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@#Introduction: In Malaysia, the undiagnosed diabetes prevalence has increased. Socio-demographic characteristics and nutritional status play a crucial role in prediabetes development. Hence, this cross-sectional study aimed to identify the socio-demographic characteristics and nutritional status of adults at risk of T2DM in Kuala Nerus, Terengganu. Methods: A total of 30 participants at risk of T2DM aged 18 to 59 years old were recruited from Kuala Nerus using a convenience sampling method. Information on socio-demographic, anthropometric, fasting plasma glucose (FPG) level, clinical profile, Finnish Type 2 Diabetes Risk Assessment Tool (FINDRISC) score, dietary intake, and physical activity level were obtained. Results: The participants (mean age: 36.1 ± 8.7 years) were mostly female (76.7%), Malay (96.7%), married (43.3%), had a tertiary degree (60.0%), and were working (83.3%) with a monthly salary of less than RM 1000. Half of the participants were from the obese class I category. Their FPG level was 5.6 ± 0.5 mmol/L and half of them were classified as having optimal blood pressure. Also, they had a mean FINDRISC score of 6.3 ± 1.8. The participants consumed 2073 ± 247 kcal/day, which was comprised of 50.8% carbohydrate, 16.1% protein, and 33.1% fat. Most of them (63.3%) were minimally active. Conclusion: The participants had moderate T2DM risk with normal FPG level, blood pressure, and heart rate. They had excessive energy and fat intake with insufficient dietary fibre intake. It is vital to examine the socio-demographic characteristics and nutritional status, which can provide important information for planning future cost-effective T2DM preventive strategies.
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@#Breast cancer and cervical cancer are among the leading causes of death among women in the world. Even though chemotherapy is available as cancer treatment, the development of drug resistance in both cancer cells has reduced the efficacy of chemotherapeutic drugs in such treatment. The current study was aimed to evaluate the cell viability of human breast cancer cells, MCF-7, and cervical cancer cells, HeLa upon the combination treatment of ascorbic acid and tamoxifen. The cell viability was measured using the MTT assay, with an incubation period of 72 hours in a humidified CO2 incubator. The concentrations of tamoxifen and ascorbic acid that reduced 50% of the cell population (IC50) were determined from the dose-response curve. The IC50 concentration was used to determine the cell viability in the treated cells. CompuSyn software was used to evaluate the combined effects towards both cells upon treatment and the results were calculated as combination index (CI). The data were analyzed using GraphPad Prism (version 7). Statistical analysis was performed using an independent t-test. The IC50 values of tamoxifen and ascorbic acid on MCF-7 cells were 14.53 µg/ml and 15.8 µg/ml respectively, while the IC50 values of tamoxifen and ascorbic acid on HeLa cells were 11.09 µg/ml and 202.3 µg/ml respectively. The combination of tamoxifen and ascorbic acid exerted a greater growth reduction percentage in both cells compared to tamoxifen alone. The results indicated that ascorbic acid synergizes the cytotoxic effect of tamoxifen at lower concentrations towards MCF-7 cells with a CI less than 1. However, the combination of tamoxifen and ascorbic acid exerted an antagonistic effect in HeLa cells, with a CI more than 1.
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Objective:To understand the effects of combination treatment of pamidronate with isolated Quercus infectoria semi-purified fraction (QIsm-F) on human foetal osteoblast cel model (hFOB 1.19 cel line) through assessment of Runt related transcription fraction-2 (Runx2) and Osterix (Osx). Methods:The isolation and purification of QIsm-F were conducted by chromatographic technique. In order to assess relative efficacy of QIsm-F to the osteoblast model, the determination of half maximal effective concentration (EC50) was performed by MTT assay. hFOB 1.19 cel s were cultured in DMEM F-12 and supplemented with 10％ fetal bovine serum along with 1％ penicil in-streptomycin incubated in 5％ CO2 at 37 ℃. Expression of Runx2 and Osx was assessed through western blotting and confirmed with immunofluorescence staining. Results: Results of western blot analysis and immunofluorescence staining demonstrated that compared to hFOB 1.19 cells treated with single individual treatment of QIsm-F and control groups, levels of Runx2 and Osx were elevated with higher fluorescence intensity and more rapid proliferation in hFOB 1.19 cells treated with combined treatment of QIsm-F and pamidronate. Conclusions: The finding demonstrates the synergistic effect between osteoporotic drug pamidronate and established QIsm-F. The combination treatment helps increase the efficiency of pamidronate acting on osteoblast cells by stimulating osteoblast proliferation and differentiation via expression of Runx2 and Osx.
