Displaying publications 141 - 152 of 152 in total

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  1. The role and influence of bacteria on the growth of Blastocystis sp. subtype 3
    Kaur CP, Yong CC, Rajamanikam A, Samudi C, Kumar S, Bhassu S, et al.
    Parasitol Res, 2023 Jul;122(7):1463-1474.
    PMID: 37162590 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-023-07842-2
    Blastocystis sp. is an enteric protistan parasite that affects individuals worldwide with gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal discomfort, diarrhea, and flatulence. However, its pathogenicity is controversial due to its presence among asymptomatic individuals. Blastocystis sp. subtype 3 (ST3) is the most prevalent subtype among humans that have been associated with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and colorectal cancer. Axenization of the parasite has been shown to impede its growth thus revealing the importance of accompanying bacteria in ensuring Blastocystis sp. survival. This study aims to identify the influence of accompanying bacteria on the growth of Blastocystis sp. ST3. Blastocystis sp. cultures were treated with Meropenem, Vancomycin, and Amoxicillin-Clavulanic acid (Augmentin). Bacteria-containing supernatant of antibiotic-treated and control cultures were isolated and identified through 16 s rRNA sequencing. Morphological changes of antibiotic-treated Blastocystis sp. ST3 were also observed. The cultures treated with meropenem and augmentin exhibited opposing effects with reduced growth of isolates from symptomatic patients and a significant increase in asymptomatic isolates. Whereas, vancomycin-treated cultures had no difference in the growth of Blastocystis sp. ST3 isolates from symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. Isolates from symptomatic and asymtomatic patients had 6 and 2 distinct bacterial species identified with Proteus mirabilis as the common bacteria among both types of isolates. Morphologically, Blastocystis sp. ST3 cultures exposed to meropenem and augmentin demonstrated an increase in pre-cystic forms. These findings demonstrate the effects of accompanying bacteria on the growth of Blastocystis sp. ST3 that could translate into clinical manifestations observed among Blastocystis sp.-infected patients.
  2. The effects of alpha-tocopherol supplementation on fracture healing in a postmenopausal osteoporotic rat model
    Mohamad S, Shuid AN, Mohamed N, Fadzilah FM, Mokhtar SA, Abdullah S, et al.
    Clinics (Sao Paulo), 2012 Sep;67(9):1077-85.
    PMID: 23018307
    OBJECTIVE: Osteoporosis increases the risk of bone fractures and may impair fracture healing. The aim of this study was to investigate whether alpha-tocopherol can improve the late-phase fracture healing of osteoporotic bones in ovariectomized rats.

    METHOD: In total, 24 female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups. The first group was sham-operated, and the other two groups were ovariectomized. After two months, the right femora of the rats were fractured under anesthesia and internally repaired with K-wires. The sham-operated and ovariectomized control rat groups were administered olive oil (a vehicle), whereas 60 mg/kg of alpha-tocopherol was administered via oral gavage to the alpha-tocopherol group for six days per week over the course of 8 weeks. The rats were sacrificed, and the femora were dissected out. Computed tomography scans and X-rays were performed to assess fracture healing and callus staging, followed by the assessment of callus strengths through the biomechanical testing of the bones.

    RESULTS: Significantly higher callus volume and callus staging were observed in the ovariectomized control group compared with the sham-operated and alpha-tocopherol groups. The ovariectomized control group also had significantly lower fracture healing scores than the sham-operated group. There were no differences between the alpha-tocopherol and sham-operated groups with respect to the above parameters. The healed femora of the ovariectomized control group demonstrated significantly lower load and strain parameters than the healed femora of the sham-operated group. Alpha-tocopherol supplementation was not able to restore these biomechanical properties.

    CONCLUSION: Alpha-tocopherol supplementation appeared to promote bone fracture healing in osteoporotic rats but failed to restore the strength of the fractured bone.

