Displaying publications 121 - 140 of 188 in total

Abstract:
Sort:
  1. ERP in Bangladesh healthcare industry: Current scenario, challenges, and future directions
    Karim MR, Nordin N, Hassan MS, Islam MA, Yusof MF
    Work, 2025 Jan 21.
    PMID: 39973635 DOI: 10.1177/10519815241300410
    BACKGROUND: Over the last twenty years, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems have become essential for businesses aiming to enhance efficiency and gain a competitive advantage in the fierce business landscape of today. ERP systems offer substantial benefits for quality, cost-efficiency, and timely services in healthcare globally, but many organizations in underdeveloped and remote areas lack adequate IT infrastructure.

    OBJECTIVE: This paper aims to provide an overview of the status of the ERP environment in Bangladesh's healthcare business and highlight the demands for IT-enabled health infrastructure and challenges to ERP-based health structure adoption.

    METHOD: The study conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis extension for systematic reviews using the PRISMA method. Two digital libraries including Scopus and WoS were used in this study for systematic literature review.

    RESULTS: The study found no papers conducted on ERP in Bangladesh healthcare, including advantages and disadvantages. Some findings revealed that the adoption of ERP systems in the healthcare industry in Bangladesh remains challenging but not beyond overcome.

    CONCLUSIONS: ERP systems would encourage substantial changes in finances, human resources and capacity, revenue, workforce scheduling, and customer satisfaction if they were successfully adopted in healthcare enterprises in Bangladesh. Further improvement is needed in various disciplines based on the existing situation and difficulties with ERP adoption in the healthcare industry. The results of this study will assist the stakeholders in making wise choices regarding the implementation of ERP and upcoming investments in Bangladesh's healthcare industry.

  2. Potential of low-cost TiO2-PVC composite in photoelectrocatalytic degradation of reactive orange 16 under visible light
    Jaafar NF, Nordin N, Mohamed Haris NY, Mohd Halim NH, Lahuri AH, Samad WZ
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2023 Apr;30(16):47144-47157.
    PMID: 36732455 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-25623-3
    In recent years, previously reported studies revealed a high efficiency of pollutant degradation by coupling photocatalysis and electrochemical processes (PECs) using titanium dioxide (TiO2) photoelectrode rather than using photocatalysis or electrocatalysis alone. However, some of the TiO2 photoelectrodes that have been reported were not cost-effective. This is due to the use of expensive chemicals and certain expensive equipment in the fabrication process, other than involving complicated preparation steps. Therefore, this study is aimed at investigating the PEC performance and stability of low-cost TiO2-polyvinyl chloride (TiO2-PVC) composite photoelectrode for Reactive Orange 16 (RO16) degradation. The materials characterisation using the ATR-FTIR, XRD and UV-Vis DRS proved that TiO2 and TiO2-PVC were successfully synthesised. The micrograph obtained for the surface characterisation using the FESEM showed that the smooth surface of freshly prepared photoelectrodes turned slightly rough with tiny pits formation after five continuous PEC processes. Nevertheless, the photoelectrode retained its original shape in good condition for further PEC processes. By PEC process, the fabricated photoelectrode showed 99.4% and 51.1% of colour and total organic carbon (TOC) removal, respectively, at optimised PEC parameters (1.0 mol L-1 NaCl concentration, 10 V applied voltage, 120 min degradation time and initial pH 2). Moreover, the fabricated photoelectrode demonstrated sufficient reusability potential (~ 96.3%) after five cycles of PEC processes. In summary, a low-cost and stable composite photoelectrode with high efficiency in RO16 degradation was successfully fabricated and could be potentially applied for other emerging pollutants degradation via the PEC degradation technique.
  3. Fulltext A machine learning framework for the multi-class prediction of suicide attempt risk
    Nordin N, Mohd Noor MH, Zainol Z, Chan LF, Buji RI
    Acta Psychol (Amst), 2026 Oct;270:107815.
    PMID: 42772249 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.107815
    Suicide attempt risk stratification is often hampered by the limitations of current binary classification methods, hindering effective management of suicidal behaviour. Despite the increasing cases of suicidal behaviour in high-risk populations, the number of studies on individuals with Systematic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) with suicidal attempts is limited and remains unclear. SLE is a chronic autoimmune disease where body's defence system gets confused and starts attacking healthy parts of body. Therefore, this study aimed to propose a framework for multi-class prediction of suicide attempt risk in SLE individuals using machine learning. Logistic regression, decision tree, support vector machine, random forest, and gradient boosting were trained and evaluated using five-fold cross-validation on a clinical dataset of 130 patients with SLE. The multi-class models achieved an overall classification performance between 0.75 and 0.85 to classify four risk levels for suicidal behaviour (no risk, low risk, moderate risk, high risk). Specifically, the gradient boosting model trained with eleven features showed the highest precision at 0.82 in predicting suicide attempts in high-risk SLE individual. Feature importance analysis indicated that past suicide attempts and depressive disorders were the strongest predictors of suicide risk in SLE patients. While the multi-class model showed promising precision, the small sample size limits generalizability and requires validation with larger populations. Nonetheless, this preliminary study highlights the potential of risk stratification for supporting early identification and improving clinical decision-making in suicide prevention.
  4. Reactions to symptoms of mental disorder and help seeking in Sabah, Malaysia
    Shoesmith WD, Borhanuddin AFBA, Yong Pau Lin P, Abdullah AF, Nordin N, Giridharan B, et al.
    Int J Soc Psychiatry, 2018 02;64(1):49-55.
    PMID: 29103338 DOI: 10.1177/0020764017739643
    BACKGROUND: A better understanding is needed about how people make decisions about help seeking.

