The aim of the present study is to investigate the differences in attitude among three groups of people as academicians, social institution workers and general population that explain about poverty. A total of 105 respondents were recruited in Kuala-Lumpur. Attitude toward Poverty Short Form Scale was used to determine the attitude toward poverty. There are 3 constructs in this scale as personal deficiency, stigma and structural perspectives. The participants were requested to complete the Attitude toward Poverty Short Form Scale. Statistical result of One-way ANOVA test revealed that academicians and general population ascribed personal deficiency more than stigma and structural perspectives to explain poverty. Social care institution workers perceived personal deficiency as least important determinant to poverty. Demographic profiles such as gender, higher education status and high income individuals emphasized more on individualistic perspective too. The results provide evidence that poverty is ascribed to individual insufficient effort. This indicates that appropriate approach can be implemented to modify behavior of these individuals.

Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) is a global health problem. It is an indicator of poor nutrition and poor health. Based on the Al-Quran and prophetic Sunnah, dates are mentioned as a superfood that helps in the preservation of health. Therefore, we are evaluating the potential of using dates as a treatment for IDA from data published in various reports. The search was conducted for relevant articles published in four electronic indexed databases namely Medline, Ovid, Scopus, Biomed Central, and PubMed. Bibliographies of the screened studies and relevant reviews and manuscripts were also searched using Google scholar. The data reported involved systematic reviews and reports of studies that are according to the PRISMA guidelines. There were only three articles that discussed the effects of the use of dates in IDA. A significant increase was shown (p<0.05) in haematological parameters such as haemoglobin level, red blood cell count, packed cell volume and platelet count while no effect was shown on total white blood cell count, differential white blood cell and bone marrow (p>0.05). This systematic review identified limited reports that reported on the beneficial effects of dates in reducing IDA. There are several gaps in the available evidence, hence, further studies are needed to provide a comprehensive understanding on this matter.

Introduction: Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) is a global health problem. It is common in poverty areas and indicates poor nutrition and health. According to Islamic beliefs, dates and goat milk are considered as superfood for preservation of health. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the beneficial effects of dates and goat milk on IDA. Materials & Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 57 female adults with IDA. They were assigned to 5 groups with different feeding protocol (normal diet, dates, goat milk, both dates and goat milk and ferrous fumarate). Full blood count and iron profile were assessed at the beginning of the study and repeated at weeks 4, 8 and 12. Results: There was significant improvement in reticulocyte count and haemoglobin level in all three groups supplemented with dates and goat milk. The group supplemented with dates also showed increased in packed cell volume (p<0.005) while group supplemented with goat milk showed raised red cell count (p<0.005). The iron profile (ferritin and transferrin level) improved in all three groups supplemented with dates and goat milk (p<0.005). Discussion: Dates and goat milk improved the haematopoietic and iron profile in IDA subjects in accordance with previous reports on animal model. This may be contributed by the high iron content in dates and presence of biochemical components in dates and goat milk that enhanced iron bioavailability. Therefore, inclusion of dates and goat milk may be considered as a supplementary diet in IDA subjects.

Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death among women in developing countries. However, no comprehensive molecular mechanism for cervical cancer has been established, as many studies were small-cohort studies conducted with small sample sizes. A thorough literature search was performed using the PubMed, Scopus, EBSCOhost, and Science Direct databases. Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) terms such as “Uterine Cervical Neoplasms” and “gene expression” were used as the keywords in all fields. A total of 4027 studies were retrieved, and only clinical studies, which used the microarray method to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the cervical tissue of cervical cancer patients, were selected. Following the screening, 6 studies were selected and 1128 DEGs were extracted from the data. Sixty-two differentially expressed genes from at least two studies were selected for further analysis by DAVID, STRING, and Cytoscape software. In cervical cancer pathogenesis, three significant clusters with high intermolecular interactions from the Protein–Protein Interaction (PPI) network complex revealed three major molecular mechanisms, including cell signaling, cell cycle, and cell differentiation. Subsequently, eight genes were chosen as the candidate genes based on their involvement in the relevant gene ontology (GO) and their interaction with other genes in the PPI network through undirected first neighbor nodes. The present systematic review improves our understanding of the molecular mechanism of cervical cancer and the proposed genes that can be used to expand the biomarker panel in the screening for cervical cancer. The targeted genes may be beneficial for the development of better treatment strategies.

