Browse publications by year: 2011

  1. Ilyanie Y, Wong TW, Choo CY
    PMID: 22754938 DOI: 10.2202/1553-3840.1469
    Ficus deltoidea Jack (Moraceae) leaf extract is used as an antidiabetic in traditional medicine. Its widespread usage is reflected by the available preparations in the present commercial market. The efficacy of other Ficus species has not been entirely satisfactory and many antidiabetic herbs have demonstrated poor safety profiles. This study examined hypoglycemic and toxicity profiles of F. deltoidea leaf extract in rodent models. Extracts of dried powdered leaves were obtained using methanol solution, n-hexane, chloroform, and n-butanol. These extracts were orally administered to rodents. Their blood glucose and insulin levels, acute and subchronic toxicity, biochemical and histological profiles of liver and kidney were determined. Methanol extract exhibited blood glucose lowering activity in mildly insulin resistant diabetic rats as well as in normoglycemic mice unlike hydrophilic butanol subextract which only expressed its activity in normoglycemic mice. Methanol extract could contain both insulin receptor sensitization and secretagogue constituents. Different from toxic chloroform and hexane subextracts, hydrophilic methanol extract gave zero percent mortality up to 6400 mg/kg in 14 days. It did not induce liver and kidney toxicity upon four-week consumption at 200 mg/kg. The methanol extract possessed mixed antidiabetic actions and exhibited a low level of oral toxicity.
    MeSH terms: Methanol; Animals; Blood Glucose/drug effects; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental/drug therapy*; Hypoglycemic Agents/pharmacology*; Hypoglycemic Agents/toxicity; Insulin/metabolism; Male; Plant Extracts/pharmacology*; Plant Extracts/toxicity; Receptor, Insulin/metabolism; Streptozocin; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Plant Leaves; Toxicity Tests, Acute; Ficus*; Mice; Rats
  2. Lua PL
    PMID: 22754943 DOI: 10.2202/1553-3840.1369
    Although the popularity of complementary indigenous Malay therapies (CIMT) in general healthcare is undeniable in the Malaysian context today, their usage within the palliative care scenarios remains unexplored. Our study was specifically embarked to determine CIMT’s usage pattern, reasons, attitudes, beliefs, perceptions and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) differences (users vs. non-users) in a sample of hospice-based palliative patients in Selangor, Malaysia. From the 39 consenting patients (mean age = 56 years; female = 56.4 percent; Malay = 53.8 percent), 38.5 percent were users of CIMT. Dried medicinal roots, herbs and sea cucumber products were the most preferred types of CIMT (53.3 percent). The most common reason cited for usage was because these were "easier and simpler to be administered" (46.7 percent). Although users' attitudes, beliefs and perceptions were more favourable than the non-users, between 30.0-73.3 percent of users remained unsure or had no knowledge regarding CIMT. They also exhibited significantly poorer Physical Symptoms than the non-users (p=0.006), a probable motive for seeking CIMT in the first place. Despite the small sample size, the findings provided some insight into the role of CIMT especially with regard to usage trends and overall well-being among the terminally-ill, of which healthcare professionals should constantly be vigilant of amidst their routine care responsibilities.
    MeSH terms: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Hospices/methods*; Humans; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Malaysia; Male; Medicine, East Asian Traditional/methods; Medicine, East Asian Traditional/psychology*; Medicine, East Asian Traditional/utilization*; Middle Aged; Neoplasms/therapy; Palliative Care/methods*; Prospective Studies; Quality of Life*; Socioeconomic Factors; Asian Continental Ancestry Group/psychology; Asian Continental Ancestry Group/statistics & numerical data
  3. Lau Y, Sulaiman S, Othman H
    PMID: 22808406
    BACKGROUND: Trypsin Modulating Oostatic Factor (TMOF) terminates trypsin biosynthesis in adult and larval mosquito gut. It will inhibit the growth and development of mosquito larvae feeding on it resulting in death by starvation. The objective of this study is to determine the effective dose of Pichia-TMOF and the combination of Pichia-TMOF with Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) as larvicide on Ae. aegypti larvae.

    METHODS: Aedes aegypti first-instar larvae were exposed to various doses of Pichia-TMOF, Bt and combination of Pichia-TMOF and Bt. The development of the larvae were observed and recorded daily during the bioassay larval test until the adult emergence.