    MATERIALS: Focus group and individual interviews with patients, carers, healthcare staff, religious authorities, traditional healers and community members.

    DISCUSSION: Four stages of help seeking were identified: (1) noticing symptoms and initial labelling, (2) collective decision-making, (3) spiritual diagnoses and treatment and (4) psychiatric diagnosis and treatment.

    CONCLUSION: Spiritual diagnoses have the advantage of being less stigmatising, giving meaning to symptoms, and were seen to offer hope of cure rather than just symptom control. Patients and carers need help to integrate different explanatory models into a meaningful whole.

  5. Influence of Amaranth dye concentration on the efficiency of hybrid system of photocatalytic fuel cell and Fenton process
    Nordin N, Ho LN, Ong SA, Ibrahim AH, Wong YS, Lee SL, et al.
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2017 Oct;24(29):23331-23340.
    PMID: 28840563 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-017-9964-7
    A novel sustainable hybrid system of photocatalytic fuel cell (PFC) and Fenton process is an alternative wastewater treatment technology for energy-saving and efficient treatment of organic pollutants. The electrons generated from PFC photoanode are used to produce H2O2 in the Fenton reactor and react with the in situ generation of Fe2+ from sacrificial iron for hydroxyl radical formation. In this study, the effect of different initial Amaranth dye concentrations on degradation and electricity generation were investigated. ZnO/Zn photoanode was prepared by anodizing method and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Results revealed that the maximum power density (9.53 mW/m2) and current density (0.0178 mA/m2) were achieved at 10 mg/L of Amaranth. The correlation between dye degradation, voltage output, and kinetic photocatalytic degradation were also investigated and discussed.
  6. Fulltext In vitro assessment of anti-proliferative effect induced by α-mangostin from Cratoxylum arborescens on HeLa cells
    El Habbash AI, Mohd Hashim N, Ibrahim MY, Yahayu M, Omer FAE, Abd Rahman M, et al.
    PeerJ, 2017;5:e3460.
    PMID: 28740747 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3460
    Natural medicinal products possess diverse chemical structures and have been an essential source for drug discovery. Therefore, in this study, α-mangostin (AM) is a plant-derived compound was investigated for the apoptotic effect on human cervical cancer cells (HeLa). The cytotoxic effects of AM on the viability of HeLa and human normal ovarian cell line (SV40) were evaluated by using MTT assay. Results showed that AM inhibited HeLa cells viability at concentration- and time-dependent manner with IC50 value of 24.53 ± 1.48 µM at 24 h. The apoptogenic effects of AM on HeLa were assessed using fluorescence microscopy analysis. The effect of AM on cell proliferation was also studied through clonogenic assay. ROS production evaluation, flow cytometry (cell cycle) analysis, caspases 3/7, 8, and 9 assessment and multiple cytotoxicity assays were conducted to determine the mechanism of cell apoptosis. This was associated with G2/M phase cell cycle arrest and elevation in ROS production. AM induced mitochondrial apoptosis which was confirmed based on the significant increase in the levels of caspases 3/7 and 9 in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, the MMP disruption and increased cell permeability, concurrent with cytochrome c release from the mitochondria to the cytosol provided evidence that AM can induce apoptosis via mitochondrial-dependent pathway. AM exerted a remarkable antitumor effect and induced characteristic apoptogenic morphological changes on HeLa cells, which indicates the occurrence of cell death. This study reveals that AM could be a potential antitumor compound on cervical cancer in vitro and can be considered for further cervical cancer preclinical and in vivo testing.
  7. Role of dissolved oxygen on the degradation mechanism of Reactive Green 19 and electricity generation in photocatalytic fuel cell
    Lee SL, Ho LN, Ong SA, Wong YS, Voon CH, Khalik WF, et al.
    Chemosphere, 2018 Mar;194:675-681.
    PMID: 29247929 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2017.11.166