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Background: The present study investigated the effects of Quercus infectoria (QI) gall extract on the proliferation, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), osteocalcin, and the morphology of a human fetal osteoblast cell line (hFOB 1.19). Methods: The cells were cultured in Dulbecco’s modified eagle medium F12 supplemented with a 10% fetal bovine serum, a 1% penicillin/streptomycin and were treated with QI at various concentrations (0.1 to 99.0 μg/mL) for 72 hours. The levels of ALP and osteocalcin were measured at day 1, 3, 7, 10, and 14 and were compared among the negative control, pamidronate and QI groups. Results: The median effective concentration (EC50) of hFOB 1.19 treated with QI was 10.30 μg/mL. This concentration was more effective compared to the control drug, pamidronate (EC50 at 16.09 μg/mL). The ALP and osteocalcin levels of hFOB 1.19 treated with QI from day 7 and onwards were significantly increased in a time and concentration-dependent manner. Interestingly, from day 7 until day 14, the ALP and osteocalcin levels were highest in the cells treated with QI compared to the other two groups. The morphology of cells treated with QI was uniformly elongated, higher in number and over-confluent. Conclusion: After treatment with QI, cell proliferation enhanced and ALP and osteocalcin levels increased.
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INTRODUCTION: Vitamin E is beneficial in restoring bone histomorphometric parameters in nicotine-treated rats. This study determined the effectiveness of 3 forms of vitamin E in restoring bone metabolism in nicotine-treated rats. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty-five male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 5 groups: (1) control (C), (2) nicotine cessation (NC), (3) α-tocopherol (ATF), (4) tocotrienol-enhanced fraction (TEF) and (5) γ-tocotrienol (GTT). Treatment was carried out for 4 months. The control group was administered normal saline and olive oil throughout the treatment period while treatment for groups 2-5 was performed in 2 phases. In the first phase, the groups received nicotine 7 mg/kg intraperitoneally for 2 months. The following 2 months, group 2 received normal saline and olive oil while groups 3-5 received ATF, TEF or GTT, 60 mg/kg orally. Pre-treatment and post-treatment serum was collected for bone biochemical marker measurement using the ELISA method. RESULTS: Nicotine increased serum bone-resorbing cytokines (interleukin-1 and interleukin-6) and the bone resorption marker pyridinoline (PYD) while reducing the bone formation marker osteocalcin after 2 months of nicotine treatment. The parameters failed to improve after nicotine was stopped for 2 months. Supplementation with the 3 forms of vitamin E improved the parameters, i.e. reduced the cytokines and pyridinoline as well as increased the osteocalcin. In addition, the TEF and GTT groups had a higher level of osteocalcin than the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Nicotine impaired bone metabolism and cessation of nicotine treatment did not reverse the effects. Vitamin E, especially the tocotrienols, restored bone metabolism that was impaired due to nicotine.
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This study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of three forms of vitamin E supplements following nicotine treatment on bone histomorphometric parameters in an adult male rat model. Rats were divided into seven groups: baseline (B, killed without treatment), control (C, normal saline for 4 months), nicotine (N, nicotine for 2 months), nicotine cessation (NC), tocotrienol-enhanced fraction (TEF), gamma-tocotrienol (GTT), and alpha-tocopherol (ATF). Treatments for the NC, TEF, GTT, and ATF groups were performed in two phases. For the first 2 months they were given nicotine (7 mg/kg), and for the following 2 months nicotine administration was stopped and treatments with respective vitamin E preparations (60 mg/kg) were commenced except for the NC group, which was allowed to recover without treatment. Rats in the N and NC groups had lower trabecular bone volume, mineral appositional rate (MAR), and bone formation rate (BFR/BS) and higher single labeled surface and osteoclast surface compared to the C group. Vitamin E treatment reversed these nicotine effects. Both the TEF and GTT groups, but not the ATF group, had a significantly higher trabecular thickness but lower eroded surface (ES/BS) than the C group. The tocotrienol-treated groups had lower ES/BS than the ATF group. The GTT group showed a significantly higher MAR and BFR/BS than the TEF and ATF groups. In conclusion, nicotine induced significant bone loss, while vitamin E supplements not only reversed the effects but also stimulated bone formation significantly above baseline values. Tocotrienol was shown to be slightly superior compared to tocopherol. Thus, vitamin E, especially GTT, may have therapeutic potential to repair bone damage caused by chronic smoking.
