Displaying publications 61 - 80 of 559 in total

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  1. Yusof FA, Goh A, Azmi S
    Value Health, 2012 Jan-Feb;15(1 Suppl):S85-90.
    PMID: 22265073 DOI: 10.1016/j.jval.2011.11.024
    OBJECTIVES: To estimate a EQ-5D value set for Malaysia by using time trade-off (TTO) and visual analogue scale (VAS) valuation methods.
    METHODS: TTO and VAS valuations were obtained from face-to-face surveys of a convenience sample of patients, caregivers, and health professionals conducted at nine government hospitals in 2004 and 2005. Forty-five EQ-5D questionnaire health states were valued, divided into five sets of 15 health states. Analysis was conducted by using linear additive regression models applying N3 and D1 specifications. Model selection was based on criteria of coefficient properties, statistical significance, and goodness of fit.
    RESULTS: One hundred fifty-two respondents were interviewed, yielding 2174 TTO and 2265 VAS valuations. Respondents found TTO valuations to be more difficult than VAS valuations, and there were more inconsistencies in TTO valuations. All the independent variables in the models were statistically significant and consistent with expected signs and magnitude, except for the D1 specification modeled on TTO valuations. The N3 model provided the best fit for the VAS valuation data, with a mean absolute error of 0.032.
    CONCLUSION: This study provides a Malaysian EQ-5D questionnaire value set that can be used for cost-utility studies despite survey limitations.
    Study site: convenience sampling from three categories of respondents (patients undergoing dialysis, patients’ carers, and dialysis center staff) from public hospitals
  2. Amid A, Samah NA, Yusof F
    Proteome Sci, 2012;10(1):1.
    PMID: 22230661 DOI: 10.1186/1477-5956-10-1
    In this study, proteomics methods have been used to study the effects of different currents and voltages used to stun chickens. Protein profiles of chicken hearts were constructed to detect differences in protein expression and modification. The different voltages studied were 10 V, 40 V and 70 V, while the currents examined were 0.25 A, 0.5 A, and 0.75 A. The profiles obtained from these stunning conditions were compared to the non-stunned (0 A, 0 V) sample.
  3. Faruck MO, Yusof F, Chowdhury S
    Peptides, 2016 06;80:80-88.
    PMID: 26093218 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2015.06.001
    Fungi are not classified as plants or animals. They resemble plants in many ways but do not produce chlorophyll or make their own food photosynthetically like plants. Fungi are useful for the production of beer, bread, medicine, etc. More complex than viruses or bacteria; fungi can be destructive human pathogens responsible for various diseases in humans. Most people have a strong natural immunity against fungal infection. However, fungi can cause diseases when this immunity breaks down. In the last few years, fungal infection has increased strikingly and has been accompanied by a rise in the number of deaths of cancer patients, transplant recipients, and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients owing to fungal infections. The growth rate of fungi is very slow and quite difficult to identify. A series of molecules with antifungal activity against different strains of fungi have been found in insects, which can be of great importance to tackle human diseases. Insects secrete such compounds, which can be peptides, as a part of their immune defense reactions. Active antifungal peptides developed by insects to rapidly eliminate infectious pathogens are considered a component of the defense munitions. This review focuses on naturally occurring antifungal peptides from insects and their challenges to be used as armaments against human diseases.
  4. Noor H, Yap CL, Zolkepli O, Faridah M
    Med J Malaysia, 2000 Mar;55(1):51-7.