    In this study, a membraneless photocatalytic fuel cell with zinc oxide loaded carbon photoanode and platinum loaded carbon cathode was constructed to investigate the impact of dissolved oxygen on the mechanism of dye degradation and electricity generation of photocatalytic fuel cell. The photocatalytic fuel cell with high and low aeration rate, no aeration and nitrogen purged were investigated, respectively. The degradation rate of diazo dye Reactive Green 19 and the electricity generation was enhanced in photocatalytic fuel cell with higher dissolved oxygen concentration. However, the photocatalytic fuel cell was still able to perform 37% of decolorization in a slow rate (k = 0.033 h-1) under extremely low dissolved oxygen concentration (approximately 0.2 mg L-1) when nitrogen gas was introduced into the fuel cell throughout the 8 h. However, the change of the UV-Vis spectrum indicates that the intermediates of the dye could not be mineralized under insufficient dissolved oxygen level. In the aspect of electricity generation, the maximum short circuit current (0.0041 mA cm-2) and power density (0.00028 mW cm-2) of the air purged photocatalytic fuel cell was obviously higher than that with nitrogen purging (0.0015 mA cm-2and 0.00008 mW cm-2).
  8. Microbial fuel cell operation using monoazo and diazo dyes as terminal electron acceptor for simultaneous decolourisation and bioelectricity generation
    Oon YS, Ong SA, Ho LN, Wong YS, Oon YL, Lehl HK, et al.
    J Hazard Mater, 2017 Mar 05;325:170-177.
    PMID: 27931001 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2016.11.074
    Monoazo and diazo dyes [New coccine (NC), Acid orange 7 (AO7), Reactive red 120 (RR120) and Reactive green 19 (RG19)] were employed as electron acceptors in the abiotic cathode of microbial fuel cell. The electrons and protons generated from microbial organic oxidation at the anode which were utilized for electrochemical azo dye reduction at the cathodic chamber was successfully demonstrated. When NC was employed as the electron acceptor, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal and dye decolourisation efficiencies obtained at the anodic and cathodic chamber were 73±3% and 95.1±1.1%, respectively. This study demonstrated that the decolourisation rates of monoazo dyes were ∼50% higher than diazo dyes. The maximum power density in relation to NC decolourisation was 20.64mW/m2, corresponding to current density of 120.24mA/m2. The decolourisation rate and power output of different azo dyes were in the order of NC>AO7>RR120>RG19. The findings revealed that the structure of dye influenced the decolourisation and power performance of MFC. Azo dye with electron-withdrawing group at para substituent to azo bond would draw electrons from azo bond; hence the azo dye became more electrophilic and more favourable for dye reduction.
  9. Fulltext Characterization and toxicity of citral incorporated with nanostructured lipid carrier
    Nordin N, Yeap SK, Zamberi NR, Abu N, Mohamad NE, Rahman HS, et al.
    PeerJ, 2018;6:e3916.
    PMID: 29312812 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3916
    The nanoparticle as a cancer drug delivery vehicle is rapidly under investigation due to its promising applicability as a novel drug delivery system for anticancer agents. This study describes the development, characterization and toxicity studies of a nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC) system for citral. Citral was loaded into the NLC using high pressure homogenization methods. The characterizations of NLC-citral were then determined through various methods. Based on Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) analysis, NLC-Citral showed a spherical shape with an average diameter size of 54.12 ± 0.30 nm and a polydipersity index of 0.224 ± 0.005. The zeta potential of NLC-Citral was -12.73 ± 0.34 mV with an entrapment efficiency of 98.9 ± 0.124%, and drug loading of 9.84 ± 0.041%. Safety profile of the formulation was examined via in vitro and in vivo routes to study its effects toward normal cells. NLC-Citral exhibited no toxic effects towards the proliferation of mice splenocytes. Moreover, no mortality and toxic signs were observed in the treated groups after 28 days of treatment. There were also no significant alterations in serum biochemical analysis for all treatments. Increase in immunomodulatory effects of treated NLC-Citral and Citral groups was verified from the increase in CD4/CD3 and CD8/CD3 T cell population in both NLC-citral and citral treated splenocytes. This study suggests that NLC is a promising drug delivery system for citral as it has the potential in sustaining drug release without inducing any toxicity.
  10. Fulltext Subchronic toxicity, immunoregulation and anti-breast tumor effect of Nordamnacantal, an anthraquinone extracted from the stems of Morinda citrifolia L
    Abu N, Zamberi NR, Yeap SK, Nordin N, Mohamad NE, Romli MF, et al.
    BMC Complement Altern Med, 2018 Jan 27;18(1):31.
    PMID: 29374471 DOI: 10.1186/s12906-018-2102-3
    BACKGROUND: Morinda citrifolia L. that was reported with immunomodulating and cytotoxic effects has been traditionally used to treat multiple illnesses including cancer. An anthraquinone derived from fruits of Morinda citrifolia L., nordamnacanthal, is a promising agent possessing several in vitro biological activities. However, the in vivo anti-tumor effects and the safety profile of nordamnacanthal are yet to be evaluated.

