Browse publications by year: 2014

  1. Fulltext Clinical Practice Guideline: Management of neonatal jaundice, Second Edition
    Citation: Clinical Practice Guideline: Management of neonatal jaundice, Second Edition. Putrajaya: Ministry of Health, Malaysia; 2014

    Quick reference: http://www.acadmed.org.my/view_file.cfm?fileid=706
    Training manual: http://www.acadmed.org.my/view_file.cfm?fileid=765

    Older version: Management of Jaundice in Healthy Term Newborns., Kuala Lumpur: Ministry of Health, Malaysia; 2003
    http://www.acadmed.org.my/view_file.cfm?fileid=192
    MeSH terms: Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Jaundice, Neonatal; Malaysia; Guidelines as Topic
  2. Fulltext Manangement Guideline of Malaria in Malaysia
    Citation: Manangement Guideline of Malaria in Malaysia. Putrajaya: Ministry of Health, Malaysia; 2014
    Keywords: CPG
    MeSH terms: Humans; Malaria; Malaysia; Guidelines as Topic
  3. Variant origin of an arterial trunk from axillary artery continuing as profunda brachii artery--a unique arterial variation in the axilla and its clinical implications
    Naveen K, Jyothsna P, Nayak SB, Mohandas RK, Swamy RS, Deepthinath R, et al.
    Ethiop J Health Sci, 2014 Jan;24(1):93-6.
    PMID: 24591805
    BACKGROUND: Axillary artery is known to show different variations mostly in its branching pattern. Similarly, the origin of profunda brachii is often encountered with abnormality. Therefore, when the vascular variations in the upper limb persist, mostly it is confined to its branching pattern followed by its variant origin. But, among all the reported variations of profunda brachii, its variant origin from the 3rd part of the axillary artery with common trunk for the branches of axillary artery is unique.

    CASE DETAILS: We report here an anomalous origin of profunda brachii as continuation of an arterial trunk arising from 3rd part of the axillary artery. This common trunk at its commencement passed between 2 roots of median nerve and gave branches of 3rd part of axillary artery before it continued as profunda brachii artery. The further course and branching pattern of profunda brachii were normal.

    CONCLUSION: Since the axillary artery is next choice of artery for arterial cannulation in cardiopulmonary bypass procedures, prior knowledge of existence of such variation in its branching pattern helps in avoiding possible diagnostic or interventional therapeutic errors.

    MeSH terms: Arm/blood supply*; Axillary Artery/abnormalities*; Brachial Artery/abnormalities*; Cadaver; Dissection; Humans; Male; Middle Aged
  4. Flow and heat transfer of a power-law fluid over a permeable shrinking sheet
    Nor Azizah Yacob, Anuar Ishak
    Sains Malaysiana, 2014;43:491-496.
    The steady, two-dimensional laminar flow of a power-law fluid over a permeable shrinking sheet of constant surface temperature is investigated. The governing partial differential equations were transformed into a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations using a similarity transformation, before being solved numerically by the Runge-Kutta- Fehlberg method with shooting technique. The results are presented graphically and the effects of the power-law index n, suction parameter fw and Prandtl number Pr were discussed. It was found that stronger suction is necessary for the solution to exist for a pseudoplastic fluid (n<1) compared to a dilatant fluid (n>1).
    MeSH terms: Models, Theoretical; Suction; Temperature; Hydrodynamics
  5. Axisymmetric slip flow on a vertical cylinder with heat transfer
    Singh G, Makinde OD
    Sains Malaysiana, 2014;43:483-489.
    The paper is aimed at studying fluid flow heat transfer in the axisymmetric boundary layer flow of a viscous incompressible fluid, along the axial direction of a vertical stationary isothermal cylinder in presence of uniform free stream with momentum slip. The equations governing the flow i.e. continuity, momentum and energy equation are transformed into non-similar boundary layer equations and are solved numerically employing asymptotic series method with Shanks transformation. The numerical scheme involves the Runge-Kutta fourth order scheme along with the shooting technique. The flow is analyzed for both assisting and opposing buoyancy and the effect of different parameters on fluid velocity, temperature distribution, heat transfer and shear stress parameters is presented graphically.
    MeSH terms: Clothing; Hot Temperature; Motion; Paper; Temperature; Physical Phenomena
  6. Information for the Malaysian asphalt industry towards better pavement interlayer bonding
    Haryati Yaacob, Mohd Rosli Hainin, Ahmad Safuan, Chag FL
    Sains Malaysiana, 2014;43:467-474.