    PMID: 11072491 MyJurnal
    Exposure to Portland cement dust has long been associated with the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and varying degrees of airway obstruction in man. Apart from respiratory diseases, it was also found to be the cause of lung and laryngeal cancer, gastrointestinal tumours and also dermatitis. This study was done to investigate the effect of dust exposure on ventilatory lung function of Portland cement factory workers in Rawang, Selangor. Spirometry tests of 62 male workers (exposed to total dust concentration of 10,180 micrograms/m3 and PM10 of 8049 micrograms/m3) and 70 subjects from UPM (exposed to mean total dust of 192 micrograms/m3 and PM10 of 177 micrograms/m3--controls) revealed significant differences in spirometry values between the groups. The workers showed i) significantly lower FEV1% and FEF25-75%, and higher FMFT, ii) reduced FEV1% with increasing level of dust exposure and iii) higher prevalence of respiratory symptoms. Therefore, we suggest that exposure to dust in the cement factory leads to higher incidence of respiratory symptoms and impaired lung function.
  5. Fadilah SAW, Faridah I, Cheong SK
    Med J Malaysia, 2000 Dec;55(4):513-5.
    PMID: 11221167
    The effect of L-asparaginase on the thyroid gland has not been well documented. We report the first two cases of hyperthyroidism associated with thyroid nodule following L-asparaginase therapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The thyroid function abnormalities were not severe, short-lived and did not require specific therapy.
  6. Minhaj AA, Jamal F, Mohamed R
    Med J Malaysia, 1980 Dec;35(2):117-21.
    PMID: 7022149
    First six cases of neonatal group B beta-haemolytic streptococcal sepsis in GHKL & Maternity Hospital K.L. were reported and in one third, it was fatal. Five of the cases were 'early - onset' type and one was 'late - onset' type. While maternal infant transmission of the disease is important in the 'early - onset' type, environmental sources of infection are also significant. No gestational age or birthweight is spared from the disease. Finally, there are cases of 'early - onset' GBS sepsis presenting like hyaline membrane disease of the newborn and it is important to find ways to distinguish them which so far has not been satisfactory.
  7. Mohd Zin F, Hillaluddin AH, Mustaffa J
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2017 05 01;18(5):1435-1443.
    PMID: 28612599
    Objective: This study aims to develop, validate and determine the reliability of an interactive multimedia strategy
    to prevent tobacco use among the young (TUPY-S) from an adolescents’ perspective. Methods: A descriptive study
    design was utilized. A modular instruction guideline by Russel (1974) was followed in the entire process, comprising
    a feasibility study, a review of existing modules, specification of the objectives, identification of the construct criterion
    items, learner analysis and entry behavior specification, establishment of the sequence instruction and media selection,
    a tryout with students and a field test. Result: Feasibility was agreed among the researchers and the school authorities.
    Culturally suitable rigorously developed tobacco use preventive strategies delivered using information technology (IT)
    are lacking in the literature. The objective of TUPY-S is to prevent tobacco use among adolescents living in Malaysia.
    Identified construct criterion items include knowledge, attitude, intention to use, self-efficacy, and refusal skill. The target
    population was early adolescents belonging to generation-Z. Content was developed from the adolescents’ perspective
    and delivered using IT in Malay language. Content validity, assessed by six experts in the field and module development,
    was good at 86%. The students’ tryout showed satisfactory face validity subjectively and objectively (85.5%) and
    high alpha Cronbach reliability (0.91). Conclusion: TUPY-S was confirmed to suit early adolescents of the current
    generation living in Malaysia. It demonstrated good content validity among the experts, satisfactory face validity and
    reliability among the target population. TUPY-S is ready to be evaluated for its effectiveness among early adolescents.
  8. Mohd Murshid N, Aminullah Lubis F, Makpol S
    Cell Mol Neurobiol, 2020 Oct 19.