    METHODS: In vitro cytotoxicity of nordamnacanthal was tested using MTT, cell cycle and Annexin V/PI assays on human MCF-7 and MDA-MB231 breast cancer cells. Mice were orally fed with nordamnacanthal daily for 28 days for oral subchronic toxicity study. Then, the in vivo anti-tumor effect was evaluated on 4T1 murine cancer cells-challenged mice. Changes of tumor size and immune parameters were evaluated on the untreated and nordamnacanthal treated mice.

    RESULTS: Nordamnacanthal was found to possess cytotoxic effects on MDA-MB231, MCF-7 and 4T1 cells in vitro. Moreover, based on the cell cycle and Annexin V results, nordamnacanthal managed to induce cell death in both MDA-MB231 and MCF-7 cells. Additionally, no mortality, signs of toxicity and changes of serum liver profile were observed in nordamnacanthal treated mice in the subchronic toxicity study. Furthermore, 50 mg/kg body weight of nordamncanthal successfully delayed the progression of 4T1 tumors in Balb/C mice after 28 days of treatment. Treatment with nordamnacanthal was also able to increase tumor immunity as evidenced by the immunophenotyping of the spleen and YAC-1 cytotoxicity assays.

    CONCLUSION: Nordamnacanthal managed to inhibit the growth and induce cell death in MDA-MB231 and MCF-7 cell lines in vitro and cease the tumor progression of 4T1 cells in vivo. Overall, nordamnacanthal holds interesting anti-cancer properties that can be further explored.

  11. Up-flow constructed wetland-microbial fuel cell for azo dye, saline, nitrate remediation and bioelectricity generation: From waste to energy approach
    Oon YL, Ong SA, Ho LN, Wong YS, Dahalan FA, Oon YS, et al.
    Bioresour Technol, 2018 Oct;266:97-108.
    PMID: 29957296 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2018.06.035
    This study explored the influence of azo dye concentration, salinity (with and without aeration) and nitrate concentration on bioelectricity generation and treatment performance in the up-flow constructed wetland-microbial fuel cell (UFCW-MFC) system. The decolourisation efficiencies were up to 91% for 500 mg/L of Acid Red 18 (AR18). However, the power density declined with the increment in azo dye concentration. The results suggest that the combination of salinity and aeration at an optimum level improved the power performance. The highest power density achieved was 8.67 mW/m2. The increase of nitrate by 3-fold led to decrease in decolourisation and power density of the system. The findings revealed that the electron acceptors (AR18, nitrate and anode) competed at the anodic region for electrons and the electron transfer pathways would directly influence the treatment and power performance of UFCW-MFC. The planted UFCW-MFC significantly outweighed the plant-free control in power performance.
  12. Exploring the relationship between molecular structure of dyes and light sources for photodegradation and electricity generation in photocatalytic fuel cell
    Lee SL, Ho LN, Ong SA, Wong YS, Voon CH, Khalik WF, et al.
    Chemosphere, 2018 Oct;209:935-943.
    PMID: 30114743 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2018.06.157
    Reactive green 19, acid orange 7 and methylene blue are employed as the organic pollutants in this work. A photocatalytic fuel cell is constructed based on the idea of immobilizing zinc oxide onto zinc photoanode and platinum loaded carbon cathode, both evaluated under sunlight and ultraviolet irradiation, respectively. Influence of light and dye structures on the performance of photocatalytic fuel cell are examined. With reactive green 19, 93% and 86% of color removal are achieved after 8 h of photocatalytic fuel cell treatment under sunlight and ultraviolet irradiation, respectively. The decolorization rate of diazo reactive green 19 is higher than acid orange 7 (monoazo dye) when both dyes are treated by photocatalytic fuel cell under sunlight and ultraviolet irradiation, as the electron releasing groups (-NH-triazine) allow reactive green 19 easier to be oxidized. Comparatively, acid orange 7 is less favorable to be oxidized. The degradation of methylene blue is enhanced under sunlight irradiation due to the occurrence of self-sensitized photodegradation. When methylene blue is employed in the photocatalytic fuel cell under sunlight irradiation, the short circuit current (0.0129 mA cm-2) and maximum power density (0.0032 mW cm-2) of photocatalytic fuel cell greatly improved.