    Quality of bond between layers of asphaltic concrete course is a key element to ensure the performance of a modern asphalt pavement. A proper interlayer bond ensures the structural integrity of the pavement and prevents possible distresses from occurring within the designed service life. In Malaysia, delamination is a common distress related to insufficient degree of adhesion though slippage failure can be occasionally encountered. Generally, bond development is closely related to the design factors and construction factors. This paper however focused on the construction factors only, hoping to provide some useful information which might be overlooked by the contractors during construction but is of extreme important especially in enhancing the bond development in the asphalt layers. The construction factors in particular interest discussed in this paper include curing time of asphalt emulsion, surface condition of a pavement and technology and quality of workmanship and construction. It is important to note that both design factors and construction factors are inter-related in optimizing the degree of adhesion. Thus, all factors need to be carefully identified and fulfilled in order to maximize the bond strength between pavement surfacing layers for a better quality and longer service life of pavement in Malaysia.
    MeSH terms: Emulsions; Hydrocarbons; Malaysia; Paper; Life
  7. A hybrid enzymatic zinc-air fuel cell
    Abdul Aziz Ahmad, Raihan Othman, Faridah Yusof, Mohd Firdaus Abdul Wahab
    Sains Malaysiana, 2014;43:459-465.
    A hybrid biofuel cell, a zinc-air cell employing laccase as the oxygen reduction catalyst is investigated. A simple cell design is employed; a membraneless single chamber and a freely suspended laccase in the buffer electrolyte. The cell is characterised based on its open-circuit voltage, power density profile and galvanostatic discharge at 0.5 mA. The activity of laccase as an oxidoreductase is substantiated from the cell discharge profiles. The use of air electrode in the cell design enhanced the energy output by 14%. The zinc-air biofuel cell registered an open-circuit voltage of 1.2 V and is capable to deliver a maximum power density of 1.1 mWcm-2 at 0.4 V. Despite its simple design features, the power output is comparable to that of biocatalytic cell utilising a much more complex system design.
    MeSH terms: Bioelectric Energy Sources; Catalysis; Electrodes; Electrolytes; Oxygen; Zinc; Laccase; Biocatalysis; Biofuels
  8. Visco-hyperelastic model for soft rubber-like materials
    Mohd Afandi P. Mohammed
    Sains Malaysiana, 2014;43:451-457.
    This paper investigates the application of visco-hyperelastic model to soft rubberlike material, that is gluten. Gluten is a major protein in wheat flour dough (a mixture of flour and water) which exists as long network fibers and undergo large deformation under uniaxial tension and compression. The visco-hyperelastic model is represented by a combination of the viscoelastic Prony series and the hyperelastic extended tube model. Calibration of the visco-hyperelastic model to gluten tests result suggests that gluten can be modelled as a finite viscoelastic material.
    MeSH terms: Calibration; Flour; Glutens; Pressure; Water; Triticum; Physical Phenomena
  9. Effects of Mg2+, Fe3+, Mn2+ and Cu2+ ions on lipid accumulation by cunninghamella bainieri 2A1
    Manikan V, Mohd Sahaid Kalil, Othman Omar, Abdul Jalil Abdul Kader, Aidil Abdul Hamid
    Sains Malaysiana, 2014;43:443-449.
    Cunninghamella bainieri 2A1 is an oleaginous fungus whose lipid accumulation profile is significantly influenced by metal ion concentrations in growth medium. Mg2+, Fe3+, Mn2+ and Cu2+ were found to be the important elements affecting lipid accumulation in this fungus. This study employs a statistical method (Response Surface Methodology – RSM) to study the combined effects of Mg2+, Fe3+, Mn2+ and Cu2+ on lipid accumulation of C. baineri 2A1. Cultivation was carried out in 250 mL Erlenmeyer flasks containing 100 mL nitrogen limited medium at 30oC and 250 rpm agitation for 120 h. A thirty-run central composite design experiment was employed to identify and optimize the significant factors. In addition to Mg2+ and Fe3+ which were shown to have significant effects on lipid accumulation, the interactions between Mg2+ and Cu2+, as well as the effect of Cu2+ in quadratic terms were also found to have significant effect on the process (p<0.05). The highest amount of lipid obtained in this study was 39% g/g biomass with optimal levels of Mg2+, Fe3+ and Cu2+ at 5.00, 0.017 and 0.0005 g/L, respectively, while Mn2+ was omitted. A 32% increment in lipid yield was recorded, where the lipid content increased to 38%, compared to initial yield of 29% g/g biomass prior to optimization. In conclusion, Mg2+ and Fe3+ have significant positive effect on the lipid accumulation of this fungus, whereas Mn2+ and Cu2+ exert negative effects in combination.
