Browse publications by year: 2017

  1. Fulltext Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation and Excessive Fibrinolysis (DIC XFL) Syndrome in Prostate Cancer: A Rare Complicated Disorder
    Hamzah AB, Choo YM, Hassali MA, Saleem F, Verma AK
    J Clin Diagn Res, 2017 Jan;11(1):XD01-XD02.
    PMID: 28274032 DOI: 10.7860/JCDR/2017/22582.9313
    Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC) develops in patient with prostate cancer, which is manifested by systemic, intracranial, intracavitary or intracutaneous bleeding indicating uncompensated or excessive fibrinolysis (XFL). This case report is a description of a 61-year-old male with metastatic prostate cancer that progressed to manifest DIC. The condition is rare in clinical practice, and even rarer when is coupled with XFL. Treatment was mainly replenishing coagulation factors, platelets and controlling the disease progression with aggressive hormonal therapy. The patient progressed to coagulopathy further with fibrinolysis, hence leading to mortality. This case study discusses the pathophysiology of this complication and various methods to monitor the disease progression are discussed.
    MeSH terms: Blood Coagulation Disorders; Blood Coagulation Factors; Blood Platelets; Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation; Fibrinolysis; Hemorrhage; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Prostatic Neoplasms; Disease Progression
  2. Samira-VP: A simple protein alignment method with rechecking the alphabet vector positions
    Fotoohifiroozabadi S, Mohamad MS, Deris S
    J Bioinform Comput Biol, 2017 Apr;15(2):1750004.
    PMID: 28274174 DOI: 10.1142/S0219720017500044
    Protein structure alignment and comparisons that are based on an alphabetical demonstration of protein structure are more simple to run with faster evaluation processes; thus, their accuracy is not as reliable as three-dimension (3D)-based tools. As a 1D method candidate, TS-AMIR used the alphabetic demonstration of secondary-structure elements (SSE) of proteins and compared the assigned letters to each SSE using the [Formula: see text]-gram method. Although the results were comparable to those obtained via geometrical methods, the SSE length and accuracy of adjacency between SSEs were not considered in the comparison process. Therefore, to obtain further information on accuracy of adjacency between SSE vectors, the new approach of assigning text to vectors was adopted according to the spherical coordinate system in the present study. Moreover, dynamic programming was applied in order to account for the length of SSE vectors. Five common datasets were selected for method evaluation. The first three datasets were small, but difficult to align, and the remaining two datasets were used to compare the capability of the proposed method with that of other methods on a large protein dataset. The results showed that the proposed method, as a text-based alignment approach, obtained results comparable to both 1D and 3D methods. It outperformed 1D methods in terms of accuracy and 3D methods in terms of runtime.
    MeSH terms: Algorithms*; Protein Conformation; Proteins/chemistry*; Sequence Alignment/methods; Protein Structure, Secondary; Computational Biology/methods*; Databases, Protein
  3. Shisha (waterpipe) smoking initiation among youth in Malaysia and global perspective: a scoping review (2006-2015)
    Singh SK, Enzhong L, Reidpath DD, Allotey P
    Public Health, 2017 Mar;144:78-85.
    PMID: 28274388 DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2016.11.022
    OBJECTIVE: To explore the initiating factors of waterpipe tobacco smoking (WTS) among youth.

    STUDY DESIGN: The analytic framework for this scoping review was performed using the methodology outlined by Arksey and O'Malley, which includes identification of the research question, study selection, charting the data, collating, summarizing and reporting the results that were primarily guided by the research question; 'what is known about the initiation of shisha smoking among youth?'

    METHODS: Electronic databases such as Cochrane, MEDLINE and PsycINFO were used to search for relevant articles. Articles included were all in English and published within the year of 2006 to 2015. Inclusion criteria; i) age range of 10 to 29 years; ii) examined the reasons why youth started or tried WTS; iii) in full text. Therefore, 26 articles were included in this scoping review.

    RESULTS: This review has identified and classified the initiating factors of WTS among youth in four subtopics: individual factors, interpersonal influences, cigarettes and alcohol use, and media influences. Individual factors and interpersonal influences played an important role in initiation factors of WTS among youth.

