Seaweed contains various nutrients that has the potential to be a source of nutritious food, but only a few studies done on
the red seaweeds in Malaysia. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the macronutrients content, amino acid
profile and fatty acid component in Kappaphycus alvarezii and Kappaphycus striatum. The study found that the range
of moisture, fat, ash, protein, fiber and carbohydrates content for both red seaweeds were 6.9% - 7.3%, 0.5% - 2.6%,
29.4% - 30.9%, 2.5% - 5.7% , 5.3% - 5.5% and 50.1% - 53.3% respectively. A total of 16 amino acids were identified
in which the essential amino acid for K. alvarezii and K. striatum were 41.11% and 36.15% respectively. A total of 34
fatty acids were identified in which the content of saturated fatty acids (SFA) was the highest (42.7% - 72.8%), followed
by mono-unsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) (13.8% - 36.2%) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) was the lowest (13.5%
- 21.2%). In conclusion, this study suggest that K. alvarezii and K. striatum are potentially be used as raw materials or
food ingredients to improve the nutritional value of the human diet.
Orthodontic tooth movement is a complex process involving tooth and periodontal
tissue, which release enzymes and biomarkers. The aim of this study was to investigate enzymes
activities of salivary fluid during orthodontic treatment, (Copied from article).
Primary cells have a limited proliferative capacity with a finite number of times as compared with cell line which can grow indefinitely. Therefore, this study was carried out to identify the proliferative capacity of primary mononucleated cells from mouse and human. The mononucleated cells were isolated from mouse and human peripheral blood by density gradient centrifugation using Ficoll-Paque™ Plus. The two types of cells i.e. suspension and adherent forms were obtained after culturing the isolated mononucleated cells for 4 days in the complete medium consists of Alpha Minimal Essential Medium, 10% newborn calf serum and 2% penicillin/streptomycin. The cells were then cultured for another 10 days to observe cell viability using trypan blue exclusion assay (suspension form) and MTT assay (adherent form). NSO and MC3T3-E1 cell lines were selected as control cell for suspension and adherent cells, respectively. Our results showed that the proliferation rate of mouse suspension mononucleated cells increased from 1.31 ± 0.24 cells/day (day 5) to 2.69 ± 0.42 cells/day (day 10) whilst, for human suspension cells, the proliferation rate slightly increased
from 0.56 ± 0.20 cells/day (day 5) to 0.76 ± 0.29 cells/day (day 10). However, the proliferation rate of mouse adherent mononucleated cells decreased from 0.23 ± 0.02 cells/day (day 5) to 0.17 ± 0.01 cells/day (day 10). Meanwhile, human adherent cells maintained proliferation rate at approximately 0.67 ± 0.18 cells/day. In conclusion, adherent primary mononucleated cells from both mouse and human have limited capacity to generate more cells in vitro as compared with suspension mononucleated cells.
Bahagian aktif bagi enzim toksin bakteria daripada Burkholderia pseudomallei, Pseudomonas aeruginosa dan difteria merupakan domain ADP-ribosilasi. Domain ini didapati terpelihara di antara ketiga-tiga mikroorganisme. Di dalam kajian ini, domain ADP-ribosilasi Burkholderia pseudomallei telah diamplifikasi daripada genom B. pseudomallei virulen dengan menggunakan pencetus-pencetus yang dibina berdasarkan kepada jujukan domain ADP ribosilasi Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Hasil DNA amplifikasi ditulenkan dan digunakan sebagai prob (HPCR2) untuk menyaring DNA selitan daripada B. pseudomallei yang diklonkan ke dalam vektor pengekspresan pSport-I. Objektif kajian ini adalah untuk menyaring lapan klon yang positif hasil daripada penyaringan awal melalui pendekatan immunoblot menggunakan antitoksin daripada arnab. Penyaringan ini juga melibatkan tiga klon yang tidak memberikan isyarat positif semasa penyaringan secara immunoblot. Keputusan menunjukkan hanya satu klon (L31) daripada lapan klon immunoblot positif mempunyai domain ADP-ribosilasi. Penjujukan DNA separa klon L31 secara manual melibatkan dua pencetus menghasilkan jujukan sepanjang 450pb. Analisis selanjutnya mendapati daripada enam kemungkinan translasi kepada polipeptida hanya satu polipeptida wujud yang tidak mempunyai sebarang kodon penamat pada jujukan kodonnya.
