Expression of Matrix Metalloproteinase-13 in Human Skin Melanoma Cancer Treated by Baccaurea angulata in vitro.

This study aims to explore the cytotoxicity effects of B. angulata whole fruits and berries as well as to identify the fruit’s probable role on the level of MMP-13 protein expressions in human cancer cells. Cytotoxicity effects of B. angulata were evaluated in vitro using skin melanoma (A375) through treatment with novel B. angulata fibers (whole fruit and berries) via direct contact method. The growth inhibitions of the samples were evaluated through Methylene Blue Assay (MBA) with incubation time of the fibers on cells at 24, 48 and 72 hours. The results showed significant inhibition of growth in all samples with B. angulata whole fruit exhibiting the highest level of inhibition at 72 hours (87.69 %) while its berries showed a reading of 86.16 %. Consequently, this study indicates that both whole fruit fibers and berries of B. angulata may have cytotoxic effects against human skin melanoma. The quantitative expressions of MMP-13 in A375 cell lines which were subjected to the specified amount of fibers were evaluated through ELISA analysis. The results showed no expression of MMP-13 proteins in A375 cells for both whole fruit fibers (-1217.9 pg/ml) and berries (-1222.9 pg/ml). Furthermore, the results of the ELISA analysis depict a probable regulative effect of the fibers toward MMP-13 protein expressions in cancer cells. Hence, it can be concluded that B. angulata fruit has the potential to be used as a new source of natural substitute for anticancer treatment. Moreover, further study is needed in order to find the specific bioactive compounds involved in the anticancer properties which may have been influential in the regulation of MMP-13 proteins that could be fundamental in future endeavors for prospective therapeutic applications

Medical treatment of open-angle glaucoma.

Most guidelines that exist for the treatment of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) – such the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines (page 47) – recommend medicine as initial therapy, though laser treatment may also play a role.None of these guidelines are based on research done in Africa, however, and there also is no evidence yet on the relative effectiveness of different glaucoma medications in African populations.For medicines to be effective at controlling POAG, they must be used every day for the remainder of the patient’s life

Antihyperglycemic and antioxidative effects of Lygodium microphyllum in alloxan induced diabetic rats

Objective: The antihyperglycemic and antioxidative effects of L. microphyllum were evaluated by using in vivo methods in normal and alloxan induced diabetic rats. Methods:Diabetes was induced in Sprague Dawley rats by injecting alloxan through intravenous (i. v) at a dose of 100 mg/kg of body weight. Aqueous extract of L. microphyllum at different doses (400, 200 and 100 mg/kg of body weight) was administered orally (orogastric intubation) for 14 d. Blood glucose and oxidative stress markers were measured. Hematoxylin and eosin staining method were used to examine the pancreatic tissues. Results: At the 14 d interval, fasting blood glucose showed a reduction in serum glucose levels in animals pretreated with L. microphyllum compared with alloxan alone treated group. Oxidative stress was noticed in rat’s pancreatic tissue as evidenced by a significant decrease in glutathione level, glutathione reductase, glutathione-S-transferase, and catalase activities. Malondialdehyde showed a significant increase compared to the normal saline-treated control group. Serum biochemistry and oxidative stress markers were consistent with the pancreatic histopathological studies. Treatment of diabetic rats with L. microphyllum at a dose level of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight leaves extract for 14 d significantly prevented these alterations and attenuated alloxan-induced oxidative stress (P<0.05). Conclusion: The results of the present study indicated that the antihyperglycemic potential of L. microphyllum might be ascribable to its antioxidant and free radical scavenging properties. Thus, it is concluded that L. microphyllum may be helpful in the prevention of diabetic complications associated with oxidative stress

Mechanical properties of bamboo strip composite by different portion of bambusa blumeana for archery limb production / Mohammad Hasif Abdull Latif

This study focus on the mechanical properties of the bamboo species Bambusa blumeana and its utilization potential to manufacture limb archery or laminated bamboo strip composite. The mechanical properties such as shear and static bending were corelated to the portion of the bamboo and the culm thickness. The mechanical properties are increased with age, height, density and fibre wall thickness. Dry bamboo culm of B. blumeana from three portion namely bottom, middle and top were processed into thin laminae and cold press using epoxy resin to produce laminated bamboo composite. The sample testing are varied by it portion and sample thickness. Result testing for bending and tensile test is then compared to achieve suitable stiffness for an archery's limb production. Futhermore, test results and comparison to wood base composite from previous researcher's result clearly show that laminated bamboo composite are suitable for archery's limb production material

Tunable rectangular ring resonator filter with embedded shunt barium strontium titanate capacitors

Design of a low loss tunable bandpass filter using a microstrip ring resonator is presented. The tunability is achieved through the use of embedded shunt parallel plate variable capacitor implemented into the Low Temperature Cofired Ceramic (LTCC) substrate using thick film Barium Strontium Titanate (BST) paste. Measured data on the filter response, loss, and tunability in the frequency of 10 GHz and 12 GHz is presented. Results show filters produced low insertion loss with narrow tenability range

Kesan Sitotoksik Dan Mekanisme Kematian Sel Oleh Ekstrak Phyllanthus Pulcher Terhadap Pelbagai Turunan Sel Kanser

Kajian in vitro penyaringan aktiviti antikanser ekstrak tumbuhan Phyllanthus pulcher dilakukan. Aktiviti sitotoksik ekstrak heksana, kloroform dan metanol P. pulcher terhadap turunan sel HepG2 (sel karsinoma hepatoselular manusia), Caov-3 (sel adenokarsinoma ovari manusia), COL0205 (sel adenokarsinorna kolorektum manusia), NCI-H23 (sel adenokarsinoma paru-paru manusia) dan T-47D (sel karsinoma kalenjar mamari payudara manusia), dinilai menggunakan asai metilina biru (MBA). Kesemua ekstrak menunjukkan perencatan sel bersandarkan dos kecuali ekstrak kloroform terhadap sel T-47D. Ekstrak kloroform P. pulcher menunjukkan kesan perencatan terbaik terhadap sel HepG2 dengan nilai ECso 0.919 ug/ml. Ekstrak kloroform difraksinasi menghasilkan 20 fraksi dan fraksi F5 menunjukkan kesan perencatan terbaik terhadap sel HepG2 dengan nilai ECso 4.117 ug/ml. Nilai ini lebih tinggi daripada ekstrak kasar. Kemudian, mekanisme kematian sel HepG2 oleh ekstrak kloroform p. pulcher ditentukan sama ada melalui apoptosis atau nekrosis menggunakan kaedah Sistem Pengesanan Apoptosis Kolorimetrik DeadEnd, Sistem Pengesanan Apoptosis Fragmcntasi Sel DNA Secara ELISA dan pengekspresan gen apoptosis melalui tindakbalas berantai polimerase-transkripsi berbalik (RT-PCR). Sel didapati mati melalui apoptosis berdasarkan kaedah tersebut serta gen caspase-3 dan p53 diekspreskan pada tahap maksimum selepas 9 jam dan 30 minit masing-masing dengan ujian ekstrak. Penyaringan fitokimia sebatian utama dilakukan di mana ekstrak kloroform P. pulcher didapati mengandungi saponin dan terpenoid iaitu monoterpenoid, diterpenoid dan triterpenoid

Effect of shRNA mediated silencing of YB-1 protein on the expression of matrix collagenases in malignant melanoma cell in vitro

