The cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) is an important parameter assessing arterial function. It reflects arterial stiffness from the origin of the aorta to the ankle, and the algorithm is blood pressure independent. Recent data have suggested that a high CAVI score can predict future cardiovascular disease (CVD) events; however, to date, no study has been done in Malaysia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Exposure to chronic stress induces oxidative damage which alters the dynamic balance between antioxidant and pro-oxidant activities in the brain. Tualang honey (TH) is a Malaysian wild multifloral honey which has been shown to contain high amount antioxidants. DHA-rich fish oil is a form of omega-3 fatty acids found in fish which also possesses some antioxidant activity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFKratom is a widely abused plant-based drug preparation with a global interest in recent years, well beyond its native grounds in Southeast Asia. Mitragynine, its major psychoactive constituent is known to exhibit opioid-like behavioral effects with resultant neuroplasticity in the brain reward system. Its chronic administration is associated with cognitive impairments in animal studies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: A growing body of evidence indicates that hypoxia exposure causes learning and memory deficits. An effective natural therapeutic approach has, however, not been explored widely. Our previous studies found that Tualang honey administration protected learning and memory functions in ovariectomized rats.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study was undertaken to determine the phenolic compounds and the anti-atherogenic effect of bee bread in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese rats. The presence of phenolic compounds in bee bread was determined by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Thirty-two male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into four groups, ( = 8/group); i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of Tualang honey (TH), DHA-rich fish oil, and their combination on the concentrations of selected pro-inflammatory cytokines in rat brains following exposure to chronic stress.
Methods: Fifty male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into (i) control, (ii) stress-exposed, (iii) stress-exposed and treated with TH (1 g/kg body weight twice daily via oral gavage), (iv) stress-exposed and treated with DHA-rich fish oil (450 mg/kg body weight twice daily via oral gavage), and (v) stress-exposed and treated with a combination of TH and DHA-rich fish oil. The chronic stress regimen consisted of a combination of restraint stress and a swim stress test for 28 days.
J Cell Biochem
October 2012
The clinical application of human bone marrow derived multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) requires expansion, cryopreservation, and transportation from the laboratory to the site of cell implantation. The cryopreservation and thawing process of MSCs may have important effects on the viability, growth characteristics and functionality of these cells both in vitro and in vivo. More importantly, MSCs after two rounds of cryopreservation have not been as well characterized as fresh MSCs from the transplantation perspective.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF