Objective – Maintenance of bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSC) numbers is important to preserve the balance required for normal tissue regeneration. ‘Ajwa’ date palm fruit, a popular Middle Eastern food, is known for its superior nutrition and medicinal properties. However, the direct effect of ‘Ajwa’ dates on stem cell biology remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the potential effect of ‘Ajwa’ date palm fruit on BMMSC proliferation. Materials and methods – BMMSC were treated with different concentrations of aqueous extract of ‘Ajwa’ date palm fruit (mg mL-1). Proliferation, morphology, surface markers and gene expression of BMMSC were evaluated after the treatment. Results and discussion – ‘Ajwa’ date palm fruit significantly enhanced BMMSC proliferation and retained the stemness of BMMSC. Quantitative gene expression analysis demonstrated significant increase of proliferation related genes; β-Catenin, C-Myc and HGF and lower expression of apoptotic genes; BAX and Caspase-3 and senescence-related gene, p21. Conclusion – These findings suggest the potential effect of ‘Ajwa’ date palm fruit as stem cell nutrition in the preservation of endogenous BMMSC for tissue regeneration.

Objective - Maintenance of bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSC) numbers is important to preserve the balance required for normal tissue regeneration. 'Ajwa' date palm fruit, a popular Middle Eastern food, is known for its superior nutrition and medicinal properties. However, the direct effect of 'Ajwa' dates on stem cell biology remains unclean This study aims to investigate the potential effect of 'Ajwa' date palm fruit on BMMSC proliferation. Materials and methods - BMMSC were treated with different concentrations of aqueous extract of Ajwa' date palm fruit (mg mL(-1)). Proliferation, morphology, surface markers and gene expression of BMMSC were evaluated after the treatment. Results and discussion - 'Ajwa' date palm fruit significantly enhanced BMMSC proliferation and retained the sternness of BMMSC. Quantitative gene expression analysis demonstrated significant increase of proliferation related genes; beta-Catenin, C-Myc and HGF and lower expression of apoptotic genes; BAX and Caspase-3 and senescence-related gene, p21. Conclusion - These findings suggest the potential effect of 'Ajwa' date palm fruit as stem cell nutrition in the preservation of endogenous BMMSC for tissue regeneration.

The beneficial effects of date fruits (Phoenix dactylifera) are attributed to their high nutritional content consisting of tannins, phenolic compounds, carbohydrate, oxidative enzymes, alkaloids, steroids, flavonoids, and vitamins. These compounds also contribute to antibacterial activity. This systematic review aims to assess the evidence of antibacterial effects of the date fruits on human pathogenic bacteria. We performed a systematic literature search in Scopus, EMBASE and EBSCOhost until August 2016. In addition, we used Google Scholar and screened the references for additional studies. All published studies that tested only date fruits were included. Studies that used other parts of the date tree were excluded. In addition, only studies that specifically tested the antibacterial effects on human pathogenic bacteria were assessed. We also limited our systematic review on studies written in English language. We identified 14 studies that met all of the inclusion criteria. Out of 14 studies, only 6 studies showed antibacterial activity. In contrast, 2 studies did not show antibacterial activity and 7 studies showed mixed results. From all selected studies, methanol extract of the date fruits showed the highest inhibition zone compared to that of aqueous and other solvents. Date fruits extracts are also more sensitive against gram-positive bacteria compared to gram-negative bacteria. This systematic review has shown that antibacterial activity of date fruits has significant effects on human pathogenic bacteria. Further studies are needed to gain a better understanding of the possible mechanisms underlying these effects. � 2017 American Scientific Publishers All rights reserved.

Regular consumption of chocolate and cocoa products has been linked to reduced cardiovascular mortality. This study compared the effects of high flavanol dark chocolate (HFDC; 1064 mg flavanols/day for 6 weeks) and low flavanol dark chocolate (LFDC; 88mg flavanols/day for 6 weeks) on blood pressure, heart rate, vascular function and platelet aggregation in men with pre-hypertension ormild hypertension. Vascular function was assessed by pulse wave analysis using radial artery applanation tonometry in combination with inhaled salbutamol (0.4 mg) to assess changes due to endothelium-dependent vasodilatation. HFDC did not significantly reduce blood pressure compared to baseline or LFDC. Heart rate was increased by LFDC compared to baseline, but not by HFDC. Vascular responses to salbutamol tended to be greater after HFDC. Platelet aggregation induced by collagen or the thromboxane analogue U46619 was unchanged after LFDC or HFDC, whereas both chocolates reduced responses to ADP and the thrombin receptor activator peptide, SFLLRNamide (TRAP6), relative to baseline. Pre-incubation of platelets with theobromine also attenuated platelet aggregation induced by ADP or TRAP6. We conclude that consumption ofHFDC confersmodest improvements in cardiovascular function. Platelet aggregation is modulated by a flavanol-independent mechanism that is likely due to theobromine.

Cases of mid-shaft humerus fracture are often managed conservatively. However, poor fracture healing is not uncommon and often require surgical intervention with equivocal prognosis and may result in complications such as radial nerve injury and nonunion. We report a case of successful healing of mid-shaft humerus fracture using traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The principles of fracture management in TCM is very different from conventional orthopaedics utilizing light immobilization, active joint exercise and herbal agents that promote bone healing. This case report illustrates the potential role of traditional Chinese medicine in humerus fracture management.

