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Regulation of ITAM adaptor molecules and their receptors by inhibition of calcineurin-NFAT signalling during late stage osteoclast differentiation

Zawawi MS, Dharmapatni AA, Cantley MD, McHugh KP, Haynes DR, Crotti TN

Biochem Biophys Res Commun, 2012 Oct 19;427(2):404-9.
PMID: 23000414 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2012.09.077

Osteoclasts are specialised bone resorptive cells responsible for both physiological and pathological bone loss. Osteoclast differentiation and activity is dependent upon receptor activator NF-kappa-B ligand (RANKL) interacting with its receptor RANK to induce the transcription factor, nuclear factor of activated T-cells, cytoplasmic, calcineurin-dependent 1 (NFATc1). The immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif (ITAM)-dependent pathway has been identified as a co-stimulatory pathway in osteoclasts. Osteoclast-associated receptor (OSCAR) and triggering receptor expressed in myeloid cells (TREM2) are essential receptors that pair with adaptor molecules Fc receptor common gamma chain (FcRγ) and DNAX-activating protein 12kDa (DAP12) respectively to induce calcium signalling. Treatment with calcineurin-NFAT inhibitors, Tacrolimus (FK506) and the 11R-VIVIT (VIVIT) peptide, reduces NFATc1 expression consistent with a reduction in osteoclast differentiation and activity. This study aimed to investigate the effects of inhibiting calcineurin-NFAT signalling on the expression of ITAM factors and late stage osteoclast genes including cathepsin K (CathK), Beta 3 integrin (β3) and Annexin VIII (AnnVIII). Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were differentiated with RANKL and macrophage-colony stimulating factor (M-CSF) over 10days in the presence or absence of FK506 or VIVIT. Osteoclast formation (as assessed by tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP)) and activity (assessed by dentine pit resorption) were significantly reduced with treatment. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis demonstrated that FK506 treatment significantly (p<0.05) reduced the expression of NFATc1, CathK, OSCAR, FcRγ, TREM2 and DAP12 during the terminal stage of osteoclast formation. VIVIT treatment significantly (p<0.05) decreased CathK, OSCAR, FcRγ, and AnnVIII, gene expression. This data suggest FK506 and VIVIT act differently in targeting the calcineurin-NFAT signalling cascade to suppress key mediators of the ITAM pathway during late stage osteoclast differentiation and this is associated with a reduction in both osteoclast differentiation and activity.
Gasification of oil palm empty fruit bunches: a characterization and kinetic study

Mohammed MA, Salmiaton A, Wan Azlina WA, Mohamad Amran MS

Bioresour Technol, 2012 Apr;110:628-36.
PMID: 22326334 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2012.01.056

Empty fruit bunches (EFBs), a waste material from the palm oil industry, were subjected to pyrolysis and gasification. A high content of volatiles (>82%) increased the reactivity of EFBs, and more than 90% decomposed at 700°C; however, a high content of moisture (>50%) and oxygen (>45%) resulted in a low calorific value. Thermogravimetric analysis demonstrated that the higher the heating rate and the smaller the particle size, the higher the peak and final reaction temperatures. The least squares estimation for a first-order reaction model was used to study the degradation kinetics. The values of activation energy increased from 61.14 to 73.76 and from 40.06 to 47.99kJ/mol when the EFB particle size increased from 0.3 to 1.0mm for holocellulose and lignin degradation stages, respectively. The fuel characteristics of EFB are comparable to those of other biomasses and EFB can be considered a good candidate for gasification.
Fulltext Genetic dissection of sympatric populations of brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Stål), using DALP-PCR molecular markers

Latif MA, Rafii MY, Mazid MS, Ali ME, Ahmed F, Omar MY, et al.

