DNA barcoding for authentication of Orthosiphon stamineus herbal medicinal product using ITS2 nuclear marker originating from Malaysia

Orthosiphon stamineus (Misai Kucing) has become the focus of commercialization in Malaysia due to its potential health treatment benefits that can attract huge consumers' demand. Although the quality of herbal medicinal product (HMP) remains a major concern for consumers due to its high adulteration rate, there is insufficient testing done to determine whether the herb species used in HMP are as claimed in their ingredients. HMP authentication can be done by using a DNA barcoding approach which is species-specific. In this work, the first nuclear ITS2 barcode (279bp) from the fresh plant of O. stamineus (MKP) originating from Malaysia was successfully generated and deposited in Genbank (MT251295.1). The efficiency of the novel barcode in O. stamineus HMP authentication was tested in two samples, tea (MKT) and capsule (MKC) based on BLAST and NJ-tree analysis. The success of applying DNA barcoding by using ITS2 barcode generated in this work for HMP authentication makes it possible to complement conventional methods for O. stamineus HMP quality assurance testing and authentication in Malaysian herbal industry

Preparation method of titanium dioxide nanoparticles and its application: an update

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is widely used because of its good biocompatibility and stability. Various methods were used to prepare TiO2 by using chemical, biological, and physical methods. In this paper, the currents methods to prepare TiO2 were evaluated either with or without using plant extract. The average particle size produced for different methods of technique and its application was also analyzed. Chemical methods use toxic chemical while physical methods such as gamma produce high energy and using biological method with plant extract is more environmentally friendly. This review gives an up-to-date summary of TiO2 produced using various synthesis methods with the focus on their particle sizes properties. Recent publications on this topic were extracted from related journals obtained from Science Direct online database from the year 2010 to 2021. Preparation methods, average particles sizes, and the applications of the synthesized TiO2 were evaluated and further discussed in this review. It was found that TiO2 of smaller particle sizes were obtained when synthesized without using plant extract. Furthermore, many researchers tend to combine TiO2 with other materials or composites to be mixed with polymers for various purposes of application especially wastewater treatment application

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Summary Background Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. Methods We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung’s disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. Findings We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung’s disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middleincome countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in lowincome countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. Interpretation Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between lowincome, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

Incorporation of cobalt ferrite on the field dependent performances of magnetorheological grease

Magnetorheological grease (MRG) is one of the smart materials that experiences a high off-state viscosity, which hassles the operation of devices at the beginning and causes more energy consumption upon operation. Therefore, this paper investigates the off-state viscosity of MR lithium-based grease with various percentages of cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4), as these particles are believed to potentially enhance the field-dependent stress of MRG by reducing the off-state viscosity and increasing mobility of the magnetic particles as the magnetic field applied. The MRG with various concentrations of CoFe2O4 at a ratio of 1–5 wt.% were investigated via Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) and Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM) to analyze their morphology and magnetic properties, respectively. The rheological test of MRG samples in terms of viscosity, shear stress and yield stress were investigated upon shear rate, using rheometer. The results demonstrated that with the incorporation of 5wt.% CoFe2O4 particles, the initial off-state viscosity was reduced by 86% as compared to the pure MRG. The presence of CoFe2O4 particles triggered more chaotic motion thus restricted the formation of agglomeration of particles during shearing process. Meanwhile, the initial viscosity of MRG increased as a 0.64 T of magnetic field was applied along with the increased of CoFe2O4 particles. In fact, there was an enhancement of shear stress and yield stress on the CoFe2O4 incorporated MRG samples as compared with pure MRG. This study underlined the influence of CoFe2O4 particles, which could reduce the initial viscosity of MRG and improve the rheological properties upon the application of magnetic field

The self-efficacy, self-regulation and academic motivation among students

dThe study aims to identify the self- efficacy, self- regulation and academic motivation among students. Research design for this study is case study which used quantitative method. The study involved 140 respondents randomly selected among students Permata Insan in Islamic Science University of Malaysia from Form 1 until Form 4 respondents involved in this study using stratified sampling method which based on their availability to participate. Instruments used are The Self-Efficacy Questionnaire, The Self- Regulation Questionnaire and Academic Motivation Scale. The design of the study uses a survey method. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, independent sample t test and correlation. Research findings shows there is significant relationship between self- efficacy and academic motivation among students, significant relationship between self- regulation and academic motivation among students and significant difference between self-efficacy, self-regulation and academic motivation based on gender among students. Thus, to improve self-esteem, self-regulation and academic motivation among student, there is need of teachers to make diversify in style of teaching when delivering in classroom to ensure delivering are more effective towards students