Sel osteoblas merupakan sel mononukleus yang bertanggungjawab untuk pembentukan tulang. Sel mononukleus telah terbukti mampu membeza kepada sel osteoblas setelah diaruh oleh kombinasi asid askorbik dan ß-gliserofosfat sebagai faktor pembezaan. Tujuan kajian ini adalah bagi melihat kesan aruhan ß-gliserofosfat terhadap ampaian sel mononukleus daripada darah periferi manusia secara in vitro. Sel mononukleus dipencilkan daripada darah periferi manusia dengan menggunakan larutan Ficoll-Paque™ Plus melalui kaedah pengemparan kecerunan ketumpatan. Sel mononukleus kemudian dikultur selama 7 hari di dalam medium proliferasi sebelum diaruh dengan ß-gliserofosfat pada kepekatan 1 mM, 5 mM, 10 mM, 20 mM, dan 100 mM. Pada hari 0, 1, 3, 7, dan 14, penentuan profil aktiviti enzim alkalin fosfatase (ALP) dan analisis morfologi bagi sel osteoblas dilakukan dalam medium masing-masing. Aktiviti enzim ALP dan analisis morfologi menunjukkan peningkatan yang signifikan (p<0.05) antara sel yang diaruh dengan sel kawalan negatif melalui statistik ujian-t berpasangan. Kesimpulannya, kehadiran ß-gliserofosfat sahaja mampu untuk mengaruh pembezaan sel mononukleus kepada sel osteoblas. Kesan ß-gliserofosfat terhadap pembezaan sel mononukleus kepada sel osteoblas menunjukkan profil enzimologi (aktiviti enzim ALP) dan morfologi yang hampir sama dengan kawalan positif (asid askorbik dan ß-gliserofosfat). Berdasarkan kepada analisis enzimologi dan morfologi 1 mM ß-gliserofosfat adalah kepekatan yang paling sesuai untuk pembezaan sel osteoblas secara in vitro.
Proses pergerakan gigi semasa rawatan ortodontik boleh dikelaskan kepada empat fasa iaitu pengaktifan (berkait inflamasi terhadap tisu serta kematian sel), penyerapan, proses berbalik dan pembentukan tulang. Pergerakan gigi ini berkait rapat dengan perubahan metabolik di sekitar mulut. Objektif kajian ini adalah untuk menentukan profil penanda biologi enzim di dalam air liur individu yang menerima rawatan ortodontik iaitu laktat dehidrogenas (LDH) bagi proses inflamasi, asid fosfatase rintang tartarat (TRAP) bagi proses penyerapan tulang dan alkali fosfatase (ALP) bagi proses pembentukan tulang. Sampel air liur diambil daripada 6 individu yang menerima rawatan ortodontik. Aktiviti kesemua enzim diambil sebelum pendakap dipasang (aktiviti normal) diikuti dengan hari ke-3, 7, 10, 14, 17, 21, 24, 28 dan 31 selepas pengaktifan. Hasil kajian mendapati kesemua enzim (LDH, TRAP and ALP) menunjukkan peningkatan yang signifikan (p≤0.05) selepas rawatan diberikan berbanding aktiviti normal. LDH didapati meningkat pada peringkat awal rawatan (hari ke-3,7 dan 10), TRAP pada hari ke 14 dan 17 diikuti dengan ALP pada hari ke-17, 21 dan 24. Sebagai kesimpulan, profil enzim sepanjang rawatan ortodontik menunjukkan proses inflamasi berlaku di peringkat awal rawatan diikuti proses penyerapan dan pembentukan tulang. Selain itu, keseluruhan fasa inflamasi, penyerapan dan pembentukan tulang ortodontik didapati mengambil masa 24 hari.