ScientificWorldJournal, 2012;2012:586831.
PMID: 22593700 DOI: 10.1100/2012/586831

Direct amplified length polymorphism (DALP) combines the advantages of a high-resolution fingerprint method and also characterizing the genetic polymorphisms. This molecular method was also found to be useful in brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens species complex for the analysis of genetic polymorphisms. A total of 11 populations of Nilaparvata spp. were collected from 6 locations from Malaysia. Two sympatric populations of brown planthopper, N. lugens, one from rice and the other from a weed grass (Leersia hexandra), were collected from each of five locations. N. bakeri was used as an out group. Three oligonucleotide primer pairs, DALP231/DALPR'5, DALP234/DALPR'5, and DALP235/DALPR'5 were applied in this study. The unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) dendrogram based on genetic distances for the 11 populations of Nilaparvata spp. revealed that populations belonging to the same species and the same host type clustered together irrespective of their geographical localities of capture. The populations of N. lugens formed into two distinct clusters, one was insects with high esterase activities usually captured from rice and the other was with low esterase activities usually captured from L. hexandra. N. bakeri, an out group, was the most isolated group. Analyses of principal components, molecular variance, and robustness also supported greatly to the findings of cluster analysis.
Evaluation of splinting implant impression techniques: two dimensional analyses

Tarib NA, Seong TW, Chuen KM, Kun MS, Ahmad M, Kamarudin KH

Eur J Prosthodont Restor Dent, 2012 Mar;20(1):35-9.
PMID: 22474935

This paper aims to evaluate the effect of splinting during implant impression. A master model with two fixtures at the sites of 45 and 47 was used. 20 impressions were made for all four techniques: (A) indirect; (B) direct, unsplinted; (C) direct, splinted; and (D) direct, splinted, sectioned, and re-splinted. Splinting was undertaken with autopolymerizing acrylic resin (AAR). Horizontal distance between fixtures was compared using a digital caliper. The difference in distance were analysed with one-way ANOVA. Group A showed a significantly lowest accuracy among all techniques (p < or = 0.05). There was no significant difference of accuracy among the groups using direct techniques (p > or = 0.05). Group D was more accurate compared to group B and C. We conclude that splinting of impression copings would be beneficial to obtain an accurate impression.
Fulltext Methanol extract of Bauhinia purpurea leaf possesses anti-ulcer activity

Zakaria ZA, Abdul Hisam EE, Norhafizah M, Rofiee MS, Othman F, Hasiah AH, et al.

Med Princ Pract, 2012;21(5):476-82.
PMID: 22398984 DOI: 10.1159/000336593

The aim of the present study was to determine the anti-ulcer activity of a methanol extract of Bauhinia purpurea leaf (MEBP).
Colorectal cancer and its association with the metabolic syndrome: a Malaysian multi-centric case-control study

Ulaganathan V, Kandiah M, Zalilah MS, Faizal JA, Fijeraid H, Normayah K, et al.

Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2012;13(8):3873-7.
PMID: 23098486

OBJECTIVE: Colorectal cancer (CRC) and the metabolic syndrome (MetS) are both on the rise in Malaysia. A multi-centric case-control study was conducted from December 2009 to January 2011 to determine any relationship between the two.
METHODS: Patients with confirmed CRC based on colonoscopy findings and cancer free controls from five local hospitals were assessed for MetS according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) definition. Each index case was matched for age, gender and ethnicity with two controls (140: 280).
RESULTS: MetS among cases was highly prevalent (70.7%), especially among women (68.7%). MetS as an entity increased CRC risk by almost three fold independently (OR=2.61, 95%CI=1.53-4.47). In men MetS increased the risk of CRC by two fold (OR=2.01, 95%CI, 1.43-4.56), demonstrating an increasing trend in risk with the number of Mets components observed.
CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence for a positive association between the metabolic syndrome and colorectal cancer. A prospective study on the Malaysian population is a high priority to confirm these findings.
Religiousness, religious coping methods and distress level among psychiatric patients in Malaysia

Nurasikin MS, Khatijah LA, Aini A, Ramli M, Aida SA, Zainal NZ, et al.