    RESULTS: The results showed that 400 ppm Pichia-TMOF and 300 ppm Pichia-TMOF were able to cause 100% and 67% cumulative mortality on Ae. aegypti larvae on 8(th) day respectively. At 200 ppm, 100 ppm and 50 ppm concentration Pichia-TMOF showed obvious stunted effect on Ae. aegypti larvae. Moreover, the combination of 400 ppm Pichia-TMOF with 0.1 ppm Bt showed synergistic effect on Ae. aegypti.

    CONCLUSION: Pichia-TMOF inhibited trypsin biosynthesis is potential to act in larval gut causing stunted growth and larval development and causing mortality. The combination of Pichia-TMOF and Bt increased the effectiveness in causing larval mortality.

  4. Al-Khateeb A, Mohamed MS, Imran K, Ibrahim S, Zilfalil BA, Yusof Z
    Kobe J Med Sci, 2011;57(2):E38-48.
    PMID: 22926072
    The importance of serum lipids as cardiovascular risk factors is well recognized. However, most published studies have focused on western countries. The present study aimed to describe and analyze the lipid profile parameters in Malaysian dyslipidemic patients, and to identify concomitant clinical problems and risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) among such patients.
    MeSH terms: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Cardiovascular Diseases/blood; Cardiovascular Diseases/etiology; Cholesterol/blood; Female; Humans; Lipids/blood*; Cholesterol, HDL/blood; Cholesterol, LDL/blood; Malaysia; Male; Middle Aged; Retrospective Studies; Risk Factors; Triglycerides/blood; Dyslipidemias/blood*; Dyslipidemias/complications; Young Adult
  5. Singh I, Morris AP
    Int J Pharm Investig, 2011 Jan;1(1):4-9.
    PMID: 23071913 DOI: 10.4103/2230-973X.76721
    Transdermal drug delivery (TDD) is a technique that is used to deliver a drug into the systemic circulation across the skin. This mechanism of drug delivery route has many advantages, including steady drug plasma concentrations, improved patient compliance, elimination of hepatic first pass, and degradation in the gastrointestinal tract. Over the last 30 years, many transdermal products have been launched in the market. Despite the inherent advantages of TDD and the growing list of transdermal products, one of the major drawbacks to TDD is the occurrence of inter- and intraindividual variation in the absorption of the drug across the skin. A majority of these variations are caused by biological factors, such as gender, age, ethnicity, and skin hydration and metabolism. These factors affect the integrity and the barrier qualities of the skin, which subsequently result in the variation in the amount of drug absorbed. The main objective of this review article is to provide a concise commentary on the biological factors that contribute to the variation in transdermal permeation of drugs across human skin and the available transdermal therapeutic systems that may reduce the variations caused by biological factors.
  6. Khan T, Hassali M, Tahir H, Khan A
    Iran J Public Health, 2011;40(1):50-6.
    PMID: 23113054
    To evaluate public perceptions towards the causes of depression and schizophrenia and identifications of factors resulting stigma towards mental ill.
    MeSH terms: Depression; Humans; Schizophrenia; Mentally Ill Persons; Social Stigma
  7. Zakerian S, Subramaniam I
    Iran J Public Health, 2011;40(1):72-9.
    PMID: 23113058
    BACKGROUND: With computers rapidly carving a niche in virtually every nook and crevice of today's fast-paced society, musculoskeletal disorders are becoming more prevalent among computer users, which comprise a wide spectrum of the Malaysian population, including office workers. While extant literature depicts extensive research on musculoskeletal disorders in general, the five dimensions of psychosocial work factors (job demands, job contentment, job control, computer-related problems and social interaction) attributed to work-related musculoskeletal disorders have been neglected. This study examines the aforementioned elements in detail, pertaining to their relationship with musculoskeletal disorders, focusing in particular, on 120 office workers at Malaysian public sector organizations, whose jobs require intensive computer usage.

    METHODS: Research was conducted between March and July 2009 in public service organizations in Malaysia. This study was conducted via a survey utilizing self-complete questionnaires and diary. The relationship between psychosocial work factors and musculoskeletal discomfort was ascertained through regression analyses, which revealed that some factors were more important than others were.

    RESULTS: The results indicate a significant relationship among psychosocial work factors and musculoskeletal discomfort among computer users. Several of these factors such as job control, computer-related problem and social interaction of psychosocial work factors are found to be more important than others in musculoskeletal discomfort.

    CONCLUSION: With computer usage on the rise among users, the prevalence of musculoskeletal discomfort could lead to unnecessary disabilities, hence, the vital need for greater attention to be given on this aspect in the work place, to alleviate to some extent, potential problems in future.

