Physical activity (PA) is regarded as a non-pharmacological preventive strategy against cognitive decline. This study aimed to examine the relationship between PA and cognitive function in cognitively normal older Malaysian adults from a multi-ethnic, urban-dwelling community. Participants completed a questionnaire with questions on demographic details, socioeconomic status, health conditions, and short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFParkinson's disease (PD) is a common motor neurodegenerative disease that still lacks effective therapeutic options. Previous studies have reported that lactoferrin exhibited neuroprotective effects in cellular and animal models of PD, typically induced by 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) or 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP) synthetic toxin. However, the neuroprotective capacity of lactoferrin in the rotenone-induced cellular model of PD remains relatively less established.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIt is well-established that higher socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with improved brain health. However, the effects of SES across different life stages on brain structure and function is still equivocal. In this systematic review, we aimed to synthesise findings from life course neuroimaging studies that investigated the structural and functional brain correlates of SES across the life span.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a global health problem. The gut microbiome is now recognized as an important underlying factor to the initiation and progression of CRC. Fusobacterium nucleatum (FN) is one of the most studied bacteria in the aetiology of CRC.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study presents a green synthesis approach for the fabrication of zinc oxide-silver nanoparticles (ZnO-Ag-NPs) using fruit peels extract as a natural reducing and stabilizing agent. This eco-friendly method offers a sustainable alternative to conventional methods that often employ toxic or hazardous chemicals. Antibacterial and anti-cancer activities of the green synthesized nanoparticles were then assessed .
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRecent advancements in lactoferrin research have uncovered that lactoferrin does function not only as an antimicrobial protein but also as an immunomodulatory, anticancer, and neuroprotective agent. Focusing on neuroprotection, this literature review delineates how lactoferrin interacts in the brain, specifically its neuroprotective effects and mechanisms against Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases (AD and PD), the two most common neurodegenerative diseases. The neuroprotective pathways involving surface receptors (heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG) and lactoferrin receptor (LfR)), signaling pathways (extracellular regulated protein kinase-cAMP response element-binding protein (ERK-CREB) and phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt (PI3K/Akt)), and effector proteins (A disintegrin and metalloprotease10 (ADAM10) and hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α)) in cortical/hippocampal and dopaminergic neurons are described.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrimary amoebic meningoencephalitis and granulomatous amoebic encephalitis are distressing infections of the central nervous system caused by brain-eating amoebae, namely, and spp., respectively, and present mortality rates of over 90%. No single drug has been approved for use against these infections, and current therapy is met with an array of obstacles including high toxicity and limited specificity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHerpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) as a possible infectious etiology in Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been proposed since the 1980s. The accumulating research thus far continues to support the association and a possible causal role of HSV-1 in the development of AD. HSV-1 has been shown to induce neuropathological and behavioral changes of AD, such as amyloid-beta accumulation, tau hyperphosphorylation, as well as memory and learning impairments in experimental settings.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSun bear populations are fragmented and at risk from habitat loss and exploitation for body parts. These threats are made worse by significant gaps in knowledge of sun bear population genetic diversity, population connectivity, and taxonomically significant management units. Using a complete sun bear mitochondrial genome, we developed a set of mitochondrial markers to assess haplotype variation and the evolutionary history of sun bears from Peninsular (West) Malaysia and Sabah (East Malaysia).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChryseobacterium indologenes and Chryseobacterium gleum are Gram negative environmental bacteria that have been frequently reported to implicate in fatal nosocomial infections, such as bacteraemia and ventilator-associated pneumonia in immunocompromised individuals in the past decades. The interaction between Chryseobacterium spp. and Acanthamoeba castellanii, a free-living amoeba ubiquitous in the environment, has not been explored previously.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Neurosci
January 2020
The accumulating knowledge of the host-microbiota interplay gives rise to the microbiota-gut-brain (MGB) axis. The MGB axis depicts the interkingdom communication between the gut microbiota and the brain. This communication process involves the endocrine, immune and neurotransmitters systems.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAntibiotics (Basel)
September 2019
Seaweeds are gaining a considerable amount of attention for their antioxidant and antibacterial properties. and , also known as 'sea grapes', are green seaweeds commonly found in different parts of the world, but the antioxidant and antibacterial potentials of Malaysian and have not been thoroughly explored. In this study, crude extracts of the seaweeds were prepared using chloroform, methanol, and water.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMater Sci Eng C Mater Biol Appl
November 2019
In this study, a comparative study of effect using honey on copper nanoparticles (Cu-NPs) via simple, environmentally friendly process and inexpensive route was reported. Honey and ascorbic acid act as stabilizing and reducing agents with the assistance of sonochemical method. The products were characterized using UV-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM), Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFour binuclear phosphanesilver(I) dithiocarbamates, {cyclohexylPAg(SCNRR')} for R = R' = Et (1), CHCH (2), CHCHOH (3) and R = Me, R' = CHCHOH (4) have been synthesised and characterised by spectroscopy and crystallography, and feature tri-connective, μ-bridging dithiocarbamate ligands and distorted tetrahedral geometries based on PS donor sets. The compounds were evaluated for anti-bacterial activity against a total of 12 clinically important pathogens. Based on minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and cell viability tests (human embryonic kidney cells, HEK 293), 1-4 are specifically active against Gram-positive bacteria while demonstrating low toxicity; 3 and 4 are active against methicillin resistant S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The Gram negative anaerobe Fusobacterium nucleatum has been implicated in the aetiology of periodontal diseases. Although frequently isolated from healthy dental plaque, its numbers and proportion increase in plaque associated with disease. One of the significant physico-chemical changes in the diseased gingival sulcus is increased environmental pH.
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