Displaying publications 141 - 160 of 559 in total

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  1. Zimisuhara B, Valdiani A, Shaharuddin NA, Qamaruzzaman F, Maziah M
    Int J Mol Sci, 2015 Jun 24;16(7):14369-94.
    PMID: 26114389 DOI: 10.3390/ijms160714369
    Genetic structure and biodiversity of the medicinal plant Ficus deltoidea have rarely been scrutinized. To fill these lacunae, five varieties, consisting of 30 F. deltoidea accessions were collected across the country and studied on the basis of molecular and morphological data. Molecular analysis of the accessions was performed using nine Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) markers, seven of which were detected as polymorphic markers. ISSR-based clustering generated four clusters supporting the geographical distribution of the accessions to some extent. The Jaccard's similarity coefficient implied the existence of low diversity (0.50-0.75) in the studied population. STRUCTURE analysis showed a low differentiation among the sampling sites, while a moderate varietal differentiation was unveiled with two main populations of F. deltoidea. Our observations confirmed the occurrence of gene flow among the accessions; however, the highest degree of this genetic interference was related to the three accessions of FDDJ10, FDTT16 and FDKT25. These three accessions may be the genetic intervarietal fusion points of the plant's population. Principal Components Analysis (PCA) relying on quantitative morphological characteristics resulted in two principal components with Eigenvalue >1 which made up 89.96% of the total variation. The cluster analysis performed by the eight quantitative characteristics led to grouping the accessions into four clusters with a Euclidean distance ranged between 0.06 and 1.10. Similarly, a four-cluster dendrogram was generated using qualitative traits. The qualitative characteristics were found to be more discriminating in the cluster and PCA analyses, while ISSRs were more informative on the evolution and genetic structure of the population.
  2. Mohamed Salleh FH, Arif SM, Zainudin S, Firdaus-Raih M
    Comput Biol Chem, 2015 Dec;59 Pt B:3-14.
    PMID: 26278974 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2015.04.012
    A gene regulatory network (GRN) is a large and complex network consisting of interacting elements that, over time, affect each other's state. The dynamics of complex gene regulatory processes are difficult to understand using intuitive approaches alone. To overcome this problem, we propose an algorithm for inferring the regulatory interactions from knock-out data using a Gaussian model combines with Pearson Correlation Coefficient (PCC). There are several problems relating to GRN construction that have been outlined in this paper. We demonstrated the ability of our proposed method to (1) predict the presence of regulatory interactions between genes, (2) their directionality and (3) their states (activation or suppression). The algorithm was applied to network sizes of 10 and 50 genes from DREAM3 datasets and network sizes of 10 from DREAM4 datasets. The predicted networks were evaluated based on AUROC and AUPR. We discovered that high false positive values were generated by our GRN prediction methods because the indirect regulations have been wrongly predicted as true relationships. We achieved satisfactory results as the majority of sub-networks achieved AUROC values above 0.5.
  3. Yeang HY, Arif SA, Yusof F, Sunderasan E
    Methods, 2002 May;27(1):32-45.
    PMID: 12079415 DOI: 10.1016/S1046-2023(02)00049-X
    As the living cytoplasm of laticiferous cells, Hevea brasiliensis latex is a rich blend of organic substances that include a mélange of proteins. A small number of these proteins have given rise to the problem of latex allergy. The salient characteristics of H. brasiliensis latex allergens that are recognized by the International Union of Immunological Societies (IUIS) are reviewed. These are the proteins associated with the rubber particles, the cytosolic C-serum proteins and the B-serum proteins that originate mainly from the lutoids. Procedures for the isolation and purification of latex allergens are discussed, from latex collection in the field to various preparative approaches adopted in the laboratory. As interest in recombinant latex allergens increases, there is a need to validate recombinant proteins to ascertain equivalence with their native counterparts when used in immunological studies, diagnostics, and immunotherapy.
