Profil Hormon Steroid Di Dalam Plasna Induk Ikan Siakap Putih Lates Calcarifer (Bloch, 1790) Yang Diternak Dan Kaitannya Dengan Kematangan Gonad Dan Tempoh Pusingan Pembiakan.

Kajian dijalankan untuk menentukan paras hormon steroid (testosteron dan estradiol) bulanan dalam plasma darah induk ikan Siakap Putih Lates calcarifer, (Bloch, 1790) yang diternak dan untuk menentukan kesan hormon A study was carried out to determine plasma steroids (testosterone and estradiol) hormone levels for the Asian Seabass Lates calcarifer, (Bloch, 1790) broodstocks and to determine the effect of Gonadotropin Releasing Hormon

Motif kesukarelawan remaja muslimah di Terengganu / Wan Asri Wan Aziz… [et al.]

Motivasi dan penglibatan golongan wanita dalam aktiviti kesukarelawan telah lama wujud dalam kalangan masyarakat Islam. Oleh itu, kajian ini bertujuan untuk adalah mengenal pasti faktor motivasi utama yang mempengaruhi penglibatan sukarelawan remaja muslimah Terengganu. Seramai 67 responden daripada 240 dalam kalangan siswi Kor Sispa UiTM dipilih melalui kaedah persampelan bertujuan. Data diperolehi dengan menggunakan borang soal selidik yang ditadbir sendiri oleh responden. Volunteer Functions Inventory (VFI) telah digunakan untuk mengukur motivasi sukarelawan dan tahap kepuasan dalam aktiviti sukarelawan. Hasil kajian menunjukkan motif utama penglibatan responden dalam aktiviti sukarela adalah motif nilai, diikuti oleh motif pemahaman dan motif kerjaya. Selain itu, kajian turut mendapati tahap motivasi responden adalah tinggi, manakala tahap kepuasan dalam aktiviti kerja sukarela adalah sederhana tinggi

Penggunaan kata pinjaman Arab dalam puisi Melayu

Puisi Melayu, sebagaimana bahasa Melayu itu sendiri, kaya dengan perkataan yang berasal dari bahasa Arab. Penggunaannya agak meluas antara perkataan yang sering digunakan dan yang jarang-jarang ditemui. Dalam puisi Melayu, penggunaan kata pinjaman Arab dalam sesetengah keadaan dilihat boleh menimbulkan kekeliruan sekiranya tidak menepati maksud asal penggunaannya dalam bahasa asal. Kajian ini merupakan suatu usaha untuk mengenal pasti dan menganalisis aspek penggunaan kata pinjaman Arab dalam kumpulan puisi Melayu moden. Kumpulan puisi tersebut adalah antologi puisi Sumur Mahmudah karya Ony Latifah Osman (2006). Data kajian diperoleh berdasarkan pemilihan kata pinjaman Arab yang menyampaikan maksud tertentu dalam sesebuah puisi. Dapatan kajian ini merumuskan terdapat dua kategori penggunaan bahasa pinjaman Arab dalam teks puisi yang dikaji, iaitu; kategori penggunaan yang menepati makna asal dalam bahasa Arab dan ketegori penggunaan yang tersasar dari maksud asalnya

Biochemical changes of cryopreserved seminal plasma and spermatozoa of the giant grouper Epinephelus lanceolatus after preservation and transportation using dry-ice

The present study aims to investigate the effects of exposure of the seminal plasma and spermatozoa of the giant grouper Epinephelus lanceolatus to dry ice ( 79 C) during transport on their quality. In all, 15 amino acid compounds were determined. The quantification of total proteins were measured using the Bradford method, and amino acid concentration were measured using the HPLC method. The cryopreserved seminal plasma was transferred from a liquid nitrogen tank to a styrofoam box filled with dry ice. Total protein and amino acids were measured after 24, 48, and 72 h. For comparative purposes, total protein and fifteen compound of amino acid were also measured. Both parameters were also measured after the cryopreserved seminal plasma were immersed in liquid nitrogen after 24 and 48 h exposed to dry ice. The results showed that the exposure of seminal plasma to dry ice for 24, 48 and 72 h during transportation or immersion back into the liquid nitrogen after 24 and 48 h does not change the total protein levels either in seminal plasma or spermatozoa. However, the level of each amino acid compound in the seminal plasma had significantly decrease