Int J Soc Psychiatry, 2013 Jun;59(4):332-8.
PMID: 22408116 DOI: 10.1177/0020764012437127

Patients having psychiatric diagnoses often experience high level of distress. Religiousness is often used by them as part of their coping mechanism and problem-solving strategies.
Ultra-short laser pulse generated by a microring resonator system for cancer cell treatment

Jalil MA, Ong CT, Saktioto T, Daud S, Aziz MS, Yupapin PP

Artif Cells Nanomed Biotechnol, 2013 Jun;41(3):152-8.
PMID: 22947143 DOI: 10.3109/10731199.2012.700520

A microring resonator (MRRs) system incorporated with a add/drop filter is proposed in which ultra-short single, multi-temporal, and spatial optical soliton pulses are simulated and used to kill abnormal cells, tumors, and cancer. Chaotic signals are generated by a bright soliton pulse within a nonlinear MRRs system. Gold nanoparticles and ultra-short femtosecond/picosecond laser pulses' interaction holds great interest in laser nanomedicine. By using appropriate soliton input power and MRRs parameters, desired spatial and temporal signals can be generated over the spectrum. Results show that short temporal and spatial solitons pulse with FWHM = 712 fs and FWHM = 17.5 pm could be generated. The add/drop filter system is used to generate the high-capacity, ultra-short soliton pulses in the range of nanometer/second and picometer/second.
Fulltext Analysis of Antarctic proteobacteria by PCR fingerprinting and screening for antimicrobial secondary metabolites

Lee LH, Cheah YK, Nurul Syakima AM, Shiran MS, Tang YL, Lin HP, et al.

Genet. Mol. Res., 2012;11(2):1627-41.
PMID: 22782582 DOI: 10.4238/2012.June.15.12

Fifty-seven proteobacterium species were successfully isolated from soils of Barrientos Island of the Antarctic using 11 different isolation media. Analysis of 16S rDNA sequencing of these isolates showed that they belonged to eight different genera, namely Bradyrhizobium, Sphingomonas, Methylobacterium, Caulobacter, Paracoccus, Ralstonia, Rhizobium, and Staphylococcus. All isolates were studied for capability of producing antimicrobial and antifungal secondary metabolites using high-throughput screening models. Approximately 23 (13/57) and 2% (1/57) of isolates inhibited growth of Candida albicans ATCC 10231(T) and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 51650(T), respectively. These results indicated that proteobacterium species isolates from Antarctic could serve as potential source of useful bioactive metabolites. Enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC)-PCR fingerprinting produced nine clusters and 13 single isolates, with a high D value of 0.9248. RAPD fingerprinting produced six clusters and 13 single isolates, with a relatively low D value of 0.7776. ERIC-PCR analysis proved to have better discrimination capability than RAPD analysis and generated better clustering for all proteobacterium species isolates. We conclude that ERIC-PCR is a robust, reliable and rapid molecular typing method for discriminating different genera of proteobacteria.
Analysis of volatile compounds of Malaysian Tualang (Koompassia excelsa) honey using gas chromatography mass spectrometry

Nurul Syazana MS, Gan SH, Halim AS, Shah NS, Gan SH, Sukari HA

Afr J Tradit Complement Altern Med, 2013;10(2):180-8.
PMID: 24146441

The constituents of honey's volatile compounds depend on the nectar source and differ depending on the place of origin. To date, the volatile constituents of Tualang honey have never been investigated. The objective of this study was to analyze the volatile compounds in local Malaysian Tualang honey. A continuous extraction of Tualang honey using five organic solvents was carried out starting from non-polar to polar solvents and the extracted samples were analysed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Overall, 35 volatile compounds were detected. Hydrocarbons constitute 58.5% of the composition of Tualang honey. Other classes of chemical compounds detected included acids, aldehydes, alcohols, ketones, terpenes, furans and a miscellaneous group. Methanol yielded the highest number of extracted compounds such as acids and 5-(Hydroxymethyl) furfural (HMF). This is the first study to describe the volatile compounds in Tualang honey. The use of a simple one tube, stepwise, non-thermal liquid-liquid extraction of honey is a advantageous as it prevents sample loss. Further research to test the clinical benefits of these volatile compounds is recommended.
Fulltext Coping styles in patients with haematological cancer in a Malaysian hospital

