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Chondrogenesis of human adipose derived stem cells for future microtia repair using co-culture technique

Goh BS, Che Omar SN, Ubaidah MA, Saim L, Sulaiman S, Chua KH

Acta Otolaryngol, 2017 Apr;137(4):432-441.
PMID: 27900891 DOI: 10.1080/00016489.2016.1257151

CONCLUSION: In conclusion, these result showed HADSCs could differentiate into chondrocytes-like cells, dependent on signaling induced by TGF-β3 and chondrocytes. This is a promising result and showed that HADSCs is a potential source for future microtia repair. The technique of co-culture is a positive way forward to assist the microtia tissue.
OBJECTIVE: Reconstructive surgery for the repair of microtia still remains the greatest challenge among the surgeons. Its repair is associated with donor-site morbidity and the degree of infection is inevitable when using alloplastic prosthesis with uncertain long-term durability. Thus, human adipose derived stem cells (HADSCs) can be an alternative cell source for cartilage regeneration. This study aims to evaluate the chondrogenic potential of HADSCs cultured with transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) and interaction of auricular chondrocytes with HADSCs for new cartilage generation.
METHODS: Multi-lineages differentiation features of HADSCs were monitored by Alcian Blue, Alizarin Red, and Oil Red O staining for chondrogenic, adipogenic, and osteogenic differentiation capacity, respectively. Further, HADSCs alone were culture in medium added with TGF-β3; and human auricular chondrocytes were interacted indirectly in the culture with and without TGF-βs for up to 21 days, respectively. Cell morphology and chondrogenesis were monitored by inverted microscope. For cell viability, Alamar Blue assay was used to measure the cell viability and the changes in gene expression of auricular chondrocyte markers were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis. For the induction of chondrogenic differentiation, HADSCs showed a feature of aggregation and formed a dense matrix of proteoglycans. Staining results from Alizirin Red and Oil Red O indicated the HADSCs also successfully differentiated into adipogenic and osteogenic lineages after 21 days.
RESULTS: According to a previous study, HADSCs were strongly positive for the mesenchymal markers CD90, CD73, CD44, CD9, and histocompatibility antigen. The results showed HADSCs test groups (cultured with TGF-β3) displayed chondrocytes-like cells morphology with typical lacunae structure compared to the control group without TGF-β3 after 2 weeks. Additionally, the HADSCs test groups increased in cell viability; an increase in expression of chondrocytes-specific genes (collagen type II, aggrecan core protein, SOX 9 and elastin) compared to the control. This study found that human auricular chondrocytes cells and growth factor had a positive influence in inducing HADSCs chondrogenic effects, in terms of chondrogenic differentiate of feature, increase of cell viability, and up-regulated expression of chondrogenic genes.
Multi-metals column adsorption of lead(II), cadmium(II) and manganese(II) onto natural bentonite clay

Alexander JA, Surajudeen A, Aliyu EU, Omeiza AU, Zaini MAA

Water Sci Technol, 2017 Oct;76(7-8):2232-2241.
PMID: 29068353 DOI: 10.2166/wst.2017.391

The present work was aimed at evaluating the multi-metals column adsorption of lead(II), cadmium(II) and manganese(II) ions onto natural bentonite. The bentonite clay adsorbent was characterized for physical and chemical properties using X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area and cation exchange capacity. The column performance was evaluated using adsorbent bed height of 5.0 cm, with varying influent concentrations (10 mg/L and 50 mg/L) and flow rates (1.4 mL/min and 2.4 mL/min). The result shows that the breakthrough time for all metal ions ranged from 50 to 480 minutes. The maximum adsorption capacity was obtained at initial concentration of 10 mg/L and flow rate of 1.4 mL/min, with 2.22 mg/g of lead(II), 1.71 mg/g of cadmium(II) and 0.37 mg/g of manganese(II). The order of metal ions removal by natural bentonite is lead(II) > cadmium(II) > manganese(II). The sorption performance and the dynamic behaviour of the column were predicted using Adams-Bohart, Thomas, and Yoon-Nelson models. The linear regression analysis demonstrated that the Thomas and Yoon-Nelson models fitted well with the column adsorption data for all metal ions. The natural bentonite was effective for the treatment of wastewater laden with multi-metals, and the process parameters obtained from this work can be used at the industrial scale.
Genderwise clinical response of antipsychotics among schizophrenic patients: a prospective observational study from Lahore, Pakistan

Asif U, Saleem Z, Yousaf M, Saeed H, Hashmi FK, Islam M, et al.

