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Intron retention is among six unreported AGL mutations identified in Malaysian GSD III patients

Abdullah IS, Teh SH, Khaidizar FD, Ngu LH, Keng WT, Yap S, et al.

Genes Genomics, 2019 08;41(8):885-893.
PMID: 31028654 DOI: 10.1007/s13258-019-00815-9

BACKGROUND: Glycogen storage disease type III is an autosomal recessive disorder that is caused by deficiencies of the glycogen debranching enzyme. Mutations within the AGL gene have been found to be heterogeneous, with some common mutations being reported in certain populations. The mutation spectrum of AGL gene in the multi-ethnic Malaysian population is still unknown.
OBJECTIVE: The present study seeks to determine the mutation spectrum of the AGL gene in Malaysian population.
METHODS: A total of eleven patients (eight Malay, two Chinese and one Bajau) were investigated. Genomic DNA was extracted and subsequently the AGL gene was amplified using specific primers and sequenced. Mutations found were screened in 150 healthy control samples either by restriction enzyme digestion assay or TaqMan® SNP Genotyping assay.
RESULTS: We identified six unreported mutations (c.1423+1G>T, c.2914_2915delAA, c.3814_3815delAG, c.4333T>G, c.4490G>A, c.4531_4534delTGTC) along with three previously reported mutations (c.99C>T, c.1783C>T, c.2681+1G>A). One of the six unreported mutation causes abnormal splicing and results in retention of intron 12 of the mature transcript, while another is a termination read-through. One of the reported mutation c.2681+1G>A was recurrently found in the Malay patients (n = 7 alleles; 31.8%).
CONCLUSION: The mutation spectrum of the AGL gene in Malaysian patients has shown considerable heterogeneity, and all unreported mutations were absent in all 150 healthy control samples tested.
Fulltext The Inter-Relation of Corporate Social Responsibility at Employee Level, Servant Leadership, and Innovative Work Behavior in the Time of Crisis from the Healthcare Sector of Pakistan

Ahmad N, Scholz M, Arshad MZ, Jafri SKA, Sabir RI, Khan WA, et al.

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2021 04 27;18(9).
PMID: 33925322 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18094608

Organizational crisis can serve as a base to provide an opportunity to an organization for enhancing individuals, organizations, and communities. The healthcare sector is one of those sectors that remains under continuous pressure to provide high-quality service delivery to the patients. Hence, the requirement of innovation for this sector is huge when compared to other sectors. The majority of the previous studies have investigated the phenomenon of CSR at the employee's level (CSR-E) to influence employee behavior positively. However, the importance of CSR-E to enhance the innovative capability of the employees at the workplace is not well-explored in extant literature. Moreover, it is not clear from previous studies how the concept of servant leadership can explain the employee's engagement towards innovative work behavior (EIB). Thus, the current survey aims to test the relationship of CSR-E and EIB in the healthcare sector of Pakistan with the mediating effect of servant leadership. The data of the current study were obtained through a self-administered (paper-pencil) survey and they were analyzed through the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique. The empirical results of SEM analysis revealed that CSR-E and EIB are positively related and servant leadership partially mediates this relationship. The findings of the current study will be helpful for policymakers to improve their understanding towards CSR-E to induce EIB in the time of crisis. At the same time, the current study also highlights the importance of servant leadership to the policymakers in encouraging the employees to display their innovative capability at the workplace to serve their organization during the time of crisis.
Fulltext Screening of antiviral activities in medicinal plants extracts against dengue virus using dengue NS2B-NS3 protease assay

