Histological observation of Gelam (Melaleuca cajuputi Powell) in different ecosystems of Terengganu

A histological and anatomical comparative analysis of Gelam, Melaleuca cajuputi Powell was conducted to determine the adaptability Gelam (Melaleuca cajuputi Powell, Family = Myrtaceae) in two different micro-ecosystems of Terengganu. The sites sampling chosen were Jambu Bongkok Amenity Forest (Formerly known as Rantau Abang Amenity Forest), a large swamp forests and prominent flooding site in the  District of Marang, Terengganu and Taman Penyelidikan Alam, Bukit Kor  - a hard top soil area of Marang, Terengganu. The objective of this study is to compare the anatomy and histology features of gelam in these two areas. Results show that gelam from both ecosystems exhibits  morphological differences and variations in some tissues (in leaf, petiole, bark, and root anatomy such as in type of epicuticular waxes, bark anatomy, leaf anatomy, vascular bundle, bark fibre pits, vessel, phloem, xylem, cortex, epidermal cells and mesophyll cells). This initial observation may suggest that gelam can adapt well in different ecosystems of Terengganu. Its ability to response well toward Terengganu’s different coastal environmental changes could make gelam a viable tree for conservation and landscape program. Keywords: Melaleuca cajuputi Powell, Gelam; anatomy; histology; microscopy; Terenggan

Maqasid al-Shari’ah: a pathway for protecting children’s right to health

Children all over the world have legal instruments for their protection. These rights are also accorded them under the Shari’ah. The protection of children covers all aspects of children’s life such as education, freedom of movement and right to health. Despite the existence of provisions under Shari’ah relating to the protection of children’s health, yet children are suffering from various diseases such as malaria, diarrhea and other communicable diseases. It has been proven that over 800,000 children have been suffering for health problem as a result of inadequate health facilities or medical expert as well as malnutrition. This suffering is due to the nonchalant attitude of some parents or government towards the application of Shari’ah on one hand, and ignorance of the objectives of Shari’ah known as Maqasid-al Shari’ah in relation to health of children on the other hand. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the right of children to health under Maqasid al-Shari’ah such as darurriyat, hajiyyat and tahsiniyyat. Qualitative method is adopted and in doing so, analysis of both primary and secondary materials is be used. The primary data sources include the Quran and Hadith. The secondary sources include journals, judicial authorities, unpublished dissertations/theses, articles from newspapers and magazines while data will also be obtained through online data bases. Some of the instruments used include tools from other disciplines as well. The study concludes that full implementation of children’s right to health under Shari’ah will promote the health of children and assist them to develop mentally and physically

Chemical Composition and The Potential Biological Activities Of Piper Betel – A Review

Piper betel is a member of the family Piperaceae, commonly known as Sirih (Malaysia and Indonesia), Paan (India and Bangladesh), Betel (English) and Phlu (Thailand). It is widely found and grown in India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, other Southeast Asian and East African countries. Piper betel is widely used throughout the world even in modern days due to its known medicinal properties. Betel plant contains various biologically active compounds, which are responsible for its numerous pharmacological actions. The medicinal profile reveals Piper betel to have a high potential for treating many diseases and conditions. Further studies of betel plant are recommended to focus on the variety of metabolic activities in human, thus, improving its usage medically that will be beneficial to mankind

Clinical and Laboratory Aspects of Thyroglobulin and Thyroglobulin Antibody in Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma

Thyroglobulin (Tg) is a precursor for thyroid hormone, specifically synthesized by thyroid follicular cells upon stimulation by the thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). Damage to the thyroid cells caused by benign or malignant thyroid diseases cause the release of Tg into circulation. Differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) is the most common endocrine malignancy, which has an excellent prognosis if detected and treated early. This review describes the clinical and laboratory aspects of Tg and AntiTg measurement in the management of DTC. The serum Tg measurement has been used in the pre- and post-operative management of DTC. The clinical significance of Tg and the role its low level can play in the diagnosis and monitoring of DTC as well as in the prediction of its recurrence must be understood. DTC may lead to the production of a different Tg with novel immunogenic cancer epitopes that can induce TgAb synthesis. The preoperative TgAb level has shown a high predictive value for DTC, while postoperative serum TgAb can be used for the detection of disease persistence and recurrence. Despite the importance of TgAb level in DTC management, the presence of TgAb interferes with the analysis of Tg measurement, thus limiting its clinical utility. There is no established value regarding at which level TgAb interferes with Tg measurement. Available methods in measuring Tg and TgAb should emphasize the lower and upper limits of their detection, especially for postoperative monitoring and early disease recurrence detection. The accurate measurement of serum Tg and TgAb is pertinent to the follow-up of DTC patients, and any suspicious results must be interpreted in accordance with clinical findings in view of a present possible assay interference