  4. Eshaghi M, Ali AM, Jamal F, Yusoff K
    J. Biochem. Mol. Biol. Biophys., 2002 Feb;6(1):23-8.
    PMID: 12186779
    Streptococcus pyogenes ST4547 is an opacity factor negative strain, which has been recently reported as a new emm type from Malaysia. Nucleotide sequencing of the mga regulon of this strain showed the existence of two emm-like genes. The emm gene located upstream of the scpA gene comprises 1305 nucleotides encoding the putative precursor M protein of 435 amino acids in length with an M(r) of 49 kDa. or a predicted mature protein of 394 amino acids with an M(r) of 44.8 kDa. Another gene mrpST4547 was located upstream of the emm gene and downstream of the mga gene. The sequence of this mrp gene comprises 1167 nucleotides encoding a predicted protein of 388 amino acids in length with an M(r) of 42.2 kDa. or a predicted mature protein of 347 amino acids with an M(r) of 37.9 kDa. The mga regulon of strain ST4547 has a mosaic structure comprising segments, which originated from different OF positive and OF negative strains. The sequences flanking the hyper-variable and C repeats of the emmST4547 gene showed high similarity to corresponding regions in the mga regulon of OF positive strains notably M15, M4, M22 and M50. In contrast, the sequence within the hyper-variable and C repeat regions of the emmST4547 gene revealed high similarity to equivalent regions in the OF negative strains. These data indicates that horizontal transfer of emm-like gene could have occurred between OF positive and OF negative strains resulting in architectural divergence in the mga regulon.
  5. Singh H, Jamal F, Marahakim MN, Chin CS
    Med J Malaysia, 1981 Jun;36(2):89-91.
    PMID: 7343825
    The first culture-proven case zn Malaysia of fungal keratitis, due to Fusarium solani, is presented, followed by a brief discussion of mycotic keratitis.
  6. Cheah YN, Rashid FA, Abidi SS
    PMID: 14664077
    Existing Problem-Based Learning (PBL) problems, though suitable in their own right for teaching purposes, are limited in their potential to evolve by themselves and to create new knowledge. Presently, they are based on textbook examples of past cases and/or cases that have been transcribed by a clinician. In this paper, we present (a) a tacit healthcare knowledge representation formalism called Healthcare Scenarios, (b) the relevance of healthcare scenarios in PBL in healthcare and medicine, (c) a novel PBL-Scenario-based tacit knowledge explication strategy and (d) an online PBL Problem Composer and Presenter (PBL-Online) to facilitate the acquisition and utilisation of expert-quality tacit healthcare knowledge to enrich online PBL. We employ a confluence of healthcare knowledge management tools and Internet technologies to bring tacit healthcare knowledge-enriched PBL to a global and yet more accessible level.
  7. Lee SY, Mediani A, Ismail IS, Maulidiani, Abas F
    BMC Complement Altern Med, 2019 Jan 07;19(1):7.
    PMID: 30616569 DOI: 10.1186/s12906-018-2413-4
    BACKGROUND: Neptunia oleracea is a plant cultivated as vegetable in Southeast Asia. Previous works have revealed the potential of this plant as a source of natural antioxidants and α-glucosidase inhibitors. Continuing our interest on this plant, the present work is focused in identification of the bioactive compounds from different polarity fractions of N. oleracea, namely hexane (HF), chloroform (CF), ethyl acetate (EF) and methanol (MF).

    METHODS: The N. oleracea fractions were obtained using solid phase extraction (SPE). A metabolomics approach that coupled the use of proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) with multivariate data analysis (MVDA) was applied to distinguish the metabolite variations among the N. oleracea fractions, as well as to assess the correlation between metabolite variation and the studied bioactivities (DPPH free radical scavenging and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities). The bioactive fractions were then subjected to ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) analysis to profile and identify the potential bioactive constituents.

