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- PublicationCardioprotective effects of bunga kantan (etlingera elatior) in hypercholesterolaemic myocardial infarction sprague dawley rats(2025-01)Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), especially myocardial infarction (MI), remain a global health challenge with high mortality rates. Despite advancements in surgical and pharmacological interventions, the prevalence of MI continues to rise, often linked to risk factors such as hypercholesterolaemia. Alternative therapies utilising natural compounds with cardioprotective properties offer a promising alternative for addressing these limitations. This study investigates the potential of Etlingera elatior aqueous extract (EEAE) as a preventive treatment against hypercholesterolaemia-induced MI. The research employed a high-cholesterol diet (HCD) to induce hypercholesterolaemia in male Sprague-Dawley rats, followed by isoprenaline administration to induce MI. Rats treated with EEAE at 1000 mg/kg were evaluated over 12 weeks. Parameters, including blood pressure and cholesterol levels, were taken. Histopathological analyses were conducted to observe structural improvements in the myocardium. Results demonstrated that EEAE had no significant effect in lowering cholesterol levels and blood pressure but showed capability in preserving cardiac integrity. EEAE-treated groups exhibited enhanced histological recovery compared to untreated controls. These findings suggest that EEAE holds potential as a natural therapeutic agent for preventing MI in hypercholesterolemic conditions. Further research is needed to explore its mechanisms and applicability in clinical settings
- PublicationUnderstanding the role of nnav1.5 in breast cancer via sirna approach(2025-02)Neonatal Nav1.5 (nNav1.5) plays a crucial role in the development and spread of breast cancer. This work highlights its potential as a biomarker and treatment target. The hallmarks of breast cancer, a cancer that is common around the world, are unchecked cell growth and metastasis. Targeted therapies are needed since metastasis is responsible for around 90% of cancer-related fatalities, despite the advancements in early identification and therapy. The study explored the molecular mechanisms underlying nNav1.5's role in the invasive property of breast cancer. In MDA-MB-231 cells, siRNA-mediated knockdown was used to assess its effect of nNav1.5 mRNA expression and metastatic behaviour, cell motility. Previous research results showed that nNav1.5 is substantially overexpressed in metastatic breast cancer cells relative to non-metastatic cells, which is associated with increased invasive and migratory capabilities. In this study, the potential role of nNav1.5 in the development of metastases was further supported by the significant decrease in cancer cell motility which siRNA-mediated silencing of nNav1.5. This study also supports nNav1.5 expression as a useful prognostic indicator for aggressive breast cancer subtypes, the triple-negative breast cancer. A solid basis for future research aiming at incorporating nNav1.5-targeted tactics into precision medicine frameworks is established by this work, which also contributes to our understanding of metastatic biology. These results could greatly improve patient survival and breast cancer care by tackling the crucial problem of metastasis
- PublicationDetermination of humoral immune response in mice immunised with milk expressing three-tb epitopes(2025-01)Tuberculosis (TB) continues to pose significant global health challenges despite the widespread use of the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine. However, its limitations in inducing robust mucosal immunity, especially in adults, necessitate alternative approaches. This study explores the potential of a novel oral vaccine utilizing milk containing multi-epitope TB antigens. This study investigates the humoral immune response elicited in Balb/c mice immunized with milk containing multi-epitope tuberculosis antigens. These antigens which are Ag85B, Acr, and RpfE were expressed in goat milk with a secretory IgA fusion construct designed to produce milk containing multi-epitope TB:IgA to enhance mucosal immunity. The mices were immunized with five treatment groups which are Milk Daily (MD), Normal Milk (NM), BCG only (BCG-O), BCG + Milk Daily (BCG-MD), and BCG + Normal Milk (BCG-NM) to assess immune responses against three Mycobacterium tuberculosis epitopes. Two weeks post-immunization, serum, saliva, and BAL fluid samples were collected for analysis. ELISA plates were coated with the respective antigens to measure antigen-specific IgA and IgG levels. Optical density (OD) readings were used to quantify immune responses, and statistical analysis was conducted to determine significant differences between treatment groups. The immunized mice groups, including BCG and milk combinations, demonstrated varying levels of systemic IgG and mucosal IgA antibodies in serum, saliva, and bronchoalveolar lavage samples. Among the treatment groups, the milk-based vaccine candidate elicited robust antigen-specific IgG and IgA responses, indicating its potential for providing targeted immunity. These findings indicate the vaccine's potential to address key challenges of TB prevention, particularly in targeting mucosal surfaces which is the primary site of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. This study highlights the promise of oral mucosal vaccines as a complementary or alternative strategy to intradermal BCG vaccination, aiming to enhance protection and control TB more effectively. Future research and clinical trials are needed to validate these findings and further optimize this innovative vaccine approach