    PMID: 33074454 DOI: 10.1007/s10571-020-00979-z
    Epigenetic mechanisms involving the modulation of gene activity without modifying the DNA bases are reported to have lifelong effects on mature neurons in addition to their impact on synaptic plasticity and cognition. Histone methylation and acetylation are involved in synchronizing gene expression and protein function in neuronal cells. Studies have demonstrated in experimental models of neurodegenerative disorders that manipulations of these two mechanisms influence the susceptibility of neurons to degeneration and apoptosis. In Alzheimer's disease (AD), the expression of presenilin 1 (PSEN1) is markedly increased due to decreased methylation at CpG sites, thus promoting the accumulation of toxic amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide. In Parkinson's disease (PD), dysregulation of α-synuclein (SNCA) expression is presumed to occur via aberrant methylation at CpG sites, which controls the activation or suppression of protein expression. Mutant Huntingtin (mtHTT) alters the activity of histone acetyltransferases (HATs), causing the dysregulation of transcription observed in most Huntington's disease (HD) cases. Folate, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) are vital cofactors involved in DNA methylation modification; 5-azacytidine (AZA) is the most widely studied DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) inhibitor, and dietary polyphenols are DNMT inhibitors in vitro. Drug intervention is believed to reverse the epigenetic mechanisms to serve as a regulator in neuronal diseases. Nevertheless, the biochemical effect of the drugs on brain function and the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. This review focuses on further discussion of therapeutic targets, emphasizing the potential role of epigenetic factors including histone and DNA modifications in the diseases.
  9. Alqadeeri F, Rukayadi Y, Abbas F, Shaari K
    Molecules, 2019 Aug 26;24(17).
    PMID: 31454974 DOI: 10.3390/molecules24173095
    Piper cubeba L. is the berry of a shrub that is indigenous to Java, Southern Borneo, Sumatra, and other islands in the Indian Ocean. The plant is usually used in folk traditional medicine and is an important ingredient in cooking. The purpose of this study was to isolate and purify the bioactive compounds from P. cubeba L. fractions. In addition, the isolated compounds were tested for their antibacterial and antispore activities against vegetative cells and spores of Bacilluscereus ATCC33019, B. subtilis ATCC6633, B.pumilus ATCC14884, and B.megaterium ATCC14581. The phytochemical investigation of the DCM fraction yielded two known compounds: β-asarone (1), and asaronaldehyde (2) were successfully isolated and identified from the methanol extract and its fractions of P. cubeba L. Results showed that exposing the vegetative cells of Bacillus sp. to isolated compounds resulted in an inhibition zone with a large diameter ranging between 7.21 to 9.61 mm. The range of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was between 63.0 to 125.0 µg/mL and had minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) at 250.0 to 500.0 µg/mL against Bacillus sp. Isolated compounds at a concentration of 0.05% inactivated more than 3-Log10 (90.99%) of the spores of Bacillus sp. after an incubation period of four hours, and all the spores were killed at a concentration of 0.1%. The structures were recognizably elucidated based on 1D and 2D-NMR analyses (1H, 13C, COSY, HSQC, and HMBC) and mass spectrometry data. Compounds 1, and 2 were isolated for the first time from this plant. In conclusion, the two compounds show a promising potential of antibacterial and sporicidal activities against Bacillus sp. and thus can be developed as an anti-Bacillus agent.
  10. Lau S, Ng KH, Abdul Aziz YF
    Br J Radiol, 2016 Oct;89(1066):20160258.
    PMID: 27452264 DOI: 10.1259/bjr.20160258
    OBJECTIVE: To investigate the sensitivity and robustness of a volumetric breast density (VBD) measurement system to errors in the imaging physics parameters including compressed breast thickness (CBT), tube voltage (kVp), filter thickness, tube current-exposure time product (mAs), detector gain, detector offset and image noise.

    METHODS: 3317 raw digital mammograms were processed with Volpara(®) (Matakina Technology Ltd, Wellington, New Zealand) to obtain fibroglandular tissue volume (FGV), breast volume (BV) and VBD. Errors in parameters including CBT, kVp, filter thickness and mAs were simulated by varying them in the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) tags of the images up to ±10% of the original values. Errors in detector gain and offset were simulated by varying them in the Volpara configuration file up to ±10% from their default values. For image noise, Gaussian noise was generated and introduced into the original images.

