Phytochemical compounds in the methanolic extract of piper Betle l. Leaves

Piper betle L. or known as ‘Sireh’ in Malaysia has been useful in treating various conditions. This study aimed to investigate the phytochemical compounds present in Piper betle L. methanolic extract using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GCMS) and Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LCMS). Plant leaves were ground into powder and soaked in methanol for 15 days. Extract was filtered and concentrated using a rotary evaporator before analyses. GCMS and LCMS have identified ten and 26 compounds respectively. Phenols was identified as the major component of the extract in both analyses. A new major phytocomponent was discovered in this study and recognized as actinidioinoside when identified by LCMS. This study has discovered the presence of phytocomponents with therapeutic importance, which can further be studied and be used in future treatments

Identification of gastrointestinal helminths infection from goats isolated in a farm in Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia

Livestock is a group of domesticated animal that is reared in an agricultural setting. It usually served as a source of income for most peoples in Malaysia. However, the productions of this livestock especially goats have been decreasing due to the occurrence of gastrointestinal helminths infection. The aim of this study was to identify the presence and species of gastrointestinal helminths from 120 fecal samples collected directly from the rectum of goats from a farm located in Kuantan, Pahang. Firstly, the physical observation was evaluated on all goats. Then, their fecal sample was examined within 96 hours using Formal-ether Sedimentation method for the morphological characteristics identification of gastrointestinal helminthic species under the microscope. This study has identified the majority of goats with a good physical condition, that they have no sign of blood loss and have appropriate body frame. However, the microscopic identification has revealed 89 from the total samples positive with gastrointestinal helminths species while 76 of the positive showed presence of mixed species. The species found were Haemonchus contortus, Trichostrongylus spp., Trichuris ovis, Oesophagostomum spp., Ostertagia spp., and Strongyloides papillosus. This high infection of gastrointestinal helminths observed in goats is related to an impaired immune system, poor farm management, and uncontrolled anthelmintic treatment. The presence of various species of gastrointestinal helminths within a goat is an important cause of morbidity and loss of production. Therefore, this study suggested the need for an effective system of management, diagnosis and appropriate treatment that can reduce the risk of infection and increase the productivity of the animals. ******************************************************** Ternakan adalah sekumpulan haiwan peliharaan yang diternak dalam keadaan pertanian di mana ia berfungsi sebagai sumber pendapatan bagi kebanyakan orang di Malaysia. Walau bagaimanapun, pengeluaran ternakan telah berkurang disebabkan oleh jangkitan cacing di usus haiwan. Tujuan kajian ini adalah untuk mengenal pasti kehadiran dan jenis cacing di usus dari 120 sampel najis yang dikumpulkan secara langsung dari rektum kambing dari sebuah ladang yang terletak di Kuantan, Pahang. Pertama sekali, pemeriksaan fizikal ke atas setiap kambing telah dilakukan. Selepas itu, setiap sampel najis kambing tersebut telah diperiksa dalam masa 96 jam menggunakan teknik permendapan formal-ether untuk mengenal pasti sifat-sifat bentuk setiap spesies cacing usus di bawah mikroskop. Pemeriksaan fizikal kambing menunjukkan bahawa hampir setiap dari mereka tiada tanda-tanda kekurangan darah dan mempunyai bentuk badan yang bersesuaian. Walau bagaimanapun, pemerhatian mikroskop menunjukkan kehadiran cacing usus pada 89 ekor kambing dengan 76 ekor daripadanya mempunyai lebih dari satu spesies cacing usus. Spesies yang ditemui ialah Haemonchus contortus, Trichostrongylus spp., Trichuris ovis, Oesophagostomum spp., Ostertagia spp., dan Strongyloides papillosus. Peningkatan jangkitan cacing usus pada kambing biasanya berkait dengan kelemahan sistem imun, pengurusan ladang dan rawatan ubat anthelmintic yang tidak terkawal. Kehadiran pelbagai spesies cacing usus adalah salah satu penyebab yang menyumbang kepada morbiditi dn kekurangan pengeluaran. Oleh itu, kajian ini mengenal pasti keperluan untuk sistem pengurusan, diagnosis dan rawatan berkesan dengan ubat anthelmintik yang dapat mengurangkan risiko jangkitan dan meningkatkan produk pengeluaran ternakan

The medical use of germinating parts of plants; mata kunyit, sunti halia and lemukut in Malay medical manuscripts

