. The intensity of the glowing curve increases with the concentration of MgO added as a co-dopant up to 0.25 mol%, where it is two times higher than for the material without MgO thermoluminescence properties, including dose response, reproducibility, and fading were studied. The effective atomic number of the material was also determined. Kinetic parameters, such as kinetics order, activation energy, and frequency factor are estimated. The photoluminescence spectra of the titanium-doped glass consist of a prominent peaks at 480 nm when laser excitation at 650 nm is used. A three-fold photoluminescence enhancement and a blue shift of the peak were observed when 0.1% MgO was introduced. In addition, various physical parameters, such as ion concentration, polaron radius and internuclear distances were calculated. The mechanism for the thermoluminescence and photoluminescence enhancements are discussed.
A rare case of diffuse malignant peritoneal mesothelioma in a 71 year-old Malay man with no previous history of asbestos or radiation exposure is described. The clinical manifestation was a large abdominal mass. At laparotomy he was found to be in the advanced stage of the disease. The tumour was not resectable and patient was sent home. He gradually deteriorated and died three months after diagnosis was made. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of peritoneal mesothelioma which has not been previously reported are described.
The adolescence period of life comes along with changes and challenges in terms of physical and cognitive development. In this hectic period, many adolescents may suffer more from various risk factors such as low socioeconomic status, substance abuse, sexual abuse and teenage pregnancy. Findings indicate that such disadvantaged backgrounds of Malaysian adolescent students lead to failure or underachievement in their academic performance. This narrative review scrutinises how some of these students are able to demonstrate academic resilience, which is satisfactory performance in cognitive or academic tasks in spite of their disadvantaged backgrounds. The review stresses the need for developing a caregiving relationship model for at-risk adolescent students in Malaysia. Such a model would allow educators to meet the students' needs for enhancing thinking skills, counteracting risk factors and demonstrating academic resilience.
The current study was conducted to measure the activity concentration of the gross alpha and beta in 87 groundwater samples collected from the productive aquifers that constitute a major source of groundwater to evaluate the annual effective dose and the corresponding health impact on the population and to investigate the quality of groundwater in Jordan. The mean activity concentration of gross alpha and beta in groundwater ranges from 0.26 ± 0.03 to 3.58 ± 0.55 Bq L-1 and from 0.51 ± 0.07 to 3.43 ± 0.46 Bq L-1, respectively. A very strong relationship was found between gross alpha and beta activity concentrations. The annual effective dose for alpha and beta was found in the range of 0.32-2.40 mSv with a mean value of 0.89 mSv, which is nine times higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended limit and one and half times higher than the national regulation limit. The mean lifetime risk was found to be 45.47 × 10-4 higher than the Jordanian estimated upper-bound lifetime risk of 25 × 10-4. The data obtained in the study would be the baseline for further epidemiological studies on health effects related to the exposure to natural radioactivity in Jordan.
A new photonics biosensor configuration comprising a Double-side Ring Add-drop Filter microring resonator (DR-ADF) made from SiO2-TiO2 material is proposed for the detection of Salmonella bacteria (SB) in blood. The scattering matrix method using inductive calculation is used to determine the output signal's intensities in the blood with and without presence of Salmonella. The change in refractive index due to the reaction of Salmonella bacteria with its applied antibody on the flagellin layer loaded on the sensing and detecting microresonator causes the increase in through and dropper port's intensities of the output signal which leads to the detection of SB in blood. A shift in the output signal wavelength is observed with resolution of 0.01 nm. The change in intensity and shift in wavelength is analyzed with respect to the change in the refractive index which contributes toward achieving an ultra-high sensitivity of 95,500 nm/RIU which is almost two orders higher than that of reported from single ring sensors and the limit of detection is in the order of 1 × 10(-8) RIU. In applications, such a system can be employed for a high sensitive and fast detection of bacteria.
The spectrum of beta-thalassemia mutations in Malaysia has been determined in 45 beta-thalassemia chromosomes using dot blot hybridization of the polymerase chain reaction amplified DNA and direct DNA sequencing. Eleven different molecular defects, including those previously detected in Chinese, Asian Indians, and American blacks, and a novel frameshift mutation causing beta zero-thalassemia were detected. Since this novel mutation, a T deletion in codon 15 creates a new restriction site for EcoRII enzyme; the mutation could be detected by EcoRII digestion of the appropriate amplified fragment. The results of the present study provide additional information on the molecular heterogeneity of beta-thalassemia in this population. We also demonstrated the nonradioactive detection method of the beta-thalassemia mutation based upon the digoxigenin-labeled oligonucleotide probes.