Maintenance of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSC) numbers is crucial for tissue repair and regeneration since adult stem cells are often limited in number, expansion capacity and lifespan. It is believed that certain types of foods are beneficial in the preservation and stimulation of stem cells throughout life. Black seeds and stingless bee honey are among the widely investigated functional food with general health promoting benefit. We aim to explore the proliferative, anti-apoptosis and anti-senescence effect of Nigella sativa and Trigona honey on BMMSC. Cell proliferation was evaluated using MTT assay. We performed flow cytometric analysis to verify stem cell surface markers while quantitative PCR was done to measure the relative expression of target genes. Results showed favourable concentration dependent enhancement of cell proliferation by 1 to 10 ug/mL Nigella sativa and 0.097% to 0.195% Trigona honey. Observation on BMMSC’s morphology and surface markers expression revealed no alteration on BMMSC stemness properties. In addition, gene expression analysis supported that there was a significant (P<0.05) increase in proliferation related gene, β-Catenin, and lower expression of apoptotic- and senescence-related gene, BAX and p21, respectively. These preliminary findings suggest a promising effect of Nigella sativa and Trigona honey on stem cell proliferation.

Thalassaemia is one of the most common autosomal recessive blood disorders in the world and its carrier status is prevalent in nearly 15% of Malaysian population. The global and economic burden for lifelong care of those affected increases every year. Currently, there is no policy on thalassaemia-carrier screening for couples prior to marriage besides HIV/AIDS screening in Malaysia. Other countries such as Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have established a policy for thalassaemia prevention by conducting premarital thalassaemia screening. Zero thalassaemia cases in new-born child in Cyprus have proven that thalassaemia can be prevented. This study aimed to investigate the willingness of premarital Malays on premarital thalassaemia screening. A set of questionnaire was distributed to 57 persons at premarital course sites and wedding fairs and expositions held in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. Components in the questionnaire included: 1) demographic 2) knowledge about thalassaemia, signs and screening method 3) attitudes towards thalassaemia premarital screening 4) practices of premarital thalassaemia screening. Analysis for the questionnaire was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 23.0. A majority of the participants (75.44%) have never heard of thalassaemia as a medical condition. However, at least half of the participants (56.14%) agreed that premarital screening is needed to know their status of thalassaemia. In terms of facilities provided, widely covered campaigns about facilities of the screening test is also one of the factors that could encourage people to do premarital thalassaemia screening (35.09%). Even though premarital thalassaemia screening is not an obligation, 50.88% of participants agreed that it is important. The main reason people refused to do premarital thalassaemia screening was because they were afraid to know the test result and how it may affect their lives. Although preliminary, we have demonstrated that the level of knowledge concerning thalassemia among Malay Malaysians is still low. This may contribute to the low awareness about the effects of the disease and the importance of premarital thalassemia screening. However, most participants agreed that it is beneficial to perform the premarital thalassemia screening to identify individuals at risk of this disease. Nevertheless, many factors need to be taken into consideration if premarital thalassaemia screening is to be implemented in Malaysia as a national policy.

Dengue fever is endemic in tropical urban developing regions worldwide. Thrombocytopenia is an important clinical feature which may result in bleeding. However, there is no specific treatment for Dengue-induced thrombocytopenia. Carica papaya leaves (CPL) is a popular remedy in South East Asia to treat Dengue-induced thrombocytopenia. Development of CPL into pharmaceutical therapeutic agents is not forthcoming due to lack of rigorous scientific evidence and unknown mechanism of action. This study investigated the role of thrombopoietin (TPO) and interleukin (IL-6) in the thrombocytosis effect of CPL in vivo. These experiments were conducted using busulfan-induced thrombocytopenic rats. Treatment of aqueous and methanol extracts of CPL at 600mg/kg were administered orally for 7 consecutive days and serum platelet count was determined intermittently until day 15. At the end of experiments, serum Thrombopoietin (TPO) and IL-6 levels were determined by ELISA. Both aqueous and methanol extracts of CPL significantly increased platelet count compared to the control groups (x2 (2) = 25.373, P = 0.00). Investigations into the mechanism of thrombocytosis showed that TPO and IL-6 levels were increased compared to controls but was not statistically significant (H (3) = 5.339 P = 0.149) (H (3) = 4.412 P = 0.220) respectively. This study is the first to document the thrombocytosis effect of both aqueous and methanol CPL extracts in a rodent model system. Our findings showed that aqueous extract of CPL demonstrated an increase of TPO and IL-6 levels. We suggested that the possible mechanism could be linked with the upregulation of major thrombopoietic cytokines such as TPO and IL-6

Previous studies have shown platelets play an important role in prothrombotic complications due to several factors such as hyperglycemia, oxidative stress, and hypercholesterolemia, which affected platelets reactivity. Platelets activation involves ADP stimulation via P2Y12 receptor, whereas reactive oxygen species (ROS) including superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) produced by NADPH oxidase (Nox) act as the second messenger, which involved in platelets activation and may contribute to thrombus formation. The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of Nox on the purinergic receptor (P2Y12 receptor) in activation of human platelets function stimulated by platelets agonist. This research explored the effects of Nox inhibitors and clopidogrel either alone or in combination, on various agonist-stimulated human platelets, including platelets aggregation and adhesion measured by modified LTA, expression of platelets activation markers, and calcium mobilization using flow cytometry, and ROS formation, NADPH oxidase activity, as well as cAMP levels by chemiluminescence assay. Taken together, findings from these experiments suggest that the combination of clopidogrel and Nox inhibitors synergistically reduced platelets aggregation, platelets adhesion, and expression of platelets activation marker during late activation, ROS formation, NADPH oxidase activity, calcium mobilization and increased cAMP levels in vitro. This combination showed that P2Y12receptor reactivity was influenced by the activation of NADPH oxidase. Thus, these data demonstrated a potential combination therapy to reduce the risk of thrombosis formation.