Browse publications by year: 2012

  1. Manjeri G, Muhamad R, Faridah QZ, Tan SG
    J Genet, 2012 Nov 22;91(3):e92-6.
    PMID: 23257301
    MeSH terms: Animals; Beetles/genetics*; Molecular Sequence Data; Species Specificity; Genetic Variation*; Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods*; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Microsatellite Repeats/genetics*
  2. Alsalahi A, Abdulla MA, Al-Mamary M, Noordin MI, Abdelwahab SI, Alabsi AM, et al.
    PMID: 23259000 DOI: 10.1155/2012/829401
    Hepato- and nephrotoxicity of Khat consumption (Catha edulis Forskal) have been evoked. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate such possible hepatorenal toxicity in female and male Sprague-Dawley rats (SD rats) focusing primarily on liver and kidney. In addition, female and male rats were investigated separately. Accordingly, forty-eight SD-rats (100-120 g) were distributed randomly into four groups of males and female (n = 12). Normal controls (NCs) received distilled water, whereas test groups received 500 mg/kg (low dose (LD)), 1000 mg/kg (medium dose (MD)), or 2000 mg/kg (high dose (HD)) of crude extract of Catha edulis orally for 4 weeks. Then, physical, biochemical, hematological, and histological parameters were analyzed. Results in Khat-fed rats showed hepatic enlargement, abnormal findings in serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) of male and female SD-rats and serum albumin (A) and serum creatinine (Cr) of female as compared to controls. In addition, histopathological abnormalities confirmed hepatic and renal toxicities of Khat that were related to heavy Khat consumption. In summary, Khat could be associated with hepatic hypertrophy and hepatotoxicity in male and female SD-rats and nephrotoxicity only in female SD-rats.
    MeSH terms: Alkaline Phosphatase; Animals; Aspartate Aminotransferases; Creatinine; Female; Hepatomegaly; Kidney; Male; Serum Albumin; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Catha; Complex Mixtures; Rats; Renal Insufficiency
  3. Chia YC, Ching SM
    BMC Nephrol, 2012 Dec 24;13:173.
    PMID: 23259489 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2369-13-173
    BACKGROUND: Little is known about the rate of progression to chronic kidney disease (CKD) among hypertensive patients, particularly at the primary care level. This study aims to examine risk factors associated with new onset CKD among hypertensive patients attending a primary care clinic.

    METHODS: This is a 10-year retrospective cohort study of 460 patients with hypertension who were on treatment. Patient information was collected from patient records. CKD was defined as a glomerular filtration rate <60 ml/min per 1.73 m2 (Cockcroft-Gault equation). Multiple logistic regression statistics was used to test the association in newly diagnosed CKD.

    RESULTS: The incidence of new CKD was 30.9% (n = 142) with an annual rate of 3%. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, factors associated with development of new onset of CKD among hypertensive patients were older age (odds ratio [OR] 1.123, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.078-1.169), presence of diabetes (OR 2.621, 95% CI 1.490-4.608), lower baseline eGFR (OR 1.041, 95% CI 0.943-0.979) and baseline hyperuricaemia (OR 1.004, 95% CI 1.001-1.007).

    CONCLUSIONS: The progression to new onset CKD is high among urban multiethnic hypertensive patients in a primary care population. Hence every effort is needed to detect the presence of new onset CKD earlier. Hypertensive patients who are older, with underlying diabetes, hyperuricaemia and lower baseline eGFR are associated with the development of CKD in this population.

