Displaying publications 161 - 180 of 213 in total

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  1. Seroprevalence of Leptospirosis in Working Dogs
    Lau SF, Wong JY, Khor KH, Roslan MA, Abdul Rahman MS, Bejo SK, et al.
    Top Companion Anim Med, 2017 Dec;32(4):121-125.
    PMID: 29525230 DOI: 10.1053/j.tcam.2017.12.001
    Working dogs are canine animals that have been trained to assist human beings in carrying out various tasks. They help in guarding property, performing rescues, assisting the visually impaired or physically handicapped, searching for drugs, explosives, and others. Leptospirosis is one of the most widespread zoonotic diseases in the world and a commonly occurring disease of the tropics and subtropics. In Malaysia, all working dogs are normally vaccinated with serovars, Pomona, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Canicola, and Grippotyphosa based on protocols recommended from other countries. The duration of immunity in vaccinated dogs for Leptospira can last up to 13 months; however, there is no full crossprotection between the different serovars. Five representative canine units from different government agencies in Malaysia (n = 96 dogs) were recruited in this study. For detection, the microscopic agglutination test was performed by incubating the serum from dogs with various serovars of leptospires, namely, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Canicola, Pomona, Grippotyphosa, Australis, Bataviae, Javanica, Tarassovi, Hebdomadis, Lai, and Pyrogenes. The plasma obtained was used for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis, for the detection of 16S rRNA, and lipL 32 genes of Leptospira. Out of the 96 dogs sampled, only 3 dogs were positive toward serovars, Australis, Bataviae, and Javanica, based on the cutoff point at 1:80. The seroprevalence of canine leptospirosis in this population was 3.1% (n = 3/96). However, all 96 blood samples of working dogs tested negative for both pathogenic and nonpathogenic Leptospira genes. The results revealed that, by vaccination alone, working dogs were not fully protected against leptospirosis and could pose a risk to dog handlers. A preventative and control protocol for leptospirosis is warranted, and its implementation should be monitored and improved accordingly from time to time, in order to maintain a healthy condition in both working dogs and their handlers.
  2. Efficacy of pentamidine-loaded chitosan nanoparticles as a novel drug delivery system for Leishmania tropica
    Khan RU, Khan M, Sohail A, Ullah R, Iqbal A, Ahmad B, et al.
    Trop Biomed, 2022 Dec 01;39(4):511-517.
    PMID: 36602209 DOI: 10.47665/tb.39.4.003
    The present study compares the in vitro effects of nanoparticles loaded pentamidine drug and conventional pentamidine on Leishmania tropica. Herein, pentamidine-loaded chitosan nanoparticles (PTN-CNPs) have been synthesized through an ionic gelation method with sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP). Next, the physical characteristics of PTN-CNPs were determined through the surface texture, zeta potential, in vitro drug release, drug loading content (DLC), and encapsulation efficacy (EE) and compared its efficacy with free pentamidine (PTN) drug against promastigotes and axenic amastigotes forms of L. tropica in vitro. The PTN-CNPs displayed a spherical shape having a size of 88 nm, an almost negative surface charge (-3.09 mV), EE for PTN entrapment of 86%, and in vitro drug release of 92% after 36 h. In vitro antileishmanial activity of PTN-CNPs and free PTN was performed against Leishmania tropica KWH23 promastigote and axenic amastigote using 3-(4, 5- dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyletetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. It was observed that the effect of PTN-CNPs and free PTN on both forms of the parasite was dose and time dependent. Free PTN presented low efficacy even at higher dose (40 µg/ml) with 25.6 ± 1.3 and 26.5 ±1.4 mean viability rate of the promastigotes and axenic amastigotes, respectively after 72 hrs incubation. While PTN-CNPs showed strong antileishmanial effects on both forms of parasite with 16 ± 0.4 and 19 ± 0.7 mean viability rate at the same higher concentration (40 µg/ml) after 72 hrs incubation. Half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of PTN-CNPs toward promastigotes and amastigotes were obtained as 0.1375 µg/ml and 0.1910 µg/ml, respectively. In conclusion, PTN-CNPs effectively inhibited both forms of the L. tropica; however, its effect was more salient on promastigotes. This data indicates that the PTN-CNPs act as a target drug delivery system. However, further research is needed to support its efficacy in animal and human CL.
  3. Fulltext Biodegradation of Crystal Violet dye by bacteria isolated from textile industry effluents
    Roy DC, Biswas SK, Saha AK, Sikdar B, Rahman M, Roy AK, et al.
    PeerJ, 2018;6:e5015.
    PMID: 29942689 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5015