Rothan HA, Zulqarnain M, Ammar YA, Tan EC, Rahman NA, Yusof R

Trop Biomed, 2014 Jun;31(2):286-96.
PMID: 25134897 MyJurnal

Dengue virus infects millions of people worldwide and there is no vaccine or anti-dengue therapeutic available. Screening large numbers of medicinal plants for anti-dengue activities is an alternative strategy in order to find the potent therapeutic compounds. Therefore, this study was designed to identify anti-dengue activities in nineteen medicinal plant extracts that are used in traditional medicine. Local medicinal plants Vernonia cinerea, Hemigraphis reptans, Hedyotis auricularia, Laurentia longiflora, Tridax procumbers and Senna angustifolia were used in this study. The highest inhibitory activates against dengue NS2B-NS3pro was observed in ethanolic extract of S. angustifolia leaves, methanolic extract of V. cinerea leaves and ethanol extract of T. procumbens stems. These findings were further verified by in vitro viral inhibition assay. Methanolic extract of V. cinerea leaves, ethanol extract of T. procumbens stems and at less extent ethanolic extract of S. angustifolia leaves were able to maintain the normal morphology of DENV2-infected Vero cells without causing much cytopathic effects (CPE). The percentage of viral inhibition of V. cinerea and T. procumbens extracts were significantly higher than S. angustifolia extract as measured by plaque formation assay and RT-qPCR. In conclusion, The outcome of this study showed that the methanolic extract of V. cinerea leaves and ethanol extract of T. procumbens stems possessed high inhibitory activates against dengue virus that worth more investigation.
Fulltext Sequence variation in the cytochrome oxidase subunit I and II genes of two commonly found blow fly species, Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius) and Chrysomya rufifacies (Macquart) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in Malaysia

Tan SH, Aris EM, Surin J, Omar B, Kurahashi H, Mohamed Z

Trop Biomed, 2009 Aug;26(2):173-81.
PMID: 19901904

The mitochondiral DNA region encompassing the cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and cytochrome oxidase subunit II (COII) genes of two Malaysian blow fly species, Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius) and Chrysomya rufifacies (Macquart) were studied. This region, which spans 2303bp and includes the COI, tRNA leucine and partial COII was sequenced from adult fly and larval specimens, and compared. Intraspecific variations were observed at 0.26% for Ch. megacephala and 0.17% for Ch. rufifacies, while sequence divergence between the two species was recorded at a minimum of 141 out of 2303 sites (6.12%). Results obtained in this study are comparable to published data, and thus support the use of DNA sequence to facilitate and complement morphology-based species identification.
Fulltext A new record of Fannia prisca Stein, 1918 (Diptera:Fanniidae) from peninsular Malaysia

Heo CC, Kurahashi H, Nishida K, Tan Siew H, Mohamed Z, Mohamed AM, et al.

Trop Biomed, 2008 Dec;25(3):254-6.
PMID: 19287366

Fannia prisca Stein, 1918 is newly recorded from peninsular Malaysia. This record is based on 4 male specimens from Mount Berembun, Brinchang, Cameron Highland, Pahang state, peninsular Malaysia. It is previously recorded from China, Mongolia, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Bonin Island, Thailand and oriental region. The male of Fannia prisca can be differentiated from male Fannia scalaris by the following features: for F. prisca, mid-coxa without spine; mid-tibia normal or without stout triangular ventral projection; and hind tibia usually with 2 av, while F. scalaris has several stout hook-like spines on the anterior margin; mid-tibia with stout triangular ventral projection and hind tibia usually with 3 av. Both F. prisca and F. scalaris can be differentiated from Fannia leucosticta by looking at its hind tibia, which only has 1 av.
Fulltext Elucidation of the compatible interaction between banana and Meloidogyne incognita via high-throughput proteome profiling

Al-Idrus A, Carpentier SC, Ahmad MT, Panis B, Mohamed Z

PLoS One, 2017;12(6):e0178438.
PMID: 28575037 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0178438

With a diverse host range, Meloidogyne incognita (root-knot nematode) is listed as one of the most economically important obligate parasites of agriculture. This nematode species establishes permanent feeding sites in plant root systems soon after infestation. A compatible host-nematode interaction triggers a cascade of morphological and physiological process disruptions of the host, leading to pathogenesis. Such disruption is reflected by altered gene expression in affected cells, detectable using molecular approaches. We employed a high-throughput proteomics approach to elucidate the events involved in a compatible banana- M. incognita interaction. This study serves as the first crucial step in developing natural banana resistance for the purpose of biological-based nematode management programme. We successfully profiled 114 Grand naine root proteins involved in the interaction with M. incognita at the 30th- and 60th- day after inoculation (dai). The abundance of proteins involved in fundamental biological processes, cellular component organisation and stress responses were significantly altered in inoculated root samples. In addition, the abundance of proteins in pathways associated with defence and giant cell maintenance in plants such as phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, glycolysis and citrate cycle were also implicated by the infestation.
Fulltext Occurrence of oriental flies associated with indoor and outdoor human remains in the tropical climate of north Malaysia

Kumara TK, Disney RH, Abu Hassan A, Flores M, Hwa TS, Mohamed Z, et al.

