Browse publications by year: 2015

Acquisition of Consonant Clusters and Acceptable Variants in Chinese-Influenced Malaysian English-Speaking Children

Phoon HS, Maclagan M, Abdullah AC

Am J Speech Lang Pathol, 2015 Aug;24(3):517-32.
PMID: 26125520 DOI: 10.1044/2015_AJSLP-14-0037

This study investigated consonant cluster acquisition in Chinese-influenced Malaysian English (ChME)-speaking children.

MeSH terms: Child; Child, Preschool; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Language Development*; Malaysia; Male; Phonetics*; Reference Values; Semantics*; Speech Production Measurement; Vocabulary; Multilingualism*
Fulltext In vitro xanthine oxidase and albumin denaturation inhibition assay of Barringtonia racemosa L. and total phenolic content analysis for potential anti-inflammatory use in gouty arthritis

Osman NI, Sidik NJ, Awal A, Adam NA, Rezali NI

J Intercult Ethnopharmacol, 2015 Aug 14;5(4):343-349.
PMID: 27757263

AIM: This study was conducted to evaluate the in vitro anti-inflammatory activities and total phenolic content (TPC) of methanolic extracts of infloresence axes, endosperms, leaves, and pericarps of Barringtonia racemosa L.

METHODS: The anti-inflammatory study was conducted by assessing the potential through xanthine oxidase (XO) and albumin denaturation inhibition assays. Meanwhile, the TPC in the extracts were assessed by Folin-Ciocalteu assay.

RESULTS: In the XO inhibition assay, the infloresence axes extract was found to exert the highest inhibition capacity at 0.1% (w/v) with 59.54 ± 0.001% inhibition followed by leaves (58.82 ± 0.001%), pericarps (57.99 ± 0.003%), and endosperms (57.20 ± 0.003%) extracts. Similarly in the albumin denaturation inhibition assay, the infloresence axes extract had shown the greatest inhibition capacity with 70.58 ± 0.004% inhibition followed by endosperms (66.80 ± 0.024%), leaves (65.29 ± 0.006%), and pericarps extracts (43.33 ± 0.002%). Meanwhile, for TPC analysis, leaves extract was found to have the highest phenolic content (53.94 ± 0.000 mg gallic acid equivalent [GAE]/g DW) followed by infloresence axes (31.54 ± 0.001 mg GAE/g DW), endosperms (22.63 ± 0.001 mg GAE/g DW), and the least was found in pericarps (15.54 ± 0.001 mg GAE/g DW).

CONCLUSION: The results indeed verified the in vitro anti-inflammatory activities of B. racemosa and supported its potential to be used in alleviating gouty arthritis and XO-related diseases.
Detection of event-related potentials in individual subjects using support vector machines

Parvar H, Sculthorpe-Petley L, Satel J, Boshra R, D'Arcy RC, Trappenberg TP

Brain Inform, 2015 Mar;2(1):1-12.
PMID: 27747499

Event-related potentials (ERPs) are tiny electrical brain responses in the human electroencephalogram that are typically not detectable until they are isolated by a process of signal averaging. Owing to the extremely smallsize of ERP components (ranging from less than 1 μV to tens of μV), compared to background brain rhythms, statistical analyses of ERPs are predominantly carried out in groups of subjects. This limitation is a barrier to the translation of ERP-based neuroscience to applications such as medical diagnostics. We show here that support vector machines (SVMs) are a useful method to detect ERP components in individual subjects with a small set of electrodes and a small number of trials for a mismatch negativity (MMN) ERP component. Such a reduced experiment setup is important for clinical applications. One hundred healthy individuals were presented with an auditory pattern containing pattern-violating deviants to evoke the MMN. Two-class SVMs were then trained to classify averaged ERP waveforms in response to the standard tone (tones that match the pattern) and deviant tone stimuli (tones that violate the pattern). The influence of kernel type, number of epochs, electrode selection, and temporal window size in the averaged waveform were explored. When using all electrodes, averages of all available epochs, and a temporal window from 0 to 900-ms post-stimulus, a linear SVM achieved 94.5 % accuracy. Further analyses using SVMs trained with narrower, sliding temporal windows confirmed the sensitivity of the SVM to data in the latency range associated with the MMN.
Off-label use of misoprostol in gynaecology