    Industrial effluent containing textile dyes is regarded as a major environmental concern in the present world. Crystal Violet is one of the vital textile dyes of the triphenylmethane group; it is widely used in textile industry and known for its mutagenic and mitotic poisoning nature. Bioremediation, especially through bacteria, is becoming an emerging and important sector in effluent treatment. This study aimed to isolate and identify Crystal Violet degrading bacteria from industrial effluents with potential use in bioremediation. The decolorizing activity of the bacteria was measured using a photo electric colorimeter after aerobic incubation in different time intervals of the isolates. Environmental parameters such as pH, temperature, initial dye concentration and inoculum size were optimized using mineral salt medium containing different concentration of Crystal Violet dye. Complete decolorizing efficiency was observed in a mineral salt medium containing up to 150 mg/l of Crystal Violet dye by 10% (v/v) inoculums of Enterobacter sp. CV-S1 tested under 72 h of shaking incubation at temperature 35 °C and pH 6.5. Newly identified bacteria Enterobacter sp. CV-S1, confirmed by 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing, was found as a potential bioremediation biocatalyst in the aerobic degradation/de-colorization of Crystal Violet dye. The efficiency of degrading triphenylmethane dye by this isolate, minus the supply of extra carbon or nitrogen sources in the media, highlights the significance of larger-scale treatment of textile effluent.
  4. Fulltext Application of Rapid Biological Indicators Coupled With Auto-Reader for the Quality Assurance of Surgical Instruments After Sterilization at a Cardiac Hospital in Bangladesh
    Zaman SU, Sadia I, Yasmin N, Islam KN, Rahman MM, Haq A, et al.
    Cureus, 2021 Nov;13(11):e19428.
    PMID: 34926019 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.19428
    Background Sterilization failure is one of the main reasons for surgical site infections (SSIs). The biological indicator (BI) test is the most reliable test to check sterilization efficiencies. But 48 hours BI test result makes the monitoring process time-consuming. Rapid BI testing can be time demanding in this regard. Therefore, the objective is to determine the importance of rapid BI monitoring for the quality assurance of sterile surgical instruments. Methods This study was conducted in the Labaid Cardiac Hospital, Bangladesh from April 1, 2021, to July 8, 2021. A total of 100 steam and 100 ethylene oxide (EO) rapid BIs and an auto reader incubator were used to conduct this research. Quick BI of steam and EO were used once per day and tested by the auto reader. Later, all the tested BIs were incubated for 48 hours by a conventional incubator to confirm the auto reader's rapid BI test results. Result All the EO BI results were found negative, but the BI was found positive twice in steam sterilization. Surgical items of those two loads were re-sterilized. Again, after checking the BI result, the items were released. All BIs except positive steam rapid BIs were found with no growth after 48 hours of incubation for cross-checking of auto reader results. In positive rapid BI of steam, growth was found after 48 hours of incubation. Conclusion When sterilization failure occurred, process recall could not be possible at that time if rapid BI tests were not performed. So, integration of a rapid BI test with an auto reader can save the patient from critical SSI.
  5. Fulltext Neural correlates of eye contact in face-to-face verbal interaction: An EEG-based study of the extraversion personality trait
    Roslan NS, Izhar LI, Faye I, Amin HU, Mohamad Saad MN, Sivapalan S, et al.
    PLoS One, 2019;14(7):e0219839.
    PMID: 31344061 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0219839
    The extraversion personality trait has a positive correlation with social interaction. In neuroimaging studies, investigations on extraversion in face-to-face verbal interactions are still scarce. This study presents an electroencephalography (EEG)-based investigation of the extraversion personality trait in relation to eye contact during face-to-face interactions, as this is a vital signal in social interactions. A sample of healthy male participants were selected (consisting of sixteen more extraverted and sixteen less extraverted individuals) and evaluated with the Eysenck's Personality Inventory (EPI) and Big Five Inventory (BFI) tools. EEG alpha oscillations in the occipital region were measured to investigate extraversion personality trait correlates of eye contact during a face-to-face interaction task and an eyes-open condition. The results revealed that the extraversion personality trait has a significant positive correlation with EEG alpha coherence in the occipital region, presumably due to its relationship with eye contact during the interaction task. Furthermore, the decrease in EEG alpha power during the interaction task compared to the eyes-open condition was found to be greater in the less extraverted participants; however, no significant difference was observed between the less and more extraverted participants. Overall, these findings encourage further research towards the understanding of neural mechanism correlates of the extraversion personality trait-particularly in social interaction.
