Displaying all 16 publications

Abstract:
Sort:
  1. Hashim AM, Mustafa F, Rahman SF, Rahman AR
    Sensors (Basel), 2011;11(8):8127-42.
    PMID: 22164066 DOI: 10.3390/s110808127
    A Schottky diode has been designed and fabricated on an n-AlGaAs/GaAs high-electron-mobility-transistor (HEMT) structure. Current-voltage (I-V) measurements show good device rectification, with a Schottky barrier height of 0.4349 eV for Ni/Au metallization. The differences between the Schottky barrier height and the theoretical value (1.443 eV) are due to the fabrication process and smaller contact area. The RF signals up to 1 GHz are rectified well by the fabricated Schottky diode and a stable DC output voltage is obtained. The increment ratio of output voltage vs input power is 0.2 V/dBm for all tested frequencies, which is considered good enough for RF power detection. Power conversion efficiency up to 50% is obtained at frequency of 1 GHz and input power of 20 dBm with series connection between diode and load, which also shows the device's good potential as a rectenna device with further improvement. The fabricated n-AlGaAs/GaAs Schottky diode thus provides a conduit for breakthrough designs for RF power detectors, as well as ultra-low power on-chip rectenna device technology to be integrated in nanosystems.
  2. Ismail S, Yusof NA, Abdullah J, Abd Rahman SF
    Materials (Basel), 2020 Jul 16;13(14).
    PMID: 32708531 DOI: 10.3390/ma13143168
    Arsenic poisoning in the environment can cause severe effects on human health, hence detection is crucial. An electrochemical-based portable assessment of arsenic contamination is the ability to identify arsenite (As(III)). To achieve this, a low-cost electroanalytical assay for the detection of As(III) utilizing a silica nanoparticles (SiNPs)-modified screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) was developed. The morphological and elemental analysis of functionalized SiNPs and a SiNPs/SPCE-modified sensor was studied using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The electrochemical responses towards arsenic detection were measured using the cyclic voltammetry (CV) and linear sweep anodic stripping voltammetry (LSASV) techniques. Under optimized conditions, the anodic peak current was proportional to the As(III) concentration over a wide linear range of 5 to 30 µg/L, with a detection limit of 6.2 µg/L. The suggested approach was effectively valid for the testing of As(III) found within the real water samples with good reproducibility and stability.
  3. Abdul Rahman SF, Xiang Lian BS, Mohana-Kumaran N
    Future Oncol, 2020 Oct;16(28):2235-2249.
    PMID: 32715755 DOI: 10.2217/fon-2020-0389
    The B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2) anti-apoptotic proteins have become attractive therapeutic targets especially with the development of BH3-mimetics which selectively target these proteins. However, it is important to note that expression levels of the anti-apoptotic proteins and their relevance in inhibiting apoptosis varies between different cell lineages. This addiction to certain anti-apoptotic proteins for survival, can be determined with various techniques and targeted effectively with selective BH3-mimetics. Studies have highlighted that anti-apoptotic proteins BCL-XL and MCL-1 are crucial for cervical cancer cell survival. Co-targeting BCL-XL and MCL-1 with selective BH3-mimetics yielded promising results in cervical cancer cell lines. In this review, we focus on the expression levels of the anti-apoptotic proteins in cervical cancer tissues and how to possibly target them with BH3-mimetics.
  4. Syed-Ab-Rahman SF, Carvalhais LC, Omar D