    CONCLUSION: This study concludes that public health professionals within the Southeast Asia region need to promote innovative preventive measures through peer-to-peer led interventions that are also easily assessable on social media platforms. The public health messages need to address the misconceptions of risk associated to WTS use.

    MeSH terms: Adolescent; Adult; Child; Female; Humans; Interpersonal Relations*; Malaysia; Peer Group*; Public Health; Social Environment; Young Adult; Social Media; Tobacco Products
  4. Antioxidant and functional properties of protein hydrolysates obtained from squid pen chitosan extraction effluent
    Shavandi A, Hu Z, Teh S, Zhao J, Carne A, Bekhit A, et al.
    Food Chem, 2017 Jul 15;227:194-201.
    PMID: 28274422 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2017.01.099
    Squid pens were subjected to alkali hydrolysis to extract chitin and chitosan. Proteins present in the alkaline extraction wastewater were recovered at pH 3, 4, 5 and 6, and were subjected to hydrolysis by trypsin, pepsin and a bacterial protease called HT for 1, 2, 4 and 24h. Hydrolysis of the extracted proteins with either trypsin or HT generated more antioxidant activity than hydrolysis with pepsin. Higher ACE-inhibitory activity was generated in the trypsin and pepsin hydrolysates than in the HT hydrolysate. Squid pen protein recovered from chitosan processing waste alkaline solution can be a potential source of bioactive peptides for addition to foods. The antioxidant and ACE-inhibitory activities of the extracted proteins were initially low and increased upon incubation with the proteases. Pepsin generated significantly lower (P<0.05) antioxidant activities compared to trypsin and HT, while trypsin and pepsin hydrolysates exhibited higher ACE-inhibitory activity than HT (P<0.05).
    MeSH terms: Animals; Antioxidants/chemistry*; Hydrolysis; Peptide Hydrolases/metabolism; Protein Hydrolysates/chemistry*; Chitosan/metabolism; Chitosan/chemistry*; Decapodiformes/chemistry*
  5. Incorporation of dietary fibre-rich oyster mushroom (Pleurotus sajor-caju) powder improves postprandial glycaemic response by interfering with starch granule structure and starch digestibility of biscuit
    Ng SH, Robert SD, Wan Ahmad WA, Wan Ishak WR
    Food Chem, 2017 Jul 15;227:358-368.
    PMID: 28274444 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2017.01.108
    The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of Pleurotus sajor-caju (PSC) powder addition at 0, 4, 8 and 12% levels on the nutritional values, pasting properties, thermal characteristics, microstructure, in vitro starch digestibility, in vivo glycaemic index (GI) and sensorial properties of biscuits. Elevated incorporation levels of PSC powder increased the dietary fibre (DF) content and reduced the pasting viscosities and starch gelatinisation enthalpy value of biscuits. The addition of DF-rich PSC powder also interfered with the integrity of the starch granules by reducing the sizes and inducing the uneven spherical shapes of the starch granules, which, in turn, resulted in reduced starch susceptibility to digestive enzymes. The restriction starch hydrolysis rate markedly reduced the GI of biscuits. The incorporation of 8% PSC powder in biscuits (GI=49) could be an effective way of developing a nutritious and low-GI biscuit without jeopardizing its desirable sensorial properties.
    MeSH terms: Adult; Aged; Blood Glucose/metabolism; Bread/analysis*; Dietary Fiber/analysis; Dietary Fiber/metabolism*; Digestion; Female; Food Additives/analysis; Food Additives/metabolism*; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Models, Biological; Nutritive Value; Powders/metabolism; Powders/chemistry; Starch/metabolism*; Starch/chemistry; Postprandial Period; Pleurotus/metabolism*; Pleurotus/chemistry; Glycemic Index; Young Adult
  6. Optimization of preparation conditions for activated carbon from banana pseudo-stem using response surface methodology on removal of color and COD from landfill leachate
    Ghani ZA, Yusoff MS, Zaman NQ, Zamri MFMA, Andas J
    Waste Manag, 2017 Apr;62:177-187.