  6. Fulltext Exploring EEG Effective Connectivity Network in Estimating Influence of Color on Emotion and Memory
    Chai MT, Amin HU, Izhar LI, Saad MNM, Abdul Rahman M, Malik AS, et al.
    Front Neuroinform, 2019;13:66.
    PMID: 31649522 DOI: 10.3389/fninf.2019.00066
    Color is a perceptual stimulus that has a significant impact on improving human emotion and memory. Studies have revealed that colored multimedia learning materials (MLMs) have a positive effect on learner's emotion and learning where it was assessed by subjective/objective measurements. This study aimed to quantitatively assess the influence of colored MLMs on emotion, cognitive processes during learning, and long-term memory (LTM) retention using electroencephalography (EEG). The dataset consisted of 45 healthy participants, and MLMs were designed in colored or achromatic illustrations to elicit emotion and that to assess its impact on LTM retention after 30-min and 1-month delay. The EEG signal analysis was first started to estimate the effective connectivity network (ECN) using the phase slope index and expand it to characterize the ECN pattern using graph theoretical analysis. EEG results showed that colored MLMs had influences on theta and alpha networks, including (1) an increased frontal-parietal connectivity (top-down processing), (2) a larger number of brain hubs, (3) a lower clustering coefficient, and (4) a higher local efficiency, indicating that color influences information processing in the brain, as reflected by ECN, together with a significant improvement in learner's emotion and memory performance. This is evidenced by a more positive emotional valence and higher recall accuracy for groups who learned with colored MLMs than that of achromatic MLMs. In conclusion, this paper demonstrated how the EEG ECN parameters could help quantify the influences of colored MLMs on emotion and cognitive processes during learning.
  7. Fulltext Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on radiology education, training, and practice: A narrative review
    Majumder MAA, Gaur U, Singh K, Kandamaran L, Gupta S, Haque M, et al.
    World J Radiol, 2021 Nov 28;13(11):354-370.
    PMID: 34904050 DOI: 10.4329/wjr.v13.i11.354
    Radiology education and training is of paramount clinical importance given the prominence of medical imaging utilization in effective clinical practice. The incorporation of basic radiology in the medical curriculum has continued to evolve, focusing on teaching image interpretation skills, the appropriate ordering of radiological investigations, judicious use of ionizing radiation, and providing exposure to interventional radiology. Advancements in radiology have been driven by the digital revolution, which has, in turn, had a positive impact on radiology education and training. Upon the advent of the corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, many training institutions and hospitals adhered to directives which advised rescheduling of non-urgent outpatient appointments. This inevitably impacted the workflow of the radiology department, which resulted in the reduction of clinical in-person case reviews and consultations, as well as in-person teaching sessions. Several medical schools and research centers completely suspended face-to-face academic activity. This led to challenges for medical teachers to complete the radiology syllabus while ensuring that teaching activities continued safely and effectively. As a result, online teaching platforms have virtually replaced didactic face-to-face lectures. Radiology educators also sought other strategies to incorporate interactive teaching sessions while adopting the e-learning approach, as they were cognizant of the limitations that this may have on students' clinical expertise. Migration to online methods to review live cases, journal clubs, simulation-based training, clinical interaction, and radiology examination protocolling are a few examples of successfully addressing the limitations in reduced clinical exposure. In this review paper, we discuss (1) The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on radiology education, training, and practice; (2) Challenges and strategies involved in delivering online radiology education for undergraduates and postgraduates during the COVID-19 pandemic; and (3) Difference between the implementation of radiology education during the COVID-19 pandemic and pre-COVID-19 era.
  8. Fulltext Innovative approaches for augmenting dielectric properties in cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE): A review
    Nazrin A, Kuan TM, Mansour DA, Farade RA, Ariffin AM, Rahman MSA, et al.
    Heliyon, 2024 Aug 15;10(15):e34737.
    PMID: 39170543 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e34737