A preliminary study on Jatropha curcas as coagulant in wastewater treatment

Many coagulants, mainly inorganic, are widely used in conventional water and wastewater treatment. Recent studies reported the occurrence of some chronic diseases associated with residual coagulant in treated wastewater. The use of alternative coagulants which are biodegradable and environmentally friendly could alleviate the problem associated with these diseases. This work investigates the capability of Jatropha curcas seed and presscake (the residue left after oil extraction) to reduce the turbidity of wastewater through coagulation. The coagulant was prepared by dissolving Jatropha curcas seed and presscake powder into solution. Then jar tests were conducted on kaolin solution as the model wastewater. The Jatropha seed was found to be an effective coagulant with more than 96% of turbidity removal at pH 1–3 and pH 11–12. The highest turbidity removal was recorded at pH 3 using a dosage of 120 mg/L. The flocs formed using Jatropha were observed to be bigger and to sediment faster when compared with flocs formed using alum. The turbidity removal was high (>98%) at all turbidities (100 NTU to 8000 NTU), suggesting its suitability for a wide range of industrial wastewater. The performance of Jatropha presscake after extraction of oil was also comparable to the fresh seed and alum at highly acidic and highly alkaline conditions. The addition of Jatropha did not significantly affect the pH of the kaolin samples after treatment and the sludge volume produced was less in comparison to alum. These results strongly support the use of Jatropha curcas seed and presscake as a potential coagulant agent

LC–QTOF-MS identification of porcine-specific peptide in heat treated pork identifies candidate markers for meat species determination

The purpose of this study was to identify porcine-specific peptide markers from thermally processed meat that could differentiate pork from beef, chevon and chicken meat. In the initial stage, markers from tryptic digested protein of chilled, boiled and autoclaved pork were identified using LC–QTOF-MS. An MRM method was then established for verification. A thorough investigation of LC–QTOF-MS data showed that only seven porcine-specific peptides were consistently detected. Among these peptides, two were derived from lactate dehydrogenase, one from creatine kinase, and four from serum albumin protein. However, MRM could only detect four peptides (EVTEFAK, LVVITAGAR, FVIER and TVLGNFAAFVQK) that were consistently present in pork samples. In conclusion, meat species determination through a tandem mass spectrometry platform shows high potential in providing scientifically valid and reliable results even at peptide level. Besides, the specificity and selectivity offered by the proteomics approach also provide a robust platform for Halal authentication

Hemolyzed Specimens: Major Challenge for Identifying and Rejecting Specimens in Clinical Laboratories

Pre-analytical quality in clinical chemistry testing is as important as analytical and post-analytical quality. The most prevalent pre-analytical interference and a major source of error producing unreliable laboratory test results is hemolysis of blood samples. In vitro hemolysis may be due to the blood withdrawal technique or sample handling whereas in vivo hemolysis can originate from acquired, hereditary, or iatrogenic conditions and is not technique dependent. Interpreting in vivo or in vitro hemolysis requires clinicians to supply reliable clinical history and findings. Even then, to reject or release the result with interpretation is still under debate. Thus, hemolyzed specimens are a serious pre-analytical problem calling for well-designed and strictly implemented laboratory guidelines. The aim of this non-systematic review (addressed to healthcare professionals) was to highlight the challenges in identifying and rejecting hemolysis specimens

Evaluation of doctors’ performance as facilitators in basic medical science lecture classes in a new Malaysian medical school