Int J Psychiatry Clin Pract, 2018 Sep;22(3):177-183.
PMID: 29082784 DOI: 10.1080/13651501.2017.1395055

OBJECTIVE: The study was aimed to evaluate the gender specific response to adherence and occurrence of side effects among schizophrenic patients in Lahore, Pakistan.
METHODS: A prospective study was performed for a period of 1 year among 180 newly diagnosed schizophrenics, aged 20-60 years to observe the symptoms, medication adherence and side effects. Morisky-Green-Levine Scale was used to evaluate medication adherence, LUNSER for side effects and PANSS to measure positive and negative symptoms. Data were analyzed using SPSS.
RESULTS: Positive symptoms (Male: Baseline 36.14 vs. endpoint 23.58, Female: 35.29 vs. 23.74) and negative symptoms (Males 27.9 vs. 20.05, Females 28.41 vs. 20.2) of schizophrenia were equally reduced after a follow up of 1 year in both the genders. Male population suffered more accumulative side effects (11.4 in males vs. 6.40 in females), extrapyramidal symptoms such as tardive dyskinesia and tremors (1.21 in males vs. 0.57 in females) and other side effects as compared to women (p ≤ .005). Males were found poorly adherent to antipsychotic treatment than females (93.3% in males vs. 6.7% in females (p ≤ .005).
CONCLUSIONS: Prescribing practices should not overlook sex specific factors like hormonal changes, altered brain morphology and socioeconomic factors that may be responsible for the difference in the response to the course of schizophrenia.
New developments and clinical transition of hyaluronic acid-based nanotherapeutics for treatment of cancer: reversing multidrug resistance, tumour-specific targetability and improved anticancer efficacy

Safdar MH, Hussain Z, Abourehab MAS, Hasan H, Afzal S, Thu HE

Artif Cells Nanomed Biotechnol, 2018 Dec;46(8):1967-1980.
PMID: 29082766 DOI: 10.1080/21691401.2017.1397001

This review aims to overview and critically analyses recent developments in achieving tumour-specific delivery of anticancer agents, maximizing anticancer efficacy, and mitigating tumour progression and off-target effects. Stemming from critical needs to develop target-specific delivery vehicles in cancer therapy, various hyaluronic acid (HA)-conjugated nanomedicines have been fabricated owing to their biocompatibility, safety, tumour-specific targetability of drugs and genes, and proficient interaction with cluster-determinant-44 (CD44) receptors over-expressed on the surface of tumour cells. HA-based conjugation or surface modulation of anticancer drugs encapsulated nanocarriers have shown promising efficacy against the various types of carcinomas of liver, breast, colorectal, pancreatic, lung, skin, ovarian, cervical, head and neck and gastric. The success of this emerging platform is assessed in achieving the rapid internalization of anticancer payloads into the tumour cells, impeding cancer cells division and proliferation, induction of cancer-specific apoptosis and prevention of metastasis (tumour progression). This review extends detailed insight into the engineering of HA-based nanomedicines, characterization, utilization for the diagnosis or treatment of CD44 over-expressing cancer subtypes and emphasizing the transition of nanomedicines to clinical cancer therapy.
Immunomodulatory, Cytotoxicity, and Antioxidant Activities of Roots of Ziziphus mauritiana

Afzal S, Batool M, Ch BA, Ahmad A, Uzair M, Afzal K

Pharmacogn Mag, 2017 Jul;13(Suppl 2):S262-S265.
PMID: 28808390 DOI: 10.4103/pm.pm_398_16

