Enhancement of BDNF Concentration and Restoration of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Accompany Reduced Depressive-Like Behaviour in Stressed Ovariectomised Rats Treated with Either Tualang Honey or Estrogen

A possible interaction between glucocorticoids and estrogen-induced increases in brain-derived-neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression in enhancing depressive-like behaviour has been documented. Here we evaluated the effects of Tualang honey, a phytoestrogen, and 1

The effect of exercise therapy on motorabilities in children with Cerebral Palsy

Introduction: Cerebral palsy (CP) is a term for a range of non-progressive syndromes of posture and motor impairment thatresults from an insult to the developing central nervous system of embryo and fetus in utero, until the first two years ofbirth. It means that the disorder or disease process will not worsen with time (Miller, et al., 2006; Goldstein, 2004). Therate of disease occurrence is one or two in a thousand (1000) live births and spasticity is the predominant motorabnormality (Odding, et al., 2006). Objective: To examine the effect of exercise on motor abilities of cerebral palsychildren using the Gross Motor Function Measures - 88 (GMFM). Methodology: A within-subject, single arm pre andpost-test research design was employed. Ten spastic cerebral palsy children with age ranging from eight to eighteen yearsold (mean age ± SD = 12.7 ±3.653, six males) were recruited. Six of the children were diplegic and four were hemiplegic.The children were given 6 weeks of exercise therapy at a frequency of twice a week, and duration of 1 hour each session,under the guidance of a trained instructor. The effect of exercise on motor abilities was assessed using the GMFM-88administered pre- and post-exercise therapy. Results: Motor abilities of the children as indexed by GMFM scoressignificantly improved with the exercise intervention 6 weeks after exercise therapy program ends. There was significantdifference in the overall GMFM scores between pre and post intervention, p = 0.005. When the five dimensions in GMFMwere analyzed separately, there was significant improvement in scores for each dimension: Lying and Rolling (p=0.005),Sitting (p=0.005), Crawling and Kneeling (p=0.007), Standing (p=0.007) and lastly, Walking, Running and Jumping(p=0.011). Conclusion: Exercise therapy improves motor abilities in cerebral palsy children as shown by increased GMFMscores in all dimensions

The Potential Role of Melatonin on Memory Function: Lessons from Rodent Studies

Pineal melatonin biosynthesis is regulated by the circadian clock located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus. Melatonin has been found to modulate the learning and memory process in human as well as in animals. Endogenous melatonin modulates the process of newly acquired information into long-term memory, while melatonin treatment has been found to reduce memory deficits in elderly people and in various animal models. However, the mechanisms mediating the enhancing effect of melatonin on memory remain elusive. This review intends to explore the possible mechanisms by looking at previous data on the effects of melatonin treatment on memory performance in rodents

Modulation of formalin-induced Fos-like immunoreactivity in the spinal cord by swim stress-induced analgesia, morphine and ketamine

Induction of c-fos in the spinal cord due to pain is well established. This study aims to look at the effects of acute swim stress on Fos-like immunoreactivity (FLI) induced by formalin and how it is modulated by ketamine and morphine. Acutely-stressed and non-stressed adult male Sprague Dawley rats were pretreated with intraperitoneal injection of ketamine 5 mg/kg (Ketava, Atlantic Lab), morphine 10 mg/kg (Rhotard, Custom Pharmaceutical), or saline, 5 minutes prior to experimentation. Rats were acutely stressed by swimming for 3 min in 20°C water. Dilute formalin (Formaldehyde, Merck) was injected to the hindpaw and the formalin score recorded. Rats were then sacrificed and spinal cords (L4-L5) removed for immunohistochemical analysis of FLI. Two-way ANOVA showed significant effects of stress, drug and stress-drug interactions in formalin test and FLI. Both morphine and ketamine produced analgesia in the formalin test. In the saline stressed group, FLI was suppressed on the ipsilateral side (p<0.01) but increased on the contralateral side (p<0.01) compared with non-stressed saline. In morphine and ketamine stressed groups, FLI was increased on both ipsilateral and contralateral sides for morphine (ipsilateral: p<0.05; contralateral: p<0.001) and ketamine (ipsilateral: p<0.05, contralateral: p<0.05) compared with their corresponding non-stressed groups. In conclusion, presence of stress may lead to discrepancy between behavioural manifestation of pain and c-fos induction in the spinal cord

Protective Effects of Tualang Honey against Oxidative Stress and Anxiety-Like Behaviour in Stressed Ovariectomized Rats

he present study aims to evaluate the antioxidant and anxiolytic-like efect of Tualang honey in stressed ovariectomized (OVX) rats.he animals were divided into; (i) nonstressed sham-operated control rats, (ii) sham-operated control rats exposed to stress, (iii) nonstressed OVX rats, (iv) OVX rats exposed to stress, (v) OVX rats exposed to stress and treated with 17 �-oestradiol (E2) (20 �g daily, sc), and (vi) OVX rats exposed to stress and treated with Tualang honey (0.2 g/kg body weight, orally). he open ield test was used to evaluate the anxiety-like behaviour and ELISA kits were used to measure oxidant/antioxidant status of the brain homogenates. he result showed that anxiety-like behavior was signiicantly increased in stressed OVX compared to other groups, and administering either E2 or Tualang honey signiicantly decreased anxiety-like behaviour in stressed OVX rats.he levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and protein carbonyl (PCO) were signiicantly decreased while the levels/activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione S-transferases (GST), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and glutathione reductase (GR) were signiicantly increased in the brain homogenates of treated stressed OVX groups compared to untreated stressed OVX. In conclusion, Tualang honey has protective efects against brain oxidative stress and may be useful alternative anxiolytic agent especially for postmenopausal women