Turner JV, Agatonovic-Kustrn S, Ward H

Facts Views Vis Obgyn, 2015 Dec 28;7(4):261-264.
PMID: 27729972

Clinical use of drugs is approved for specified clinical indication, route of administration, dose and population group. Off-label prescribing of a registered medicine occurs outside of these parameters and may be justified by pharmacology and physiology, as well as sufficient evidence from published clinical trials and reviews. Misoprostol and mifepristone in combination have recently been registered in Australia for medical termination of pregnancy in women of child-bearing age. There is good clinical evidence for efficacy and safety of misoprostol in uterine evacuation in both miscarriage and termination of pregnancy. The pharmacological effects of misoprostol on the uterus and clinical outcomes in both early miscarriage and abortion are comparable. Medical management of miscarriage with misoprostol in Australia is performed off-label. A woman presenting with first trimester miscarriage must be clearly informed that use of misoprostol in her case is for a non-approved indication. This raises the issue of inequity in her management compared with that of first trimester medical abortion, including being treated off-label and the potential cost of non-subsidised medication. The clinician must also be careful to use an evidence-based protocol that would withstand medicolegal challenge in the case of an adverse outcome.
Fulltext Fluoroquinolones resistance in multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in Pakistan and suitability of guidelines recommended standardized regimen

Ahmad N, Khan AH, Syed Sulaiman SA, Javaid A

Int J Mycobacteriol, 2015 09;4(3):258-9.
PMID: 27649876 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmyco.2015.05.012
MeSH terms: Antitubercular Agents/pharmacology; Antitubercular Agents/therapeutic use*; Humans; Mycobacterium tuberculosis/drug effects*; Pakistan; Practice Patterns, Physicians'/statistics & numerical data; Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant/drug therapy*; Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant/microbiology*; Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant/prevention & control; Guideline Adherence; Fluoroquinolones/pharmacology*; Fluoroquinolones/therapeutic use*; Drug Resistance, Bacterial/drug effects*
Fibrous Hamartoma of the Chest Wall: A Benign Tumour that Mimics a Malignant Entity

Hamzah AA, Mallhi TH, Khan AH, Adnan AS, Khan YH

West Indian Med J, 2015 Dec 16.
PMID: 27617795 DOI: 10.7727/wimj.2015.330
Fulltext Asthma insights and management in India: lessons learnt from the Asia Pacific - Asthma Insights and Management (AP-AIM) Study

Salvi SS, Apte KK, Dhar R, Shetty P, Faruqi RA, Thompson PJ, et al.

J Assoc Physicians India, 2015 Sep;63(9):36-43.
PMID: 27608865

BACKGROUND: Despite a better understanding of the pathophysiology of asthma, presence of reliable diagnostic tools, availability of a wide array of effective and affordable inhaled drugs and simplified national and international asthma management guidelines, asthma remains poorly managed in India.
OBJECTIVE: The Asia-Pacific Asthma Insight and Management (AP-AIM) study was aimed at understanding the characteristics of asthma, current management, level of asthma control and its impact on quality of life across Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand. This paper describes the results of asthma management issues in India in detail and provides a unique insight into asthma in India.
METHODOLOGY: The AP-AIM India study was conducted in eight urban cities in India, viz: Ajmer, Delhi, Kolkata, Rourkela, Chennai, Mangalore, Mumbai and Rajkot from February to July 2011. Face-to-face interviews were conducted in adult asthmatics and parents of asthmatic children between the ages of 12 and 17 years with a confirmed diagnosis or a treatment history of 1 year for asthma.
RESULTS: Four hundred asthmatics (M:F::1:1.273), with a mean age of 50 ± 17.8 years, from across India were studied. 91% of the asthmatics in India perceived their asthma to be under control, however, none of the asthmatics had controlled asthma by objective measures. Asthmatics in India believed that their asthma was under control if they have up to 2 emergency doctor visits a year. The quality of life of these patients was significantly affected with 93% school/work absenteeism and a loss of 50% productivity. Seventy-five percent of the asthmatics have never had a lung function test. The common triggers for asthmatics in India were dust (49%) and air pollution (49%), while only 5% reported of pollen as triggers. Eighty-nine percent of Indian asthmatics reported an average use of oral steroids 10.5 times a year. Only 36% and 50% of Indian asthmatics used controller and rescue inhalers with a majority preferring the oral route of asthma medication.
CONCLUSIONS: This study has clearly highlighted the fact that asthma management in India remains very poor, with a significant proportion of patients experiencing bothersome symptoms and worsened quality of life. There is a need for an urgent review of this situation and initiate active measures at local as well as national levels to improve asthma care in India.
Study site: Home visits