AIMS: The study is conducted to evaluate the immunomodulatory, cytotoxicity, and antioxidant potential of Ziziphus mauritiana (Rhamnaceae). Phytochemical analysis of Z. mauritiana revealed the presence of alkaloids, anthraquinone glycoside, cardiac glycoside, saponin, tannin, and flavonoids.
METHODOLOGY: The cytotoxicity of the plant Z. mauritiana was evaluated by brine shrimp lethality test. Antioxidant parameters such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were calculated in the plasma of rats after chronic administration of 400 mg/kg of Z. mauritiana for 6 weeks.
RESULTS: The dichloromethane extract of the plant exhibited significant immunomodulatory activity, with inhibitory concentration 50% of 55.43 ± 7.9. The dichloromethane extracts of the plant showed 70% mortality at concentration 1000 μg/ml. SOD and T-AOC levels were increased while MDA level in the plasma was reduced in the plasma of rats treated with dichloromethane Z. mauritiana.
CONCLUSION: This can be deduced that the root of Z. mauritiana has immunomodulatory, cytotoxic, and antioxidant potential.
SUMMARY: Roots of Z. mauritiana was exhibited immunomodulator, cytotoxic and antioxidant activitiesZ. mauritiana showed potential antioxidant activity in rats Abbreviations used: SOD: Superoxide dismutase; T-AOC: Total antioxidant capacity; MDA: Malondialdehyde; ZMRD: Z. mauritiana root extract of dichloromethane fraction; LD50: Z. mauritiana root extract of methanol fraction ZMRM, lethal dose 50.
Morinda citrifolia L. leaf extract prevent weight gain in Sprague-Dawley rats fed a high fat diet

Jambocus NGS, Ismail A, Khatib A, Mahomoodally F, Saari N, Mumtaz MW, et al.

Food Nutr Res, 2017;61(1):1338919.
PMID: 28814950 DOI: 10.1080/16546628.2017.1338919

Background: Morinda citrifolia L. is widely used as a folk medicinal food plant to manage a panoply of diseases, though no concrete reports on its potential anti-obesity activity. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of M. citrifolia leaf extracts (MLE60) in the prevention of weight gain in vivo and establish its phytochemical profile. Design: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into groups based on a normal diet (ND) or high fat diet (HFD), with or without MLE60 supplementation (150 and 350 mg/kg body weight) and assessed for any reduction in weight gain. Plasma leptin, insulin, adiponectin, and ghrelin of all groups were determined. (1)H NMR and LCMS methods were employed for phytochemical profiling of MLE60. Results: The supplementation of MLE60 did not affect food intake indicating that appetite suppression might not be the main anti-obesity mechanism involved. In the treated groups, MLE60 prevented weight gain, most likely through an inhibition of pancreatic and lipoprotein activity with a positive influence on the lipid profiles and a reduction in LDL levels . MLE60 also attenuated visceral fat deposition in treated subjects with improvement in the plasma levels of obesity-linked factors . (1)Spectral analysis showed the presence of several bioactive compounds with rutin being more predominant. Conclusion: MLE60 shows promise as an anti-obesity agents and warrants further research.
Fulltext Data on the construction of a recombinant HEK293 cell line overexpressing hERG potassium channel and examining the presence of hERG mRNA and protein expression

Teah YF, Abduraman MA, Amanah A, Adenan MI, Fariza Sulaiman S, Tan ML

Data Brief, 2017 Oct;14:584-591.
PMID: 28879216 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2017.08.008

The data presented in this article are related to the research article entitled "The effects of deoxyelephantopin on the cardiac delayed rectifier potassium channel current (IKr) and human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG) expression" (Y.F. Teah, M.A. Abduraman, A. Amanah, M.I. Adenan, S.F. Sulaiman, M.L. Tan) [1], which the possible hERG blocking properties of deoxyelephantopin were investigated. This article describes the construction of human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells overexpressing HERG potassium channel and verification of the presence of hERG mRNA and protein expression in this recombinant cell line.
Fulltext Antimicrobial resistance in India

Patel I, Hussain R, Khan A, Ahmad A, Khan MU, Hassalai MAA

J Pharm Policy Pract, 2017;10:27.
PMID: 28878929 DOI: 10.1186/s40545-017-0118-6
Fulltext Gadolinium-Doped Gallic Acid-Zinc/Aluminium-Layered Double Hydroxide/Gold Theranostic Nanoparticles for a Bimodal Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Drug Delivery System

