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Synthesis, Bacterial biofilm inhibition and cytotoxicity of new N-Alkyl/aralkyl-N-(2,3-dihydro-1,4-benzodioxin-6-yl)-4-nitrobenzenesulfonamides

Abbasi MA, Zeb A, Rehman A, Siddiqui SZ, Shah SAA, Shahid M, et al.

Pak J Pharm Sci, 2020 Jan;33(1):41-47.
PMID: 32122829

The current research was commenced by reaction of 1,4-benzodioxane-6-amine (1) with 4-nitrobenzenesulfonyl chloride (2) in the presence of aqueous base under dynamic pH control at 9 to yield N-(2,3-dihydro-1,4-benzodioxin-6-yl)-4-nitrobenzenesulfonamide (3) which was further reacted with a series of alkyl/aralkyl halides (4a-i) in polar aprotic solvent using catalytic amount of lithium hydride which acts as base to afford some new N-alkyl/aralkyl-N-(2,3-dihydro-1,4-benzodioxin-6-yl)-4-nitrobenzenesulfonamides (5a-i). The projected structures of all the synthesized derivatives were characterized by contemporary techniques i.e., IR, 1H-NMR and EIMS. The biofilm Inhibitory action of all synthesized molecules was carried out against Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis. It was inferred from their results that 5f and 5e exhibited suitable inhibitory action against the biofilms of these bacterial strains. Moreover, their cytotoxicity was also checked and it was concluded that these synthesized molecules displayed docile cytotoxicity.
Fulltext The use of verve app for the disabled in managing navigation sport facilities

Mazlina Mahdzar, Muhammad Anwar Haziq Mohd Yunus, Nurfarah Idayu Abdul Halim, Shamirra Zhulliana Zainal Abidin

Jurnal Inovasi Malaysia, 2018;1(2):83-92.
MyJurnal

Tourism industry is constantly changing. A strong and positive destination image is always desired especially from potential market segments. The disability market is the next big consumer market that is often overlooked. In sports tourism, most of the facilities developed for the disabled are limited, preventing them from experiencing the industry as a normal person would. People with disability have the rights to travel and live an active and healthy lifestyle. Promoting sports tourism and making it accessible to the disabled is seen as a problem as there is currently no easy access to information that is available for them. Verve App is an innovation to assist the disabled to navigate their ways to sport facilities such as the stadiums and many other disabled-friendly sporting facilities near them. This innovation is also designed to offer a wide-range of information to people with disabilities, to provide exposure to the disabled on disabled-friendly facilities, to provide a convenient and easy way to search for sport facilities within close proximity, to navigate the disabled, as well as to provide on facility accessibility.
Fulltext Optimal sizing and energy scheduling of isolated microgrid considering the battery lifetime degradation

Sufyan M, Abd Rahim N, Tan C, Muhammad MA, Sheikh Raihan SR

PLoS One, 2019;14(2):e0211642.
PMID: 30763331 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0211642

The incessantly growing demand for electricity in today's world claims an efficient and reliable system of energy supply. Distributed energy resources such as diesel generators, wind energy and solar energy can be combined within a microgrid to provide energy to the consumers in a sustainable manner. In order to ensure more reliable and economical energy supply, battery storage system is integrated within the microgrid. In this article, operating cost of isolated microgrid is reduced by economic scheduling considering the optimal size of the battery. However, deep discharge shortens the lifetime of battery operation. Therefore, the real time battery operation cost is modeled considering the depth of discharge at each time interval. Moreover, the proposed economic scheduling with battery sizing is optimized using firefly algorithm (FA). The efficacy of FA is compared with other metaheuristic techniques in terms of performance measurement indices, which are cost of electricity and loss of power supply probability. The results show that the proposed technique reduces the cost of microgrid and attain optimal size of the battery.
Fulltext Observation of auditory perceptual and visuo-spatial characteristic of a patient with hemangiopericytoma in occipital lobe: a magnetoencephalography (MEG) study

Hanani Abdul Manan, Jafri Malin Abdullah, Zamzuri Idris, Mohammed Faruque Reza, Muhammad Hafiz Hanaf

