Browse publications by year: 2018

Fulltext Ball possession of successful team (Johor Darul Ta’zim FC) in Malaysia Super League 2015: A case study

Miswan, M.S., Aznan, E.A.M., Ismail, Z., Jamaludin, M., Mohd Kassim, A.F.

Movement Health & Exercise, 2018;7(2):111-126.
MyJurnal

The ability to possess the ball during soccer matches is linked to success. The
domination of Johor Darul Ta’zim FC (JDT FC) in recent years in the
Malaysia Super League has impressed many. The aim of this study was to
compare the performance between JDT FC and their opponents in Malaysia
Super League 2015 season. Successful and unsuccessful passes, ball
possession rates, attempt on goal, shot on target, and goals scored were
selected as Performance Indicators (P.I) in this study. Twelve matches from
Malaysia Super League (MSL) season 2015 were selected. Video of 12
matches was obtained from Media Prima Sdn. Bhd., www.youtube.com and
live recordings. Longo Match 1.0 match analysis software was used for
post-coding. Kolmogorov-Smirnov Z was used to analyses the differences
while Spearman's rho correlation test was utilized to determine the
correlation. Percentage of successful passes (p=0.034), ball possessions rate
(p=0.000), and goal scored (p=0.002) were significantly difference between
JDT FC and their opponents. There were also positive correlations between
possessions and all variables except for unsuccessful passes. This study
concludes that in Malaysian soccer matches, a high percentage of successful
passes and high rate of ball possessions influence total shots in a soccer
game.
Fulltext The impact of coaching education and coaching experience on coaching efficacy among Malaysian collegiate coaches

Kee, K.M., Nur, A.M.K.

Movement Health & Exercise, 2018;7(2):107-116.
MyJurnal

Coaches are the people responsible for helping athletes work towards
achieving their full potential. The influence of coaches is associated with
positive impacts on athletes by enhancing their performance, character
development, athlete satisfaction and other various positive outcomes. In
order to develop successful athletes, coaches need to have a high level of
coaching efficacy. Many factors may affect coaching efficacy, such as
coaching education and experience, and it might play a part in the ability of
coaches in coaching their athletes. Hence, the purpose of this study is to
determine the impact of coaching experience and education on coaching
efficacy among Malaysian collegiate coaches. A total of 331 coaches for
SUKIPT 2016 were involved in this study. The Coaching Efficacy Scale
(CES) questionnaire was used to measure the coaches coaching efficacy.
Overall, Malaysian collegiate coaches showed that their level of coaching
efficacy was high for all subscales, namely character building (M=7.92,
SD=.83), technique (M=7.91, SD=.89), game strategy (M=7.80, SD=.93), and
motivation (M=7.79, SD=.83). Furthermore, study shows that there was a
medium positive correlation between coaching experience (r=.37, n=331,
p

MeSH terms: Games, Recreational; Motivation; Personal Satisfaction; Surveys and Questionnaires; Universities; Athletes; Mentoring
Fulltext Breakfast consumption association with body status and physical activity among female university students

Nurul Najwa, R.

Movement Health & Exercise, 2018;7(2):93-106.
MyJurnal

Breakfast consumption is associated with many benefits, including behavioural, cognitive, and affective aspects. Young adults, especially female university/college students, frequently fail to meet the prescription of nutritional intake and often skip meals, particularly breakfast. Thus, this study investigates the associations of breakfast consumption with body status and level of physical activity among female university students. A total of 165 female university students, mean age 21.9 ± 1.5 years from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Shah Alam, Malaysia, voluntarily took part in this study. Body weight, height, waist circumference and body fat percentages were measured using standard procedures. The odd ratios were calculated to compare in level of physical activity between breakfast skippers and non-skippers. The findings revealed that breakfast consumption was not significantly associated with body mass index (BMI), waist circumference or physical activity level. Conversely, the results showed that breakfast consumption was significantly associated with body fat percentages (%BF) (p
Fulltext 12-weeks of Aqua Zumba Fitness® and metabolic syndrome in obese women

Maisarah, S., Sarina, M.Y., Mastura, J., Teh, L.K., Norizzati, M.I., Raja N.J.R.H.