    MeSH terms: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Hypertension/diagnosis*; Hypertension/epidemiology*; Hypertension/therapy; Malaysia/epidemiology; Male; Middle Aged; Primary Health Care/methods; Primary Health Care/trends*; Retrospective Studies; Time Factors; Cohort Studies; Disease Progression*; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic/diagnosis*; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic/epidemiology*; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic/therapy
  4. Kanagasabapathy G, Kuppusamy UR, Abd Malek SN, Abdulla MA, Chua KH, Sabaratnam V
    PMID: 23259700 DOI: 10.1186/1472-6882-12-261
    BACKGROUND: Pleurotus sajor-caju (P. sajor-caju) has been extremely useful in the prevention of diabetes mellitus due to its low fat and high soluble fiber content for thousands of years. Insulin resistance is a key component in the development of diabetes mellitus which is caused by inflammation. In this study, we aimed to investigate the in vivo efficacy of glucan-rich polysaccharide of P. sajor-caju (GE) against diabetes mellitus and inflammation in C57BL/6J mice fed a high-fat diet.
    METHODS: Diabetes was induced in C57BL/6J mice by feeding a high-fat diet. The mice were randomly assigned to 7 groups (n=6 per group). The control groups in this study were ND (for normal diet) and HFD (for high-fat diet). The treated groups were ND240 (for normal diet) (240 mg/kg b.w) and HFD60, HFD120 and HFD240 (for high-fat), where the mice were administrated with three dosages of GE (60, 120, 240 mg GE/kg b.w respectively). Metformin (2 mg/kg b.w) served as positive control. The glucose tolerance test, glucose and insulin levels were measured at the end of 16 weeks. Expressions of genes for inflammatory markers, GLUT-4 and adiponectin in the adipose tissue of the mice were assessed. One-way ANOVA and Duncan's multiple range tests (DMRT) were used to determine the significant differences between groups.
    RESULTS: GE treated groups improved the glucose tolerance, attenuated hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia in the mice by up-regulating the adiponectin and GLUT-4 gene expressions. The mice in GE treated groups did not develop insulin resistance. GE also down-regulated the expression of inflammatory markers (IL-6, TNF-α, SAA2, CRP and MCP-1) via attenuation of nuclear transcription factors (NF-κB).
    CONCLUSION: Glucan-rich polysaccharide of P. sajor-caju can serve as a potential agent for prevention of glucose intolerance, insulin resistance and inflammation.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Blood Glucose/metabolism; Dietary Fats/metabolism; Female; Glucans/administration & dosage; Glucans/analysis*; Humans; Insulin/metabolism; Insulin Resistance*; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Polysaccharides/administration & dosage*; Polysaccharides/analysis; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/genetics; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/immunology; Interleukin-6/genetics; Interleukin-6/immunology; Gene Expression/drug effects; NF-kappa B/genetics; NF-kappa B/immunology; Glucose Intolerance/drug therapy; Glucose Intolerance/immunology; Glucose Intolerance/metabolism; Glucose Intolerance/prevention & control*; Chemokine CCL2/genetics; Chemokine CCL2/immunology; Pleurotus/chemistry*; Fruiting Bodies, Fungal/chemistry; Mice; Functional Food/analysis
  5. Yusof MM, Khodambashi S, Mokhtar AM
    PMID: 23259846 DOI: 10.1186/1472-6947-12-150
    There are numerous applications for Health Information Systems (HIS) that support specific tasks in the clinical workflow. The Lean method has been used increasingly to optimize clinical workflows, by removing waste and shortening the delivery cycle time. There are a limited number of studies on Lean applications related to HIS. Therefore, we applied the Lean method to evaluate the clinical processes related to HIS, in order to evaluate its efficiency in removing waste and optimizing the process flow. This paper presents the evaluation findings of these clinical processes, with regards to a critical care information system (CCIS), known as IntelliVue Clinical Information Portfolio (ICIP), and recommends solutions to the problems that were identified during the study.
    MeSH terms: Critical Care*; Hospital Information Systems/organization & administration; Hospital Information Systems/standards*; Humans; Malaysia; Total Quality Management/methods*; Organizational Case Studies; Qualitative Research
  6. Ismail MA, Harun SW, Zulkepely NR, Nor RM, Ahmad F, Ahmad H
    Appl Opt, 2012 Dec 20;51(36):8621-4.
    PMID: 23262603 DOI: 10.1364/AO.51.008621
    We demonstrate a simple and low cost mode-locked erbium-doped fiber laser (EDFL) operating in the nanosecond region using a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT)-based saturable absorber (SA). A droplet of SWCNT solution is applied on the end of a fiber ferrule, which is then mated to another clean connector ferrule to construct an SA. Then the SA is integrated into a ring EDFL cavity for nanosecond pulse generation. The EDFL operates at around 1570.4 nm, with a soliton-like spectrum with small Kelly sidebands, which confirms the attainment of the anomalous dispersion. It produces a soliton pulse train with a 332 ns width, repetition rate of 909.1 kHz, an average output power of 0.31 mW, and energy of 0.34 nJ at the maximum pump power of 130.8 mW.
    MeSH terms: Erbium; Light; Nanotubes, Carbon; Lasers, Solid-State
  7. Wong MM, Cannon CH, Wickneswari R
    BMC Genomics, 2012;13:726.
    PMID: 23265623 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-13-726
    Next Generation Sequencing has provided comprehensive, affordable and high-throughput DNA sequences for Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) discovery in Acacia auriculiformis and Acacia mangium. Like other non-model species, SNP detection and genotyping in Acacia are challenging due to lack of genome sequences. The main objective of this study is to develop the first high-throughput SNP genotyping assay for linkage map construction of A. auriculiformis x A. mangium hybrids.
    MeSH terms: Acacia/genetics*; Chromosome Mapping; Hybridization, Genetic*; Lignin/genetics; Reproducibility of Results; Computational Biology; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide/genetics*; Transcriptome*; Genotyping Techniques/methods*
  8. Khoo EM, Lee WK, Sararaks S, Abdul Samad A, Liew SM, Cheong AT, et al.
    BMC Fam Pract, 2012 Dec 26;13:127.
    PMID: 23267547 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2296-13-127
    BACKGROUND: Patient safety is vital in patient care. There is a lack of studies on medical errors in primary care settings. The aim of the study is to determine the extent of diagnostic inaccuracies and management errors in public funded primary care clinics.

    METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in twelve public funded primary care clinics in Malaysia. A total of 1753 medical records were randomly selected in 12 primary care clinics in 2007 and were reviewed by trained family physicians for diagnostic, management and documentation errors, potential errors causing serious harm and likelihood of preventability of such errors.

    RESULTS: The majority of patient encounters (81%) were with medical assistants. Diagnostic errors were present in 3.6% (95% CI: 2.2, 5.0) of medical records and management errors in 53.2% (95% CI: 46.3, 60.2). For management errors, medication errors were present in 41.1% (95% CI: 35.8, 46.4) of records, investigation errors in 21.7% (95% CI: 16.5, 26.8) and decision making errors in 14.5% (95% CI: 10.8, 18.2). A total of 39.9% (95% CI: 33.1, 46.7) of these errors had the potential to cause serious harm. Problems of documentation including illegible handwriting were found in 98.0% (95% CI: 97.0, 99.1) of records. Nearly all errors (93.5%) detected were considered preventable.

    CONCLUSIONS: The occurrence of medical errors was high in primary care clinics particularly with documentation and medication errors. Nearly all were preventable. Remedial intervention addressing completeness of documentation and prescriptions are likely to yield reduction of errors.

    MeSH terms: Ambulatory Care Facilities/statistics & numerical data; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diagnostic Errors/statistics & numerical data*; Documentation/statistics & numerical data; Humans; Malaysia; Medication Errors/statistics & numerical data*; Primary Health Care/statistics & numerical data*; Retrospective Studies; Medical Errors/statistics & numerical data*
  9. Said MA, Sulaiman AH, Habil MH, Das S, Bakar AK, Yusoff RM, et al.
    Singapore Med J, 2012 Dec;53(12):801-7.
    PMID: 23268153
    INTRODUCTION:This study aimed to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) in patients with schizophrenia receiving antipsychotics in Malaysia.
    METHODS:This cross-sectional study, conducted at multiple centres, involved 270 patients who fulfilled the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-IV-TR diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia, were on antipsychotic medications for at least one year, and were screened for metabolic syndrome. Patients receiving mood stabilisers were excluded. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to the National Cholesterol Education Program ATP III criteria modified for Asian waist circumference. Risk for cardiovascular disease was assessed by using Framingham function (all ten-year CHD events).
    RESULTS:The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 46.7% (126/270). Among all the antipsychotics used, atypical antipsychotics (monotherapy) were most commonly used in both the metabolic and non-metabolic syndrome groups (50.8% vs. 58.3%). The ten-year risk for CHD was significantly higher in patients with metabolic syndrome. The proportion of patients with high/very high risk for CHD (Framingham ≥ 10%) was greater in patients with metabolic syndrome than in those with non-metabolic syndrome (31.5% vs. 11.0%, odds ratio 3.9, 95% confidence interval 2.0-7.6; p < 0.001). The mean body mass index was higher in patients with metabolic syndrome than in those without (29.4 ± 5.1 kg/m2 vs. 25.0 ± 5.6 kg/m2; p < 0.001).
    CONCLUSION:Patients with schizophrenia receiving antipsychotics in Malaysia have a very high incidence of metabolic syndrome and increased cardiovascular risk. Urgent interventions are needed to combat these problems in patients.
    MeSH terms: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Cardiovascular Diseases/etiology; Cardiovascular Diseases/epidemiology*; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Humans; Malaysia/epidemiology; Male; Middle Aged; Retrospective Studies; Risk Factors; Schizophrenia/complications; Schizophrenia/drug therapy*; Schizophrenia/epidemiology; Antipsychotic Agents/adverse effects; Antipsychotic Agents/therapeutic use*; Body Mass Index; Incidence; Prevalence; Odds Ratio; Metabolic Syndrome X/etiology; Metabolic Syndrome X/epidemiology*; Young Adult
  10. Chew WF, Rokiah P, Chan SP, Chee WS, Lee LF, Chan YM
    Singapore Med J, 2012 Dec;53(12):814-20.
    PMID: 23268155
    INTRODUCTION:
    Women with previous gestational diabetes mellitus (PGDM) are at increased risk of future glucose intolerance. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and the associated antenatal and historical risk factors among women with PGDM.