Kajian ini dilakukan bagi melihat keupayaan sel mononukleus sistem darah pusat membeza kepada sel osteoblas dan osteoklas secara in vitro bagi tiga tempoh proliferasi yang berbeza. Sel mononukleus sistem darah pusat dikulturkan di dalam medium pemilihan proliferasi bagi tiga tempoh proliferasi yang berbeza iaitu jangkamasa pendek (5 hari), sederhana (15 hari) dan panjang (30 hari). Keupayaan sel mononukleus untuk membeza kepada sel osteoblas dan osteoklas seterusnya diperhatikan pada setiap jenis sel ini. Medium proliferasi ditambah dengan faktor pembezaan asid askorbik dan β-gliserofosfat bagi membezakan sel mononukleus kepada sel osteoblas. Bagi pembezaan sel osteoklas pula, RANKL dan M-CSF ditambah ke dalam medium proliferasi. Bagi kawalan, sel yang sama digunakan tanpa penambahan faktor pembezaan. Viabiliti sel yang membeza daripada sel jangkamasa pendek, sederhana dan panjang menunjukkan sel-sel tersebut berupaya untuk bermandiri tanpa sebarang peningkatan yang signifikan sehingga 10 dan 14 hari dengan kehadiran faktor-faktor pembezaan tertentu di dalam medium pembezaan masing-masing. Analisis biokimia ke atas aktiviti alkali fosfatase (ALP) dan asid fosfatase rintang tartarat (TRAP) menunjukkan peningkatan yang signifikan (p<0.05) apabila dikulturkan di dalam medium pembezaan masing-masing. Kesimpulannya, keupayaan sel primitif untuk membeza kepada sel osteoblas dan osteoklas matang adalah hampir sama bagi ketiga-tiga jenis jangkamasa proliferasi tetapi mempunyai kadar proliferasi yang berlainan iaitu 0.37, 0.55 dan 0.72 pembahagian/hari masing-masing bagi sel jangkamasa pendek, sederhana dan panjang. Sel mononukleus yang diasingkan daripada darah periferi ini sangat primitif kerana berpotensi untuk membeza kepada dua jenis sel matang yang berasal daripada sel stem yang berbeza, justeru boleh dikategorikan sebagai sel stem multipoten.
Sistem minigenom telah digunakan untuk mengkaji replikasi dan transkripsi virus RNA tidak bersegmen. Objektif kajian ini adalah untuk membina sistem minigenom bagi virus NDV strain tempatan, AF2240 serta bagi mengkaji mekanisme transkripsi dan replikasi virus ini. Bagi tujuan ini lima plasmid digunakan iaitu pMGNDV, pCITENP, pCITEP, pTriEX-T7, dan pGEML. Kesemua plasmid diekstrak secara berskala besar dan dimendakkan menggunakan polietilina glikol. Hasil ekstrak ini digunakan untuk transfeksi ke dalam sel. Translasi in vitro dilakukan dengan menggunakan pCITENP, pCITEP, dan pTriEX-T7 untuk memastikan kesemua konstruk ini berfungsi. Hasil pemblotan western menunjukkan protein bersaiz ~100 kDa (T7), ~53 kDa (NP), ~53 dan 55 kDa (P) berjaya diekspreskan. Protein CAT diperoleh apabila plasmid yang mengekodkan minigenom NDV ditransfeksi bersama plasmid yang mengekodkan protein nukleokapsid (NP), fosfoprotein (P) dan subunit besar polimerase (L) ke dalam sel BHK-21. Dianggarkan 55 pg protein CAT berjaya diperoleh menggunakan kit CAT ELISA. Hasil pemblotan western turut menunjukkan protein CAT bersaiz 25 kDa dihasilkan. Kesimpulannnya, system minigenom ini berupaya untuk berfungsi dan mampu mengekspreskan gen asing di dalam sel mamalia BHK-21.