Movement Health & Exercise, 2018;7(2):81-91.
MyJurnal

Background: The rate of obesity is consistently increasing in Malaysia, especially among women, which exposes the population to various metabolic and other mortality diseases. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of 12 weeks of Aqua Zumba® Fitness programmes on metabolic diseases indicators for obese young and middle-age women. Methods: Eighty previously sedentary obese (BMI >30 kg/m2) women (age 20-59 years old) were randomized to either a 12-week Aqua Zumba® regimen (AZ, n=40) or control group (C, n=40). Experiment group were involved in 12-weeks of Aqua Zumba® Fitness programmes, 3 times per week, 60 minutes per session, with an intensity of 50-75% of maximum heart rate. Body fat percentage (BF%), visceral fat (VF), waist circumference (WC), resting blood pressure (RBP), blood glucose (BG), and blood lipids (HDL and TG) were measured at baseline (week-0) and post-exercise intervention (week-13). Result: A significant difference (p
Fulltext Spiritual intelligence on health behaviours among Malaysian university students in a Malaysian public university: The mediating role of self efficacy

Dev, Roxana Dev Omar, Tengku Fadilah Tengku Kamalden, Soh, Kim Geok, Ahmad Fauzi Mohd Ayub, Ismi Arif Ismail

Movement Health & Exercise, 2018;7(2):53-64.
MyJurnal

University students experience a substantial amount of change where they
progress from the highly controlled setting of school to the self-motivated
environment of the university. Many changes which involve social,
financial, and environment elements, can be a burden to the students putting
them at risk in negative health behaviours. Negative health behaviours
among university students are a cause for concern since they have a
tendency to be carried into adulthood, which may cause the emergence of
chronic disease at a younger age. Spiritual intelligence together with selfefficacy
is seen to promote better health behaviour. Therefore, the purpose
of the study was to investigate the relationship between spiritual intelligence
and self-efficacy on health behaviours among university students in
Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia. A correlational study was conducted
on 400 undergraduate university students living on campus and were chosen
through stratified random sampling technique using closed ended
questionnaires (The Spiritual Self-Report Inventory, General Self Efficacy
Scale and a modified version of Health Style Questionnaire). Pearson
correlation and structural equation modelling were used to explore
association between these aspects. Spiritual intelligence, self-efficacy and
health behaviour were significantly correlated. Self-efficacy showed a
partial mediation effect towards the relationship between spiritual
intelligence and promoting health behaviour (p=0.000). Thus, an association
was found between spiritual intelligence with health behaviour, and selfefficacy
with health behaviour. It is interpreted that spiritual intelligence can
boost positive health behaviour and it is associated with self-efficacy
relevantly gives benefit to health behaviour. Such data have important
implications for both health practice and policy, especially in the context of
higher education institutions.

MeSH terms: Chronic Disease; Intelligence; Malaysia; Surveys and Questionnaires; Schools; Students; Universities; Health Behavior; Self Efficacy
Fulltext Design and development of a spatial immersive track cycling simulator

Yap, H.J., Tan, C.H., Sivadas, C.S., Wan, W.L., Taha, Z., Chang, S.W.