    METHODS:
    This was a cross-sectional study conducted at University Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A 75-g 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test was performed in a cohort of multiethnic women with PGDM. Body mass index, waist and hip circumferences, fasting lipid profile and blood pressure were obtained. Data pertaining to the index gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) were obtained from medical records and interviews.
    RESULTS:
    448 women were enrolled in the study. The prevalence of prediabetes and T2DM was 26.2% and 35.5%, respectively. On multinomial logistic regression analysis, fasting plasma glucose at diagnosis of index GDM and duration lapse after index GDM were shown to be significantly higher in women with isolated impaired fasting glucose (IFG), combined IFG/impaired glucose tolerance and T2DM, as compared to women with normal glucose tolerance (p < 0.05). 2-hour plasma glucose at diagnosis of index GDM was significantly higher only in women who progressed to T2DM when compared to those that remained normal glucose tolerant (p < 0.05).
    CONCLUSION:
    In this study, duration lapse after index GDM, fasting plasma glucose and 2-hour plasma glucose at diagnosis of index GDM were important risk factors for early identification of women at high risk for future glucose intolerance. These may be useful for developing potential preventive strategies.
    MeSH terms: Adult; Blood Glucose/metabolism*; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Glucose Tolerance Test; Humans; Malaysia/epidemiology; Prediabetic State/etiology; Prediabetic State/epidemiology*; Pregnancy; Risk Factors; Body Mass Index; Prevalence; Diabetes, Gestational/blood*; Glucose Intolerance/blood; Glucose Intolerance/etiology; Glucose Intolerance/epidemiology*; Postpartum Period/blood*
  11. Boo NY, Cheah IG
    Singapore Med J, 2012 Dec;53(12):826-31.
    PMID: 23268157
    This study aimed to identify the risk factors associated with necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) in very low birth weight (VLBW; weight < 1,501 g) infants in Malaysian neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).
    MeSH terms: Birth Weight; Female; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Premature*; Infant, Premature, Diseases/etiology; Infant, Premature, Diseases/epidemiology*; Intensive Care Units, Neonatal/statistics & numerical data*; Malaysia/epidemiology; Male; Retrospective Studies; Risk Factors; Incidence; Odds Ratio; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight*; Enterocolitis, Necrotizing/etiology; Enterocolitis, Necrotizing/epidemiology*
  12. Hu T, Zheng Y, Zhang Y, Li G, Qiu W, Yu J, et al.
    BMC Microbiol, 2012;12:305.
    PMID: 23268691 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2180-12-305
    The identification of new virus strains is important for the study of infectious disease, but current (or existing) molecular biology methods are limited since the target sequence must be known to design genome-specific PCR primers. Thus, we developed a new method for the discovery of unknown viruses based on the cDNA--random amplified polymorphic DNA (cDNA-RAPD) technique. Getah virus, belonging to the family Togaviridae in the genus Alphavirus, is a mosquito-borne enveloped RNA virus that was identified using the Virus-Discovery-cDNA RAPD (VIDISCR) method.
    MeSH terms: Aedes/virology*; Alphavirus/classification*; Alphavirus/genetics; Alphavirus/isolation & purification*; Animals; Animals, Newborn; China; Cloning, Molecular; Disease Models, Animal; DNA, Viral/genetics; DNA, Viral/chemistry; Molecular Sequence Data; Phylogeny; Viral Proteins/genetics; Virology/methods*; Cluster Analysis; Sequence Analysis, DNA; DNA, Complementary/genetics*; Alphavirus Infections/virology*; Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Technique/methods*; Mice
  13. Takaoka H, Sofian-Azirun M, Ya'cob Z
    J Med Entomol, 2012 Nov;49(6):1198-205.
    PMID: 23270147
    Simulium (Simulium) kisapense sp. nov. is described on the basis of reared adult, pupal, and larval specimens collected from Langkawi Island, Peninsular Malaysia, and placed in the multi-striatum species-group in the subgenus Simulium. This new species is characterized by the bare basal section of the female radial vein, the male ventral plate with setae, the eight pupal gill filaments divergent at an angle of >90 degrees, and the shoe-shaped cocoon with small lateral window(s). Taxonomic notes are given to separate this new species from S. (S.) hirtinervis Edwards and S. (S.) malayense Takaoka and Davies, both from Peninsular Malaysia, and several other known species from Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Thailand.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Female; Larva/anatomy & histology; Malaysia; Male; Pupa/anatomy & histology; Simuliidae/anatomy & histology*; Simuliidae/classification*