The emergence of new drug discovery for cancer treatment is vital and continuously gaining global attention. Although the discovery and development of a new drug takes a long time, the efforts should be retained. Successful findings could be repeated for cancer therapy from natural compounds by investigating flavonoids from molecular docking as the initial study towards the drug development process. Flavonoids derived from plants are believed to have the capability to interact with cancer-related proteins. The present study aims to identify the most favourable cancer-related proteins to be targeted by selected flavonoids through molecular docking simulation. In this study, selected flavonoids from different classes have been docked with several targeted proteins which are involved in cell death, survival, and proliferation, such as death receptors 4 and 5 (DR4 and DR5), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and farnesyltransferase (FTase). Of all the proteins tested for docking simulation, EGFR protein is among the best-targeted proteins compared to other proteins with the lowest binding energies for each flavonoid, ranging from -9.1 to -8.4 kcalmol-1. Meanwhile, myricetin (7) exhibited the strongest binding affinity for three proteins, including EGFR, FTase and DR5. On the other hand, DR4 protein has shown interaction favourably with flavone (5) with the binding affinity of -8.0 kcalmol-1. The docking results suggest that the selected flavonoids generally have good binding affinities and interactions with cancer-target proteins, which could be proposed as inhibitors of targeted-proteins in cancer therapy.

Purpose: Intestinal fibrosis is a common complication of inflammatory bowel diseases. However, the possible involvement of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has been scarcely investigated. This systematic review aims to search through research papers that are focusing on messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression profile in EMT in fistula or in intestinal fibrosis. Methods: Electronic exploration was performed until April 24, 2019 through PubMed, Ovid, Science Direct, and Scopus databases with the terms of “fistula” OR “intestinal fibrosis” AND “epithelial-mesenchymal transition”. Two independent reviewers scrutinized the suitability of the title and abstract before examining the full text that met the inclusion criteria. For each study, the sample types that were used, methods for analysis, and genes expressed were identified. The list of genes was further analyzed using DAVID (Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery) and KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) pathway. Results: There were 896 citations found; however, only 3 studies fulfilled the requirements. Among the EMT-related genes, 5 were upregulated genes at mRNA level while 6 were at protein level. However, only 2 downregulated genes were found at each mRNA and protein level. Of the 4 inflammation-related genes found, 3 genes were upregulated at mRNA level and 1 at protein level. These genes were confirmed to be involved in the development of inflammatory induced fibrosis and fistula through EMT. Results from quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis were consistent with the process of EMT, confirmed by the western blot protein analysis. Conclusion: Many significant genes which are involved in the process of EMT in fistula and intestinal fibrosis have been identified. With high-end technology many more genes could be identified. These genes will be good molecular targets in the development of biomarkers for precision drug targeting in the future treatment of intestinal fibrosis and fistula.

BACKGROUND: Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a multisystem disease that may present as venous or arterial thrombosis and/or pregnancy complications with the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies. Until today, heterogeneity of pathogenic mechanism fits well with various clinical manifestations. Moreover, previous studies have indicated that genes are differentially expressed between normal and in the disease state. Hence, this study systematically searched the literature on human gene expression that was differentially expressed in Obstetric APS.METHODOLOGY: Electronic search was performed until 31st March 2015 through PubMed and Embase databases; where the following Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) terms were used and they had been specified as the primary focus of the articles; gene, antiphospholipid, obstetric, and pregnancy in the title or abstract. From 502 studies retrieved from the search, only original publications that had performed gene expression analyses of human placental tissue that reported on differentially expressed gene in pregnancies with Obstetric APS were included. Two reviewers independently scrutinized the titles and the abstracts before examining the eligibility of studies that met the inclusion criteria. For each study; diagnostic criteria for APS, method for analysis, and the gene signature were extracted independently by two reviewers. The genes listed were further analysed with the DAVID and the KEGG pathways.RESULTS: Three eligible gene expression studies involving obstetric APS, comprising the datasets on gene expression, were identified. All three studies showed a reduction in transcript expression on PRL, STAT5, TF, DAF, ABCA1, and HBEGF in Obstetric APS. The high enrichment score for functionality in DAVID had been positive regulation of cell proliferation. Meanwhile, pertaining to the KEGG pathway, two pathways were associated with some of the listed genes, which were ErBb signalling pathway and JAK-STAT signalling pathway.CONCLUSION: Ultimately, studies on a genetic level have the potential to provide new insights into the regulation and to widen the basis for identification of changes in the mechanism of Obstetric APS. Keywords: antiphospholipid, gene, obstetric, pregnancy