Geochronology of 210Pb in sediments of Sepang Besar River, Malaysia

Geochronological studies to determine pattern and rate of sediment deposition is still lacking in Malaysia. The aim of this study is to investigate geochronological pattern of 210Pb in core sediments of the Sepang Besar River. Sediment cores were collected from rivermouth, middle course and upper course of the river. Sediment cores were cut at 2 cm interval for each layer, treated with established method and analyzed by beta spectrometry. Results showed the activities of 210Pb along Sepang Besar River varied at a wide range. Significantly lower 210Pb activity was found at the rivermouth as compared to middle and upper courses of Sepang Besar River. This could be due to the geology of the watershed and chemical weathering conditions around the area

Burden of household smoking habits on the occurrence of respiratory symptoms among Malaysian adolescents

Background: This study aimed to assess the burden of household smoking habits on the occurrence of respiratory symptoms among young adolescents in Malaysia. Methodology: The impact of Secondhand Smoke (SHS) exposures on the occurrence of respiratory symptoms was investigated on 234 adolescents (13-14 years old) residing in two states in Malaysia. Adolescents completed a self-administered questionnaire adapted from Global Youth Tobacco survey that comprised of items on socio-demographic and SHS exposures. Respiratory symptoms were assessed using a standard questionnaire of International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood. Hair samples were collected from each adolescent and were analyzed for nicotine via Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrophotometry with nitrogen detection method. Result: The geometric mean of hair nicotine was 0.0184± 2.31 ng/mg. The prevalence of current, ever wheeze, nocturnal cough, exercised-induced wheeze and self-reported asthma were 7.69%, 14.1%, 11.5%, 20.5% and 13.7%, respectively. A significant association was found between household smoking status with exercise-induced wheeze (Adjusted Odds Ratio, AOR 1.06; 95%Confidence Interval, CI 0.42-2.66) and nocturnal cough (AOR 14.2; 95%CI 1.60-125). Reported ever wheeze was linked to reported SHS exposure in family’s vehicle (AOR 3.27; 95%CI 1.15-9.34). The risk of exercise-induced wheeze was related with postnatal SHS exposure (AOR 2.69; 95%CI 1.13-6.43). Conclusion: Respiratory symptoms were mostly affected by household smoking habits. Thus, in an attempt to reduce the repercussion of SHS exposure among younger adolescents, effort should be emphasized in encouraging parents to move from indoor to outdoor smoking far from the vicinity of children

Bleed or clot? managing bleeding in post thrombolysis patient with massive pulmonary embolism who underwent recent major cancer surgery

A 51-year-old lady with invasive left breast cancer had a syncopal attack following acute chest pain on day 1 post-mastectomy. She was hypotensive and her electrocardiogram showed ST elevation at anterior leads. She had received systemic thrombolysis therapy with an excellent initial symptomatic response and ECG resolution. However, echocardiogram and computed-tomography pulmonary angiogram later showed evidence of massive pulmonary embolism. The treatment was complicated with significant bleeding from the surgical site which required a total of 11 units of packed cells, 4 units of fresh frozen plasma, 4 units of platelet, 6 units of cryoprecipitate and prothrombin complex concentrate; in order to control the bleeding along with local compression. As the haemostasis was achieved, anticoagulation was cautiously initiated, initially with unfractionated heparin followed by low-molecular-weight heparin. Eventually, she received rivaroxaban to complete her course of treatment. She made an excellent recovery on follow-up review and is planned for further treatment for her breast cancer. This case portrayed the complexity of managing a concurrent event of massive thrombosis and significant bleeding, which required a diligent assessment of both risks to ensure the best patient’s outcome

Gold nanoparticles conjugated with anti-CD133 monoclonal antibody and 5-fluorouracil chemotherapeutic agent as nanocarriers for cancer cell targeting

