Background: Drug resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) remains a public health issue that is of major concern on a global scale. The characterisation of clinical isolates may provide key information regarding the underlying mechanisms of drug resistance, and helps to augment therapeutic options. This study aims to evaluate the frequency of gene mutations associated with Rifampicin (RIF) and Isoniazid (INH) resistance among nine clinical isolates. Methods: A total of nine drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolates were screened for genetic mutations in rpoB and katG using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and DNA sequencing. Genotypic analysis was performed to detect the mutations in the sequence of the target genes. Results: Our findings reveal that 80% of the isolates possess mutations at codon 119 (His119Tyr) and 135 (Arg135Trp and Ser135Leu) within the rpoB gene; and 70% possess mutations in the katG gene at codon 238 with amino acid change (Leu238Arg). Conclusion: Findings from this study provide an overview of the current situation of RIF and INH resistance in a hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM) located in Kelantan, Malaysia, which could facilitate molecular-based detection methods of drug-resistant strains. Further information regarding the molecular mechanisms involved in resistance in RR-/MDR-TB should be addressed in the near future.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Plant extracts are gaining popularity among researchers as alternatives from natural sources for the treatment of obesity and inhibition of adipogenic differentiation is one of the mechanisms targeted by these extracts. The main focus of this scoping review is to specifically identify the phytochemicals within the extracts, and the protein changes that occurred during adipogenesis when subjected to the various plant extracts as well as to identify the gaps in the previous studies. A systematic search was conducted using predetermined keywords on three online databases (SCOPUS, PubMed, and ScienceDirect). Overall, a total of 988 articles were retrieved, leaving only 43 articles after applying the exclusion criteria. The selected studies looked at the effects of phytochemicals found in plant extracts on the alterations in adipogenesis-related proteins that results in adipocyte differentiation inhibition mainly in 3T3-L1 cells and mice. Despite plant extracts being the basis of numerous hyperlipidemic treatments, not much is focused on the changes in adipogenic proteins such as PPARs, CEBPs, or SREBPs. Thus, in this review, we discuss how the plant extracts aid in obesity prevention, and possible further research required to fully utilize the natural sources for the betterment of public health.