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Fulltext Efficacy of mometasone furoate and fluticasone furoate on persistent allergic rhinoconjunctivitis

Aneeza WH, Husain S, Rahman RA, Van Dort D, Abdullah A, Gendeh BS

Allergy Rhinol (Providence), 2013;4(3):e120-6.
PMID: 24498516 DOI: 10.2500/ar.2013.4.0065

Allergic rhinoconjunctivitis denotes both nasal and ocular manifestation of allergy, which may be solely treated with intranasal steroid. This study compares the efficacy of mometasone furoate nasal spray (NS) and fluticasone furoate NS in treatment of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis. The secondary objective is to study the severity of baseline ocular symptoms in allergic rhinoconjunctivitis. Seventy-eight patients with allergic rhinoconjunctivitis were assessed subjectively and objectively using twice-daily symptom scores for nasal (reflective total nasal symptom score [rTNSS] and instantaneous TNSS [iTNSS]) and ocular (reflective total ocular symptom score [rTOSS] and instantaneous TOSS [iTOSS]) symptoms, rhinoconjunctivitis quality-of-life questionnaires (RQOLQs), and acoustic rhinometry. All measurements were taken at baseline and at 4 and 8 weeks of treatment. Sixty-three patients who were randomized into the mometasone furoate group (n = 36) and the fluticasone furoate group (n = 27) completed the study. Seventy-six percent of patients had mild ocular symptoms, 20.5% had moderate symptoms, and only 2.6% had severe symptoms at baseline based on the iTOSS; 65.1% had mild nasal symptoms and 3% had severe nasal symptoms. There was significant reduction in the symptom scores after 1 week (p < 0.05). Both groups had significant improvement in RQOLQ scores after 1 month, which further improved at 2 months (p < 0.05). The nasal dimensions also improved in both groups (p < 0.05) but there was no statistically significant difference between groups. Both mometasone furoate and fluticasone furoate are effective as single-modality treatment of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis. The majority of patients manifest mild ocular symptoms that may be solely treated with intranasal steroids.
Hospital-acquired Clostridium difficile infection among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in acute medical wards

Hassan SA, Rahman RA, Huda N, Wan Bebakar WM, Lee YY

J R Coll Physicians Edinb, 2013;43(2):103-7.
PMID: 23734349 DOI: 10.4997/JRCPE.2013.203

Clostridum difficile (C. difficile) infection is increasingly seen among hospitalised patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus but its rate and associated risk factors are not known. We aimed to determine the rate and characteristics of hospital-acquired C. difficile infection in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus admitted into acute medical wards.
Simultaneous removal of AOX and COD from real recycled paper wastewater using GAC-SBBR

Osman WH, Abdullah SR, Mohamad AB, Kadhum AA, Rahman RA

J Environ Manage, 2013 May 30;121:80-6.
PMID: 23524399 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2013.02.005

A lab-scale granular activated carbon sequencing batch biofilm reactor (GAC-SBBR), a combined adsorption and biological process, was developed to treat real wastewater from a recycled paper mill. In this study, one-consortia of mixed culture (4000-5000 mg/L) originating from recycled paper mill activated sludge from Kajang, Malaysia was acclimatized. The GAC-SBBR was fed with real wastewater taken from the same recycled paper mill, which had a high concentration of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and adsorbable organic halides (AOX). The operational duration of the GAC-SBBR was adjusted from 48 h to 24, 12 and finally 8 h to evaluate the effect of the hydraulic retention time (HRT) on the simultaneous removal of COD and AOX. The COD and AOX removals were in the range of 53-92% and 26-99%, respectively. From this study, it was observed that the longest HRT (48 h) yielded a high removal of COD and AOX, at 92% and 99%, respectively.
Fulltext Optimization of ultrasound-assisted extraction of crude oil from winter melon (Benincasa hispida) seed using response surface methodology and evaluation of its antioxidant activity, total phenolic content and fatty acid composition

Bimakr M, Rahman RA, Taip FS, Adzahan NM, Sarker MZ, Ganjloo A

Molecules, 2012 Oct 08;17(10):11748-62.
PMID: 23044712 DOI: 10.3390/molecules171011748