  14. Amjad MW, Amin MC, Katas H, Butt AM
    Nanoscale Res Lett, 2012;7(1):687.
    PMID: 23270381 DOI: 10.1186/1556-276X-7-687
    Doxorubicin-loaded micelles were prepared from a copolymer comprising cholic acid (CA) and polyethyleneimine (PEI) for the delivery of antitumor drugs. The CA-PEI copolymer was synthesized via pairing mediated by N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and N-hydroxysuccinimide using dichloromethane as a solvent. Fourier transform infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance analyses were performed to verify the formation of an amide linkage between CA and PEI and doxorubicin localization into the copolymer. Dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy studies revealed that the copolymer could self-assemble into micelles with a spherical morphology and an average diameter of <200 nm. The CA-PEI copolymer was also characterized by X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry. Doxorubicin-loaded micelles were prepared by dialysis method. A drug release study showed reduced drug release with escalating drug content. In a cytotoxicity assay using human colorectal adenocarcinoma (DLD-1) cells, the doxorubicin-loaded CA-PEI micelles exhibited better antitumor activity than that shown by doxorubicin. This is the first study on CA-PEI micelles as doxorubicin carriers, and this study demonstrated that they are promising candidates as carriers for sustained targeted antitumor drug delivery system.
    MeSH terms: Dynamic Light Scattering; Adenocarcinoma; Amides; Antineoplastic Agents; Calorimetry, Differential Scanning; Dicyclohexylcarbodiimide; Doxorubicin; Fourier Analysis; Renal Dialysis; Humans; Methylene Chloride; Micelles; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Polyethyleneimine; Solvents; Succinimides; X-Ray Diffraction; Colorectal Neoplasms; Drug Delivery Systems; Cholic Acid; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; Drug Liberation
  15. Wong LP
    PLoS One, 2012;7(12):e51745.
    PMID: 23272156 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0051745
    BACKGROUND: This study was a qualitative investigation into sexual attitudes and behaviours, and contraceptive use among Malaysian youth, based on constructs from the health belief model, theory of reasoned action, and problem behaviour theory.
    METHODS: A total of 34 focus group discussions with 185 participants were conducted among the Malay (35%), Chinese (34%), and Indian (31%) young females between November, 2010 and April, 2011. The participants were secondary school students and university undergraduates from Selangor and the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur.
    RESULTS: The study found a lack of knowledge about sexual issues and contraception among the participants. Many engaged in unprotected sexual intercourse and relied on periodic abstinence, natural methods, and traditional folk pregnancy preventive practices. The findings also revealed numerous categories of factors influencing sexual attitudes and behaviours: ethnic group and religion, level of religiosity, peer pressure and norms, and parental monitoring. With regard to condom use, factors such as embarrassment about condom acquisition, low perceived susceptibility to sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and perceived efficacy of traditional and folk methods of contraception, were uncovered from the discussions.
    CONCLUSION: This study underscores the importance of development of culturally specific interventions that address the identified promoting factors of premarital sex. Behavioral interventions to promote condom use should increase awareness about condom effectiveness against not only unwanted pregnancies but also STIs.
    MeSH terms: Adolescent; Adult; Educational Status; Humans; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Malaysia; Malaysia/ethnology; Focus Groups; Qualitative Research*; Young Adult
  16. Singh O, Chan JY, Lin K, Heng CC, Chowbay B
    PLoS One, 2012;7(12):e51771.
    PMID: 23272163 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0051771
    This study aimed to explore the influence of SLC22A1, PXR, ABCG2, ABCB1 and CYP3A5 3 genetic polymorphisms on imatinib mesylate (IM) pharmacokinetics in Asian patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).