Vaginal drug delivery is regarded as a promising route against women-related health issues such as unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. However, only a very few studies have been reported on the use of hydrogel rings with low cytotoxicity for vaginal drug delivery applications. Moreover, the effect of nanoparticles on hydrogel vaginal rings has not been clearly evaluated. To overcome these challenges, we hereby developed nanocomposite hydrogel rings based on polyacrylamide-sodium carboxymethyl cellulose-montmorillonite nanoparticles in the ring-shaped aluminum mold for controlled drug delivery. The hydrogel rings were synthesized by using N,N'-methylene bisacrylamide, N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl ethylene diamine, and ammonium persulfate, as a crosslinker, accelerator, and initiator, respectively. The obtained rings were 5.5 cm in diameters and 0.5 cm in rims. Chemical structures of the nanocomposite rings were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared, and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopies. Additionally, the swelling ratio of hydrogels was appeared to be adjusted by the introduction of nanoparticles. In vitro release experiment of methylene blue, as a hydrophilic model drug, revealed that the nanocomposite rings could not only reduce burst effect (almost more than twice), but also achieve prolonged release for 15 days in the vaginal fluid simulant which mimic the vaginal conditions at pH of almost 4.2, and a temperature of 37 °C. Importantly, the resultant hydrogel rings with or without various concentrations of montmorillonite showed low cytotoxicity toward human skin fibroblasts. Furthermore, different antibacterial activities against Escherichia coli were observed for various concentrations of montmorillonite in hydrogels. These results suggest the great potential of montmorillonite-based hydrogel rings for vaginal drug delivery.
A particular category of jewelry is one involving bracelets and necklaces that are deliberately made to contain naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM)-purveyors making unsubstantiated claims for health benefits from the release of negative ions. Conversely, within the bounds of the linear no-threshold model, long-term use presents a radiological risk to wearers. Evaluation is conducted herein of the radiological risk arising from wearing these products and gamma-ray spectrometry is used to determine the radioactivity levels and annual effective dose of 15 commercially available bracelets (samples B1 to B15) and five necklaces (samples N16 to N20). Various use scenarios are considered; a Geant4 Monte Carlo (Geant4 MC) simulation is also performed to validate the experimental results. The dose conversion coefficient for external radiation and skin equivalent doses were also evaluated. Among the necklaces, sample N16 showed the greatest levels of radioactivity, at 246 ± 35, 1682 ± 118, and 221 ± 40 Bq, for 238U, 232Th, and 40K, respectively. For the bracelets, for 238U and 232Th, sample B15 displayed the greatest level of radioactivity, at 146 ± 21 and 980 ± 71 Bq, respectively. N16 offered the greatest percentage concentrations of U and Th, with means of 0.073 ± 0.0002% and 1.51 ± 0.0015%, respectively, giving rise to an estimated annual effective dose exposure of 1.22 mSv, substantially in excess of the ICRP recommended limit of 1 mSv/year.
The performance of optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters (OSLDs, Al2O3:C) was evaluated in terms of the operational quantity of HP(10) in Co-60 external beam teletherapy unit. The reproducibility, signal depletion, and dose linearity of each dosimeter was investigated. For ten repeated readouts, each dosimeter exposed to 50mSv was found to be reproducible below 1.9 ± 3% from the mean value, indicating good reader stability. Meanwhile, an average signal reduction of 0.5% per readout was found. The dose response revealed a good linearity within the dose range of 5-50mSv having nearly perfect regression line with R2 equals 0.9992. The accuracy of the measured doses were evaluated in terms of operational quantity HP(10), wherein the trumpet curve method was used respecting the 1990 International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) standard. The accuracy of the overall measurements from all dosimeters was discerned to be within the trumpet curve and devoid of outlier. It is established that the achieved OSL Al2O3:C dosimeters are greatly reliable for equivalent dose assessment.