Jurnal Sains Kesihatan Malaysia, 2018;16(2):85-91.
MyJurnal

The present study discussed functional reorganization and alteration in respond to the slow-growing tumour,
hemangiopericytoma in the occipital cortex. Visual evoked field (VEF) and auditory evoked field (AEF) using
magnetoencephalography (MEG) was used to evaluate the source localization and brain activity. Results of VEF source
localization show a typical brain waves. Brain activity of the occipital lobe demonstrate low activation in the ipsilateral
to the tumour. However, result shows the activation on the contralateral hemisphere was high and bigger in activation
volume. AEF result shows an identical source localization and both side of the temporal lobe are activated. This result
suggests that there is a positive plasticity in auditory cortex and slow-growing tumour can induce functional reorganization
and alteration to the brain.
Overexpression of AtWRKY50 is correlated with enhanced production of sinapic derivatives in Arabidopsis

Hussain RMF, Kim HK, Khurshid M, Akhtar MT, Linthorst HJM

Metabolomics, 2018 01 31;14(3):25.
PMID: 30830336 DOI: 10.1007/s11306-018-1317-0

INTRODUCTION: WRKY proteins belong to a plant-specific class of transcription factors. Seventy-four WKRY genes have been identified in Arabidopsis and many WRKY proteins are known to be involved in responses to stress, especially to biotic stress. They may act either as transcriptional activators or as repressors of genes that play roles in the stress response. A number of studies have proposed the connection of Arabidopsis WRKY transcription factors in induced pathogenesis-related (PR) gene expression, although no direct evidence has been presented for specific WRKY-PR promoter interactions.
OBJECTIVE: We previously identified AtWRKY50 as a transcriptional activator of SAR gene PR1. Although PR1 accumulates to high levels in plants after attack by pathogens, its function is still elusive. Here we investigated the effects of overexpression of several WRKY proteins, including AtWRKY50, on the metabolome of Arabidopsis thaliana.
METHODS: The influence of overexpression of WRKY proteins on the metabolites of Arabidopsis was investigated by using an NMR spectroscopy-based metabolomic approach. The 1H NMR data was analysed using the multivariate data analysis methods, such as principal component analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis and partial least square-discriminant analysis.
RESULTS: The results showed that the metabolome of transgenic Arabidopsis seedlings overexpressing AtWRKY50 was different from wild type Arabidopsis and transgenic Arabidopsis overexpressing other WRKY genes. Amongst other metabolites, sinapic acid and 1-O-sinapoyl-β-D-glucose especially appeared to be the most prominent discriminating metabolites, accumulating to levels 2 to 3 times higher in the AtWRKY50 overexpressor lines.
CONCLUSION: Our results indicate a possible involvement of AtWRKY50 in secondary metabolite production in Arabidopsis, in particular of hydroxycinnamates such as sinapic acid and 1-O-sinapoyl-β-D-glucose.
Combination Therapy of Clinically Approved Antifungal Drugs Is Enhanced by Conjugation with Silver Nanoparticles

Hussain MA, Ahmed D, Anwar A, Perveen S, Ahmed S, Anis I, et al.

Int Microbiol, 2019 Jun;22(2):239-246.
PMID: 30810990 DOI: 10.1007/s10123-018-00043-3

Silver nanoparticles (SN) have been recently developed as a new class of antimicrobial agents against numerous pathogenic microorganisms. SN have also been used as efficient drug delivery systems and have been linked with increasing drug potency. Here, we demonstrated the enhanced antifungal efficacy of nystatin (NYT) and fluconazole (FLU) after conjugation with SN. The antifungal bioactivity of NYT- and FLU-coated SN was evaluated against Candida albicans ATCC 10231 and Aspergillus brasiliensis ATCC 16404 by the agar tube dilution method. The aim of this study was to determine and compare the antifungal efficacy of NYT and FLU with their SN and, finally, the combination of both nanoparticles as NYT-SN + FLU-SN against pathogenic fungi. The results indicated that all test samples showed a dose-dependent response against tested fungi. SN significantly enhanced the antifungal effects of NYT and FLU as compared to drugs alone. We observed a remarkable increase in the percent inhibition of both fungi (90-100%) when treated with a combination of both nanoparticles NYT-SN + FLU-SN at 200 μg/mL only. Furthermore, the morphological modifications occurred at the surface of fungal species were also analyzed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). While tested against primary human cell line, all SN showed negligible cytotoxicity. Hence, these results suggest that the combination of SN with NYT and FLU may have clinical implications in the treatment of fungal infections. However, in vivo studies are needed before recommending the use of these nanoparticles safely in clinical situations.
Fulltext Peripheral visual attention superiority in athletes and non-athletes