    Heliyon, 2020 Jan;6(1):e03151.
    PMID: 32042948 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e03151
    Bacterial leaf blight (BLB) and sheath brown rot (SBR), caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) and Pseudomonas fuscovaginae, respectively, are bacterial diseases that lead to substantial yield losses in rice. Natural plant-based products represent a sustainable alternative to combat bacterial diseases due to their biodegradability and overall safety. However efficient ways of delivering them are crucial to their success. In an attempt to maximize the antibacterial properties of botanical bactericides for the control of these pathogens, this study evaluated the efficiency of different emulsion formulations of Piper sarmentosum extracts. The emulsion formulations were demonstrated to be effective in controlling BLB and SBR of rice in in vitro plate assays and in planta under glasshouse conditions. The observed in vitro inhibition of the bacterial pathogens and significant disease suppression in planta indicate that these plant extract formulations represent promising alternatives to be adopted in management strategies for controlling rice diseases.
  5. Abidin MS, Hashim AM, Sharifabad ME, Rahman SF, Sadoh T
    Sensors (Basel), 2011;11(3):3067-77.
    PMID: 22163786 DOI: 10.3390/s110303067
    The sensing responses in aqueous solution of an open-gated pH sensor fabricated on an AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility-transistor (HEMT) structure are investigated. Under air-exposed ambient conditions, the open-gated undoped AlGaN/GaN HEMT only shows the presence of a linear current region. This seems to show that very low Fermi level pinning by surface states exists in the undoped AlGaN/GaN sample. In aqueous solution, typical current-voltage (I-V) characteristics with reasonably good gate controllability are observed, showing that the potential of the AlGaN surface at the open-gated area is effectively controlled via aqueous solution by the Ag/AgCl gate electrode. The open-gated undoped AlGaN/GaN HEMT structure is capable of distinguishing pH level in aqueous electrolytes and exhibits linear sensitivity, where high sensitivity of 1.9 mA/pH or 3.88 mA/mm/pH at drain-source voltage, V(DS) = 5 V is obtained. Due to the large leakage current where it increases with the negative gate voltage, Nernstian like sensitivity cannot be determined as commonly reported in the literature. This large leakage current may be caused by the technical factors rather than any characteristics of the devices. Surprisingly, although there are some imperfections in the device preparation and measurement, the fabricated devices work very well in distinguishing the pH levels. Suppression of current leakage by improving the device preparation is likely needed to improve the device performance. The fabricated device is expected to be suitable for pH sensing applications.
  6. Teh JL, Abdul Rahman SF, Domnic G, Satiyasilan L, Chear NJY, Singh D, et al.
    BMC Res Notes, 2021 Aug 13;14(1):310.
    PMID: 34389056 DOI: 10.1186/s13104-021-05727-0
    OBJECTIVE: The spheroid model provides a physiological platform to study cancer cell biology and drug sensitivity. Usage of bovine collagen I for spheroid assays is costly especially when experiments are conducted in 24-well plates, as high volume of bovine collagen I is needed. The aim of the study was to downsize spheroid assays to a microfluidic 3D cell culture chip and compare the growth, invasion and response to drug/compound of spheroids embedded in the 3D chip to spheroids embedded in 24-well plates.

