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  1. A checklist of the marine Anthuroidea (Crustacea: Isopoda: Cymothoida) from the reefs of Peninsular Malaysia, with some new distributional data
    Chew M, Abdul Rahim A
    Biodivers Data J, 2020;8:e54748.
    PMID: 32675937 DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.8.e54748
    Background: An up-to-date checklist of the Peninsular Malaysian marine Anthuroidea is presented, based on previous taxonomic or ecological literature and recent collections. The present study, a part of the subproject on the Biodiversity of Sultan Iskandar Marine Park, recognised 24 species in 12 genera and 5 families from Peninsular Malaysia. An extensive list of bibliographical references, detailed information on habitat and distributional records, museum locations of type material are provided for each species. Amongst the listed species, 11 are recently discovered Malaysian species belonging to the genera Amakusanthura Nunomura, 1977, Apanthura Stebbing, 1900, Expanathura Wägele, 1981, Leptanthura G. O. Sars, 1897, Kupellonura Barnard, 1925, Pendanthura Menzies & Glynn, 1968 and Tinggianthura Chew, Rahim & bin Haji Ross, 2014. Our records were limited to shallow subtidal reefs of peninsular Malaysian coast, suggesting that the number of species in the list may rise with an extensive survey.

    New information: The up-to-date checklist of marine Anthuroidea of the Peninsular Malaysia comprises 24 species in 12 genera and 5 families, including some new distributional data.

  2. Fulltext Effectiveness of domestic water filters in removing suspended solids, residual chlorine and coliform bacteria
    Chong, Chee Kheong, Vijayakumar, G., Teoh, Leong Hooi, Siti Zubaidah, A.R., Mohamed Sapian, M., Abdul Rahim, A.
    Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine, 2003;3(2):38-40.
    MyJurnal
    Water filters are being increasingly promoted and used in the home. There are many types of commercial water jilters available for domestic use but almost all of them employ a physical filter media and an activated substance. The study showed that water filters effectively removed suspended solids and residual chlorine. However, as far as removing colhform bacteria is concerned, in ZZ .5% of the cases, bacteria were in fact introduced into the water. And in 20% ofthe cases, the amount of bacteria introduced was “too numerous to count (TNTC)". Furthermore, water hlters can lose their ability to filter bacteria without losing their ability to filter suspended solids and residual chlorine. This highlights the necessity of some authorized body looking into the claims made by these water filter manufacturers and impose certain standards to ensure that at the very least, the water quality ofthe hltered water is not worse than the unfiltered water.
  3. The relationship between CO2 emission, energy consumption and economic growth in Malaysia: a three-way linkage approach
    Sulaiman C, Abdul-Rahim AS
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2017 Nov;24(32):25204-25220.
    PMID: 28929456 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-017-0092-1
    This study examines the three-way linkage relationships between CO2 emission, energy consumption and economic growth in Malaysia, covering the 1975-2015 period. An autoregressive distributed lag approach was employed to achieve the objective of the study and gauged by dynamic ordinary least squares. Additionally, vector error correction model, variance decompositions and impulse response functions were employed to further examine the relationship between the interest variables. The findings show that economic growth is neither influenced by energy consumption nor by CO2 emission. Energy consumption is revealed to be an increasing function of CO2 emission. Whereas, CO2 emission positively and significantly depends on energy consumption and economic growth. This implies that CO2 emission increases with an increase in both energy consumption and economic growth. Conclusively, the main drivers of CO2 emission in Malaysia are proven to be energy consumption and economic growth. Therefore, renewable energy sources ought to be considered by policy makers to curb emission from the current non-renewable sources. Wind and biomass can be explored as they are viable sources. Energy efficiency and savings should equally be emphasised and encouraged by policy makers. Lastly, growth-related policies that target emission reduction are also recommended.
  4. The importance of worldwide governance indicators for transitions toward sustainable bioenergy industry
    Alsaleh M, Abdul-Rahim AS, Abdulwakil MM
    J Environ Manage, 2021 Sep 15;294:112960.
