Pusat Pengajian Sains Kesihatan - Tesis

Browse

Now showing 1 - 5 of 466

Bioassay-guided profiling of quercus infectoria gall extracts using HPLC and their antimalarial activity
(2025-01)
Hamidon, Nurul Hammizah
Malaria is a public health concern as the emergence of drug-resistant malaria parasites causes significant morbidity and mortality annually. The discovery of potent antimalarial drugs derived from medicinal plants is believed to be a crucial strategy for addressing the antimalarial drug resistance crisis. Therefore, the antimalarial properties of crude extracts from Quercus infectoria (QI) galls were investigated through bioassay-guided fractionation. Acetone (QIA) and methanol (QIM) crude extracts have been reported to exhibit promising antimalarial activity against Plasmodium falciparum (3D7 strain) with IC50 values of 5.85 ± 1.64 μg/mL and 10.31 ± 1.90 μg/mL, respectively. These extracts were subjected to fractionation using automated preparative high-performance liquid chromatography (prep-HPLC) to identify the most active fractions. Nine fractions were separated from each extract, of which the fractions QIA6 and QIM6 showed potent antimalarial activity, with IC50 values of 17.65 ± 1.82 μg/mL and 24.21 ± 1.88 μg/mL, respectively. In comparison, the standard antimalarial drug artemisinin had an IC50 value of 0.004 ± 0.001 μg/mL. The fractions of the Quercus infectoria galls exhibited antimalarial activity, which could be attributed to the presence of various secondary metabolites, particularly phenolic compounds such as ellagic acid. The high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analytical method was established for the quantification of ellagic acid as a marker in the Quercus infectoria gall crude extract. All parameters including specificity, precision, accuracy, linearity, limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ), were found to be in the acceptable criteria of the ICH guideline. Targeted phenolic compound analysis of the most active fraction was performed by high-resolution liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (HR-LCMS). HR-LCMS analysis was conducted on the active fractions, QIA6 and QIM6, and revealed that kaempferol-3-O-glucoside, quercetin-3-glucoside, and syringic acid were among the major compounds identified in QIA6, while syringic acid and 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid were predominant in QIM6. The correlation between antimalarial activity and phenolic compounds in fractions QIA6 and QIM6 led to the quantitation of four targeted phenolic compounds. Thus, this study showed promising antimalarial activity of Quercus infectoria (QI) galls when fractionation was performed, which can be used as a guideline for future investigations on the molecular mechanism underlying the antimalarial action and further reflect the importance of an in-depth antimalarial investigation.
Prevalence of anemia and its associated factors among geriatric patients admitted to Hospital Pakar Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, from january 2023 to june 2023
(2025-01)
Ahamed, Esba
Anemia is a common health condition characterized by a reduction in the number of red blood cells (RBCs), leading to an insufficient ability of the body to transport oxygen effectively. Anaemia is more prevalent in the geriatric population and is frequently disregarded as a factor in older adults' illnesses. The geriatric populations of many developing countries suffer significantly from anemia, with Southeast Asia and Africa having the highest prevalences. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of anemia and its associated factors among geriatric patients (age ≥ 65 years) admitted to Hospital Pakar USM. A cross-sectional, retrospective study involving 131 patients 65 or older. Laboratory results and sociodemographic information were documented using a validated proforma format. SPSS was used to analyze the data. Most of the anemic patients were 65-69 years (31.0%), and most were male (60%). Most of the patients (74.0%) had normocytic anemia. A significant association was found between the severity of anemia and malignancy (p=0.041), gastrointestinal bleeding (p=0.050), and chronic illness (p<0.001). Anaemia was frequently diagnosed in the studied geriatric population. The most frequent cause of anemia in the geriatric population was anemia of chronic illness. Future geriatric research might examine how anemia affects functional abilities, quality of life, and recovery from illness
Effectivenss of a structured virtual exercise programme among intellectually disabled individuals in Kelantan
(2024-05)
Othman, Norhasmira
Intellectually disabled (ID) have problems in terms of intellectual function and behaviour adjustment, however it depends on their severity. In fact, person with ID is more likely to be obese, physically inactive, and twice as likely high risk to suffer from some chronic diseases. In order to improve general health, it is best to prioritize a healthy lifestyle and to break bad habits through exercise. The present study aimed to determine the effect of 8-weeks structured virtual exercise program on selected fitness components among people with ID in Kelantan. Thirty participants aged 22.6 ± 2.8 years old were randomly assigned into two groups, i.e., exercise and control groups. The participants were recruited from 16 rehabilitation centre in the community (PDK) in Kelantan. Participants in the exercise group was involved virtual strength and cardio exercise for 30 minutes, 3 times per week in 8-weeks. Meanwhile, control group had continued with their daily routines and did not involve directly with any exercise. At baseline, the participants were categorized to have an ideal body weight, as BMI was in normal range, 21.2 ± 0.07 kg/m2. Overall, the mean of sit and reach values among the participants were 4.6 ± 8.8cm which was categorized as average. Participant’s handgrip was 27.8 ± 9.7kg