Displaying all 11 publications

Abstract:
Sort:
  1. Rajan, S., Awang, H., Pooi, A.H., Hassan, H., Devi, S.
    Ann Dent, 2008;15(1):5-10.
    MyJurnal
    Objective: An in vitro assessment of MG-63 human osteosarcoma cells' alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity when in contact with calcium hydroxide powder (CH), paste (CHP) and grey mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA). Methods: MG-63 cells were seeded to the three selected materials for durations of 0.25, 0.5, 1, 24, 48 and 72 hours. BCIP-NBT assay was used and ALP activity quantified using ELISA reader at 410 nm. Results: The overall analysis for ALP activity indicated significant interaction between test materials and control (maintenance medium). Subsequently, the test materials were paired and analysed for initial (0.25, 0.5, 1 hour) and delayed response (24, 48 and 72 hours). During the initial response, CH exhibited an increased ALP activity compared to MTA. This interaction was not dependant on duration. The delayed response exhibited elevated ALP activity with CHP when compared to MTA and CH. The interaction of CHP was dependant on duration. Conclusion: All three materials exhibited increased ALP activity.
  2. Wong, S.W.Y., Wong, X.Q., Vaithilingam, R.D., Rajan, S.
    Ann Dent, 2015;22(2):1-9.
    MyJurnal
    Aim: Self-assessment based on benchmarked professional standards is an excellent tool to assist in improving the dental curriculum. Areas of strength and weaknesses can be identified. It can also act as a baseline standard when significant changes are introduced to the dental curriculum. The aims of this prospective cross-sectional study was to investigate self-assessed confidence of final year dental undergraduates in paediatric dentistry enrolled at University of Malaya in 2013. Methods: 65 undergraduates completed anonymised questionnaires which were formulated based on expected professional competencies in three domains namely clinical skills, patient management, and professional development and clinical governance. Visual analogue score (VAS) represented by a 10cm line with score ‘0’ no confidence at all and ‘10’ complete confidence was used to measure the level of confidence. Results: The overall analysis of self-assessed confidence was very positive with median VAS ≥ 5cm in; clinical skills, 7.66±1.31cm (range=2.41–9.97cm: n=62; 95.4%), patient management 7.73±1.27cm (range=5.09–9.95cm: n=64; 100.0%), and professional development and clinical governance, 8.13±1.21cm (range=5.22–10.00cm: n=64; 100.0%). High confidence was reported for routine dental care (fillings and preventive care) while lower confidence reported for basic life support (median VAS=5.65cm) and pulp therapy for immature permanent teeth (median VAS=5.95cm). Conclusions: The final year dental undergraduate students of the University of Malaya appear to have good overall self-assessed confidence in core areas in paediatric dentistry.
  3. Appukutty M, Ramasamy K, Rajan S, Vellasamy S, Ramasamy R, Radhakrishnan AK
    Benef Microbes, 2015;6(4):491-6.
    PMID: 25691103 DOI: 10.3920/BM2014.0129
    Probiotics are live microorganisms that confer health benefits through the gastrointestinal microbiota. This nutritional supplement may benefit athletes who undergo rigorous training by maintaining their gastrointestinal functions and overall health. In this study the influence of moderate physical exercise using a graded treadmill exercise, alone or in combination with the consumption of a soy product fermented with Lactobacillus plantarum LAB12 (LAB12), on tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) responses was investigated in a murine model. Male BALB/c mice were randomly divided into four groups of six mice each (control, exercise alone, LAB12 and LAB12 + exercise). Mice treated with the potential probiotic LAB12 were orally gavaged for 42 days. At autopsy, blood and spleen from the animals were collected. The splenocytes were cultured in the presence of a mitogen, concanavalin A (Con A). The amount of TNF-α produced by the Con A-stimulated splenocytes was quantified using ELISA, while their proliferation was determined using the [(3)H]-thymidine incorporation method. This study shows that LAB12-supplemented and exercise-induced mice showed marked increase (P<0.05) in cell proliferation compared to the control animals. TNF-α production was suppressed (P<0.05) in the LAB12 group compared to the untreated mice. These results demonstrate that supplementation with LAB12 has immunomodulatory effects, under conditions of moderate physical exercise, which may have implications for human athletes. Further investigation in human trials is warranted to confirm and extrapolate these findings.
  4. Lim MY, Lim WW, Rajan S, Nambiar P, Ngeow WC
    Eur Arch Paediatr Dent, 2015 Oct;16(5):397-407.
    PMID: 25894248 DOI: 10.1007/s40368-015-0184-x
    To observe age-related changes in the locations of mandibular foramen (MF) and mental foramen (mf) using dental panoramic tomographs (DPTs).
  5. Mohd Ariffin S, Dalzell O, Hardiman R, Manton DJ, Parashos P, Rajan S
    Eur Arch Paediatr Dent, 2020 Aug;21(4):519-525.
    PMID: 32100200 DOI: 10.1007/s40368-020-00515-z
    AIM: Successful endodontic treatment of primary teeth requires comprehensive knowledge and understanding of root canal morphology. The purpose of this study was to investigate the root canal configurations of primary maxillary second molars using micro-computed tomography.