  13. Two-way switch: Maximizing productivity of tilted panel in membrane bioreactor
    Eliseus A, Bilad MR, Nordin NAHM, Khan AL, Putra ZA, Wirzal MDH, et al.
    J Environ Manage, 2018 Dec 15;228:529-537.
    PMID: 30273771 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.09.029
    Membrane fouling is a major challenge in membrane bioreactors (MBRs) and its effective handling is the key to improve their competitiveness. Tilting panel system offers significant improvements for fouling control but is strictly limited to one-sided panel. In this study, we assess a two-way switch tilting panel system that enables two-sided membranes and project its implications on performance and energy footprint. Results show that tilting a panel improves permeance by up to 20% to reach a plateau flux thanks to better contacts between air bubbles and the membrane surface to scour-off the foulant. A plateau permeance could be achieved at aeration rate of as low as 0.90 l min-1, a condition untenable by vertical panel even at twice of the aeration rate. Switching at short periods (<5min) can maintain the hydraulic performance as in no-switch (static system), enables application of a two-sided switching panel. A comparison of vertical panel under 1.80 l min-1 aeration rate with a switching panel at a half of the rate, switched at 1 min period shows ≈10% higher permeance of the later. Since periodic switching consumes a very low energy (0.55% of the total of 0.276 kWh m-3), with reduction of aeration by 50%, the switching tilted panel offers 41% more energy efficient than a referenced full-scale MBR (0.390 kWh m-3). Overall results are very compelling and highly attractive for significant improvements of MBR technologies.
  14. Fulltext In vitro cytotoxicity and anticancer effects of citral nanostructured lipid carrier on MDA MBA-231 human breast cancer cells
    Nordin N, Yeap SK, Rahman HS, Zamberi NR, Abu N, Mohamad NE, et al.
    Sci Rep, 2019 02 07;9(1):1614.
    PMID: 30733560 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-38214-x
    Very recently, we postulated that the incorporation of citral into nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC-Citral) improves solubility and delivery of the citral without toxic effects in vivo. Thus, the objective of this study is to evaluate anti-cancer effects of NLC-Citral in MDA MB-231 cells in vitro through the Annexin V, cell cycle, JC-1 and fluorometric assays. Additionally, this study is aimed to effects of NLC-Citral in reducing the tumor weight and size in 4T1 induced murine breast cancer model. Results showed that NLC-Citral induced apoptosis and G2/M arrest in MDA MB-231 cells. Furthermore, a prominent anti-metastatic ability of NLC-Citral was demonstrated in vitro using scratch, migration and invasion assays. A significant reduction of migrated and invaded cells was observed in the NLC-Citral treated MDA MB-231 cells. To further evaluate the apoptotic and anti-metastatic mechanism of NLC-Citral at the molecular level, microarray-based gene expression and proteomic profiling were conducted. Based on the result obtained, NLC-Citral was found to regulate several important signaling pathways related to cancer development such as apoptosis, cell cycle, and metastasis signaling pathways. Additionally, gene expression analysis was validated through the targeted RNA sequencing and real-time polymerase chain reaction. In conclusion, the NLC-Citral inhibited the proliferation of breast cancer cells in vitro, majorly through the induction of apoptosis, anti-metastasis, anti-angiogenesis potentials, and reducing the tumor weight and size without altering the therapeutic effects of citral.
  15. Fulltext In vitro and in vivo antitumour effects of coconut water vinegar on 4T1 breast cancer cells
    Mohamad NE, Yeap SK, Abu N, Lim KL, Zamberi NR, Nordin N, et al.
    Food Nutr Res, 2019;63.
    PMID: 30814922 DOI: 10.29219/fnr.v63.1616
    Background: Coconut water and vinegars have been reported to possess potential anti-tumour and immunostimulatory effects. However, the anti-tumour, anti-inflammatory and immunostimulatory effects of coconut water vinegar have yet to be tested.