    PMID: 34116310 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112960
    This study examined the impact of worldwide governance indicators on the sustainability of the bioenergy industry in selected European countries for the period 1996-2018. Applying the Fixed Effect (FE) Model, the results reveal that the bioenergy industry can significantly grow by improving the quality of worldwide governance indicators in European countries, especially in Western European Countries (WEC). Government effectiveness, rule of law, regulatory quality, and voice and accountability are found to be increasing the growth of the bioenergy industry. Precisely, the results further show that the magnitude of the effect of government effectiveness, voice and accountability, and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on bioenergy output is higher in Western European Countries (WEC) as compared to the Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC). Also, the findings further elaborate that the significant positive impact of regulatory quality and rule of law on bioenergy output is higher in CEEC countries compared to the WEC countries. The finding implies that the growth of the bioenergy industry in European countries can be effectively increased by improving the practice and quality of worldwide governance indicators. The study recommends for European countries to increase the efficiency of worldwide governance in their bioenergy industry to increase the sustainability of bioenergy production and reduce Dioxide Carbon (CO2) emissions. Policymakers in these countries should also invest more in worldwide governance to increase its effectiveness and transparency in the bioenergy industry. The authorities should equally emphasize the effectiveness and transparency of worldwide governance indicators to attain bioenergy security and lessen the dependence on fossil fuels.
  5. Fulltext Tinggianthura alba: a new genus and species of Anthuridae (Isopoda, Cymothoida, Anthuroidea) from Pulau Tinggi, Johor, Malaysia with an updated key to the genera of Anthuridae
    Chew M, Abdul Rahim A, bin Haji Ross O
    PLoS One, 2014;9(6):e99072.
    PMID: 24914642 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0099072
    A new anthurid isopod from dead coral rubble and stones in the intertidal area of Pulau Tinggi, Johor, Malaysia, is described. It is placed in a new genus and species, Tinggianthura alba. Tinggianthura is characterized by: (1) subtriangular carpus shape of pereopods 4-7, (2) pereopod 1 propodus palm without prominent tooth or steps and (3) maxillipedal palp 2-articled.
  6. Fulltext Optic disc topography of normal tension glaucoma patients in Malaysia
    Abdul Rahim A, Ismail S, Ahmad Tajudin LS, Ahmad MS
    Med J Malaysia, 2013 Aug;68(4):338-42.
    PMID: 24145263 MyJurnal
    There are limited data in the literature on the optic disc topography in normal tension glaucoma (NTG) patients in Asian countries, especially in Southeast Asia. This study is aimed at comparing optic disc topography in NTG patients and a control group in Malaysia, and we discuss the literature on NTG studies in other Asian populations. A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted in two hospitals with glaucoma services in Malaysia from November 2010 to February 2012. A total of 109 eyes of 109 Malay patients were included in this study: 32 NTG patients and 77 subjects in the control group. All participants underwent a thorough ocular examination, including visual acuity, subjective refraction, anterior segment and fundus examinations, Humphrey visual field 24-2, intraocular pressure measurement, gonioscopy examination and fundus photography. Optic disc topography was assessed using the Heidelberg Retinal Tomograph III by an identified masked investigator in each hospital. NTG patients had a notably larger disc area (2.65 (0.41) vs 2.19 (0.43) mm(2), respectively), larger cupping (1.54 (0.43) vs 0.63 (0.40) mm(2), respectively), smaller retinal rim areas (1.12 (0.41) vs 1.56 (0.33) mm(2), respectively), higher cup volume (0.47 (0.28) vs 0.11 (0.19) mm(3), respectively), reduced rim volume (0.23 (0.13) vs 0.41 (0.16) mm(3), respectively), higher cup to disc area ratio (0.58 (0.14) vs 0.27 (0.15), respectively), higher linear cup to disc ratio (0.76 (0.09) vs 0.49 (0.17) mm(2), respectively), higher mean cup depth (0.37 (0.09) vs 0.22 (0.09) mm, respectively), higher maximum cup depth (0.77 (0.16) vs 0.59 (0.20) mm, respectively), higher mean of cup shape measure (-0.04 (0.06) vs -0.16 (0.07), respectively), and thinner mean retinal nerve fibre layer thickness (0.15 (0.15) vs 0.24 (0.07) mm, respectively) compared to the control group (p<0.05). In conclusion, most of the optic disc parameters were significantly different in NTG patients compared to healthy individuals in Malaysia. Our findings are comparable to those reported in NTG studies in other Asian countries.
