International Journal of Biotechnology and Biomedicine (IJBB)

A Short Review on Breast Cancer

Asita Elengoe — 2024-04-24

Worldwide, 685,000 people died in 2020 as a result of breast cancer, which affected 2.3 million women. The most common cancer in the globe as of the end of 2020 was breast cancer, which had been diagnosed in 7.8 million women in the previous five years. Every country in the globe experiences breast cancer in women after puberty at any age, albeit the incidence rates rise as people age. Obesity, alcohol consumption, smoking, family history of breast cancer, radiation exposure, reproductive history and postmenopausal hormone therapy are some of the factors that cause breast cancer. The most prevalent mutations in the genes BRCA1, BRCA2, and PALB-2 significantly increase the risk of developing breast cancer. Women who are determined to have mutations in these important genes may want to think about risk-reduction measures like having both breasts surgically removed. This review describes the causes, genetic alteration, signs, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer.

Phytochemical Profile and Antimicrobial Activity of Citrus Medica (Limau Susu) Fruit Peels Extract

Sophia Anak Simona — 2024-04-24

Citrus medica, also known as “Limau Susu” in Malaysia, is generally called a citron in English. Citrus medica is one of the four original citruses, and many of today's citrus varieties are descended from this variety. Six Citrus medica peel extracts were produced from this research using the maceration technique and percentage yield were calculated. Each different extraction procedure inevitably results in variances in biological activity. This study aimed to assess extraction procedures' impact on the yield and microbial activity of Citrus medica using the disc-diffusion method. In addition, GC-MS was carried out to identify additional components (qualitative). The phytochemical analysis of each extract was done to distinguish the chemical constituent between the extracts. Results show that both dry and fresh samples of the Citrus medica plant give percentage yield of methanol extract. Meanwhile, the hexane extract shows the highest anti-microbial activities due to the presence of 3 major compounds. The high antimicrobial activity is due to the presence of Oxacycloheptadec-8-en-2-one, 2-Cyclohexen-1-ol, and Terpineol as major compounds in the extract.

A Review of Microgreens In Southeast Asia: Sustainable Agriculture, Phytochemicals, and Biological Activities

Muhammad Amirul Amil — 2024-04-24

Microgreens are edible vegetable and herb seedlings with only 1–3 inches. Aside from their remarkable nutritional content, they can be grown easily in the city, and hence, they are acclaimed as emerging functional food. This review aimed to provide a systemic insight into the sustainable agriculture, phytochemicals, and biological activities of microgreens in Southeast Asia. The study was conducted by collecting the experimental findings from scientific articles that were published in reputed journals from the year 2000 to 2021 using electronic databases. The comparative analyses were conducted wherever appropriate. Several species of microgreens from the Brassicaceae, Asteraceae, Lamiaceae, Apiaceae, and Amaranthaceae families were discussed. In the first instance, various methods for cultivating microgreens were explained, followed by the summarisation of phytochemicals (e.g., terpenes, polyphenols, and sulfur-containing compounds) present in microgreens. A comparison of phytochemical composition between microgreens and their mature counterparts (macrogreens) was conducted. Moreover, two well-known biological activities of microgreens, i.e., antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, were outlined, together with their experimental data. Additionally, the effects of human health upon the consumption of microgreens were also elaborated.

ANTI SKIN BACTERIA ACTIVITY OF SELECTED PLANTS IN MALAYSIA

Hemapriyaa Vijayan — 2024-04-24

Cosmeceuticals are topical cosmetic pharmaceutical preparations which are used to enhance the beauty through ingredients that provide additional health-related function or benefit. Natural colorants are dyes and pigmentary molecules which are extracted from nature sources such as minerals, plants and animals. A total of six plants were selected as potential candidates for this project namely Punica granatum, Dicranopteris linearis, Tagetes erecta, Hibiscus rosa sinensis (red and yellow) and Hibiscus schizopethalus. Plant samples which were freeze-dried and oven-dried were extracted using absolute methanol and subjected to rotary evaporation. For the preparation of boiled extracts, samples were boiled with distilled water for an hour prior to freeze drying. All the extracts exerted no damage to RAW 264.7 murine macrophage cell line with IC50 values more than 100 µg/ml, which was the highest concentration tested in the current study using MTT assay. A total of three species of skin bacteria namely Staphylococcus aureus (five isolates: Sa1, Sa2, Sa3, Sa4, Sa5), Staphylococcus epidermidis (five isolates: Se1, Se2, Se3, Se4, Se5) and Chryseobacterium aquifrigindense (five isolates: Ca1, Ca2, Ca3, Ca4, Ca5) were isolated from the skin swabs of thirty subjects with skin infection. From the results obtained from anti-skin bacterial testing using disc diffusion method, the extracts inhibited Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis but did not show any anti-bactericidal activity towards Chryseobacterium aquifrigindense. The highest anti-skin bacterial activity was shown by Dicranopteris linearis (oven-dried) and Punica granatum (freeze-dried and oven-dried) extracts. In conclusion, these extract have potential to inhibit the growth of skin bacteria without causing toxicity towards the skin.

Current Review of the Use of Linezolid in the Treatment of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis: Effectiveness and Management of Side Effects

Nurhamidah Rahman — 2024-04-24

In recent years, multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) sufferers have increased by 10% from 186,883 sufferers in 2018 to 206,030 in 2019. MDR TB treatment poses its own challenges because it is a long-term treatment, there are interactions between TB treatment, toxicity problems and patient compliance. Linezolid has demonstrated high in vitro antibacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis and has been used in several programs to treat complications of MDR-TB. The objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness and management of side effects from using the drug Linezolid in multidrug-resistant tuberculosis patients. The data sources used were PubMed, PubMed Central (PMC), and ScienceDirect databases with a literature search without restrictions on the type of research or year of publication with the keywords "linezolid, "tuberculosis" and "multi-drug resistance". A final journal review found that Linezolid was effective in treating MDR-TB patients. The side effect experienced by patients from using lizenolide (LZD) in all articles was peripheral neuropathy in the first three months of LZD use but this could be overcome by administering B6 at a dose of 200 mg, mecobalamin, reducing the dose of LZD and there was 1 article that stopped giving LZD. Optic neuropathy was also experienced by patients in 4 articles and could be resolved by stopping LZD use. One article stated that the side effect of using LZD was diabetic neuropathy with urine protein (+) and the patient's condition returned to normal after receiving symptomatic treatment. Hematological side effects in the form of neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, myelosuppression, and mild to severe anemia were also experienced by patients and could be treated with blood transfusions for severe anemia in 1 article, administration of erythropoietin in 2 articles to treat anemia. reducing the LZD dose from 1200 mg per day to 600 mg per day and some even stopping LZD. The results of the literature review indicate that linezolid is effective in treating MDR-TB. However, close monitoring is required regarding the side effects experienced by patients, especially neurotoxicity effects (peripheral or optic neuropathy).