Muhammad Aiman Ramlan, Mohammad Fitri Fahmi Mohd Arif, Mohd Zulfaezal Che, Azemin Norsham Ahmad

Journal of Optometry, Eye and Health Research, 2019;1(1):7-12.
MyJurnal

Introduction: The purpose of the study was to compare the size of visual field in horizontal and vertical, peripheral retinal sensitivity at mid- and far-peripheral temporal viewing using different sizes of stimuli between football athletes and age-gender matched non-athlete subjects. Methods: The participants comprised 9 experienced male football (23.44 ± 2.74 years) players and the control group comprised 9 age-matched male non-athletes (23.33 ± 2.96 years). The parameters were measured using Oculus Twinfield automated perimeter. Horizontal and vertical size of visual field was measured using manual kinetic strategy. The mid-peripheral (60deg) and far-peripheral (90deg) temporal retinal sensitivity in different sizes of stimuli were measured using manual static strategy. The measurement of each test was repeated three times, and then the most reliable value was taken from the three readings. Results: The results from athletes and non-athletes did not differ in regards to peripheral visual attention in all measured parameters (p>0.05). However, athletes group showed slightly better results than non-athletes group. Conclusions: Improved visual performance in selected parameters among athlete group in this study supports previous studies with hypothesis of visual skill in athletes is better compared to non-athletes.
Fulltext Camera calibration performance on different non-metric cameras

Suzanah Abdullah, Khairul Nizam Tahar, Mohd Fadzil Abdul Rashid, Muhammad Ariffin Osoman

Pertanika Journal of Science & Technology, 2019;27(3):1397-1406.
MyJurnal

In recent years, digital cameras have become one of the tools used by the new generation due to their unique advantages in capturing and processing data and usage in many applications, such as crop growth, forest monitoring and archaeological investigation. The quality of images captured by digital cameras originate from accurate measurements which are allied to the digital internal camera parameters. Instability of geometric cameras require consideration to achieve good accuracy in measurement. Therefore, camera calibration becomes an important task to ensure the stability of all internal camera parameters. This research is aimed to assess the internal camera parameters of non-metric cameras. The quantitative method was adapted by this research, which required an experimental implementation achieve quality in data acquisition. Several camera parameters needed to be emphasised in regard to camera calibration, which consisted of focal length, offset main point, radial lens distortion, and distortion of tangent lenses. The offset main point represents the image centre coordinates while the distortion of tangent lenses ensures image quality during image acquisition. The study found that Nikon SLR D60 camera provided a higher accuracy as compared to DJI 4 pro and iPad mini 4 cameras. In conclusion, all non-metric cameras can be used for mapping but it will provide various accuracy levels.
Fulltext A narrative review of natural history, epidemiology and risk factors for Hepatitis C infection

Mohd Azri Mohd Suan, Ahmad Zaid Fattah Azman, Salmiah Md Said, Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan

Pertanika Journal of Science & Technology, 2019;27(3):1341-1359.
MyJurnal

Hepatitis C infection is a major public health problem that can be dealt with urgent and timely attention. Recently, WHO Global Hepatitis Report showed that 71 million people, equivalent to approximately 1% of the world population, are infected with hepatitis C. The disease incidence, mortality rate and risk factors vary across geographical regions. The virus is transmitted primarily through drug injection and exposure to infected blood products in healthcare and community settings. The common causes of death related to virus infections are decompensated liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepatitis C infection is mainly prevented by identifying and controlling any possible risk factors for virus transmission because treatment is costly and limited in availability. In this review, articles discussing the natural history, epidemiology and risk factors for hepatitis C infection are reviewed.
Fulltext Changes of drive to recovery ratio during 2000m ergometer rowing among junior national rowers