    RESULTS: The principal component analysis (PCA) discriminated EF and MF from the other fractions with the higher distributions of phenolics. Partial least squares (PLS) analysis revealed a strong correlation between the phenolics and the studied bioactivities in the EF and the MF. The UHPLC-MS/MS profiling of EF and MF had tentatively identified the phenolics present. Together with some non-phenolic metabolites, a total of 37 metabolites were tentatively assigned.

    CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this work supported that N. oleracea is a rich source of phenolics that can be potential antioxidants and α-glucosidase inhibitors for the management of diabetes. To our knowledge, this study is the first report on the metabolite-bioactivity correlation and UHPLC-MS/MS analysis of N. oleracea fractions.

  8. Kadir NAAA, Azlan A, Abas F, Ismail IS
    Foods, 2021 Jan 27;10(2).
    PMID: 33513823 DOI: 10.3390/foods10020262
    Dabai pulp oil (DPO) is new oil extracted from the pulp of Canarium odontophyllum. The quality and efficacy of DPO are needed to promote its potential as a new alternative fat. Therefore, we investigate the quality of DPO, which includes moisture and volatile content (MVC), free fatty acid content (FFA), iodine value (IV), and peroxide value (PV). Furthermore, we evaluate the efficacy of DPO against hypercholesterolemia elicited by a high-cholesterol diet in rats. The MVC of DPO was <0.001 ± 0.00%. Next, the FFA in DPO was 2.57 ± 0.03%, and the IV of DPO was 53.74 ± 0.08 g iodine/100 g oil. Meanwhile, the PV of DPO was 4.97 ± 0.00 mEq/kg. Supplementation of DPO in hypercholesterolemic rats for 30 days revealed the hypocholesterolemic effect (significant reduction of total cholesterol, triglyceride, and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase) accompanied by a significant reduction of inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein, interleukin-6 and tumour necrosis factor-α), and lipid peroxidation (MDA). We also observed a significant improvement of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and antioxidant capacities (total antioxidant status, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase) of the rats. The results on the quality and efficacy of locally made DPO suggest its potential use as a healthy alternative fat in the future.
  9. Ismail NI, Othman I, Abas F, H Lajis N, Naidu R
    Molecules, 2020 Aug 20;25(17).
    PMID: 32825505 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25173798
    The cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of turmeric (Curcuma longa) on colon cancer have been well documented but specific structural modifications of curcumin have been shown to possess greater growth-suppressive potential on colon cancer than curcumin. Therefore, the aim of this study is to identify the anti-cancer properties of curcumin analogue-MS13, a diarylpentanoid on the cytotoxicity, anti-proliferative and apoptotic activity of primary (SW480) and metastatic (SW620) human colon cancer cells. A cell viability assay showed that MS13 has greater cytotoxicity effect on SW480 (EC50: 7.5 ± 2.8 µM) and SW620 (EC50: 5.7 ± 2.4 µM) compared to curcumin (SW480, EC50: 30.6 ± 1.4 µM) and SW620, EC50: 26.8 ± 2.1 µM). Treatment with MS13 at two different doses 1X EC50 and 2X EC50 suppressed the colon cancer cells growth with lower cytotoxicity against normal cells. A greater anti-proliferative effect was also observed in MS13 treated colon cancer cells compared to curcumin at 48 and 72 h. Subsequent analysis on the induction of apoptosis showed that MS13 treated cells exhibited morphological features associated with apoptosis. The findings are also consistent with cellular apoptotic activities shown by increased caspase-3 activity and decreased Bcl-2 protein level in both colon cancer cell lines. In conclusion, MS13 able to suppress colon cancer cell growth by inhibiting cell proliferation and induce apoptosis in primary and metastatic human colon cancer cells.
  10. Faridah S, Siti Asma' H, Zeti NS, Tuan Noorkorina TK, Intan Baiduri B, Azura H
    Med J Malaysia, 2021 03;76(2):248-250.