Movement Health & Exercise, 2018;7(2):39-52.
MyJurnal

Virtual Reality (VR) is a technology that makes use of computer graphics,
algorithms and special hardware to simulate the real world in real time. There
are four main elements required to make a VR system a success, namely
virtual world, immersion, sensory feedback and interactivity. The virtual
world created must be as real as possible. Users should have a sense of
immersion in the virtual world. Position tracking is usually incorporated into
a VR system for visual, sound and force feedback on the users and the virtual
objects in the VR world must be interact-able with the users. VR has proven
to be effective in training and widely used in many areas, for example medical
surgery, dental treatment, psychology treatment for phobia, engineering
design, maintenance and repair, sports and many more. By implementing VR
technology in training, users are able to reduce the training cost and time. VR
training is also safer for users, as harsh environments can be simulated despite
the environment and/or human factors. On the other hand, the physical
facilities and infrastructures of the track cycling are very costly. In track
cycling, the game field, known as a velodrome, requires a large space of area.
It requires a huge budget and professional manpower to maintain these
facilities. Therefore, the proposed spatial immersive track cycling simulator
is invented to overcome these issues. The aim of this study is to simulate the
velodrome track cycling in VR environment and synchronize with a 6 degreeof-freedom
motion platform. The simulator is aimed to be low cost and
minimal space requirement compared to actual velodrome. A trainee who
undergoes VR track cycling simulator training wears a head-mounted-display (HMD) to visualize the VR environment. An actual bike will be mounted on
the 6-DOF motion platform, which the platform will synchronize with the VR
environment to simulate the track condition for the training purposes. An
encoder is placed at the bicycle wheel to feedback the moving speed and
synchronize the visualize feedback to the HMD.

MeSH terms: Algorithms; Bicycling; Computer Graphics; Feedback; Freedom; Humans; Maintenance; Phobic Disorders; User-Computer Interface; Feedback, Sensory
Fulltext "Drive Thru" attendance system using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID): a review

Abu Bakar Ibrahim, Che Zalina Zulkifli, Nurul Husna Abdul Kahar

Journal of Advanced Research Design, 2018;46(1):30-36.
MyJurnal

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) play a big role in people daily lives. Various
applications of RFID including transportation and logistics, manufacturing and
processing, security, animal tagging, waste management, time and attendance, road
toll management and etc. The aim of this research is to improve old attendance system
that capable to eliminate time waste during manual collected attendance by create
“Drive-Thru” attendance system. This model can be given an access badge with radio
frequency identification (RFID) chip in it as its use technique of electromagnetic fields
to exchange data from a tag (like a smart tag) to an object (a reader) at the post guard
for the purpose of identification or tracking. Development in RFID technology widely
increasing in adopting new and many features.
Fulltext Evaluation of residential satisfaction towards building maintenance at Rumah Selangorku Damai Utama

Mohd Aliff Farhan Musa, Rafizah Musa

Journal of Advanced Research Design, 2018;46(1):23-29.
MyJurnal

Low-cost high rise housing project is developed to provide a chance for low-income
citizen to own a house at a lower market price. Each low-cost high-rise residential
building possesses its own building management body where one of its duties is to
manage residential area after the strata title has been issued to the purchaser. The
study was carried out to evaluate the level of satisfaction among residents of one lowcost
housing area towards the maintenance activities administered by the building
management body. This research employed mixed-method approach; quantitative and
qualitative, as it able to capture accurate data from both residents and the building
management body. This study concluded that the residents of Rumah Selangorku
Damai Utama are mostly leaning towards dissatisfaction with the building and facilities
maintenance services provided by the building management body.

MeSH terms: Employment; Housing; Maintenance; Personal Satisfaction; Poverty; Research
Fulltext Effects of brine concentration,thickness and microwave finish drying on the textural characteristics of buffalo jerky

Cheah, Michelle Yeah Wen, Mohammad Rashedi Ismail-Fitry, Nor Afizah Mustapha, Nur Hanani Zainal Abedin