  10. Synthesis and photocatalysis of ZnO/γ-Fe2O3 nanocomposite in degrading herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid
    Lee KM, Abdul Halim Abdullah, Mohd Zobir Hussein, Zulkarnain Zainal
    Sains Malaysiana, 2014;43:437-441.
    ZnO/γ-Fe2O3 catalysts were fabricated via a simple precipitation route using zinc acetate and iron acetate as the precursors and ammonia as the precipitant. The resulted nanocatalysts were subjected to heat treatment at 450°C for 2 h. The characteristics of the nanocomposite were investigated by various characterization techniques. The synthesized nanocomposite has an average particle size of 13 nm and a surface area of 17 m2/g. The photocatalytic activity of ZnO/γ- Fe2O3 nanocomposite was evaluated by photodegrading 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) under UV irradiation. The results showed that ZnO/γ-Fe2O3 nanocomposite exhibited enhanced photoactivity compared to pure ZnO with almost 20% increment within 4 h of reaction time. The result indicated the applicability of ZnO/γ-Fe2O3 nanocomposite to be used as photocatalyst in removing organic pollutants in wastewater.
  11. Partial slip effect on heat and mass transfer of MHD peristaltic transport in a porous medium
    Mehmood OU, Norzie Mustapha, Sharidan Shafie, Hayat T
    Sains Malaysiana, 2014;43:1109-1118.
    This research looks at the effects of partial slip on heat and mass transfer of peristaltic transport. The magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flow of viscous fluid in a porous asymmetric channel has been considered. The exact solutions for the stream function, longitudinal pressure gradient, longitudinal velocity, shear stress, temperature and concentration fields are derived by adopting long wavelength and small Reynolds number approximations. The results showed that peristaltic pumping and trapping are reduced with increasing velocity slip parameter. Furthermore, temperature increases with increasing thermal slip parameter. Moreover, the concentration profile decreases with increasing porosity parameter, Schmidt number and concentration slip parameter. Comparisons with published results are found to be in good agreement.
    MeSH terms: Hot Temperature; Peristalsis; Pressure; Stress, Mechanical; Temperature; Porosity; Rivers; Physical Phenomena
  12. Rational finite difference approximation of high order Accuracy for nonlinear two point boundary value problems
    Pandey P
    Sains Malaysiana, 2014;43:1105-1108.
    In this paper, we present a new method for solving nonlinear general two point boundary value problems. A method based on finite differences and rational function approximation and we call this method as rational approximation method. A rational approximation method is applied to construct the numerical solution for two point boundary value problems. The novel method is tested on three model problems. Thus the numerical results obtained for these model problems show the performance and efficiency of the developed method.
    MeSH terms: Learning; Paper; Problem Solving
  13. Interval symmetric single-step procedure ISS2-5D for polynomial zeros
    Noraini Jamaludin, Mansor Monsi, Nasruddin Hassan
    Sains Malaysiana, 2014;43:1101-1104.
    We analyzed the rate of convergence of a new modified interval symmetric single-step procedure ISS2-5D which is an extension from the previous procedure ISS2. The algorithm of ISS2-5D includes the introduction of reusable correctors δi(k) (i = 1, ..., n) for k ≥ 0. Furthermore, this procedure was tested on five test polynomials and the results were obtained using MATLAB 2007 software in association with IntLab V5.5 toolbox to record the CPU times and the number of iterations.
  14. Kesan ekstrak metanol piper sarmentosum terhadap kecederaan oksidatif hepar tikus aruhan parasetamol
    Nur Azlina M, Qodriyah H, Hamizah A, Kamisah Y
    Sains Malaysiana, 2014;43:415-421.
    Piper sarmentosum atau kaduk mengandungi aras naringenin iaitu antioksidan semula jadi yang tinggi. Dalam kajian ini, model hepatotoksisiti aruhan parasetamol telah digunakan untuk menentukan kesan antioksidan ekstrak metanol kaduk. Lapan belas ekor tikus Wistar jantan (200-250 g) telah dibahagikan kepada tiga kumpulan. Satu kumpulan diberi ekstrak metanol kaduk pada dos 500 mg/kg secara oral, sementara kumpulan lain menerima larutan pengangkut secara oral selama 28 hari. Selepas 28 hari, kumpulan yang menerima ekstrak kaduk (Kaduk+PCM) dan satu lagi kumpulan (PCM) diberi parasetamol sebanyak 1 g/kg berat badan tikus secara intraperitoneum, manakala kumpulan terakhir (kawalan) hanya diberi larutan pengangkut secara intraperitoneum. Selepas 24 jam, darah tikus diambil bagi pengukuran enzim aminotransferase. Tikus-tikus kemudiannya dibunuh dan sampel hepar diambil untuk pengukuran kandungan malondialdehid, protein karbonil dan aktiviti enzim superoksida dismutase. Terdapat penurunan yang signifikan pada kandungan malondialdehid dan protein karbonil serta peningkatan aktiviti enzim superoksida dismutase dalam kumpulan Kaduk+PCM berbanding kumpulan PCM. Walau bagaimanapun, tiada penurunan aras enzim aminotransferase yang signifikan dalam kumpulan Kaduk+PCM berbanding kumpulan PCM. Kesimpulannya, pemberian ekstrak metanol Piper sarmentosum sebanyak 500 mg/kg selama 28 hari mempunyai kesan perlindungan ke atas hepar tikus daripada kecederaan oksidatif aruhan parasetamol.
