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Effect of polymer concentration on the structure and performance of PEI hollow fiber membrane contactor for CO2 stripping

Naim R, Ismail AF

J Hazard Mater, 2013 Apr 15;250-251:354-61.
PMID: 23474409 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2013.01.083

A series of polyetherimide (PEI) hollow fiber membranes with various polymer concentrations (13-16 wt.%) for CO2 stripping process in membrane contactor application was fabricated via wet phase inversion method. The PEI membranes were characterized in terms of liquid entry pressure, contact angle, gas permeation and morphology analysis. CO2 stripping performance was investigated via membrane contactor system in a stainless steel module with aqueous diethanolamine as liquid absorbent. The hollow fiber membranes showed decreasing patterns in gas permeation, contact angle, mean pore size and effective surface porosity with increasing polymer concentration. On the contrary, wetting pressure of PEI membranes has enhanced significantly with polymer concentration. Various polymer concentrations have different effects on the CO2 stripping flux in which membrane with 14 wt.% polymer concentration showed the highest stripping flux of 2.7 × 10(-2)mol/m(2)s. From the performance comparison with other commercial membrane, it is anticipated that the PEI membrane has a good prospect in CO2 stripping via membrane contactor.
Fulltext A rapid and sensitive Loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay for detection of pork DNA based on porcine tRNA lys and ATPase 8 genes

Abdullahi, U.F., Igwenagu, E., Aliyu, S., Mu’azu, A., Naim, R., Wan-Taib, W.R.

International Food Research Journal, 2017;24(4):1357-1361.
MyJurnal

This study describes the development of a rapid and sensitive Loop-mediated isothermal
amplification assay for detection of swine DNA in adulterated meat and meat products. The
need to protect consumer’s right to eat foods of their choices, has made it imperative for
researchers to develop efficient means of screening and certification of food products. Six sets
of LAMP primers designed based on porcine tRNA lysine gene and ATPase subunit 8 genes
were used for the assay. Amplification was carried out under constant temperature (630C), using
a simple laboratory water bath. Average time spent in amplification and detection of results was
25 min. All results were visually detected and confirmed by electrophoresis. Detection limit of
the assay was 0.03 femtogram (fg) much high than the PCR assay, and detection probability of
the assay was 100%. Detection of 0.5% of pork spiked with 99.5% of cattle beef is indicative
of the sensitivity and robustness of the assay. This could serve as a prototype for development
of a sensitive and inexpensive Swine DNA LAMP detection kit.
Emergency general surgery in a public hospital in Malaysia

Kandasami P, Yita T, Chi XS, Chern WK, Muhammad Naim R, Afifah Afiah MD, et al.

Med J Malaysia, 2020 09;75(5):467-471.
PMID: 32918411

INTRODUCTION: Patients undergoing emergency general surgery (EGS) are at risk for death and complications. Information on the burden of EGS is critical for developing strategies to improve the outcomes.
METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, medical records of all general surgical operations in a public hospital were reviewed for the period 1st January 2017 to 31st December 2017. Data on patient demographics, operative workload, case mix, time of surgery and outcomes were analysed.
RESULTS: Of the 2960 general surgical operations that were performed in 2017, 1720 (58.1%) of the procedures were performed as emergencies. The mean age for the patients undergoing emergency general surgical procedures was 37.9 years (Standard Deviation, ±21.0), with male preponderance (57.5%). Appendicitis was the most frequent diagnosis for the emergency procedures (43%) followed by infections of the skin and soft tissues (31.6%). Disorders of the colon and rectum ranked as the third most common condition, accounting for 6.7% of the emergency procedures. Majority of emergency surgery (59.3%) took place after office hours and on weekends. Post-operative deaths and admissions to critical care facilities increased during EGS when compared to elective surgery, p<0.01.
CONCLUSIONS: EGS constitutes a major part of the workload of general surgeons and it is associated significant risk for death and post-operative complications. The burden of EGS must be recognised and patient care systems must evolve to make surgery safe and efficient.
Treatment of wastewater from oil palm industry in Malaysia using polyvinylidene fluoride-bentonite hollow fiber membranes via membrane distillation system

Muhamad NAS, Mohd Mokhtar N, Naim R, Lau WJ, Ismail NH

Environ Pollut, 2024 Aug 19.
PMID: 39168437 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124739

