Browse publications by year: 2019

  1. Fulltext Macroscopic and microscopic characteristics of 2- and 4-Year-Old schizostachyum brachycladum
    Mohamad Saiful Sulaiman, Razak Wahab, Sitti Fatimah Mhd. Ramle, Nasihah Mokhtar, Ros Syazmini Mohd Ghani
    Borneo Journal of Sciences and Technology, 2019;1(1):62-69.
    MyJurnal
    Anatomical of cell wall structure on Schizostachyum brachycladum examined. The harvested two-year-old and four-year-old bamboo culms segregated into the bottom, middle and top portions. The samples then undergo the Light Microscopy (LM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) to determine their structure such as a vascular bundle, parenchyma, and sclerenchyma. Results show the surface of bamboo was visualized by LM to decide on their structural figure. In this part, 2-year age indicated that higher numbers of vascular bundle and average of mean compared to the 4-year S. brachycladum. Followed by a specific study of cell wall structure using SEM with highlighted 4-year S. brachycladum had more complex of morphology structure compared to the 2-year-old. Later on, TEM illustrated to shows most depth anatomically structure of bamboo such as middle lamella, primary and secondary walls.
  2. Fulltext Properties of composite boards properties from elaeis guineensis empty fruit bunch
    Razak Wahab, Mohamad Saiful Sulaiman, Ros Syazmini Mohd Ghani, Nasihah Mokhtar, Siti Marlia Mohd Don, Hashim W. Samsi
    Borneo Journal of Sciences and Technology, 2019;1(1):53-61.
    MyJurnal
    This study focussed on composite boards made from Elaeis guineesis empty fruit bunches (EFB). The EFB supplied by a smallholder oil palm planter in Kuala Krai, Kelantan. The fibre cutter and crusher were used in turning the EFB into smaller size particles. They were screened with four-tier sieve shaker used to remove the oversize particles and impurities present. Hardeners and wax added during the mixing process at 1% and 3%. Boards of three (3) different densities were produced using urea-formaldehyde as the bonding agent. The boards produced later conditioned in a chamber set at 20±2°C and 65% relative humidity. The testing procedure set by EN Standards and specifications were followed. The tests results showed the EFB composite boards possessed excellent physical and mechanical properties. The MOR, MOE and internal bonding of the boards were 22.91 N/mm2, 2059.56 N/mm2, and 0.98 N/mm2. The internal bonding for both edge and face screw withdrawal were 467.47 N/mm2, and 512.37 N/mm2 respectively. Boards with 700 g/cm3 density and 14% resin content met all the requirement needed according to standard exercised. Scanning electron microscope images of low-performance boards showed the resin and fibre in the board interacted closely, but voids appeared at the cross-section suggesting moisture penetrated the board via the open spaces and attacked the linkages existed, thus cause the board to have a low property. The thermal stability of the boards manufactured studied using the Thermogravimetric Analysis.
  3. Fulltext Preliminary assessment on riverine soil properties of Sg. Lebir, Kelantan, peninsular Malaysia
    Syafinie Majid, Noor Jemali, Mohamad Saiful Sulaiman, Sadam Kahar, Shaharlina Rasid, Ain Talib, et al.
    Borneo Journal of Sciences and Technology, 2019;1(1):50-52.
    MyJurnal
    Soil is the unconsolidated material in which plants are rooted. Soil texture is determined by the amount of sand, silt and clay in the soil. Understanding soil properties can help to better management and minimize soil disturbance. These soils were collected for soil properties and bulk density along the 55.2km of Sg. Lebir. Soil on Earth commonly contains of various particles such as sand, silt and clay. These particles commonly classes by refer to soil textural triangle. 40g of air-dried sample diluted into 1000ml of deionised water were left until the percentage of sand, silt and clay observed then calculated as percentage. As calculated, the mean percentage of sand contained is 66%, clay 17% and silt 17%. Besides that, it was concluded that most of the soils texture along 55.2km of Sg. Lebir had a sandy loam soil with pH slightly acidic (6.08) with densities the mean is 0.24 gcm-3.