Muhammad Aiman Umar, Fara Liana Zainuddin, Rizal Mohd Razman, Shazlin Shaharudin

Movement Health & Exercise, 2019;8(1):33-43.
MyJurnal

Rowing has two stroke phases: the drive phase and recovery phase. The objective of our study was to evaluate the changes of drive to recovery ratio during rowing on a dynamic ergometer. Ten male national junior rowers participated in the study. Three-dimensional motion was recorded using nine infrared cameras. Rowing motions were captured in ten strokes for every 500m section of 2000m rowing time trial on a dynamic ergometer. Two-way ANOVA was performed to compare the duration of drive and recovery phases across 500m sections of 2000m time trial. The findings showed that there were no significant interactions between drive and recovery phases and distance covered. However, there was significant interaction between the duration of the recovery phase and distance covered. Participants were consistent in maintaining the duration of drive and recovery phase at 500m, 1000m, and 1500m; in the final 500m section, the rowers sprinted as fast as possible with high stroke rates. Drive to recovery ratio across 2000m dynamic ergometer rowing was 1:1. From the study, the strategy to minimise time to completion may be managed by adjusting the time spent during drive and recovery phases in each section of the 2000m time trial. Crew pairings can be conducted according to personal drive to recovery ratio to enhance rowing synchronisation.
Fulltext Wilfull ommission of epf contribution by employers in Malaysia

Saslina Kamaruddin, Nadia Nabila Mohd Saufi, Muhammad Asrul Shah Bin Asman Shah, Nazsyaqeeqa Binti Mohamad Nasrudin

Journal of Management & Science, 2019;17(1):106-111.
MyJurnal

The Malaysian Employees Provident Fund (EPF) known as Kumpulan Simpanan Wang Pekerja (KWSP) is a social security institution for an employee in Malaysia and was created as a compulsory national saving plan in 1951. This institution is formed under the Laws of Malaysia which is the Employee Provident Fund Act 1991 (Act 452). KWSP provide retirement benefits by reliably managing their savings. The retirement age for Malaysian between 55 until 60 years old, then they will enjoy the benefit that is given by KWSP during retirement day. The problem occurs when there are certain employers did not perform their legal obligation to employees. The main objective of this paper is to analyses the general rules and laws regarding the duty of the employer to contribute to EPF, the punishment for any failure to perform such obligations. Also, the paper seeks to examine the reason behind such adherence to duty to contribute. This paper is mainly written to suggest ways to overcome problem regarding failure to contribute in EPF by the employer in Malaysia as compared to that in Japan. This research is adopted doctrinal legal analysis in which the primary source will be the Employee Provident Act 1991. On the secondary sources, the articles and journal wrote by local and international writers was referred. The authors contend that the Malaysian government has already enacted laws on the issues. However, the enforcement by the supervisory body is somehow weak based on the increase in the number of reported cases in the area.
Fulltext Antioxidant property of beetroot juice stimulates erythrocyte antioxidant enzymatic activity under oxidative stress stimulation

AL – Lamki, Khulood Nabhan Mohamed, Muhammad Danial Che Ramli, Khun, Yap Michelle Khai, Yusoff, Maryam Jamielah