The aims of this study were to assess the skeletal pattern and the malocclusion of Kadazan Dusun ethnic patients who seek for orthodontic treatment. Cephalometric radiographs (248) and 345 study models were collected from four orthodontic clinics in Sabah. The cephalometric mean values (SNA, SNB, ANB, MMA, SNMxP, UIMxP, LIMnP and ALFH) were measured and the study models were analysed for overjet, overbite, incisor and molar relationships. Some morphological or occlusal features such as shovel shape, Talon cusp, peg shape teeth, midline diastema, canine displacement and supernumerary tooth were also noted. The frequency and correlation of cephalometric mean values and prevalence of malocclusion were analysed using SPSS 18. Class I Skeletal pattern was the most common (48%) followed by Class II (33%) and Class III (18%). There was a strong correlation between SNA and SNB values (>0.70). Class II/1 incisor relationship has the highest frequency (41%) followed by Class III (32%), Class I (21%) and Class II/2 (6%). Class II Molar relationship of both right and left showed highest frequency (38%) followed by Class I (33%) and Class III (30%). Increased of overjet (44%) and reduced overbite (41%) and shovel-shaped incisor were the most common occlusal and dental features. The Kadazan Dusun patients who seek for orthodontic treatment in Sabah were mostly presented with Class I Skeletal pattern with high prevalence in Class II/1 incisor relationship, Class II molar relationship, increased overjet and reduced overbite. The orthodontic treatment pertaining to this ethnicity should be in line with the findings that will benefit patient specifically based on their common presented features.
The clinical efficacy was investigated between Damon™ 3 self-ligating (SLB) and Mini Diamond conventional-ligating brackets (CLB) of the straight-wire fixed orthodontic therapy on the tooth movement during canine retraction stage. Twenty patients, age between 14 and 30 years old were randomized into 2 groups: ten patients received Damon™ 3 SLB and another ten patients received Mini Diamond CLB. A transpalatal arch soldered to both maxillary first molar bands was constructed for each patient and cemented before the extraction of the maxillary first premolars. The canine retraction was commenced on a 0.018” stainless steel archwire by attaching a Nickel-Titanium close coil spring from the canine bracket to the molar band for three consecutive visits of 4 weeks interval (T0, T1, T2 and T3). Tooth movements were determined by subtracting the present measurement from the previous ones using a digital caliper on a study model. Statistical analysis showed that there was no difference (p>0.05) in canine retraction between Damon™ 3 and Mini Diamond brackets. The Damon™ 3 and Mini Diamond brackets have same efficacy in tooth movement.
The aim of this study was to observe the pattern of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity in GCF and the rate of tooth movement at two different orthodontic forces (1.0 N and 1.5 N). Twelve subjects participated in this study and was chosen based on the inclusion criteria. Each subject received forces of 1.0 N and 1.5 N for tooth movement either on the left or right side of the maxillary canine. GCF sample was collected at mesial and distal sites of the canines before applying the appliance (week 0) and every week for 5 weeks after tooth movement (week 1 to week 5) where baseline activity served as control. LDH activity was assayed spectrophotometically at 340 nm. The tooth movements were measured from casted study models. LDH specific activity at mesial sites in 1.0 N and 1.5 N force groups, respectively increased significantly (p<0.05) only on week four and throughout the treatment when compared with baseline. At distal sites, LDH specific activity with 1.5 N was higher than 1.0 N throughout the five weeks of tooth movement. LDH specific activity with 1.5 N force increased at both mesial (week 2) and distal sites (week 3) with significant different (p<0.05) when compared with 1.0 N force. Tooth movement with 1.5 N showed significantly faster (p<0.05) at the end of week 5 when compared with 1.0 N. LDH has the potential as a biological marker of inflammation during tooth movement.A force of 1 N was more suitable to be used although less tooth movement was produced because less inflammation caused by the force can be useful in orthodontic treatment for patients with stabilised periodontal diseases compared with 1.5 N force.