Sani Usman M, Hussein MZ, Fakurazi S, Masarudin MJ, Ahmad Saad FF

Nanomaterials (Basel), 2017 Aug 31;7(9).
PMID: 28858229 DOI: 10.3390/nano7090244

We have developed gadolinium-based theranostic nanoparticles for co-delivery of drug and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent using Zn/Al-layered double hydroxide as the nanocarrier platform, a naturally occurring phenolic compound, gallic acid (GA) as therapeutic agent, and Gd(NO₃)₃ as diagnostic agent. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were grown on the system to support the contrast for MRI imaging. The nanoparticles were characterized using techniques such as Hi-TEM, XRD, ICP-ES. Kinetic release study of the GA from the nanoparticles showed about 70% of GA was released over a period of 72 h. The in vitro cell viability test for the nanoparticles showed relatively low toxicity to human cell lines (3T3) and improved toxicity on cancerous cell lines (HepG2). A preliminary contrast property test of the nanoparticles, tested on a 3 Tesla MRI machine at various concentrations of GAGZAu and water (as a reference) indicates that the nanoparticles have a promising dual diagnostic and therapeutic features to further develop a better future for clinical remedy for cancer treatment.
A deep convolutional neural network model to classify heartbeats

Acharya UR, Oh SL, Hagiwara Y, Tan JH, Adam M, Gertych A, et al.

Comput Biol Med, 2017 10 01;89:389-396.
PMID: 28869899 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2017.08.022

The electrocardiogram (ECG) is a standard test used to monitor the activity of the heart. Many cardiac abnormalities will be manifested in the ECG including arrhythmia which is a general term that refers to an abnormal heart rhythm. The basis of arrhythmia diagnosis is the identification of normal versus abnormal individual heart beats, and their correct classification into different diagnoses, based on ECG morphology. Heartbeats can be sub-divided into five categories namely non-ectopic, supraventricular ectopic, ventricular ectopic, fusion, and unknown beats. It is challenging and time-consuming to distinguish these heartbeats on ECG as these signals are typically corrupted by noise. We developed a 9-layer deep convolutional neural network (CNN) to automatically identify 5 different categories of heartbeats in ECG signals. Our experiment was conducted in original and noise attenuated sets of ECG signals derived from a publicly available database. This set was artificially augmented to even out the number of instances the 5 classes of heartbeats and filtered to remove high-frequency noise. The CNN was trained using the augmented data and achieved an accuracy of 94.03% and 93.47% in the diagnostic classification of heartbeats in original and noise free ECGs, respectively. When the CNN was trained with highly imbalanced data (original dataset), the accuracy of the CNN reduced to 89.07%% and 89.3% in noisy and noise-free ECGs. When properly trained, the proposed CNN model can serve as a tool for screening of ECG to quickly identify different types and frequency of arrhythmic heartbeats.
Fulltext Numerical investigation of the vortex-induced vibration of an elastically mounted circular cylinder at high Reynolds number (Re = 104) and low mass ratio using the RANS code

Khan NB, Ibrahim Z, Nguyen LTT, Javed MF, Jameel M

PLoS One, 2017;12(10):e0185832.
PMID: 28982172 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0185832

This study numerically investigates the vortex-induced vibration (VIV) of an elastically mounted rigid cylinder by using Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations with computational fluid dynamic (CFD) tools. CFD analysis is performed for a fixed-cylinder case with Reynolds number (Re) = 104 and for a cylinder that is free to oscillate in the transverse direction and possesses a low mass-damping ratio and Re = 104. Previously, similar studies have been performed with 3-dimensional and comparatively expensive turbulent models. In the current study, the capability and accuracy of the RANS model are validated, and the results of this model are compared with those of detached eddy simulation, direct numerical simulation, and large eddy simulation models. All three response branches and the maximum amplitude are well captured. The 2-dimensional case with the RANS shear-stress transport k-w model, which involves minimal computational cost, is reliable and appropriate for analyzing the characteristics of VIV.
Fulltext Temperature-Driven Structural and Morphological Evolution of Zinc Oxide Nano-Coalesced Microstructures and Its Defect-Related Photoluminescence Properties

