Isolation and morphological identification of endophytic fungi from leaves and stems of Aquilaria malaccensis Lamk. originating from Java Island, Indonesia

Aims@#Endophytic fungi are the remarkable category of host-associated fungal community that invades the intercellular regions of host tissues, benefiting their host while obtaining an advantage. Fungal endophytes have lately attracted prominence as a source of active secondary metabolites. This investigation aimed to identify fungal endophytes that reside inside the leaves and stems of Aquilaria malaccensis.@*Methodology and results@#Healthy A. malaccensis stems and leaves samples were collected. Clean leaves and stems were cut to a size of 1 cm, followed by sterilization using 75% ethanol for 1 min, 3% sodium hypochlorite solution for 1 min, and finally, rinsing with sterile water 3 times for 1 min and drying with sterile paper. The sterile samples were put onto Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) media containing chloramphenicol for 7-14 days until the mycelium grew for morphological identification under a light microscope. Five endophytic fungi were recovered from leaves, while nine endophytic fungi were obtained from stems. Using morphological approaches, nine of the endophytes had observed to produce conidia fungi, whereas the others did not. Neopestalotiopsis sp., Aspergillus sp., Arthrinium sp., Curvularia sp., Podospora sp., Mucor sp. and Verticillium sp. were identified as nine of the fourteen endophytes.@*Conclusion, significance and impact of study@#The number of endophytic fungi discovered in different organs varies. Not all endophytic fungi that grow can create sexual phages. Six genera of endophytic fungi were identified.

The Socio-economic and Psychological Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Malaysian Private Dentists: An Exploratory Study

@#The global COVID-19 Pandemic combined with nationwide economic depression and public fear had caused dental clinics in Malaysia to experience a significant reduction in patient visits with a potential impact on the socio-economic and psychological status of Malaysian private dentists. This study assesses the socio-economic and psychological impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Malaysian private dentists. A cross-sectional online questionnaire included demographic profile, socioeconomic factors and psychological status was used. Participation was voluntary. Descriptive statistics on the three variables were generated. Pearson Chi-square test was used to check for significant difference (p<0.05). In all, 95 private dentists voluntarily participated. Male and female participants were equally represented, mostly in the 22-25 group (62%). The Job Insecurity Scale measurement showed 58% and 48.5% participants respectively, were socio-economically and psychologically affected. The Financial Threat Scale showed 44.4% of respondents were financially affected, while 51% (measured by the General health questionnaire) displayed affected health. The socio-economicpsychological aspect was found to be statistically significant (p =0.018). Within the limitation of sample size, participating private dentists were found to be socio-economically and psychologically affected by the COVID19 pandemic.

Comparison of well diffusion, disc diffusion and broth dilution methods for antimicrobial activity of Andrographis paniculata herbal gel against acne-associated pathogen

Aims@#Acne is a common skin disease among teenagers and also affects other ages. It occurs when the oil and dead skin cells plug into the hair follicles and causing pimples or whitehead. Although antibiotics have been used for many years in treating acne, the widespread use of it has led to the development of bacterial resistant, which resulted in unsuccessful treatment. Thus, in this study, Andrographis paniculata (AP) herbal formulation gel is proposed in order to determine its effectiveness in treating acne. Three different methodologies were used to compare the antimicrobial effect of A. paniculata herbal gel against acne-associated pathogens. @*Methodology and results@#Well diffusion, disc diffusion and broth dilution methods were applied to evaluate the antimicrobial effect of AP herbal gel at concentrations of 1.5% (w/w), 2.5% (w/w) and 5.0% (w/w) onto selected pathogens associated with acne which consisted of Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Propionibacterium acnes and Candida albicans. Among the three methods, broth dilution showed the best antimicrobial effect towards all microorganisms used. AP herbal gel at concentration 2.5% (w/w) showed the optimum antimicrobial effect of S. aureus and C. albicans, while 5.0% (w/w) exhibited the best antimicrobial activities for P. acnes and S. epidermidis. @*Conclusion, significance and impact of study@#Broth dilution method appears to be a reliable method for the determination of antimicrobial effects for the pathogens tested. In addition, AP herbal formulation gel has great potential to treat acne effectively.