Journal of Advanced Research Design, 2018;46(1):14-22.
MyJurnal

Jerky, a ready-to-eat snack, known for its high protein and low-fat content. Current
methods used in jerky processing take 6-10 hours in a conventional oven, dehydrator
or smokehouse. In this study, whole buffalo meat was sliced to 5mm and 6mm and
cured in three different salt concentrations of 1.0%, 1.5% and 2.0% for 24 hours at
4°C. The effects of microwave finish drying (5, 10 and 15 seconds) were examined
after samples were dried in a convection oven for three hours. Cured buffalo slices
showed significant (p
Fulltext Public preference of Islamic garden elements and professional perceptions towards Astaka Moroco in Putrajaya compared to Middle Eastern Islamic Gardens

Fazlena Abd. Rahim, Norsidah Ujang, Mohamed Mohamed Tolba Said

Journal of Advanced Research Design, 2018;46(1):1-13.
MyJurnal

The lack of understanding of Islamic principles in the design of public spaces has led to
the weakness of the function, aesthetic value and the identity of urban places. The study
seeks to identify the characteristics and elements of the Islamic urban space in
Putrajaya base on publics and expert perception and preference. A questionnaire
survey was conducted with approximately 500 civilians to analyse the public perception
of Putra Square and Astaka Moroco. A photo base interview was carried out with
approximately 100 professionals in the built environment field to evaluate the quality
of Astaka Moroco in comparison to Islamic gardens in the Middle East based on their
perception. The results indicate that the style of the Dataran Putra is the most preferred
by the public compared to the Astaka Morocco. The professionals inform that Astaka
Morocco is not comparable to the quality of Islamic gardens in the Middle East either
in terms of function or aesthetic value due to the lack of understanding of the Islamic gardens elements and principles. In addition, the public liked the Islamic garden style
that reflects the local identity and the functions as public spaces instead of just as an
exhibit or a model. The findings can be a good guide in designing the Islamic public
spaces which are favoured by the public.

MeSH terms: Environment Design; Esthetics; Humans; Islam; Middle East; Morocco; Perception; Surveys and Questionnaires; Gardening; Gardens
Fulltext Mathematical modelling of the growth curve of Vibrio sp. isolate MZ grown in seawater medium

Maryam Zahaba, Mohd. Yunus Shukor, Mohd. Izuan Effendi Halmi, Ahmad Razi Othman

Bioremediation Science and Technology Research, 2018;6(1):31-34.
MyJurnal

Pollution in the environment is deteriorating the ecology due to human activities in a large array
of industrial and agricultural sectors. Bioassay of polluted waters using bioluminescent bacterium
has been touted as one of the most economical, rapid and sensitive tests. The growth of the
bacterium on seawater medium exhibited a typical sigmoidal profile. To extract important growth
parameters useful for further modelling exercise, various primary growth models were utilized in
this study such as Modified Logistic, modified Gompertz, modified Richards, modified Schnute,
Baranyi-Roberts, von Bertalanffy, Huang and the Buchanan three-phase model. The best
performance was Huang model with the lowest value for RMSE, AICc and the highest value for
adjusted R2. The AF and BF values were also excellent for the model with their values were the
closest to 1.0. The Huang parameters, which include A or Y0 (bacterial growth lower asymptote),
μm (maximum specific bacterial growth rate), l (lag time) and Ymax (bacterial growth upper
asymptote) were 7.866 (95% confidence interval of 7.850 to 7.883), 0.329 (95% confidence
interval of 0.299 to 0.359), 1.543 (95% confidence interval of 1.303 to 1.784) and 8.511 (95%
confidence interval of 0.299 to 0.359).
Fulltext Isolation and characterization of a heavy metal-reducing Pseudomonas sp. strain Dr.Y Kertih with the ability to assimilate phenol and diesel

Veeraswamy Kesavan, Abdulrasheed Mansur, Mohd Syahmi Ramzi Salihan, Rahman, M.F., Suhaili, Zarizal, Shukor, M.Y.