    METHODS: Extracted human primary maxillary second molars (n = 57) were scanned using micro-computed tomography and reconstructed to produce three-dimensional models. Each root canal system was analysed qualitatively according to Vertucci's classification.

    RESULTS: 22.8% (n = 13) of the sample presented with the fusion of the disto-buccal and palatal roots; of these, Type V was the most prevalent classification. For teeth with three separate roots (n = 44), the most common root canal type was Type 1 for the palatal canal (100%) and disto-buccal canal (77.3%) and Type V for the mesio-buccal canal (36.4%). Overall, 7% (n = 4) of mesio-buccal canals were 'unclassifiable'.

    CONCLUSION: The root canal systems of primary maxillary second molars were not only complex but had a range of configurations that may contribute to unfavourable clinical outcomes after endodontic treatment.

  6. Dalzell O, Mohd Ariffin S, Patrick CJ, Hardiman R, Manton DJ, Parashos P, et al.
    Eur Arch Paediatr Dent, 2021 Oct;22(5):911-927.
    PMID: 34146251 DOI: 10.1007/s40368-021-00641-2
    PURPOSE: Pulpectomy may be indicated in restorable primary teeth exhibiting irreversible pulpitis or pulpal necrosis. The purpose of this study was to compare the cleaning and shaping efficacy of NiTi systems (Reciproc® Blue and MTwo®) with manual stainless-steel instrumentation in primary molars using micro-CT analysis.

    METHODS: Fifty-seven maxillary second primary molars were scanned using micro-CT. Teeth with three divergent roots were divided randomly (n = 15) according to instrument type (K file, MTwo®, and Reciproc® Blue). Teeth with root fusion were instrumented manually as a separate group (n = 12). Pre- and post-instrumentation micro-CT images were superimposed, and the instrumentation area (IA) and procedural complications were recorded.

    RESULTS: No statistically significant differences in IA between file systems was observed in the non-fused teeth. The mean IA of fused roots was significantly lower than in the non-fused distobuccal (p = 0.003) and palatal (p  60%) occurred in both non-fused and fused primary teeth with fewer procedural complications observed after manual instrumentation.

  7. Tahir M, Upadhyay DK, Iqbal MZ, Rajan S, Iqbal MS, Albassam AA
    J Pharm Bioallied Sci, 2020 10 08;12(4):436-443.
    PMID: 33679090 DOI: 10.4103/jpbs.JPBS_263_20
    Introduction: Community pharmacist's knowledge about the uses of herbal medicines and its adverse drug reactions reporting can contribute in better therapeutic outcomes and patient safety. Objectives: To evaluate community pharmacists' knowledge about the use of herbal medicines and its adverse drug reactions reporting in Kedah state, Malaysia.

    Methods: A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was conducted among 103 pharmacists from 74 different community pharmacies to assess their knowledge about the use of herbal medicines and its adverse drug reaction reporting by using a pre-validate knowledge questionnaire consisting of 12 questions related to it. The pharmacists' responses were measured at a 3-point Likert scale (Poor=1, Moderate=2, and Good=3) and data was entered in SPSS version 22. The minimum and maximum possible scores for knowledge questionnaires were 12 and 36 respectively. Quantitative data was analyzed by using One Way ANOVA and Paired t-test whereas Chi-square and Fisher exact test were used for qualitative data analysis. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant for all the analyses.

    Results: About 92% of the pharmacist had good knowledge regarding the use of herbal medicines and its adverse drug reaction reporting with a mean knowledge score of 32.88±3.16. One-way ANOVA determined a significant difference of employment setting (p<0.043) and years of experience (<0.008) with mean knowledge scores of Pharmacists. Pharmacists' knowledge was significantly associated with their years of experience with the Chi-square test.

    Conclusion: Pharmacists exhibit good knowledge regarding the use of herbal medicines and its adverse drug reaction reporting. However, with an increasing trend of herbal medicine use and its adverse drug reaction reporting it recalls the empowerment of experienced pharmacists with training programs in this area for better clinical outcomes.