    PMID: 28274782 DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2017.02.026
    This study determined the optimum conditions for preparation and adsorptive treatment of landfill leachate from banana pseudo-stem based activated carbon. Response surface methodology (RSM) based on Box-Behnken was applied to optimize the combination effect of three important reaction variables, i.e. activation temperature (°C), activation time and impregnation ratio (IR). The reaction was performed via a single step activation with ZnCl2 in a closed activation system. A series of 17 individual experiments were conducted and the results showed that the RSM based on BBD is very applicable for adsorptive removal of pollutants from landfill leachate treatment. The optimum conditions obtained by Design of Experiments (DOE) was at 761°C activation temperature, 87min activation time and 4.5g/g impregnation ratio with product yield (27%), iodine number (1101mg/g), color removal (91.2%) and COD removal (83.0%).
    MeSH terms: Charcoal/chemistry*; Waste Disposal, Fluid/methods*; Water Pollutants, Chemical/analysis*; Water Pollutants, Chemical/chemistry; Water Purification/methods; Musa/chemistry*; Biological Oxygen Demand Analysis; Waste Disposal Facilities
  7. Fulltext Intellectual disability complicated by sexual addiction: an uncommon presentation of a common condition
    Pang NT, Masiran R
    BMJ Case Rep, 2017 Mar 08;2017.
    PMID: 28275020 DOI: 10.1136/bcr-2016-218738
    A young man presented with high libido for 3 years, associated with preoccupation with sexual thoughts combined with his pursuit of pornographic materials. He had strong psychological cravings for and had spent large amount of money on sex, resulting in a dispute with his family. There were no mood or psychotic symptoms. Medical history revealed recent diagnosis of gonococcal urethritis. Cognitive assessment showed subtle deficiencies in reasoning and executive functions. There was occasional use of alcohol. Sexual addiction with comorbid mild intellectual disability was diagnosed, and pharmacological as well as psychological management were started.
    MeSH terms: Humans; Libido; Male; Intellectual Disability/complications*; Sexual Behavior/psychology*; Behavior, Addictive/etiology*; Behavior, Addictive/psychology; Young Adult
  8. Fulltext Simultaneous left-sided hypertensive putaminal and thalamic haemorrhages
    Amin OS, Mahmood MM
    BMJ Case Rep, 2017 Mar 08;2017.
    PMID: 28275028 DOI: 10.1136/bcr-2017-219300
    MeSH terms: Acute Disease; Aged; Female; Headache/etiology; Humans; Hypertension/complications*; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Putaminal Hemorrhage/etiology*
  9. Fulltext Quantitative assessment on coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) image quality: comparisons between genders and different tube voltage settings
    Chian TC, Nassir NM, Ibrahim MI, Yusof AK, Sabarudin A
    Quant Imaging Med Surg, 2017 Feb;7(1):48-58.
    PMID: 28275559 DOI: 10.21037/qims.2017.02.02
    BACKGROUND: This study was carried out to quantify and compare the quantitative image quality of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) between genders as well as between different tube voltages scan protocols.

    METHODS: Fifty-five cases of CCTA were collected retrospectively and all images including reformatted axial images at systolic and diastolic phases as well as images with curved multi planar reformation (cMPR) were obtained. Quantitative image quality including signal intensity, image noise, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of right coronary artery (RCA), left anterior descending artery (LAD), left circumflex artery (LCx) and left main artery (LM) were quantified using Analyze 12.0 software.

    RESULTS: Six hundred and fifty-seven coronary arteries were evaluated. There were no significant differences in any quantitative image quality parameters between genders. 100 kilovoltage peak (kVp) scanning protocol produced images with significantly higher signal intensity compared to 120 kVp scanning protocol (P<0.001) in all coronary arteries in all types of images. Higher SNR was also observed in 100 kVp scan protocol in all coronary arteries except in LCx where 120 kVp showed better SNR than 100 kVp.

    CONCLUSIONS: There were no significant differences in image quality of CCTA between genders and different tube voltages. Lower tube voltage (100 kVp) scanning protocol is recommended in clinical practice to reduce the radiation dose to patient.

    MeSH terms: Coronary Vessels; Female; Humans; Male; Radiation Dosage; Retrospective Studies; Software; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Coronary Angiography; Signal-To-Noise Ratio; Computed Tomography Angiography
  10. Abnormal Muscularization of Intra-acinar Pulmonary Arteries in Two Cases Presenting as Sudden Infant Death
    Zainun K, Hope K, Nicholson AG, Cohen MC
    Pediatr Dev Pathol, 2017 Jan-Feb;20(1):49-53.