  7. Fulltext Effects of Palm Oil Tocotrienol-Rich Fraction (TRF) and Carotenes in Ovalbumin (OVA)-Challenged Asthmatic Brown Norway Rats
    Zainal Z, Abdul Rahim A, Khaza'ai H, Chang SK
    Int J Mol Sci, 2019 Apr 10;20(7).
    PMID: 30974772 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20071764
    Synthetic therapeutic drugs for asthma, a chronic airway inflammation characterised by strong eosinophil, mast cell, and lymphocyte infiltration, mucus hyper-production, and airway hyper-responsiveness, exhibit numerous side effects. Alternatively, the high antioxidant potential of palm oil phytonutrients, including vitamin E (tocotrienol-rich fractions; TRF) and carotene, may be beneficial for alleviating asthma. Here, we determined the therapeutic efficacy of TRF, carotene, and dexamethasone in ovalbumin-challenged allergic asthma in Brown Norway rats. Asthmatic symptoms fully developed within 8 days after the second sensitization, and were preserved throughout the time course via intranasal ovalbumin re-challenge. Asthmatic rats were then orally administered 30 mg/kg body weight TRF or carotene. TRF-treated animals exhibited reduced inflammatory cells in bronchial alveolar lavage fluid. TRF- and carotene-treated rats exhibited notable white blood cell reduction comparable to that from dexamethasone. TRF- and carotene-treatment also downregulated pro-inflammatory markers (IL-β, IL-6, TNF-α), coincident with anti-inflammatory marker IL-4 and IL-13 upregulation. Treatment significantly reduced asthmatic rat plasma CRP and IgE, signifying improved systemic inflammation. Asthmatic lung histology displayed severe edema and inflammatory cell infiltration in the bronchial wall, whereas treated animals retained healthy, normal-appearing lungs. The phytonutrients tocotrienol and carotene thus exhibit potential benefits for consumption as nutritional adjuncts in asthmatic disease.
  8. Wood fuel consumption and mortality rates in Sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from a dynamic panel study
    Sulaiman C, Abdul-Rahim AS, Chin L, Mohd-Shahwahid HO
    Chemosphere, 2017 Mar 06;177:224-231.
    PMID: 28292722 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2017.03.019
    This study examined the impact of wood fuel consumption on health outcomes, specifically under-five and adult mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa, where wood usage for cooking and heating is on the increase. Generalized method of moment (GMM) estimators were used to estimate the impact of wood fuel consumption on under-five and adult mortality (and also male and female mortality) in the region. The findings revealed that wood fuel consumption had significant positive impact on under-five and adult mortality. It suggests that over the studied period, an increase in wood fuel consumption has increased the mortality of under-five and adult. Importantly, it indicated that the magnitude of the effect of wood fuel consumption was more on the under-five than the adults. Similarly, assessing the effect on a gender basis, it was revealed that the effect was more on female than male adults. This finding suggests that the resultant mortality from wood smoke related infections is more on under-five children than adults, and also are more on female adults than male adults. We, therefore, recommended that an alternative affordable, clean energy source for cooking and heating should be provided to reduce the wood fuel consumption.
  9. Planning Accessibility Strategies and Connectivity for Malaysian Urban Built Environment
    Abd Samad NA, Said I, Abdul Rahim A
    Stud Health Technol Inform, 2018;256:367-377.
    PMID: 30371497
    Access to our buildings relies to the accessibility of its external environment and the route taken. Developments and planning in urban areas has many several requirements and restrictions. Planning accessibility for Malaysian built environment is achievable by designing in compliance to the requirements enforced by authorities. Accessible design is commonly associated with providing facilities for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), the issue that is often brought up is the inaccessibility of the external environment and lacking of seamless connectivity between buildings and the outdoor. The intention is to formulate accessibility strategies and work out planning process on how accessibility can be achieved. Universal Design will be the basis for the design and planning concept to accommodate all users to enjoy our urban built environment. It is notable that developed countries advances more in terms of implementing and enforcing accessibility measures via legislative and regulatory documents, government strategies and initiatives within its planning approach than the developing nations. The methodology will be looking into the establishment of strategies and measures of international and local planning policy, local and action plans of City of London as selected Local Authority to be analyzed its inclusive policy has been successfully implemented in their jurisdiction. The findings, discussions and result will be an outcome of generating a framework of accessibility strategies that is derived from interviews and government documents accordingly to targeted Malaysian urban areas focusing the City of Petaling Jaya and Putrajaya and how it can be improvised. Therefore, an interpretation of adopting accessibility planning strategies of developed country, to be adapted locally according to Malaysian legislation, culture and lifestyles.