    MeSH terms: Imatinib Mesylate; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Antineoplastic Agents/administration & dosage; Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacokinetics*; Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use; Benzamides/administration & dosage; Benzamides/pharmacokinetics*; Benzamides/therapeutic use; Female; Haplotypes*; Humans; Malaysia/ethnology; Male; Middle Aged; Pharmacogenetics; Piperazines/administration & dosage; Piperazines/pharmacokinetics*; Piperazines/therapeutic use; Pyrimidines/administration & dosage; Pyrimidines/pharmacokinetics*; Pyrimidines/therapeutic use; Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive/drug therapy; Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive/genetics*; Linkage Disequilibrium; Treatment Outcome; P-Glycoproteins; P-Glycoprotein/genetics*; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; Organic Cation Transporter 1/genetics*; Asian Continental Ancestry Group/genetics*; Protein Kinase Inhibitors/administration & dosage; Protein Kinase Inhibitors/pharmacokinetics; Protein Kinase Inhibitors/therapeutic use; Young Adult
  17. Buckley CD
    PLoS One, 2012;7(12):e52064.
    PMID: 23272211 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0052064
    The warp ikat method of making decorated textiles is one of the most geographically widespread in southeast Asia, being used by Austronesian peoples in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, and Daic peoples on the Asian mainland. In this study a dataset consisting of the decorative characters of 36 of these warp ikat weaving traditions is investigated using Bayesian and Neighbornet techniques, and the results are used to construct a phylogenetic tree and taxonomy for warp ikat weaving in southeast Asia. The results and analysis show that these diverse traditions have a common ancestor amongst neolithic cultures the Asian mainland, and parallels exist between the patterns of textile weaving descent and linguistic phylogeny for the Austronesian group. Ancestral state analysis is used to reconstruct some of the features of the ancestral weaving tradition. The widely held theory that weaving motifs originated in the late Bronze Age Dong-Son culture is shown to be inconsistent with the data.
    MeSH terms: Asia, Southeastern; Bayes Theorem; Cultural Evolution*; Humans; Textiles*; Cluster Analysis; Phylogeography
  18. Packiriswamy V, Kumar P, Rao M
    N Am J Med Sci, 2012 Dec;4(12):624-9.
    PMID: 23272303 DOI: 10.4103/1947-2714.104312
    The "golden ratio" is considered as a universal facial aesthetical standard. Researcher's opinion that deviation from golden ratio can result in development of facial abnormalities.
    MeSH terms: Attitude; China/ethnology; Humans; India/ethnology; Malaysia/ethnology; Musculoskeletal Abnormalities; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Research Personnel
  19. Al-lela OQ, Bahari MB, Elkalmi RM, Jawad Awadh AI
    Am J Pharm Educ, 2012 Dec 12;76(10):206.
    PMID: 23275671 DOI: 10.5688/ajpe7610206
    MeSH terms: Cooperative Behavior; Curriculum*; Delivery of Health Care; Education, Pharmacy/organization & administration*; Health Personnel; Humans; Immunization*; Malaysia; Pharmacists; Students, Pharmacy
  20. Ebadi M, Basirun WJ, Khaledi H, Ali HM
    Chem Cent J, 2012 Dec 31;6(1):163.
    PMID: 23276247 DOI: 10.1186/1752-153X-6-163
    BACKGROUND: The corrosion inhibition performance of pyrazolylindolenine compounds, namely 4-(3,3-dimethyl-3H-indol-2-yl)-pyrazole-1-carbothioamide (InPzTAm), 4-(3,3-dimethyl-3H-indol-2-yl)-1H-pyrazole-1-carbothiohydrazide (InPzTH) and 3,3-dimethyl-2-(1-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-3H-indole (InPzPh),) on copper in 1M HCl solution is investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), open circuit potential (OCP) and linear scan voltammetry (LSV) techniques.

    RESULTS: The results show that the corrosion rate of copper is diminished by the compounds with the inhibition strength in the order of: InPzTAm> InPzTH > InPzPh. The corrosion inhibition efficiencies for the three inhibitors are 94.0, 91.4 and 79.3, for InPzTAm, InPzTH and InPzPh respectively with the same inhibitor concentration (2 mM).

    CONCLUSION: From the EIS, OCP and LSV results it was concluded that pyrazolylindolenine compounds with S-atom (with an amine group) have illustrated better corrosion inhibition performance compared to hydrazine and phenyl group.

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