In the present study, ultrasound-assisted extraction of crude oil from winter melon seeds was investigated through response surface methodology (RSM). Process variables were power level (25-75%), temperature (45-55 °C) and sonication time (20-40 min). It was found that all process variables have significant (p < 0.05) effects on the response variable. A central composite design (CCD) was used to determine the optimum process conditions. Optimal conditions were identified as 65% power level, 52 °C temperature and 36 min sonication time for maximum crude yield (108.62 mg-extract/g-dried matter). The antioxidant activity, total phenolic content and fatty acid composition of extract obtained under optimized conditions were determined and compared with those of oil obtained by the Soxhlet method. It was found that crude extract yield (CEY) of ultrasound-assisted extraction was lower than that of the Soxhlet method, whereas antioxidant activity and total phenolic content of the extract obtained by ultrasound-assisted extraction were clearly higher than those of the Soxhlet extract. Furthermore, both extracts were rich in unsaturated fatty acids. The major fatty acids of the both extracts were linoleic acid and oleic acid.
Performance evaluation of a granular activated carbon-sequencing batch biofilm reactor pilot plant system used in treating real wastewater from recycled paper industry

Muhamad MH, Sheikh Abdullah SR, Mohamad AB, Rahman RA, Kadhum AA

Environ Technol, 2012 Apr-May;33(7-9):915-26.
PMID: 22720416

A pilot scale granular activated carbon-sequencing batch biofilm reactor with a capacity of 2.2 m3 was operated for over three months to evaluate its performance treating real recycled paper industry wastewater under different operational conditions. In this study, dissolved air floatation (DAF) and clarifier effluents were used as influent sources of the pilot plant. During the course of the study, the reactor was able to biodegrade the contaminants in the incoming recycled paper mill wastewater in terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD), adsorbable organic halides (AOX; specifically 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP)) and ammoniacal nitrogen (NH3-N) removal efficiencies at varying hydraulic retention times (HRTs) of 1-3 days, aeration rates (ARs) of 2.1-3.4 m3/min and influent feed concentration of 40-950 mg COD/l. Percentages of COD, 2,4-DCP and NH3-N removals increased with increasing HRT, resulting in more than 90% COD, 2,4-DCP and NH3-N removals at HRT values above two days. Degradation of COD, 2,4-DCP and NH3-N were seriously affected by variation of ARs, which resulted in significant decrease of COD, 2,4-DCP and NH3-N removals by decreasing ARs from 3.4 m3/min to 2.1 m3/min, varying in the ranges of 24-80%, 6-96% and 5-42%, respectively. In comparison to the clarifier effluent, the treatment performance of DAF effluent, containing high COD concentration, resulted in a higher COD removal of 82%. The use of diluted DAF effluent did not improve significantly the COD removal. Higher NH3-N removal efficiency of almost 100% was observed during operation after maintenance shutdown compared to normal operation, even at the same HRT of one day due to the higher dissolved oxygen concentrations (1-7 mg/l), while no significant difference in COD removal efficiency was observed.
A retrospective study of oral and maxillofacial injuries in Seremban Hospital, Malaysia

Ramli R, Rahman NA, Rahman RA, Hussaini HM, Hamid AL

Dent Traumatol, 2011 Apr;27(2):122-6.
PMID: 21281443 DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-9657.2010.00968.x

Aetiology of oral and maxillofacial injuries in this country includes motorvehicle accident (MVA), fall, industrial accidents and others. Among these causes, MVA accident is the predominant cause of injury in Malaysia.
Silver/poly (lactic acid) nanocomposites: preparation, characterization, and antibacterial activity

Shameli K, Ahmad MB, Yunus WM, Ibrahim NA, Rahman RA, Jokar M, et al.

Int J Nanomedicine, 2010 Sep 07;5:573-9.
PMID: 20856832

In this study, antibacterial characteristic of silver/poly (lactic acid) nanocomposite (Ag/PLA-NC) films was investigated, while silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) were synthesized into biodegradable PLA via chemical reduction method in diphase solvent. Silver nitrate and sodium borohydride were respectively used as a silver precursor and reducing agent in the PLA, which acted as a polymeric matrix and stabilizer. Meanwhile, the properties of Ag/PLA-NCs were studied as a function of the Ag-NP weight percentages (8, 16, and 32 wt% respectively), in relation to the use of PLA. The morphology of the Ag/PLA-NC films and the distribution of the Ag-NPs were also characterized. The silver ions released from the Ag/PLA-NC films and their antibacterial activities were scrutinized. The antibacterial activities of the Ag/PLA-NC films were examined against Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Vibrio parahaemolyticus) and Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus) by diffusion method using Muller-Hinton agar. The results indicated that Ag/PLA-NC films possessed a strong antibacterial activity with the increase in the percentage of Ag-NPs in the PLA. Thus, Ag/PLA-NC films can be used as an antibacterial scaffold for tissue engineering and medical application.
Fulltext A retrospective study of ranula in two centres in Malaysia

Ghani NA, Ahmad R, Rahman RA, Yunus MR, Putra SP, Ramli R

J Maxillofac Oral Surg, 2009 Dec;8(4):316-9.
PMID: 23139535 DOI: 10.1007/s12663-009-0077-9

Ranula is a mucous extravasation cyst which occurs as a result of trauma or obstruction of the sublingual or minor salivary gland or the duct itself.
Fulltext The antibacterial properties of Malaysian tualang honey against wound and enteric microorganisms in comparison to manuka honey

Tan HT, Rahman RA, Gan SH, Halim AS, Hassan SA, Sulaiman SA, et al.