  10. Fulltext Orbital Tumours in Northern Malaysia: A Five-Year Review
    Qi-Xian T, Chew-Ean T, Abdul Rahim A, Nasaruddin RA
    Cureus, 2022 Jan;14(1):e20941.
    PMID: 35004088 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.20941
    BACKGROUND: This study was conducted with the objective to examine demographic statistics and histopathological diagnoses of orbital biopsies from cases referred to the Oculoplastic subspecialty of the Ophthalmology department in Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah, Kedah, from 2016 to 2020.

    METHOD: This study is a case series of 28 patients who underwent orbital biopsy.

    RESULT: A total of 34 orbital biopsies from 28 patients were recorded. The mean age was 48.3 ± 19.1 years old. 22 (78.4%) cases manifested unilaterally and six (21.4%) manifested bilaterally. The commonest presentations were orbital mass (36.6%) and proptosis (24.4%). The mean duration of the presentation was 16.2 ± 19.5 months. Fourteen (50.0%) patients underwent orbital biopsy within six months of symptoms. 52.8% of the tumours are situated at supero-temporal region of the orbit. 53.0% (18) situated in extraconal space of orbit. Out of all, 23 (67.6%) cases were benign and 11 (32.4%) cases were malignant. All were primary in origin (100%). The commonest orbital tumours reported were malignant lymphoma (29.4%), reactive lymphoid hyperplasia (14.7%), non-caseating granulomatous inflammation (11.8%), non-granulomatous inflammation (5.9%) and cavernous haemangioma (5.9%). Of all 10 malignant lymphomas from eight patients (two were bilateral eyes) were all mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) of primary non-Hodgkin lymphomas. None of the cases were reported to be metastasis from the systemic spread. The majority of patients' eyes (20, 58.8%) remained the same visual acuity post-biopsy while six (17.6%) eyes had improvement in visual acuity and eight (23.5%) eyes had reduced postoperative visual acuity.

    CONCLUSION: Malignant tumours are more common in the elder age group especially malignant lymphoma which is in contrast to Caucasian populations. Understanding the relative incidence of these various orbital tumours is essential to patient evaluation and management.

  11. Urbanization and carbon dioxide emissions in Singapore: evidence from the ARDL approach
    Ali HS, Abdul-Rahim AS, Ribadu MB
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2017 Jan;24(2):1967-1974.
    PMID: 27798805 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-016-7935-z
    The main aim of this article is to examine empirically the impact of urbanization on carbon dioxide emissions in Singapore from 1970 to 2015. The autoregressive distributed lags (ARDL) approach is applied within the analysis. The main finding reveals a negative and significant impact of urbanization on carbon emissions in Singapore, which means that urban development in Singapore is not a barrier to the improvement of environmental quality. Thus, urbanization enhances environmental quality by reducing carbon emissions in the sample country. The result also highlighted that economic growth has a positive and significant impact on carbon emissions, which suggests that economic growth reduces environmental quality through its direct effect of increasing carbon emissions in the country. Despite the high level of urbanization in Singapore, which shows that 100 % of the populace is living in the urban center, it does not lead to more environmental degradation. Hence, urbanization will not be considered an obstacle when initiating policies that will be used to reduce environmental degradation in the country. Policy makers should consider the country's level of economic growth instead of urbanization when formulating policies to reduce environmental degradation, due to its direct impact on increasing carbon dioxide emissions.
  12. Fulltext Reliability and limitations of permanent tooth staging techniques
    Abdul Rahim AH, Davies JA, Liversidge HM
    Forensic Sci Int, 2023 May;346:111654.
