Effect of aloe emodin on the gene expression profiling in human glioma cell lines

Aloe emodin has been previously reported to promote anticancer activity via inhibning the expression of several genes. This study was aimed to investigate the apoptosis and cell cycle arrest inducing by aloe emodin on U87 human malignant glioma cells as well as to explore its effect on the gene expression profile of U87 cells by utilizing microarray technology. In this study: aloe emodin showed a time:. and dose dependent inhibition of U87 cells proliferation and decreased \he percentage of viable U87 cells via the induction of apoptosis. Characteristic morphological changes, such as the formation of apop!otic bodies, were observed with confocal microscope by Annexin V-FITC/PI' staining, supporting our viability study and flow cytometry analysis results. Our data also demonstrated that ~loe emodin arrested the cell cycle in the S phase and promoted the loss of mitochondrial membrane potentiill in U87 cells that indicated the early event of the mitochondria-induced apoptotic pathway. Microarray analy~is also reported that more than 8,000 gene expression alterations out of 28,000 gene-label probe sets were detected after treatment with 58.6 fJg/ml aloe emodin concentration for 24 hour. However, only 34 genes were; considered statistically significant (p<0.05). Interpretation of microarray data revealed 22 genes that were up-regulated and 12 genes that were downregulated in response to aloe emodin treatment. This study demonstrates that expression of genes in glioma cells affected by aloe emodin involved in various cellular functions mainly in cell proliferation and apoptosis . These results could serve as guidance for further studies in order to recover molecular targets for targeted cancer therapy-based aloe emodin treatment. Besides that the Involvement of certain genes in the formation and progression of brain tumors need further evaluation

Prevalence of Latent Tuberculosis Infection and its Associated Factors Among Diabetic Patients Availing Primary Health Care in Terengganu State, Malaysia

Objectives: Diabetes mellitus (DM) patients are considered to be at high risk for contracting latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). This study aimed to determine the prevalence of LTBI and its associated factors among diabetic patients attending primary care clinics in Terengganu state, Malaysia. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among diabetic patients attending 11 health clinics in the Terengganu region from June 2017 to November 2018. The selected participants were administered a tuberculin skin test (TST). Simple and multivariate logistic regressions were applied to evaluate the significant associated factors of LTBI. Results: The total number of participants were 703 DM patients. The factors found associated with LTBI were poor diabetic control status (odds ratio (OR) = 8.53; p=0.008), being a healthcare worker (OR = 7.91; p=0.001), history of contact with TB patients (OR = 5.69; p < 0.001), bronchial asthma (OR = 5.28; p=0.019), coronary heart disease (OR = 3.45; p=0.026), and nephropathy (OR = 0.34; p=0.040). The presence of LTBI was found in 34 (4.8%) participants. Conclusions: At 4.8%, the prevalence of LTBI among DM patients in Terengganu is relatively low. Diabetics with poorly controlled blood glucose levels, nephropathy, bronchial asthma, coronary heart disease, history of TB patient contact, or working in the healthcare profession should be periodically tested for LTBI

Mechanical and crash performance of unidirectional oil palm empty fruit bunch fibre-reinforced polypropylene composite

The mechanical properties of unidirectional oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fibre / polypropylene (PP) composites were analysed. The composites were fabricated with unidirectional fibre orientations of 0°, 45°,and 90°,with mass fractions of 25%, 35%,and 45% for each fibre orientation angle. The composites were then subjected to tensile, flexural,and impact testing. Superior tensile, flexural,and impact strengths were observed for the unidirectional composites with 0° fibre orientation angle. A fibre loading of 35% provided the highest tensile strength,while fibre loadings of 25% and 45% yielded the greatest flexural and impact resistances, respectively.The crash performance of the unidirectional composite subjected to low-velocity impact in the automotive bumper fascia was investigated. The composite exhibited significantly improved energy absorption capability and comparable specific energy absorption when compared with the current material being used for the bumper fascia

Optical properties of ternary tellurite glasses

Test samples of ternary glass tellurite [(TeO2)65(B2O3)35]y[Ag2O]y with y = 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 mol % have been fabricated and their physical and optical properties were investigated. The optical absorption was recorded at room temperature in the wavelength range from 200 to 800 nm. From the absorption edge data, the value of the optical band gap Eopt and the Urbach energy ΔE were evaluated. The value of Eopt lies between 2.15 eV and 1.85 eV for the indirect transition and for direct transition the values vary from 2.77 eV to 2.35 eV. From the experimental results, values of the optical band gap and Urbach energy were calculated. They were found to be dependent on the glass composition