Bioremediation Science and Technology Research, 2018;6(1):14-22.
MyJurnal

The indiscriminate released of heavy metals and xenobiotics into soils and aquatic bodies
severely alter soil organisms and the ecosystem. The isolation of xenobiotics degrading
microorganisms is cost-effective and naturally pleasant approach. Lately, the toxicological effect
of molybdenum to the spermatogenesis of several organisms has been record. This present study
is aimed at the isolation and characterization of a bacterium capable of converting molybdenum
to the colloidal molybdenum blue. Bacteria characterization was performed in a microplate
format using resting cells. Thus, the reduction process can be employed as a device for
molybdenum bioremediation. The results of the study revealed an optimum reduction at pH
between 6.0 and 6.3 and temperatures of between 25 and 40 oC. Similarly, it was also observed
that a phosphate concentration not greater than 5.0 mM and a sodium molybdate concentration
at 20 mM was required for reduction. Glucose was observed as the best carbon source to support
reduction. Following the scanning of molybdenum blue, it revealed an absorption spectrum
indicating the characteristics of molybdenum blue as a reduced phosphomolybdate. Molybdenum
reduction is inhibited by heavy metals like silver, lead, arsenic and mercury. Furthermore, the
ability of the bacterium (Pseudomonas sp. strain Dr.Y Kertih) to utilize several organic
xenobiotics such as phenol, acrylamide, nicotinamide, acetamide, iodoacetamide, propionamide,
acetamide, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and diesel as electron donor sources for aiding
reduction or as carbon sources for growth was also examined. Finding showed that none was
capable of aiding molybdenum reduction, however the bacterium was capable of growing on both
diesel and phenol as carbon sources. GC analysis was used to confirmed diesel degradation.

MeSH terms: Amides; Arsenic; Biodegradation, Environmental; Carbon; Electrons; Glucose; Iodoacetamide; Mercury; Molybdenum; Niacinamide; Phosphates; Phosphoric Acids; Pseudomonas; Silver; Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate; Soil; Spermatogenesis; Temperature; Xenobiotics; Ecosystem; Metals, Heavy; Phenol; Acrylamide
Fulltext Preliminary screening of plant proteases as a potential source for the development of an inhibitive assay for heavy metals

Gunasekaran, B., Johari, W.L.W., Wasoh, M.H., Masdor, N.A., Shukor, M.Y.

Bioremediation Science and Technology Research, 2018;6(1):9-13.
MyJurnal

Heavy metals pollution has become a great threat to the world. Since instrumental methods are
expensive and need skilled technician, a simple and fast method is needed to determine the
presence of heavy metals in the environment. In this work, a preliminary study was carried out
on the applicability of various local plants as a source of protease for the future development of
the inhibitive enzyme assay for heavy-metals. The crude proteases preparation was assayed using
casein as a substrate in conjunction with the Coomassie dye-binding assay. The crude protease
from the kesinai plant was found to be the most potent plant protease. The crude enzyme
exhibited broad temperature and pH ranges for activity and will be developed in the future as a
potential inhibitive assay for heavy metals.

MeSH terms: Caseins; Environmental Pollution; Endopeptidases; Plants; Temperature; Metals, Heavy; Enzyme Assays
Fourth-Generation Antibiotic Gatifloxacin Encapsulated by Microemulsions: Structural and Probing Dynamics

Nazar MF, Yasir Siddique M, Saleem MA, Zafar M, Nawaz F, Ashfaq M, et al.

Langmuir, 2018 Sep 11;34(36):10603-10612.
PMID: 30109940 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.8b01775