  3. Fulltext 4-Thiazolidinone coumarin derivatives as two-component NS2B/NS3 DENV flavivirus serine protease inhibitors: synthesis, molecular docking, biological evaluation and structure-activity relationship studies
    Yusufzai SK, Osman H, Khan MS, Abd Razik BM, Ezzat MO, Mohamad S, et al.
    Chem Cent J, 2018 Jun 12;12(1):69.
    PMID: 29896651 DOI: 10.1186/s13065-018-0435-0
    A series of novel 4-thiazolidinone inhibitors SKYa-SKYg, containing coumarin as a core structure were synthesized via facile and efficient method. The structures of the synthesized compounds were established by extensive spectroscopic studies (FT IR, 1D NMR, 2D NMR, LC-MS) and elemental analysis. All the synthesized hybrids were further evaluated for their potential as anti-tubercular agents against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv ATCC 25618, and anti-bacterial agents against Escherichia coli, Enterobacter aerogenes, Salmonella typhi, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus. Interestingly, the hybrids displayed potent bioactivity. However, compounds SKYc, SKYd, and SKYe appeared to be more effective against the tested bacterial strains, among which compound SKYb showed the highest inhibition against all the bacterial strains ranging from 41 to 165 μg/mL, as compared to the standards, streptomycin, kanamycin and vancomycin. Moreover, derivative SKYa was found to be the strongest against M. tuberculosis (83 μg/mL). Additionally, the anti-dengue potential of the coumarin hybrids as two-component NS2B/NS3 DENV flavivirus serine protease inhibitors was calculated using computational molecular docking approach, with reference to the standards 4-hydroxypanduratin, panduratin and ethyl 3-(4-(hydroxymethyl)-2-methoxy-5-nitrophenoxy)propanoate with DS of - 3.379, - 3.189 and - 3.381, respectively. The docking results revealed that the synthesized hybrids exhibited potent anti-dengue activity among which compounds SKYf, SKYd, SKYc and SKYe were found to be the best ones with docking scores of - 4.014, - 3.964, - 3.905 and - 3.889. In summary, we discovered 4-thiazolidinone coumarin derivatives as a new scaffold that may eventually yield useful compounds in the treatment of bacterial and viral infections.
  4. High environmental temperature and low pH stress alter the gill phenotypic plasticity of Hoven's carp Leptobarbus hoevenii
    Mohamad S, Liew HJ, Zainuddin RA, Rahmah S, Waiho K, Ghaffar MA, et al.
    J Fish Biol, 2021 Jul;99(1):206-218.
    PMID: 33629400 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.14712
    Climate warming and low pH environment are known to negatively impact all levels of aquatic organism from cellular to organism and population levels. For ammonotelic freshwater species, any abiotic factor fluctuation will cause disturbance to the fish, specifically at the gills which act as a multifunctional organ to support all biological processes. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate the effect of temperature (28 vs. 32°C) and pH (7.0 vs. 5.0) stress on the gill plasticity of Hoven's carp after 20 days of continuous exposure. The results demonstrated that high temperature and low pH caused severe changes on the primary and secondary lamellae as well as the cells within lamellae. An increasing trend of the proportion available for gas exchange was noticed at high temperature in both pH exposures, which resulted from a reduction of the primary lamellae width with elongated and thinner secondary lamellae compared to fishes at ambient temperature. Following exposure to high temperature and acidic pH, Hoven's carp experienced gill modifications including aneurysm, oedema, hypertrophy, curling of secondary lamellae, epithelial lifting, hyperplasia and lamellae fusion. These modifications are indicators of the coping mechanism of Hoven's carp to the changing environment in order to survive.
  5. Diagnostic value of serum and tissue eosinophil in diagnosis of asthma among patients with chronic rhinosinusitis
    Che Mat CMH, Md Shukri N, Mohamad S, Tuan Sharif SE, Ramli R, Jais MH, et al.
    Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol, 2023 May;280(5):2283-2291.
    PMID: 36401099 DOI: 10.1007/s00405-022-07746-4
    BACKGROUND: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is one of the most common chronic inflammatory diseases of sinonasal mucosa. Asthma among CRS patients is often underdiagnosed which makes the management of CRS more challenging. Therefore, using serum and tissue eosinophil as an indicator and predictor of asthma in CRS patients is vital for further preventing recurrent and increasing the effectiveness of treatment for CRS.

    OBJECTIVE: To determine the association and diagnostic ability of serum and tissue eosinophils in the diagnosis of asthma among CRS patients.

    METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 24 CRS patients with asthma and without asthma, respectively, from the Otorhinolaryngology clinic of two tertiary hospitals located on the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Serum and tissue eosinophils (obtained from nasal polyp) levels between both groups were compared. Association between serum and tissue eosinophils with asthma was evaluated using logistic regression analysis, adjusting for important sociodemographic characteristics. The diagnostic ability of serum and tissue eosinophil was then evaluated by assessing the receiver operating characteristic curve.

    RESULTS: A total of 48 CRS patients with a mean [SD] age of 47.50 [14.99] years were included. Patients with asthma had significantly higher serum [0.48 vs 0.35 × 109/L] and tissue eosinophil [100 vs 8.5 per HPF] levels. Tissue eosinophils were found to be an independent predictor of asthma with adjusted OR 1.05, p  0.375 × 109/L and tissue eosinophil > 58 per HPF.