- PublicationExpression of sars-cov-2 k51a/s54a nsp7 protein in escherichia coli c41(de3) and escherichia coli bl21(de3)(2025-01)Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) relies on the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) complex, comprising NSP7, NSP8, and NSP12, for replication and transcription. Mutations in NSP7, such as K51A and S54A, disrupt interactions with NSP8 and NSP12, impairing polymerase activity and structural integrity. These mutations offer insights into the development of antiviral therapeutics targeting the RdRp complex. This study aimed to express the mutant K51A/S54A NSP7 protein in Escherichia coli C41(DE3) and BL21(DE3) using the pET-15(b) vector. The methodologies included the preparation of the pET-15(b)-mutant NSP7 plasmid construct, transformation of the plasmid into E. coli, and optimization of protein expression. Parameters such as IPTG concentrations (0–1.0 mM) and different host strains were systematically optimized. The mutant NSP7 (K51A/S54A) protein was successfully expressed in both E. coli strains, with SDS-PAGE revealing distinct bands at the expected molecular weight. Optimal protein expression was achieved at 0.5 mM IPTG concentration. The findings highlighted differences in expression efficiency between E. coli C41(DE3) and E. coli BL21(DE3), with E. coli BL21(DE3) yielding higher expression levels. This research contributes to the understanding of SARS-CoV-2 replication by providing optimized conditions for expressing K51A/S54A NSP7 protein, enabling functional and structural studies. The findings offer a foundation for exploring NSP7 mutations as therapeutic targets and demonstrate the utility of bacterial systems for producing viral proteins in high yield, potentially accelerating antiviral drug discovery
- PublicationEvaluation of phytochemicals, antioxidant & antimicrobial properties of cinnamomum verum extracts(2025-01)Traditional medicine has long relied on plant-based remedies to address various health issues, with cinnamon bark being widely recognized for its therapeutic properties. This study aims to investigate the phytochemical, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of cinnamon extracts, emphasizing its potential as a natural therapeutic agent. Aqueous extract of C. verum (AECV) and ethanolic extract of C. verum (EECV) were analyzed for their bioactive compounds, revealing the presence of alkaloids, phenols, flavonoids, tannins, glycosides, and terpenoids, while saponins were detected only in AECV. Antioxidant activity was assessed using DPPH radical scavenging and total phenolic content (TPC) assays. AECV demonstrated higher antioxidant potential (IC50 = 0.233 mg/mL) than EECV (IC50 = 0.418 mg/mL), although both exhibited lower activity compared to ascorbic acid (AA) (IC50 = 0.00673 mg/mL). TPC analysis revealed that EECV (0.1001 [0.236] mg GAE/g) showed higher phenolic content than AECV (0.0227 [0.036] mg GAE/g), indicating ethanol's effectiveness in extracting phenolics. Antimicrobial activity against S. aureus and E. coli was evaluated using minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) assays, where AECV demonstrated limited antibacterial activity against S. aureus (MIC = 20 mg/mL), while EECV exhibited no significant effects. Neither extract inhibited E. coli, likely due to insufficient extract concentrations. These findings indicate that cinnamon bark showed potential as a natural source of antioxidant, while further investigation is needed to explore its antimicrobial potential
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- PublicationCharacterisation And Formulation Of Topical Methyl Salicylate Patches: Effect Of Solvents On Adhesion And Drug Permeation(2023-01)Topical methyl salicylate (MS) patch is popular for pain management. The skin permeation profile of MS is important for formulation design but limited studies were conducted. This project aims to investigate the effect of solvents on the characteristics of patches, drug release and permeation of MS. In this project, suitable solvents were first selected for the patch formulation. Attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy was utilised to scan the stratum corneum (SC) sheets treated with solvents and MS. Next, in vitro permeation studies were carried out with 10%v/v of MS in solvents. After that, patches containing 5%w/w of solvents and/or 10%w/w of MS were prepared with Durabond PC 1879A (8%w/w), Nikasol TS-620 (7%w/w), carboxymethyl cellulose (3.5%w/w) and polyvinyl pyrrolidone (3%w/w). Next, the patches formed were subjected to physiochemical characterisation tests, including ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, tackiness test using stainless-steel probe, peel strength test with porcine ear skin, swelling test, in vitro drug release and skin permeation studies. In in vitro permeation studies, MS in propylene glycol (PG) in drug solution displayed the highest skin permeation of MS and followed by Plurol® oleique (PLU), Labrasol® (LA), Transcutol® (TRC), Maisine® (MAI) and isopropyl myristate (IPM) at 24 h.
