Mapping the influence of hydrocarbons mixture on molecular mechanisms, involved in breast and lung neoplasms: in silico toxicogenomic data-mining.

Background: Exposure to chemical mixtures inherent in air pollution, has been shown to be associated with the risk of breast and lung cancers. However, studies on the molecular mechanisms of exposure to a mixture of these pollutants, such as hydrocarbons, in the development of breast and lung cancers are scarce. We utilized in silico toxicogenomic analysis to elucidate the molecular pathways linked to both cancers that are influenced by exposure to a mixture of selected hydrocarbons.

A Green Approach to Natural Dyes in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.

Solar cells are pivotal in harnessing renewable energy for a greener and more sustainable energy landscape. Nonetheless, eco-friendly materials for solar cells have not been as extensive as conventional counterparts, highlighting a significant area for further investigation in advancing sustainable energy technologies. This study investigated natural dyes from cost-effective and environmentally friendly blueberries and mulberries.

Meta-Analysis Exploring the Effects of Music Training in Cochlear Implant Users by Age.

Background And Objectives: The present study aimed to explore meaningful change in the musical performance of cochlear implant (CI) users according to age after receiving music training compared to the other CI users who did not receive any music training and normal hearing (NH) listeners. Materials and.

Methods: Article search was conducted from five journal databases.

The Osseous Pathology of Purpura Fulminans in a Two-Year-Old Child: A Case Report.

Purpura fulminans (PF) is a severe clinical manifestation of infection that is associated with high mortality rates in children. Survivors are frequently left with debilitating musculoskeletal sequelae. There is a paucity of reports on the musculoskeletal pathology of purpura fulminans.

Effect of Visual Exposure versus Obstruction upon Patient's Quantitative and Qualitative Stress Parameters Changes during Minor Oral Surgery.

Objectives:  Dental anxiety is ultimately related to the fear of pain, more evidently seen in surgical dental procedures. This study aimed at comparing the stress parameter differences between patients undergoing minor oral surgery (MOS) with their eyes covered (closed) versus uncovered (open) at our center.

Materials And Methods:  Twenty-three MOS patients were draped with eyes covered, while another 23 MOS patients were draped with eyes uncovered.

Technique for Orthodontic Clinical Photographs Using a Smartphone.

Smartphone cameras have advanced at a rapid rate. With this advancement, it is possible to take high quality orthodontic clinical photographs using a smartphone. The aim of this article is to describe the technique to take orthodontic clinical photographs using a smartphone.

Merkel cell carcinoma: Preparing to go the distance.

Introduction: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare and aggressive malignancy of the skin, with poor clinical outcomes. Typical conditions include a rapidly growing, solitary dome-shaped, violaceous nodule. Several root causes have been identified - sun exposure, age, lighter skin, immunocompromised state, and polyomavirus infection.

Efficacy of Music Training in Hearing Aid and Cochlear Implant Users: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of music training on the improvement of musical perception among hearing-impaired listeners using a systematic review and meta-analysis. Article search was conducted from five databases, Scopus, ScienceDirect, Web of Knowledge, CINAHL, and PubMed. A total of 186 participants from 10 studies investigating the music training effects on individuals fitted with hearing assistive devices and outcome measurements were included.

Absolute cosine-based SVM-RFE feature selection method for prostate histopathological grading.

Objective: Feature selection (FS) methods are widely used in grading and diagnosing prostate histopathological images. In this context, FS is based on the texture features obtained from the lumen, nuclei, cytoplasm and stroma, all of which are important tissue components. However, it is difficult to represent the high-dimensional textures of these tissue components.

In Vitro Evaluation of Human Hand Tendon Ingrowth into A Synthetic Scaffold.

Background: Synthetic scaffold has been used for tissue approximation and reconstructing damaged and torn ligaments. This study explores the ability of tendon ingrowth into a synthetic scaffold in vitro, evaluate growth characteristics, morphology and deposition of collagen matrix into a synthetic scaffold.

Methods: Upper limb tendons were harvested with consent from patients with crush injuries and non-replantable amputations.

Soil-Transmitted Helminths in Malaysia landscape: an aborigines study.

Soil-transmitted helminths (STH) is a group of parasitic nematodes, including Trichuris trichiura, Ascaris lumbricoides, Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus, which can cause gastrointestinal disorders in humans. STH is prevalent among neglected communities in both developing and developed countries. This present study aims to determine the current prevalence of STH infections in Aboriginal population after mass delivering of antihelminthic drugs was proposed by WHO in 2005 and a health education learning package (HELP) was initiated in Malaysia in 2012.

Flavonoids stimulate cholecystokinin peptide secretion from the enteroendocrine STC-1 cells.