  6. Fulltext Hoven's carp Leptobarbus hoevenii strategized metabolism needs to cope with changing environment
    Mohamad S, Rahmah S, Zainuddin RA, A Thallib Y, Razali RS, Jalilah M, et al.
    Heliyon, 2024 Feb 29;10(4):e25559.
    PMID: 38404778 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e25559
    Current water warming and freshwater acidification undoubtedly affect the life of aquatic animals especially ammonotelic teleost by altering their physiological responses. The effect of temperature (28 °C vs 32 °C) and pH (7 vs. 5) on the metabolic compromising strategies of Hoven's carp (Leptobarbus hoevenii) was investigated in this study. Fishes were conditioned to (i) 28 °C + pH 7 (N28°C); (ii) 32 °C + pH 7 (N32°C); (iii) 28 °C + pH 5 (L28°C) and (iv) 32 °C + pH 5 (L32°C) for 20 days followed by osmorespiration assay. Results showed that feeding performance of Hoven's carp was significantly depressed when exposed to low pH conditions (L28°C and L32°C). However, by exposed Hoven's carp to L32°C induced high metabolic oxygen intake and ammonia excretion to about 2x-folds higher compared to the control group. As for energy mobilization, Hoven's carp mobilized liver and muscle protein under L28°C condition. Whereas under high temperature in both pH, Hoven's carp had the tendency to reserve energy in both of liver and muscle. The findings of this study revealed that Hoven's carp is sensitive to lower water pH and high temperature, thereby they remodeled their physiological needs to cope with the environmental changes condition.
  7. Fulltext Potential Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Spilanthes acmella and Its Health Beneficial Effects: A Review
    Abdul Rahim R, Jayusman PA, Muhammad N, Mohamed N, Lim V, Ahmad NH, et al.
    Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2021 Mar 29;18(7).
    PMID: 33805420 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18073532
    Oxidative stress and inflammation are two common risk factors of various life-threatening disease pathogenesis. In recent years, medicinal plants that possess antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities were extensively studied for their potential role in treating and preventing diseases. Spilanthes acmella (S. acmella), which has been traditionally used to treat toothache in Malaysia, contains various active metabolites responsible for its anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, and anesthetic bioactivities. These bioactivities were attributed to bioactive compounds, such as phenolic, flavonoids, and alkamides. The review focused on the summarization of in vitro and in vivo experimental reports on the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions of S. acmella, as well as how they contributed to potential health benefits in lowering the risk of diseases that were related to oxidative stress. The molecular mechanism of S. acmella in reducing oxidative stress and inflammatory targets, such as inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), transcription factors of the nuclear factor-κB family (NF-κB), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways were discussed. Besides, the antioxidant potential of S. acmella was measured by total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonid content (TFC), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and superoxide anion radical scavenging (SOD) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) assays. This review revealed that S. acmella might have a potential role as a reservoir of bioactive agents contributing to the observed antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and health beneficial effects.
  8. Fulltext 18-β-glycyrrhetinic acid-loaded polymeric nanoparticles attenuate cigarette smoke-induced markers of impaired antiviral response in vitro
    De Rubis G, Paudel KR, Yeung S, Mohamad S, Sudhakar S, Singh SK, et al.
    Pathol Res Pract, 2024 May;257:155295.
    PMID: 38603841 DOI: 10.1016/j.prp.2024.155295
    Tobacco smoking is a leading cause of preventable mortality, and it is the major contributor to diseases such as COPD and lung cancer. Cigarette smoke compromises the pulmonary antiviral immune response, increasing susceptibility to viral infections. There is currently no therapy that specifically addresses the problem of impaired antiviral response in cigarette smokers and COPD patients, highlighting the necessity to develop novel treatment strategies. 18-β-glycyrrhetinic acid (18-β-gly) is a phytoceutical derived from licorice with promising anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiviral activities whose clinical application is hampered by poor solubility. This study explores the therapeutic potential of an advanced drug delivery system encapsulating 18-β-gly in poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) nanoparticles in addressing the impaired antiviral immunity observed in smokers and COPD patients. Exposure of BCi-NS1.1 human bronchial epithelial cells to cigarette smoke extract (CSE) resulted in reduced expression of critical antiviral chemokines (IP-10, I-TAC, MIP-1α/1β), mimicking what happens in smokers and COPD patients. Treatment with 18-β-gly-PLGA nanoparticles partially restored the expression of these chemokines, demonstrating promising therapeutic impact. The nanoparticles increased IP-10, I-TAC, and MIP-1α/1β levels, exhibiting potential in attenuating the negative effects of cigarette smoke on the antiviral response. This study provides a novel approach to address the impaired antiviral immune response in vulnerable populations, offering a foundation for further investigations and potential therapeutic interventions. Further studies, including a comprehensive in vitro characterization and in vivo testing, are warranted to validate the therapeutic efficacy of 18-β-gly-PLGA nanoparticles in respiratory disorders associated with compromised antiviral immunity.
  9. Randomized controlled trial to compare the efficacy and safety of oral paricalcitol with oral calcitriol in dialysis patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism
    Ong LM, Narayanan P, Goh HK, Manocha AB, Ghazali A, Omar M, et al.
    Nephrology (Carlton), 2013 Mar;18(3):194-200.
    PMID: 23311404 DOI: 10.1111/nep.12029
    The objective of the study was to compare the efficacy and safety of oral paricalcitol with oral calcitriol for treating secondary hyperparathyroidism.
  10. Fulltext Pharmacological Management of Allergic Rhinitis: A Consensus Statement from the Malaysian Society of Allergy and Immunology
    Abdullah B, Abdul Latiff AH, Manuel AM, Mohamed Jamli F, Dalip Singh HS, Ismail IH, et al.
    J Asthma Allergy, 2022;15:983-1003.
    PMID: 35942430 DOI: 10.2147/JAA.S374346
    The goal of allergic rhinitis (AR) management is to achieve satisfactory symptom control to ensure good quality of life. Most patients with AR are currently treated with pharmacotherapy. However, knowledge gaps on the use of pharmacotherapy still exist among physicians, particularly in the primary care setting, despite the availability of guideline recommendations. Furthermore, it is common for physicians in the secondary care setting to express uncertainty regarding the use of new combination therapies like intranasal corticosteroid plus antihistamine combinations. Inadequate treatment leads to significant reduction of quality of life that affects daily activities at home, work, and school. With these concerns in mind, a practical consensus statement was developed to complement existing guidelines on the rational use of pharmacotherapy in both the primary and secondary care settings.
  11. Fulltext Bioactivity and Pharmacological Potential of Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) Against Pandemic COVID-19: a Comprehensive Review
    Ahmad Mohd Zain MR, Abdul Kari Z, Dawood MAO, Nik Ahmad Ariff NS, Salmuna ZN, Ismail N, et al.
    Appl Biochem Biotechnol, 2022 Oct;194(10):4587-4624.
    PMID: 35579740 DOI: 10.1007/s12010-022-03952-2
    A novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) or severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), transmitted from person to person, has quickly emerged as the pandemic responsible for the current global health crisis. This infection has been declared a global pandemic, resulting in a concerning number of deaths as well as complications post-infection, primarily among vulnerable groups particularly older people and those with multiple comorbidities. In this article, we review the most recent research on the role of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) fruits (DPFs) to prevent or treat COVID-19 infection. The mechanisms underlying this preventive or therapeutic effect are also discussed in terms of bioactivity potentials in date palm, e.g., antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticancer, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and hemolytic potential, as well as prospect against COVID-19 disease and the potential product development. Therefore, it can be concluded that regular consumption of DPFs may be associated with a lower risk of some chronic diseases. Indeed, DPFs have been widely used in folk medicine since ancient times to treat a variety of health conditions, demonstrating the importance of DPFs as a nutraceutical and source of functional nourishment. This comprehensive review aims to summarize the majority of the research on DPFs in terms of nutrient content and biologically active components such as phenolic compounds, with an emphasis on their roles in improving overall health as well as the potential product development to ensure consumers' satisfaction in a current pandemic situation. In conclusion, DPFs can be given to COVID-19 patients as a safe and effective add-on medication or supplement in addition to routine treatments.
  12. Fulltext Recovery planning towards doubling wild tiger Panthera tigris numbers: Detailing 18 recovery sites from across the range
    Harihar A, Chanchani P, Borah J, Crouthers RJ, Darman Y, Gray TNE, et al.
    PLoS One, 2018;13(11):e0207114.
    PMID: 30408090 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0207114
    With less than 3200 wild tigers in 2010, the heads of 13 tiger-range countries committed to doubling the global population of wild tigers by 2022. This goal represents the highest level of ambition and commitment required to turn the tide for tigers in the wild. Yet, ensuring efficient and targeted implementation of conservation actions alongside systematic monitoring of progress towards this goal requires that we set site-specific recovery targets and timelines that are ecologically realistic. In this study, we assess the recovery potential of 18 sites identified under WWF's Tigers Alive Initiative. We delineated recovery systems comprising a source, recovery site, and support region, which need to be managed synergistically to meet these targets. By using the best available data on tiger and prey numbers, and adapting existing species recovery frameworks, we show that these sites, which currently support 165 (118-277) tigers, have the potential to harbour 585 (454-739) individuals. This would constitute a 15% increase in the global population and represent over a three-fold increase within these specific sites, on an average. However, it may not be realistic to achieve this target by 2022, since tiger recovery in 15 of these 18 sites is contingent on the initial recovery of prey populations, which is a slow process. We conclude that while sustained conservation efforts can yield significant recoveries, it is critical that we commit our resources to achieving the biologically realistic targets for these sites even if the timelines are extended.
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