    PMID: 28276303 DOI: 10.1177/1093526616689311
    Abnormal muscularization of acinar arteries is the hallmark of persistent pulmonary hypertension of newborn (PPHN), an uncommon disease with high rate of morbidity and mortality. PPHN presents with signs of respiratory distress immediately following birth. We herein report 2 cases presenting as a witnessed sudden unexpected death in the late neonatal period, preceded by respiratory deterioration and in whom the presence of abnormal muscularization of the acinar pulmonary arteries was reminiscent of PPHN. The significance of this report is twofold: to increase the awareness among pediatricians and pathologists of this feature that can present in some cases of Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy/Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, and to highlight the importance of performing a thorough autopsy in order to identify the abnormality.
    MeSH terms: Autopsy; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Persistent Fetal Circulation Syndrome; Pulmonary Artery; Sudden Infant Death; Pathologists; Pediatricians
  11. Polymer-based drug delivery: the quest for local targeting of inflamed intestinal mucosa
    Dar MJ, Ali H, Khan A, Khan GM
    J Drug Target, 2017 Aug;25(7):582-596.
    PMID: 28277824 DOI: 10.1080/1061186X.2017.1298601
    Colon-specific drug delivery has found important applications in the wide array of diseases affecting the lower intestinal tract. Recent developments and advancements in the polymer-based colonic delivery ensure targeted therapeutics with reduced systemic adverse effects. Latest progress in the understanding of polymer science has decorated a polymer-based formulation with a number of special features, which may prove effective in the localized drug targeting at specific sites of the intestine. Upon oral administration, polymeric vehicles or polymer-coated formulations serve to protect the drug from premature release and degradation in the upper gastrointestinal tract. Moreover, it also facilitates the selective accumulation and controlled release of the drug at inflamed sites of the colon. This review article focuses on a wide coverage of major polymers, their modifications, pros and cons, mechanism of colon targeting and applications as a vehicle system for colonic drug delivery, with a special emphasis on the inflammatory bowel disease.
    MeSH terms: Humans; Inflammation/drug therapy*; Intestinal Mucosa/drug effects*; Intestinal Mucosa/metabolism; Intestinal Mucosa/pathology; Polymers/administration & dosage*; Drug Delivery Systems*
  12. Multiboronic acid-conjugated chitosan scaffolds with glucose selectivity to insulin release
    Siddiqui NA, Billa N, Roberts CJ
    J Biomater Sci Polym Ed, 2017 Jun;28(8):781-793.
    PMID: 28278045 DOI: 10.1080/09205063.2017.1301774
    The principal challenge for the use of boronic acids (BA) as glucose sensors is their lack of specificity for glucose. We examined the selectivity of and insulin release from two boronic acids- (2-formyl-3-thienylboronic acid (FTBA) and 4-formylphenylboronic acid (FPBA)) conjugated chitosan scaffolds to glucose and fructose. Adsorption of glucose to BA: chitosan conjugates was dose-dependent up to 1:1 at 35 and 42% for FPBA and FTBA respectively but the FTBA conjugates adsorbed more glucose and fructose at respective FPBA ratios. The affinity of both BA conjugates to glucose decreased with increase in BA ratio. On the other hand, the affinity of both BA conjugates for fructose decreased from ratio 1:1 to 2:1 then rose again at 3:1. Insulin release from FPBA nanoparticles (FPBAINP) and FTBA nanoparticles (FTBAINP) were both concentration-dependent within glyceamically relevant values (1-3 mg/ml glucose and 0.002 mg/ml fructose). Furthermore, the total amounts of insulin released from FPBAINP in both the media were higher than from FTBAINP. Both FPBAINP and FTBAINP have the potential for development as a glucose-selective insulin delivery system in physiological settings.
    MeSH terms: Adsorption; Boronic Acids/chemistry*; Drug Carriers/metabolism*; Drug Carriers/chemistry*; Fructose/metabolism; Glucose/metabolism*; Insulin/chemistry*; Chitosan/chemistry*; Nanoparticles/chemistry; Drug Liberation*
  13. Fulltext Empirically derived guidance for social scientists to influence environmental policy
    Marshall N, Adger N, Attwood S, Brown K, Crissman C, Cvitanovic C, et al.