    Throughout the history of power systems, power cables have been used to securely and efficiently distribute electrical energy to the destined locations. Cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE), a commonly used insulator in high-voltage cables, have several desirable properties, such as low dielectric loss, high dielectric constant, high thermal conductivity, enhanced thermal stability, and superior resistance against electrical stress. However, further improvements of XLPE's performance are needed. The incorporation of large specific surface area nanoparticles, such as boron nitride nanosheets and graphene oxide, exhibited a great potential in enhancing XLPE's properties. These nanoparticles create numerous trapping sites, even at small loading levels, due to their large interfacial regions. In addition, voltage stabilisers with polar groups can scavenge high-energy electrons generated by local electric fields, thereby inhibiting the electrical tree growth. Another important aspect of enhancing XLPE's dielectric performance is the inclusion of antioxidants with phenolic groups. These antioxidants react with peroxyl radicals, mitigating their harmful effects. This review summarises the effects of nanoparticles, voltage stabilisers, antioxidants, and polymer amalgamation on dielectric performance of XLPE as an insulation material. The major challenges in dielectric insulation such as breakdown voltage strength, electrical tree growth, structural defect, space charge accumulation, and thermal aging are addressed.
  9. Fulltext Self-reported tobacco smoking practices among medical students and their perceptions towards training about tobacco smoking in medical curricula: A cross-sectional, questionnaire survey in Malaysia, India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh
    Sreeramareddy CT, Suri S, Menezes RG, Kumar HN, Rahman M, Islam MR, et al.
    Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy, 2010;5:29.
    PMID: 21080923 DOI: 10.1186/1747-597X-5-29
    BACKGROUND: Tobacco smoking issues in developing countries are usually taught non-systematically as and when the topic arose. The World Health Organisation and Global Health Professional Student Survey (GHPSS) have suggested introducing a separate integrated tobacco module into medical school curricula. Our aim was to assess medical students' tobacco smoking habits, their practices towards patients' smoking habits and attitude towards teaching about smoking in medical schools.
    METHODS: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was carried out among final year undergraduate medical students in Malaysia, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. An anonymous, self-administered questionnaire included items on demographic information, students' current practices about patients' tobacco smoking habits, their perception towards tobacco education in medical schools on a five point Likert scale. Questions about tobacco smoking habits were adapted from GHPSS questionnaire. An 'ever smoker' was defined as one who had smoked during lifetime, even if had tried a few puffs once or twice. 'Current smoker' was defined as those who had smoked tobacco product on one or more days in the preceding month of the survey. Descriptive statistics were calculated.
    RESULTS: Overall response rate was 81.6% (922/1130). Median age was 22 years while 50.7% were males and 48.2% were females. The overall prevalence of 'ever smokers' and 'current smokers' was 31.7% and 13.1% respectively. A majority (> 80%) of students asked the patients about their smoking habits during clinical postings/clerkships. Only a third of them did counselling, and assessed the patients' willingness to quit. Majority of the students agreed about doctors' role in tobacco control as being role models, competence in smoking cessation methods, counseling, and the need for training about tobacco cessation in medical schools. About 50% agreed that current curriculum teaches about tobacco smoking but not systematically and should be included as a separate module. Majority of the students indicated that topics about health effects, nicotine addiction and its treatment, counselling, prevention of relapse were important or very important in training about tobacco smoking.
    CONCLUSION: Medical educators should consider revising medical curricula to improve training about tobacco smoking cessation in medical schools. Our results should be supported by surveys from other medical schools in developing countries of Asia.
  10. Fulltext Prediction of mortality in severe dengue cases
    Md-Sani SS, Md-Noor J, Han WH, Gan SP, Rani NS, Tan HL, et al.
    BMC Infect Dis, 2018 05 21;18(1):232.
    PMID: 29783955 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-018-3141-6
    BACKGROUND: Increasing incidence of dengue cases in Malaysia over the last few years has been paralleled by increased deaths. Mortality prediction models will therefore be useful in clinical management. The aim of this study is to identify factors at diagnosis of severe dengue that predicts mortality and assess predictive models based on these identified factors.