To overcome the increased disease rate, utilization of the versatile broad spectrum antibiotic drugs in controlled drug-delivery systems has been a challenging and complex consignment. However, with the development of microemulsion (μE)-based formulations, drugs can be effectively encapsulated and transferred to the target source. Herein, two biocompatible oil-in-water (o/w) μE formulations comprising clove oil/Tween 20/ethylene glycol/water (formulation A) and clove oil/Tween 20/1-butanol/water (formulation B) were developed for encapsulating the gatifloxacin (GTF), a fourth-generation antibiotic. The pseudoternary phase diagrams were mapped at a constant surfactant/co-surfactant (1:1) ratio to bound the existence of a monophasic isotropic region for as-formulated μEs. Multiple complementary characterization techniques, namely, conductivity (σ), viscosity (η), and optical microscopy analyses, were used to study the gradual changes that occurred in the microstructure of the as-formulated μEs, indicating the presence of a percolation transformation to a bicontinuous permeate flow. GTF showed good solubility, 3.2 wt % at pH 6.2 and 4.0 wt % at pH 6.8, in optimum μE of formulation A and formulation B, respectively. Each loaded μE formulation showed long-term stability over 8 months of storage. Moreover, no observable aggregation of GTF was found, as revealed by scanning transmission electron microscopy and peak-to-peak correlation of IR analysis, indicating the stability of GTF inside the formulation. The average particle size of each μE, measured by dynamic light scattering, increased upon loading GTF, intending the accretion of drug in the interfacial layers of microdomains. Likewise, fluorescence probing sense an interfacial hydrophobic environment to GTF molecules in any of the examined formulations, which may be of significant interest for understanding the kinetics of drug release.
Treatment of chronic back pain using indirect vibroacoustic therapy: A pilot study

Lim E, Lim R, Suhaimi A, Chan BT, Wahab AKA

J Back Musculoskelet Rehabil, 2018;31(6):1041-1047.
PMID: 30149436 DOI: 10.3233/BMR-171042

BACKGROUND: Low frequency sound wave stimulation therapy has become increasingly popular in the rehabilitation fields, due to its ease, less fatiguing and time efficient application.
OBJECTIVE: This 12-week pilot study examines the efficacy of applying low frequency sound wave stimulation (between 16-160 Hz) through both hands and feet on relieving pain and improving functional ability in patients with chronic back pain.
METHODS: Twenty-three participants with chronic shoulder (eleven participants) or low back pain (twelve participants) underwent a 12-week vibration therapy program of three sessions per week. A low frequency sound wave device comprising four piezoelectric vibration-type tactile tranducers enclosed in separate 5-cm diameter circular plates, which generate sinusoidal vibratory stimuli at a frequency of 16-160 Hz, was used in this study. Primary outcome measure was pain sensation measured using the Visual Analogue Scale (P-VAS). The secondary outcome measures were pain-related disability measured using the pain disability index (PDI) and quality of life measured using the SF-12.
RESULTS: At week 12, significant reductions in pain sensation and pain-related disability were observed, with mean reductions of 3.5 points in P-VAS and 13.5 points in the PDI scores. Sixty-five percent of the participants had a reduction of at least 3 points on the P-VAS score, while 52% participants showed a decrease of at least 10 points in the PDI score. Significant improvement was observed in the SF-12 physical composite score but not the mental composite score.
CONCLUSIONS: The preliminary findings showed that passive application of low frequency sound wave stimulation therapy through both hands and feet was effective in alleviating pain and improving functional ability in patients with chronic back pain.

MeSH terms: Analgesics; Humans; Pain Measurement; Pilot Projects; Quality of Life; Shoulder; Vibration; Outcome Assessment (Health Care); Low Back Pain; Pain Perception; Visual Analog Scale
Fulltext The Effects of Vitamin E from Elaeis guineensis (Oil Palm) in a Rat Model of Bone Loss Due to Metabolic Syndrome

Wong SK, Chin KY, Suhaimi FH, Ahmad F, Ima-Nirwana S

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2018 08 24;15(9).
PMID: 30149518 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph15091828

The beneficial effects of vitamin E in improving components of MetS or bone loss have been established. This study aimed to investigate the potential of palm vitamin E (PVE) as a single agent, targeting MetS and bone loss concurrently, using a MetS animal model. Twelve-week-old male Wistar rats were divided into five groups. The baseline group was sacrificed upon arrival. The normal group was given standard rat chow. The remaining three groups were fed with high-carbohydrate high-fat (HCHF) diet and treated with tocopherol-stripped corn oil (vehicle), 60 mg/kg or 100 mg/kg PVE. At the end of the study, the rats were evaluated for MetS parameters and bone density. After euthanasia, blood and femurs were harvested for the evaluation of lipid profile, bone histomorphometric analysis, and remodeling markers. PVE improved blood pressure, glycemic status, and lipid profile; increased osteoblast surface, osteoid surface, bone volume, and trabecular thickness, as well as decreased eroded surface and single-labeled surface. Administration of PVE also significantly reduced leptin level in the HCHF rats. PVE is a potential agent in concurrently preventing MetS and protecting bone loss. This may be, in part, achieved by reducing the leptin level and modulating the bone remodeling activity in male rats.

MeSH terms: Animals; Male; Osteoporosis/etiology*; Osteoporosis/prevention & control*; Vitamin E/pharmacology*; Vitamin E/chemistry; Bone Density/drug effects; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Rats, Wistar; Metabolic Syndrome X/complications*; Rats; Diet, High-Fat/adverse effects
Fulltext Breast Cancer Detection Using Infrared Thermal Imaging and a Deep Learning Model

Mambou SJ, Maresova P, Krejcar O, Selamat A, Kuca K

Sensors (Basel), 2018 Aug 25;18(9).
PMID: 30149621 DOI: 10.3390/s18092799

Women's breasts are susceptible to developing cancer; this is supported by a recent study from 2016 showing that 2.8 million women worldwide had already been diagnosed with breast cancer that year. The medical care of a patient with breast cancer is costly and, given the cost and value of the preservation of the health of the citizen, the prevention of breast cancer has become a priority in public health. Over the past 20 years several techniques have been proposed for this purpose, such as mammography, which is frequently used for breast cancer diagnosis. However, false positives of mammography can occur in which the patient is diagnosed positive by another technique. Additionally, the potential side effects of using mammography may encourage patients and physicians to look for other diagnostic techniques. Our review of the literature first explored infrared digital imaging, which assumes that a basic thermal comparison between a healthy breast and a breast with cancer always shows an increase in thermal activity in the precancerous tissues and the areas surrounding developing breast cancer. Furthermore, through our research, we realized that a Computer-Aided Diagnostic (CAD) undertaken through infrared image processing could not be achieved without a model such as the well-known hemispheric model. The novel contribution of this paper is the production of a comparative study of several breast cancer detection techniques using powerful computer vision techniques and deep learning models.

MeSH terms: Machine Learning*; Breast/pathology; Breast Neoplasms/pathology; Female; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Infrared Rays*; Sensitivity and Specificity; Thermography*
Synthesis, spectral analysis and antibacterial activity of some novel 5-substituted-2-((6-bromo-3,4-methylenedioxybenzyl)thio)-1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives

Rehman A, Siddiqa A, Abbasi MA, Siddiqui SZ, Khan SG, Rasool S, et al.

Pak J Pharm Sci, 2018 Sep;31(5):1783-1790.
PMID: 30150171

A number of novel 5-substituted-2-((6-bromo-3,4-methylenedioxybenzyl)thio)-1,3,4-Oxadiazole derivatives (6a-l) have been synthesized to evaluate their antibacterial activity. Using aryl/aralkyl carboxylic acids (1a-l) as precursors, 5-substituted-1,3,4-Oxadiazol-2-thiols (4a-l) were yielded in good amounts. The derivatives, 4a-l, were subjected to electrophilic substitution reaction on stirring with 6-bromo-3,4-methylenedioxybenzyl chloride (5) in DMF to synthesize the required compounds. All the synthesized molecules were well characterized by IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and EIMS spectral data and evaluated for antibacterial activity against some bacterial strains of Gram-bacteria. The molecule, 6d, demonstrated the best activity among all the synthesized molecules exhibiting weak to moderate inhibition potential.