Centella asiatica (L.) Urb: A comprehensive bibliometric analysis of published studies between 1857 and 2022

Centella asiatica (L.) Urban (C. asiatica) is a medicinal plant that generates terpenes, phenols, vitamins, minerals, polyacetylene and fatty acids among other phyto-constituents. This review focuses on the bibliometric analysis of 1164 documents on C. asiatica that were retrieved from the Scopus database. Harzing Publish or Perish and VOSviewer were used for citation and network analyses. According to the bibliometric analysis, publications are on the rise, particularly in the fields of pharmacology, toxicology and pharmaceutics, medicine, biochemistry, genetics and molecular biology, agricultural and biological sciences, and chemistry. "Phytoremediation", "secondary metabolites", "Andrographis paniculata", and "cognitive impairment" are emerging areas for C. asiatica research. However, currently there is a lack of international collaboration in C. asiatica research among contributing countries. Researchers can utilise the findings cited in this reiew to locate potential collaborators, top authors, countries and documents

Gender Differences and Obesity Influence on Pulmonary Function Parameters

Objectives: Overweight and obesity are known to cause various patterns of alteration to the pulmonary function test (PFT) parameters. We sought to investigate gender differences in PFT parameters and examine the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and PFT parameters. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of 126 patients referred for a PFT by various medical specialties between January and December 2015. PFT was measured using spirometry, and BMI was calculated using Quetelet’s index. Results: Female patients exhibited lower mean values for all PFT parameters compared to male patients. The forced vital capacity (FVC)% predicted was less than 80% for all patients while the ratio of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1)/FVC was higher with increased BMI. BMI was positively correlated with peak expiratory flow in all patients, and with FEV1/FVC ratio in males but not in females. Conclusions: In our studied population, males exhibited higher mean values of PFT parameters than females. Increased BMI may be associated with a restrictive pattern on spirometry

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in schizophrenia research: a quantitative review and future directions

This review aims to perform a bibliometric analysis of the research related to brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in schizophrenia and offer suggestions for further work. Based on the keywords used, our study retrieved 335 documents for further analysis using a combination of three bibliometric techniques: co-word analysis, document co-citation analysis, and bibliographic coupling. A general rising trend in the number of publications was found in BDNF and schizophrenia research. Researchers from China and the United States have mostly researched BDNF and schizophrenia. Molecular Psychiatry is the most prestigious journal in the field of BDNF and schizophrenia research. The main topics and important research areas are cognition and the involvement of BDNF as a neurobiological marker (pathogenesis, therapy monitoring, and risk factors). Future research is anticipated to concentrate on relevant subjects, such as factors that affect BDNF levels or are connected to BDNF dysfunction in schizophrenia, as well as animal models of schizophrenia, in addition to cognition in schizophrenia

Equivalence and Practice Effect of Alternate Forms for Malay Version of Auditory Verbal Learning Test (MAVLT)

This study aims to develop two alternate forms for Malay version of Auditory Verbal Learning Test (MAVLT) and to determine their equivalency and practice effect. Ninety healthy volunteers were subjected to the following neuropsychological tests at baseline, and at one month interval according to their assigned group; group 1 (MAVLT - MAVLT), group 2 (MAVLT – Alternate Form 1 - Alternate Form 1), and group 3 (MAVLT - Alternate Form 2 - Alternate Form 2). There were no significant difference in the mean score of all the trials at baseline among the three groups, and most of the mean score of trials between MAVLT and Alternate Form 1, and between MAVLT and Alternate Form 2. There was significant improvement in the mean score of each trial when the same form was used repeatedly at the interval of one month. However, there was no significant improvement in the mean score of each trial when the Alternate Form 2 was used during repeated neuropsychological testing. The MAVLT is a reliable instrument for repeated neuropsychological testing as long as alternate forms are used. The Alternate Form 2 showed better equivalency to MAVLT and less practice effect

Ultra-processed food consumption about body mass index (BMI) of public university students in Malaysia

The Malaysian Nutrition Research Priorities for the 12th Plan (2021-2025) has identified a critical need for research on the consumption of ultra-processed foods among public university students in Malaysia. Despite this need, there is a lack of empirical research on the relationship between ultra-processed food intake and body mass index (BMI) in this population. To address this gap, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between the consumption of ultra-processed foods and BMI in public university students in Malaysia. A cross-sectional study design was employed, involving 250 respondents aged 18 years and above. Data was collected through a self-administered questionnaire, which consisted of three parts: a socio-demographic profile, anthropometric measurement, and a 24-hr dietary record. Food and beverage consumption was classified using the NOVA food categorization system (composed of Group 1: Unprocessed or minimally processed foods, Group 2: Processed culinary ingredients, Group 3: Processed foods, and Group 4: Ultra-processed foods), and energy intake was calculated using the Nutritionist Pro software and food guidance books. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 20.0. The results showed that the average daily caloric intake was 1821.74 ± 439.03 kcal, with 31% of the total intake being contributed by ultra-processed foods (Group 4). The average energy intake from Group 1 and 2 was 1225.95 ± 414.90 kcal, Group 3 was 33.52 ± 73.83 kcal and Group 4 was 562.27 ± 344.71 kcal. The average BMI was 23.10 (7.38) kg/m2, which falls within the normal category. The analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between ultra-processed food consumption and BMI (rs=0.16, n=250, p=0.014). This study provides valuable insights into ultra-processed food consumption patterns among Malaysian university students using the NOVA classification system and highlights the importance of reducing such consumption to prevent nutritionally related diseases among public university students in the country