    METHOD: This is a retrospective cohort study of confirmed severe dengue patients that were admitted in 2014 to Hospital Kuala Lumpur. Data on baseline characteristics, clinical parameters, and laboratory findings at diagnosis of severe dengue were collected. The outcome of interest is death among patients diagnosed with severe dengue.

    RESULTS: There were 199 patients with severe dengue included in the study. Multivariate analysis found lethargy, OR 3.84 (95% CI 1.23-12.03); bleeding, OR 8.88 (95% CI 2.91-27.15); pulse rate, OR 1.04 (95% CI 1.01-1.07); serum bicarbonate, OR 0.79 (95% CI 0.70-0.89) and serum lactate OR 1.27 (95% CI 1.09-1.47), to be statistically significant predictors of death. The regression equation to our model with the highest AUROC, 83.5 (95% CI 72.4-94.6), is: Log odds of death amongst severe dengue cases = - 1.021 - 0.220(Serum bicarbonate) + 0.001(ALT) + 0.067(Age) - 0.190(Gender).

    CONCLUSION: This study showed that a large proportion of severe dengue occurred early, whilst patients were still febrile. The best prediction model to predict death at recognition of severe dengue is a model that incorporates serum bicarbonate and ALT levels.

  11. Fulltext Assessing the link between witnessing inter-parental violence and the perpetration of intimate partner violence in Bangladesh
    Islam MJ, Rahman M, Broidy L, Haque SE, Saw YM, Duc NH, et al.
    BMC Public Health, 2017 02 10;17(1):183.
    PMID: 28187721 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-017-4067-4
    BACKGROUND: We aimed to examine the influence of witnessing father-to-mother violence on: 1) perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV); and 2) endorsement of attitudes justifying wife beating in Bangladesh.

    METHODS: This paper used data from the 2007 Bangladesh Demographic Health Survey. The analyses were based on the responses of 3374 ever-married men. Exposure to IPV was determined by men's self-reports of witnessing inter-parental violence in childhood. We used adjusted binary logistic regression models to assess the influence of exposure on husbands' perpetration of IPV and their endorsement of attitudes justifying wife beating.

    RESULTS: Nearly 60% of men reported violent behaviour towards an intimate partner and 35.7% endorsed attitudes justifying spousal abuse. Men who witnessed father-to-mother violence had higher odds of reporting any physical or sexual IPV (adjusted OR [AOR] = 3.26; 95% CI = 2.61, 4.06). Men who had witnessed father-to-mother violence were also 1.34 times (95% CI = 1.08, 1.65) more likely endorse attitudes justifying spousal abuse.

    CONCLUSIONS: Committing violence against an intimate partner is an all too frequent practice among men in Bangladesh. The study indicated that men who had witnessed father-to-mother violence were more likley to perpetrate IPV, suggesting an intergenerational transmission of violence. This transmission of violence may operate through the learning and modelling of attitudes favourable to spousal abuse. In support of this, witnnessing inter-parental violence was also associated with the endorsement of attitudes justifying spousal abuse. Our findings indicate the continued importance of efforts to identify and assist boys who have witnessed domestic violence and suggest such efforts should aim to change not just behaviours but also attitudes that facilitate such violence.