MeSH terms: Asthma; Cross-Sectional Studies; Humans; India
Prediction of groundwater flowing well zone at An-Najif Province, central Iraq using evidential belief functions model and GIS

Al-Abadi AM, Pradhan B, Shahid S

Environ Monit Assess, 2015 Oct;188(10):549.
PMID: 27600115 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-016-5564-0

The objective of this study is to delineate groundwater flowing well zone potential in An-Najif Province of Iraq in a data-driven evidential belief function model developed in a geographical information system (GIS) environment. An inventory map of 68 groundwater flowing wells was prepared through field survey. Seventy percent or 43 wells were used for training the evidential belief functions model and the reset 30 % or 19 wells were used for validation of the model. Seven groundwater conditioning factors mostly derived from RS were used, namely elevation, slope angle, curvature, topographic wetness index, stream power index, lithological units, and distance to the Euphrates River in this study. The relationship between training flowing well locations and the conditioning factors were investigated using evidential belief functions technique in a GIS environment. The integrated belief values were classified into five categories using natural break classification scheme to predict spatial zoning of groundwater flowing well, namely very low (0.17-0.34), low (0.34-0.46), moderate (0.46-0.58), high (0.58-0.80), and very high (0.80-0.99). The results show that very low and low zones cover 72 % (19,282 km(2)) of the study area mostly clustered in the central part, the moderate zone concentrated in the west part covers 13 % (3481 km(2)), and the high and very high zones extended over the northern part cover 15 % (3977 km(2)) of the study area. The vast spatial extension of very low and low zones indicates that groundwater flowing wells potential in the study area is low. The performance of the evidential belief functions spatial model was validated using the receiver operating characteristic curve. A success rate of 0.95 and a prediction rate of 0.94 were estimated from the area under relative operating characteristics curves, which indicate that the developed model has excellent capability to predict groundwater flowing well zones. The produced map of groundwater flowing well zones could be used to identify new wells and manage groundwater storage in a sustainable manner.

MeSH terms: Environmental Monitoring/methods*; Iraq; Models, Theoretical; ROC Curve; Water Movements*; Geographic Information Systems; Groundwater/analysis*
Fulltext Acute zika virus infection after travel to Malaysian Borneo, September 2014

Tappe D, Nachtigall S, Kapaun A, Schnitzler P, Günther S, Schmidt-Chanasit J

Emerg Infect Dis, 2015 May;21(5): 911–3.
PMID: 25898277 DOI: 10.3201/eid2105.141960
MeSH terms: Adult; Female; Fever; Humans
Fulltext The Cost and Utility of Renal Transplantation in Malaysia

Bavanandan S, Yap YC, Ahmad G, Wong HS, Azmi S, Goh A

Transplant Direct, 2015 Nov;1(10):e45.
PMID: 27500211 DOI: 10.1097/TXD.0000000000000553