Background: Didactic lecture is the oldest and most commonly used method of teaching. In addition, it is considered one of the most efficient ways to disseminate theories, ideas, and facts. Many critics feel that lectures are an obsolete method to use when students need to perform hands-on activities, which is an everyday need in the study of medicine. This study evaluates students’ perceptions regarding lecture quality in a new medical school. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted of the medical students of Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin. The study population was 468 preclinical medical students from years 1 and 2 of academic year 2012–2013. Data were collected using a validated instrument. There were six different sections of questions using a 5-point Likert scale. The data were then compiled and analyzed, using SPSS version 20. Results: The response rate was 73%. Among 341 respondents, 30% were male and 70% were female. Eighty-five percent of respondents agree or strongly agree that the lectures had met the criteria with regard to organization of lecture materials. Similarly, 97% of students agree or strongly agree that lecturers maintained adequate voices and gestures. Conclusion: Medical students are quite satisfied with the lecture classes and the lectures. However, further research is required to identify student-centered teaching and learning methods to promote active learning

Determination of ultra-morphological changes of trichophyton rubrum treated with hydroxychavicol

Introduction: Trichophyton rubrum is a common pathogenic fungal species that is responsible for causing infection of human skin, hair and nail. The antifungal-resistant strains however, complicate the treatment regime. Hydroxychavicol (HC) is one of the main compounds from the Piper betel leaf that have antifungal potential and its mechanism of action has yet to be studied. This study was carried out to determine the antifungal properties of HC against Trichophyton rubrum using transmission electron microscope (TEM) on gross and ultrastructure of Trichophyton rubrum hypha. Methods: Broth dilution method was used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) of HC and miconazole (MI) against the Trichophyton rubrum (ATCC 28188). Trichophyton rubrum was treated with HC and MI at concentrations of 1.25, 2.5, 5 and 10 mg/mL for 1, 3, 5 and 7 days continuously. Results: The MIC results of the HC and MI against Trichophyton rubrum were 0.00048 mg/mL and 0.000061 mg/mL respectively. MFC results showed 0.0019 mg/mL for HC and 0.000061 mg/mL for MI. Microscopically, the fungi structures became more severely damaged at increasing treatment duration. The cell wall of the fungi treated with HC showed a rough surface, shrinkage and demolition similar to that of the MI treated group. The fungi organelles were also demolished and disorganized. Conclusions: This study reveals that HC has the ability to inhibit Trichophyton rubrum growth and it has the potential to be an antifungal agent especially in treating dermatitis. KEYWORDS: Piper betel, Trichophyton rubrum, hydroxychavicol, miconazole, antifunga

Evaluation of HbA1c using high performance liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus patients suspected to have haemoglobin variant

BACKGROUND: High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) is widely used for HbA1c measurement. However, it is prone to haemoglobin (Hb) variant interference. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is believed to have better performance in patients with Hb variant. This study aimed to compare HbA1c level between HPLC and CE among Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) patients suspected to have Hb variant, determine the type of Hb variant among those patients, and evaluate the agreement between both methods.METHODS: A cross-sectional study conducted at Endocrine Laboratory, Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia, from June till December 2020. HbA1c results of adults T2DM from HPLC with suspected Hb variant were re-analysed using CE. The comparisons of HbA1c were made using paired t-test and Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test. The correlation and method comparison were made using Pearson correlation, Bland Altman (BA) and Passing-Bablok (PB), whereas the agreement using Intraclass Coefficients Correlation (ICC).RESULTS: 250 patients were included with a median (IQR) age of 52.19 (11.11) years. For reportable results (?3.8% to ?18.5%), both methods showed no difference (p=0.382) whereas the results were difference for HbA1c >18.5% (p=0.048). 26 patients had Hb analysis with majority having Hb E trait 14 (5.6%). HPLC overestimated HbA1c in patients with Hb J and alpha Hb variant while CE able to report. Pearson correlation and PB regression analysis showed good correlation (r=0.987, p<0.001) and good agreement [slope of 1.0 (95% CI: 1.00 to 1.03); intercept of -0.3 (95% CI: ?0.61 to 0.30)]. BA plot revealed a mean difference of 0.30% (95% CI:0.00 to 0.50) with limits of agreement from ?0.54 to +1.14. ICC showed excellent reliability (0.983 (p<0.001).CONCLUSION: HPLC and CE can be used interchangeably for HbA1c analysis across the measurement range. CE is the preferred in T2DM with certain Hb variant.peer-reviewe