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  1. Nur Haslindawaty Abd Rashid, Siti Farah Quraisha, Sundararajulu Panneerchelvam, Zafarina Zainuddin
    Sains Malaysiana, 2015;44:1119-1123.
    This study was conducted to characterize the selected marine fish species using partial sequence of mtDNA 12S and 16S rRNA gene. PCR amplification of 12S and 16S rRNA generated PCR amplicons at 350 and 440 bp lengths, respectively. Sequence analysis was performed using BioEdit software. Phylogenetic tree was constructed using MEGA software. Two reference species have been used namely Gobio gobio (AB239596 and EF112528) and Pentapodus caninus (DQ533268 and DQ532933). Based on the result obtained, mtDNA 12S and 16S rRNA were found to be useful as molecular markers for fish species identification. These markers will provide correct identification of fish species when considered along with morphological characteristics.
  2. Azeelah AN, Zafarina Z
    Int J Legal Med, 2022 Mar;136(2):547-549.
    PMID: 34608538 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-021-02718-5
    Short tandem repeats (STRs) data for the Orang Asli population in Peninsular Malaysia is still scanty, especially for specific Orang Asli subgroups. The Orang Asli is believed as the earliest population arrived in Peninsular Malaysia about 50,000 years ago and currently makes up only 0.6% of the total population of Malaysia. This study reports the allele frequencies and several forensic statistical parameters for 15 autosomal STR loci for six Orang Asli subgroups. A total of 164 Orang Asli individuals representing the Semai, Che Wong, Orang Kanaq, Lanoh, Bateq, and Kensui subgroups were recruited for this study. This STR data will enrich the existing Malaysian autosomal STR database and will be useful for kinship testing and forensic applications.
  3. Zafarina Z, Panneerchelvam S
    Malays J Med Sci, 2009 Jul;16(3):35-40.
    PMID: 22589663 MyJurnal
    An unidentified animal species named the Jenglot and claimed to be a rare living animal species was recently found in the deep jungle of Irian Jaya, Indonesia; brought to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by a businessman; and exhibited in a local museum. The owner of the Jenglot carcasses had made a request to perform DNA analysis on the Jenglot to ascertain its species.
  4. Allia S, Norazmi MN, Panneerchelvam S, Zafarina Z
    Hum Immunol, 2019 Jul;80(7):423-424.
    PMID: 30836128 DOI: 10.1016/j.humimm.2019.02.015
    "Bumiputra" or "son of the soil" is a term used to represent the Malays and other indigenous populations of Malaysia. The Malays are Austronesian speaking population and originated from different parts of the Indo-Malay Archipelago. The migration of Malay population from different parts of Indo-Malay Archipelago were mainly due to trading purposes which shaped the current Malay sub-ethnic groups with unique culture and with distinctive dialects. In this study, HLA typing was carried out using Sequence-based Typing (SBT) method on 109 individuals comprising of four Malay sub-ethnic groups namely Kelantan (n = 28), Champa (n = 29), Patani (n = 25) and Mandailing (n = 27) Malays. The HLA data is available in the Allele Frequencies Net Database (AFND).
  5. Hanis Zainal Abidin NW, Mohd Nor N, Sundararajulu P, Zafarina Z
    Am J Hum Biol, 2020 Dec 01.
    PMID: 33289243 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23545
    OBJECTIVES: Killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) genes with high polymorphism at genotypic levels are important in providing immune defense and have been expanded towards human population genetics. The aim of this study is to provide supporting information from this new biomarker to strengthen the comprehension of genetic history of the complex Malay population.

    METHODS: KIR genotyping for 213 unadmixed Malay individuals from six subethnic groups (Acheh, Bugis, Champa, Mandailing, Minang and Kedah) was carried out using PCR-SSP (sequence specific primers) method in 16 independent reactions.

    RESULTS: The most frequent KIR genotype observed is AA1, followed by AB4 and AB5. Five genotypes; AA1, AB4, AB5, AB7 and AB8 were shared among all Malay subethnic groups. The highest frequency of KIR haplotype A was observed in Minang Malays, whereas Acheh and Kedah Malays carry a balanced distribution of A and B KIR haplotypes. PCA for the KIR genes clearly illustrated six ethnogeographical population clusters; Africans, Amerindian, Northeast Asian, South Asian, Oceania and Southeast Asian populations. All six Malay subethnic groups fell within the Southeast Asian cluster.