Priscilla D, Hamidin A, Azhar MZ, Noorjan KO, Salmiah MS, Bahariah K

East Asian Arch Psychiatry, 2011 Jun;21(2):44-51.
PMID: 21838206

Objectives: To determine the relationship between major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders and the quality of life of haematological cancer patients.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Ampang Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, a tertiary referral centre hospital for haematological cancer. The Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview was used for the diagnosis of major depressive disorder and anxiety disorders. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire was utilised to measure patients’ quality of life.
Results: A total of 105 haematological cancer patients ere included in the study with response rate of 100%. Major depressive disorder correlated with almost all domains of the quality of life, except the pain scores. Logistic regression showed that insomnia and financial difficulties were related to major depressive disorder. Different anxiety disorders also correlated with quality of life in specific domains. The leading anxiety disorders that correlated mostly with quality﹣of life scales were generalised anxiety disorder, followed by obsessive-compulsive disorder, social anxiety disorder, as well as post-traumatic stress disorder and panic disorder with agoraphobia (p < 0.05).
Conclusions: Psychological treatment along with medication and intervention should be implemented to improve the overall quality of life and psychiatric disorder symptoms among the haematological cancer patients.
Key words: Anxiety; Depression; Hematologic neoplasms; Quality of life
Fulltext In vitro antiproliferative and antioxidant activities and total phenolic contents of the extracts of Melastoma malabathricum leaves

Zakaria ZA, Rofiee MS, Mohamed AM, Teh LK, Salleh MZ

J Acupunct Meridian Stud, 2011 Dec;4(4):248-56.
PMID: 22196508 DOI: 10.1016/j.jams.2011.09.016

The present study aims to determine the in vitro antiproliferative and antioxidant activities of various extracts from the leaves of Melastoma malabathricum using various established in vitro assays. The aqueous extract inhibited the proliferation of Caov-3 and HL-60 cell lines, while the chloroform extract exhibited antiproliferative activity against the Caov-3, HL-60, and CEM-SS cell lines. The methanol extract demonstrated antiproliferative activity against more cell lines, including the MCF-7, HeLa, Caov-3, HL-60, CEM-SS, and MDA-MB-231 cancer cell lines. Interestingly, all extracts did not inhibit the proliferation of 3T3 cells, thus indicating their noncytotoxic properties. Unlike the chloroform extracts, the aqueous and methanol extracts of M malabathricum (20, 100, and 500 μg/ml) produced high antioxidant activity for the superoxide scavenging assay with only the 500 μg/ml aqueous and methanol extracts exhibited high activity for the 2,2-diphenyl -1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging assay. The total phenolic content recorded for the aqueous, methanol, and chloroform extracts were 3344.2 ± 19.1, 3055.1 ± 8.7, and 92.5 ± 7.3 mg/100 g of gallic acid, respectively. The M malabathricum leaves possessed potential antiproliferative and antioxidant activities that could be attributed to its high content of phenolic compounds.
A new sesquiterpenoid from the rhizomes of Homalomena sagittifolia

Wong KC, Hamid A, Eldeen IM, Asmawi MZ, Baharuddin S, Abdillahi HS, et al.