    RESULTS: Spheroids generated from nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell line HK-1 continuously grew and invaded into collagen matrix in a 24-well plate. Similar observations were noticed with spheroids embedded in the 3D chip. Large spheroids in both 24-well plate and the 3D chip disintegrated and invaded into the collagen matrix. Preliminary drug sensitivity assays showed that the growth and invasion of spheroids were inhibited when spheroids were treated with combination of cisplatin and paynantheine at high concentrations, in a 24-well plate. Comparable findings were obtained when spheroids were treated with the same drug combination in the 3D chip. Moving forward, spheroid assays could be performed in the 3D chip in a more high-throughput manner with minimal time and cost.

  7. Abd Rahman SF, Md Arshad MK, Gopinath SCB, Fathil MFM, Sarry F, Ibau C
    Chem Commun (Camb), 2021 Sep 23;57(76):9640-9655.
    PMID: 34473143 DOI: 10.1039/d1cc03080a
    Prostate cancer is currently diagnosed using the conventional gold standard methods using prostate-specific antigen (PSA) as the selective biomarker. However, lack of precision in PSA screening has resulted in needless biopsies and delays the treatment of potentially fatal prostate cancer. Thus, identification of glycans as novel biomarkers for the early detection of prostate cancer has attracted considerable attention due to their reliable diagnostic platform compared with the current PSA systems. Therefore, biosensing technologies that provide point-of-care diagnostics have demonstrated the ability to detect various analytes, including glycosylated micro- and macro-molecules, thereby enabling versatile detection methodologies. This highlight article discusses recent advances in the biosensor-based detection of prostate cancer glycan biomarkers and the innovative strategies for the conjugation of nanomaterials adapted to biosensing platforms. Finally, the article is concluded with prospects and challenges of prostate cancer biosensors and recommendations to overcome the issues associated with prostate cancer diagnosis.
  8. Domnic G, Jeng-Yeou Chear N, Abdul Rahman SF, Ramanathan S, Lo KW, Singh D, et al.
    J Ethnopharmacol, 2021 Oct 28;279:114391.
    PMID: 34224811 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2021.114391
    ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Mitragyna speciosa (Korth.) or kratom is a medicinal plant indigenous to Southeast Asia. The leaf of M. speciosa is used as a remedy in pain management including cancer related pain, in a similar way as opioids and cannabis. Despite its well-known analgesic effect, there is a scarce of information on the cancer-suppressing potential of M. speciosa and its active constituents.

    AIM OF THE STUDY: To assess the potential applicability of M. speciosa alkaloids (mitragynine, speciociliatine or paynantheine) as chemosensitizers for cisplatin in Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cell lines.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: The cytotoxic effects of the extracts, fractions and compounds were determined by conducting in vitro cytotoxicity assays. Based on the cytotoxic screening, the alkaloid extract of M. speciosa exhibited potent inhibitory effect on the NPC cell line NPC/HK1, and therefore, was chosen for further fractionation and purification. NPC cell lines NPC/HK1 and C666-1 were treated with combinations of cisplatin and M. speciosa alkaloids combinations in 2D monolayer culture. The effect of cisplatin and mitragynine as a combination on cell migration was tested using in vitro wound healing and spheroid invasion assays.

    RESULTS: In our bioassay guided isolation, both methanolic and alkaloid extracts showed mild to moderate cytotoxic effect against the NPC/HK1 cell line. Both NPC cell lines (NPC/HK1 and C666-1) were insensitive to single agent and combination treatments of the M. speciosa alkaloids. However, mitragynine and speciociliatine sensitized the NPC/HK1 and C666-1 cells to cisplatin at ~4- and >5-fold, respectively in 2D monolayer culture. The combination of mitragynine and cisplatin also significantly inhibited cell migration of the NPC cell lines. Similarly, the combination also of mitragynine and cisplatin inhibited growth and invasion of NPC/HK1 spheroids in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, the spheroids did not rapidly develop resistance to the drug combinations at higher concentrations over 10 days.

    CONCLUSION: Our data indicate that both mitragynine and speciociliatine could be potential chemosensitizers for cisplatin. Further elucidation focusing on the drug mechanistic studies and in vivo studies are necessary to support delineate the therapeutic applicability of M. speciosa alkaloids for NPC treatment.