    PMID: 37011430 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2023.111654
    Reliability, or repeatability, of permanent tooth staging techniques is usually expressed as Cohen's Kappa. This single value obscures information about the quantity and allocation of disagreements. In this study we assess and compare intra-observer reliability of permanent tooth staging techniques described by Nolla, Moorrees et al. and Demirjian et al. The sample was panoramic radiographs of healthy dental patients made up of 100 males and 100 females aged 6-15 years. All permanent teeth on the left side (excluding third molars) were scored twice. Weighted Kappa and percentage agreement were calculated. Results show Kappa values for all teeth combined as 0.918, 0.922 and 0.938 for Demirjian (number of teeth N = 2682), Nolla (N = 2698) and Moorrees (N = 2674) respectively. A comparison of Kappa values between upper and lower teeth showed marginally higher values for upper incisors and lower molar for all three scoring methods. Small differences in Kappa values were noted between tooth types with the upper first molar having smaller values than other teeth. Percentage agreement ranged from 81 % (Moorrees), 86 % (Nolla) to 87 % (Demirjian). Tooth stage differences between first and second assessments were not more than one stage. Our findings show that Demirjian scoring is marginally more reliable than Nolla or Moorrees. We suggest that (1) data for reliability are tabulated in full to show the quantity and allocation of disagreement between first and second readings, and (2) that the reliability sample is sufficiently large with a wide age range to include multiple different tooth stages.
  13. Fulltext Eyelid Tumours in Northern Malaysia: A Five-Year Review
    Qi-Xian T, Chew-Ean T, Abdul Rahim A, Nasaruddin RA
    Cureus, 2022 Jan;14(1):e20922.
    PMID: 35004082 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.20922
    Background The majority of eyelid tumours are benign in nature and constitute 82%-98% of all eyelid tumours. This study aimed to explore the prevalence and frequency of histopathological diagnoses of eyelid tumours encountered in Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah (HSB), Malaysia, from 2016 to 2020. Method This study is a case series of 136 patients with eyelid tumours who underwent eyelid biopsy. Result Twenty-three (17%) patients were below 18 years old, 64 (47%) patients were between 19 and 64 years old and 49 (36%) patients were more than 65 years old. The mean age in this study was 47.9 ± 25.4 years. The most common benign eyelid tumours were dermoid cyst (31, 22.8%), melanocytic nevus (19, 14%), granuloma (17, 12.5%), squamous cell papilloma (13, 9.6%) and epidermal cyst (12, 8.8%). Most of the benign eyelid tumours occurred at the upper lids (79.8%), and most of the malignant eyelid tumours occurred at the lower lids (81.8%). The most common malignant eyelid tumours were basal cell carcinoma (BCC) (6, 14.3%), followed by malignant lymphoma (3, 6.1%) and sebaceous gland carcinoma (2, 4.1%). Eight out of nine cases of BCC were located at the lower lids. All malignant lymphomas were primary lymphoma. Five were extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT), and one was follicular lymphoma. All cases with benign and malignant tumours required only a single surgery for excision, and none of the cases had a recurrence. Conclusion There were limited references to the epidemiology of histopathological diagnoses of eyelid tumours in Malaysia. Although benign lesions comprise the majority of eyelid tumours, it is essential to delineate between benign and malignant eyelid tumours.
  14. Fulltext Physiological and growth responses of six turfgrass species relative to salinity tolerance
    Uddin K, Juraimi AS, Ismail MR, Hossain A, Othman R, Abdul Rahim A
    ScientificWorldJournal, 2012;2012:905468.
    PMID: 22666166 DOI: 10.1100/2012/905468
    The demand for salinity-tolerant turfgrasses is increasing due to augmented use of effluent or low-quality water (sea water) for turf irrigation and the growing turfgrass industry in coastal areas. Experimental plants, grown in plastic pots filled with a mixture of river sand and KOSAS(R) peat (9 : 1), were irrigated with sea water at different dilutions imparting salinity levels of 0, 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, or 48 dS m⁻¹. Salinity tolerance was evaluated on the basis of leaf firing, shoot and root growth reduction, proline content, and relative water content. Paspalum vaginatum was found to be most salt tolerant followed by Zoysia japonica and Zoysia matrella, while Digitaria didactyla, Cynodon dactylon "Tifdwarf," and Cynodon dactylon "Satiri" were moderately tolerant. The results indicate the importance of turfgrass varietal selection for saline environments.
  15. Validation of a Burkholderia pseudomallei hypothetical protein and determination of its translational start codon using chromosomal integration of His-Tag coding sequence
    Yam H, Abdul Rahim A, Gim Luan O, Samian R, Abdul Manaf U, Mohamad S, et al.
