High cell density culture of Cupriavidus necator H16 and improved biological recovery of polyhydroxyalkanoates using mealworms.

The cost of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) can be reduced by improving their productivity and recovery. In this study, we attempted to obtain a high cell density culture from a 13 L bioreactor and subsequently improved the recently developed biological recovery process using mealworms to obtain the PHA granules. A cell dry weight of 161 g/L containing 68-70 wt% P(3HB) was obtained.

Effect of protocatechuic acid-layered double hydroxide nanoparticles on diethylnitrosamine/phenobarbital-induced hepatocellular carcinoma in mice.

Researchers investigating cancer chemotherapy and management continue to search for agents that selectively kill malignant cells and leave healthy neighboring cells intact. Natural products provide relevant resources for anti-cancer drug discovery. However, the physicochemical properties of these compounds limit their efficient uptake and bioavailability.

Incremental benefits of EEG informed fMRI in the study of disorders related to meso-corticolimbic dopamine pathway dysfunction: A systematic review of recent literature.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a non-invasive imaging modality that enables the assessment of neural connectivity and oxygen utility of the brain using blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) imaging sequence. Electroencephalography (EEG), on the other hands, looks at cortical electrical impulses of the brain thus detecting brainwave patterns during rest and thought processing. The combination of these two modalities is called fMRI with simultaneous EEG (fMRI-EEG), which has emerged as a new tool for experimental neuroscience assessments and has been applied clinically in many settings, most commonly in epilepsy cases.

Regression of solid breast tumours in mice by Newcastle disease virus is associated with production of apoptosis related-cytokines.

Background: Different strains of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) worldwide proved to have tumouricidal activity in several types of cancer cells. However, the possible anti-cancer activity of Malaysian NDV AF2240 strain and its mechanism of action remains unknown. The ability of cytokine-related apoptosis-inducing NDV AF2240 to treat breast cancer was investigated in the current study.

Study of Primordial 226Ra, 228Ra, and 40K Concentrations in Dietary Palm Dates and Concomitant Radiological Risk.

The presence of natural radionuclides in the food chain point to a need to assess concentration levels and concomitant radiological risk. Highly popular and forming a staple part of the diet in North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and West Asia, palm dates growing naturally there have even greater marketability than simple satisfaction of domestic demand, the palm dates representing a valuable export item. Accurate knowledge of the levels of natural radioactivity in the fruit is thus of importance.

African neuroscience on the global stage: Nigeria as a model.

Of the 572 neuroscience-related studies published in Nigerian from 1996 to 2017, <5% used state-of-the-art techniques, none used transgenic models, and only one study was published in a top-tier journal.

Biohydrogen Production by Antarctic Psychrotolerant sp. ABZ11.

Lower temperature biohydrogen production has always been attractive, due to the lower energy requirements. However, the slow metabolic rate of psychrotolerant biohydrogen-producing bacteria is a common problem that affects their biohydrogen yield. This study reports on the improved substrate synthesis and biohydrogen productivity by the psychrotolerant Klebsiella sp.

Assessing product adulteration of Eurycoma longifolia (Tongkat Ali) herbal medicinal product using DNA barcoding and HPLC analysis.

Context: Eurycoma longifolia Jack (Simaroubaceae) commonly known as Tongkat Ali is one of the most important plants in Malaysia. The plant extracts (particularly roots) are widely used for the treatment of cough and fever besides having antimalarial, antidiabetic, anticancer and aphrodisiac activities.

Objectives: This study assesses the extent of adulteration of E.

Fishmeal replacement with Spirulina Platensis and Chlorella vulgaris in African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) diet: Effect on antioxidant enzyme activities and haematological parameters.

This study explored fishmeal replacement with two freshwater microalgae: Spirulina Platensis and Chlorella vulgaris in African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) diet. The effect of inclusion of the two microalgae on biomarkers of oxidative stress, haematological parameters, enzyme activities and growth performance were investigated. The juvenile fish were given 3 distinct treatments with isonitrogenous (35.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids in marine bacteria and strategies to enhance their production.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) play an important role in human diet. Despite the wide-ranging importance and benefits from heart health to brain functions, humans and mammals cannot synthesize PUFAs de novo. The primary sources of PUFA are fish and plants.

A systematic review of micro correlates of maternal mortality.

In the year 2000, the World Health Organization launched the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which were to be achieved in 2015. Though most of the goals were not achieved, a follow-up post 2015 development agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was launched in 2015, which are to be achieved by 2030. Maternal mortality reduction is a focal goal in both the MDGs and SDGs.

Graphene Oxide as a Nanocarrier for a Theranostics Delivery System of Protocatechuic Acid and Gadolinium/Gold Nanoparticles.