J Vector Ecol, 2012 Jun;37(1):62-8.
PMID: 22548537 DOI: 10.1111/j.1948-7134.2012.00200.x

Flies attracted to human remains during death investigations were surveyed in north Peninsular Malaysia. Six families, eight genera, and 16 species were identified from human remains, with the greatest fly diversity occurring on remains recovered indoors. The total relative frequency of species was led by Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius, 1794) (46%), followed by Chrysomya rufifacies (Macquart, 1842) (22%), Sarcophaga (Liopygia) ruficornis (Fabricius, 1974) (5%), Sarcophaga spp. (4%), Synthesiomyia nudiseta Wulp, 1883 (6%), Megaselia spp. (3%), Megaselia scalaris (Loew, 1866), (2%), Megaselia spiracularis Schmitz, 1938 (2%), and Chrysomya villeneuvi Patton, 1922 (2%). Hemipyrellia tagaliana (Bigot, 1877), Desmometopa sp., Megaselia curtineura (Brues, 1909), Hemipyrellia ligurriens Wiedemann 1830, Ophyra sp., Sarcophaga princeps Wiedemann 1830, Piophila casei (Linnaeus, 1758), and unidentified pupae each represented 1%, respectively.
Bioprospecting the roles of Trichoderma in alleviating plants' drought tolerance: Principles, mechanisms of action, and prospects

Akbari SI, Prismantoro D, Permadi N, Rossiana N, Miranti M, Mispan MS, et al.

Microbiol Res, 2024 Jun;283:127665.
PMID: 38452552 DOI: 10.1016/j.micres.2024.127665

Drought-induced stress represents a significant challenge to agricultural production, exerting adverse effects on both plant growth and overall productivity. Therefore, the exploration of innovative long-term approaches for addressing drought stress within agriculture constitutes a crucial objective, given its vital role in enhancing food security. This article explores the potential use of Trichoderma, a well-known genus of plant growth-promoting fungi, to enhance plant tolerance to drought stress. Trichoderma species have shown remarkable potential for enhancing plant growth, inducing systemic resistance, and ameliorating the adverse impacts of drought stress on plants through the modulation of morphological, physiological, biochemical, and molecular characteristics. In conclusion, the exploitation of Trichoderma's potential as a sustainable solution to enhance plant drought tolerance is a promising avenue for addressing the challenges posed by the changing climate. The manifold advantages of Trichoderma in promoting plant growth and alleviating the effects of drought stress underscore their pivotal role in fostering sustainable agricultural practices and enhancing food security.
Fulltext The impact of COVID-19 pandemic outbreak on education and mental health of Chinese children aged 7-15 years: an online survey

Ma Z, Idris S, Zhang Y, Zewen L, Wali A, Ji Y, et al.

BMC Pediatr, 2021 02 24;21(1):95.
PMID: 33627089 DOI: 10.1186/s12887-021-02550-1

BACKGROUND: The emerging of psychological problems triggered by COVID-19 particularly in children have been extensively highlighted and emphasized, but original research in this respect is still lagging behind. Therefore, we designed this study to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and the effectiveness and attitudes towards online education among Chinese children aged 7-15 years.
METHODS: A detailed questionnaire, comprising of 62 questions was designed and parents or caretakers of 7 to 15 years old children were invited to participate via WeChat, a multi-purpose messaging, social media and mobile payment app, which is widely used by the Chinese population. A total of 668 parents across different regions of China were included.
RESULTS: During COVID-19 pandemic, 20.7 and 7.2% children report experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depressive symptoms due to the COVID-19 pandemic. PTSD and SMFQ-P scores are significantly higher in middle school and boarding school students compared to primary and day school students. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that school system and province of origin are factors significantly associated with developing PSTD symptoms. 44.3% respondents feel online education is effective in gaining knowledge and improving practical and communications skills. 78.0% believe the online education system is efficient. Overall 79.8% respondents are satisfied and children can adapt to this new education system. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we found 1 in five children have PTSD and 1 in 14 children have depressive symptoms.
CONCLUSION: In summary, COVID-19 epidemic has caused PTSD and depression symptoms among Chinese children aged 7 to 15 years. In general, a large proportion of respondents are satisfied with online education, but still a substantial proportion of students are not comfortable with this new form of learning. Authorities should optimize online education systems and implement effective interventions to cope with the psychological effects of COVID-19 on children, as it is affecting the global population and remains uncertain when it will end.
Fulltext Scalable Production of Recombinant Membrane Active Peptides and Its Potential as a Complementary Adjunct to Conventional Chemotherapeutics