Bone formation has been associated with the presence of an enzyme called alkaline phosphatase (ALP). This longitudinal study was carried out to observe its activity in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) during leveling and alignment stage of orthodontic fixed appliance treatment. Fourteen patients between the ages of 15 and 27 years old with moderate upper labial segment crowding were recruited from postgraduate orthodontic clinic. GCF from mesial and distal sites of upper canines were collected using endodontic paper point before the fixed appliance placement (week 0). The baseline level of ALP (week 0) acted as a control. Samplings of GCF were repeated at 1st, 2nd and 3rd week during orthodontic treatment. The activities of ALP were measured using spectrophotometer (405 nm). Paired sample t-test was used to assess the significance of difference over the 3 weeks. Although the results showed patterns of ALP activities on the test teeth throughout the 3 weeks of leveling and alignment stage, however the results were not significant (p >0.05) when compared to control. Therefore, it has been shown that there was no significant pattern of ALP activities in GCF in patients undergoing leveling and alignment stage of orthodontic treatment.
The isolation method for dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) is still unclear to obtain a conducive environment for DPSCs to
proliferate. Enzymatic digestion and outgrowth method are two commonly used methods for DPSCs isolation but are not
well characterized in mice DPSCs. This study aimed to compare these isolation methods and differentiation potential
of mice DPSCs into bone cells. Dental pulp was extracted from mice’s incisors and subjected to isolation either by
collagenase 1A or culture of pulp tissue in complete alpha-Modified Eagle Medium (αMEM). Both cells isolated were
cultured until passage 4 and subjected to in vitro proliferation and differentiation analysis. Both cells exhibited fibroblastliked
morphology, but cells isolated by enzyme digestion proliferate faster compare to outgrowth method. After 21 days
of osteoblast differentiation, DPSCs isolated from enzyme digestion method showed alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity
slightly different as compared to outgrowth method. In conclusion, there is a significant difference between the cells
isolated from enzyme digestion compare to outgrowth method with regard to proliferation and osteoblast differentiation.
Thus, it is preferable to isolate by enzyme digestion as it is faster and consistent compared to outgrowth method.
The evolution of cosmetic products results in the growing demands for cosmetics that are preservatives free. Plant essential oils were found to be a promising antimicrobial and also antioxidant agent. In this study, Cymbopogon citratus (lemongrass), Laurus nobilis (bay leaf) and Backhousia citriodora (lemon myrtle) essential oils were selected and evaluated for their antimicrobial properties. It was found that Laurus nobilis exhibited strong antimicrobial activity against the selected bacteria Streptococcus saprophyticus (ATCC 49619), Streptococcus aureus (ATCC 22923), Streptococcus pyogenes (ATCC 29436), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 13048), Klebsiella pneumoniae (ATCC 700603), Escherichia coli (ATCC 22922) with MIC ranging between 7.8 ug/mL to 250 μg/mL. The antioxidant activity of selected essential oils was determined by antioxidant assays which were 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl assay (DPPH), determination of ferric reducing antioxidant power assay (FRAP) and β-Carotene/linoleic acid bleaching assay. Backhousia citriodora and Laurus nobilis showed the highest antioxidant activity.
n-Octanal and β-Selinene were identified to be the major components with peak area of 26.37 % and 13.92 % respectively in secondary metabolites analysis by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GCMS).
