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.

Objective: To understand the effects of combination treatment of pamidronate with isolated Quercus infectoria semi-purified fraction (QIsm-F) on human foetal osteoblast cell model (hFOB 1.19 cell 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 (EC

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.

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.