  4. Fulltext Formulation of a hybrid framework for heritage tree expert assessment and classification: a malaysian perspective
    Jonathan Teng Yi Chuon, Lau, Simon Boung Yew, Alias Mohd. Sood
    Borneo Journal of Sciences and Technology, 2019;1(1):41-49.
    MyJurnal
    In Malaysia, there is an abundance of tropical heritage trees throughout the country. Heritage trees are natural large trees with exceptional value due to association with age or special event or distinguished people. For sustainable heritage trees conservation, it is essential to set up a repository of such trees to prevent the trees from being destroyed unwittingly. In this regard, a general, yet localised framework for assessment and classification of the trees is essential. In this study, ten assessment and classification criteria with a total of forty-one sub-indicators were formulated. The framework supplements the general, easy-to-understand Tree Assessment for Heritage (TreeAH) model with localised Malaysian arborists’ expert opinions elicited via rigorous Delphi and focus group techniques. The framework facilitates tree care experts the election of nominated trees as heritage trees. Efforts are currently underway by the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) to refine and customise the framework with more specific assessment scales and questionnaire for the purpose of quantifying values of trees in the FRIM campus in Kepong, Kuala Lumpur for UNESCO world heritage site application. Preliminary result shows promising prospect of the framework being used not only for the FRIM’s use case but also at a larger scale nationwide for heritage tree assessment and classification.
  5. Fulltext A review about zig zag connections in transformers
    Peter, Geno, Samat bin Iderus, Ramli bin Rashidi
    Borneo Journal of Sciences and Technology, 2019;1(1):36-40.
    MyJurnal
    Whenever, we think of three phase transformer connections, we think straightaway either about star connected transformer or delta connected transformers. A great majority of polyphase transformers are either star connected or connected in delta. In either case, the connection is symmetrical or balanced. In this paper we wish to explore about zig zag windings being used as earthing transformers and the effect of short circuit current. Double zig zag windings is also dealt here.
  6. Fulltext Modified osgood equation for acacia mangium
    Buglie, William L. N., Mohd Shahril bin Osman
    Borneo Journal of Sciences and Technology, 2019;1(1):33-35.
    MyJurnal
    The purpose of this study is to identify the Osgood’s coefficient of species and the Modified Osgood Equation for Acacia mangium. Acacia mangium trees were cut to produce oven-dried Small Clear Specimens that were then tested until fracture. Results were gathered from static tensile tests in the direction parallel (0° angle), perpendicular (90° angle) and at 30° angle to the wood grain. All test results confirmed that the Acacia mangium wood is brittle as there was no obvious necking observed on the test specimens. From the static testing, the Osgood’s coefficient of species for Acacia mangium, (a), is identified algebraically to be 0.49. Acacia mangium, by nature, has a significant difference in the strengths parallel and perpendicular to the grain line. The finalized results of the Ultimate Tensile Strength for 15-year old Acacia mangium demonstrated that the Ultimate Tensile Strength in parallel and perpendicular to the grain directions are 143.87 MPa and 6.32 MPa respectively, while the Ultimate Tensile Strength at 30° grain angle is 32.985 MPa. An extreme reduction of 95.6% of the Ultimate Tensile Strength was identified between 0° and 90° grain angles with a decreased value from 143.87 MPa to 6.32 MPa.
  7. Fulltext Fatigue strength of acacia mangium
    Buglie, William L. N., Mohd Shahril bin Osman
    Borneo Journal of Sciences and Technology, 2019;1(1):29-32.
