Barrier protective effects of 2,4,6-trihydroxy-3-geranyl acetophenone on lipopolysaccharides-stimulated inflammatory responses in human umbilical vein endothelial cells

Pharmocological relevance: 2,4,6-trihydroxy-3-geranyl acetophenone (tHGA), is a phloroglucinol compound found naturally in Melicope ptelefolia. Melicope ptelefolia has been used traditionally for centuries as natural remedy for wound infections and inflammatory diseases. Aim of the study: Endothelial barrier dysfunction is a pathological hallmark of many diseases and can be caused by lipopolysaccharides (LPS) stimulation. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the possible barrier protective effects of tHGA upon LPS-stimulated inflammatory responses in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Materials and methods: HUVECs were pretreated with tHGA prior to LPS stimulation, where inflammatory parameters including permeability, monocyte adhesion and migration, and release of pro-inflammatory mediators were examined. Additionally, the effect of tHGA on F-actin rearrangement and adhesion protein expression of LPS-stimulated HUVECs was evaluated. Results: It was found that pretreatment with tHGA inhibited monocyte adhesion and transendothelial migration, reduced endothelial hyperpermeability and secretion of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Additionally, tHGA inhibited cytoskeletal rearrangement and adhesion protein expression on LPS-stimulated HUVECs. Conclusion: As the regulation of endothelial barrier dysfunction can be one of the therapeutic strategies to improve the outcome of inflammation, tHGA may be able to preserve vascular barrier integrity of endothelial cells following LPS-stimulated dysfunction, thereby endorsing its potential usefulness in vascular inflammatory diseases

The open air electrical-field activated sintering and forming of micro components.

As the demand for the miniature products has increased significantly, so also has the need for these products to be produced in a rapid, flexible and cost-efficient manner. The application of electroplasticity shows significant potential to produce the components by using powder materials. Nevertheless, previous research has shown that there are still significant challenges to be met in order to achieve increased relative densification of product samples and simplification of the process. The process concept in this study comprises the combination of electrical-field activated sintering and forming processes. Therefore, the aims of the research were to establish the process concept for the manufacture of micro-components by using the machine that will be fabricated which could be used more practically in the small factories, whereas the Gleeble 3800 machine is more suitable for extended experimental work and further analysis in the laboratory. The cost to purchase the Gleeble 3800 machine was more expensive compared to the proposed fabricating machine. In addition to that, to design the iterations of die sets along with other tooling for machine setup to enable the series of experiment to produce of micro-components from powder materials. A comprehensive literature review on micromanufacturing, size effects, powder metallurgy and the electroplasticity process will be conducted. This efficient process has the potential to produce components with a high relative density around 90% or higher which was a difficult task to complete with the traditional method due to the influences from the size-effect issues in the micro-forming process and will contribute to the clean environment and decrease a pollution due to no usage of green compacts and argon gas. Changes in the particles concerning deformation and breaking are crucial in the course of achieving the densification in the proposed process which differs from a conventional sintering process

The adoption of SMP: a technology acceptance model (TAM) perspective

This research aims to examine the acceptability of SMP and to distinguish the adjustments which must be acquired to the system to make it worthy to users which in this case is the students. The research used a hierarchical regression for the data analysis between 220 students who stay in Universiti Malaysia Sabah Labuan International Campus (UMSLIC). Their participant is not being forced and purely voluntary. Empirical analysis via hierarchical regression confirmed that prescriptiveness, lifecycle, ease of use, usefulness and behavioural intention to adopt SMP. These empirical results give benefit for the Department of Academic Service (BPA) in UMSLIC. The department can formulate effective strategies to fulfil the demand of the student and making improvement of the system. The result of this study offer the current study towards the staff of the Department of Academic Services (BPA) that is achieved from this research is that it could help the BPA to improve and design the SMP system software

Clinical management of dietary induced urolithiasis associated with balanoposthitis in a Boer goat

A Boer-Kajang cross male goat was presented to the Veterinary Hospital, University Malaysia Kelantan with a history of dysuria, hematuria and restlessness. The goat was intensively managed (confined to the pen) and fed with only palm kernel cake for the last three months. Physical examination revealed that the goat was dull, depressed, having an inflamed penis and prepuce with blood stained urine dripping from the penis. The differential diagnoses were obstructive urolithiasis, urinary tract infection and balanoposthitis. Based on the history, clinical signs, physical examination, urinalysis, ultrasonagraphy and feed analysis, the goat was diagnosed with obstructive urolithiasis and balanoposthitis. Treatment was instituted by amputation of the urethral process and retrograde urohydropulsion to relieve the blockade. Sulfadiazine-trimethoprim (Norodine®24) 15mg/kg, I.M; flunixin meglumine 2.2mg/kg, I.M; vitamin B complex 1ml/10kg, I.M and ammonium chloride 300mg/kg orally were administered. The goat responded well to treatment and was recovering well during a follow up visit

The effectiveness of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in preventing Covid-19 infection among Healthcare Workers (HCW) – An exploratory study