Human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16) is a well-known etiological factor for cervical and oropharyngeal cancers. The E2 protein, the product of an early-transcribed gene in HPV–16, is postulated to cause the death of cancerous cells via p53-dependent and p53-independent pathways. The main aim of the present systematic review was to study the HPV 16-E2 protein as an apoptosis-inducer agent. A thorough search of MEDLINE/PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, and EBSCOhost databases was conducted for relevant studies on HPV AND apoptosis OR cell death where HPV 16-E2 was involved. The search identified 967 publications. Eleven records dated from 1 January 1997 to 16 February 2022 were found to meet the inclusion criteria and were eligible for data extraction and inclusion. All studies concluded that HPV 16-E2 was able to induce cell death in transfected cells. E2 proteins from the high-risk HPV–16 were able to induce apoptosis through different apoptotic pathways depending on the location of the expressed gene. However, the mechanism was still unclear, and further studies are warranted.

Islamic scholars have been discussing organ donation issues since it is not specifically mentioned in Al-Quran and Hadith. Organ donation is permissible in Islam because it fulfils the requirement in the preservation of human life, which is one of the five objectives in maqasid syariah. It is believed that the awareness to donate organs is based on good knowledge and attitude among members of the public. Hence, this study aims to determine knowledge and attitude towards organ donation among Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia’s (USIM) staff. A cross-sectional study using systematic random sampling was conducted. A total of 103 USIM staff responded to the self-administered and validated questionnaire. The respondents comprised of 32 (30.8 %) academic, 11 (10.6 %) administrative and 60 (57.7 %) support staff. A quarter of the respondents were Diploma holders (26 %) followed by Masters’ degree holders (22.1 %). The total scores for knowledge and attitude were 7.68 (SD 1.615) and 31.89 (SD 4.845), respectively. There was a significant correlation between total knowledge and total attitude score (p = 0.038, r = 0.204). There was no significant mean difference in the knowledge and attitude scores of male and female staff. The mean knowledge showed positive correlation with age (p = 0.042, r = 0.200). As a conclusion, the knowledge and attitude towards organ donation were good among the staff. However, aggressive educational campaigns with Islamic input highlighting the concept of daruriyyah and maqasid syariah are needed to promote and create awareness regarding organ donation in Malaysia.

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is cognitive decline after surgery. The authors hypothesized that gene-level changes could be involved in the pathogenesis of POCD. The present study evaluated the incidence of POCD and its associated differentially expressed genes. This was a prospective cohort study conducted on high-risk coronary artery bypass graft patients aged 40 to 75 years. POCD classification was based on a one standard deviation decline in the postoperative scores compared to the preoperative scores. The differentially expressed genes were identified using microarray analysis and validated using quantitative RT-PCR. Forty-six patients were recruited and completed the study. The incidence of POCD was identified using a set of neurocognitive assessments and found to be at 17% in these high-risk CABG patients. Six samples were selected for the gene expression analyses (3 non-POCD and 3 POCD samples). The findings showed five differentially expressed genes in the POCD group compared to the non-POCD group. The upregulated gene was ERFE, whereas the downregulated genes were KIR2DS2, KIR2DS3, KIR3DL2, and LIM2. According to the results, the gene expression profiles of POCD can be used to find potential proteins for POCD diagnostic and predictive biomarkers. Understanding the molecular mechanism of POCD development will further lead to early detection and intervention to reduce the severity of POCD, and hence, reduce the mortality and morbidity rate due to the condition.

INTRODUCTION: Antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) are autoantibodies that attack phospholipid through anti-beta 2-glycoprotein 1. The actions of aPL are associated with events leading to thrombosis and morbidity in pregnancy. Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is diagnosed when a patient is persistently positive for aPL and also has recognised clinical manifestations such as recurrent pregnancy losses, arterial or venous thrombosis and in a catastrophic case, can result in death. Unfortunately, the pathogenesis of APS is still not well established. Recently, microRNA expressed in many types of diseased tissues were claimed to be involved in the pathological progression of diseases and has become a useful biomarker to indicate diseases, including APS.OBJECTIVE: This systematic review aims to search for research papers that are focussing on microRNA expression profiles in APS.METHOD: Three search engines (Ebcohost, ProQuest and Ovid) were used to identify papers related to expression of specific microRNA in antiphospholipid syndrome.RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: A total of 357 papers were found and screened, out of which only one study fulfilled the requirement. In this particular study blood samples from APS patients were tested. The microRNAs found to be related to APS were miR-19b and miR-20a. No data was found on specific microRNA being expressed in obstetric antiphospholipid syndrome. Analysis on the microRNA target genes revealed that most genes targeted by miR-19b and miR-20a involve in TGF-Beta Signalling and VEGF, hypoxia and angiogenesis pathways.CONCLUSION: In view of the limited data on the expressions of microRNA in APS we recommend further research into this field. Characterization of microRNA profile in blood as well as in placenta tissue of patients with APS could be useful in identifying microRNAs involved in obstetric APS.