Stem cell is defined as the ability of the cell to proliferate themselves and differentiate into more than one type of cells. Human mononucleated cell (MN cell) is a suspension cell that was isolated from peripheral blood that was originated from monocyte-machrophage lineage or hematopoietic stem cells. The cells were cultured for 30 days in complete media (CM) which consist of Alpha Minimal Essential Medium (αMEM) with 2% (v/v) Penicillin-Streptomycin and 10% (v/v) Newborn Calf Serum (NBCS). The respective cells were differentiated at day 7 after in vitro proliferation in CM into osteoblastic cells by adding ascorbic acid and β-glycerophosphate. In addition, human recombinant Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor-β Ligand (hrRANKL) and human recombinant Macrophage-Colony Stimulating Factor (hrM-CSF) were added to induce osteoclastic differentiation of MN cells. Cells that were cultured in CM served as a control and were subjected to the same approach as differentiated cells. The 30 days cultured cells in CM showed a significant increment (p < 0.05) of viable cells compared to day 0 (n=3). The specific activity of Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) for osteoblast differentiation and Tartrate Resistant Acid Phosphatase (TRAP) for osteoclast differentiation were evaluated via biochemical assay until day 14 and day 10 for osteoblast and osteoclast sample, respectively. ALP and TRAP enzyme showed a significant increment (p < 0.05) after 14 and 10 days of differentiation compared to control cells. As a conclusion, human mononucleated cells are believed to have the potential to be defined as a multipotent stem cell based on their fulfillment of stem cell characteristics.
Kolagen jenis 1 α- 2 adalah salah satu daripada kolagen yang dapat ditemui dalam tisu pulpa gigi. Kolagen jenis 1 membentuk hampir 56% daripada kawasan intraselular di dalam pulpa. Objektif kajian ini adalah untuk memencilkan gen Col1A2 daripada tisu pulpa Orycytolagus cuniculus. Gen penyelenggara, iaitu gen gliseraldehid 3-fosfat dehidrogenase (GAPDH) telah dipilih sebagai gen kawalan positif. Pencetus spesifik bagi kedua-dua gen Col1A2 dan GAPDH telah direkabentuk berdasarkan perisian Primer Premier Versi 5 berdasarkan jujukan yang diperolehi daripada NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information) RNA dipencilkan daripada tisu pulpa Oryctolagus cuniculus. Kedua-dua gen telah diamplifikasi dan hasil produk PCR, bersaiz 893 pb (Col1A2) dan 229 pb (GAPDH) telah didapati. Hasil analisis jujukan menunjukkan bahawa klon, Col1A2 mempunyai hampir 99% persamaan manakala GAPDH mempunyai 100% persamaan dengan jujukan yang terdapat dalam pengkalan data NCBI. Ini menunjukkan transkrip Col1A2 berjaya dikesan daripada tisu pulpa O. cuniculus dewasa.
Ancient remains are considered very valuable artefacts, as they allow for the study of ancient cultures, phylogeny, evolution and the reconstruction of demographic history. To obtain all the information contained within remains, the investigation of such samples requires the expertise and various techniques from multiple fields of study. The present review focuses on the molecular biology and radiographic approaches used to identify ancient samples. Studies of ancient remains face various limitations; for example, the quality and quantity of the ancient samples can affect the difficulty of the investigations. Due to these limitations, new sophisticated techniques are being introduced to replace the earlier conventional techniques. A search was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct and Science Finder to provide a new and timely review on the molecular mitochondrial DNA and radiographic analysis for human archaeology identification. The present review has determined that molecular biological approaches are very accurate and useful for the use in the ancestral determination of incomplete specimens, whereas observations of the dental pulp chamber are suitable for age at death estimations in both adults and children. However, these techniques are expensive and require expert personnel. Therefore, conventional approaches remain the favourite methods of most institutions, especially in Asia.
Stem cells, also known as mother cells are capable of undergoing both cell division and differentiation. The most primitive stem cells are totipotent cells which are capable of producing a complete organism from one cell. There are two types of haemopoietic stem cells depending on their developmental stages known as embryo and adult haemopoietic stem cells. Studies showed that only 0.01-0.05% of total bone marrow cell population consists of haemopoietic stem cells. This small population of stem cells exists in three different sizes with different characteristics. In addition, the microenvironment which contains various regulatory molecules plays an important role in the differentiation of stem cells into specific adult cells.