    Objective: This study investigated the in vitro and in vivo anti-tumour effects of coconut water vinegar on 4T1 breast cancer cells.

    Methods: The 4T1 cells were treated with freeze-dried coconut water vinegar and subjected to MTT cell viability, BrdU, annexin V/PI apoptosis, cell cycle and wound healing assays for the in vitro analysis. For the in vivo chemopreventive evaluation, mice challenged with 4T1 cells were treated with 0.08or 2.00 mL/kg body weight of fresh coconut water vinegar for 28 days. Tumour weight, apoptosis of tumour cells, metastasis and immunity of untreated mice and coconut water vinegar-treated 4T1 challenged mice were compared.

    Results: Freeze-dried coconut water vinegar reduced the cell viability, induced apoptosis and delayed the wound healing effect of 4T1 cells in vitro. In vivo, coconut water vinegar delayed 4T1 breast cancer progression in mice by inducing apoptosis and delaying the metastasis. Furthermore, coconut water vinegar also promoted immune cell cytotoxicity and production of anticancer cytokines. The results indicate that coconut water vinegar delays breast cancer progression by inducing apoptosis in breast cancer cells, suppressing metastasis and activating anti-tumour immunity.

    Conclusion: Coconut water vinegar is a potential health food ingredient with a chemopreventive effect.

  16. Fulltext TREM-1 modulation produces positive outcome on the histopathology and cytokines release profile of Plasmodium berghei-infected mice
    Chin VK, Asyran AMY, Zakaria ZA, Abdullah WO, Chong PP, Nordin N, et al.
    J Parasit Dis, 2019 Mar;43(1):139-153.
    PMID: 30956457 DOI: 10.1007/s12639-018-1070-3
    Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1 (TREM-1) is a potential molecular therapeutic target for various inflammatory diseases. Despite that, the role of TREM-1 during malaria pathogenesis remains obscure with present literature suggesting a link between TREM-1 with severe malaria development. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the role of TREM-1 and TREM-1 related drugs during severe malaria infection in Plasmodium berghei-infected mice model. Our findings revealed that TREM-1 concentration was significantly increased throughout the infection periods and TREM-1 was positively correlated with malaria parasitemia development. This suggests a positive involvement of TREM-1 in severe malaria development. Meanwhile, blocking of TREM-1 activation using rmTREM-1/Fc and TREM-1 clearance by mTREM-1/Ab had significantly reduced malaria parasitemia and suppressed the production of pro- inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6 and IFN-γ) and anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-10). Furthermore, histopathological analysis of TREM-1 related drug treatments, in particular rmTREM-1/Fc showed significant improvements in the histological conditions of major organs (kidneys, spleen, lungs, liver and brain) of Plasmodium berghei-infected mice. This study showed that modulation of TREM-1 released during malaria infection produces a positive outcome on malaria infection through inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines secretion and alleviation of histopathological conditions of affected organs. Nevertheless, further investigation on its optimal dosage and dose dependant study should be carried out to maximise its full potential as immunomodulatory or as an adjuvant in line with current antimalarial agents.
  17. Phytochemicals and Potential Therapeutic Targets on Toxoplasma gondii Parasite
    Abdullahi SA, Unyah NZ, Nordin N, Basir R, Nasir WM, Alapid AA, et al.
    Mini Rev Med Chem, 2020;20(9):739-753.
    PMID: 31660810 DOI: 10.2174/1389557519666191029105736
    Identification of drug target in protozoan T. gondii is an important step in the development of chemotherapeutic agents. Likewise, exploring phytochemical compounds effective against the parasite can lead to the development of new drug agent that can be useful for prophylaxis and treatment of toxoplasmosis. In this review, we searched for the relevant literature on the herbs that were tested against T. gondii either in vitro or in vivo, as well as different phytochemicals and their potential activities on T. gondii. Potential activities of major phytochemicals, such as alkaloid, flavonoid, terpenoids and tannins on various target sites on T. gondii as well as other related parasites was discussed. It is believed that the phytochemicals from natural sources are potential drug candidates for the treatment of toxoplasmosis with little or no toxicity to humans.