    CONCLUSIONS: The complex array of KIR genotypes observed in the Malays indicates their historical interactions with various populations, especially with the Chinese, Indians and Orang Asli. This study has demonstrated the potential of KIR genes as a genetic marker for deducing population structure and genetic relationship between populations.

  6. Shafie MH, Antony Dass M, Ahmad Shaberi HS, Zafarina Z
    PMID: 36647397 DOI: 10.1186/s43088-023-00342-3
    BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 is a pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection that emerged in late 2019 and has activated an ongoing international public health emergency. SARS-CoV-2 was discovered in Wuhan, China, in December 2019 and rapidly spread to other cities and countries. Currently, SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic tests have relied heavily on detecting viral genes, antigens, and human antibodies. Hence, this review discusses and analyses the existing screening and confirmation tests for SARS-CoV-2, including the real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA), and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

    MAIN BODY: The illustrations of each testing were presented to provide the readers with an understanding of the scientific principles behind the testing methods. The comparison was made by highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of each testing. ELISA is ideal for performing the maximum population screening to determine immunological capacity, although its inability to provide reliable results on the status of the infection. Recently, LFIA has been approved as a quicker way of determining whether a patient is infected at the analysis time without using particular instruments and non-laboratory settings. RT-PCR is the gold-standard approach in terms of sensitivity and specificity.

    CONCLUSION: However, the combination of LFIA or ELISA with RT-PCR is also proposed in this review to obtain an adequate level of sensitivity and specificity.