[Sel stem juga dikenali sebagai sel induk berupaya untuk menjalani kedua-dua proses pembahagian dan pembezaan sel. Sel stem yang paling primitif iaitu sel totipoten berupaya untuk membentuk satu organisma lengkap daripada satu sel. Sel stem hemopoietik terdiri daripada dua jenis bergantung kepada peringkat perkembangan individu iaitu sel stem hemopoietik embrio dan dewasa. Kajian mendapati hanya 0.01-0.05% daripada keseluruhan populasi sel sumsum tulang berupaya bertindak sebagai sel stem hemopoietik. Daripada julat yang kecil ini sel stem hemopoietik wujud dalam tiga saiz yang mempunyai ciri yang berbeza. Selain daripada itu mikrosekitaran yang mempunyai molekul-molekul regulatori yang berbeza-beza juga memainkan peranan yang penting dalam pembezaan sel stem kepada sel-sel matang yang spesifik].
Alkaline phosphatase (ALP), tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities were studied as biomarkers of canine movement. Root resorption was also evaluated in canines subjected to the orthodontic forces. Nineteen subjects randomly received 100 and 150 g force using self-ligating brackets (SLB) either on the right or left site of maxillary arch. Gingival crevicular fluid samples were collected at distal sites of canines for five consecutive weeks. The activities of ALP, TRAP and AST were assayed and measured spectrophotometrically. Canine movement was measured for five consecutive weeks while root resorption was monitored at baseline, week 0 and week 5 using periapical radiographs. In 100 g group, TRAP activity significantly increased in week 3-5 when compared to TRAP baseline activity. However, ALP and AST activities slightly increased. In 150 g group, ALP and TRAP activities slightly increased when compared with their baseline activities. However, AST significantly increased in week 5. Canine movement and root resorption were not significantly different (p<0.05) in both groups. A force of 100 and 150 g slightly increased the bone modeling process and resulted in similar canine movement and root resorption. Therefore, 100 g force could be an optimum force for canine retraction and is preferable (compared with 150 g force) in canine retraction using SLB.
Famili Piperaceae pada keseluruhannya terdiri daripada 1,000 hingga 2,000 spesies yang boleh dijumpai di kawasan tropika dan subtropika. Dalam kajian ini, ekstrak etanol digunakan untuk melihat aktiviti sitotoksik ke atas sel kanser hati manusia (HepG2) dan sel bukan kanser hati Chang melalui kaedah pengasaian MTT (3,4 [dimetiltiazol-2-yl]-2, 5-difeniltetrazolium bromida). Sebanyak lapan spesies daripada famili Piperaceae telah terpilih untuk analisis aktiviti antitumor. Hasil kajian mendapati kesemua spesies Piperaceae (P. sarmentosum, P. ramifilum, P. paucistigmum, P. betle, P. macronatum, P. ridleyi, P. magnibaccum dan P. miniatum) menunjukkan aktiviti sitotoksik dengan ekstrak etanol Piper sarmentosum mempunyai nilai bacaan IC50 yang paling rendah ke atas sel HepG2 iaitu 12.5 μg/mL. Tiada aktiviti sitotoksik telah ditunjukkan oleh kesemua ekstrak etanol tumbuhan yang diuji aktiviti sitotoksik ke atas sel Chang kerana nilai bacaan IC50 kesemua ekstrak etanol yang diperlakukan ke atas sel Chang melebihi nilai piawai iaitu 30 μg/mL. Kaedah analisis viabiliti sel menggunakan tripan biru pula mendapati ekstrak etanol P. sarmentosum menurun secara signifikan (p<0.05) terhadap sel HepG2 berbanding kawalan. Kesimpulannya, kaedah MTT menunjukkan kesemua ekstrak etanol famili Piperaceae memberikan aktiviti sitotoksik dan kaedah tripan biru merupakan kaedah alternatif bagi penentuan kesitotoksikan sesuatu ekstrak.