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a medical condition characterized by insufficient iron levels in the body, resulting in a reduced ability to produce hemoglobin (Hb), a critical component of red blood cells. IDA is often associated with chronic fatigue, impaired cognitive function, and diminished well-being. Transferrin (Tf) is one of the major proteins in iron homeostasis, responsible for transporting iron through the blood to various tissues, while its carrier protein, transferrin receptor (TfR), mediates the cellular uptake of transferrin-bound iron into the cell. This study aims to evaluate the expression of TfR mRNA and protein in the small intestine following intervention with date palm and goat milk in IDA-induced rats. Twenty-four male Wistar rats were induced with IDA for 2 weeks using a low-iron diet. Following IDA detection, rats were supplemented with date palm and goat milk, singly and in combination. After four weeks, the rats were sacrificed, and the expression of TfR mRNA and protein in the small intestine was assessed using qPCR and immunohistochemistry, respectively. Data were analyzed using SPSS 24.0, with a significance level set at p<0.05. Results demonstrated that date palm and goat milk significantly improved Hb, serum iron, Tf saturation levels, and modulated the expression of TfR mRNA in the IDA-induced rats. Expression of TfR on the crypt region and brush border membrane of the small intestine was normalized following intervention. The findingsindicate that supplementation of date palm and goat milk improved Hb and Tf saturation levels and significantly modulated duodenal TfR expression in IDA-induced rats.

Cancer increases the global disease burden substantially, but it remains a challenge to manage it. The search for novel biomarkers is essential for risk assessment, diagnosis, prognosis, prediction of treatment response, and cancer monitoring. This paper examined NEDD8 ultimate buster-1 (NUB1) and F-adjacent transcript 10 (FAT10) proteins as novel biomarkers in cancer. This literature review is based on the search of the electronic database, PubMed. NUB1 is an interferon-inducible protein that mediates apoptotic and anti-proliferative actions in cancer, while FAT10 is a ubiquitin-like modifier that promotes cancer. The upregulated expression of both NUB1 and FAT10 has been observed in various cancers. NUB1 protein binds to FAT10 non-covalently to promote FAT10 degradation. An overexpressed FAT10 stimulates nuclear factor-kappa β, activates the inflammatory pathways, and induces the proliferation of cancer. The FAT10 protein interacts with the mitotic arrest deficient 2 protein, causing chromosomal instability and breast tumourigenesis. FAT10 binds to the proliferating cell nuclear antigen protein and inhibits the DNA damage repair response. In addition, FAT10 involves epithelial–mesenchymal transition, invasion, apoptosis, and multiplication in hepatocellular carcinoma. Our knowledge about them is still limited. There is a need to further develop NUB1 and FAT10 as novel biomarkers.

Introduction: Nutritional problems are significantly more common in young children and are strongly associated with social deprivation. This study aims to determine nutritional status, knowledge, attitude and practice of nutrition among children and adolescents’ living in orphanage institutions in Selangor and Melaka. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted using face-to-face interview among 128 randomly selected children and adolescents in five orphanage institutions using standardised and self-validated questionnaires. Their height and weight were measured. The result were analysed using IBM Statistics version 20. Results: Majority of them (62.0%) have normal body mass index (BMI), 18.8% were overweight, 13.3% were obese and 6.2% were underweight. Half of the children (12 years old and below) and half of the adolescents (13 until 18 years old) (53.6% and 52.3% respectively) have high nutritional knowledge. Majority of them has good attitude (85.9%) and good practice of nutrition (76.6%). The mean knowledge showed statistical significant with association with increase in age of the respondents (p-value 0.020) whereas others showed no statistical significance. Discussion: The percentage of overweight and obese in this study is higher compared to other study among school children in Malaysia (Kashmini et al., 1997 and Zaini et al., 2005). An Australian study on nutritional knowledge also found that older respondents had significantly higher knowledge level (Hendrie et al., 2008). A study in Ireland also reported that those with positive attitude were more obedient to dietary guideline (Hearty et al., 2007). Half of our respondents (50.8%) eat vegetables and fruits at least three time a day which is better than a study in the United States (Baxter & Thompson, 2002) that reported half (49%) of their respondents did not take vegetables at all.