Kidney transplantation is the optimal therapy for the majority of patients with end-stage renal disease. However, the cost and health outcomes of transplantation have not been assessed in a middle-income nation with a low volume of transplantation, such as Malaysia.
AIM AND METHODS: This study used microcosting methods to determine the cost and health outcomes of living and deceased donor kidney transplantation in adult and pediatric recipients. The perspective used was from the Ministry of Health Malaysia. Cost-effectiveness measures were cost per life year (LY) and cost per quality-adjusted LYs. The time horizon was the lifetime of the transplant recipient from transplant to death.
RESULTS: Records of 206 KT recipients (118 adults and 88 children) were obtained for microcosting. In adults, discounted cost per LY was US $8609(Malaysian Ringgit [RM]29 482) and US $13 209(RM45 234) for living-donor kidney transplant (LKT) and deceased donor kidney transplant (DKT), respectively, whereas in children, it was US $10 485(RM35 905) and US $14 985(RM51 317), respectively. Cost per quality-adjusted LY in adults was US $8826 (RM30 224) for LKT and US $13 592(RM46 546) for DKT. Total lifetime discounted costs of adult transplants were US $119 702 (RM409 921) for LKT, US $147 152 (RM503 922) for DKT. Total costs for pediatric transplants were US $154 841(RM530 252) and US $159 313(RM545 566) for the 2 categories respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: Both LKT and DKT are economically favorable for Malaysian adult and pediatric patients with ESRD and result in improvement in quality of life.

MeSH terms: Adult; Child; Cost-Benefit Analysis; Death; Humans; Kidney; Kidney Failure, Chronic; Malaysia; Quality of Life; Kidney Transplantation; Quality-Adjusted Life Years; Living Donors; Transplant Recipients
Fulltext Bilateral idiopathic optic perineuritis in a young Malay woman: A case report

Ayesha Mohd Zain, Umi Kalthum Md Noh, Mushawiahti Mustapha, Norshamsiah Md. Din, Bastion, Mae Lynn Catherine

Neurology Asia, 2015;20(4):407-409.
MyJurnal

A 28-year-old Malay woman presented with severe loss of vision in both eyes associated with periocular pain on eye movement. She was completely blind at presentation and examination showed optic discs
swelling. Optic nerve imaging showed ‘doughnut sign’, characteristic of optic perineuritis. Steroid was
given over six months. Visual function improved gradually and was maintained at one year follow-up.
This case highlights the importance of differentiation between optic neuritis and optic perineuritis as
visual recovery depends on prolonged management with corticosteroid in optic perineuritis.

MeSH terms: Adrenal Cortex Hormones; Eye Movements; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Optic Disk; Optic Nerve; Optic Neuritis; Pain
Fulltext Pathological findings in a mouse model of Japanese encephalitis infected via the footpad

Fu, Tzeh Long, Ong, Kien Chai, Wong, Kum Thong

Neurology Asia, 2015;20(4):349-354.
MyJurnal

We have developed and characterised a mouse model of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) infection via
footpad inoculation in order to better mimic viral transmission by mosquito bites. Two-week-old and
5-week-old mice consistently developed signs of infection such as ruffled fur, weight loss, hunchback
posture, tremors, mask-like facies and occasionally, hindlimb paralysis at 4 days post infection (dpi)
and 11-13 dpi, respectively. Most of the animals died within 24 to 48 hours following the onset of signs
of infection, with mortalities of 100% and 33.3% in 2-week-old and 5-week-old mice, respectively.
Mild meningitis and variable parenchymal inflammation with formation of microglial nodules, focal
necrosis and neuronophagia, and perivascular cuffing by inflammatory cells were observed in the
caudate nucleus, putamen, thalamus, cerebral cortex, brainstem, and spinal cord. Viral antigens/RNA
were demonstrated by immunohistochemisty and in situ hybridization, respectively, in most of these
areas as well as in the hippocampus and cerebellum, albeit more focally. The pathological findings in
this mouse model were generally similar to human Japanese encephalitis (JE) and other established JE
models but perhaps, compared to other JEV mouse models, it demonstrates lethal encephalitic infection
more consistently. We believe that our mouse model should be useful to study the pathogenesis of JE,
and for testing anti-viral drugs and vaccines

MeSH terms: Animals; Antigens, Viral; Antiviral Agents; Brain Stem; Caudate Nucleus; Cerebellum; Cerebral Cortex; Encephalitis Virus, Japanese; Encephalitis, Japanese; Hindlimb; Hippocampus; Humans; Inflammation; Masks; Meningitis; Culicidae; Posture; Putamen; RNA, Viral; Spinal Cord; Thalamus; Tremor; Vaccines; Weight Loss; In Situ Hybridization; Facies; Mice
Which somatic symptoms are associated with an unfavorable course in Chinese patients with major depressive disorder?

