Comparative analysis of the antibacterial, antifungal, antiproliferative and cyclic response element (CRE) induced expression of downstream luc gene activities of Monopterus albus and Channa straitus extracts.

In Malaysia, Monopterus albus is commonly found in rice fields, muddy ponds and swamp areas. Channa striatus have been widely used as a source of traditional medicines. The extracts of Malaysian local Monopterus albus and Channa straitus have been reported to have different bioactive properties and these properties can be used at molecular level as alternative tool for different disorders. The comparative analysis of antibacterial, antifungal, antiproliferative and CRE induced expression of downstream luc gene activities of both the extracts were performed. The bacteriostatic and antibacterial effects of both extracts were revealed beside higher antifungal activity of Channa straitus. The extracts from Monopterus albus showed higher levels of antiproliferative activity as compare to Channastraitus. The results were found supportive towards up regulation of hrluc by Monopterus albus extracts and down regulation by Channa striatus extracts. This is the first report on comparing the bioactive properties of Monopterus albus and Channa straitus. The results from this study demands a further research on identifying the bioactive molecules involve in these actions at a molecular level.

Allele-specific PCR for a cost-effective & time-efficient diagnostic screening of spinal muscular atrophy.

Background & objectives: Genetic diagnosis of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is complicated by the presence of SMN2 gene as majority of SMA patients show absence or deletion of SMN1 gene. PCR may amplify both the genes non selectively in presence of high amount of DNA. We evaluated whether allelespecific PCR for diagnostic screening of SMA is reliable in the presence of high amount of genomic DNA, which is commonly used when performing diagnostic screening using restriction enzymes. Methods: A total of 126 blood DNA samples were tested in amounts ranging 80-200 ng, referred for the genetic diagnosis of SMA using both conventional PCR-RFLP and allele-specific PCR. Results: The results from both methods showed agreement. Further, allele-specific PCR was found to be a time-efficient and cost-effective method. Interpretation & conclusions: Our study demonstrated the accuracy of our allele-specific PCR and the results were comparable compatible with that of PCR-RFLP, indicating its practical application in SMA diagnostic screening.