MeSH terms: Anti-Bacterial Agents/analysis*; Anti-Bacterial Agents/chemical synthesis*; Bacillus subtilis/drug effects; Bacillus subtilis/growth & development; Escherichia coli/drug effects; Escherichia coli/growth & development; Humans; Microbial Sensitivity Tests/methods; Oxadiazoles/analysis*; Oxadiazoles/chemical synthesis*; Oxadiazoles/pharmacology
Knowledge of modes of HIV transmission among public secondary school students in urban and rural areas in Malaysia

Khan MAN, Md Rosly NA, Abdul Majeed AB, Ismail NE

Pak J Pharm Sci, 2018 Sep;31(5):1985-1990.
PMID: 30150198

The school students are of particular importance in the HIV/AIDS awareness policies at both local and international level. This study was conducted to assess the level of knowledge of the modes of HIV transmission among urban and rural public secondary school students in Malaysia. In this cross-sectional study, post local ethics approval, 600self-administered questionnaires were randomly disseminated to students in 6 different secondary schools and areas (i.e. 3 urban schools and 3 rural schools). Data were descriptively and inferentially analyzed using Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS®), version 17. The Pearson Chi-Square test was applied where applicable. Most respondents had heard about HIV (overall response rate: 96.2%). However, 8.9% of rural respondents (27/302) never heard about HIV and were excluded. Therefore, 275 urban students (Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, and Pahang) and 275 rural students (Terengganu) who successfully completed and returned the questionnaires were included in data analysis. Many respondents were female and within the age range of 15-16 years old. Most respondents in both areas knew that sharing needles can transmit HIV (93.5% urban; 97.1% rural). Out of 15 items concerning transmission modes of HIV, eight items showed significant values (p < 0.05) of rural vs. urban: saliva, urine, tears, using same swimming pool, blood transfusion, mosquito bites, sharing foods and donating blood to HIV patients. About 90.2% and 79.6% of respondents in urban and rural areas used television and newspapers as main source of knowledge on HIV, respectively. The implementation of incessant HIV and AIDS education programme could be useful in order to enhance and sustain awareness concerning HIV/AIDS among secondary school students.

MeSH terms: Adolescent; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Health Education/methods; Humans; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*; Malaysia/epidemiology; Male; Random Allocation; Rural Population*; Schools*; Students/psychology*; Urban Population*; HIV Infections/epidemiology; HIV Infections/psychology; HIV Infections/transmission*
Molecular Detection of Porphyromonas gingivalis in Chronic Periodontitis Patients

Kulkarni PG, Gosavi S, Haricharan PB, Malgikar S, Mudrakola DP, Turagam N, et al.

J Contemp Dent Pract, 2018 Aug 01;19(8):992-996.
PMID: 30150503

AIM: In the current study, Porphyromonas gingivalis was identified in chronic periodontitis patients and healthy subjects by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and its presence correlated with the severity of clinical periodontal parameters.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Subgingival plaque samples were collected with sterile curette and subjected to deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) extraction and subsequent PCR for detection of P. gingivalis.
RESULTS: Porphyromonas gingivalis was detected in 60% of patients of group II (pocket depth up to 5 mm), and in 93.33% of patients of group III (pocket depth more than 5 mm). One periodontally healthy subject in group I (probing depth < 3 mm) showed the presence of P. gingivalis.
CONCLUSION: Detection frequency of bacterium increased significantly with increase in probing pocket depth (PPD), loss of attachment (LOA), and gingival index (GI).
CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Porphyromonas gingivalis is strongly associated with chronic periodontitis and its detection frequency positively correlates with the severity of periodontal destruction.

MeSH terms: DNA; Humans; Periodontal Index; Periodontal Pocket; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Porphyromonas gingivalis; Chronic Periodontitis; Healthy Volunteers

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