Novick D, Montgomery WS, Aguado J, Peng X, Brugnoli R, Haro JM

Asia Pac Psychiatry, 2015 Dec;7(4):427-35.
PMID: 26047023 DOI: 10.1111/appy.12189

This was an analysis of the impact of somatic symptoms on the severity and course of depression in Chinese patients treated for an acute episode of major depressive disorder (MDD).

MeSH terms: Adult; Autonomic Nervous System Diseases/epidemiology*; Central Nervous System Diseases/epidemiology*; China; Depressive Disorder, Major/epidemiology*; Depressive Disorder, Major/therapy; Fatigue/epidemiology*; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Hong Kong; Humans; Malaysia; Male; Middle Aged; Pain/epidemiology*; Severity of Illness Index; Singapore; Taiwan; Comorbidity; Outcome Assessment (Health Care)/statistics & numerical data*; Republic of Korea
Factors associated with clinical and perceived oral malodor among dental students

Rani H, Ueno M, Zaitsu T, Furukawa S, Kawaguchi Y

J. Med. Dent. Sci., 2015;62(2):33-41.
PMID: 26183831 DOI: 10.11480/620202

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of and factors associated with clinical and perceived oral malodor among dental students. Clinical oral malodor was measured in 163 Malaysian dental students using organoleptic method and Oral ChromaTM and they were asked about their perception of self-oral malodor. Oral examination was performed to assess oral health status. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 19.0. There were 52.7% students who had clinical oral malodor, while 19.0% students perceived they had oral malodor. The sensitivity (0.244) of self-perceived oral malodor was lower than its specificity (0.870). Tongue coating was closely associated with clinical oral malodor whereas high plaque index was closely associated with perceived oral malodor. These results showed that clinical oral malodor was prevalent among dental students, but students' perception of oral malodor did not always reflect actual clinical oral malodor. Furthermore, associating factors of clinical oral malodor differ from perceived oral malodor. The importance of controlling clinical oral malodor with proper tongue cleaning should be emphasized and dental students should be taught on the differences between clinical and perceived oral malodor in order to manage this problem.

MeSH terms: Adult; Female; Halitosis/diagnosis*; Halitosis/prevention & control; Halitosis/psychology*; Humans; Malaysia; Male; Oral Health; Oral Hygiene; Self Concept*; Students, Dental/psychology*; Young Adult
Pollen structure and development in Nymphaeales: insights into character evolution in an ancient angiosperm lineage

Taylor ML, Cooper RL, Schneider EL, Osborn JM

Am J Bot, 2015 Oct;102(10):1685-702.
PMID: 26419810 DOI: 10.3732/ajb.1500249

A knowledge of pollen characters in early-diverging angiosperm lineages is essential for understanding pollen evolution and the role of pollen in angiosperm diversification. In this paper, we report and synthesize data on mature pollen and pollen ontogeny from all genera of Nymphaeales within a comparative, phylogenetic context and consider pollen evolution in this early-diverging angiosperm lineage. We describe mature pollen characters for Euryale, Barclaya, and Nymphaea ondinea, taxa for which little to no structural data exist.

MeSH terms: Biological Evolution; Malaysia; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Phylogeny; Pollen/anatomy & histology*; Pollen/growth & development*; Pollen/ultrastructure; United States; Western Australia; Nymphaeaceae/anatomy & histology*; Nymphaeaceae/classification; Nymphaeaceae/growth & development*; Nymphaeaceae/ultrastructure; Nymphaea/anatomy & histology; Nymphaea/classification; Nymphaea/growth & development; Nymphaea/ultrastructure; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; Pollination
Fulltext Pathological findings in a mouse model for Coxsackievirus A16 infection