  12. Fulltext Influence of the Natural Zeolite Particle Size Toward the Ammonia Adsorption Activity in Ceramic Hollow Fiber Membrane
    Adam MR, Othman MHD, Sheikh Abdul Kadir SH, Mohd Sokri MN, Tai ZS, Iwamoto Y, et al.
    Membranes (Basel), 2020 Apr 04;10(4).
    PMID: 32260422 DOI: 10.3390/membranes10040063
    Natural zeolite is widely used in removing ammonia via adsorption process because of its superior ion-exchange properties. Ceramic particle size affects the adsorptivity of particles toward ammonia. In this study, hollow fiber ceramic membrane (HFCM) was fabricated from natural zeolite via phase inversion. The effect of natural zeolite particle size toward the properties and performance of HFCM was evaluated. The results show that the HFCM with smaller particle sizes exhibited a more compact morphological structure with better mechanical strength. The adsorption performance of HFCM was significantly improved with smaller particle sizes because of longer residence time, as proven by the lower water permeability. A high adsorption performance of 96.67% was achieved for HFCM with the smallest particle size (36 μm). These findings provide a new perspective on the promising properties of the natural zeolite-derived HFCM for ammonia removal.
  13. Fulltext Profiling lysophosphatidic acid levels in plasma from head and neck cancer patients
    Abdul Rahman M, Mohamad Haron DE, Hollows RJ, Abdul Ghani ZDF, Ali Mohd M, Chai WL, et al.
    PeerJ, 2020;8:e9304.
    PMID: 32547888 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9304
    Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) represents a significant world health problem, with approximately 600,000 new cases being diagnosed annually. The prognosis for patients with HNSCC is poor and, therefore, the identification of biomarkers for screening, diagnosis and prognostication would be clinically beneficial. A limited number of studies have used lipidomics to profile lipid species in the plasma of cancer patients. However, the profile and levels of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) species have not been examined in HNSCC. In this study, a targeted lipidomics approach using liquid chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (LCMS/MS) was used to analyse the concentration of LPA (16:0 LPA, 18:0 LPA, 18:1 LPA, 18:2 LPA and 20:4 LPA) in the plasma of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), together with healthy controls. The levels of three LPA species (18:1 LPA, 18:2 LPA and 20:4 LPA) were significantly lower in the plasma of OSCC patients, whilst the concentrations of all five LPA species tested were significantly lower in plasma from NPC patients. Furthermore, the order of abundance of LPA species in plasma was different between the control and cancer groups, with 16:0 LPA, 18:0 LPA levels being more abundant in OSCC and NPC patients. Medium to strong correlations were observed using all pairs of LPA species and a clear separation of the normal and tumour groups was observed using PCA analysis. In summary, the results of this study showed that the levels of several LPA species in the plasma of patients with OSCC and NPC were lower than those from healthy individuals. Understanding these variations may provide novel insights into the role of LPA in these cancers.
  14. Fulltext Recent Advances in Halide Perovskite Resistive Switching Memory Devices: A Transformation from Lead-Based to Lead-Free Perovskites
    Thien GSH, Ab Rahman M, Yap BK, Tan NML, He Z, Low PL, et al.
    ACS Omega, 2022 Nov 08;7(44):39472-39481.
    PMID: 36385870 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c03206
    Due to their remarkable electrical and light absorption characteristics, hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites have recently gained popularity in several applications such as optoelectronics, lasers, and light-emitting diodes. Through this, there has recently been an increase in the use of halide perovskites (HPs) in resistive switching (RS) devices. However, lead-based (Pb-based) perovskites are notorious for being unstable and harmful to the environment. As a result, lead-free (Pb-free) perovskite alternatives are being investigated in achieving the long-term and sustainable use of RS devices. This work describes the characteristics of Pb-based and Pb-free perovskite RS devices. It also presents the recent advancements of HP RS devices, including the selection strategies of perovskite structures. In terms of resistive qualities, the directions of both HPs appear to be identical. Following that, the possible impact of switching from Pb-based to Pb-free HPs is examined to determine the requirement in RS devices. Finally, this work discusses the opportunities and challenges of HP RS devices in creating a stable, efficient, and sustainable memory storage technology.
  15. Association between high-risk fertility behaviours and the likelihood of chronic undernutrition and anaemia among married Bangladeshi women of reproductive age
    Rahman M, Islam MJ, Haque SE, Saw YM, Haque MN, Duc NH, et al.
    Public Health Nutr, 2017 Feb;20(2):305-314.
    PMID: 27608854 DOI: 10.1017/S136898001600224X
    OBJECTIVE: To explore the association between high-risk fertility behaviours and the likelihood of chronic undernutrition, anaemia and the coexistence of anaemia and undernutrition among women of reproductive age.