Journal of Management & Science, 2017;15(2):20-30.
MyJurnal

Many studies have shown that fruits and vegetables containing antioxidant compounds are beneficial to health. Many studies started to highlight the potential of beetroot; which is rich with betalain pigments, as the new alternative antioxidant supplementation due to its high capacity of free radical scavenging activity. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation emitted from sunlight can penetrate more than just skin tissues, thereby disturbing the balance of erythrocytes antioxidant enzymes level, particularly glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in erythrocytes. The aim of this study was to investigate the erythrocyte antioxidant enzymes in Sprague Dawley rats (SD) supplemented with beetroot juice at different concentrations upon UV-induced oxidative stress. The total betalain content that was measured spectrophotometrically showed that 500 mg/kg of beet root juice contained approximately ten fold-higher levels of betalain pigment, compared to 250 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg. DPPH test performed on different concentrations of beet root juices showed that the antioxidant activity of beetroot juice increases in concentration-dependent manner, only 500 mg/kg non-diluted beetroot juice exhibited 100% free radical scavenging activity. The erythrocytes suspension of SD rats treated with different concentrations of beetroot juices were assayed for GPx and SOD activity which showed an increase of the activity of these enzymes in concentration-dependent manner, especially in non-diluted preparation. We found that non- diluted (500 mg/kg concentration) beetroot juices exhibited highest antioxidant activity which offer significant protection against oxidative stress by elevating the activity of GPx and SOD enzymes in scavenging free radicals.
Fulltext Water quality characteristic of the National Hydraulic Research Institute of Malaysia (NAHRIM) lake undergoing remediation by the constructed wetlands: a baseline study

Aliyu, Aliyu Danjuma, Go, Rusea, Hishamuddin Omar, Syazrin Syima Sharifuddin, Azroie Muhammad, Bashirah Fazli

Pertanika Journal of Science & Technology, 2019;27(2):565-587.
MyJurnal

This study was conducted to determine the baseline water quality characteristics of a contaminated NAHRIM lake undergoing remediation by the constructed wetlands, based on the physico-chemical and biological parameters. The sampling was conducted for six months (May-October) in 2016 from 5 stations of the lake and analysed using APHA standard methods for water and wastewater analysis, while Malaysian water quality index (WQI) was used to calculate quality of the lake. The results showed that, the Conductivity, Dissolved Oxygen, NO3-N, NO2-N, PO4, Temperature, Turbidity, TDS, TSS, and Zn were under class I, while pH, B and COD were categorized under class II. NH3-N, BOD, Fe, Escherichia coli, Total coliform and Mn were categorized as class III. Moreover, Al was not given any classification under NWQS but their concentration did not exceed EPA guidelines. Furthermore, as compared to the water samples from the constructed wetlands that reported a class III WQI, the lake was observed to show an overall class II WQI. This is suggestive of the retaining and remedial role of the constructed wetlands being the first point of contact for the contaminants going to the lake. Thus the lake is suitable for recreational activities.
Effectiveness of lake remediation towards water quality: application in varsity lake University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur

Nuzaima Che Mood, Faridah Othman, Noor Farahain Muhammad Amin, Md. Ibrahim Adham

Sains Malaysiana, 2017;46:1221-1229.

Surface water quality monitoring is an important tool for enhancing the water body management system. This study focuses on the water quality of a lake based on rehabilitation work completed in 2014. This lake suffers from eutrophication and water quality degradation due to the increase in pollution rates and water source scarcity. Nine points were selected to represent the water quality status for the study area. Two river tributaries that pass through the University Malaya (UM) campus have been considered due of its potential as a water source for the lake. Field and laboratory analysis were conducted to understand the transport of water quality parameters. The data variations were analyzed using a multivariate statistical method to determine the significant differences between the lake and river. Based on the Malaysian Water Quality Index (WQI) and cluster analysis, the results indicated that the lake and river have different physico-chemical characteristics and the lake water has a better quality than the river. Comparison of the concentration for BOD, TSS, PO43- and NO3- between year 2009 and current study proved that the water quality has improved by 99.8% proving that the lake remediation is effective.
Effect of space holders on fabrication of porous titanium alloy-hydroxyapatite composite through powder injection molding

Farrahshaida Mohd Salleh, Abu Bakar Sulong, Muhammad Rafi Raza, Norhamidi Muhamad, Lim TF

Sains Malaysiana, 2017;46:1651-1657.