  18. Neuroprotective effects of glucomoringin-isothiocyanate against H2O2-Induced cytotoxicity in neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cells
    Jaafaru MS, Nordin N, Rosli R, Shaari K, Bako HY, Saad N, et al.
    Neurotoxicology, 2019 12;75:89-104.
    PMID: 31521693 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2019.09.008
    Neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) are pathological conditions characterised by progressive damage of neuronal cells leading to eventual loss of structure and function of the cells. Due to implication of multi-systemic complexities of signalling pathways in NDDs, the causes and preventive mechanisms are not clearly delineated. The study was designed to investigate the potential signalling pathways involved in neuroprotective activities of purely isolated glucomoringin isothiocyanate (GMG-ITC) against H2O2-induced cytotoxicity in neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cells. GMG-ITC was isolated from Moringa oleifera seeds, and confirmed with NMR and LC-MS based methods. Gene expression analysis of phase II detoxifying markers revealed significant increase in the expression of all the genes involved, due to GMG-ITC pre-treatment. GMG-ITC also caused significant decreased in the expression of NF-kB, BACE1, APP and increased the expressions of IkB and MAPT tau genes in the differentiated cells as confirmed by multiplex genetic system analysis. The effect was reflected on the expressed proteins in the differentiated cells, where GMG-ITC caused increased in expression level of Nrf2, SOD-1, NQO1, p52 and c-Rel of nuclear factor erythroid factor 2 (Nrf2) and nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-kB) pathways respectively. The findings revealed the potential of GMG-ITC to abrogate oxidative stress-induced neurodegeneration through Nrf2 and NF-kB signalling pathways.
  19. Finned spacer for efficient membrane fouling control in produced water filtration
    Rahmawati R, Bilad MR, Laziz AM, Nordin NAHM, Jusoh N, Putra ZA, et al.
    J Environ Manage, 2019 Nov 01;249:109359.
    PMID: 31404857 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.109359
    Membrane based technologies are highly reliable for water and wastewater treatment, including for removal of total oil and grease from produced water. However, performances of the pressure driven processes are highly restricted by membrane fouling and the application of traditional air bubbling system is limited by their low shear stress due to poor contacts with the membrane surface. This study develops and assesses a novel finned spacer, placed in between vertical panel, for membrane fouling control in submerged plate-and-frame module system for real produced water filtration. Results show that permeability of the panel is enhanced by 87% from 201 to 381 L/(m2 h bar). The spacer system can be operated in switching mode to accommodate two-sided panel aeration. This leads to panel permeability increment by 22% higher than the conventional vertical system. The mechanisms of finned spacer in encouraging the flow trajectory was proven by visual observation and flow simulation. The fins alter the air bubbles flow trajectory toward the membrane surface to effectively scour-off the foulant. Overall results demonstrate the efficacy of the developed spacer in projecting the air bubble trajectory toward the membrane surface and thus significantly enhances membrane panel productivity.
  20. Fulltext Susceptibility of Toxoplasma gondii to Ethanolic Extract of Tinospora crispa in Vero Cells
    Sharif AA, Unyah NZ, Nordin N, Basir R, Wana MN, Alapid Ahmad A, et al.
    Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2019;2019:2916547.
    PMID: 31827548 DOI: 10.1155/2019/2916547
    Background: Toxoplasmosis remains widely distributed globally and is one of the major neglected parasitic zoonotic infections. The infection is still endemic in most parts of the world due to poor control as well as challenges of the currently used medications which can be overcome by using natural products. This study evaluated the effect of ethanolic extract from the stem of Tinospora crispa (EETC) on host cell invasion and intracellular replication of Toxoplasma gondii.