    DESIGN: The 2011 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey, conducted from 8 July to 27 December 2011.

    SETTING: Selected urban and rural areas of Bangladesh.

    SUBJECTS: A total of 2197 ever-married women living with at least one child younger than 5 years. Exposure was determined from maternal reports of high-risk fertility behaviours. We considered three parameters, maternal age at the time of delivery, birth order and birth interval, to define the high-risk fertility behaviours. Chronic undernutrition, anaemia and the coexistence of anaemia and undernutrition among women were the outcome variables.

    RESULTS: A substantial percentage of women were exposed to have a high-risk fertility pattern (41·8 %); 33·0 % were at single high-risk and 8·8 % were at multiple high-risk. After adjusting for relevant covariates, high-risk fertility behaviours were associated with increased likelihood of chronic undernutrition (adjusted relative risk; 95 % CI: 1·22; 1·03, 1·44), anaemia (1·12; 1·00, 1·25) and the coexistence of anaemia and undernutrition (1·52; 1·17, 1·98). Furthermore, multiple high-risk fertility behaviours appeared to have more profound consequences on the outcome measured.

    CONCLUSIONS: Maternal high-risk fertility behaviours are shockingly frequent practices among women in Bangladesh. High-risk fertility behaviours are important predictors of the increased likelihood of women's chronic undernutrition, anaemia and the coexistence of anaemia and undernutrition.