BMC Complement Altern Med, 2009;9:34.
PMID: 19754926 DOI: 10.1186/1472-6882-9-34

Antibiotic resistance of bacteria is on the rise, thus the discovery of alternative therapeutic agents is urgently needed. Honey possesses therapeutic potential, including wound healing properties and antimicrobial activity. Although the antimicrobial activity of honey has been effectively established against an extensive spectrum of microorganisms, it differs depending on the type of honey. To date, no extensive studies of the antibacterial properties of tualang (Koompassia excelsa) honey on wound and enteric microorganisms have been conducted. The objectives of this study were to conduct such studies and to compare the antibacterial activity of tualang honey with that of manuka honey.
Maxillofacial trauma of pediatric patients in Malaysia: a retrospective study from 1999 to 2001 in three hospitals

Rahman RA, Ramli R, Rahman NA, Hussaini HM, Idrus SM, Hamid AL

Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol, 2007 Jun;71(6):929-36.
PMID: 17442408

Maxillofacial trauma in children is not common worldwide. Domestic injuries are frequently seen in younger children while older children are mostly involved in motor vehicle accidents (MVA). The objective of this study was to analyze the pattern of maxillofacial injuries in pediatric patients referred to three government main hospitals in different areas of West Malaysia.
Maxillofacial trauma with emphasis on soft-tissue injuries in Malaysia

Hussaini HM, Rahman NA, Rahman RA, Nor GM, Ai Idrus SM, Ramli R

Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg, 2007 Sep;36(9):797-801.
PMID: 17630250

Soft-tissue injuries with or without facial bone involvement are the most common presentation following maxillofacial trauma. The objective of this study was to look at the distribution, pattern and type of soft-tissue injury in relation to aetiology. Records of patients over a period of 5 years (1998-2002), who sustained maxillofacial injuries and were treated at Kajang Hospital, a secondary referral hospital, were reviewed. Out of 313 patients with maxillofacial injuries, 295 patients sustained soft-tissue injuries. Males (79%) between 21 and 30 years old (34%) were the majority of patients. Road-traffic accident was the main cause of soft-tissue injuries (75%) with motorcycle accident being the most frequent (40%). The upper lips (23%) and the lower lips (18%) were the most common extraoral site involved, while the labial mucosa and sulcular areas, both accounting for 21%, were the most common intraoral sites. Stringent road-traffic regulations should be practiced in developing countries, as morbidity arising from road-traffic accidents poses a national economic and social problem.
Is 3alpha-androstenol pheromone related to menstrual synchrony?

Jahanfar S, Awang CH, Rahman RA, Samsuddin RD, See CP

J Fam Plann Reprod Health Care, 2007 Apr;33(2):116-8.
PMID: 17407681

The ovarian cycles of females living and interacting together may synchronise due to pheromones released from axillary secretary glands, the highest concentration of which is produced in the mid-follicular phase, prior to ovulation. The objective of this study was to find evidence for menstrual synchrony in a group of female students living together and to obtain a correlation between the ability to smell the putative pheromone, 5alpha-androst-16-en-3alpha-ol (3alpha-androstenol), found in apocrine secretions and menstrual synchrony. This cross-sectional study involved 88 students who completed a standard questionnaire and whose sense of smell was measured using ten varying thresholds. The menstrual history, friendship scale and menstrual hygiene score was determined for the participants.
Facial Fractures in Kajang Hospital, Malaysia: A 5-Year Review

Rahman RA, Hussaini HM, Rahman NA, Rahman SR, Nor GM, Ai Idrus SM, et al.

Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg, 2007 Feb;33(1):90-5.
PMID: 26815981 DOI: 10.1007/s00068-007-5154-5

The objective of this study was to determine the demographic data as well as other relevant data pertaining to the management of patients with maxillofacial injury in a Malaysian government regional hospital.
An intensified esterification process of palm oil fatty acid distillate catalyzed by delipidated rice bran lipase

Chong FC, Tey BT, Dom ZM, Ibrahim N, Rahman RA, Ling TC

ScientificWorldJournal, 2006 Sep 07;6:1124-31.
PMID: 16964369

An intensified esterification process was operated by circulating 10 l of reaction mixtures, consisting of palm oil fatty acid distillate (PFAD) and glycerol in hexane, through a packed-bed reactor (PBR) filled with 10 kg of delipidated rice bran lipase (RBL). The influence of the process parameters, such as reaction temperature and type of water-removal agent, on the performance of this intensified esterification process were investigated. The highest degree of esterification (61%) was achieved at a reaction temperature of 65 masculineC, using silica gels as the water-removal agent. Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) analysis showed that the major composition of the esterified product was diacylglycerol.
Brugia malayi infection in Meriones unguiculatus: antibody response to recombinant BmR1

Lim BH, Noordin R, Nor ZM, Rahman RA, Abdullah KA, Sinnadurai S

Exp Parasitol, 2004 Sep-Oct;108(1-2):1-6.
PMID: 15491542

BmR1 recombinant antigen has previously been shown to demonstrate high sensitivity and specificity in the serological diagnosis of brugian filariasis in humans. In this study, the pattern of recognition of antibody to BmR1 during Brugia malayi infection was investigated by employing Meriones unguiculatus as the experimental model. Thirty two gerbils were infected subcutaneously with 120 L(3); and two control groups each comprising 25 animals were employed. ELISA using BmR1 was used to detect filaria-specific IgG antibodies elicited by the gerbils; using sera collected from the day 1 until day 150 post-inoculation (p.i.). The results showed that BmR1 detected B. malayi infection in gerbils harboring adult worms irrespective of the presence of circulating microfilaria, and was exemplified by positive ELISA results in nine a microfilaraemic animals that harbored live adult worms. The initial time of the antibody recognition was at day 8 p.i. and the antibody titre showed some correlation with adult worm burden.
Fulltext Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of seed oil from winter melon (Benincasa hispida) and its antioxidant activity and fatty acid composition

Bimakr M, Rahman RA, Taip FS, Adzahan NM, Sarker MZ, Ganjloo A

Molecules, 2013 Jan 15;18(1):997-1014.
PMID: 23322066 DOI: 10.3390/molecules18010997

In the present study, supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO(2)) extraction of seed oil from winter melon (Benincasa hispida) was investigated. The effects of process variables namely pressure (150-300 bar), temperature (40-50 °C) and dynamic extraction time (60-120 min) on crude extraction yield (CEY) were studied through response surface methodology (RSM). The SC-CO(2) extraction process was modified using ethanol (99.9%) as co-solvent. Perturbation plot revealed the significant effect of all process variables on the CEY. A central composite design (CCD) was used to optimize the process conditions to achieve maximum CEY. The optimum conditions were 244 bar pressure, 46 °C temperature and 97 min dynamic extraction time. Under these optimal conditions, the CEY was predicted to be 176.30 mg-extract/g-dried sample. The validation experiment results agreed with the predicted value. The antioxidant activity and fatty acid composition of crude oil obtained under optimized conditions were determined and compared with published results using Soxhlet extraction (SE) and ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE). It was found that the antioxidant activity of the extract obtained by SC-CO(2) extraction was strongly higher than those obtained by SE and UAE. Identification of fatty acid composition using gas chromatography (GC) showed that all the extracts were rich in unsaturated fatty acids with the most being linoleic acid. In contrast, the amount of saturated fatty acids extracted by SE was higher than that extracted under optimized SC-CO(2) extraction conditions.
Fulltext Drone for medical products transportation in maternal healthcare: A systematic review and framework for future research

Zailani MAH, Sabudin RZAR, Rahman RA, Saiboon IM, Ismail A, Mahdy ZA

Medicine (Baltimore), 2020 Sep 04;99(36):e21967.
PMID: 32899033 DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000021967