Nat Prod Res, 2012;26(9):850-8.
PMID: 21999629 DOI: 10.1080/14786419.2010.551770

A new sesquiterpenoid, 1α,4β,7β-eudesmanetriol (1), was isolated together with the known compounds 1β,4β,7β-eudesmanetriol (2) and oplopanone (3) from the rhizomes of Homalomena sagittifolia. The structures of these compounds were determined by extensive spectral analyses. The compounds 1 and 2 inhibited growth of Pseudomonas stutzeri with a MIC value of 117 µM when evaluated for antibacterial activity using the minimum concentration assay. Both these compounds showed remarkable activities against acetylcholinesterase enzyme with IC(50) values ranging between 25 and 26 µM. The isolation of these sesquiterpenoids and their biological activities observed in this study support the reported traditional uses of H. sagittifolia for the treatment of microbial related diseases and central nervous system disorders.
Fulltext An analysis of forensic entomological specimens by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

Syamsa RA, Ahmad FM, Marwi MA, Zuha RM, Omar B

Med J Malaysia, 2010 Sep;65(3):192-5.
PMID: 21939166 MyJurnal

This study reviews forensic entomological specimens analysed by the Department of Parasitology & Medical Entomology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia for the year 2004. A total of 10 cases (6 males and 4 females) were observed for the entomological specimens. Various types of death scenes were obtained including indoor and outdoor area such as bushes field, rubbish dumping site, and aquatic areas. Identified fly species collected from the death sites were blow flies, Chrysomya megacephala, Chrysomya rufifacies and Lucilia cuprina and unknown sarcophagid larvae, with Ch. megacephala being the most common species found in the ecologically varied death scene habitats. The post-mortem interval (PMI) estimation ranged from one to five days, based on the entomological specimens collected.
Effect of blending and emulsification on thermal behavior, solid fat content, and microstructure properties of palm oil-based margarine fats

Saadi S, Ariffin AA, Ghazali HM, Miskandar MS, Abdulkarim SM, Boo HC

J Food Sci, 2011 Jan-Feb;76(1):C21-30.
PMID: 21535649 DOI: 10.1111/j.1750-3841.2010.01922.x

The ability of palm oil (PO) to crystallize as beta prime polymorph has made it an attractive option for the production of margarine fat (MF). Palm stearin (PS) expresses similar crystallization behavior and is considered one of the best substitutes of hydrogenated oils due to its capability to impart the required level of plasticity and body to the finished product. Normally, PS is blended with PO to reduce the melting point at body temperature (37 °C). Lipid phase, formulated by PO and PS in different ratios were subjected to an emulsification process and the following analyses were done: triacylglycerols, solid fat content (SFC), and thermal behavior. In addition, the microstructure properties, including size and number of crystals, were determined for experimental MFs (EMFs) and commercial MFs (CMFs). Results showed that blending and emulsification at PS levels over 40 wt% significantly changed the physicochemical and microstructure properties of EMF as compared to CMF, resulting in a desirable dipalmitoyl-oleoyl-glycerol content of less than 36.1%. SFC at 37 °C, crystal size, crystal number, crystallization, and melting enthalpies (ΔH) were 15%, 5.37 μm, 1425 crystal/μm(2), 17.25 J/g, and 57.69J/g, respectively. All data reported indicate that the formation of granular crystals in MFs was dominated by high-melting triacylglycerol namely dipalmitoyl-oleoyl-glycerol, while the small dose of monoacylglycerol that is used as emulsifier slowed crystallization rate. Practical Application: Most of the past studies were focused on thermal behavior of edible oils and some blends of oils and fats. The crystallization of oils and fats are well documented but there is scarce information concerning some mechanism related to crystallization and emulsification. Therefore, this study will help to gather information on the behavior of emulsifier on crystallization regime; also the dominating TAG responsible for primary granular crystal formations, as well as to determine the best level of stearin to impart the required microstructure properties and body to the finished products.
In vivo antiulcer activity of the aqueous extract of Bauhinia purpurea leaf

Zakaria ZA, Abdul Hisam EE, Rofiee MS, Norhafizah M, Somchit MN, Teh LK, et al.