    MyJurnal
    The works in this study is to investigate and understand the nature of Acacia mangium axial fatigue strengths under repeated stress. Acacia mangium trees were cut to produce oven-dried Small Clear Specimens that were then tested until fracture in parallel to the grain direction. This was carried out in order to discover its Ultimate Tensile Strength, which was later identified as 143.87 MPa, in parallel to the grain direction (0° grain angle). In the next phase, specimens were tested for fatigue strengths in repeated-tensile sinusoidal waveform loading at 100 Hz frequency. The stress levels for this test were at the ratios of 80, 60, 40, 30, 20 and 10% of the Ultimate Tensile Strength (0° grain angle) for the construction of Life (N) - Stress (S) plots and empirical correlation. It was observed that the Acacia Mangium N-S (Wöhler) plots have an exponential correlation with the N – intercept of vertical axis at five (5) million cycles, while the intercept of horizontal, S – axis, was at 143.87 MPa. The study also observed that Acacia mangium achieves 106 life cycles at 10% stress level. For this reason, it is concluded that the material has a fatigue endurance limit at 10% of the Ultimate Tensile Strength for 0° grain angle.
  8. Fulltext Assessment of water quality and sedimentary nutrient status of Tumpat mangrove swamp forest at Kelantan Delta, Malaysia
    Mohammed Abdus Salam, Siti Fazlin Binti Othman, Mohammad Mahbub Kabir, Aweng, E R, Md. Abdul Khaleque, Md. Shohel Khan
    Borneo Journal of Sciences and Technology, 2019;1(1):21-28.
    MyJurnal
    An assessment of water quality and sediment nutrients has been carried out in Tumpat mangrove swamp forest located at Kelantan Delta in Malaysia. This mangrove delta is considered as very important to reduce the destruction of any natural disaster. Tumpat mangrove delta is possessed with several islands. Among them five islands situated at different locations started from inland edge to seaward were selected for present study. Different anthropogenic activities such as dumping of industrial and domestic effluent may contribute to degrade the water quality and sediments nutrient status. A total of 90 (water and sediment) samples 45 from each category were collected from 5 randomly selected islands. The aims of this study were to assess the water quality and sedimentary nutrients status and establish their relationship to find out the nutrient’s dynamic of Tumpat Mangrove Forest. The samples were tested in the laboratory to determine the water parameters and nutrient status. The results revealed that the mean concentration of DO, electric conductivity, pH was 4.67 ± 0.13 mg/L, 20.49 ± 4.71 μS/cm and 8.32 ± 0.06 and ranged from 4.47-4.87 mg/L, 14.21-28.67 μs/cm and 8.24-8.42 at Palau Bedal (PB), Palau Layang-layang (PL), Palau Kambing (PK), Palau Mas (PS) and Palau Tujuh (PT) islands, respectively. The mean concentration of BOD, COD and oil and grease (OG) were 1.09 ± 0.13 mg/L, 70.93 ± 25.21 mg/L and 91.77 ± 68.16 mg/L and the values were ranged from 0.9-1.25 mg/L, 44.33-120 mg/L and 18.67-205.71 mg/L at PB, PL, PK, PS and PT islands, respectively. Mean percentage of sediment nutrients such as N, P, K and Ca were 0.41 ± 0.04%, 4.66 ± 2.09 mg/L, 50.61 ± 10.58 mg/L and 83.15 ± 11.78 mg/L and ranged from 0.36-0.49%, 2.14-8.33 mg/L, 34.25-69.4 mg/L and 66.71-104.18 mg/L at PB, PL, PK, PS and PT islands, respectively. The highest N value was found in PT Island nearest to the coastal area. Deposition of litter from human settlement and fish chip factory might be the reason for higher N value. The trend of the P concentration for the study area was decreased from seaward to inland edge. Correlation analysis indicated the positive relationship between K: OG (r= 0.678) and Mg: OG (r= 0.721) but Ca: temperature (r=- 0.705) was negatively correlated. It is presumed that different concentrations of physico-chemical properties might be influenced for sedimentary nutrients dynamic at study area. Moreover, the sediment of the study area was not dynamic because most of the nutrient (P, K, and Mg) were influenced by the concentration of OG values.
