Analysis of serum circulating MicroRNAs level in Malaysian patients with gestational diabetes mellitus.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a severe global issue that requires immediate attention. MicroRNA expression abnormalities are possibly disease-specific and may contribute to GDM pathological processes. To date, there is limited data on miRNA profiling in GDM, especially that involves a longitudinal study.

Multiple Skeletal Anomalies of Sprague Dawley Rats following Prenatal Exposure to as Delineated by a Modified Double-Staining Method.

() is a plant that originates from Middle Eastern countries. This herb is commonly consumed by pregnant women to ease the process of childbirth. However, consumption of during the prenatal period may disrupt foetal development.

Cathinone: An alkaloid of (Khat) exacerbated hyperglycemia in diabetes-induced rats.

Cathinone, the main bioactive alkaloid of (khat), slightly increased the blood sugar levels of healthy animals, while its effect on blood sugar levels of diabetic animals has not yet been reported. This study investigated the inhibition of cathinone on α-amylase and α-glucosidase as well as its glycemic effects in diabetes-induced rats. Rats were fed on a high fat diet for five weeks, which then intraperitoneally injected with streptozotocin (30 mg/kg).

Association of deleted in liver cancer-1 gene polymorphism with increased risk of chronicity of disease among Malaysian patients with hepatitis B infection.

Objective: The aim of this study is to examine the association between genetic variations in deleted in liver cancer 1 (DLC1) gene with progression of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.

Methods: A total of 623 subjects were included in this study, of whom, 423 were chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients without liver cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), 103 CHB with either liver cirrhosis ± HCC and 97 individuals who had resolved HBV. Two single-nucleotide polymorphisms rs3739298 and rs532841 of DLC1 gene were genotyped using the Sequenom MassARRAY platform.

Loss-of-function HSD17B13 variants, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and adverse liver outcomes: Results from a multi-ethnic Asian cohort.

Background/aims: 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 13 (HSD17B13) variants were recently reported to have significantly lower odds of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This is a two-part study that aimed to evaluate the association of HSD17B13 variants with NAFLD and its histological severity, and to identify the association of the variants with clinical outcomes in a cohort of biopsy-proven NAFLD patients.

Methods: Consecutive biopsy-proven NAFLD patients and controls without fatty liver were recruited for this study between 2009 and 2014.

Lipopolysaccharide Pre-conditioning Attenuates Pro-inflammatory Responses and Promotes Cytoprotective Effect in Differentiated PC12 Cell Lines Pre-activation of Toll-Like Receptor-4 Signaling Pathway Leading to the Inhibition of Caspase-3/Nuclear Factor-κappa B Pathway.

Lipopolysacharide (LPS) pre-conditioning (PC), has been shown to exert protective effects against cytotoxic effects. Therefore, we hypothesized, the tolerance produced by LPS PC will be resulted by the alterations and modifications in gene and protein expression. With reference to the results of MTT assays, AO/PI staining, and Annexin V-FITC analyses of LPS concentration (0.

LPS Preconditioning Attenuates Apoptosis Mechanism by Inhibiting NF-κB and Caspase-3 Activity: TLR4 Pre-activation in the Signaling Pathway of LPS-Induced Neuroprotection.

Neuroinflammation, an inflammatory response within the nervous system, has been shown to be implicated in the progression of various neurodegenerative diseases. Recent in vivo studies showed that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) preconditioning provides neuroprotection by activating Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), one of the members for pattern recognition receptor (PRR) family that play critical role in host response to tissue injury, infection, and inflammation. Pre-exposure to low dose of LPS could confer a protective state against cellular apoptosis following subsequent stimulation with LPS at higher concentration, suggesting a role for TLR4 pre-activation in the signaling pathway of LPS-induced neuroprotection.

Use of simple scoring systems for a public health approach in the management of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients.

Background And Aim: Advanced fibrosis is the most important predictor of liver-related mortality in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic performance of noninvasive scoring systems in identifying advanced fibrosis in a Malaysian NAFLD cohort and propose a simplified strategy for the management of NAFLD in a primary care setting.

Methods: We enrolled and reviewed 122 biopsy-proven NAFLD patients.

Khat (Catha edulis) upregulates lipolytic genes in white adipose tissue of male obese mice (C57BL/6J).

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Khat (Catha edulis (Vahl) Forssk.) is a herb from the Celastraceae family (also known as qat, gaad, or mirra) that is widely-consumed in East Africa and in the Arabian peninsula. The green leaves and small stems are consumed primarily at recreational and social gatherings, and medicinally for their antidiabetic and appetite-suppression effects.

Allele HLA-DQB1*06 reduces fibrosis score in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Aim: Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) regions were highlighted as important genetic markers for various liver diseases by hepatology-related genome-wide association studies. Replication studies in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are limited and none has investigated the association of HLA alleles with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and other histological characteristics. In the current study, we examined the association of HLA-DQA1 and HLA-DQB1 alleles with NAFLD spectrum and its histological characteristics.

Potential toxicity effects of Anastatica hierochuntica aqueous extract on prenatal development of Sprague-Dawley rats.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Anastatica hierochuntica (A. hierochuntica) is a plant consumed in folk medicine for the treatment of reproductive system related problems and metabolic disorders. It is of concern that the herb is commonly consumed by pregnant women towards the end of pregnancy to ease the process of labour, despite the lack of studies evaluating its safety.