    Protein J, 2012 Mar;31(3):246-9.
    PMID: 22354666 DOI: 10.1007/s10930-012-9398-5
    In this post genomic era, there are a great number of in silico annotated hypothetical genes. However, experimental validation of the functionality of these genes remains tentative. Two of the major challenges faced by researcher are whether these hypothetical genes are protein-coding genes and whether their corresponding predicted translational start codons are correct. In this report, we demonstrate a convenient procedure to validate the presence of a hypothetical gene product of BPSS1356 from Burkholderia pseudomallei as well as its start codon. It was done by integration of a His-Tag coding sequence into C-terminal end of BPSS1356 gene via homologous recombination. We then purified the native protein using affinity chromatography. The genuine start codon of BPSS1356 was then determined by protein N-terminal sequencing.
  16. Inoculation of Bacillus sphaericus UPMB-10 to young oil palm and measurement of its uptake of fixed nitrogen using the ¹⁵N isotope dilution technique
    Zakry FA, Shamsuddin ZH, Abdul Rahim K, Zawawi Zakaria Z, Abdul Rahim A
    Microbes Environ, 2012;27(3):257-62.
    PMID: 22446306
    There are increasing applications of diazotrophic rhizobacteria in the sustainable agriculture system. A field experiment on young immature oil palm was conducted to quantify the uptake of N derived from N₂ fixation by the diazotroph Bacillus sphaericus strain UPMB-10, using the ¹⁵N isotope dilution method. Eight months after ¹⁵N application, young immature oil palms that received 67% of standard N fertilizer application together with B. sphaericus inoculation had significantly lower ¹⁵N enrichment than uninoculated palms that received similar N fertilizers. The dilution of labeled N served as a marker for the occurrence of biological N₂ fixation. The proportion of N uptake that was derived from the atmosphere was estimated as 63% on the whole plant basis. The inoculation process increased the N and dry matter yields of the palm leaflets and rachis significantly. Field planting of young, immature oil palm in soil inoculated with B. sphaericus UPMB-10 might mitigate inorganic fertilizer-N application through supplementation by biological nitrogen fixation. This could be a new and important source of nitrogen biofertilizer in the early phase of oil palm cultivation in the field.
  17. Analysis of Condition Index in Polymesoda expansa (Mousson 1849)
    Abdul Rahim A, Idris MH, Kamal AH, Wong SK, Arshad A
    Pak J Biol Sci, 2012 Jul 01;15(13):629-34.
    PMID: 24218932
    The Condition Index (CI) is a method to measure overall health of fish and that has been applied to estimate the effect that different environmental factors have on clam meat quality. The CI of local mangrove clam Polymesoda expansa in Kelulit, Miri Sarawak was determined from October 2010 to November 2011. Condition index that is generally used to characterize the physiological activity of organisms, varied from 1.8% in December 2010 to 3.4% in October 2011, with low values observed during the spawning period. The clam attained their best condition in quality of flesh weight during July-October. In present study, the CI showed a clear relationship with the reproductive cycle of P. expansa. However, no significant correlation (p > 0.05) was found between CI and the different physicochemical parameter of seawater. The data presented is necessary for developing sustainable management strategies and broodstock selection for the species which is crucial in aquaculture development.
  18. Genomic variations among wildtype and mutant strains of pseudorabies virus
    Zeenathul NA, Mohd-Azmi ML, Ali AS, Aini I, Sheik-Omar AR, Abdul-Rahim AM, et al.
    Rev. Argent. Microbiol., 2002 Jan-Mar;34(1):7-14.
    PMID: 11942085
    Both wild-type virulent and mutant strains of pseudorabies virus (PrV) were used in this study. Mutants used were derived from the plaque purified strain PrVmAIP. A total of six drug resistant mutants, three bromodeoxyuridine (BUdR) resistant and three iododeoxyuridine (IUdR) resistant, respectively, were isolated and passaged in chicken embryo fibroblast (CEF) cells. The DNA of these PrVs were compared with the wild-type isolates by means of the restriction fragment pattern (RFP) findings produced with Bam HI, Kpn I, Hind III and Bgl II restriction enzymes (RE). Compared to the wild-type PrVs (PrV-VBA1-parental strain of PrVmAIP; PrV-VBA2; PrV-VBA3), the RFP of PrVmAIP showed the presence of mutations within the RE sites studied. Both PrV-VBA1 and PrV-VBA2 appeared to be closely related but their RFPs differed from PrV-VBA3. Significant differences either in the number, size or migrations of the DNA fragments could also be detected in the BUdR resistant strains. Even though different features of cytopathic effect (GPE) were observed in the IUdR resistant PrVs, the RFP findings remained identical. The PrVs studied showed considerable differences from the reference PrV (PrV-CD).