  9. Fulltext Application of online halal label among consumer intention toward the halal label system in Malaysia
    Nursalwani Muhamad, Zul Ariff Abdul Latiff, Noor Zariana Kasim, Nor Amilia Din, Nornadillanadia Abdul Rapar
    Borneo Journal of Sciences and Technology, 2019;1(1):15-20.
    MyJurnal
    Halal products must be healthy and safe for consumers. With nowadays technologies, the media sometime manipulates the old stories and invalid news to become viral through media social that fast delivered to consumers that make consumers more believes to the story that is not true. With the existence of the application of online Halal label system in Malaysia, the consumers can check the authenticity of the news. The intention level can be increased regarding the application of online Halal label system among consumers intention toward Halal label system in Malaysia. Application of online Halal label system in Malaysia influenced by many factors among consumer intention toward halal label. The present study has assessed to investigate the application of online Halal label among consumers intention toward the Halal label system in Malaysia based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). Data were gathered from a self-reported questionnaire completed by 108 consumers on the questionnaire paper located at Malaysia International Halal Show (MIHAS) on Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Four underlying factors were assumed and extracted, including attitudes toward the application of online Halal label system in Malaysia, subjective norms, perceived behaviour control and intention among consumers. There is significantly relationship found between sociodemographic and intention of consumers toward Halal label in Malaysia. Relationship between different demographic information with intention of consumers was observed. The study contributes positive feedback of the application of online Halal label system among consumer intention toward the Halal label system in Malaysia and the TPB.
  10. Fulltext Bakery science of bread and the effect of salt reduction on quality: a review
    Naili Nahar, Iffah Nadhira Madzuki, Nur Baitul Izzah
    Borneo Journal of Sciences and Technology, 2019;1(1):9-14.
    MyJurnal
    Salt or sodium chloride is widely used in most homemade dishes or processed foods. It can be considered as a crucial ingredient because, without adding salt most dishes or food products may have less flavor, become tasteless and not appetizing. The addition of salt can provide salty taste or can even mask the bitter taste. It is also widely used as a preserving agent and can increase product’s shelf life. Bread is widely consumed and serves as a staple food for certain countries. Not only that, bread is one of the world’s oldest foods and is said to be the largest contributor of salt in our diet. While bread is believed to supply the major percentage of daily salt intake, reduction of salt in this product can assist in reducing the consumption of salt in human’s diet. Salt is also found to have detrimental impact on human health as it can cause cardiovascular diseases. Nevertheless, the salt reduction in bread is not easy to apply as salt play important roles in bread-making and its reduction can affect the quality of bread. Salt in bread has been observed to improve dough-making process, enhances the flavor of bread and produces nice brown colour of the bread's crust through Maillard reaction. Besides that, salt also helps in improving the texture, decreasing staling and increasing the microbial shelf life of the bread. This article explains the bakery science of bread by discussing the effect of salt reduction on bread quality.
  11. Fulltext Enhancing the development of engineered wood products in Sarawak
    Razak Wahab
    Borneo Journal of Sciences and Technology, 2019;1(1):1-2.
    MyJurnal
    Engineered wood (composite wood, man-made wood, or manufactured board) includes a range of derivative wood products manufactured by binding the strands, particles, fibers, or veneers or boards of wood, together with adhesives to form composite materials. These products are engineered to precise design specifications which are tested to meet national or international standards. Sarawak with an area 124,450 sq km, produced wood and timber products of 5,275,832 metric tons for 2012 in export earnings. The production of this product mainly focused on upstream industries i.e. sawn timbers, plywood, veneer, wood molding, laminated boards, particleboards, MDF, woodchip, charcoal / briquette, laminated flooring and wood pellets. Timber downstream industries such as furniture that can generate high income have not been established yet in Sarawak. The furniture used in the state are still being carried from factories in Peninsular Malaysia or imported from other countries. With Permanent Forest & Forest Plantation covering 6 million ha and 2.8 million ha respectively, the Sarawak state government intends to increase the production of downstream timber industry equivalent to the existing industry in Peninsular. Timber downstream industries i.e. furniture & construction materials that generate high income have not established yet in Sarawak.