Animal experiments showed that flavonoids might have the potential for an anti-obesity effect by reducing weight and food intake. However, the exact mechanisms that could be involved in these proposed effects are still under investigation. The complex process of food intake is partially regulated by gastrointestinal hormones.

Overexpression of Arabidopsis thaliana gibberellic acid 20 oxidase (AtGA20ox) gene enhance the vegetative growth and fiber quality in kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) plants.

Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.; Family: Malvaceae), is multipurpose crop, one of the potential alternatives of natural fiber for biocomposite materials. Longer fiber and higher cellulose contents are required for good quality biocomposite materials.

Bacteriostatic antimicrobial combination: antagonistic interaction between epsilon-viniferin and vancomycin against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Stilbenoids have been considered as an alternative phytotherapeutic treatment against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection. The combined effect of ε-viniferin and johorenol A with the standard antibiotics, vancomycin and linezolid, was assessed against MRSA ATCC 33591 and HUKM clinical isolate. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of the individual tested compounds and the fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI) value of the combined agents were, respectively, determined using microbroth dilution test and microdilution checkerboard (MDC) method.

Spatial scaling effects on soil bacterial communities in Malaysian tropical forests.

Spatial scaling to some extent determines biodiversity patterns in larger organisms, but its role in microbial diversity patterns is much less understood. Some studies have shown that bacterial community similarity decreases with distance, whereas others do not support this. Here, we studied soil bacterial communities of tropical rainforest in Malaysia at two spatial scales: a local scale with samples spaced every 5 mover a 150-m transect, and a regional scale with samples 1 to 1,800 km apart.

Analysis of interaction of phenolic compounds with the cholecystokinin signaling pathway to explain effects on reducing food intake.

Previous animal experiments demonstrated that phenolic compounds can reduce weight and food intake, but the exact mechanism(s) behind these effects remain unknown. For regulation of food intake, the cholecystokinin (CCK) hormone signaling pathway plays an important role as it induces satiety by binding on its specific receptor (CCK1R), hereby reducing food intake. In this study, we investigated the possible interactions of eight phenolic compounds of different classes (tannic acid, gallic acid, benzoic acid, hydroxybenzoic acid, protocatechuic acid, quercetin, kaempferol and resveratrol) with the CCK1R signaling pathway.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitory effects by plant phenolic compounds: a study of structure activity relationships.

In this study, 22 phenolic compounds were investigated to inhibit the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE). Tannic acid showed the highest activity (IC50 = 230 μM). The IC50 values obtained for phenolic acids and flavonoids ranged between 0.

pH dominates variation in tropical soil archaeal diversity and community structure.

Little is known of the factors influencing soil archaeal community diversity and composition in the tropics. We sampled soils across a range of forest and nonforest environments in the equatorial tropics of Malaysia, covering a wide range of pH values. DNA was PCR-amplified for the V1-V3 region of the 16S rRNA gene, and 454-pyrosequenced.

Distinctive bacterial communities in the rhizoplane of four tropical tree species.

It is known that the microbial community of the rhizosphere is not only influenced by factors such as root exudates, phenology, and nutrient uptake but also by the plant species. However, studies of bacterial communities associated with tropical rainforest tree root surfaces, or rhizoplane, are lacking. Here, we analyzed the bacterial community of root surfaces of four species of native trees, Agathis borneensis, Dipterocarpus kerrii, Dyera costulata, and Gnetum gnemon, and nearby bulk soils, in a rainforest arboretum in Malaysia, using 454 pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene.

The Effect of Labisia pumila var. alata on Postmenopausal Women: A Pilot Study.

This is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study comparing the effects of a water extract of Labisia pumila var. alata at 280 mg/day with placebo, given for 6 months in postmenopausal Malay women. There were 29 patients treated with Labisia pumila and 34 patients in the placebo group.

Screening of soy and milk protein hydrolysates for their ability to activate the CCK1 receptor.

The cholecystokinin receptor-type 1 (CCK1R) is a G-protein coupled receptor localized in the animal gastrointestinal tract. Receptor activation by the natural peptide ligand CCK leads to a feeling of satiety. In this study, hydrolysates from soy and milk proteins were evaluated for their potential to activate the CCK1R, assuming that bioactive peptides with a satiogenic effect can be used as an effective therapeutic strategy for obesity.

Comparison of the TL fading characteristics of Ge-doped optical fibres and LiF dosimeters.

Fading is important in choosing appropriate thermoluminescence (TL) materials for particular applications. Comparison is made herein of changes due to fading in the TL yield of Ge-doped fibres and lithium fluoride (LiF) dosimeters, for varying temperature and dose. The fading is independent of dose for all investigated dosimeters while the loss in TL yield reduces for lower storage temperatures.