  9. Taib AK, Johari Z, Abd Rahman SF, Mohd Yusoff MF, Hamzah A
    PLoS One, 2023;18(3):e0282370.
    PMID: 36897883 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0282370
    In this study, computational simulations were used to investigate the performance of a carbon-doped boron nitride nanoribbon (BC2NNR) for hydrogen (H2) gas sensing at elevated temperatures. The adsorption energy and charge transfer were calculated when H2 was simultaneously attached to carbon, boron, and both boron and nitrogen atoms. The sensing ability was further analyzed considering the variations in current-voltage (I-V) characteristics. The simulation results indicated that the energy bandgap of H2 on carbon, boron, and both boron and nitrogen exhibited a marginal effect during temperature variations. However, significant differences were observed in terms of adsorption energy at a temperature of 500 K, wherein the adsorption energy was increased by 99.62% of that observed at 298 K. Additionally, the evaluation of charge transfer indicated that the strongest binding site was achieved at high adsorption energies with high charge transfers. Analysis of the I-V characteristics verified that the currents were considerably affected, particularly when a certain concentration of H2 molecules was added at the highest sensitivity of 15.02% with a bias voltage of 3 V. The sensitivity at 298 K was lower than those observed at 500 and 1000 K. The study findings can form the basis for further experimental investigations on BC2NNR as a hydrogen sensor.
  10. Lian BSX, Yek AEH, Shuvas H, Abdul Rahman SF, Muniandy K, Mohana-Kumaran N
    BMC Res Notes, 2018 Mar 27;11(1):197.
    PMID: 29580266 DOI: 10.1186/s13104-018-3302-0
    OBJECTIVE: There are number of studies which report that BCL-2 anti-apoptotic proteins (e.g. BCL-2, BCL-XL, and MCL-1) are highly expressed in cervical cancer tissues compared to the normal cervical epithelia. Despite these reports, targeting these proteins for cervical cancer treatment has not been explored extensively. BH3-mimetics that inhibit specific BCL-2 anti-apoptotic proteins may hold encouraging treatment outcomes for cervical cancer management. Hence, the aim of this pilot study is to investigate the sensitivity of cervical cancer cell lines to combination of two BH3-mimetics namely ABT-263 which selectively inhibits BCL-2, BCL-XL and BCL-w and A-1210477, a selective MCL-1 inhibitor.

    RESULTS: We report that combination of A-1210477 and ABT-263 exhibited synergistic effects on all cervical cancer cell lines tested. Drug sensitization studies revealed that A-1210477 sensitised the cervical cancer cell lines SiHa and CaSki to ABT-263 by 11- and fivefold, respectively. Sensitization also occurred in the opposite direction whereby ABT-263 sensitised SiHa and CaSki to A-1210477 by eightfold. This report shows that combination of ABT-263 and A-1210477 could be a potential treatment strategy for cervical cancer. Extensive drug mechanistic studies and drug sensitivity studies in physiological models are necessary to unleash the prospect of this combination for cervical cancer therapy.

  11. M Nuzaihan MN, Hashim U, Md Arshad MK, Rahim Ruslinda A, Rahman SF, Fathil MF, et al.
    PLoS One, 2016;11(3):e0152318.
    PMID: 27022732 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0152318
    A top-down nanofabrication approach is used to develop silicon nanowires from silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers and involves direct-write electron beam lithography (EBL), inductively coupled plasma-reactive ion etching (ICP-RIE) and a size reduction process. To achieve nanometer scale size, the crucial factors contributing to the EBL and size reduction processes are highlighted. The resulting silicon nanowires, which are 20 nm in width and 30 nm in height (with a triangular shape) and have a straight structure over the length of 400 μm, are fabricated precisely at the designed location on the device. The device is applied in biomolecule detection based on the changes in drain current (Ids), electrical resistance and conductance of the silicon nanowires upon hybridization to complementary target deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). In this context, the scaled-down device exhibited superior performances in terms of good specificity and high sensitivity, with a limit of detection (LOD) of 10 fM, enables for efficient label-free, direct and higher-accuracy DNA molecules detection. Thus, this silicon nanowire can be used as an improved transducer and serves as novel biosensor for future biomedical diagnostic applications.
  12. Nuzaihan M N M, Hashim U, Md Arshad MK, Kasjoo SR, Rahman SF, Ruslinda AR, et al.
    Biosens Bioelectron, 2016 Sep 15;83:106-14.
    PMID: 27107147 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2016.04.033
    In this paper, a silicon nanowire biosensor with novel molecular gate control has been demonstrated for Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) detection related to dengue virus (DENV). The silicon nanowire was fabricated using the top-down nanolithography approach, through nanostructuring of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) layers achieved by combination of the electron-beam lithography (EBL), plasma dry etching and size reduction processes. The surface of the fabricated silicon nanowire was functionalized by means of a three-step procedure involving surface modification, DNA immobilization and hybridization. This procedure acts as a molecular gate control to establish the electrical detection for 27-mers base targets DENV DNA oligomer. The electrical detection is based on the changes in current, resistance and conductance of the sensor due to accumulation of negative charges added by the immobilized probe DNA and hybridized target DNA. The sensitivity of the silicon nanowire biosensors attained was 45.0µAM(-1), which shows a wide-range detection capability of the sensor with respect to DNA. The limit of detection (LOD) achieved was approximately 2.0fM. The demonstrated results show that the silicon nanowire has excellent properties for detection of DENV with outstanding repeatability and reproducibility performances.
  13. Abdul Rahman SF, Muniandy K, Soo YK, Tiew EYH, Tan KX, Bates TE, et al.
    Biochem Biophys Rep, 2020 Jul;22:100756.
    PMID: 32346617 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrep.2020.100756
    Development of resistance to chemo- and radiotherapy in patients suffering from advanced cervical cancer narrows the therapeutic window for conventional therapies. Previously we reported that a combination of the selective BCL-2 family inhibitors ABT-263 and A-1210477 decreased cell proliferation in C33A, SiHa and CaSki human cervical cancer cell lines. As ABT-263 binds to both BCL-2 and BCL-XL with high affinity, it was unclear whether the synergism of the drug combination was driven either by singly inhibiting BCL-2 or BCL-XL, or inhibition of both. In this present study, we used the BCL-2 selective inhibitor ABT-199 and the BCL-XL selective inhibitor A1331852 to resolve the individual antitumor activities of ABT-263 into BCL-2 and BCL-XL dependent mechanisms. A-1210477 was substituted for the orally bioavailable S63845. Four cervical cancer cell lines were treated with the selective BCL-2 family inhibitors ABT-199, A1331852 and S63845 alone and in combination using 2-dimensional (2D) and 3-dimensional (3D) cell culture models. The SiHa, C33A and CaSki cell lines were resistant to single agent treatment of all three drugs, suggesting that none of the BCL-2 family of proteins mediate survival of the cells in isolation. HeLa cells were resistant to single agent treatment of ABT-199 and A1331852 but were sensitive to S63845 indicating that they depend on MCL-1 for survival. Co-inhibition of BCL-2 and MCL-1 with ABT-199 and S63845, inhibited cell proliferation of all cancer cell lines, except SiHa. However, the effect of the combination was not as pronounced as combination of A1331852 and S63845. Co-inhibition of BCL-XL and MCL-1 with A1331852 and S63845 significantly inhibited cell proliferation of all four cell lines. Similar data were obtained with 3-dimensional spheroid cell culture models generated from two cervical cancer cell lines in vitro. Treatment with a combination of A1331852 and S63845 resulted in inhibition of growth and invasion of the 3D spheroids. Collectively, our data demonstrate that the combination of MCL-1-selective inhibitors with either selective inhibitors of either BCL-XL or BCL-2 may be potentially useful as treatment strategies for the management of cervical cancer.