  12. The influences of stimulation mode and stimulus frequency on acoustic reflex latency (ARL) among young adults
    Awang MA, Zamri NN, Wan Mohamad WN, Zakaria MN
    Int J Adolesc Med Health, 2019 Mar 16;33(4).
    PMID: 30875322 DOI: 10.1515/ijamh-2018-0148
    INTRODUCTION: Acoustic reflex (AR) is a valuable clinical test for hearing diagnosis. Parameters of AR such as its amplitude and threshold have been commonly reported in research. Acoustic reflex latency (ARL) has not been widely studied and more research is warranted to determine its basic properties and clinical usefulness. The present study aimed to determine the influences of stimulation mode and stimulus frequency on ARL.

    METHODS: In this study, 52 healthy young adults were enrolled (mean age = 23.2 ± 0.8 years, 61.8% were males). They underwent the standard AR testing and ARL values were computed. Both ipsilateral and contralateral recordings were made at 500, 1000, 2000 and 4000 Hz frequencies.

    RESULTS: The ARL values obtained are consistent with the findings from the previous studies. Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that the ARL values were not statistically influenced by either stimulation mode (p = 0.061) or stimulus frequency (p = 0.598).

    CONCLUSION: Among young adults, ARL does not appear to be influenced by stimulation mode and stimulus frequency. Further large scale research is warranted to support the present study's findings. The preliminary normative data for ARL obtained in this study can serve as the reference for future research involving this particular population.

  13. Fulltext Community awareness and involvement towards ecotourism activities in Ranau, Sabah
    Mojiol, Andy R.
    Borneo Journal of Sciences and Technology, 2019;1(1):1-8.
    MyJurnal
    The question of whether the impact of having rural communities nearby an ecotourism area being positive or negative is one of the important issues in Ranau. Cooperation between villagers and park operator on the growth of tourists’ arrival is crucial and must be addressed. The aim of this study is to identify the local communities’ perception at Kampung Poring and Kampung Monggis, Ranau by mean if the ecotourism activities can uplift their economic, social, physical and general impression that they experienced. In addition, the involvements of local communities in ecotourism activities in their villages were also studied. A survey and face to face interview were carried out on a sample of 146 villagers from both study areas. Data analysis using frequency, mean scores and Pearson Correlation (2-sided) was conducted. From the result, positive perception has been perceived by the villagers as a result of the improvement of ecotourism activities such as increase in employment opportunities, infrastructure facilities have been upgraded, additional revenue sources for state governments and villagers as well as increase in Small and Medium Industries (SMIs). However, the perception and level of involvement of both villages is still at the moderate level, where many other issues still need to be improved in the future such as communication skills and accommodations. In conclusion, this matter should not be taken lightly so as not to occur dissatisfaction among villagers. Therefore, the park management party should be sensitive to this situation in order to maintain the welfare of the villagers and at the same time giving satisfaction to the tourists who enjoy ecotourism activities there.
  14. Ultrasound reports standardisation using rhetorical structure theory and domain ontology
    Zulkarnain NZ, Meziane F
    J Biomed Inform, 2019;100S:100003.
    PMID: 34384578 DOI: 10.1016/j.yjbinx.2019.100003
    Ultrasound reporting plays an important role in diagnosis as images produced during an ultrasound examination do not give the whole view of the medical conditions. However, in practice there are many issues that are inherent to ultrasound reporting and the most important was identified to be the lack of standardisation when producing these reports. There is a resistance to change from some radiologists preferring the free writing style, making any attempt to computerise the processing of these reports difficult. This paper explores the possibility of using Rhetorical Structure Theory (RST) together with a domain ontology to transform free-form ultrasound reports into a structured form. It discusses a new approach in segmenting and identifying rhetorical relations that are more applicable to ultrasound reports from classical RST relations. The approach was evaluated on a sample ultrasound reports where the system's parsing was compared to the manual parsing performed by experts. The results show that discourse parsing using RST in ultrasound reports can be performed effectively using the support of a domain ontology. The results also demonstrate that the transformation of free-form ultrasound reports into a structured form can be performed with the support of RST relations identified and the domain ontology.