  8. Rajan S, Shen TH, Santhanam J, Othman NH, Othman N, Hock TT
    Trop Biomed, 2007 Jun;24(1):17-22.
    PMID: 17568373
    Human papillomavirus (HPV) is well known as an etiological factor for the development of anogenital carcinomas. The aim of our study was to compare the performance of USFDA approved Hybrid II (HCII) Assay and recently introduced DR. HPV Chip Kit for the detection of HPV DNA in clinical cervical scrapings from 40 patients. HPV DNA testing was performed using the automated HCII Assay system and DR. HPV Chip Kit. Taking cytological results as gold standard, it was found that HCII was more sensitive (36.4%) than DR. HPV Chip Kit (18.2%) although specificity was 100% with the latter method. In addition, both these molecular methods had comparable negative and positive predictive values. It was concluded that both HCII and DR. HPV Chip Kit have comparable specificity. However, sensitivity for detection of HPV in clinical samples with HCII is almost double as compared to DR. HPV Chip Kit.
  9. Iqbal MZ, Rathi R, Prajapati SK, Omar K, Bahari MB, Rajan S, et al.
    J Pharm Bioallied Sci, 2021;13(1):123-128.
    PMID: 34084058 DOI: 10.4103/jpbs.JPBS_298_20
    OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practice among pre-final and final year students of pharmacy, medicine, biotechnology, and business faculties about oral hygiene.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practice of students towards oral hygiene at a private university in Malaysia. Validated questionnaires were distributed to a convenient stratified sample of 324 students studying in the different selected faculties, namely pharmacy, medicine, biotechnology, and business, respectively. The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) Version 24.0 was used to analyze the data.

    RESULTS: With regard to knowledge, upon evaluation, it was seen that the students of the Faculty of Pharmacy had the highest percentage of adequate knowledge, which was statistically significant with a P-value of 0.001 and the effect size of 0.246. On the evaluation of attitudes, it was seen that the Faculty of Biotechnology had the highest positive attitudes. According to race, Malay students had the highest positive attitude among all the races that participated in the study, which showed a P-value of 0.037 with the effect size of 0.034. Regarding practice, the Faculty of Pharmacy had the lowest practice compared with the other faculties. This variable had a P-value of 0.001 and showed to have significance against the practice with an effect size of 0.193.

    CONCLUSION: Overall, a good attitude was seen amongst the students on their oral hygiene. It was also observed that the attitude, knowledge, and practice of the students in a private university increased with an increasing level of education.

  10. Zahid Iqbal M, Rathi R, Prajapati SK, Zi Qing MS, Pheng TS, Wei Kee H, et al.
    J Pharm Bioallied Sci, 2021;13(1):136-142.
    PMID: 34084060 DOI: 10.4103/jpbs.JPBS_297_20
    OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practice of healthcare students (Medicine, Pharmacy, and Dentistry) in a private university about mental health challenges (MHC).

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: A research cross-sectional observational was conducted to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practice of students towards MHC at a private university in Malaysia. A validated questionnaire was distributed to 284 students studying in three different selected faculties, namely the Faculty of Medicine, Pharmacy, and Dentistry. The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) Version 24.0 was used to analyze the data.

    RESULTS: Upon evaluation of knowledge, male students were having less-adequate knowledge than females (P = 0.006). Malay students were having adequate knowledge than other races about MHC. Faculty of Medicine was having adequate knowledge than other faculties (P ≤ 0.001). Regarding attitude, the Faculty of Pharmacy students had the highest positive attitudes (P = 0.001). Final year students were having a more positive attitude than pre-final year students. For the evaluation of practice, the Faculty of Dentistry students had the lowest practice compared with other faculties.

    CONCLUSION: In conclusion, overall, good knowledge was seen among the students of the private medical university about MHC. The medical students had adequate knowledge when compared with other faculties in the university.

  11. Rajan S, McKee M, Rangarajan S, Bangdiwala S, Rosengren A, Gupta R, et al.
    JAMA Psychiatry, 2020 10 01;77(10):1052-1063.
    PMID: 32520341 DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.1351
    Importance: Depression is associated with incidence of and premature death from cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer in high-income countries, but it is not known whether this is true in low- and middle-income countries and in urban areas, where most people with depression now live.

    Objective: To identify any associations between depressive symptoms and incident CVD and all-cause mortality in countries at different levels of economic development and in urban and rural areas.

    Design, Setting, and Participants: This multicenter, population-based cohort study was conducted between January 2005 and June 2019 (median follow-up, 9.3 years) and included 370 urban and 314 rural communities from 21 economically diverse countries on 5 continents. Eligible participants aged 35 to 70 years were enrolled. Analysis began February 2018 and ended September 2019.

    Exposures: Four or more self-reported depressive symptoms from the Short-Form Composite International Diagnostic Interview.

    Main Outcomes and Measures: Incident CVD, all-cause mortality, and a combined measure of either incident CVD or all-cause mortality.

    Results: Of 145 862 participants, 61 235 (58%) were male and the mean (SD) age was 50.05 (9.7) years. Of those, 15 983 (11%) reported 4 or more depressive symptoms at baseline. Depression was associated with incident CVD (hazard ratio [HR], 1.14; 95% CI, 1.05-1.24), all-cause mortality (HR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.11-1.25), the combined CVD/mortality outcome (HR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.11-1.24), myocardial infarction (HR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.10-1.37), and noncardiovascular death (HR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.13-1.31) in multivariable models. The risk of the combined outcome increased progressively with number of symptoms, being highest in those with 7 symptoms (HR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.12-1.37) and lowest with 1 symptom (HR, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.92 -1.19; P for trend 

Related Terms
Filters
Contact Us

Please provide feedback to Administrator ([email protected])

External Links