Ultrasonic study and physical properties of borotellurite glasses

A series of glasses (TeO2)x (B2O3)1-x with x = 0.6, 0.63, 0.65, 0.70, 0.73, 0.75, 0.78 and 0.80 were synthesized by rapid quenching. Longitudinal and shear ultrasonic velocity were measured at room temperature and at 5 MHz frequency. Elastic properties, Poisson’s ratio and micro hardness have been calculated from the measured density and ultrasonic velocity at room temperature. Estimated parameters based on Makishima-Mackenzie theory and bond compression model were calculated in order to analyze the experimental elastic moduli. Comparison between the experimental elastic moduli data obtained in the study and the calculated theoretically by other models has been discussed

Epigenetic insights and potential modifiers as therapeutic targets in β–thalassemia

Thalassemia, an inherited quantitative globin disorder, consists of two types, α– and β–thalassemia. β–thalassemia is a heterogeneous disease that can be asymptomatic, mild, or even severe. Considerable research has focused on investigating its underlying etiology. These studies found that DNA hypomethylation in the β–globin gene cluster is significantly related to fetal hemoglobin (HbF) elevation. Histone modification reactivates γ-globin gene expression in adults and increases β–globin expression. Down-regulation of γ–globin suppressor genes, i.e., BCL11A, KLF1, HBG-XMN1, HBS1L-MYB, and SOX6, elevates the HbF level. β–thalassemia severity is predictable through FLT1, ARG2, NOS2A, and MAP3K5 gene expression. NOS2A and MAP3K5 may predict the β–thalassemia patient’s response to hydroxyurea, a HbF-inducing drug. The transcription factors NRF2 and BACH1 work with antioxidant enzymes, i.e., PRDX1, PRDX2, TRX1, and SOD1, to protect erythrocytes from oxidative damage, thus increasing their lifespan. A single β–thalassemia-causing mutation can result in different phenotypes, and these are predictable by IGSF4 and LARP2 methylation as well as long non-coding RNA expression levels. Finally, the coinheritance of β–thalassemia with α–thalassemia ameliorates the β–thalassemia clinical presentation. In conclusion, the management of β–thalassemia is currently limited to genetic and epigenetic approaches, and numerous factors should be further explored in the future

Glass formation and elastic behavior of bismuth borate glass system

Bismuth borate glass is of great interest in optoelectronic devices due to its low melting temperature (600–800 °C), extensive glass formation range, high refractive index ranging from 1.9 to 2.3, high physical and chemical stability, and nonlinear optical property. A systematic bismuth borate glass series in the systems of (Bi2O3)x−(B2O3)1−x have been successfully prepared by melt quenching technique over a wide range of composition (x = 35–70 mol%). Their elastic properties have been measured from their densities as well as longitudinal (VL) and shear ultrasonic wave velocities (Vs) which have been determined at room temperature by the MBS8000 Ultrasonic Data Acquisition system at a frequency of 5 MHz. The variation of ultrasonic wave velocities and elastic modulus such as longitudinal, Young's, bulk and shear modulus, Poisson's ratio, and micro hardness are discussed with respect of the Bi2O3 content

Supply chain management in the Malaysian construction industry

The construction industry plays an important role in establishing the required infrastructure for socioeconomic development while being a major contributor to ward overall economic growth.As the national economy grows, the construction industry needs to satisfy the expansion and changes in construction demand.To meet the challenges of global competition,the Malaysian construction industry will have to respond to changes in demands.Since the performance of the industry has great implication to the national economy, the construction industry should be promoted to a greater echelon.Therefore, Supply Chain Management (SCM) is a great opportunity for the construction industry primarily to reduce costs and time, thus improving industrial productivity.However, there are obstacles that include poor levels of logistical competence, partly limited competition, strong project focus as well as the attitudes and traditions surrounding the issue.In congruent with SCM principles and practices, the construction industry should consider integrating SCM into its portfolio to boost efficiency and effectiveness throughout the construction value chain. This research looks into the practice of SCM in the Malaysian construction industry.The motives behind this study were to identify dimens ions involved in SCM practices among three categories of construction players, namely contractors, developers, and suppliers. Besides that, this study also went deep into acknowledging the level of intensity of each practice in order to gain a thorough understanding on the related issues.Based on the study, SCM in general, is reasonably considered a common practice in the Malaysian construction industry.It was also found that the level of SCM adoption is good among the construction players.Conclusively, this research has been successful in meeting its objectives.Despite having good adoption level of SCM practices, SCM understanding is still considerably low in certain aspects.This leaves heavy responsibilities on the construction-related government agencies to further enhance the understanding of the construction players regarding SCM practices