owder injection molding (PIM) is able to produce porous titanium alloy/hydroxyapatite composite through the space holder technique. Thermal debinding and sintering processes were the main challenges due to different properties of metal and ceramic in producing such composite. This study focused on the effect of different space holders on the physical and mechanical properties of debound and sintered porous titanium aloi/hydroxyapatite composite. The feedstock is containing of 80 wt. % of titanium alloy/hydroxyapatite with 20 wt. % of space holders such as sodium chloride (NaCl) and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), respectively. The binders were then removed from the injected samples by two stages of debinding; solvent and thermal debinding. The sintering was performed at three different temperatures 1100oC, 1200oC and 1300oC at a heating rate of 10oC /min and holding time of 5 h. It was found that the samples containing PMMA space holder was fractured after sintering. While, the samples containing NaCl space holder successfully formed pores and not fractured. At sintering temperature of 1300oC, the density, compressive strength and porosity volume percentages for the sintered sample containing NaCl space holder were 3.05 g/cm3, 91.7 MPa. and 11.9 vol%, respectively.
Reconstruction of the transcriptional regulatory network in arabidopsis thaliana aliphatic glucosinolate biosynthetic pathway

Khalidah-Syahirah Ashari, Zeti-Azura Mohamed-Hussein, Muhammad-Redha Abdullah-Zawawi, Sarahani Harun

Sains Malaysiana, 2018;47:2993-3002.

Aliphatic glucosinolate is an important secondary metabolite responsible in plant defense mechanism and carcinogenic
activity. It plays a crucial role in plant adaptation towards changes in the environment such as salinity and drought.
However, in many plant genomes, there are thousands of genes encoding proteins still with putative functions and
incomplete annotations. Therefore, the genome of Arabidopsis thaliana was selected to be investigated further to identify
any putative genes that are potentially involved in the aliphatic glucosinolate biosynthesis pathway, most of its gene are
with incomplete annotation. Known genes for aliphatic glucosinolates were retrieved from KEGG and AraCyc databases.
Three co-expression databases i.e., ATTED-II, GeneMANIA and STRING were used to perform the co-expression network
analysis. The integrated co-expression network was then being clustered, annotated and visualized using Cytoscape plugin,
MCODE and ClueGO. Then, the regulatory network of A. thaliana from AtRegNet was mapped onto the co-expression
network to build the transcriptional regulatory network. This study showed that a total of 506 genes were co-expressed
with the 61 aliphatic glucosinolate biosynthesis genes. Five transcription factors have been predicted to be involved
in the biosynthetic pathway of aliphatic glucosinolate, namely SEPALLATA 3 (SEP3), PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTOR
3-like 5 (AtbHLH15/PIL5), ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL 5 (HY5), AGAMOUS-like 15 (AGL15) and GLABRA 3 (GL3). Meanwhile,
three other genes with high potential to be involved in the aliphatic glucosinolates biosynthetic pathway were identified,
i.e., methylthioalkylmalate-like synthase 4 (MAML-4) and aspartate aminotransferase (ASP1 and ASP4). These findings
can be used to complete the aliphatic glucosinolate biosynthetic pathway in A. thaliana and to update the information
on the glucosinolate-related pathways in public metabolic databases.
Comparative analysis of metabolites and antioxidant potentials from different plant parts of curcuma aeruginosa roxb.

Sanimah Simoh, Sew YS, Fazri Abd Rahim, Muhammad Aizuddin Ahmad, Alizah Zainal

Sains Malaysiana, 2018;47:3031-3041.

A comparative analysis of metabolites from different parts of Curcuma aeruginosa, i.e. leaves, stems, adventitious
roots and rhizomes was performed by GC-MS/MS coupled with multivariate statistical analysis. The GC-MS/MS analysis
confirmed the occurrence of 26 metabolites belonged to terpenoids in almost all the samples. The Principal Component
Analysis (PCA) indicated that there was a clear distinction between rhizomes and other plant parts, i.e. stems, leaves,
and adventitious roots that could be explained by relatively higher contents of terpenoids including curzerene, alphafarnesen, furanocoumarin, velleral, germacrone cineole, borneol, beta- and gamma- elemene and methenolone. The
results of Hierarchical Clustering Analyses (HCA) corresponded with the PCA results where many terpenoids found
abundantly high in rhizome were clustered together. This was supported by the Pearson correlation analysis that
showed a significantly good relationship between those terpenoids. The adventitious roots demonstrated the strongest
antioxidant activity as compared to the other plant parts which could be attributed to its highest Total Phenolic
Contents (TPC). Total phenolic contents of all the plant parts were positively correlated with their antioxidant activities
which indicate that phenolic compounds may play a role in the overall antioxidant activities of the plants. The results
of the study highlighted the potential of this underexploited Curcuma species which could serve as a new source of
important phytochemicals and natural antioxidant that could be incorporated in functional foods and nutraceuticals.
In addition, chemical and biological evidence shown in the present work has rationalised the different uses of various
plant parts of C. aeruginosa.
Challenges in predicting risks of premature coronary artery disease (pcad)