  15. Fulltext Association between Social-Cognitive Factors and Sexual Intention towards Pre-Marital Sex Activity among School-Going Late Adolescents in Kuantan, Pahang
    Fa'iza Abdullah, Nur Akmanidar Zainuddin, Samsul Draman, Nor Azlina A.Rahman
    IIUM Medical Journal Malaysia, 2019;18(102):70-0.
    MyJurnal
    The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) is determined by four main domains of social-cognitive factors; attitudes, social-norms, self-efficacy and sexual intention. This study aim to identify the socio-demographic and socio-cognitive factors associated with sexual intention towards premarital sex among school-going late adolescent. Materials and method: Cross-sectional study was conducted in nine government secondary schools in Kuantan district between January-July 2018. A total of 466 self-administered validated Youth Sexual Intention Questionnaires(YSIQ) data are collected among unmarried students aged 18-19-year-old. Statistical analyses were done using IBM SPSS version 22.0. Results: Out of 466 participants, 67.4%, 68.2%, 64.4% are Malays, Females and Muslims. Simple logistic regression showed for every one unit increase in permissive attitude, social-norms and selfefficacy scores, there were 1.424, 1.303 and 1.215 times increase risk of having sexual intention, with p -value of 0.001 each and 95% CI of odds ratio(OR) 1.2681.600, 1.191-1.425 and 1.066-1.386 respectively. Multivariate logistic regression showed that female had lower risk of having sexual intention( p=0.001, OR=0.163, CI=0.058-0.462). Non-Malays and ever-smoker students had higher risk compared to Malay and non-smoker towards having sexual intention with p=0.001 (OR=5.110,CI=1.881-13.886) and p =0.019 (OR=3.288, CI=1.218-8.875) respectively. For every unit increase in permissive attitude score, there was 1.236 times increase risk of having sexual intention with p=0.002 (95%CI, OR=1.084-1.410). Conclusion: The study showed the risk of having sexual intention was higher among males, nonMalay, ever-smoker students; and those with higher permissive attitude scores. Peer education intervention programs are necessity for school-going students to improve the permissive attitude in averting risk behavior that may lead to sexual intention towards pre-marital sex activity. The study should be expanded to adolescent who are no longer in school or in suburban areas.
  16. Fulltext Minimally Invasive Surgery in Treatment of Traumatic Thoracolumbar Spinal Injuries: A 2-Year Experience
    Kow Ren Yi, Ed Simor Khan Mor Japar Khan, Fauziana Abd Jabar, Fauziana Abd Jabar, Low Chooi Leng
    IIUM Medical Journal Malaysia, 2019;18(102):69-0.
    MyJurnal
    Majority of the traumatic spine injuries are located at the thoracolumbar region. They can be compression fractures, burst fractures, flexionextension injuries (Chance fractures), dislocations, or any of the combination. Surgery is indicated for patients with thoracolumbar injury classification scoring (TLICS) of 4 or more. Traditionally, surgical approaches for thoracolumbar spinal injuries involve open surgery, instrumentation with/without decompression. In our previous study, open surgery for traumatic thoracolumbar injuries and history of blood transfusion have been found to be associated with higher risk of deep surgical site infection requiring surgical debridement. With the advent of modern implants and equipments, minimally invasive surgery (MIS) has been made possible for spine surgeries. We report our two-year experience in utilizing MIS to treat traumatic thoracolumbar spinal injuries. Materials and method: Patients who underwent spinal surgeries at Hospital Tengku Ampuan Afzan, Kuantan from July 2017 to July 2019 were screened for suitability to be included in this study. Only patients who underwent spinal minimally invasive surgeries have been included in this study. Patients who underwent open spinal surgeries were excluded. Results: A total of 8 patients were included in this study. There were 3 burst fractures and 5 chance fractures. All patients underwent a minimum of 4-level posterior spinal instrumented fusion with MIS techniques and 2 patients had laminectomy at the injured level for decompression. All but one patient did not require blood transfusion and there was no incidence of surgical site infection among these patients. Conclusion: Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is a better option compared to open surgery in treating traumatic thoracolumbar spinal injuries. By minimizing the surgical incision, we are able to reduce blood loss and avoid deep surgical site infection.