Hooi, Yuan Teng, Ong, Kien Chai, Perera, David, Wong, Kum Thong

Neurology Asia, 2015;20(4):343-347.
MyJurnal

Coxsackievirus A16 (CV-A16) is the leading cause of hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD), which usually
presents as mild and self-limiting symptoms in young children. Rarely, CV-A16 has been reported
to cause severe and fatal neurological complications but little is known about these complications.
In the present study, 1-day and 7-day old mouse models of CV-A16 were developed using a clinical
strain via subcutaneous inoculation. All infected mice exhibited clinical signs of infection, including
reduced mobility, limb weakness and paralysis between 3 to 6 days post-infection. Pathologically,
the main organs involved were the central nervous system (CNS), skeletal muscles and brown fat. In
the CNS, viral antigens as demonstrated by immunohistochemistry, were localized mainly to neurons
in the brain stem and spinal cord, suggesting that CV-A16 is neurotropic although inflammation is
very mild. The skeletal muscles showed necrosis and myositis due to viral infection as evidenced by
the dense viral antigens. Focal viral antigens were also detected in the brown fat. These preliminary
pathological findings indicate that our mouse models can be further developed to be useful models
for pathogenesis studies, and vaccine and anti-viral drug evaluation.

MeSH terms: Animals; Antigens, Viral; Brain Stem; Adipose Tissue, Brown; Child; Drug Evaluation; Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Inflammation; Mouth Diseases; Myositis; Neurons; Paralysis; Spinal Cord; Vaccination; Vaccines; Muscle, Skeletal; Mice
Fulltext Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome: Malaysian haemato-oncological paediatric case series

Choong, Yi Fong, Chaw, Su Hlaing, Aye, Aye Mya Min, Chee, Geap Tay, Lai, Choo Ong, Hany Ariffin

Neurology Asia, 2015;20(3):275-281.
MyJurnal

Background & Objective: Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is associated with
immunosuppressive agents used in children with haemato-oncological diseases. There are no reports
to date from the South Asia and South East Asia region. We report a Malaysian tertiary centre case
series of children with haemato-oncological disease who developed PRES. Methods: Retrospective
study of children seen with haemato-oncology diseases seen at the University Malaya Medical Centre
Kuala Lumpur who developed PRES from 2011 – 2013. Clinical details were obtained from medical
records and brain neuroimaging was reviewed. Results: Five patients met the inclusion criteria. All
5 patients had significant hypertension acutely or subacutely prior to neurology presentation. Four
presented with acute seizures and the remainder 1 presented with encephalopathy.Three patients
were on chemotherapy, 1 had renal impairment and 1 had prior immunosupression for bone marrow
transplantation. A full recovery was seen in 4 patients and 1 patient had mild residual quadriplegia.
Conclusion: Our case series expands the clinico-radiological spectrum of PRES in children with
underlying haemato-oncological disorders. It is the first to show that prior cyclosporin intake as long
as 2 months is a potential risk factor for PRES. Clinicians need to be vigilant for development of
PRES and closely monitor the blood pressure in these children who are receiving or recently had
immunosuppressive drugs and present with acute neurological symptoms.

MeSH terms: Asia; Blood Pressure; Bone Marrow; Brain; Brain Diseases; Child; Humans; Hypertension; Immunosuppressive Agents; Malaysia; Neurology; Quadriplegia; Retrospective Studies; Risk Factors; Seizures; Universities; Cyclosporine; Posterior Leukoencephalopathy Syndrome; Neuroimaging
Fulltext Factors affecting adherence to antiepileptic drugs therapy in Malaysia