The inability to accurately predict the occurrence of postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) among open-heart surgery patients leads to concerning increases in POCD cases. Preoperative circulating biomarkers are important to identify as they are non-invasive and could provide an early prediction of POCD development, allowing for earlier and more strategized interventions. However, to date, no robust circulating biomarkers have proven effective for preoperative POCD prediction. This systematic review aims to synthesize current evidence on preoperative protein profiling among POCD patients following open-heart surgery. Thus, a thorough literature search employing PubMed, EBSCOhost, Scopus, and Science Direct was carried out. This combination of keywords was used as part of the search strategy: (“Postoperative cognitive decline” OR “Postoperative cognitive disorders” OR “Postoperative cognitive dysfunction” OR “Postoperative cognitive complications”) AND (“Thoracic Surgery” OR “Cardiac Surgery” OR “Heart Surgery”) AND (“Protein expression” OR proteomic OR “Protein profiling”). Eight hundred and twenty-nine studies were retrieved and only clinical studies reporting the circulating preoperative differentially expressed Proteins (DEPs) in the POCD patients were selected. Six studies were selected following the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Only one preoperative DEP and four immediate postoperative DEPs were extracted from the studies. All four proteins were selected for analysis using DAVID, STRING, and Cytoscape software. Due to the very low number of proteins, no clusters have been identified. This systematic review demonstrates the lack of POCD preoperative biomarkers for open-heart-surgery patients. Thus, it is suggested that more studies can be conducted to fill this gap.

Introduction: Antiphospholipid antibodies are autoantibodies that attack phospholipid through anti-b2-Glycoprotein-1. The actions by these antibodies are associated with various sites of thrombosis and pregnancy mobidity which is also known as the antiphospholipid sysdrome (APS). The pathogenesis of APS is still not elucidated. Recently, microRNA expressions in many types of diseased tissues have been identified and linked to the involvement in both pathology and progression of diseases. Therefore, a systematic review was performed to search the literature for research papers focusing on microRNA expression profile in APS. Methodology: An electronic search was performed till March 2015. Three search engines; EBCOHOST, PROQUEST AND OVID were used to identify literature related to expression of specific microRNA in APS. Two reviewers independently scrutinized titles and abstracts before examining the eligible of studies that met the inclusion criteria. A total of 350 papers were found and screened. Results: Only one study fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The microRNAs found to be associated with APS regulation were miR-19b and miR-20a. No data was found on specific microRNA expressed in obstetric antiphospholipid syndrome. Discussion: Limited data on expressions of microRNA in APS suggests that further research in this field is required. Conclusion: Characterization of microRNA profile in blood and also in placenta tissue of patients with APS could be a useful model to explain the regulation of certain genes involved.

Clinical history, morphological appearance and cytogenetic data are required in identifying cases of MyelodysplasticSyndrome (MDS). However, this clonal stem cell disorder is still widely heterogenous and multiple tools are utilized in determining the diagnosis and prognosis. The current approaches in diagnosis are inherently subjective and lack of sensitivity. Over the years, altered maturation patterns using flow cytometry analysis have been reported to be useful for identification of MDS. This systematic review aims to assess the sensitivity of maturation pattern in obtaining MDS diagnosis. Electronic databases (MEDLINE, PROQUEST, OVID, Scopus, Web of Science) searched were yielded 677 articles. Snowballing was also employed. Two reviewers assessed each article independently using the following inclusion criteria: all types of MDS; WHO or FAB classification; diagnosis; immunophenotyping. Nineteen papers that met our inclusion criteria were analysed on the maturation pattern using flow cytometry. Samples used were bone marrow aspiration and prepared using either whole blood lysis or Ficoll-density gradient centrifugation. The most studied lineage in diagnosing MDS using maturation pattern is myeloid mainly looking on the CD34+, CD11b/CD16, CD13/CD16 and CD235a/CD71 expression pattern. Five studies showed sensitivity between 70 to 98 percent. Maturation pattern has shown high sensitivity and may be used as an ancillary technique for the diagnosis of MDS. However, flow cytometry strategies employed lack of standardization in assay, scoring system, and on how flow cytometry data have been analysed. Thus, more study need to be done within laboratory and multi-centre study to ensure validity and reliability of maturation pattern as an adjunct test.