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) has brought occupational health risks to a line of health workers globally. Till date, many hcws have been infected with Covid-19 as a result of exposure while on duty. Various efforts have been taken to prevent contagion or infection from continuing to occur. It is a priority to explore the effectiveness of PPE in preventing Covid-19 infection among healthcare workers. The study aims to listed related issue towards the application of PPE at workplace during Covid-19 pandemic and explain the effectiveness of PPE in preventing Covid-19 infection among healthcare workers. Data for this study was collected through semistructured interviews conducting during data collection process. Covid-19-infected hcws was identified from UKA and those infected due to workplace exposure. The approach in this study is through qualitative approaches. The qualitative approaches were carried out through interviewed with 16 respondents to obtain information and views related to effectiveness of PPE in preventing Covid-19 infection among healthcare workers. Each conversation was voice recorded and each recording was transcribed and analysed manually using coding process. Most of the participants agreed that appropriate PPE is sufficient to prevent infection of Covid-19 among hcws. It is necessary to establish a system that provides a stable supply of PPE for hcws to perform their duties. Most of the participants mentioned that the effectiveness used of PPE was for a short period of time. The use of PPE recommended by MOH and adherence to established sops can lower the risk of infection and increase the effectiveness of PPE used. Recommended checklist observation on provided PPE can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the PPE provided from time to time, and help the authorities to determine the good selection of PPE to use

Enhancing cultural competence in Malaysian nursing students

Malaysia is a multi-racial country with Malay, Chinese, Indian, and other minor races. According to a recent statistic by the Department of Statistics Malaysia of 2022, the total population was 32.7 million, with 30.2 million Malaysian citizens and 2.4 million non-citizens. Malaysian citizens comprise of Bumiputera or Malays (69.9%), Chinese (22.8%), Indians (6.6%), and others (0.7%) (1). Every race holds unique perspectives and beliefs on various aspects of life, such as social, economic, spiritual, and health. However, it is essential to acknowledge that health is the most crucial aspect. The Ministry of Health (MOH) is responsible for providing citizens with high-quality healthcare services that align with the teachings of Chapter 5, Verse 32 of the Quran

Inference and probability in methodology of Hadith

A central feature in the study of hadith methodology is in ensuring the authenticity of a narration attributed to the Prophet (s.a.w). While the details of criterion may differ somewhat between scholars, the common principles would see scrutiny of the content of a hadith as well as the chain of transmission. It is thus with these that scholars are able to determine the condition of the reports attributed to the Prophet (s.a.w). In this work, we propose to model the transmission of hadith in the context of binary channels and use the Bayes theorem from basic Probability Theory to discuss authenticity of a narration in a quantitative language. We present the model and further apply it to analyze certain types of hadith, including the muttawatir and ahad. Keywords: hadith transmission, chain, probability theory, analysi

Barrier protective effects of 2,4,6-trihydroxy-3-geranyl acetophenone on lipopolysaccharides-stimulated inflammatory responses in human umbilical vein endothelial cells

Pharmocological relevance: 2,4,6-trihydroxy-3-geranyl acetophenone (tHGA), is a phloroglucinol compound found naturally in Melicope ptelefolia. Melicope ptelefolia has been used traditionally for centuries as natural remedy for wound infections and inflammatory diseases. Aim of the study: Endothelial barrier dysfunction is a pathological hallmark of many diseases and can be caused by lipopolysaccharides (LPS) stimulation. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the possible barrier protective effects of tHGA upon LPS-stimulated inflammatory responses in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Materials and methods: HUVECs were pretreated with tHGA prior to LPS stimulation, where inflammatory parameters including permeability, monocyte adhesion and migration, and release of pro-inflammatory mediators were examined. Additionally, the effect of tHGA on F-actin rearrangement and adhesion protein expression of LPS-stimulated HUVECs was evaluated. Results: It was found that pretreatment with tHGA inhibited monocyte adhesion and transendothelial migration, reduced endothelial hyperpermeability and secretion of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Additionally, tHGA inhibited cytoskeletal rearrangement and adhesion protein expression on LPS-stimulated HUVECs. Conclusion: As the regulation of endothelial barrier dysfunction can be one of the therapeutic strategies to improve the outcome of inflammation, tHGA may be able to preserve vascular barrier integrity of endothelial cells following LPS-stimulated dysfunction, thereby endorsing its potential usefulness in vascular inflammatory diseases

Evolution of solution-based organic thin-film transistor for healthcare monitoring- from device to circuit integration: a review

Demand for organic electronics has growth tremendously for the past decade, owing to their high flexibility and low processing cost attributes. As part of the important elements in organic electronics, a solution processable organic thin film transistor (OTFT) has been center of discussion among researchers. The OTFT is recognized to bring electrical, mechanical, and industrial benefits to a broad range of new applications such as flexible displays, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, as well as biosensors specifically for healthcare monitoring system. Despite of their great application demand and significant technology advancement, the OTFT devices demonstrate unstable electrical performances especially in their mobilities and threshold voltages. These drawbacks will hold the fully commercialization of the OTFT in the market. Thus, this paper comprehensively reviews the current status of the OTFT technologies, ranging from material, device, process, and integration, including improvement that have been done on mobilities and operating voltages. Besides that, this work discusses on the applicability of the OTFT in the biosensor applications dedicated for real-time healthcare monitoring purposes. This review paper therefore is expected to provide a critical analysis on OTFT developments, as well as recognize their research gaps to allow their fully commercialization in the near future