High Carriage of , , and Resistance Genes among the Multidrug-resistant Uropathogenic (UPEC) Strains from Malaysian Patients.

The rapid emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) uropathogenic (UPEC) strains pose a critical challenge in urinary tract infection (UTI) treatments. However, little work elucidated the resistance mechanisms of the MDR UPEC clinical strains in Malaysia. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility profiles and the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance genes among the UPEC strains.

Lauric acid alleviates insulin resistance by improving mitochondrial biogenesis in THP-1 macrophages.

Mitochondrial dysfunction plays a crucial role in the central pathogenesis of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Macrophages play important roles in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance. Lauric acid is a 12-carbon medium chain fatty acid (MCFA) found abundantly in coconut oil or palm kernel oil and it comes with multiple beneficial effects.

Ethanol-induced CYP2E1 Expression is Reduced by Lauric Acid via PI3K Pathway in HepG2 Cells.

The metabolism of alcohol involves cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1)-induced oxidative stress, with the association of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinases (PI3K) and nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB) signalling pathways. CYP2E1 is primarily involved in the microsomal ethanol oxidising system, which generates massive reactive oxygen species (ROS) and ultimately leads to oxidative stress and tissue damage. Lauric acid, a major fatty acid in palm kernel oil, has been shown as a potential antioxidant.

IL-17A induction of ADAMTS-5 in differentiated THP-1 cells is modulated by the ERK signaling pathway.

Atherosclerosis is initiated when lipoproteins are trapped by proteoglycans in the arterial intima. Macrophages play a vital role in this disease, especially in the formation of foam cells and the regulation of pro-inflammatory responses. They also participate in plaque stabilization through the secretion of matrix metalloproteinases.

Pro-atherogenic proteoglycanase ADAMTS-1 is down-regulated by lauric acid through PI3K and JNK signaling pathways in THP-1 derived macrophages.

The prevalence of atherosclerosis has increased significantly in the recent years due to sedentary lifestyle and high-fat diet. However, the association between saturated fat intake and the increased risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases remains heavily debated. Lauric acid belongs to the saturated fatty acid group and its unique medium chain fatty acid properties are proven to be beneficial to humans in many ways.

Isolation, Antimicrobial Susceptibility Profile and Detection of 1, TEM, and SHV in Amoxicillin-Clavulanate-Resistant Bacteria Isolated From Retail Sausages in Kampar, Malaysia.

Background: Due to the overuse of antibiotics in livestock as a growth-promoting agent, the emergence of multi-antibiotic resistant bacteria is becoming a concern.

Objectives: In this study, we aimed to detect the presence and discover the molecular determinants of foodborne bacteria in retail sausages resistant towards the antibacterial agent amoxicillin-clavulanate.

Methods: Two grams of sausages were chopped into small pieces and transferred into sterile Luria-Bertani (LB) enrichment broths overnight before they were plated on MacConkey agar petri dishes.

Predominance of Three Closely Related Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Clones Carrying a Unique ccrC-Positive SCCmec type III and the Emergence of spa t304 and t690 SCCmec type IV pvl MRSA Isolates in Kinta Valley, Malaysia.

We investigated the epidemiology and clonality of 175 nonrepetitive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates from clinical specimens collected between 2011 and 2012 in Kinta Valley in Malaysia. Molecular tools such as polymerase chain reaction, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and staphylococcal protein A (spa) typing were used. Our study revealed the predominance of three closely related ermA SCCmec type III pulsotypes belonging to spa type t037 (Brazilian-Hungarian clone), which were deficient in the locus F, but positive for the ccrC gene in majority (65.

New integron gene arrays from multiresistant clinical isolates of members of the Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa from hospitals in Malaysia.

This study investigated 147 multidrug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from hospitalized patients in Malaysia. Class 1 integrons were the most dominant class identified (45.6%).

Tumour necrosis factor alpha down-regulates the expression of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor alpha (PPARα) in human hepatocarcinoma HepG2 cells by activation of NF-κB pathway.

Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-alpha (PPARα) plays a major role in the regulation of lipid and glucose homeostasis, and inflammatory responses. The objectives of the study were to systematically investigate the effects of TNF-α and its regulatory pathway on PPARα expression in HepG2 cells using Real-Time RT-PCR and western blot analysis. Here, TNF-α suppressed PPARα mRNA expression in a dose- and time-dependent manner at the level of gene transcription.

Interleukin-6 inhibits human peroxisome proliferator activated receptor alpha gene expression via CCAAT/enhancer-binding proteins in hepatocytes.

Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor alpha has been implicated as a regulator of acute phase response genes in hepatocytes. Interleukin-6 is widely known as a major cytokine responsible in the regulation of acute phase proteins and, therefore, acute phase response. Unfortunately, to date, very little is understood about the molecular mechanisms by which interleukin-6 regulates the gene expression of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor alpha.

Molecular characterisation of six alternatively spliced variants and a novel promoter in human peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha) is a ligand-activated transcriptional factor that governs many biological processes, including lipid metabolism, inflammation, and atherosclerosis. We demonstrate here the existence of six variants and multiple transcriptional start sites of the 5(') untranslated region (UTR) of hPPARalpha gene, originating from the use of alternative splicing mechanisms and four different promoters. Three new novel exons at the 5(')-untranslated region of human PPARalpha gene were also identified and designated as Exon A, Exon B, and Exon 2b.