To address the accessibility of funds from social support groups in order to enable the poor to undergo cataract operation and restore their eyesight. Awareness on the availability of fund among the poor is still low, thus highlighting the need for promotion of the facility. All data of patient who underwent cataract surgery with intraocular lens implanted from January 2012 to June 2014 in Ampang Hospital, Malaysia were retrieved. The records showed that 102 patients were funded for cataract surgery and had intraocular lens implanted. Almost all of these patients had low vision to near blindness prior to surgery but achieved excellent visual acuity post-operation. Restoring sight from cataract is a necessity for these patients since it will lead to a more productive life and increase the quality of life. Up to this date, various social support groups have contributed significantly to enable the poor to access advanced health care services. With the cooperation of Ampang Hospital and the Social Welfare Department of Malaysia, a simple method is needed to determine the eligibility of funding among poor patients who are required to undergo cataract surgery and intraocular lens implantation. The financial contributions from the various social support groups and non-governmental organizations are noble and sustainable. Restoring eyesight contributes to better quality of life amongst the underprivileged population.

Chronic myeloid leukaemia is blood cancer due to a reciprocal translocation, resulting in a BCR-ABL1 oncogene. Although tyrosine kinase inhibitors have been successfully used to treat CML, there are still cases of resistance. The resistance occurred mainly due to the mutation in the tyrosine kinase domain of the BCR-ABL1 gene. However, there are still many cases with unknown causes of resistance as the etiopathology of CML are not fully understood. Thus, it is crucial to figure out the complete pathogenesis of CML, and miRNA can be one of the essential pathogeneses. The objective of this study was to systematically review the literature on miRNAs that were differentially expressed in CML cases. Their target genes and downstream genes were also explored. An electronic search was performed via PubMed, Scopus, EBSCOhost MEDLINE, and Science Direct. The following MeSH (Medical Subject Heading) terms were used: chronic myeloid leukaemia, genes and microRNAs in the title or abstract. From 806 studies retrieved from the search, only clinical studies with in-vitro experimental evidence on the target genes of the studied miRNAs in CML cells were included. Two independent reviewers independently scrutinised the titles and abstracts before examining the eligibility of studies that met the inclusion criteria. Study design, sample size, sampling type, and the molecular method used were identified for each study. The pooled miRNAs were analysed using DIANA tools, and target genes were analysed with DAVID, STRING and Cytoscape MCODE. Fourteen original research articles on miRNAs in CML were included, 26 validated downstream genes and 187 predicted target genes were analysed and clustered into 7 clusters. Through GO analysis, miRNAs’ target genes were localised throughout the cells, including the extracellular region, cytosol, and nucleus. Those genes are involved in various pathways that regulate genomic instability, proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle, differentiation, and migration of CML cells.

Introduction: Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is clonal haematopoietic stem cell disorder characterized by peripheral pancytopenia, despite the normo- or hypercellularity appearance of bone marrow. Accelerated apoptosis has been postulated to be involved in the pathogenesis of MDS, leading to ineffective hematopoiesis. The aim of this systematic review was to study the role of apoptosis in the pathogenesis of MDS. Methodology: We searched Proquest and Ebscohost databases up to March 2015. The search yielded 966 articles using keywords; Myelodysplastic Syndrome or MDS or Myelodysplasia and apopto* or cell death. Results/Discussion: A total of 18 experimental papers have been found to meet the inclusion criteria. Apoptosis has been found to occur in CD34 positive, mononuclear cells as well as stromal cells of the bone marrow microenvironment with high expressions of pro-apoptotic mediators such as Fas/Fas L, TNF-α, caspase family proteins and Granzyme-B. Bcl-2, p53 mediators and mc11 and bfl1 genes are highly expressed to compensate the apoptosis process while allowing the accumulation of blast cells within the bone marrow. Mitocondrial membrane potential, phosphatidylserine expression and DNA fragmentation act as a marker to quantify the level of apoptosis. Clonogenic assay with appropriate apoptosis inhibitors resulted in significant growth of progenitor cells. In conclusion, apoptosis is involved in various stages of MDS development. Apoptosis is up-regulated at the early stage of MDS and is diminished with disease progression.