    RESULTS: Errors in filter thickness, mAs, detector gain and offset had limited effects on FGV, BV and VBD. Significant effects in VBD were observed when CBT, kVp, detector offset and image noise were varied (p 

  11. Lau S, Abdul Aziz YF, Ng KH
    PLoS One, 2017;12(4):e0175781.
    PMID: 28419125 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0175781
    OBJECTIVES: To investigate: (1) the variability of mammographic compression parameters amongst Asian women; and (2) the effects of reducing compression force on image quality and mean glandular dose (MGD) in Asian women based on phantom study.

    METHODS: We retrospectively collected 15818 raw digital mammograms from 3772 Asian women aged 35-80 years who underwent screening or diagnostic mammography between Jan 2012 and Dec 2014 at our center. The mammograms were processed using a volumetric breast density (VBD) measurement software (Volpara) to assess compression force, compression pressure, compressed breast thickness (CBT), breast volume, VBD and MGD against breast contact area. The effects of reducing compression force on image quality and MGD were also evaluated based on measurement obtained from 105 Asian women, as well as using the RMI156 Mammographic Accreditation Phantom and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) slabs.

    RESULTS: Compression force, compression pressure, CBT, breast volume, VBD and MGD correlated significantly with breast contact area (p<0.0001). Compression parameters including compression force, compression pressure, CBT and breast contact area were widely variable between [relative standard deviation (RSD)≥21.0%] and within (p<0.0001) Asian women. The median compression force should be about 8.1 daN compared to the current 12.0 daN. Decreasing compression force from 12.0 daN to 9.0 daN increased CBT by 3.3±1.4 mm, MGD by 6.2-11.0%, and caused no significant effects on image quality (p>0.05).

    CONCLUSIONS: Force-standardized protocol led to widely variable compression parameters in Asian women. Based on phantom study, it is feasible to reduce compression force up to 32.5% with minimal effects on image quality and MGD.

  12. Salleh FH, Zainudin S, Arif SM
    Adv Bioinformatics, 2017;2017:4827171.
    PMID: 28250767 DOI: 10.1155/2017/4827171
    Gene regulatory network (GRN) reconstruction is the process of identifying regulatory gene interactions from experimental data through computational analysis. One of the main reasons for the reduced performance of previous GRN methods had been inaccurate prediction of cascade motifs. Cascade error is defined as the wrong prediction of cascade motifs, where an indirect interaction is misinterpreted as a direct interaction. Despite the active research on various GRN prediction methods, the discussion on specific methods to solve problems related to cascade errors is still lacking. In fact, the experiments conducted by the past studies were not specifically geared towards proving the ability of GRN prediction methods in avoiding the occurrences of cascade errors. Hence, this research aims to propose Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) to infer GRN from gene expression data and to avoid wrongly inferring of an indirect interaction (A → B → C) as a direct interaction (A → C). Since the number of observations of the real experiment datasets was far less than the number of predictors, some predictors were eliminated by extracting the random subnetworks from global interaction networks via an established extraction method. In addition, the experiment was extended to assess the effectiveness of MLR in dealing with cascade error by using a novel experimental procedure that had been proposed in this work. The experiment revealed that the number of cascade errors had been very minimal. Apart from that, the Belsley collinearity test proved that multicollinearity did affect the datasets used in this experiment greatly. All the tested subnetworks obtained satisfactory results, with AUROC values above 0.5.
  13. Abunama T, Othman F, Younes MK
    Environ Monit Assess, 2018 Sep 20;190(10):597.