  17. Fulltext Predicting Workplace Fecal Occult Blood Test Screening Uptake using Generalized Estimating Equations: A Sensitivity Analyses
    Edre MA, Azmi MN, Hayati KS, Salmiah MS, Sharifah Norkhadijah SI
    IIUM Medical Journal Malaysia, 2019;18(102):68-0.
    MyJurnal
    Many studies have shown the effectiveness of educational modules on increasing colorectal cancer screening uptake at individual level but not adjusted for potential clustering effect such as workplace. Longitudinal studies on workplace colorectal cancer screening require a series of analysis under different conditions due to heterogeneity of workplace population. To achieve this, a sensitivity analysis based on Generalized Estimating Equations was conducted to determine the robustness of the predictive performance of health education module in increasing screening uptake. Materials and Method: A parallel, single blind, cluster randomized trial was conducted among 15 organizations in Kuantan, Pahang. Intervention group received a complex Health Education Module comprising of group education, practical session on fecal occult blood test usage and WhatsApp group follow-up, while control group received standard colorectal cancer screening brochure. Sensitivity analyses using intention to treat analysis with interaction term, compatibility term, behavioral intention term and key assumption term were performed. Data were imputed and analysed using generalized estimating equation with IBM SPSS version 23. Pooled adjusted odds ratio was calculated using random effect model with inverse variance weighting using RevMan version 3.5. Results: A total of 166 participants from 15 organizations were recruited in the study. Intervention and control group were comparable at baseline (P>0.05). Health Education Module given in intervention group significantly increased the uptake of FOBT by nearly 5 times compared to control group in sensitivity analyses (pooled adjusted OR=4.60, 95% CI=2.65-7.99, I2=47%, P
  18. Fulltext The Effect of Oral Probiotic Streptococcus Salivarius K12 on Candida Albicans Biofilm Formation
    Munirah Mokhtar, RidhwanAbdul Wahab, Muhamad Ashraf Rostam, Alia Risma Rismayuddin, Mohd Hamzah Mohd Nasir, Mohd Hafiz Arzmi
    IIUM Medical Journal Malaysia, 2019;18(102):67-0.
    MyJurnal
    Oral cancer is the sixth most common cancer worldwide with Candida albicans infection being one of the aetiological factors for the disease. Meanwhile, Streptococcus salivarius K12 is an oral probiotic that is beneficial to the oral cavity. The objective of the present study is to determine the effect of S. salivarius K12 on C. albicans biofilm-forming ability with the hypothesis that S. salivarius K12 inhibits biofilm formation of C. albicans Materials and method: To assess the effect of S. salivarius K12 on C. albicans biofilm formation, S. salivarius K12, lab strain C. albicans MYA-4901 and clinical isolates from oral cancer, ALC2 and ALC3 were grown in both nutrient broth (NB) and RPMI. In a mono-species biofilm, 105 of C. albicans cells and 106 of S. salivarius K12 cells were grown separately in a 96-well plate. In contrast, both microorganisms were combined for polymicrobial biofilms with similar cell numbers as in mono-species. The biofilms were incubated for 72 hours at 37°C and the media were replenished every 24 hours. Finally, the crystal violet assay was conducted, and the optical density was measured at OD620nm. Results: Polymicrobial biofilms of C. albicans (MYA-4901 and ALC3) with S. salivarius K12 when grown in NB, exhibited a decrease by 64.5 ± 25.8% and 83.7 ± 5.4%, respectively when compared to the expected biofilms which were predominated by yeast form. Furthermore, polymicrobial biofilms of C. albicans (ALC2 and ALC3) with S. salivarius K12 showed a decrease by 62.5 ± 25.6% and 55.9 ± 17.1 %, respectively when compared to the expected biofilms when grown in RPMI that were predominated by hyphal form. Conclusion: S. salivarius K12 inhibited polymicrobial biofilms formation of C. albicans yeast and hyphal forms, thus supported the hypothesis that S. salivarius K12 inhibits biofilm formation of C. albicans.