Lim K, Abdul Hamid MA, Shamsudin R, Al-Hardan NH, Mansor I, Chiu W

Materials (Basel), 2016 Apr 20;9(4).
PMID: 28773425 DOI: 10.3390/ma9040300

In this paper, we address the synthesis of nano-coalesced microstructured zinc oxide thin films via a simple thermal evaporation process. The role of synthesis temperature on the structural, morphological, and optical properties of the prepared zinc oxide samples was deeply investigated. The obtained photoluminescence and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy outcomes will be used to discuss the surface structure defects of the prepared samples. The results indicated that the prepared samples are polycrystalline in nature, and the sample prepared at 700 °C revealed a tremendously c-axis oriented zinc oxide. The temperature-driven morphological evolution of the zinc oxide nano-coalesced microstructures was perceived, resulting in transformation of quasi-mountain chain-like to pyramidal textured zinc oxide with increasing the synthesis temperature. The results also impart that the sample prepared at 500 °C shows a higher percentage of the zinc interstitial and oxygen vacancies. Furthermore, the intensity of the photoluminescence emission in the ultraviolet region was enhanced as the heating temperature increased from 500 °C to 700 °C. Lastly, the growth mechanism of the zinc oxide nano-coalesced microstructures is discussed according to the reaction conditions.
Is Metformin a Therapeutic Paradigm for Colorectal Cancer: Insight into the Molecular Pathway?

Thent ZC, Zaidun NH, Azmi MF, Senin MI, Haslan H, Salehuddin R

Curr Drug Targets, 2017;18(6):734-750.
PMID: 27919208 DOI: 10.2174/1389450118666161205125548

Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains one of the major leading causes of cancer related morbidity and mortality. Apart from the conventional anti-neoplastic agents, metformin, a biguanide anti-diabetic agent, has recently found to have anti-cancer property. Several studies observed the effect of metformin towards its anti-cancer effect on colon or colorectal cancer in diabetic patients. However, only a few studies showed its effect on colorectal cancer in relation to the non-diabetic status. The present review aimed to highlight the insight into the molecular pathway of metformin towards colorectal cancer in the absence of diabetes mellitus. In CRC-independent of diabetes mellitus, highly deregulation of PI3K/AKT pathway is found which activates the downstream mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). Metformin inhibits cancer growth in colon by suppressing the colonic epithelial proliferation by inhibiting the mTOR pathway. Metformin exerts its anti-neoplastic effects by acting on tumour suppressor pathway via activating the adenosine monophosphate.activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling pathway. Metformin interrupts the glucose metabolism by activating the AMPK. Metformin reduces tumour cell growth and metastasis by activating the p53 tumour suppressor gene. In addition to its therapeutic benefits, metformin is easily accessible, cost effective with better tolerance to the patients compared to the chemotherapeutic agents. This review summarised modern findings on the therapeutic applications of metformin on the colorectal cancer with no evidences of diabetes mellitus.
Fulltext On the Utilization of Pozzolanic Wastes as an Alternative Resource of Cement

Karim MR, Hossain MM, Khan MNN, Zain MFM, Jamil M, Lai FC

Materials (Basel), 2014 Dec 05;7(12):7809-7827.
PMID: 28788277 DOI: 10.3390/ma7127809

Recently, as a supplement of cement, the utilization of pozzolanic materials in cement and concrete manufacturing has increased significantly. This study investigates the scope to use pozzolanic wastes (slag, palm oil fuel ash and rice husk ash) as an alkali activated binder (AAB) that can be used as an alternative to cement. To activate these materials, sodium hydroxide solution was used at 1.0, 2.5 and 5.0 molar concentration added into the mortar, separately. The required solution was used to maintain the flow of mortar at 110% ± 5%. The consistency and setting time of the AAB-paste were determined. Mortar was tested for its flow, compressive strength, porosity, water absorption and thermal resistance (heating at 700 °C) and investigated by scanning electron microscopy. The experimental results reveal that AAB-mortar exhibits less flow than that of ordinary Portland cement (OPC). Surprisingly, AAB-mortars (with 2.5 molar solution) achieved a compressive strength of 34.3 MPa at 28 days, while OPC shows that of 43.9 MPa under the same conditions. Although water absorption and porosity of the AAB-mortar are slightly high, it shows excellent thermal resistance compared to OPC. Therefore, based on the test results, it can be concluded that in the presence of a chemical activator, the aforementioned pozzolans can be used as an alternative material for cement.
Fulltext Surface Characteristics and Catalytic Activity of Copper Deposited Porous Silicon Powder