    PMID: 33742638
    Mycobacteria mucogenicum (M. mucogenicum) is a rarely isolated pathogen. It has emerged as a significant pathogen in immunocompromised patients including those with cancer, organ transplant, or patients on immunosuppressive medication. Chemotherapy may reduce the ability of the bone marrow of these to respond to infection, and patients will be at risk for neutropenic sepsis, which leads to fatal complications. Here, we report a case of an 18-year-old boy was seen at Hospital Raja Perempuan Zainab II, Kelantan with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) who presented with catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI) caused by M. mucogenicum. He succumbed due to neutropenic sepsis with multiorgan failure.
  11. Kadir NAAA, Azlan A, Abas F, Ismail IS
    Molecules, 2021 Jan 28;26(3).
    PMID: 33525363 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26030671
    All food scientists must utilize plants for their application as functional foods to reduce hypercholesterolemia incidence through diet. Canarium odontophyllum (dabai) is a novel source for new healthy oil and functional foods. In this work, we evaluate the hepatoprotective effects of supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) extracted dabai pulp oil (DPO) and defatted dabai pulp (DDP) against hypercholesterolemia elicited by a high-cholesterol diet in rats. Our results show that DPO and DDP supplementation exerted beneficial hypocholesterolemic effects against the high-cholesterol diet-fed rat. Nevertheless, supplementation with DDP revealed superior total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, and HMG-CoA reductase lowering efficacy (p < 0.05). Supplementation of either DPO or DDP did not significantly affect AST and ALT levels than normal rats (p > 0.05). Therefore, DDP and DPO are considered as having no toxicological significance. The histological section of rats treated with DPO and DDP showed improved steatosis in hepatocytes. HPLC analysis revealed that DPO and DDP contained syringic acid, which plays an important role in the beneficial effect. In conclusion, our results support the hypocholesterolemic and hepatoprotective effects of DPO and DDP in the hypercholesterolemic rats model.
  12. Kadir NAAA, Azlan A, Abas F, Ismail IS
    Nutrients, 2020 Nov 14;12(11).
    PMID: 33202660 DOI: 10.3390/nu12113511
    A source of functional food can be utilized from a source that might otherwise be considered waste. This study investigates the hypocholesterolemic effect of defatted dabai pulp (DDP) from supercritical carbon dioxide extraction and the metabolic alterations associated with the therapeutic effects of DDP using 1H NMR urinary metabolomic analysis. Male-specific pathogen-free Sprague-Dawley rats were fed with a high cholesterol diet for 30 days to induce hypercholesterolemia. Later, the rats were administered with a 2% DDP treatment diet for another 30 days. Supplementation with the 2% DDP treatment diet significantly reduced the level of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin 6 (IL6) and tumour necrosis factor-α (α-TNF)) and significantly increased the level of antioxidant profile (total antioxidant status (TAS), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxide (GPX), and catalase (CAT)) compared with the positive control group (PG) group (p < 0.05). The presence of high dietary fibre (28.73 ± 1.82 g/100 g) and phenolic compounds (syringic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid and gallic acid) are potential factors contributing to the beneficial effect. Assessment of 1H NMR urinary metabolomics revealed that supplementation of 2% of DDP can partially recover the dysfunction in the metabolism induced by hypercholesterolemia via choline metabolism. 1H-NMR-based metabolomic analysis of urine from hypercholesterolemic rats in this study uncovered the therapeutic effect of DDP to combat hypercholesterolemia.
  13. Leong SW, Chia SL, Abas F, Yusoff K
    Bioorg Med Chem Lett, 2020 04 15;30(8):127065.