  19. Fulltext The Validation of Questionnaire on End of Life Care Knowledge, Perceptions and Preferences among End Stage Renal Disease Patients on Haemodialysis in Kuantan
    Nur Raziana Rozi, Wan Ahmad Syahril Rozli Wan Ali, Che Rosle Draman, Hafizah Pasi
    IIUM Medical Journal Malaysia, 2019;18(102):66-0.
    MyJurnal
    There has been an increasing awareness on the end of life care for end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients and patients’ factors have been identified as pivotal elements in directing its implementation. Questionnaire has been a useful tool by researchers to assess on patients’ knowledge, perceptions and preferences on end of life care. However, up to date, there is no validated questionnaire developed in Malaysia for such purposes. Thus, this study aims to develop and validate questionnaires on end of life care knowledge, perceptions and preferences among ESRD patients in Kuantan. Materials and method: A cross-sectional study among haemodialysis (HD) patients aged 18 and above from 14 out-patient HD centres was performed. This study was divided into 4 phases i) developing the questionnaire involving related specialists and pre testing, ii) improving and editing the questionnaire and redistribution to 50 respondents for the pilot study, iii) factor analysis and iv) internal consistency reliability testing of the questionnaire. Results: The result of Factor analysis with Varimax rotation performed identified 3 domains for the 41 items, with 10 to 20 items in each domain. All the 41 analyzed items had a good factor loading of more than 0.4 with the lowest value of 0.421 and were nicely fit into 3 respective domains; knowledge, perception and preference. Internal consistency reliability analysis performed indicates that Cronbach’s α was between 0.5 to 0.7 for all factors which were higher than the level set for this study which is 0.5. Conclusion: The questionnaire is successfully validated and considered as a useful tool to be used. Nonetheless, improvement will still be necessary from time to time to ensure its relevance especially if it is to be used by different populations or countries of different background than Malaysia.
  20. Fulltext Prevalence of Breast Cancer and Its Associated Factors for Recurrence in Hospital Tengku Ampuan Afzan 2008 – 2012
    Azhani Chik
    IIUM Medical Journal Malaysia, 2019;18(102):65-0.
    MyJurnal
    Breast cancer is the commonest malignancy in Malaysian women. Cancer recurrence has been a detrimental factor towards survival with peak of recurrence recorded in first 2 years of diagnoses. Identifying the prognostic factors towards recurrence is important to management and prolonging survival. Materials and method: We have retrospectively analyzed 179 patients women with breast cancer based on 5 years single centre database with minimum follow up of 2 years. The demographic and clinicopathological characteristics were determined using descriptive statistics. Survival were calculated based on Kaplan- Meier method and multivariate analysis by Cox proportional hazards was performed to evaluate the potential factors affecting breast cancer recurrence. Results: Mean follow up was 42 months, with mean age 52 years and 60.9% presented in Stage II disease. Overall recurrence was 41.9% with local recurrence 2.1%, regional recurrence 12.3% and distant recurrence 27.4%. 50% of our patients developed recurrence at 25 months. In univariate analysis, time to first presentation was significantly correlated with recurrence. However, in multivariate analysis; tumor size, lymph node positivity and lymphovascular invasion were independently associated with recurrence. Conclusion: Even though local data on breast cancer recurrence is sparse, it does correlate with the international data. Thus, optimizing our care in breast cancer.
External Links