Halim MYA, Tan WL, Bakar NHHA, Bakar MA

Materials (Basel), 2014 Dec 04;7(12):7737-7751.
PMID: 28788272 DOI: 10.3390/ma7127737

Porous structured silicon or porous silicon (PS) powder was prepared by chemical etching of silicon powder in an etchant solution of HF: HNO₃: H₂O (1:3:5 v/v). An immersion time of 4 min was sufficient for depositing Cu metal from an aqueous solution of CuSO₄ in the presence of HF. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed that the Cu particles aggregated upon an increase in metal content from 3.3 wt% to 9.8 wt%. H₂-temperature programmed reduction (H₂-TPR) profiles reveal that re-oxidation of the Cu particles occurs after deposition. Furthermore, the profiles denote the existence of various sizes of Cu metal on the PS. The Cu-PS powders show excellent catalytic reduction on the p-nitrophenol regardless of the Cu loadings.
Economic evaluation of pharmacist-led medication reviews in residential aged care facilities

Hasan SS, Thiruchelvam K, Kow CS, Ghori MU, Babar ZU

Expert Rev Pharmacoecon Outcomes Res, 2017 Oct;17(5):431-439.
PMID: 28825502 DOI: 10.1080/14737167.2017.1370376

INTRODUCTION: Medication reviews is a widely accepted approach known to have a substantial impact on patients' pharmacotherapy and safety. Numerous options to optimise pharmacotherapy in older people have been reported in literature and they include medication reviews, computerised decision support systems, management teams, and educational approaches. Pharmacist-led medication reviews are increasingly being conducted, aimed at attaining patient safety and medication optimisation. Cost effectiveness is an essential aspect of a medication review evaluation. Areas covered: A systematic searching of articles that examined the cost-effectiveness of medication reviews conducted in aged care facilities was performed using the relevant databases. Pharmacist-led medication reviews confer many benefits such as attainment of biomarker targets for improved clinical outcomes, and other clinical parameters, as well as depict concrete financial advantages in terms of decrement in total medication costs and associated cost savings. Expert commentary: The cost-effectiveness of medication reviews are more consequential than ever before. A critical evaluation of pharmacist-led medication reviews in residential aged care facilities from an economical aspect is crucial in determining if the time, effort, and direct and indirect costs involved in the review rationalise the significance of conducting medication reviews for older people in aged care facilities.
Effect of different stent configurations using Lattice Boltzmann method and particles image velocimetry on artery bifurcation aneurysm problem

Mokhtar NH, Abas A, Razak NA, Hamid MNA, Teong SL

J Theor Biol, 2017 11 21;433:73-84.
PMID: 28844907 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2017.08.016

Proper design of stent for application at specific aneurysm effect arteries could help to reduce the issues with thrombosis and aneurysm. In this paper, four types of stent configuration namely half-Y (6 mm), half-Y (4 mm), cross-bar, and full-Y configuration will implanted on real 3D artery bifurcation aneurysm effected arteries. Comparisons were then conducted based on the flow patterns after stent placement using both LBM-based solver and PIV experimental findings. According to the data obtained from all 4 stent designs, the flow profiles and the computed velocity from both methods were in agreement with each other. Both methods found that half-Y (6 mm) stent configuration is by far the best configuration in reducing the blood velocity at the vicinity of the aneurysm sac. The analysis also show that the half-Y (6 mm) stent configuration recorded the highest percentage of velocity reduction and managed to substantially reduce the pressure at the bifurcation region. This high flow velocity reduction through the use of half-Y stent could consequently promote the formation of thrombus thereby reducing the risk of rupture in the aneurysm sac.
Fulltext Effect of Calcium Channel Blockers on Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms: A Systematic Review