    MeSH terms: Transaminases; Protein D-Aspartate-L-Isoaspartate Methyltransferase; Piper; Flavanones
  15. Development and validation of gas chromatography-mass spectrometric method for the determination of epoxidized soybean oil in foods stored in glass jars with metal lids
    Hong KQ, Mohd Marsin Sanagi, Wan Aini Wan Ibrahim, Syairah Salleh, Mazidatulakmam Miskam
    Sains Malaysiana, 2014;43:407-413.
    A method has been developed for the determination of epoxidized soybean oil (ESBO) in oily foods stored in glass jars with metal lids using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). ESBO and its internal standard (cis,cis-11,12;14,15- diepoxyeicosanoate) were isolated from the matrix by transesterification process. The developed method showed good linear dynamic range between 0.7-20 μg mL-1 with coefficients of determination (R2) > 0.9968 and acceptable limit of detection and limit of quantitation of 7 and 23 mg kg-1, respectively, based on linearity calculations. Analyte recoveries were 90.84±27.24% for low concentration, 78.05±11.59% for medium concentration and 99.23±10.20% for high concentration. This first fully validated GC-MS method was successfully applied for the determination of ESBO in foods stored in glass jar with metal lid. Among the 31 food samples studied, 6 samples were found to exceed the specific migration limit of 60 mg kg-1 (based on EU Directive 2002/72/EC). The developed method is thus potentially useful for routine analysis for the determination of ESBO.
  16. High potential of poultry by-product meal as a main protein source in the formulated feeds for a commonly cultured grouper in Malaysia (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus)
    Gunben EM, Senoo S, Yong A, Rossita Shapawi
    Sains Malaysiana, 2014;43:399-405.
    A trial was carried out to evaluate the possibility of replacing fish meal with poultry by-product meal (PBM) at high inclusion levels (50-100%) in the formulated feeds of tiger grouper, Epinephelus fuscoguttatus. Fish meal-based feed (PBM0) served as the control feed and three PBM-based feeds with inclusion levels of 50 (PBM50), 75 (PBM75), and 100% (PBM100) were fed to triplicate groups of fish with mean body weight of 26.2±0.2 g. All formulated feeds were isoproteic (50%) and isolipidic (13%). Weight gain of juveniles ranged from 233 to 338% at the end of feeding trial. Final weight (g), weight gain (%) and specific growth rate (% day-1) of fish fed PBM0 were lower than other fish groups. The feed conversion ratio ranged from 1.1 (PBM50) to 2.0 (PBM0) with no significant difference detected in all treatments. Apparent digestibility coefficients (ADCs) were influenced by the inclusion of PBM in the feeds, with PBM50 recording better values in all measured ADCs. Meanwhile, replacement of fish meal with PBM has little influence on the whole body proximate compositions and body indices. The present study shows that PBM is an excellent alternative protein source for farming the tiger grouper juveniles with fish meal protein replacement level of 50% resulted in the best overall performances.
  17. Electrodes for multifocal electroretinography (mfERG): A comparison of four electrodes types
    Norhani Mohidin, Yap MK, Jacobs RJ
    Sains Malaysiana, 2014;43:1089-1094.
    The purpose of this study was to compare the performance of four different electrode types in detecting the multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG) using the visual evoked response imaging system (VERIS). Multifocal ERG of 30 healthy subjects aged 17-50 years was recorded. Four different types of electrodes were used (JET contact lens, gold foil, DTL thread and c-glide carbon fiber electrodes) and the trough to peak amplitude response densities of the first order kernels (which approximated to the a and b wave of the full field electroretinogram) were compared. The JET contact lens electrode produced the highest amplitude response which was significantly different from the gold foil, DTL thread and the c-glide electrodes, but there was no significant difference between the gold foil and DTL or between DTL and the c-glide electrodes. In conclusion, contact lens electrode produced the highest response density followed by the gold foil and the DTL thread. There was no significant difference in amplitude response between the gold foil and DTL thread, therefore these two electrodes provide for viable alternatives for recording mfERG especially when there are concerns that contact lens electrode may be uncomfortable for recording periods that may take a long time.