Rothan HA, Ambikabothy J, Abdulrahman AY, Bahrani H, Golpich M, Amini E, et al.

PLoS One, 2015;10(9):e0139248.
PMID: 26418816 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0139248

The production of short anticancer peptides in recombinant form is an alternative method for costly chemical manufacturing. However, the limitations of host toxicity, bioactivity and column purification have impaired production in mass quantities. In this study, short cationic peptides were produced in aggregated inclusion bodies by double fusion with a central protein that has anti-cancer activity. The anticancer peptides Tachiplicin I (TACH) and Latarcin 1 (LATA) were fused with the N- and C-terminus of the MAP30 protein, respectively. We successfully produced the recombinant TACH-MAP30-LATA protein and MAP30 alone in E. coli that represented 59% and 68% of the inclusion bodies. The purified form of the inclusion bodies was prepared by eliminating host cell proteins through multiple washing steps and semi-solubilization in alkaline buffer. The purified active protein was recovered by inclusive solubilization at pH 12.5 in the presence of 2 M urea and refolded in alkaline buffer containing oxides and reduced glutathione. The peptide-fusion protein showed lower CC50 values against cancer cells (HepG2, 0.35±0.1 μM and MCF-7, 0.58±0.1 μM) compared with normal cells (WRL68, 1.83±0.2 μM and ARPE19, 2.5±0.1 μM) with outstanding activity compared with its individual components. The presence of the short peptides facilitated the entry of the peptide fusion protein into cancer cells (1.8 to 2.2-fold) compared with MAP30 alone through direct interaction with the cell membrane. The cancer chemotherapy agent doxorubicin showed higher efficiency and selectivity against cancer cells in combination with the peptide- fusion protein. This study provides new data on the mass production of short anticancer peptides as inclusion bodies in E. coli by fusion with a central protein that has similar activity. The product was biologically active against cancer cells compared with normal cells and enhanced the activity and selective delivery of an anticancer chemotherapy agent.
Mefenamic acid in combination with ribavirin shows significant effects in reducing chikungunya virus infection in vitro and in vivo

Rothan HA, Bahrani H, Abdulrahman AY, Mohamed Z, Teoh TC, Othman S, et al.

Antiviral Res, 2016 Mar;127:50-6.
PMID: 26794398 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2016.01.006

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection is a persistent problem worldwide due to efficient adaptation of the viral vectors, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. Therefore, the absence of effective anti-CHIKV drugs to combat chikungunya outbreaks often leads to a significant impact on public health care. In this study, we investigated the antiviral activity of drugs that are used to alleviate infection symptoms, namely, the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), on the premise that active compounds with potential antiviral and anti-inflammatory activities could be directly subjected for human use to treat CHIKV infections. Amongst the various NSAID compounds, Mefenamic acid (MEFE) and Meclofenamic acid (MECLO) showed considerable antiviral activity against viral replication individually or in combination with the common antiviral drug, Ribavirin (RIBA). The 50% effective concentration (EC50) was estimated to be 13 μM for MEFE, 18 μM for MECLO and 10 μM for RIBA, while MEFE + RIBA (1:1) exhibited an EC50 of 3 μM, and MECLO + RIBA (1:1) was 5 μM. Because MEFE is commercially available and its synthesis is easier compared with MECLO, MEFE was selected for further in vivo antiviral activity analysis. Treatment with MEFE + RIBA resulted in a significant reduction of hypertrophic effects by CHIKV on the mouse liver and spleen. Viral titre quantification in the blood of CHIKV-infected mice through the plaque formation assay revealed that treatment with MEFE + RIBA exhibited a 6.5-fold reduction compared with untreated controls. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that MEFE in combination with RIBA exhibited significant anti-CHIKV activity by impairing viral replication in vitro and in vivo. Indeed, this finding may lead to an even broader application of these combinatorial treatments against other viral infections.
Antidiabetic effects of Brucea javanica seeds in type 2 diabetic rats

Ablat A, Halabi MF, Mohamad J, Hasnan MH, Hazni H, Teh SH, et al.