  16. Fulltext A review of the potential of conventional and advanced membrane technology in the removal of pathogens from wastewater
    Nasir AM, Adam MR, Mohamad Kamal SNEA, Jaafar J, Othman MHD, Ismail AF, et al.
    Sep Purif Technol, 2022 Apr 01;286:120454.
    PMID: 35035270 DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2022.120454
    Consumption of pathogenic contaminated water has claimed the lives of many people. Hence, this scenario has emphasized the urgent need for research methods to avoid, treat and eliminate harmful pathogens in wastewater. Therefore, effective water treatment has become a matter of utmost importance. Membrane technology offers purer, cleaner, and pathogen-free water through the water separation method via a permeable membrane. Advanced membrane technology such as nanocomposite membrane, membrane distillation, membrane bioreactor, and photocatalytic membrane reactor can offer synergistic effects in removing pathogen through the integration of additional functionality and filtration in a single chamber. This paper also comprehensively discussed the application, challenges, and future perspective of the advanced membrane technology as a promising alternative in battling pathogenic microbial contaminants, which will also be beneficial and valuable in managing pandemics in the future as well as protecting human health and the environment. In addition, the potential of membrane technology in battling the ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was also discussed briefly.
  17. Synthesis of Electrical Conductive Metal-Organic Frameworks for Electrochemical Applications
    Shoaib Ahmad Shah S, Altaf Nazir M, Mahmood A, Sohail M, Ur Rehman A, Khurram Tufail M, et al.
    Chem Rec, 2024 Jan;24(1):e202300141.
    PMID: 37724006 DOI: 10.1002/tcr.202300141
    Electrical conductivity is very important property of nanomaterials for using wide range of applications especially energy applications. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are notorious for their low electrical conductivity and less considered for usage in pristine forms. However, the advantages of high surface area, porosity and confined catalytic active sites motivated researchers to improve the conductivity of MOFs. Therefore, 2D electrical conductive MOFs (ECMOF) have been widely synthesized by developing the effective synthetic strategies. In this article, we have summarized the recent trends in developing the 2D ECMOFs, following the summary of potential applications in the various fields with future perspectives.
  18. Fulltext The molecular mechanism of the anticancer effect of Artonin E in MDA-MB 231 triple negative breast cancer cells
    Etti IC, Abdullah R, Kadir A, Hashim NM, Yeap SK, Imam MU, et al.
    PLoS One, 2017;12(8):e0182357.
    PMID: 28771532 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0182357
    Nature has provided us with a wide spectrum of disease healing phytochemicals like Artonin E, obtained from the root bark of Artocarpus elasticus. This molecule had been predicted to be drug-like, possessing unique medicinal properties. Despite strides made in chemotherapy, prognosis of the heterogenous aggressive triple negative breast cancer is still poor. This study was conducted to investigate the mechanism of inhibition of Artonin E, a prenylated flavonoid on MDA-MB 231 triple negative breast cancer cell, with a view of mitigating the hallmarks displayed by these tumors. The anti-proliferative effect, mode of cell death and the mechanism of apoptosis induction were investigated. Artonin E, was seen to effectively relinquish MDA-MB 231 breast cancer cells of their apoptosis evading capacity, causing a half-maximal growth inhibition at low concentrations (14.3, 13.9 and 9.8 μM) after the tested time points (24, 48 and 72 hours), respectively. The mode of cell death was observed to be apoptosis with defined characteristics. Artonin E was seen to induce the activation of both extrinsic and intrinsic caspases initiators of apoptosis. It also enhanced the release of total reactive oxygen species which polarized the mitochondrial membrane, compounding the release of cytochrome c. Gene expression studies revealed the upregulation of TNF-related apoptosis inducing ligand and proapoptotic genes with down regulation of anti-apoptotic genes and proteins. A G2/M cell cycle arrest was also observed and was attributed to the observed upregulation of p21 independent of the p53 status. Interestingly, livin, a new member of the inhibitors of apoptosis was confirmed to be significantly repressed. In all, Artonin E showed the potential as a promising candidate to combat the aggressive triple negative breast cancer.
  19. Fulltext Dielectrophoresis-based microfluidic platforms for cancer diagnostics
    Chan JY, Ahmad Kayani AB, Md Ali MA, Kok CK, Yeop Majlis B, Hoe SLL, et al.
    Biomicrofluidics, 2018 Jan;12(1):011503.
    PMID: 29531634 DOI: 10.1063/1.5010158
    The recent advancement of dielectrophoresis (DEP)-enabled microfluidic platforms is opening new opportunities for potential use in cancer disease diagnostics. DEP is advantageous because of its specificity, low cost, small sample volume requirement, and tuneable property for microfluidic platforms. These intrinsic advantages have made it especially suitable for developing microfluidic cancer diagnostic platforms. This review focuses on a comprehensive analysis of the recent developments of DEP enabled microfluidic platforms sorted according to the target cancer cell. Each study is critically analyzed, and the features of each platform, the performance, added functionality for clinical use, and the types of samples, used are discussed. We address the novelty of the techniques, strategies, and design configuration used in improving on existing technologies or previous studies. A summary of comparing the developmental extent of each study is made, and we conclude with a treatment of future trends and a brief summary.
  20. Secondary metabolites in topical infectious diseases and nanomedicine applications
    Sahoo A, Dwivedi K, Almalki WH, Mandal AK, Alhamyani A, Afzal O, et al.
    Nanomedicine (Lond), 2024 Apr 23.
    PMID: 38651634 DOI: 10.2217/nnm-2024-0017
    Topical infection affects nearly one-third of the world's population; it may result from poor sanitation, hygienic conditions and crowded living and working conditions that accelerate the spread of topical infectious diseases. The problems associated with the anti-infective agents are drug resistance and long-term therapy. Secondary metabolites are obtained from plants, microorganisms and animals, but they are metabolized inside the human body. The integration of nanotechnology into secondary metabolites is gaining attention due to their interaction at the subatomic and skin-tissue levels. Hydrogel, liposomes, lipidic nanoparticles, polymeric nanoparticles and metallic nanoparticles are the most suitable carriers for secondary metabolite delivery. Therefore, the present review article extensively discusses the topical applications of nanomedicines for the effective delivery of secondary metabolites.
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