- PublicationFactors Affecting Retirement Preparedness Of Urban Young Adults In Malaysia: The Mediating Role Of Temporal Construal Level(2024-08)There are numerous studies done on retirement preparedness and many have confirmed the benefits of being adequately prepared for the golden years, not just financially, but socially and psychologically as well. The bulk of these studies, however, have focused on the retiring population. Few studies, if at all, are done on youth on how they view retirement preparedness and how they are preparing for this inevitable event in their life. This study aims to identify and examine, in particular, the impact of the various communication factors on retirement preparedness [communication effectiveness, communication frequency, communication informativeness, communication persuasiveness, attitude, influence (family and peer)] as well as financial literacy and demographic factors – on urban young adults in Malaysia as well as how they are mediated by temporal construal level, a theory that espouses on people’s behavioural patterns based on the urgency of how they perceive a future event, like retirement as in the case of this study. For example, when people deliberate on the distant future (high construal level), they would construe positions and situations more abstractly as opposed to the near future (low construal level) where more concrete actions need to be taken. A total of 421 usable responses were collected and incorporated into the data analysis. The IBM SPSS for Windows Version 25.0 and Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) were employed to check the nature of data, empirically test the research model, simultaneously analyse the relationships as well as answer the research questions advanced in this study.
- PublicationNumerical Study on Effect of Perforation on the Structural Behaviour of Cold-formed Steel Hat-Section(2019-07)Many structural members, for example, cold-formed steel members, hot rolled steel members, and composite beams, are often provided with perforation of various shapes and sizes, which allow flexible installation of ductwork, piping and other systems. Substantial research has been performed on Channel and Zee cold formed steel sections, but the reports on Hat section steel purlins turned out to be few only, especially Hat-section purlin with perforation. Hence, numerical study on cold-formed Hat section steel purlin with perforation was carried out to investigate the effect of perforation to structural behaviour of such sections. Finite element method using LUSAS software was chosen to carry out the research study. Five different perforation shapes were selected, which were circle, diamond, C-hexagon, square, and elongated circle. Opening depth was fixed at 0.5D2, where D2 is the inclined web depth of the section. Nonlinear bending analysis, Eigenvalue buckling analysis and linear torsion analysis were carried out. The results showed that perforated sections had lower yield moment (a percentage difference of not more than 4%), lower buckling moment (a percentage difference of not more than 24%) and higher angle of rotation (a percentage difference of not more than 6%) when compared to the section without perforation. Most of the perforated sections had similar bending characteristic despite of the difference in perforation shapes (yield moment difference less than 2%). Different perforation area affected the buckling behaviour of the Hat-section, but not the bending and torsional behaviour. The difference between bending behaviour of each section with irregular perforation shapes was insignificant and it was observed that all the nonlinear curves were similar to each other. Section with irregular perforation shapes had lower angle of rotation (2.483%) than section with elongated circle perforations. Critical opening length played a crucial role in affecting the structural behaviour of Hat-section. Furthermore, the location of perforation also influenced the structural behaviour of perforated section. When located at mid-span, yield moment was lower (6.635% for CIR-V3, 9.953% for SQU-V3, and 14.929% for ELO-V3 when compared to section without perforation), buckling moment decreased (22.749% for ELO-V3 when compared to section without perforation) and angle of rotation reduced (0.267% for DIA-V3 when compared to the section without perforation). Regardless of perforation spacing, the perforated sections with equal number of perforations behaved similar elastic characteristic before yielding. On the other hand, buckling moment and angle of rotation increased when the perforation spacing increased. Number of perforations also affected the torsional behaviour of the section with perforations. Section with diamond perforation had better structural behaviour than other perforated section whereas section with elongated circle perforation was the worst. This study provides a guideline for the design of cold-formed steel Hat-purlin with different type of perforations, perforation location and perforation spacing. The presence of perforations gives minor effect on the structural behaviour of cold formed steel Hat-purlin.