  8. Tee S, Tang P, Loh H
    Iran J Public Health, 2011;40(2):6-10.
    PMID: 23113067
    BACKGROUND: Molecular components of the dopamine receptor (DRD3) play an important role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia (SCZ). Previous studies have demonstrated an association between the DRD3 Ser9Gly polymorphism and SCZ but the results have been inconclusive.

    METHOD: In this study, we investigated this controversial association between the Ser9Gly (A/G) polymorphism and SCZ using Malay cases-control (261 cases/157 controls) samples. PCR-RFLP was performed to genotype the distribution of the DRD3 Ser9Gly polymorphism.

    RESULTS: Both healthy control and SCHZ patient groups were in of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for the analyzed genetic variability. There was a significant association between the genotype distribution DRD3 polymorphisms and SCZ (χ(2)= 9.359; df = 2; P = 0.009).

    CONCLUSION: We believe that further studies are required to examine the association between others dopamine-related genes and the behavioral phenotypes of SCZ.

    MeSH terms: Dopamine; Genotype; Humans; Malaysia; Phenotype; Polymorphism, Genetic; Receptors, Dopamine; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; Schizophrenia; Case-Control Studies; Polymerase Chain Reaction
  9. Ahmad SS, Rahim AA, Ghani SA
    Digit J Ophthalmol, 2011;17(1):3-5.
    PMID: 23362385 DOI: 10.5693/djo.02.2011.01.002
    Spontaneous absorption of lenses or cataracts is rare. We report a case of bilateral spontaneous lens absorption in a 36-year-old woman for which no cause could be determined despite extensive laboratory testing.
  10. Ahmad SS, Binson C, Lung CK, Ghani SA
    Digit J Ophthalmol, 2011;17(4):62-5.
    PMID: 23362401 DOI: 10.5693/djo.02.2011.10.001
    Exuberant persistent pupillary membranes (PPM) are rare in adult eyes. We report the case of a 53-year-old man diagnosed with bilateral, profuse, persistent pupillary membranes and unilateral cataract.
  11. Rashid A, Azizah A
    Australas Med J, 2011;4(6):283-90.
    PMID: 23386889 DOI: 10.4066/AMJ.2011.660
    BACKGROUND: We are living in an ageing world. The prevalence of hypertension which is an established risk factor for cardiovascular disease and stroke increases with age. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of hypertension among the elderly Malays living in rural parts of north Malaysia.

    METHOD: This cross-sectional study was conducted among the elderly (aged ≥60) Malay residents living in 22 villages in a northwestern state called Kedah in Malaysia from 2007 to 2009. Kedah has one of the highest rates of elderly population in the country. Data was collected by trained research assistants. Besides the baseline demographic information, blood pressure was measured using standardised methods using a manual sphygmomanometer.

    RESULTS: The response rate was 97.7%. The prevalence of hypertension among the elderly in these villages was 54.5% (228), 118 (28.2%) were known to be hypertensive and were on medication and an additional 110 (26.3%) respondents were newly diagnosed. Elevated mean systolic (146.17 ± 25.23) and diastolic (89.68 ± 15.60) blood pressure was noted among the known hypertensive. There was an almost fourfold risk (OR 3.64) of having uncontrolled blood pressure among the known hypertensive on treatment. Those with malnutrition were at an almost twofold at risk of being hypertensive (OR 1.73). Binary logistics regression showed occupation (OR 1.65), marital status (OR 2.32) and body mass index (BMI) (OR 1.62) as significant predictor variables.

    CONCLUSION: Screening the elderly for hypertension will benefit this group of people by reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with this condition.