Introduction: Germinating parts of plants are the beginning of the growth of a plant that can be seed, spore, or bud and it is usually used in the Malay community as a spice and traditional medicine. Correspondingly, this study reviews the utilisation of germinating parts of three materia medica locally known as ‘mata kunyit’ (Curcuma longa – Zingiberaceae), ‘sunti halia’ (Zingiber officinale – Zingiberaceae) and ‘lemukut’ (Oryza sativa – Poaceae) that are commonly used in the disease cure formulation recipes to treat certain diseases by traditional Malay practitioners. Their medical importance has been emphasized in certain manuscripts and has proven its potential as an enhancer in disease cures. Therefore, this study intended to outline germinating parts of the materia medica and the type of disease cures with their medicinal properties. Methods: Their medical use of these germinating parts was searched in six different published transliterated Malay medical manuscripts namely MSS2999 Kitab Tib, Sari Segala Ubat, Al-Rahmah Fi Al- Tibb Wa Al-Hikmah, Tayyib Al-Ihsan Fi Tibb Al-Insan, Khazinat Al-Insan, and Rumah Ubat di Pulau Penyengat. Results: Collectively, mata kunyit, lemukut, and sunti halia were mentioned 13, 10 and 3 times respectively in these six manuscripts. The review found that mata kunyit and lemukut are repeatedly used in combination to treat diseases such as dysmenorrhoea, parturition, orthostatic hypotension, cough of bronchial asthma, backache, constipation, lethargy, leprosy, ulcers and oedema. Whereas sunti halia and mata kunyit was used interchangeably as the adding factors in formulations to treat diseases such as dysmenorrhoea and cough. Conclusions: This finding summarises the type of diseases that often utilises mata kunyit, sunti halia and lemukut in the ‘disease cure formulation recipes. Besides, this review deduced that future exploratory study concerning this germinating tip is highly beneficial

Agripreneurial Intention among Young Business Graduates

The low level of public involvement in the agricultural sector in many developed and developing countries have led to a magnitude of the food security crisis. Malaysia has a large proportion of young people and has a high rate of youth unemployment. One answer is to encourage recent graduates to start businesses in the agriculture sector. This article presents data that examined the intention of the young graduate to venture into the agricultural sector, using attitude, social norms, and perceived behavioral control to solve the current food security crisis. Data was collected from young graduates who have taken business and entrepreneurship courses at the university. A self-administrated online questionnaire was designed and distributed to these young people. This study contributes to the insight into the young generation of graduates’ intention to venture into the agricultural sector as well as provides suggestions or recommendations for future studies

Current and emerging molecular technologies for the diagnosis of plant diseases – An overview

Plant diseases caused by numerous pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi are responsible for substantial economic losses in the agricultural industry worldwide. Specific, sensitive, and efficient diagnostic tools have been developed worldwide to mitigate and prevent the pathogenic threat. The diagnostic tools have revolutionized from classical methods to more advanced molecular diagnostic approaches such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR), real-time PCR, loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), biosensor, and next-generation sequencing (NGS). Hence, this review describes the current and emerging molecular diagnostic tools to distinguish and identify pathogens in crops

Prevalence of Blastocystis sp. in cattle, goat and sheep reared by different farm management systems in Pahang, Malaysia

Blastocystis sp. is a familiar parasite in the gastrointestinal tract causing infection in humans and animals. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the Blastocystis sp. prevalence in three sorts of livestock; cattle, goats, and sheep in Pahang, Malaysia, which are reared under two management systems; intensive and semi-intensive farm management system. About 92, 96, and 65 cattle, goat, and sheep fecal samples respectively were collected from different farms around Kuantan, Bera, and Pekan. The fecal samples were cultured in Jones’ medium supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated horse serum and incubated at 37 ºC for 2 weeks, then observed under light microscopy daily. The total prevalence of Blastocystis sp. was 29.34% in cattle (27/92), 29.16% in goats (28/96), and 43.07% in sheep (28/65). Supported the results of this study, Blastocystis sp. prevalence was higher in sheep and livestock reared by a semi-intensive farm management system (44.38%). However, further study could be done for Blastocystis sp. subtypes identification to determine its genetic diversity. Notwithstanding, this study has provided additional knowledge on the prevalence of each livestock reared in farms around Pahang that serve as important information in understanding host-parasite relationships, besides determining the best farm management system to be applied by farmers

Prevalence of Blastocystis sp. in cattle, goat and sheep reared by different farm management systems in Pahang, Malaysia