Muhammad Faizan A. Shukor, Noor Akmal Shareela Ismail, Wan Zurinah Wan Ngah

Sains Malaysiana, 2018;47:2543-2556.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) predominantly manifests in older population above the age of 60 years old. The incidence
of CAD in younger individuals has been reported and is called premature CAD (pCAD). The prevalence for pCAD in
individuals below 45 years old is about 3-10% worldwide. Advances in risk prediction are of great importance as
absolute values of risk factors sometimes correlate poorly with individuals. The measurement of traditional risk factors
such as cholesterol level and blood pressure might be inadequate to predict risk for pCAD and therefore new biomarkers
are required. The introduction of omics technology offers insight into the mechanism and interactions involved during
disease progression and open the possibilities of discovering new biomarkers. Currently, new potential biomarkers for
pCAD have been explored such as homocysteine, apolipoproteins, microRNAs and single nucleotide polymorphisms. In
this review, we discussed the associated risk factors for pCAD, several reported and newly proposed biomarkers and
their potential to be used clinically.
Demand feeding system using an infrared light sensor for brown-marbled grouper juveniles, epinephelus fuscoguttatus

Mukai Y, Tan NH, Muhammad Khairulanwar Rosli, Liau CF

Sains Malaysiana, 2016;45:729-733.

In general, demand feeding devices are equipped with a mechanical trigger switch. Such a switch is not suitable for
juvenile fish with a small body size, because the body weight is insufficient to trigger the feeder. An infrared light
sensor that does not require the fish to push a feeder switch is more suitable for small fish. The brown-marbled grouper
Epinephelus fuscoguttatus is an important fish species in Southeast Asia. The purpose of this study was to compare the
growth rates (GRs) of brown-marbled grouper juveniles reared using customised demand feeding devices with an infrared
light sensor (the infrared light demand feeder (IRDF) group) and automatic feeding devices (the automatic feeder (AF)
group). The results indicated that GRs of standard lengths and body weights showed no significant differences using
one-way analysis of variance; however, the standard length of the IRDF group showed a tendency of a higher GR than
the AF group. Although the feed conversion ratio (FCR) also showed no significant difference, the FCR of the IRDF group
was more efficient, indicating that the IRDF group yielded a more desirable FCR. These results indicate that IRDF can be
used in the culture of brown-marbled grouper juveniles. In view of the working schedule of the fish farm staff, IRDF are
superior to other feeding devices, because they are less labour-intensive than usual tasks. We conclude that IRDF is a
useful feeding system for aquaculture.
Liposomes as amphiphilic carriers: encapsulation and stability aspects

Sumaira Naeem, Muhammad Aqeel Ashraf, Misni Bin Misran, Lik Voon Kiew, Lip Yong Chung

Sains Malaysiana, 2016;45:71-77.

The aimed of the present study was to evaluate the liposomal formulation regarding its hydrophobicity. The evaluation studies were done based on the amphiphilic nature of the phospholipid liposomes. This paper highlights the importance of such type of lipid based carriers by encapsulation hydrophobic and hydrophilic drug models. Crystal violet and Nile red were used to represent hydrophilic and hydrophobic moieties before moving to pharmaceutical implications. The formulated liposomes were compared for their hydrophobicity using percent encapsulation efficiencies. The purpose of this formulation was to mimic the red blood cells. The average particle size of 120±25.1 and zeta potential of -10.2±1.4 were in good agreement with reported characteristics of the red blood cells. Per cent encapsulation efficiency for crystal violet was more obvious with a value of 68.1 as compared to 36.5% for Nile red. The prepared liposomes were quite stable for a period of one month. Our findings reflect the fate of our system more suitable for hydrophilic drugs under the given set of formulation parameters.

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