Evaluation of Anti-Tumorigenic Effects of Diosmetin against Human Colon Cancer Xenografts in Athymic Nude Mice.

Colon cancer is the third most common type of cancer in the world. Diosmetin (Dis), a natural -methylated flavone, has been reported to have anti-cancer effects against different types of cancer. Although the mechanisms of action of Dis against several cancer cell lines are well reported, in vivo anti-tumorigenesis properties of this compound are still obscure.

Antiproliferative and apoptotic activities of 8-prenylnaringenin against human colon cancer cells.

Aims: The compound 8-prenylnaringenin (8-PN) is a prenylflavonoid that can be isolated from hops and beer and has anti-cancer properties against breast cancer. The aim of this study is to investigate the anti-proliferative and apoptotic activities of 8-PN against human colon cancer HCT-116 cells.

Main Methods: Colon cancer HCT-116 cells were treated with 8-PN and subjected to MTT and acridine orange/propidium iodide (AO/PI) staining to investigate the cytotoxicity of 8-PN.

Generic Cost-Effectiveness Models: A Proof of Concept of a Tool for Informed Decision-Making for Public Health Precision Medicine.

Background/aims: Economic evaluation is integral to informed public health decision-making in the rapidly growing field of precision and personalized medicine (PM); however, this research requires specialized expertise and significant resources. Generic models are a novel innovation to efficiently address a critical PM evidence shortage and implementation barrier by enabling use of population-specific input values. This is a generic PM economic evaluation model proof-of-concept study for a pharmacogenomic use case.

Investigation into the Molecular Mechanisms underlying the Anti-proliferative and Anti-tumorigenesis activities of Diosmetin against HCT-116 Human Colorectal Cancer.

Diosmetin (Dis) is a bioflavonoid with cytotoxicity properties against variety of cancer cells including hepatocarcinoma, breast and colorectal (CRC) cancer. The exact mechanism by which Dis acts against CRC however, still remains unclear, hence in this study, we investigated the possible molecular mechanisms of Dis in CRC cell line, HCT-116. Here, we monitored the viability of HCT-116 cells in the presence of Dis and investigated the underlying mechanism of Dis against HCT-116 cells at the gene and protein levels using NanoString and proteome profiler array technologies.

Cynometra cauliflora Linn. Attenuates metabolic abnormalities in high-fat diet-induced obese mice.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Cynometra cauliflora Linn. belongs to the Fabaceae family and is known locally in Malaysia as nam-nam. Traditionally, a decoction of the C.

Prenatal developmental toxicity evaluation of Verbena officinalis during gestation period in female Sprague-Dawley rats.

Verbena officinalis is widely used by women for maintaining general health and treating various gynaecological disorders during pregnancy. A case report has indicated that the consumption of V. officinalis induced an abortifacient effect.

Mutagenicity and genotoxicity effects of Verbena officinalis leaves extract in Sprague-Dawley Rats.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Traditionally, Verbena officinalis L. has been used for reproductive and gynaecological purposes. However, the mutagenicity and genotoxicity of V.

Chronic restraint stress impairs sociability but not social recognition and spatial memoryin C57BL/6J mice.

Chronic stress has been associated with impairment of memory, learning, and social cognition. In animal studies, chronic stress has been shown to impair rodent sociability behaviour which mimics social withdrawal as observed in depression patients. The effect of chronic stress on social recognition, however, is uncertain.

Effect of 95% Ethanol Khat Extract and Cathinone on in vitro Human Recombinant Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2C9, CYP2D6, and CYP3A4 Activity.

Background And Objective: A significant number of people worldwide consume khat on daily basis. Long term of khat chewing has shown negative impact on several organ systems. It is likely that these people are co-administered khat preparations and conventional medication, which may lead to khat-drug interactions.

Interleukin-6 gene variants are associated with reduced risk of chronicity in hepatitis B virus infection in a Malaysian population.

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a cytokine with a critical role in regulating the immune response to infectious disease. Studies have indicated that polymorphisms in the gene may be linked to hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. The purpose of the present study was to examine the association among SNPs and haplotypes with HBV infection risk in a Malaysian population.

Adipocytokine Regulation and Antiangiogenic Activity Underlie the Molecular Mechanisms of Therapeutic Effects of Phyllanthus niruri against Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

The growth of adipose tissues is considered angiogenesis-dependent during non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We have recently reported that our standardized 50% methanolic extract (ME) of (50% ME of ) has alleviated NAFLD in Sprague⁻Dawley rats. This study aimed to assess the molecular mechanisms of action, and to further evaluate the antiangiogenic effect of this extract NAFLD was induced by eight weeks of high-fat diet, and treatment was applied for four weeks.

Effect of Catha edulis (khat) on pancreatic functions in streptozotocin-induced diabetes in male Sprague-Dawley rats.

People consume Catha edulis (khat) for its euphoric effect, and type 1 diabetics have claimed that khat could reduce elevated levels of blood sugar. However, khat has been suggested to provoke diabetes mellitus through destruction of pancreatic β-cells. This study investigated the effect of an ethanolic khat extract on pancreatic functions in type 1 diabetes (T1DM)-induced male Sprague-Dawley rats and to assess its in vitro cytotoxicity in rat pancreatic β-cells (RIN-14B).