    PMID: 32127259 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2020.127065
    In the present study, a series of nine stable 3,4,5-methoxylphenyl-containing asymmetrical diarylpentanoids, derivatives of curcuminoids, have been synthesized, characterized and evaluated for their in-vitro anti-cancer potential against a panel of BRAF- and KRAS-mutated colorectal cancer cell lines including T84, LoVo and SW620, HT29, RKO and NCI-H508, respectively. Structure-activity relationship study on cytotoxicity of tested compounds suggested that the presence of meta-hydroxyl and adjacent dimethoxyl groups are crucial for enhanced cytotoxicity of diarylpentanoids. Among the evaluated analogs, 8 has been identified as the lead compound due to its highest chemotherapeutic index of 9.9 and nano molar scale cytotoxicity against SW620 and RKO. Colonies formation and cell cycle analyses on 8-treated RKO cells showed that 8 exhibits strong anti-proliferative activity by inducing G2/M-phase cell arrest. Subsequent flow cytometry based annexin-V and DCFHDA studies suggested that 8 could induce apoptosis through intracellular ROS-dependent pathway. Further Western blot studies confirmed that 8 has induced intrinsic apoptosis in RKO cells through the up-regulations of Bad and Bax pro-apoptotic proteins and down-regulations of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL pro-survival proteins. In all, the present results suggest that 8 could be a potent lead which deserves further modification and investigation in the development of small molecule-based anti-colorectal cancer agents.
  14. Ahmad Fuat MS, Mohd Zin F, Mat Yudin Z
    Malays Fam Physician, 2021 Mar 25;16(1):124-128.
    PMID: 33948152 DOI: 10.51866/cr1026
    Type 2 diabetes mellitus (Type 2 DM) is a chronic disease which rise is closely linked to the obesity epidemic and which requires long-term medical attention to limit the development of its wide-ranged complications. Many of these complications arise from the combination of resistance to insulin action, inadequate insulin secretion, and excessive or inappropriate glucagon secretion. The increasing evidence of its remission state has been discussed in the literature. Here we report on a patient with metabolic syndrome who underwent a structured therapeutic lifestyle changes (TLC) therapy which eventually led to remission of Type 2 DM.
  15. Jothee S, Shafie MS, Vijayaretnam SV, Nor FM
    Am J Forensic Med Pathol, 2020 Jun;41(2):110-114.
    PMID: 32205487 DOI: 10.1097/PAF.0000000000000539
    Organ weights are routinely measured during autopsies as a crude screening tool to detect possible organ pathology. In several centers, inclusion of major organ weights indicates whether an autopsy report has achieved its standard of practice, which in turn should be subjected to an audit. Previous studies show statistical variation in organ weights across different populations. Malaysian pathologists have relied on Western data and crude subjective determination in the interpretation of normal organ weights. Hence, the need for a reference range as a guide for pathologists is acute. Organ weights from traumatic deaths between 2004 and 2017 were analyzed in the UKM Medical Centre. Statistical analysis was performed to form reference ranges for normal weights of the brain, heart, lung, liver, spleen, and kidneys. In addition, the data were compared between sexes, races, and body mass index values to determine whether organ weights were affected by these parameters. In this study, reference ranges for organ weights are presented for Malaysian adult men and women.
  16. Leong SW, Abas F, Lam KW, Yusoff K
    Bioorg Med Chem Lett, 2018 02 01;28(3):302-309.
    PMID: 29292226 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2017.12.048
    A series of thirty-four diarylpentanoids derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. Eleven compounds (19, 20, 21, 24, 27, 28, 29, 31, 32, 33 and 34) were found to significantly inhibit α-glucosidase in which compounds 28, 31 and 32 demonstrated the highest activity with IC50 values ranging from 14.1 to 15.1 µM. Structure-activity comparison shows that multiple hydroxy groups are essential for α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. Meanwhile, 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl and furanyl moieties were found to be crucial in improving α-glucosidase inhibition. Molecular docking analyses further confirmed the critical role of both 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl and furanyl moieties as they bound to α-glucosidase active site in different mode. Overall result suggests that diarylpentanoids with both five membered heterocyclic ring and polyhydroxyphenyl moiety could be a new lead design in the search of novel α-glucosidase inhibitor.
  17. Khanahmadi S, Yusof F, Amid A, Mahmod SS, Mahat MK
    J Biotechnol, 2015 May 20;202:153-61.