We have synthesized a graphene oxide (GO)-based theranostic nanodelivery system (GOTS) for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using naturally occurring protocatechuic acid (PA) as an anticancer agent and gadolinium (III) nitrate hexahydrate (Gd) as the starting material for a contrast agent,. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were subsequently used as second diagnostic agent. The GO nanosheets were first prepared from graphite via the improved Hummer's protocol.

Hepatoprotective Effect of Camel Milk on Poloxamer 407 Induced Hyperlipidaemic Wistar Rats.

Aim: To investigate the effect of oral administration of camel milk on liver enzymes, total proteins and histology of poloxamer 407 induced hyperlipidaemic wistar rats.

Material And Methods: Thirty male wistar rats weighing between 150-200 g were randomly assigned into six groups of five each; group I: administered distilled water, group II: induced with P407, group III: induced with P407 and treated with atorvastatin (20 mg/kg) and groups IV, V and VI: induced with P407 and treated with camel milk 250 mg/kg, 500 mg/kg and 1000 mg/kg respectively. After three weeks, blood samples and liver tissues were collected for the determination of alkaline phospatase (ALP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total protein, albumin, globulin, albumin/globulin ratio and histological studies respectively.

Batch growth kinetic studies of locally isolated cyanide-degrading strain AQ07.

The evaluation of degradation and growth kinetics of strain AQ07 was carried out using three half-order models at all the initial concentrations of cyanide with the values of regression exceeding 0.97. The presence of varying cyanide concentrations reveals that the growth and degradation of bacteria were affected by the increase in cyanide concentration with a total halt at 700 ppm KCN after 72 h incubation.

The relationship between CO emission, energy consumption and economic growth in Malaysia: a three-way linkage approach.

This study examines the three-way linkage relationships between CO emission, energy consumption and economic growth in Malaysia, covering the 1975-2015 period. An autoregressive distributed lag approach was employed to achieve the objective of the study and gauged by dynamic ordinary least squares. Additionally, vector error correction model, variance decompositions and impulse response functions were employed to further examine the relationship between the interest variables.

Evaluation of in vitro efficacy of docetaxel-loaded calcium carbonate aragonite nanoparticles (DTX-CaCONP) on 4T1 mouse breast cancer cell line.

Cockle shell-derived calcium carbonate nanoparticles have shown promising potentials as slow drug-releasing compounds in cancer chemotherapy. In this study, we evaluated the in vitro efficacy of docetaxel (DTX)-loaded CaCONP on 4T1 cell line. This was achieved by evaluating the following: cytotoxicity using MTT assay, fluorescence imaging, apoptosis with Annexin V assay, cell cycle analysis, scanning (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scratch assay.

Review: DNA Barcoding and Chromatography Fingerprints for the Authentication of Botanicals in Herbal Medicinal Products.

In the last two decades, there has been a tremendous increase in the global use of herbal medicinal products (HMPs) due to their claimed health benefits. This has led to increase in their demand and consequently, also, resulted in massive adulteration. This is due to the fact that most of the traditional methods cannot identify closely related species in a process product form.

The biology and the importance of Photobacterium species.

Photobacterium species are Gram-negative coccobacilli which are distributed in marine habitats worldwide. Some species are unique because of their capability to produce luminescence. Taxonomically, about 23 species and 2 subspecies are validated to date.

Anatomic Variation in Morphometry of Human Coracoid Process among Asian Population.

Ethnic origin plays an important role in bone morphometry. Studies examining the influence of coracoid process have focused primarily on adults and have not included people from diverse Asian ethnic backgrounds. Our goal was to explore ethnic differences in morphometry of coracoid among Asian population.

Performance comparison of heuristic algorithms for task scheduling in IaaS cloud computing environment.

Cloud computing infrastructure is suitable for meeting computational needs of large task sizes. Optimal scheduling of tasks in cloud computing environment has been proved to be an NP-complete problem, hence the need for the application of heuristic methods. Several heuristic algorithms have been developed and used in addressing this problem, but choosing the appropriate algorithm for solving task assignment problem of a particular nature is difficult since the methods are developed under different assumptions.

Medium-chain-length poly-3-hydroxyalkanoates-carbon nanotubes composite anode enhances the performance of microbial fuel cell.

Insufficient power generation from a microbial fuel cell (MFC) hampers its progress towards utility-scale development. Electrode modification with biopolymeric materials could potentially address this issue. In this study, medium-chain-length poly-3-hydroxyalkanoates (PHA)/carbon nanotubes (C) composite (CPHA) was successfully applied to modify the surface of carbon cloth (CC) anode in MFC.

Wood fuel consumption and mortality rates in Sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from a dynamic panel study.

This study examined the impact of wood fuel consumption on health outcomes, specifically under-five and adult mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa, where wood usage for cooking and heating is on the increase. Generalized method of moment (GMM) estimators were used to estimate the impact of wood fuel consumption on under-five and adult mortality (and also male and female mortality) in the region. The findings revealed that wood fuel consumption had significant positive impact on under-five and adult mortality.