[en] Toxicology is a branch of the very important especially in determining the safety and effectiveness of herbal products to avoid any side effects to the user. Currently, toxicity tests conducted in the laboratory is testing the toxicity of shrimp, tests on cell cultures and experimental animal tests on the rats. One of the most recent exam easier and can reduce the use of experimental rats was testing on zebra fish fish. Fish zebra fish Danio rerio, suitable for the study of toxicity, teratogenicity, genetic, oncology and neurobiology. Zebra fish system of aquarium fish zebra fish system has been in Nuclear Malaysia since 2013 but has not yet fully operational due to several factors and is in the process of moving into a new laboratory which systematically and in accordance with the enabling environment for care. The development of a new fully equipped laboratory is expected to benefit all for use in research. (author)

[en] Brucea javanica or locally known as Meladapahit, are being used in Malaysia as traditional medicine mainly for the treatment of diabetes mellitus and hypertension. In order to study the potential use of this plant for cancer treatment, we have prepared crude extracts of the leaves and fruits, and assessed them for antiproliferative activities against head and neck cancer cell line which is HTB-43. The dried and ground leaves and fruits of the plant were successively extracted using hexane, chloroform, methanol and water, respectively. Inhibition of growth of the cultured cancer cells line was measured using a standard Micro culture Tetrazolium Technique (MTT) assay. The crude extracts were also subjected to toxicity test using brine shrimp lethality assay. Most of the tested crude extracts exhibited significant antiproliferative activities against the HTB-43 cell with IC₅₀ ranging from 8.46 μg/ml to 47.25 μg/ml. The chloroform extract from the leaves gave the highest antiproliferative activity (IC₅₀, 8.46 μg/ml). Hexane extract from the fruits, aqueous and hexane extracts from B. javanica leaves showed low antiproliferative activities to the HTB-43 cell line with an IC₅₀ values >100 μg/ml. The chloroform extracts from fruits and leaves and methanol extract from fruits induced toxicity against brine shrimps with LC₅₀ values of 118.7 μg/ml, 512.44 μg/ml and 75.27 μg/ml respectively. It indicated that bioactive components presence in the crude extracts for its pharmacologic effects against head and neck cancer cells. Methanolic extract of Brucea javanica fruit was selected as the most effective extract to inhibit the growth of head and neck cancer cells (HTB-43) by the two different assays used. (author)

[en] Anthropogenic activities such as changes of land use for coastal development are the major factors affecting the sustainability of mangrove area. Mangrove forests in Kuala Selangor Nature Park (KSNP) is one of the area that should be monitored for any potential source of pollution by using stable isotopes as important tracers. Vegetation samples from several palm and mangrove species were analysed for δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N and δ³⁴S stable isotopes. The samples were collected from nine different locations comprising of KSNP area, water canal, residential area, sluice gate, aquaculture area, river, landslide area, agriculture area, jetty and river confluence area. The δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N and δ³⁴S value in the samples are ranged from -33.05% to -13.33%, +1.69% to +9.27%, and +7.83% to +9.50% respectively. IsoSource modelling software was used and found that the 50% is the highest source proportion identified in aquaculture location demonstrating that the area is the main pollution source in this study. The findings from this study could be used for further control measures by local authority in order to preserve the flora and fauna in KSNP. (author)

No abstract available

[en] Full-text:The IAEA TC project is the IAEA's key mechanism for transferring nuclear technology to member countries. Under the program, member countries will be assisted in various necessary fields such as human capital development and supply of research needs items. This article describes the authors' experience in managing the gift items from IAEA and hopefully it can be used as a guide for Nuclear Malaysia's staff in the future if encountering similar situation. (author)

[en] Kenaf is a fibrous plant which has potential in various industrial applications. The effects of water stress on growth and water relations of several Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) varieties were investigated. V36, Mutant Line 2 (S2) and Mutant Line 4 (S3) of kenaf varieties were selected in the study. Three watering regimes namely field capacity (FC), 45% of field capacity (45FC) and 75% of field capacity (75FC) were imposed on the plants. Each watering treatment and variety was replicated three times in a completely randomized design. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizer were applied onto plants at two split applications. Soil water stress significantly retarded vegetative growth as analyzed by plant height, collar diameter growth, leaf development, pod numbers and plant yield. Highest water use efficiency (WUE) were obtained through 45FC water treatment. The yield of S3 mutant population under FC treatment was the highest among other varieties. The S3 population was significantly used the water efficiently. FC water treatment is suggested as the best application to grow kenaf and S3 mutant line is recommended to grow under moderate water stress condition if necessary. (author)