    PMID: 30238169 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-018-6966-y
    Landfill leachate is one of the sources of surface water pollution in Selangor State (SS), Malaysia. Leachate volume prediction is essential for sustainable waste management and leachate treatment processes. The accurate estimation of leachate generation rates is often considered a challenge, especially in developing countries, due to the lack of reliable data and high measurement costs. Leachate generation is related to several variable factors, including meteorological data, waste generation rates, and landfill design conditions. Large variations in these factors lead to complicated leachate modeling processes. The aims of this study are to determine the key elements contributing to leachate production and then develop an adaptive neural fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) model to predict leachate generation rates. Accuracy of the final model performance was tested and evaluated using the root mean square error (RMSE), the mean absolute error (MAE), and the correlation coefficient (R). The study results defined dumped waste quantity, rainfall level, and emanated gases as the most significant contributing factors in leachate generation. The best model structure consisted of two triangular fuzzy membership functions and a hybrid training algorithm with eight fuzzy rules. The proposed ANFIS model showed a good performance with an overall correlation coefficient of 0.952.
  14. Jothee S, Shafie MS, Mohd Nor F
    Forensic Sci Int, 2018 Aug 31.
    PMID: 30217665 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2018.08.038
    We present a case of a fatal motor vehicle collision of a 22-year-old car driver, who died at the scene after losing control of his car, and subsequently collided with a tree by the roadside. The subsequent autopsy revealed penetrating injuries on the neck, severing the larynx, carotid artery, jugular vein and fracturing the cervical vertebrae. Internal examination showed the offending material to be a semi-cylindrical metal fragment, which had lodged within the paravertebral muscle. Examination of the car with the authorities found that the metal fragment originated from a defective airbag booster cannister, which shattered upon deployment.
  15. Yusof NA, Idris NS, Zin FM
    Korean J Fam Med, 2018 Nov 30.
    PMID: 30497111 DOI: 10.4082/kjfm.17.0127
    Profound weight loss with painful symmetrical peripheral neuropathy in diabetic patients was first described as diabetic neuropathic cachexia more than 4 decades ago. It is a distinct type of diabetic peripheral neuropathy that occurs in the absence of other microvascular and autonomic complications of diabetes. The mechanism and precipitating cause are unknown. It was reported to have good prognosis with spontaneous recovery within months to 2 years. However, it was frequently missed by clinicians because the profound weight loss is the most outstanding complaint, rather than the pain, numbness, or weakness. This often leads to extensive investigation to exclude more sinister causes of weight loss, particularly malignancy. We report a case of a young woman with well-controlled diabetes who presented with profound unintentional weight loss (26 kg), symmetrical debilitating thigh pain, and clinical signs of peripheral neuropathy. As the disease entity may mimic an inflammatory demyelinating cause of neuropathy, she was treated with a trial of intravenous immunoglobulin, which failed to give any significant benefit. However, she recovered after 6 months without any specific treatment, other than an antidepressant for the neuropathic pain and ongoing rehabilitation.
  16. Ansari M, Othman F, El-Shafie A
    Sci Total Environ, 2020 Jun 20;722:137878.
    PMID: 32199382 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137878
    Sewage treatment plants (STPs) keep sewage contamination within safe levels and minimize the risk of environmental disasters. To achieve optimum operation of an STP, it is necessary for influent parameters to be measured or estimated precisely. In this research, six well-known influent chemical and biological characteristics, i.e., biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), Ammoniacal Nitrogen (NH3-N), pH, oil and grease (OG) and suspended solids (SS), were modeled and predicted using the Sugeno fuzzy logic model. The membership function range of the fuzzy model was optimized by ANFIS, the integrated Genetic algorithms (GA), and the integrated particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithms. The results were evaluated by different indices to find the accuracy of each algorithm. To ensure prediction accuracy, outliers in the predicted data were found and replaced with reasonable values. The results showed that both integrated GA-FIS and PSO-FIS algorithms performed at almost the same level and both had fewer errors than ANFIS. As the GA-FIS algorithm predicts BOD with fewer errors than PSO-FIS and the aim of this study is to provide an accurate prediction of missing data, GA-FIS was only used to predict the BOD parameter; the other parameters were predicted by PSO-FIS algorithm. As a result, the model successfully could provide outstanding performance for predicting the BOD, COD, NH3-N, OG, pH and SS with MAE equal to 3.79, 5.14, 0.4, 0.27, 0.02, and 3.16, respectively.