    Method: The stem powder of T. crispa was soaked in absolute ethanol for 72 hours. The resulting ethanolic extract was screened for the presence of phytochemicals. Vero cells monolayer in 96-well plate was infected with RH strain of T. gondii and treated with concentrations of the EETC, Veratrine alkaloid, and clindamycin ranging from 1.56 to 200 μg/mL. MTT assay was conducted after 24 hours to evaluate the cytotoxicity and antiparasitic activities of the EETC. Four and 24 hours treatment models were adapted to assess the infection index and intracellular proliferation of T.

    Results: The study revealed that the EETC had no cytotoxic effects on Vero cells with IC50 = 179 μg/mL, as compared to clindamycin (IC50 = 116.5 μg/mL) and Veratrine alkaloid (IC50 = 60.4 μg/mL). The EETC had good anti-toxoplasma activities with IC50 = 6.31 μg/mL in comparison with clindamycin (IC50 = 8.33 μg/mL) and Veratrine alkaloid (IC50 = 14.25 μg/mL). The EETC caused more than 70% and 80% reduction in infection index and intracellular proliferation in both treatment models, respectively.

    Conclusion: This in vitro study showed that the EETC contains promising phytochemicals effective against T. gondii and safe to the host cells.

Related Terms
Filters
Contact Us

Please provide feedback to Administrator (afdal@afpm.org.my)

External Links