  19. Fulltext Ultrasonographic findings in eyes with retinopathy of prematurity in malaysia
    Lee KF, Abdul Rahim A, Raja Azmi MN, Wan Hazabbah WH, Embong Z, Noramazlan R, et al.
    Med J Malaysia, 2013;68(1):39-43.
    PMID: 23466765 MyJurnal
    RetCam is an excellent screening tool for the detection of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). However, affordability is a barrier when adopting the use of RetCam in developing countries. We aimed to describe different stages of ROP using ultrasonographic B-scan and to evaluate the association between funduscopic examinations and ultrasonographic B-scan findings in premature neonates with ROP in Malaysia. A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted in 90 eyes of 47 premature neonates with different stages of ROP in three tertiary hospitals in Malaysia. Experienced ophthalmologists performed detailed funduscopic examinations using binocular indirect ophthalmoscopy (BIO). A masked examiner performed a 10 MHz ultrasonographic B-scan evaluation with 12 meridian position images within 48 hours of clinical diagnosis. Data from the clinical examination and ultrasonographic findings were collected and analysed. We recruited 37 eyes (41.1%) with stage 1 ROP, 29 eyes (32.3%) with stage 2, 18 eyes (20.0%) with stage 3, and 3 eyes (3.3%) with stages 4 and 5 based on the clinical assessment. Ultrasonography correctly identified 3 (8.1%) stage 1 eyes, 17 (58.6%) stage 2 eyes, 13 (72.2%) stage 3 eyes, and 3 each (100%) of the stage 4 and 5 eyes. There was a significant association between the funduscopic signs and the ultrasound findings for stage 2 ROP and above (Fisher's exact test, p <0.001). In conclusion, all stages of ROP were detected and described with a 10 MHz ultrasonic B-scan system. A significant association was observed between funduscopic signs and ultrasonographic findings in premature Malaysian neonates with stage 2 ROP and above.
  20. Fulltext Adherence to Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) management of dengue infection in adults (revised 2nd edition)
    Abd Rahman M, Ahmad Zaki R, Sarimin R, Ariff MI, Suli Z, Mahmud M, et al.
    PLoS One, 2017;12(11):e0184559.
    PMID: 29095822 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0184559
    The Malaysian Dengue Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) have been developed to provide evidence-based guidance in the management of dengue infections. The use of these guidelines is essential to ensure its recommendations are being practiced. However, the adherence to the guidelines for management of dengue (revised 2nd edition) by healthcare providers still remains unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the proportion among healthcare providers that adhere to this Dengue CPG. A retrospective cohort study of dengue cases registered from 1 January 2014 to 1 June 2015 was conducted in public hospitals and health clinics in Selangor, Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur. Adherence to the CPG recommendations were recorded by reviewing patients' case notes. Overall proportion of adherence in clinical components of the recommendation were (7.1 to 100.0% versus 7.7 to 73.8%) in history taking, (6.7 to 100.0% versus 12.3 to 60.0%) in physical examinations, (18.4 to 100.0% versus 23.1 to 83.2%) in assessment of warning signs, (0.6 to 100.0% versus 12.3 to 87.7%) in assessment of haemodynamic status, (60.0 to 100.0% versus 27.7 to 40.0%) in diagnosis, (46.6 to 80.0% versus 52.3%) in case notifications, (73.2 to 100.0% versus 89.2 to 96.9%) in performing specific laboratory investigations and (7.9 to 100.0% versus 21.5%) in monitoring, for outpatient versus inpatient, respectively. Adherence trends were demonstrated to be higher in hospital settings compared to outpatient settings. Adherence to this Dengue CPG varies widely with overall good clinical outcomes observed.

    Study site: public hospitals and health clinics in Selangor, Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur
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