which was known as weak. Meanwhile, their standing long jump distance was 140.8 ± 50.2cm, 20-meter speed was 4.5 ± 1.6s and 800meter run walk test was 6.2 ± 1.6min which were considered as average. After 8 weeks of intervention, the exercise group demonstrated significant improvements in fat free mass (FFM) (increased 21.3%), fat percentage (reduced 11.7%) and body mass index (BMI) (reduced 0.9%) despite no changes in body weight. Moreover, the control group showed small positive changes on all body composition parameters except for BMI (increased 2%). As for selected fitness component tests, exercise groups improved significantly on sit and reach (p = 0.018, 33.2% better flexibility) and 800m run and walk (p = 0.007, 11% faster time). While participants in the control group showed significant reductions in hand grip strength (p = 0.024), they performed very well in 20-meter speed tests (p = 0.017, 8.5 % faster in time) at post-test, which were better than the exercise groups. According to further analysis using Kinovea software, there were no significant differences in the speed, velocity and stride length between exercise and control groups. Nevertheless, the stride length of the exercise group widened by 5.9% at post-test compared to the stride length of the control group, which reduced by 1.9% during a 20-meter speed test. As a result, strength and cardio virtual exercise for 8 weeks can be beneficial to individuals with ID on body composition, the majorities of fitness components, particularly in terms of sit and reach and endurance activities and stride length during running. Future studies will require longer durations for further significant improvements on overall selected fitness components.
Detection of humoral immune response in mice immunised with purified protein of milk expressing selected multi-tuberculosis epitopes
(2025-02)
Ravi, Dharshiga
Despite numerous global efforts to reduce infections caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the implementation of immunization programs, tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. Researchers have sought alternative preventive strategies to decrease the incidence of TB and address the limitations of existing Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination methods. A significant drawback of BCG vaccinations is their inability to provide adequate mucosal immunity, highlighting the urgent need for the development of more effective mucosal vaccines that can prevent invasive infections, particularly as MTB primarily targets the respiratory system. Our research team has developed a mucosal vaccine utilizing specific TB epitopes, namely Ag85B, Acr, and RpfE. The vaccine was administered by transfecting a pregnant goat's mammary gland, and the resulting milk was collected daily for 21 days and subsequently purified. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the purified milk protein in stimulating humoral immune responses in the serum and mucosal systems of Balb/C mice that received the vaccine candidate intranasally. The effectiveness of the purified protein was assessed by measuring the levels of antibodies generated on antigen-coated plates using the ELISA technique. After incubating the serum, saliva, and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples from the immunized mice, optical densities (OD) were read using an ELISA reader. The study's results indicated that both the purified protein alone and the combination of BCG with purified protein resulted in elevated levels of IgG antibodies in serum samples, as well as increased levels of IgA antibodies in saliva and BAL samples. In conclusion, the findings demonstrate that the purified protein derived from milk, which contains selected TB epitopes, can induce antibody production, whether administered alone or in conjunction with BCG. This suggests its potential as a viable vaccine candidate against TB
In vitro evaluation of the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of tualang honey samples and purified 5-hydroxymethylfurfural
(2025-01)
Chandiran, Danesh
Aged tualang honey (ATH) remains a favoured choice due to its superior health benefits, despite many people being unaware that it contains elevated concentrations of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). This study aimed to assess the therapeutic properties of TH samples of varying ages (FTH, ATH-24 and ATH-48) containing natural HMF in comparison with purified HMF (HMF low, medium and high doses). The antioxidant property was evaluated through a DPPH radical scavenging assay to calculate IC50. Further, the antimicrobial activity of the TH samples was assessed based on the zone of inhibition by the agar well diffusion method. According to the findings, all TH samples demonstrated higher free radical scavenging activities (ATH-48 exhibited the highest) compared to purified HMF groups. The calculated IC50 values of TH samples were lower than the IC50 values of purified HMF, indicating their superior antioxidant potential. Apart from that, TH samples exhibited antimicrobial activity against all tested bacteria. The greatest antimicrobial activity, indicated by the largest inhibition zone of each TH sample, was observed against S. aureus. ATH-24 has the highest antimicrobial efficacy with better zones of inhibition for both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria compared to FTH and ATH-48. Purified HMF groups demonstrated dose-dependent antioxidant effects without any antimicrobial activities. Taking all data together, ATH-24 with a medium level of HMF demonstrated good antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. As we uncover the advantages of TH samples containing natural HMF, these findings suggest that HMF may synergistically enhance the antioxidant effects in TH samples but not the antimicrobial effects. This study contributes to expanding new insights in apitherapy research

Browse

Recent Submissions