  12. Mukhtar A, Mohamed Izham MI, Pathiyil RS
    Australas Med J, 2011;4(9):474-9.
    PMID: 23393537 DOI: 10.4066/AMJ.2011.821
    Diarrhoea, a common disease, is one of the major determinants of childhood morbidity and mortality in Nepal.
    MeSH terms: Diarrhea; Morbidity; Nepal
  13. Mariana A, Mohd KB, Halimaton I, Suhaili ZA, Shahrul-Anuar MS, Nor ZM, et al.
    Asian Pac J Trop Biomed, 2011 Jan;1(1):1-5.
    PMID: 23569714 DOI: 10.1016/S2221-1691(11)60057-9
    To identify the presence of acarine ectoparasites and determine whether there is any potential public health risk in Panti Forest Reserve, Johore, Malaysia.
    MeSH terms: Acari*; Animals; Birds/parasitology*; Female; Malaysia/epidemiology; Male; Mammals/parasitology*; Public Health; Forests
  14. Kumar A
    Asian Pac J Trop Biomed, 2011 Jan;1(1):6-7.
    PMID: 23569715 DOI: 10.1016/S2221-1691(11)60058-0
    To investigate oxidative stress, hemoglobin percentage and erythrocyte osmotic fragility in various aging groups.
    MeSH terms: Adult; Aged; Aging/physiology*; Erythrocytes/chemistry*; Female; Hemoglobins/analysis; Humans; Male; Malondialdehyde/analysis; Malondialdehyde/metabolism; Middle Aged; Osmotic Fragility; Lipid Peroxidation/physiology*; Oxidative Stress; Young Adult
  15. Basma AA, Zuraini Z, Sasidharan S
    Asian Pac J Trop Biomed, 2011 Jan;1(1):20-2.
    PMID: 23569719 DOI: 10.1016/S2221-1691(11)60062-2
    To determine the major changes in the microstructure of Candida albicans (C. albicans) after treatment with Euphorbia hirta (E. hirta) L. leaf extract.
    MeSH terms: Candida albicans/cytology; Candida albicans/drug effects*; Plant Extracts/pharmacology*; Plant Extracts/chemistry; Plant Leaves/chemistry*; Euphorbia/chemistry*; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission
  16. Abu Asab S, Noor SN, Khamis MF
    Singapore Dent J, 2011;32(1):19-27.
    PMID: 23739283 DOI: 10.1016/S0377-5291(12)70012-3
    This study is aimed to evaluate the accuracy of Demirjian method in estimating the chronological age of male and female Kelantanese Malay children between 6 and 16 years of age and to establish a new dental age (DA) curve if the Demirjian method was not found to be accurate. About 905 panoramic radiographs of healthy Malay children between 6 and 16 years of age were collected from the radiographic unit in the Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM) and the orthodontic clinic in Hospital Kota Bharu (HKB). Children who had any disease affecting the dental development, or have agenesis in the lower arch and poor quality radiographic images were excluded. The results showed that Demirjian method overestimated the chronological age (CA) by 1.23 years for boys and 1.20 years for girls and it was less accurate for the Kelantanese Malay children. Thus new standard curve were produced and tested on external samples. Results showed that the mean difference between the chronological age and DA is about 0.17 years for boys and 0.11 years for girls. DA was more advanced in the Kelantanese Malay boys and girls as compared to French-Canadian children in all age groups. It is concluded that the Demirjian method tends to be less accurate in estimating the chronological age in Malay children. The new curve that was produced is more applicable to the Kelantanese Malay children.
    MeSH terms: Age Determination by Teeth*; Canada; Child; Humans; Odontogenesis; Radiography, Panoramic*; Regression Analysis
  17. Roy J, Hwa OC, Singh R, Aziz AR, Jin CW
    J Sports Sci Med, 2011;10(1):137-44.
    PMID: 24149306
    The study explored the self-generated coping strategies employed by Muslim athletes from South East Asian region during the Ramadan fasting month. Sixty-five National elite Muslim athletes responded to an open-ended question on coping strategies employed during Ramadan fasting. Inductive content analysis identified five general dimensions from 54 meaning units which were abstracted into 14 first-order themes and 10 second order themes. The general dimension included four problem-focused coping: training modifications, dietary habits, psychological, rest and recovery, and one emotion-focused coping i.e., self- control. The coping strategies employed were diverse and dynamic in nature and no specific pattern was evident. The most frequently employed strategies were associated with training and dietary habits. Emotion focused coping was the least frequently used by the athletes. Key pointsMuslim athletes employ diverse self -generated coping strategies during Ramadan fasting which can be categorized as anticipatory coping, preventative coping and proactive coping.Frequently employed coping strategies are task focused such as training modifications and adjustments in dietary habits.
  18. Md Amin R, Koski M, Båmstedt U, Vidoudez C
    Mar Biol, 2011;158(9):1965-1980.
    PMID: 24391269