    PLoS One, 2017;12(3):e0171950.
    PMID: 28278238 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0171950
    Failure to stem trends of ecological disruption and associated loss of ecosystem services worldwide is partly due to the inadequate integration of the human dimension into environmental decision-making. Decision-makers need knowledge of the human dimension of resource systems and of the social consequences of decision-making if environmental management is to be effective and adaptive. Social scientists have a central role to play, but little guidance exists to help them influence decision-making processes. We distil 348 years of cumulative experience shared by 31 environmental experts across three continents into advice for social scientists seeking to increase their influence in the environmental policy arena. Results focus on the importance of process, engagement, empathy and acumen and reveal the importance of understanding and actively participating in policy processes through co-producing knowledge and building trust. The insights gained during this research might empower a science-driven cultural change in science-policy relations for the routine integration of the human dimension in environmental decision making; ultimately for an improved outlook for earth's ecosystems and the billions of people that depend on them.
    MeSH terms: Conservation of Natural Resources*; Decision Making*; Decision Support Techniques*; Humans; Policy Making*; Surveys and Questionnaires; Social Sciences/manpower*; Ecosystem; Environmental Policy*
  14. Single chamber microbial fuel cell (SCMFC) with a cathodic microalgal biofilm: A preliminary assessment of the generation of bioelectricity and biodegradation of real dye textile wastewater
    Logroño W, Pérez M, Urquizo G, Kadier A, Echeverría M, Recalde C, et al.
    Chemosphere, 2017 Mar 01;176:378-388.
    PMID: 28278426 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2017.02.099
    An air exposed single-chamber microbial fuel cell (SCMFC) using microalgal biocathodes was designed. The reactors were tested for the simultaneous biodegradation of real dye textile wastewater (RTW) and the generation of bioelectricity. The results of digital image processing revealed a maximum coverage area on the biocathodes by microalgal cells of 42%. The atmospheric and diffused CO2 could enable good algal growth and its immobilized operation on the cathode electrode. The biocathode-SCMFCs outperformed an open circuit voltage (OCV), which was 18%-43% higher than the control. Furthermore, the maximum volumetric power density achieved was 123.2 ± 27.5 mW m(-3). The system was suitable for the treatment of RTW and the removal/decrease of COD, colour and heavy metals. High removal efficiencies were observed in the SCMFCs for Zn (98%) and COD (92-98%), but the removal efficiencies were considerably lower for Cr (54-80%). We observed that this single chamber MFC simplifies a double chamber system. The bioelectrochemical performance was relatively low, but the treatment capacity of the system seems encouraging in contrast to previous studies. A proof-of-concept experiment demonstrated that the microalgal biocathode could operate in air exposed conditions, seems to be a promising alternative to a Pt cathode and is an efficient and cost-effective approach to improve the performance of single chamber MFCs.
    MeSH terms: Biodegradation, Environmental; Bioelectric Energy Sources; Carbon Dioxide; Color; Electrodes; Textiles; Zinc; Metals, Heavy; Microalgae; Waste Water
  15. The knowledge, awareness, attitude and motivational analysis of plastic waste and household perspective in Malaysia
    Afroz R, Rahman A, Masud MM, Akhtar R
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2017 Jan;24(3):2304-2315.
    PMID: 27812970 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-016-7942-0
    The focus of this study is to analyze the level of knowledge, awareness, and attitude toward plastic waste and to distinguish the key drivers that encourage the households in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to participate in "No plastic campaign," This study used the logistic regression model to explain the factors that may affect the willingness to participate (WTP) of households in the campaign. In this study, it is found that 35 % of households are willing to participate in the campaign. The results of the study also indicate that people who are more informed and more convinced of their knowledge have a more positive attitude toward recycling than their counterparts do. Furthermore, this study provides additional evidence of the level and classification of importance of motivating factors for plastic recycling, using the modified average and coefficient of variation of the models. From the analysis, the factor "helps reduce landfill use" is found as the most important factor and the factor of "raising money for charity" is found as the least important factor that motivates households to participate in recycling. The determinations of the study suggest some strategies that could hold implications for government and households to boost them to participate in the campaign "No Plastic Bag."