INTRODUCTION: Medical products transportation has become an important research topic requiring multidisciplinary collaboration among experts in medicine, engineering, and health economics. Current modes of transportation are unable to overcome the limited settings in maternal healthcare, particularly during the event of obstetric emergencies. The drone is a promising medical product aerial transportation (MedART) that holds an enormous potential for delivery of medical supplies in the healthcare system. We conducted a systematic review to examine scientific evidence of positive impact of drone transportation on maternal health.
METHODS: The following electronic databases were searched from inception to July 2019: ScienceDirect, PubMed, and EMBASE. The report was made in accordance with the principles of PRISMA guidelines. The search terms used were related to drones including unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and unmanned aerial system (UAS), and related to obstetric/maternal including obstetric emergencies and postpartum hemorrhage. Studies were selected if the intervention used were drones, and if any direct or indirect maternal health indicators were reported. Meta-analysis was not done throughout the study in view of the anticipated heterogeneity of each study.
RESULTS: Our initial search yielded a total of 244 relevant publications, from which 236 were carried forward for a title and abstract screening. After careful examination, only two were included for systematic synthesis. Among the reasons for exclusion were irrelevance to maternal health purpose, and irrelevance to drone applications in healthcare. An updated search yielded one additional study that was also included. Overall, two studies assessed drones for blood products delivery, and one study used drones to transport blood samples.
CONCLUSION: A significant deficiency was found in the number of reported studies analyzing mode of medical products transportation and adaptation of drones in maternal healthcare. Future drone research framework should focus on maternal healthcare-specific drone applications in order to reap benefits in this area.
Fulltext The Role of Zinc Chloride in Enhancing Mechanical, Thermal and Electrical Performance of Ethylene Vinyl Acetate/Carbonized Wood Fiber Conductive Composite

Mohd Pisal MH, Osman AF, Jin TS, Rahman RA, Alrashdi AA, Masa A

Polymers (Basel), 2021 Feb 17;13(4).
PMID: 33671304 DOI: 10.3390/polym13040600

Carbonized natural filler can offer the production of low cost composites with an eco-friendliness value. The evolving field of electronics encourages the exploration of more functions and potential for carbonized natural filler, such as by modifying its surface chemistry. In this work, we have performed surface modification on carbonized wood fiber (CWF) prior to it being used as filler in the ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) composite system. Zinc chloride (ZnCl2) with various contents (2 to 8 wt%) was used to surface modify the CWF and the effects of ZnCl2 composition on the surface morphology and chemistry of the CWF filler were investigated. Furthermore, the absorptive, mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties of the EVA composites containing CWF-ZnCl2 were also analyzed. SEM images indicated changes in the morphology of the CWF while FTIR analysis proved the presence of ZnCl2 functional groups in the CWF. EVA composites incorporating the CWF-ZnCl2 showed superior mechanical, thermal and electrical properties compared to the ones containing the CWF. The optimum content of ZnCl2 was found to be 6 wt%. Surface modification raised the electrical conductivity of the EVA/CWF composite through the development of conductive deposits in the porous structure of the CWF as a channel for ionic and electronic transfer between the CWF and EVA matrix.
Fulltext A Case Report of Steroid Withdrawal Syndrome

Wahab F, Rahman RA, Yaacob LH, Noor NM, Draman N

Korean J Fam Med, 2020 Sep;41(5):359-362.
PMID: 32961047 DOI: 10.4082/kjfm.18.0181

We report a case of steroid withdrawal syndrome in a 74-year-old woman who was suspected of having an occult exogenous Cushing's syndrome secondary to prolonged traditional complementary medicine use. She presented with non-specific symptoms of lethargy, malaise, and poor oral intake with weight loss for 1 month, and investigations showed suboptimal 9 AM cortisol level. She has responded well to steroid replacement.
Fulltext Effect of the Roasting Conditions on the Physicochemical, Quality and Sensory Attributes of Coffee-Like Powder and Brew from Defatted Palm Date Seeds

Fikry M, Yusof YA, Al-Awaadh AM, Rahman RA, Chin NL, Mousa E, et al.

Foods, 2019 Feb 06;8(2).
PMID: 30736332 DOI: 10.3390/foods8020061

Developing a bioactive brew is a novel track for revalorization of palm date byproducts. The effect of roasting temperature (160, 180 and 200 °C ) and roasting time (10, 20 and 30 min) on the hardness of the roasted date seeds, moisture content of the defatted roasted date seed powder (DRDSP), bulk density of the DRDSP, color parameters of DRDSP, quality attributes (extraction yield, pH and browning index), the chemical properties (antioxidants and total phenolic content) and the sensory attributes (color, aroma, taste and overall preference) of the brew prepared from DRDSP was studied. The physicochemical, quality, and sensory attributes were found to be significantly influenced by the roasting temperature and time. Additionally, the models proposed could satisfactorily describe the changes in the different properties during the roasting process. The optimum conditions of the roasting process obtained using the superimposed contour plot were 199.9 °C and 21.5 min. In the longer term, the results of this study would be beneficial for the manufacturers of the date seeds powder and brew.

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