BMC Complement Altern Med, 2017 Feb 06;17(1):94.
PMID: 28166749 DOI: 10.1186/s12906-017-1610-x

Brucea javanica (B. javanica) seeds, also known as "Melada pahit" in Indo-Malay region are traditionally used to treat diabetes. The objective of this study was to determine antidiabetic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of B. javanica seeds on nicotinamide (NA)-streptozotocin (STZ) induced type 2 diabetic (T2D) rats and to analyze its chemical composition that correlate with their pharmacological activities.
Machine learning analysis of wing venation patterns accurately identifies Sarcophagidae, Calliphoridae and Muscidae fly species

Ling MH, Ivorra T, Heo CC, Wardhana AH, Hall MJR, Tan SH, et al.

Med Vet Entomol, 2023 Dec;37(4):767-781.
PMID: 37477152 DOI: 10.1111/mve.12682

In medical, veterinary and forensic entomology, the ease and affordability of image data acquisition have resulted in whole-image analysis becoming an invaluable approach for species identification. Krawtchouk moment invariants are a classical mathematical transformation that can extract local features from an image, thus allowing subtle species-specific biological variations to be accentuated for subsequent analyses. We extracted Krawtchouk moment invariant features from binarised wing images of 759 male fly specimens from the Calliphoridae, Sarcophagidae and Muscidae families (13 species and a species variant). Subsequently, we trained the Generalized, Unbiased, Interaction Detection and Estimation random forests classifier using linear discriminants derived from these features and inferred the species identity of specimens from the test samples. Fivefold cross-validation results show a 98.56 ± 0.38% (standard error) mean identification accuracy at the family level and a 91.04 ± 1.33% mean identification accuracy at the species level. The mean F1-score of 0.89 ± 0.02 reflects good balance of precision and recall properties of the model. The present study consolidates findings from previous small pilot studies of the usefulness of wing venation patterns for inferring species identities. Thus, the stage is set for the development of a mature data analytic ecosystem for routine computer image-based identification of fly species that are of medical, veterinary and forensic importance.
Fulltext Overview of Feedstocks for Sustainable Biodiesel Production and Implementation of the Biodiesel Program in Pakistan

Zulqarnain, Mohd Yusoff MH, Ayoub M, Ramzan N, Nazir MH, Zahid I, et al.

ACS Omega, 2021 Jul 27;6(29):19099-19114.
PMID: 34337248 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c02402

The energy demand of the world is skyrocketing due to the exponential economic growth and population expansion. To meet the energy requirement, the use of fossil fuels is not a good decision, causing environmental pollution such as CO2 emissions. Therefore, the use of renewable energy sources like biofuels can meet the energy crisis especially for countries facing oil shortages such as Pakistan. This review describes the comparative study of biodiesel synthesis for various edible oils, non-edible oils, and wastes such as waste plastic oil, biomass pyrolysis oil, and tyre pyrolysis oil in terms of their oil content and extraction, cetane number, and energy content. The present study also described the importance of biodiesel synthesis via catalytic transesterification and its implementation in Pakistan. Pakistan is importing an extensive quantity of cooking oil that is used in the food processing industries, and as a result, a huge quantity of waste cooking oil (WCO) is generated. The potential waste oils for biodiesel synthesis are chicken fat, dairy scum, WCO, and tallow oil that can be used as potential substrates of biodiesel. The implementation of a biodiesel program as a replacement of conventional diesel will help to minimize the oil imports and uplift the country's economy. Biodiesel production via homogeneous and heterogeneous catalyzed transesterification is more feasible among all transesterification processes due to a lesser energy requirement and low cost. Therefore, biodiesel synthesis and implementation could minimize the imports of diesel by significantly contributing to the overall Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Although, waste oil can meet the energy needs, more available cultivation land should be used for substrate cultivation. In addition, research is still needed to explore innovative solvents and catalysts so that overall biodiesel production cost can be minimized. This would result in successful biodiesel implementation in Pakistan.

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