    MeSH terms: Attitude*; Awareness; Humans; Malaysia; Motivation*; Plastics*; Public Opinion*; Recycling*; Waste Disposal Facilities
  16. Experimental assessment of non-edible candlenut biodiesel and its blend characteristics as diesel engine fuel
    Imdadul HK, Zulkifli NW, Masjuki HH, Kalam MA, Kamruzzaman M, Rashed MM, et al.
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2017 Jan;24(3):2350-2363.
    PMID: 27815850 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-016-7847-y
    Exploring new renewable energy sources as a substitute of petroleum reserves is necessary due to fulfilling the oncoming energy needs for industry and transportation systems. In this quest, a lot of research is going on to expose different kinds of new biodiesel sources. The non-edible oil from candlenut possesses the potential as a feedstock for biodiesel production. The present study aims to produce biodiesel from crude candlenut oil by using two-step transesterification process, and 10%, 20%, and 30% of biodiesel were mixed with diesel fuel as test blends for engine testing. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and gas chromatography (GC) were performed and analyzed to characterize the biodiesel. Also, the fuel properties of biodiesel and its blends were measured and compared with the specified standards. The thermal stability of the fuel blends was measured by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scan calorimetry (DSC) analysis. Engine characteristics were measured in a Yanmar TF120M single cylinder direct injection (DI) diesel engine. Biodiesel produced from candlenut oil contained 15% free fatty acid (FFA), and two-step esterification and transesterification were used. FTIR and GC remarked the biodiesels' existing functional groups and fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) composition. The thermal analysis of the biodiesel blends certified about the blends' stability regarding thermal degradation, melting and crystallization temperature, oxidative temperature, and storage stability. The brake power (BP), brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC), and brake thermal efficiency (BTE) of the biodiesel blends decreased slightly with an increasing pattern of nitric oxide (NO) emission. However, the hydrocarbon (HC) and carbon monoxides (CO) of biodiesel blends were found decreased.
    MeSH terms: Vehicle Emissions/analysis; Carbon Monoxide/analysis; Chromatography, Gas; Hydrocarbons/analysis; Nitric Oxide/analysis; Temperature
  17. Climate change mitigation: comparative assessment of Malaysian and ASEAN scenarios
    Rasiah R, Ahmed A, Al-Amin AQ, Chenayah S
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2017 Jan;24(3):2632-2642.
    PMID: 27830414 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-016-7985-2
    This paper analyses empirically the optimal climate change mitigation policy of Malaysia with the business as usual scenario of ASEAN to compare their environmental and economic consequences over the period 2010-2110. A downscaling empirical dynamic model is constructed using a dual multidisciplinary framework combining economic, earth science, and ecological variables to analyse the long-run consequences. The model takes account of climatic variables, including carbon cycle, carbon emission, climatic damage, carbon control, carbon concentration, and temperature. The results indicate that without optimal climate policy and action, the cumulative cost of climate damage for Malaysia and ASEAN as a whole over the period 2010-2110 would be MYR40.1 trillion and MYR151.0 trillion, respectively. Under the optimal policy, the cumulative cost of climatic damage for Malaysia would fall to MYR5.3 trillion over the 100 years. Also, the additional economic output of Malaysia will rise from MYR2.1 billion in 2010 to MYR3.6 billion in 2050 and MYR5.5 billion in 2110 under the optimal climate change mitigation scenario. The additional economic output for ASEAN would fall from MYR8.1 billion in 2010 to MYR3.2 billion in 2050 before rising again slightly to MYR4.7 billion in 2110 in the business as usual ASEAN scenario.
    MeSH terms: Carbon/analysis; Carbon Dioxide/analysis; Climate; Ecology; Malaysia; Models, Theoretical*; Temperature; Climate Change*; Carbon Cycle*
  18. Solar photocatalytic degradation of 2-chlorophenol with ZnO nanoparticles: optimisation with D-optimal design and study of intermediate mechanisms
    Ba-Abbad MM, Takriff MS, Kadhum AA, Mohamad AB, Benamor A, Mohammad AW
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2017 Jan;24(3):2804-2819.