  7. Edinur HA, Zafarina Z, Spínola H, Nurhaslindawaty AR, Panneerchelvam S, Norazmi MN
    Hum Immunol, 2009 Jul;70(7):518-26.
    PMID: 19364514 DOI: 10.1016/j.humimm.2009.04.003
    In this study, human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I and II were examined through sequence-specific primer typing in 176 unrelated individuals from six Malay subethnic groups of Peninsular Malaysia: Kelantan (n = 25), Minangkabau (34), Jawa (30), Bugis (31), Banjar (33), and Rawa (23). The most common HLA alleles in all groups were A*24 (26-41%), Cw*07 (24-32%), B*15 (22-30%), DRB1*12 (15-36%), and DQB1*03 (25-51%). The Malay subethnic groups studied demonstrated a close relationship to each other and to other Asian populations, despite specific differences between them. Banjar, Bugis, and Jawa Malays demonstrated no significant difference from each other, which could be a result of their related origin from the islands around the Java Sea. These three Malay subethnic groups were then collapsed into one group, which also helped to increase the sample number and sharpen statistical results. Minangkabau and Rawa Malays exhibited high similarities in allele group and haplotype frequencies, which could be a consequence of their common origin from Sumatera. Kelantan Malays, in addition to their statistically significant differences compared with the other groups, also exhibited differences on the most frequent haplotypes, which are almost absent in the other subethnic groups studied.
  8. NurWaliyuddin HZ, Norazmi MN, Edinur HA, Chambers GK, Panneerchelvam S, Zafarina Z
    PLoS One, 2015;10(11):e0141536.
    PMID: 26565719 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0141536
    The aboriginal populations of Peninsular Malaysia, also known as Orang Asli (OA), comprise three major groups; Semang, Senoi and Proto-Malays. Here, we analyzed for the first time KIR gene polymorphisms for 167 OA individuals, including those from four smallest OA subgroups (Che Wong, Orang Kanaq, Lanoh and Kensiu) using polymerase chain reaction-sequence specific primer (PCR-SSP) analyses. The observed distribution of KIR profiles of OA is heterogenous; Haplotype B is the most frequent in the Semang subgroups (especially Batek) while Haplotype A is the most common type in the Senoi. The Semang subgroups were clustered together with the Africans, Indians, Papuans and Australian Aborigines in a principal component analysis (PCA) plot and shared many common genotypes (AB6, BB71, BB73 and BB159) observed in these other populations. Given that these populations also display high frequencies of Haplotype B, it is interesting to speculate that Haplotype B may be generally more frequent in ancient populations. In contrast, the two Senoi subgroups, Che Wong and Semai are displaced toward Southeast Asian and African populations in the PCA scatter plot, respectively. Orang Kanaq, the smallest and the most endangered of all OA subgroups, has lost some degree of genetic variation, as shown by their relatively high frequency of the AB2 genotype (0.73) and a total absence of KIR2DL2 and KIR2DS2 genes. Orang Kanaq tradition that strictly prohibits intermarriage with outsiders seems to have posed a serious threat to their survival. This present survey is a demonstration of the value of KIR polymorphisms in elucidating genetic relationships among human populations.
  9. Tasnim AR, Allia S, Edinur HA, Panneerchelvam S, Zafarina Z, Norazmi MN
    Hum Immunol, 2016 Aug;77(8):618-619.
    PMID: 27296326 DOI: 10.1016/j.humimm.2016.06.009
    The earliest settlers in Peninsular Malaysia are the Orang Asli population, namely Semang, Senoi and Proto Malays. In the present study, we typed the HLA-A, -B and -DRB1 loci of the Kensiu and Semai Orang Asli sub-groups. Sequence-based HLA typing was performed on 59 individuals from two Orang Asli sub-groups. A total of 11, 18 and 14 HLA-A, -B and -DRB1 alleles were identified, respectively. These data are available in the Allele Frequencies Net Database under the population name "Malaysia Kedah Kensiu" and "Malaysia Pahang Semai".
  10. Abd Gani R, Manaf SM, Zafarina Z, Panneerchelvam S, Chambers GK, Norazmi MN, et al.
    Transfus Apher Sci, 2015 Aug;53(1):69-73.
    PMID: 25819336 DOI: 10.1016/j.transci.2015.03.009
    In this study we genotyped ABO, Rhesus, Kell, Kidd and Duffy blood group loci in DNA samples from 120 unrelated individuals representing four Malay subethnic groups living in Peninsular Malaysia (Banjar: n = 30, Jawa: n = 30, Mandailing: n = 30 and Kelantan: n = 30). Analyses were performed using commercial polymerase chain reaction-sequence specific primer (PCR-SSP) typing kits (BAG Health Care GmbH, Lich, Germany). Overall, the present study has successfully compiled blood group datasets for the four Malay subethnic groups and used the datasets for studying ancestry and health.
  11. Nur Haslindawaty AR, Panneerchelvam S, Edinur HA, Norazmi MN, Zafarina Z
    Int J Legal Med, 2010 Sep;124(5):415-26.
    PMID: 20502908 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-010-0469-x
    The uniparentally inherited mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is in the limelight for the past two decades, in studies relating to demographic history of mankind and in forensic kinship testing. In this study, human mtDNA hypervariable segments 1, 2, and 3 (HV1, HV2, and HV3) were analyzed in 248 unrelated Malay individuals in Peninsular Malaysia. Combined analyses of HV1, HV2, and HV3 revealed a total of 180 mtDNA haplotypes with 149 unique haplotypes and 31 haplotypes occurring in more than one individual. The genetic diversity was estimated to be 99.47%, and the probability of any two individuals sharing the same mtDNA haplotype was 0.93%. The most frequent mtDNA haplotype (73, 146, 150, 195, 263, 315.1C, 16140, 16182C, 16183C, 16189, 16217, 16274, and 16335) was shared by 11 (4.44%) individuals. The nucleotide diversity and mean of pair-wise differences were found to be 0.036063 ± 0.020101 and 12.544022 ± 6.230486, respectively.
  12. SharifahNany RahayuKarmilla S, Aedrianee AR, Nur Haslindawaty AR, Nur Azeelah A, Panneerchelvam S, Norazmi MN, et al.
    Int J Legal Med, 2018 Jul;132(4):1087-1090.
    PMID: 29052042 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-017-1697-0
    Peninsular Malaysia is populated by the Malays, Chinese, Indians, and Orang Asli. We have analyzed 17 Y-STRs loci for 243 randomly unrelated individuals, which include 153 Malays (7 Acheh, 13 Champa, 11 Rawa, 9 Kedah, 23 Minang, 15 Bugis, 43 Kelantan, 14 Jawa, and 18 Bugis) and 90 Orang Asli [54 Semang (16 Kensiu, 13 Lanoh, 25 Bateq); 30 Senoi (21 Semai, 9 Che Wong); and 6 Proto-Malay (6 Orang Kanaq)] from selected settlements in Peninsular Malaysia using the AmpFlSTR Yfiler™ kit (Applied Biosystems™). The overall haplotype diversity is 0.9966, i.e., 0.9984 for the Malays and 0.9793 for the Orang Asli. A total of 158 haplotypes (65.02%) were individually unique. The p value and pairwise Rst analysis was calculated to show the genetic structure of the samples with other world populations (from YHRD website). Based on the Y-STR data, Champa, Acheh, Kedah, Minang, and Kelantan are clustered together. Lanoh and Kensiu (Semang) are very closely related, suggesting similar paternal ancestry. Jawa Malays and Indonesian Java, plus the Bugis Malays and Australian Aborigines shared high degree of paternal lineage affinity. This study presents data for very precious relict groups, who are the earliest inhabitants of Peninsular Malaysia.
  13. SharifahNany RahayuKarmilla S, Aedrianee AR, Nur Haslindawaty AR, Nur Azeelah A, Panneerchelvam S, Norazmi MN, et al.
    Int J Legal Med, 2018 07;132(4):1091.
    PMID: 29134364 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-017-1729-9
    The original version of this article contains an error. The Author Abd Rashid Nur Haslindawaty has been added as to the above author group as third author. The original article was corrected.
  14. Manaf SM, NurWaliyuddin HZ, Panneerchelvam S, Zafarina Z, Norazmi MN, Chambers GK, et al.
    Blood Transfus, 2015 Oct;13(4):610-5.
    PMID: 26057487 DOI: 10.2450/2015.0278-14
    Human neutrophil antigens (HNA) are polymorphic and immunogenic proteins involved in the pathogenesis of neonatal alloimmune neutropenia, transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) and transfusion-related alloimmune neutropenia. The characterisation of HNA at a population level is important for predicting the risk of alloimmunisation associated with blood transfusion and gestation and for anthropological studies.
  15. Lau WK, Noruddin NAA, Ariffin AH, Mahmud MZ, Noor MHM, Amanah A, et al.
    BMC Complement Altern Med, 2019 Sep 05;19(1):243.
    PMID: 31488120 DOI: 10.1186/s12906-019-2640-3
    BACKGROUND: Brown adipocytes are known to promote energy expenditure and limit weight gain to combat obesity. Averrhoa bilimbi, locally called belimbing buluh (DBB), is mainly used as an ethnomedicine in the treatment of metabolic disorders including diabetes mellitus, hypertension and obesity. The present study aims to investigate the browning activity on white adipocytes by A. bilimbi leaf extract and to evaluate the potential mechanisms.