J Ethnopharmacol, 2011 Sep 2;137(2):1047-54.
PMID: 21802502 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2011.07.038

Bauhinia purpurea (Fabaceae) is a medicinal plant traditionally used to treat various ailments, including ulcers. In order to establish pharmacological properties of the leaf of Bauhinia purpurea, studies were performed on antiulcer activity of the plant's aqueous extract.
Fulltext Quality of life among patients with hematological cancer in a Malaysian hospital

Priscilla D, Hamidin A, Azhar MZ, Noorjan KO, Salmiah MS, Bahariah K

Med J Malaysia, 2011 Jun;66(2):117-20.
PMID: 22106690 MyJurnal

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of symptoms and problems in hospitalized hematological cancer patients. A cross-sectional design was carried out with 105 respondents in Ampang hospital in Kuala Lumpur. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality Of Life questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) was used. Patients with a minimum response of "a little" were defined as having a symptom/problem while patients with a response of "quite a bit" were classified as having a "severe symptom/problem". The four most prevalent symptoms/problems identified were fatigue, financial difficulties, reduced role function and reduced social function. Multiple myeloma patients (MM) were identified as having the most symptoms/problems.
Fulltext Acarine ectoparasites of Panti Forest Reserve in Johore, Malaysia

Mariana A, Mohd KB, Halimaton I, Suhaili ZA, Shahrul-Anuar MS, Nor ZM, et al.

Asian Pac J Trop Biomed, 2011 Jan;1(1):1-5.
PMID: 23569714 DOI: 10.1016/S2221-1691(11)60057-9

To identify the presence of acarine ectoparasites and determine whether there is any potential public health risk in Panti Forest Reserve, Johore, Malaysia.
Preliminary analysis of the anti-inflammatory activity of essential oils of Zingiber zerumbet

Zakaria ZA, Mohamad AS, Ahmad MS, Mokhtar AF, Israf DA, Lajis NH, et al.

Biol Res Nurs, 2011 Oct;13(4):425-32.
PMID: 21112917 DOI: 10.1177/1099800410386590

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been widely used for the treatment of inflammation. However, despite their effectiveness, most NSAIDs cause various side effects that negatively affect the management of inflammation and, in part, pain. Thus, there is a need to search for new anti-inflammatory agents with few, or no, side effects. Natural products of plant, animal, or microorganism origin have been good sources of new bioactive compounds. The present study was carried out to evaluate the acute and chronic anti-inflammatory activities of the essential oil of the rhizomes of Zingiber zerumbet (Zingiberaceae) using the carrageenan-induced paw edema and cotton pellet-induced granuloma tests, respectively. The effect of the essential oil on inflammatory- and noninflammatory-mediated pain was also assessed using the formalin test. Essential oil of Z. zerumbet, at doses of 30, 100, and 300 mg/kg, was administered intraperitoneally to rats. The substance exhibited significant anti-inflammatory activity both in acute and chronic animal models. The essential oil also inhibited inflammatory- and noninflammatory-mediated pain when assessed using the formalin test. In conclusion, the essential oil of Z. zerumbet possessed anti-inflammatory activity, in addition to its antinociceptive activity, which may explain its traditional uses to treat inflammatory-related ailments.
Fulltext Evaluation of DNA and RNA extraction methods

Edwin Shiaw CS, Shiran MS, Cheah YK, Tan GC, Sabariah AR

Med J Malaysia, 2010 Jun;65(2):133-7.
PMID: 23756798 MyJurnal

This study was done to evaluate various DNA and RNA extractions from archival FFPE tissues. A total of 30 FFPE blocks from the years of 2004 to 2006 were assessed with each modified and adapted method. Extraction protocols evaluated include the modified enzymatic extraction method (Method A), Chelex-100 extraction method (Method B), heat-induced retrieval in alkaline solution extraction method (Methods C and D) and one commercial FFPE DNA Extraction kit (Qiagen, Crawley, UK). For RNA extraction, 2 extraction protocols were evaluated including the enzymatic extraction method (Method 1), and Chelex-100 RNA extraction method (Method 2). Results show that the modified enzymatic extraction method (Method A) is an efficient DNA extraction protocol, while for RNA extraction, the enzymatic method (Method 1) and the Chelex-100 RNA extraction method (Method 2) are equally efficient RNA extraction protocols.

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