    Three strains of the chain-forming diatom Skeletonema marinoi, differing in their production of polyunsaturated aldehydes (PUA) and nutritional food components, were used in experiments on feeding, egg production, hatching success, pellet production, and behavior of three common planktonic copepods: Acartia tonsa, Pseudocalanus elongatus, and Temora longicornis. The three different diatom strains (9B, 1G, and 7J) induced widely different effects on Acartia tonsa physiology, and the 9B strain induced different effects for the three copepods. In contrast, different strains induced no or small alterations in the distribution, swimming behavior, and turning frequency of the copepods. 22:6(n-3) fatty acid (DHA) and sterol content of the diet typically showed a positive effect on either egg production (A. tonsa) or hatching success (P. elongatus), while other measured compounds (PUA, other long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids) of the algae had no obvious effects. Our results demonstrate that differences between strains of a given diatom species can generate effects on copepod physiology, which are as large as those induced by different algae species or groups. This emphasizes the need to identify the specific characteristics of local diatoms together with the interacting effects of different mineral, biochemical, and toxic compounds and their potential implications on different copepod species.
    MeSH terms: Aldehydes; Animals; Diet; Eggs; Fatty Acids; Minerals; Plankton; Sterols; Swimming; Fatty Acids, Omega-3; Diatoms; Copepoda
  19. Li JH, Vicknasingam B, Cheung YW, Zhou W, Nurhidayat AW, Jarlais DC, et al.
    Subst Abuse Rehabil, 2011;2:11-20.
    PMID: 24474851 DOI: 10.2147/SAR.S15458
    Ketamine, a derivative of phencyclidine that was developed in the 1960s, is an anesthetic and analgesic with hallucinogenic effects. In this paper, the pharmacological and toxicological effects of ketamine are briefly reviewed. Ketamine possesses a wide safety margin but such a therapeutic benefit is somewhat offset by its emergence phenomenon (mind-body dissociation and delirium) and hallucinogenic effects. The increasing abuse of ketamine, initially predominantly in recreational scenes to experience a "k-hole" and other hallucinatory effects but more recently also as a drug abused during the workday or at home, has further pushed governments to confine its usage in many countries. Recently, urinary tract dysfunction has been associated with long-term ketamine use. In some long-term ketamine users, such damage can be irreversible and could result in renal failure and dialysis. Although ketamine has not yet been scheduled in the United Nations Conventions, previous studies using different assessment parameters to score the overall harms of drugs indicated that ketamine may cause more harm than some of the United Nations scheduled drugs. Some countries in Southeast and East Asia have reported an escalating situation of ketamine abuse. Dependence, lower urinary tract dysfunction, and sexual impulse or violence were the most notable among the ketamine-associated symptoms in these countries. These results implied that the danger of ketamine may have been underestimated previously. Therefore, the severity levels of the ketamine-associated problems should be scrutinized more carefully and objectively. To prevent ketamine from being improperly used and evolving into an epidemic, a thorough survey on the prevalence and characteristics of illicit ketamine use is imperative so that suitable policy and measures can be taken. On the other hand, recent findings that ketamine could be useful for treating major depressive disorder has given this old drug a new impetus. If ketamine is indeed a remedy for treating depression, more research on the risks and benefits of its clinical use will be indispensable.
  20. Jahangirian H, Haron MJ, Yusof NA, Silong S, Kassim A, Rafiee-Moghaddam R, et al.
    Molecules, 2011 Aug 05;16(8):6634-44.
    PMID: 25134767 DOI: 10.3390/molecules16086634
    Fatty hydroxamic acid derivatives were synthesized using Lipozyme TL IM catalyst at biphasic medium as the palm kernel oil was dissolved in hexane and hydroxylamine derivatives were dissolved in water: (1) N-methyl fatty hydroxamic acids (MFHAs); (2) N-isopropyl fatty hydroxamic acids (IPFHAs) and (3) N-benzyl fatty hydroxamic acids (BFHAs) were synthesized by reaction of palm kernel oil and N-methyl hydroxylamine (N-MHA), N-isopropyl hydroxylamine (N-IPHA) and N-benzyl hydroxylamine (N-BHA), respectively. Finally, after separation the products were characterized by color testing, elemental analysis, FT-IR and 1H-NMR spectroscopy. For achieving the highest conversion percentage of product the optimum molar ratio of reactants was obtained by changing the ratio of reactants while other reaction parameters were kept constant. For synthesis of MFHAs the optimum mol ratio of N-MHA/palm kernel oil = 6/1 and the highest conversion was 77.8%, for synthesis of IPFHAs the optimum mol ratio of N-IPHA/palm kernel oil = 7/1 and the highest conversion was 65.4% and for synthesis of BFHAs the optimum mol ratio of N-BHA/palm kernel oil = 7/1 and the highest conversion was 61.7%.
    MeSH terms: Elements; Fatty Acids/chemical synthesis*; Hydroxamic Acids/chemical synthesis*; Lipase/metabolism*; Plant Oils/chemistry*; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
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