Salman M, Khan AH, Syed Sulaiman SA, Khan JH, Hussain K, Shehzadi N

Biomed Res Int, 2017;2017:4269875.
PMID: 29124064 DOI: 10.1155/2017/4269875

Background: Numerous medications are known to be associated with the development of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). One such medication group is calcium channel blockers (CCB).
Objective: To critically examine the literature regarding the involvement of CCB in manifestation of LUTS in humans.
Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted on PubMed, SciELO, Scopus, and OpenGrey databases to find all potentially relevant research studies before August 2016.
Results: Five studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in this review. Three out of five studies stated that CCB were involved in either precipitation or exacerbation of LUTS. As for the remaining two studies, one study found out that only the monotherapy of CCB was associated with increased prevalence of nocturia and voiding symptoms in young females, whereas the other study reported an inverse association of CCB with LUTS. The methodological quality of studies was considered high for four studies and low for one study.
Conclusion: Healthcare providers should make efforts for an earlier identification of the individuals at risk of LUTS prior to the commencement of CCB therapy. Moreover, patients should be counselled to notify their healthcare provider if they notice urinary symptoms after the initiation of CCB.
Fulltext Synergistic gastroprotective activity of methanolic extract of a mixture of Melastoma malabathricum and Muntingia calabura leaves in rats

Halim SZ, Zakaria ZA, Omar MH, Mohtarrudin N, Wahab IRA, Abdullah MNH

BMC Complement Altern Med, 2017 Nov 09;17(1):488.
PMID: 29121900 DOI: 10.1186/s12906-017-1992-9

BACKGROUND: Melastoma malabathricum L. (family Melastomaceae; MM) and Muntingia calabura L. (family Elaeocarpaceae; MC) have been separately reported to possess gastroprotective activity. In an attempt to develop a pharmaceutical product with antiulcer potential, the synergistic gastroprotective activity of methanolic extract of a mixture of MM and MC (MMMC) at various ratios was evaluated in rat models.
METHODS: Rats were pre-treated orally with 2% Tween 80 (vehicle), 100 mg/kg ranitidine (reference drug) or MMMC (ratios of 1:1, 1:3 and 3:1 (v/v); doses of 15, 150 or 300 mg/kg) and then subjected to the ethanol-induced gastric ulcer or pyloric ligation assays. Stomach of rats from the former assay was collected and subjected to the macroscopic and microscopic observations, and enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant studies while the gastric juice content and tissue from the latter assay were subjected to the antisecretory activity study. The UHPLC analysis of MMMC was also performed.
RESULT: MMMC, in the ratio 1:1, demonstrated the most effective (P
Fulltext Effects of RTV coating on the electrical performance of polymer insulator under lightning impulse voltage condition

Jamaludin FA, Ab-Kadir MZA, Izadi M, Azis N, Jasni J, Abd-Rahman MS

PLoS One, 2017;12(11):e0187892.
PMID: 29136025 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0187892

Located near the equator, Malaysia is a country with one of the highest lightning densities in the world. Lightning contributes to 70% of the power outages in Malaysia and affects power equipment, automated network systems, causes data losses and monetary losses in the nation. Therefore, consideration of insulator evaluation under lightning impulses can be crucial to evaluate and attempt to overcome this issue. This paper presents a new approach to increase the electrical performance of polymer insulators using a Room Temperature Vulcanisation (RTV) coating. The evaluation involves three different settings of polymer insulator, namely uncoated, RTV type 1, and RTV type 2 upper surface coatings. All the insulators were tested under three different conditions as dry, clean wet and salty under different impulse polarities using the even-rising test method. The voltage breakdown for each test was recorded. From the experiment, it was found that the effectiveness of the RTV coating application became apparent when tested under salty or polluted conditions. It increased the voltage withstand capabilities of the polymer insulator up to 50% from the basic uncoated insulator. Under dry and clean conditions, the RTV coating provided just a slight increase of the breakdown voltage. The increase in voltage breakdown capability decreased the probability of surface discharge and dry band arcing that could cause degradation of the polymeric material housing. The RTV type 1 coating was found to be more effective when performing under a lightning impulse. The findings might help the utility companies improve the performance of their insulators in order to increase power system reliability.

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