    MeSH terms: Carbon; Contact Lenses; Electrodes; Electroretinography; Evoked Potentials, Visual; Gold; Healthy Volunteers
  18. Effect of scan rate on corrosion inhibition of carbon steel in the presence of rice straw extract - potentiodynamic studies
    Solhan Yahya, Norinsan Kamil Othman, Abd Razak Daud, Azman Jalar
    Sains Malaysiana, 2014;43:1083-1087.
    The effect of scan rate on the accuracy of corrosion parameter in evaluating the efficiency of rice straw extract as corrosion inhibitor has been studied via potentiodynamic polarization measurement. Scan rate in the range of low (0.1- 0.25 mV s-1), medium (0.5-1.0 mV s-1) and high (1.5-2.0 mV s-1) scan were carried out on the carbon steel in 1 M HCl. The corrosion parameters such as corrosion rate, polarization resistance and corrosion current density have been analyzed through Tafel polarization curve. High scan rate gave poor accuracy of corrosion parameter compared to medium and low scan. Medium scan at 1.0 mV s-1 has been chosen as the optimum scan rate due to the approached steady-state and small disturbance of charged current. As a result, the addition of rice straw extract in 1 M HCl has reduced the values of corrosion current density in both cathodic and anodic reactions signified the corrosion has been inhibited. The efficiency of rice straw extracts as a corrosion inhibitor offer good result as much as 86%.
    MeSH terms: Biochemical Phenomena; Carbon; Corrosion; Electrochemistry; Electrodes; Oryza; Steel; Physical Phenomena
  19. Simulation of southwest monsoon current circulation and temperature in the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia
    Daryabor F, Tangang F, Liew J
    Sains Malaysiana, 2014;43:389-398.
    This study investigates the southwest monsoon circulation and temperature along the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia by using the Regional Ocean Modeling System at 9 km resolution. The simulated circulation shows strong northward flowing western boundary currents along the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia with maximum speed of approximately of 0.6-0.7 ms-1. The western boundary current, that extends to a depth of about 35 m, continues flowing northward up to approximately 7oN where it changes direction eastward. The circulation along the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia is also characterized by two anti-cyclonic eddies. Furthermore, an elongated of cooler sea surface temperature that stretches along the coast was also simulated. The existence of this cool SST pattern is associated with coastal upwelling process due to localized lifting of isotherms near the coast as a response to the southerly-southwesterly wind stress along the coast during the southwest monsoon.
    MeSH terms: Cold Temperature; Malaysia; Oceans and Seas; Temperature; Wind; Lifting; Phase Transition; Physical Phenomena; Cyclonic Storms
  20. Water quality status of selected rivers in Kota Marudu, Sabah, Malaysia and its suitability for usage
    Ahmad Zaharin Aris, Wan YL, Sarva MP, Mohd Kamil Yusoff, Muhamma Firuz Ramli, Hafizan Juahir
    Sains Malaysiana, 2014;43:377-388.
    The water chemistry of selected rivers in Kota Marudu, Sabah was studied based on the major ion chemistry and its suitability for drinking and irrigation purposes. Ten sampling stations were selected and water samples were collected from each station to assess its chemical properties. The physico-chemical variables including temperature, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), salinity, dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, turbidity, ammoniacal-nitrogen (NH3-N), biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total suspended solid (TSS) were measured. The cations (K, Mg, Ca, Na) were analyzed by ICP-MS. Most of the variables were within the drinking water quality standards stipulated by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministry of Health (MOH), Malaysia except for turbidity. Sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) and salinity hazard were calculated to identify the suitability of the water as irrigation water. The Wilcox diagram classifies that only 10% of samples are not suitable for the purpose of irrigation. The overall results showed that most of the rivers in Kota Marudu are still in a clean condition and suitable for drinking and irrigation purposes except for Sumbilingan River, which is considered as slightly polluted. The results are supported by the hierarchical cluster analysis as the stations were grouped into two groups; low and high pollution intensities. This preliminary result can update the baseline data of selected water quality parameters in the Kota Marudu and could serve as tool for assisting relevant government bodies in regulating the water resources policies in the future.
    MeSH terms: Adsorption; Cations; Electric Conductivity; Government; Malaysia; Nitrogen; Oxygen; Sodium; Temperature; World Health Organization; Rivers; Salinity; Biological Oxygen Demand Analysis; Water Quality; Drinking Water; Water Resources
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