[en] Brassica juncea is one the most popular vegetables cultivated in Malaysia. The effects of M99 biofertilizer and oligochitosan in increasing nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in Brassica juncea (mustard) was investigated. Biofertilizer is a mixture of microbes containing major nutrient-providing microorganisms. Oligochitosan on the other hand acts as an elicitor that has been proven to be very effective in controlling disease infections and improving crop productivity. Five treatments namely control (C), farmers practice (FP), biofertilizer (B), oligochitosan (O) and biofertilizer with oligochitosan (BO) were applied on the plants. For FP treatment, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK) fertilizer were used. All of the treatments were applied onto plants at week three and four after sowing. In addition to NUE, data on plant yield in tonne per hectare was also collected. From this study, highest NUE (20.02%) was obtained through BO treatment whilst FP treatment was observed to produce the highest yield (40.22%) among other treatments. From this finding, combination of BO and FP applications are suggested to be used. However further investigation is needed in order to see the effect on yield and efficient use of plant nutrients. (author)

[en] Stable isotopes are increasingly being used as tracers in environmental studies. One application is to use isotopic ratios to quantitatively determine the proportional contribution of several sources to a mixture, such as the proportion of various pollution sources in a water stream. In recent decades, the dual isotope analysis (¹⁵N and ¹⁸O) of nitrate and (³⁴S and ¹⁸O) of sulphate has been widely applied to track contamination sources. A common application is to use the isotopic composition of a mixture to determine the proportions of various sources in the mixture, using mathematical mixing models. To conduct water sampling in the field, researchers need to design and plan well the activity. Site visits and mapping need to be done first to identify the problem statements of the study area. Sampling points need to be set so that they are in line with the model to be used. Sampling equipment and tools must be provided adequately so that the sampling work is carried out smoothly. This paper will elaborate standard operating procedure (SOP) of water Sampling for stable Isotope analysis in the field. (author)

[en] This study was carried out to evaluate the dynamics of Nitrogen (N) and plants growth and development through the use of biofertilizer on kenaf mutant lines in the field. The kenaf mutant lines has been developed under the mutagenesis radiation program for late flowering capability. In this study, four kenaf mutant lines labeled as S1, S2, S3 and S5 were planted at the research field, National Kenaf and Tobacco Board (LKTN), Beseri Perlis. The kenaf mutant lines are grown under four (4) fertilization treatments namely, (i) Farmer Practice (FP), (ii) Biofertilizer (BO), (iii) Control (C) and (iii) Farmer Practices + Biofertilizer (FBO). The use of oligochitosan as a growth booster has been applied to all treatments. The ¹⁵N isotope dilution technique has been used in this study, whereas ¹⁵N labeled urea 3 % atom excess was used as a tracer in the study to determine N derived from fertilizer (Ndff) and atmosphere (Ndfa). The application rate of ¹⁵N Urea per treatment is 20 kg N/ ha. The presence of ¹⁵N isotope in the sample has been determined by using emission spectrometer and the percentage of N amount has been determined using Kjeldahl method. The value of ¹⁵N a.e in the sample has been used in the determination of Ndff and Ndfa. (author)

[en] The economic motivation for adulteration and mislabeling of origin is significant as edible bird's nest (EBN) rank amongst the world's most expensive animal products for food and traditional medicinal uses. The aim of this study is to determine the geographical origin of Malaysian Edible Bird's Nest by using bio element fingerprinting techniques using carbon, nitrogen and sulphur (CNS) isotopes in order to avoid product fraud, and to guarantee product quality and safety. The samples used were authentic processed EBNs from different states in Malaysia and supplied by Ministry of Health, Malaysia. The ground EBN samples were analyzed using Elemental Analyzer Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer (EA-IRMS) system. The EBN measured δ¹³C values cover a range of -26.99 % to -23.80 % and the δ¹⁵N values cover a range of 5.05 % to 8.06 %. The carbon isotope values are typical of Calvin (C₃) plant sources. The nitrogen isotope values show that the swifts feed on relatively small primary consumer insects. This is also evidenced by the substantial overlap of δ¹⁵N values from the different locations. From the analysis, a statistically significant correlation does exist between the δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values for the EBNs. The EBN measured δ³⁴S values covered a range of +1.9 % to +14.3 % with a mean value of +7.8 %. Higher δ³⁴S values were observed for EBN produced in the state of Sarawak compared to the EBN produced in the other states of Kelantan, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Perak and Selangor. Stable carbon, nitrogen and sulphur isotope analysis of Malaysian EBNs has shown potential for distinguishing between the various states in which they are produced, based on preliminary data. Using additional stable isotope data such as that derived from hydrogen and/or oxygen and combining trace element profiling would likely improve the reliability of the determination of geographical origin and classification rates. (author)