  17. Kah TA, Yong KC, Annuar FH
    Clin Pract, 2011 Jul 01;1(3):e67.
    PMID: 24765328 DOI: 10.4081/cp.2011.e67
    We report a case of 10-year-old Indian girl with history of multiple superficial angiomyxoma, presented with three months history of painless right upper lid swelling. There were no visual dysfunctions. Previously, the patient had multiple superficial angiomyxoma (left pinna, left upper cheek, left upper limb, chest, right axilla, hard palate) and epidermal cyst (chin). The histopathological specimens were negative to S-100 protein antibody. Systemic review and family history was unremarkable. Excision biopsy and upper lid reconstruction were performed. Intraoperatively the tumor was multilobulated, firm, well encapsulated and did not invade the underlying tarsal plate. Histopathological features of the upperlid tumor were consistent with nerves sheath myxoma (neurothekeoma). To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first reported case of neurothekeoma in association with multiple superficial angiomyxoma.
  18. Yong KC, Kah TA, Annuar FH
    Clin Pract, 2011 Jul 01;1(3):e59.
    PMID: 24765320 DOI: 10.4081/cp.2011.e59
    We report the first case of supernumerary puncta and canaliculi presented with canaliculitis. A-59 year-old gentleman presented with painful swelling of the left lower lid for a week, which was associated with epiphora. The swelling was confined to the nasal aspect of the left lower lid (0.5×0.5 mm) with inflamed overlying skin. Two puncta (0.5 mm apart) were noted. The outer punctum at the normal anatomical position was a cul-de-sac while the inner punctum it the caruncle was patent. We described the embryology leading to supernumerary puncta and canaliculi to explain the paradoxical patency of the abnormally located punctum as well as the pathomechanism leading to canaliculitis. The patient was treated with oral cloxacillin 500 mg, 6 hourly for 5 days; the cellulitis subsided after three days.
  19. Maulidiani, Rudiyanto, Abas F, Ismail IS, Lajis NH
    Food Chem, 2018 Jun 01;250:37-45.
    PMID: 29412925 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2018.01.023
    Optimization process is an important aspect in the natural product extractions. Herein, an alternative approach is proposed for the optimization in extraction, namely, the Generalized Likelihood Uncertainty Estimation (GLUE). The approach combines the Latin hypercube sampling, the feasible range of independent variables, the Monte Carlo simulation, and the threshold criteria of response variables. The GLUE method is tested in three different techniques including the ultrasound, the microwave, and the supercritical CO2 assisted extractions utilizing the data from previously published reports. The study found that this method can: provide more information on the combined effects of the independent variables on the response variables in the dotty plots; deal with unlimited number of independent and response variables; consider combined multiple threshold criteria, which is subjective depending on the target of the investigation for response variables; and provide a range of values with their distribution for the optimization.
  20. Teoh JW, Hassan F, Mohamad Yunus MR
    Singapore Med J, 2013 Oct;54(10):e208-10.
    PMID: 24154590
    Isolated laryngeal histoplasmosis is a very rare entity. It has variable clinical presentations that might mimic both benign and malignant lesions, and is usually associated with pulmonary and other disseminated forms of histoplasmosis. Herein, we report a case of primary laryngeal histoplasmosis without the involvement of other systems in a 70-year-old Chinese man, who previously worked as a miner. He presented with a history of hoarseness for two months, with no other associated symptoms. Direct laryngoscopy revealed irregularity of the posterior one-third of both vocal folds. Histopathological examination revealed the presence of Histoplasma capsulatumon periodic acidSchiff and Grocott's methenamine silver staining. The lesion resolved after one month of oral itraconazole treatment. However, the patient had to complete six months of antifungal treatment to prevent recurrence.
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