Background and Objective: YB-1 is a transcription and oncogenic factor capable of binding to DNA and RNA performing versatile functions within normal and cancer cells. Some studies reported the binding of YB-1 with a collagenases gene promoter and influencing their expression. In addition, the role of YB-1 in malignant melanoma was not elucidated. Thus, in this study, the aim was to knock down the expression of YB-1 in A375 malignant melanoma cancer cell using the shRNA approach and study its effect on cancer cell proliferation, migration, and expression of collagenases. Methods: A375 malignant melanoma cell lines were grown in standard conditions and were transfected with three plasmids containing a retroviral pGFP-V-RS vector, two of them containing targeting sequences for YB-1 mRNA. The third plasmid contained a scrambled mRNA sequence as a negative control. Expression of YB-1 was validated using immune-fluorescence staining, RT-PCR and western blotting. The cancer cell proliferation was determined using MTT assay, serial trypan blue cell counting and cell cycle flow-cytometry analysis. Expression of collagenases (MMP1, MMP8, and MMP13) was evaluated using RT-PCR and western blotting analysis. In addition, a wound-healing assay was used to assess cell migration potential. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way ANOVA test with Bonferroni post hoc analysis to compare the quantitative results among samples. Results: The established silenced cell strains (P1 and P2) had nearly 70% knockdown in the expression of YB-1. These YB-1 silenced strains had a significant cell cycle-specific reduction in cell proliferation (p < 0.05 in serial cell counting and cell cycle flow cytometry analysis, p < 0.001 in MTT assay). In addition, YB-1 silenced strains had a remarkable reduction in cell migration potential. Expression of MMP13 was significantly reduced in YB-1 silenced strains. Conclusion: YB-1 oncoprotein is a promising target in the treatment of malignant melanoma. Silencing of this protein is associated with significant anti-proliferative, anti-invasive and MMP13 insulating properties in A375 malignant melanoma cancer cell lines

Implimentasi pendidikan pembangunan lestari melalui kimia hijau secara informal - cabaran dan peluang

Kimia hijau merupakan pendekatan ke arah pendidikan berteraskan pembangunan lestari, PPL yang mampu mendidik para pelajar ke arah penekanan konsep menuju kepada kehidupan yang lestari. Kimia hijau menyediakan satu platform pendidikan kepada pelajar ke arah penyelesaian secara saintifik, bagi menangani punca-punca utama pencemaran alam sekitar bertujuan untuk menghasilkan para pelajar yang berpengetahuan, berkemahiran , mempunyai sikap dan nilai yang dapat membentuk masyarakat yang bersifat prihatin terhadap kelestarian alam sekitar. Kebanyakan pelaksanaan pendidikan kimia hijau dilaksanakan ke atas pelajar di institusi pendidikan tinggi dan guru pelatih. Ia dilaksanakan secara pendidikan formal yang menyebabkan pelajar tidak dapat menghubungkaitkan kepentingan kimia hijau dengan kehidupan sebenar. Pendidikan kimia hijau secara informal merupakan satu bentuk penglibatan pelajar di luar bilik darjah dan di luar skop pembelajaran secara rasmi yang dapat menarik minat pelajar untuk mempelajari kimia dan membolehkan pelajar membuat perkaitan isi kandungan pelajaran dengan konteks kehidupan sebenar. Kertas konsep ini akan menghuraikan peluang dan cabaran yang ada dalam mengimplimentasi pendidikan pembangunan kelestarian, PPL melalui kimia hijau secara informal ke atas para pelajar di Malaysia

In vitro degradation study of novel HEC/PVA/collagen nanofibrous scaffold for skin tissue engineering applications

The aim of this study was focused on the degradation behavior of electrospun (hydroxyethyl cellulose/poly(vinyl) alcohol) HEC/PVA and HEC/PVA/collagen nanofibrous scaffolds, as a potential substrates for skin tissue engineering in two biologically related media: phosphate buffered solution (PBS) and Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) for 12 weeks incubation period. The scaffolds were characterized at different degradation times by a series of analysis including pH changes of solutions, weight loss, swelling ratio, SEM, ATR-FTIR, DSC, TGA and mechanical properties. The results indicated that HEC/PVA/collagen scaffolds were exhibited slower degradation rate in both medium as compared to HEC/PVA blend nanofibers. All fibers displayed uneven and rough surfaces towards the final week of incubation in both PBS and DMEM solution. As degradation time increased, there were little changes in the chemical structure as determined by FTIR spectra while thermal studies revealed that the melting temperatures and crystallinity of scaffolds were slightly shifted to a lower value. Both HEC/PVA and HEC/PVA/collagen fibers showed significant decrease in Young's modulus and tensile stress over 12 weeks degradation. These results show that these nanofibrous scaffold demonstrate degradation behavior that meets the requirement as potential degradable biomaterials for dermal replacement