Blastocystis sp. is a familiar parasite in the gastrointestinal tract causing infection in humans and animals. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the Blastocystis sp. prevalence in three sorts of livestock; cattle, goats, and sheep in Pahang, Malaysia, which are reared under two management systems; intensive and semi-intensive farm management system. About 92, 96, and 65 cattle, goat, and sheep fecal samples respectively were collected from different farms around Kuantan, Bera, and Pekan. The fecal samples were cultured in Jones’ medium supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated horse serum and incubated at 37 ºC for 2 weeks, then observed under light microscopy daily. The total prevalence of Blastocystis sp. was 29.34% in cattle (27/92), 29.16% in goats (28/96), and 43.07% in sheep (28/65). Supported the results of this study, Blastocystis sp. prevalence was higher in sheep and livestock reared by a semi-intensive farm management system (44.38%). However, further study could be done for Blastocystis sp. subtypes identification to determine its genetic diversity. Notwithstanding, this study has provided additional knowledge on the prevalence of each livestock reared in farms around Pahang that serve as important information in understanding host-parasite relationships, besides determining the best farm management system to be applied by farmers

Knowledge audit on the implementation of knowledge management in public sector research institute in Malaysia: a case study

Knowledge Management (KM) is a strategic initiative essential for any organisation to succeed.This paper discusses the evaluation of KM initiatives in the Malaysian Government Research Institute by performing knowledge audit.The evaluation was conducted to test the effectiveness of the current KM initiatives adopted by National Hydraulic Research Institute of Malaysia (NAHRIM) and to identify shortcomings that exist for the purpose of improvement.The methodology of the study involved an initial study by operating the company visit and literature on four other organisations that have successfully implemented the KM as a benchmark.Then, a survey was carried out to the employees of NAHRIM to identify their awareness; and the interviews were conducted among Top Management Officers of NAHRIM to gather their opinions towards current KM initiatives. In the final section of this paper, recommendations are presented as the results of the evaluation that has been carried out

Prevalence and subtype distribution of blastocystis sp. in cattle from Pahang, Malaysia

Blastocystis sp. is a common enteric protozoan parasite found in humans and various types of animals worldwide. Recently, genotypic distribution of Blastocystis sp. were revealed in insects, rodents, avian and mammals, which exposed its potential of transmiting the infection to human. However, very little information on current levels of Blastocystis sp. infection were reported in cattle from Malaysia. Herein, a total of 120 stool samples of cattles were collected. While the potential risk of infection such as age, gender, body score, diarrheic condition of the cattle were noted, and the condition as well as the management of the farms was also recorded. All stool sample were cultured, but 80 samples were selected for PCR sequencing analysis. The cultivation and microscopic examination revealed only 25% of the cattle (30/120) were infected with Blastocystis sp.. But, 43.8% of the cattle (35/80) were found positive upon PCR sequencing. The study also found that age, body score condition, diarrheic condition and certain farm were associated with the infection (p<0.05). Six subtypes (STs) that were discovered during the study were ST10 (21.3%;17/35), ST5 (8.8%;7/35), ST3 (7.5%;6/35), ST1 (2.5%;2/35), ST4 (2.5%;2/35) and ST14 (1.3%;1/35). Thus, moderate infections and variants in the genotypic distributions of the cattle suggest its potential for zoonotic transmission. Therefore, this findings could be helpful for further understanding the parasite, which assist studies of its pathogenicity

Review on oral methotrexate in medical management of ectopic pregnancy: a 2 years experience in hospital Shah Alam

Background: The objective of this study is to determine the success rate of oral methotrexate in Hospital Shah Alam for the past 2 years.Methods: This is a cross-sectional study using secondary data obtained from medical record office in Hospital Shah Alam on patients with ectopic pregnancy. A total of 35 patients who fulfilled the criteria for medical management were selected. They were prescribed with oral methotrexate with the dose of 60 mg given in 3 divided doses every 2 hours using the standard tablet of 2.5mg. Follow up was done at day 4, day 7 and till HCG level achieve less than 20 iu/litre.Results: 29 patients were successfully treated with oral methotrexate 60 mg (82.8%). Another 6 patients had to undergo laparoscopic surgery with confirmed leaking, ruptured tubal pregnancy. 4 patients needed second dose of Methotrexate due to rising HCG level and all of them were successfully treated after the second dose. The side effects of oral methotrexate were tolerated well by all patients. There are numbers of predictors for success which are the level of HCG <4000 iu/litre, size of mass <4cm, no abdominal pain during early presentation and decrease of HCG level in between day 4 to day 7 after oral methotrexate.Conclusions: The success rate of oral methotrexate for stable ectopic pregnancy is good making it a suitable option for clinical settings which has no specialised equipment to handle cytotoxic drugs