The enhanced permeability and retention effect allows for passive targeting of solid tumours by nanoparticles carrying anticancer drugs. However, active targeting by incorporation of various ligands onto nanoparticles can provide for a more selective and enhanced chemotherapeutic effect and complement the deficiencies of the passive targeting approach. Here we report on the design of the carboxyl-terminated PEGylated gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), their functionalization with anti-CD133 monoclonal antibody (mAb) via a crosslinking reaction, and subsequent 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) drug loading. The synthesized products in the form of stable colloids were characterised using a range of physicochemical techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and dynamic light scattering (DLS). Conjugation of anti-CD133 mAb onto PEGylated AuNPs was confirmed with the use of UV-Vis, BCA protein assay and fluorescence microscopy. HCT116 colorectal cancer cells abundantly expressed CD133: 92.4 ± 1.3%, as measured by flow cytometry. Whereas PEGylated AuNPs not conjugated with anti-CD133 mAb accumulated mainly at the cellular membrane, nanoparticles conjugated with anti-CD133 mAb were contained within the nuclear region of the cells. Anti-CD133 mAb conjugation facilitated the specific intracellular uptake due to specific antigen–antibody binding interaction. In vitro cytotoxicity studies on HCT116 cells showed that PEGylated AuNPs and PEGylated AuNPs-CD133 did not elicit any toxicity at any of the tested concentrations. Meanwhile, 5-FU-PEGylated AuNPs-CD133 significantly reduced the cell viability relative to the treatment with 5-FU-PEGylated AuNPs without anti-CD133 mAb conjugates (p < 0.0001). This study shows that the conjugation of nanocarriers with the anti-CD133 antibody improves the specific targeting of 5-FU against colorectal cancer cells. These results demonstrate that simultaneous functionalisation of PEGylated AuNPs with antibodies and chemotherapeutic drugs is a viable strategy to combat cancer through targeted drug delivery

Clinical-epidemiological pattern of primary immunodeficiencies in Malaysia 1987-2006: a 20 year experience in four Malaysian hospitals

Aim of study: To determine the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of patients seen with primary immunodeficiencies referred at four Malaysian Hospitals between 1987 to 2007 Methods: Patient data were retrospectively obtained from patient records and supplemented by information from a standardized questionnaires taken at the time of diagnosis from 4 participating hospitals. The completed data were transferred to document records kept by the first author. The diagnoses made were based on criteria set by WHO Scientific Committee 1986. Results: Fifty one (51) patients with completed records satisfied the criteria of primary immunodeficiencies based on WHO Scientific Committee 1986. Predominant Antibody deficiency (40.4%) is the commonest of the class of primary immunodeficiency (based on modified IUIS classification) followed by phagocytic defect (17.3%), combined immunodeficiencies (15.4%) and other cellular immunodeficiencies (11.5%). The commonest clinical presentation is pneumonia (54%). A positive Family history with a close family relative afflicted was a strong pointer to diagnosis for PID (52.6%) Primary immnodeficiencies are seen in all the major ethnic groups of Malaysia, predominantly among Malays. As observed in other patient registries, diagnostic delay remains the major cause of morbidity and mortality. Conclusion: Primary immunodeficiencies is relative rare but is an emerging disease in Malaysia. Creating awareness of the disease, may reveal more cases within the community. It is sufficient to be a health issue in Malaysia as in other developing countries in the future

Biological and Analytical Investigations of Alpha-Glucosidase Inhibitory and Anti-Oxidant Activities on Selected Malaysian Medicinal Plants

This study was performed to establish anti-diabetic and anti-oxidant properties, and to carry out phytochemical analysis of selected local plants which are traditionally used as medicinal plants. Local plants involved in this study were Lawsonia inermis, Punica granatum, Dryobalanops aromatica, Ziziphus mauritiana, and Ocimum basilicum. Solvent extraction was performed using maceration method with solvents of increasing polarity. Alpha-glucosidase inhibition assay was performed on all extracts to ascertain their anti-diabetic potentials. The extracts were screened for antioxidant activity using anti-oxidant assays (FRAP, DPPH, TAOC, ABTS, and BCB) and quantitative phytochemical analyses (TPC and TFC). Chemical profiling using LCMS and GCMS was performed on extracts with high biological activities. Methanol extracts of D. aromatica bark and leaves showed the most potent inhibition of alpha-glucosidase with IC50 values of 0.63 ± 0.03 µg/mL and 0.98 ± 0.02 µg/mL, respectively. Both extracts exhibited similar anti-oxidant activity on all five assays and possessed high phenolic contents with values of 266.79 and 261.69 GAE, respectively. The results obtained suggested that amongst the selected plants studied, D. aromatica showed high anti-oxidant activity and anti-diabetic activity (via inhibition of alpha-glucosidase). This is the first report that highlights the anti-diabetic potential of D. aromatica