    PMID: 25481099 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2014.11.015
    Cross-linked enzyme aggregate (CLEA) is easily prepared from crude enzyme and has many advantages to the environment and it is considered as an economic method in the context of industrial biocatalysis compared to free enzyme. In this work, a highly active and stable CLEA-lipase from cocoa pod husk (CPH) which is a by-product after removal of cocoa beans, were assayed for their hydrolytic activity and characterized under the optimum condition successfully. Face centered central composite design (FCCCD) under response surface methodology (RSM) was used to get the optimal conditions of the three significant factors (concentration of ammonium sulfate, concentration of glutaraldehyde and concentration of additive) to achieve higher enzyme activity of CLEA. From 20 runs, the highest activity recorded was around 9.407U (83% recovered activity) under the condition of using 20% saturated ammonium sulfate, 60mM glutaraldehyde as cross-linker and 0.17mM bovine serum albumin as feeder. Moreover, the optimal reaction temperature and pH value in enzymatic reaction for both crude enzyme and immobilized were found to be 45°C at pH 8 and 60°C at pH 8.2, respectively. A systematic study of the stability of CLEA and crude enzyme was taken with regards to temperature (25-60°C) and pH (5-10) value and in both factors, CLEA-lipase showed more stability than free lipase. The Km value of CLEA was higher compared to free enzyme (0.55mM vs. 0.08mM). The CLEA retained more than 60% of the initial activity after six cycles of reuse compared to free enzyme. The high stability and recyclability of CLEA-lipase from CPH make it efficient for different industrial applications.
  18. Khanahmadi S, Yusof F, Chyuan Ong H, Amid A, Shah H
    J Biotechnol, 2016 Aug 10;231:95-105.
    PMID: 27184429 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2016.05.015
    Enzymatic reactions involving lipases as catalyst in transesterification can be an excellent alternative to produce environmental-friendly biodiesel. In this study, lipase extracted from Cocoa Pod Husk (CPH) and immobilized through cross linked enzyme aggregate (CLEA) technology catalysed the transesterification of Jatropha curcas oil successfully. Face centered central composite design (FCCCD) under response surface methodology (RSM) was used to get the optimal conditions of 3% (w/w) enzyme loading, 4h reaction time and 1:6 oil/ethanol ratio to achieve the highest conversion of free fatty acid and glycerides into biodiesel (93%). The reusability of CLEA-lipase was tested and after seven cycles, the conversion percentage reduced to 58%. The results revealed that CLEA lipase from CPH is a potential catalyst for biodiesel production.
  19. Lee YQ, Rajadurai P, Abas F, Othman I, Naidu R
    Front Mol Biosci, 2021;8:645856.
    PMID: 33996900 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.645856
    Curcumin analogs with excellent biological properties have been synthesized to address and overcome the poor pharmacokinetic profiles of curcumin. This study aims to investigate the cytotoxicity, anti-proliferative, and apoptosis-inducing ability of curcumin analog, MS13 on human glioblastoma U-87 MG, and neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells, and to examine the global proteome changes in these cells following treatment. Our current findings showed that MS13 induced potent cytotoxicity and anti-proliferative effects on both cells. Increased caspase-3 activity and decreased bcl-2 concentration upon treatment indicate that MS13 induces apoptosis in these cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The label-free shotgun proteomic analysis has defined the protein profiles in both glioblastoma and neuroblastoma cells, whereby a total of nine common DEPs, inclusive of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), alpha-enolase (ENO1), heat shock protein HSP 90-alpha (HSP90AA1), Heat shock protein HSP 90-beta (HSP90AB1), Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5A-1 (EFI5A), heterogenous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K (HNRNPK), tubulin beta chain (TUBB), histone H2AX (H2AFX), and Protein SET were identified. Pathway analysis further elucidated that MS13 may induce its anti-tumor effects in both cells via the common enriched pathways, "Glycolysis" and "Post-translational protein modification." Conclusively, MS13 demonstrates an anti-cancer effect that may indicate its potential use in the management of brain malignancies.
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