- PublicationStudy of mild-moderate traumatic brain injury using tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) and its relationship with cognitive function(2023-09)Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is known to lead to cognitive function impairment. The degree of impairment, however, varies depending on the severity and time post-TBI. Diffuse axonal damage has been discovered as the underlying pathology even in mild TBI. Thus, this study aims to determine the state of white matter putative connectivity in patients with mild-moderate TBI in the subacute phase, or within 10 weeks of injury, and its correlation to cognitive scores. A case-control prospective study was conducted involving 11 male patients with mild-moderate TBI and an age-matched control group of 11 adult male volunteers. Diffusion MRI scanning and cognitive testing were performed within 10 weeks of injury. The difference in fractional anisotropy (FA) values between TBI patients and control group was studied using tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS). Then, the FA values that were significantly different between patients and controls were correlated with neuropsychological tests in the TBI group. When comparing patients to the control group, several clusters with peak voxels of substantial FA reductions (p < 0.05) in the white matter skeleton were seen. These clusters were later treated as region of interest and were found in the superior fronto-occipital fasciculus, superior longitudinal fasciculus, uncinate fasciculus, and cingulum. White matter fibres in the region of the genu of the corpus callosum, anterior corona radiata, superior corona radiata, anterior thalamic radiation, and a portion of the inferior frontal gyrus also contained these clusters. Region of interest analysis revealed FA values significantly correlated with Malay version of Auditory Verbal Learning Test (MAVLT) immediate recall scores in the region of genu of corpus callosum (r = 0.62, p = 0.004) and right superior fronto-occipital fasciculus (r = 0.50, p = 0.026). Matrix-reasoning scores positively correlated with FA values in the region of right superior fronto-occipital fasciculus (r = 0.45, p = 0.045) and left anterior corona radiate (r = 0.47, p = 0.036), while having negative correlation in the region of right superior fronto-occipital fasciculus (r = -0.49, p = 0.030). Mean diffusivity (MD) values significantly have positive correlation with both Rey Complex Figure Tests (RCFT) immediate (r = 0.593, p = 0.015) and delayed (r = 0.640, p = 0.002) scores in the right superior longitudinal fasciculus. During the sub-acute phase of TBI, the mild-moderate TBI patients showed unusually decreased FA values and increase MD values compared to controls, which suggested disruption of white matter tracts. The correlation between FA values with neuropsychological scores further provide evidence of cognitive impairment probably responsible by the structural disruption.
- PublicationThe development of temperature and humidity monitoring system using sht75 sensor(2009-04-01)This project is about the development of temperature and humidity control using 8 bit microcontroller and SHT75 sensor. This microcontroller is a low power microchip with AVR RISC architecture by ATMEL company product and it can accepts either assembly language or C language for instruction. AVR Studio 4 software is used for writing and compilation code C language or assembly language before it is send to microcontroller by AVRISP mkII programmer. Design implementation also important. Design implementation including flowchart, OrCAD software and design information for this project. The SHT75 sensor by Sensirion Company is used to sense both temperature and humidity. This sensor is a digital sensor with Analog-to-Digital converter feature. The output from sensor is two bytes in binary number. With microcontroller help, final reading of measurement is converted to float number (two decimal places). System is designed and tested for understanding the effect of silica gel for humidity and temperature inside the chamber. Result shows that system design is stable and reliable. Silica gel can be used for humidity control inside chamber. Finally, temperature and humidity reading will show at HyperTerminal.