    METHODS: Ethanolic leaf extract of A. bilimbi was exposed to Myf5 lineage precursor cells to stimulate adipocyte differentiation. Protein expressions of brown adipocyte markers were determined through high content screening analysis and validated through western blotting. Mito Stress Test assay was conducted to evaluate the cellular oxygen consumption rate upon A. bilimbi treatment.

    RESULTS: A. bilimbi ethanolic leaf extract exhibited an adipogenesis effect similar to a PPARgamma agonist. It also demonstrated brown adipocyte differentiation in myoblastic Myf5-positive precursor cells. Expression of UCP1 and PRDM16 were induced. The basal metabolic rate and respiratory capacity of mitochondria were increased upon A. bilimbi treatment.

    CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that Averrhoa bilimbi ethanolic leaf extract induces adipocyte browning through PRDM16 activation and enhances mitochondria activity due to UCP1 up-regulation.

  16. Brandão A, Eng KK, Rito T, Cavadas B, Bulbeck D, Gandini F, et al.
    Hum Genet, 2016 Apr;135(4):363-76.
    PMID: 26875094 DOI: 10.1007/s00439-016-1640-3
    There has been a long-standing debate concerning the extent to which the spread of Neolithic ceramics and Malay-Polynesian languages in Island Southeast Asia (ISEA) were coupled to an agriculturally driven demic dispersal out of Taiwan 4000 years ago (4 ka). We previously addressed this question using founder analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control-region sequences to identify major lineage clusters most likely to have dispersed from Taiwan into ISEA, proposing that the dispersal had a relatively minor impact on the extant genetic structure of ISEA, and that the role of agriculture in the expansion of the Austronesian languages was therefore likely to have been correspondingly minor. Here we test these conclusions by sequencing whole mtDNAs from across Taiwan and ISEA, using their higher chronological precision to resolve the overall proportion that participated in the "out-of-Taiwan" mid-Holocene dispersal as opposed to earlier, postglacial expansions in the Early Holocene. We show that, in total, about 20 % of mtDNA lineages in the modern ISEA pool result from the "out-of-Taiwan" dispersal, with most of the remainder signifying earlier processes, mainly due to sea-level rises after the Last Glacial Maximum. Notably, we show that every one of these founder clusters previously entered Taiwan from China, 6-7 ka, where rice-farming originated, and remained distinct from the indigenous Taiwanese population until after the subsequent dispersal into ISEA.
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