Tan, XC, M Makmor-Bakry, Lau, CL, Tajarudin, FW, Raymond, AA

Neurology Asia, 2015;20(3):235-241.
MyJurnal

Poor adherence to antiepileptic drug (AED) therapy can lead to various undesirable complications. Identifying the contributing factors of poor adherence is beneficial in assisting health care professionals to provide optimal interventions to control the seizures. This study aimed to identify the prevalence and factors affecting the adherence level to AED therapy in a multiracial population with epilepsy. This cross-sectional study was conducted at the neurology clinic of a tertiary care setting. Researcher-assisted questionnaire was utilised. Adherence level was assessed using validated Modified Morisky Adherence Scale-8. A total of 145 patients with epilepsy were included in this study. The prevalence of poor adherence to AED therapy was 64.1%. Poor adherence level was significantly associated with younger age (χ2 = 7.609, p = 0.022), medication adverse effects (χ2 = 5.075, p = 0.020), shorter duration of epilepsy (r = 0.180, p = 0.030) and uncertainty about the necessity for AEDs (χ2 = 11.803, p = 0.001).
Conclusion, prevalence of poor adherence to antiepileptic drugs was high and factors associated with poor adherence to AEDs were identified for a multiracial population with epilepsy.
Study site: Neurology clinic, Pusat Perubatan Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (PPUKM), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

MeSH terms: Anticonvulsants; Cross-Sectional Studies; Epilepsy; Hospitals, University; Humans; Malaysia; Outpatient Clinics, Hospital; Surveys and Questionnaires; Seizures; Prevalence; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions
Fulltext Effect of electron beam irradiation on fisheries water

Selambakkan, Sarala, Khomsaton Abu Bakar, Jamaliah Shariff, Suhairi Alimon

Jurnal Sains Nuklear Malaysia, 2015;27(1):29-35.
MyJurnal

This paper studies about water obtained from fish pond of fisheries research centre. Usual water
quality parameters such as pH, COD, Turbidity and Ammonia content were analyzed before and
after irradiation. Electron beam irradiation was used to irradiate the water with the dose 100 kGy,
200 kGy and 300 kGy. Only high dose was applied on this water as only a limited amount of
samples was supplied. All the parameters indicated a slight increase after irradiation except for the
ammonia content, which showed a gradual decrease as irradiation dose increases. Sample
condition was changed before irradiation in order to obtain more effective results in the following
batch. The water sample from fisheries was diluted with distilled water to the ratio of 1:1.This was
followed with irradiation at 100 kGy, 200 kGy and 300 kGy. The results still showed an increase in
all parameters after irradiation except for ammonia content. For the following irradiation batch,
the pH of the sample was adjusted to pH 4 and pH 8 before irradiation. For this sample the
irradiation dose selected was only 100 kGy. A higher value of ammonia was observed for the
sample with pH 4 after irradiation. Other parameters were almost the same as the first two batches

MeSH terms: Ammonia; Animals; Electrons; Fisheries; Fishes; Paper; Radiation Dosage; Radiotherapy Dosage; Water; Ponds
Fulltext Assessment of surface dose on the art phantom using threedimensional conformal breast radiotherapy

Norhayati Abdullah, Wong, Jeannie Hsiu Ding, Ng, Kwan Hoong, Ung, Ngie Min

Jurnal Sains Nuklear Malaysia, 2015;27(1):21-28.
MyJurnal

The assessment of surface dose is essential in radiotherapy to avoid deterministic effect or to
reduce the severity of side effects from radiation treatment. In this study, the surface dose for breast
cancer radiotherapy was measured using two types of dosimeter; Thermoluminescent Dosimeter
(TLD) and Optically Stimulated Luminescent Dosimeter (OSLD). The study was performed on the
left breast of female Alderson Radiation Therapy (ART) phantom. The treatment planning was
carried out on the ART phantom to determine the homogeneity of dose distribution within the target
organ is complied with the tolerance limits of 95% to 107% as recommended by the International
Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU)’s Report No. 50. From the treatment
planning result, the phantom then was irradiated with 267 cGy dose per fraction for two beam
fields; medial tangential and lateral tangential fields using a 6 MV photon beam produced from
three-dimensional (3D) conformal radiotherapy. Result shows that the OSLD provides 25.7% and
23.5% higher surface dose compared to TLD for medial tangential and lateral tangential fields,
respectively. This condition may be due to higher effective point of measurement and angular
dependence of the OSLD compared to TLD. As a conclusion, suitable dosimeter should be selected
to ensure accurate estimation of surface dose could be made thus reduction of skin reaction to
patient could be achieved.

MeSH terms: Breast; Female; Humans; Neoplasms; Thermoluminescent Dosimetry; Radiotherapy, Conformal; Optically Stimulated Luminescence Dosimetry

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