  14. Ten ST, Hashim U, Gopinath SC, Liu WW, Foo KL, Sam ST, et al.
    Biosens Bioelectron, 2017 Jul 15;93:146-154.
    PMID: 27660016 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2016.09.035
    Surface acoustic wave mediated transductions have been widely used in the sensors and actuators applications. In this study, a shear horizontal surface acoustic wave (SHSAW) was used for the detection of food pathogenic Escherichia coli O157:H7 (E.coli O157:H7), a dangerous strain among 225 E. coli unique serotypes. A few cells of this bacterium are able to cause young children to be most vulnerable to serious complications. Presence of higher than 1cfu E.coli O157:H7 in 25g of food has been considered as a dangerous level. The SHSAW biosensor was fabricated on 64° YX LiNbO3 substrate. Its sensitivity was enhanced by depositing 130.5nm thin layer of SiO2 nanostructures with particle size lesser than 70nm. The nanostructures act both as a waveguide as well as a physical surface modification of the sensor prior to biomolecular immobilization. A specific DNA sequence from E. coli O157:H7 having 22 mers as an amine-terminated probe ssDNA was immobilized on the thin film sensing area through chemical functionalization [(CHO-(CH2)3-CHO) and APTES; NH2-(CH2)3-Si(OC2H5)3]. The high-performance of sensor was shown with the specific oligonucleotide target and attained the sensitivity of 0.6439nM/0.1kHz and detection limit was down to 1.8femto-molar (1.8×10(-15)M). Further evidence was provided by specificity analysis using single mismatched and complementary oligonucleotide sequences.
  15. Rahman SF, Yusof NA, Hashim U, Hushiarian R, M N MN, Hamidon MN, et al.
    Anal Chim Acta, 2016 Oct 26;942:74-85.
    PMID: 27720124 DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2016.09.009
    Dengue Virus (DENV) has become one of the most serious arthropod-borne viral diseases, causing death globally. The existing methods for DENV detection suffer from the late stage treatment due to antibodies-based detection which is feasible only after five days following the onset of the illness. Here, we demonstrated the highly effective molecular electronic based detection utilizing silicon nanowire (SiNW) integrated with standard complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) process as a sensing device for detecting deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) related to DENV in an early stage diagnosis. To transform the fabricated devices as a functional sensing element, three-step procedure consist of SiNW surface modification, DNA immobilization and DNA hybridization were employed. The detection principle works by detecting the changes in current of SiNW which bridge the source and drain terminal to sense the immobilization of probe DNA and their hybridization with target DNA. The oxygen (O2) plasma was proposed as an effective strategy for increasing the binding amounts of target DNA by modified the SiNW surface. It was found that the detection limit of the optimized O2 plasma treated-SiNW device could be reduced to 1.985 × 10-14 M with a linear detection range of the sequence-specific DNA from 1.0 × 10-9 M to 1.0 × 10-13 M. In addition, the developed biosensor device was able to discriminate between complementary, single mismatch and non-complementary DNA sequences. This highly sensitive assay was then applied to the detection of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) product of DENV-DNA, making it as a potential method for disease diagnosis through electrical biosensor.
  16. Mohd Azmi UZ, Yusof NA, Kusnin N, Abdullah J, Suraiya S, Ong PS, et al.
    Sensors (Basel), 2018 Nov 14;18(11).
    PMID: 30441776 DOI: 10.3390/s18113926
    A rapid and sensitive sandwich electrochemical immunosensor was developed based on the fabrication of the graphene/polyaniline (GP/PANI) nanocomposite onto screen-printed gold electrode (SPGE) for detection of tuberculosis biomarker 10-kDa culture filtrate protein (CFP10). The prepared GP/PANI nanocomposite was characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The chemical bonding and morphology of GP/PANI-modified SPGE were studied by Raman spectroscopy and FESEM coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, respectively. From both studies, it clearly showed that GP/PANI was successfully coated onto SPGE through drop cast technique. Cyclic voltammetry was used to study the electrochemical properties of the modified electrode. The effective surface area for GP/PANI-modified SPGE was enhanced about five times compared with bare SPGE. Differential pulse voltammetry was used to detect the CFP10 antigen. The GP/PANI-modified SPGE that was fortified with sandwich type immunosensor exhibited a wide linear range (20⁻100 ng/mL) with a low detection limit of 15 ng/mL. This proposed electrochemical immunosensor is sensitive, low sample volume, rapid and disposable, which is suitable for tuberculosis detection in real samples.
Related Terms
Filters
Contact Us

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

External Links