    PMID: 27837474 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-016-8033-y
    In this study, the photocatalytic degradation of toxic pollutant (2-chlorophenol) in the presence of ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) was investigated under solar radiation. The three main factors, namely pH of solution, solar intensity and calcination temperature, were selected in order to examine their effects on the efficiency of the degradation process. The response surface methodology (RSM) technique based on D-optimal design was applied to optimise the process. ANOVA analysis showed that solar intensity and calcination temperature were the two significant factors for degradation efficiency. The optimum conditions in the model were solar intensity at 19.8 W/m(2), calcination temperature at 404 °C and pH of 6.0. The maximum degradation efficiency was predicted to be 90.5% which was in good agreement with the actual experimental value of 93.5%. The fit of the D-optimal design correlated very well with the experimental results with higher values of R (2) and R (2)adj correlation coefficients of 0.9847 and 0.9676, respectively. The intermediate mechanism behaviour of the 2-chlorophenol degradation process was determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The results confirmed that 2-chlorophenol was converted to acetic acid, a non-toxic compound.
    MeSH terms: Catalysis; Chlorophenols*; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Sunlight; Temperature; Zinc Oxide; Nanoparticles*
  19. The effectiveness of combined tonsillectomy and anterior palatoplasty in the treatment of snoring and obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA)
    Adzreil B, Wong EHC, Saraiza AB, Raman R, Amin J
    Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol, 2017 Apr;274(4):2005-2011.
    PMID: 27838741 DOI: 10.1007/s00405-016-4382-x
    The prevalence of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is increasing due to a rising rate of obesity. Multiple surgical techniques used to address obstruction at the palatal level have been associated with significant morbidities. Few studies have reported good outcomes of anterior palatoplasty (AP) in mild-to-moderate OSA. The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of combining tonsillectomy and anterior palatoplasty in the treatment of snoring and OSA. All patients with snoring and OSA treated with tonsillectomy and anterior palatoplasty were analyzed. The primary outcome was reduction of the apnoea hypopnoea index (AHI) with surgical success criteria; reduction of AHI by ≥50% and AHI ≤10. The secondary outcomes measured were patients' Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and snoring visual analogue scale (VAS) scores. Thirty one patients completed the study, where 19% had mild, 42% moderate, and 39% had severe OSA. The mean surgical success rate was 45% at 3 months and 32% at 1-year post-operatively. There was a significant reduction of ESS and VAS at 3 months and 1-year post-operatively (p 
    MeSH terms: Adult; Female; Humans; Malaysia; Male; Middle Aged; Palate/physiopathology; Palate/surgery*; Postoperative Complications/diagnosis*; Severity of Illness Index; Treatment Outcome; Polysomnography/methods; Patient Selection
  20. Investigating the nitrogen dioxide concentrations in the boundary layer by using multi-axis spectroscopic measurements and comparison with satellite observations
    Khokhar MF, Nisar M, Noreen A, Khan WR, Hakeem KR
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2017 Jan;24(3):2827-2839.
    PMID: 27838904 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-016-7907-3
    This study emphasizes on near surface observation of chemically active trace gases such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2) over Islamabad on a regular basis. Absorption spectroscopy using backscattered extraterrestrial light source technique was used to retrieve NO2 differential slant column densities (dSCDs). Mini multi-axis-differential optical absorption spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) instrument was used to perform ground-based measurements at Institute of Environmental Sciences and Engineering (IESE), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) Islamabad, Pakistan. Tropospheric vertical column densities (VCDs) of NO2 were derived from measured dSCDs by using geometric air mass factor approach. A case study was conducted to identify the impact of different materials (glass, tinted glass, and acrylic sheet of various thicknesses used to cover the instrument) on the retrieval of dSCDs. Acrylic sheet of thickness 5 mm was found most viable option for casing material as it exhibited negligible impact in the visible wavelength range. Tropospheric NO2 VCD derived from ground-based mini MAX-DOAS measurements exceeded two times the Pak-NEQS levels and showed a reasonable comparison (r (2) = 0.65, r = 0.81) with satellite observations (root mean square bias of 39 %) over Islamabad, Pakistan.
    MeSH terms: Air Pollutants/analysis*; Environmental Monitoring/methods; Nitrogen Dioxide/analysis*; Ozone/analysis; Pakistan; Spectrum Analysis/methods
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