Membrane distillation (MD) is gaining increasing recognition within membrane-based processes for palm oil mill effluent (POME) treatment. This study aims to alter the physicochemical characteristics of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes through the incorporation of bentonite (B) at varying weight concentrations (ranging from 0.25 wt% to 1.0 wt%). Characterization was conducted to evaluate changes in morphology, thermal stability, surface characteristics and wetting properties of the resulting membranes. The resulting membranes were also tested using direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) with POME as the feed solution, aiming to generate high-purity water. Results indicated that the PVDF-0.3B and PVDF-0.5B membranes achieved the highest water vapor flux. The finger-like structure and macrovoids present in these membranes aid in minimizing mass resistance during vapor transport and enhancing permeate flux. All membranes demonstrated exceptional performance in removing contaminants, eliminating total dissolved solids (TDS) and achieving over 99% rejection of chemical oxygen demand, nitrate nitrogen, color, and turbidity from the feed solution. The permeate water analysis showed that the PVDF-0.3B membrane had superior removal efficiency and met the standards set by the local Department of Environment (DOE). The PVDF-0.3B membrane was chosen as the preferred option because of its consistent flux and high removal efficiency. This study demonstrated that incorporating bentonite into PVDF membranes significantly enhanced their properties and performance for POME treatment.
Identification of carriers among individuals recruited in the typhoid registry in Malaysia using stool culture, polymerase chain reaction, and dot enzyme immunoassay as detection tools

Chua AL, Aziah I, Balaram P, Bhuvanendran S, Anthony AA, Mohmad SN, et al.

Asia Pac J Public Health, 2015 Mar;27(2):NP2740-8.
PMID: 23000800 DOI: 10.1177/1010539512458521

Chronic carriers of Salmonella Typhi act as reservoirs for the organism and become the agents of typhoid outbreaks in a community. In this study, chronic carriers in Kelantan, Malaysia were first identified using the culture and polymerase chain reaction method. Then, a novel serological tool, designated Typhidot-C, was evaluated in retrospect using the detected individuals as control positives. Chronic carriage positive by the culture and polymerase chain reaction method was recorded at 3.6% (4 out of 110) among individuals who previously had acute typhoid fever and a 9.4% (10 out of 106) carriage rate was observed among food handlers screened during outbreaks. The Typhidot-C assay was able to detect all these positive carriers showing its potential as a viable carrier screening tool and can be used for efficient detection of typhoid carriers in an endemic area. These findings were used to establish the first carrier registry for S Typhi carriers in Malaysia.
The role of sheet-like TiO2 in polyamide reverse osmosis membrane for enhanced removal of endocrine disrupting chemicals

Ahmad NA, Goh PS, Zakaria NAS, Naim R, Abdullah MS, Ismail AF, et al.

Chemosphere, 2024 Apr;353:141108.
PMID: 38423147 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.141108

Thin film composite (TFC) reverse osmosis (RO) membrane shows good promise for treating wastewater containing endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) pollutants. The incorporation of functional materials with exceptional structural and physico-chemical properties offers opportunities for the membranes preparation with enhanced permselectivity and better antifouling properties. The present study aims to improve the EDC removal efficiency of TFC RO membrane using two-dimensional titania nanosheets (TNS). RO membrane was prepared by incorporating TNS in the dense layer of polyamide (PA) layer to form thin film nanocomposite (TFN) membrane. The TNS loading was varied and the influences on membrane morphology, surface hydrophilicity, surface charge, as well as water permeability and rejection of EDC were investigated. The results revealed that the inclusion of TNS in the membrane resulted in the increase of water permeability and EDC rejection. When treating the mixture of bisphenol A (BPA) and caffeine at 100 ppm feed concentration, the TFN membrane incorporated with 0.05% TNS achieved water permeability of 1.45 L/m2·h·bar, which was 38.6% higher than that of unmodified TFC membrane, while maintaining satisfactory rejection of >97%. The enhancement of water permeability for TFN membrane can be attributed to their hydrophilic surface and unique nanochannel structure created by the nanoscale interlayer spacing via staking of TiO2 nanosheets. Furthermore, the 0.05TFN membrane exhibited excellent fouling resistance towards BPA and caffeine pollutants with almost 100% flux recovery for three cycles of operations.