Browse publications by year: 2020

  1. Adnan M, Shaharudin S, Abd Rahim BH, Ismail SM
    J Taibah Univ Med Sci, 2020 Dec;15(6):486-494.
    PMID: 33318740 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtumed.2020.09.006
    OBJECTIVE: Children's physical activity can be increased by integrating game-based activities, such as traditional games, into physical education sessions. However, the level of physical activity of these games has not been quantified. This study aims to quantify the level of intensity for common Malaysian traditional games (i.e. Galah Panjang, Bola Beracun, Polis Sentri, Belalang Belatuk, Ayam Musang, and Baling Tin) among primary school children aged nine to 11 years (N = 30).

    METHODS: We used an accelerometer to measure step count, metabolic equivalent task, level of intensity and vector magnitude during 20 min playing sessions. The playing space was standardised for each game to the size of a badminton court (i.e. 13.4 m in length and 6.1 m in width).

    RESULTS: The results showed that three traditional Malaysian games, namely Galah Panjang, Bola Beracun and Baling Tin, fulfilled the requirements to be classified as moderate-to vigorous-intensity physical activity in terms of step count, metabolic equivalent task, heart rate and motions in all planes.

    CONCLUSION: This study shows that playing traditional games for 20 min can increase physical activity among primary school students.

  2. Dzulkarnain AAA, Azizi AK, Sulaiman NH
    J Taibah Univ Med Sci, 2020 Dec;15(6):495-501.
    PMID: 33318741 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtumed.2020.08.007
    Objective: This study aims to investigate the auditory sensory gating capacity in Huffaz using an auditory brainstem response (ABR) test with and without psychological tasks.

    Methods: Twenty-three participants were recruited for this study. The participants were comprised of 11 Huffaz who memorized 30 chapters of the Islamic Scripture (from the Quran) and 12 non-Huffaz as the control group. All participants had normal hearing perception and underwent an ABR test with and without psychological tasks. The ABR was elicited at 70 dB nHL using a 3000 Hz tone burst stimulus with a 2-0-2 cycle at a stimulus repetition rate of 40 Hz. The ABR wave V amplitude and latencies were measured and statistically compared. A forward digit span test was also conducted to determine participants' working memory capacity.

    Results: There were no significant differences in the ABR wave V amplitudes and latencies between Huffaz and non-Huffaz in ABR with and without psychological tasks. There were also no significant differences in the ABR wave V amplitudes and latencies in both groups of ABR with and without psychological tasks. In addition, no significant differences were identified in the digit span working memory score between both groups.

    Conclusions: In this study, based on the ABR findings, Huffaz showed the same auditory sensory gating capacity as the non-Huffaz group. The ABR result was consistent with the digit span working memory test score. This finding implies that both groups have similar working memory performance. However, the conclusion is limited to the specific assessment method that we used in this study.

    MeSH terms: Auditory Perception; Hearing; Hearing Tests; Humans; Memory, Short-Term; Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem; Control Groups; Sensory Gating
  3. Khalid NN, Jamani NA, Abd Aziz KH, Draman N
    J Taibah Univ Med Sci, 2020 Dec;15(6):515-521.
    PMID: 33318744 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtumed.2020.08.008
    Objective: Sexual health is a key component of the overall health and quality of life of both men and women. Sexual dysfunction is a common condition, but it lacks professional recognition. This study aims to determine the prevalence and types of sexual dysfunctions among postpartum women in primary care clinics and their associated factors in a Malaysian cohort.

    Method: In this cross-sectional study, we recruited 420 women from nine primary care clinics in Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia. All participants had given livebirths within six weeks to six months and had attended either a postnatal or a well-child clinic at a government primary care clinic. The assessment of female sexual dysfunction (FSD) was done using a validated Malay version of the female sexual function index (MVFSFI). Data were statistically analysed using appropriate methods.

    Results: More than one-third (35.5%) of women had postpartum sexual dysfunction. The most common types were lubrication disorder 85.6% (n = 113), followed by loss of desire 69.7% (n = 92) and pain disorders 62.9% (n = 83). Satisfaction disorder 7.3% (n = 27), orgasmic disorder 9.7% (n = 56) and arousal disorder 11.0% (n = 41) were less common sexual problems. The independent associated factors for FSD were high education level (adjusted odd ratio = 1.717, 95% CI 1.036-2.844; p 

    MeSH terms: Arousal; Child; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Humans; Lubrication; Malaysia; Personal Satisfaction; Quality of Life; Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological; Somatoform Disorders; Cohort Studies; Prevalence; Odds Ratio; Sexual Dysfunctions, Psychological; Postpartum Period
  4. Purnomo YW, Prananto IW, Driana E, Saparanti K, Nuriadin I, Ismail SN
    Data Brief, 2020 Dec;33:106578.
    PMID: 33318973 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2020.106578
    This article presents data on factors that depict [pre-service] teacher beliefs about educational research. A cross-sectional survey was used to collect the data that involved 352 final-year students working on their undergraduate theses. The students were registered in the faculty of teacher training and education in one of the private universities with an A (excellent) accreditation in Jakarta, Indonesia. The participants were selected conveniently. Exploratory factor analysis was performed to reveal the factors comprised in the data. 49 out of 72 items formed five factors: negative views about educational research, positive views about educational research, knowledge about educational research, open-mindedness, and accessibility.
    MeSH terms: Accreditation; Cross-Sectional Studies; Factor Analysis, Statistical; Factor V; Faculty; Humans; Indonesia; Surveys and Questionnaires; Students; Universities; Knowledge; Teacher Training
  5. Ali AH, Agustar HK, Hassan NI, Latip J, Embi N, Sidek HM
    Data Brief, 2020 Dec;33:106592.
    PMID: 33318979 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2020.106592
    Aromatic (ar)-turmerone is one of the aromatic constituents abundant in turmeric essential oil from Curcuma longa. Ar-turmerone exhibited anti-inflammatory properties. So far, antiplasmodial data for ar-turmerone is still not reported. The data showed the in vitro antiplasmodial effect of ar-turmerone against Plasmodium falciparum 3D7 (chloroquine-sensitive) via Plasmodium lactate dehydrogenase assay (pLDH) and cytotoxic effect against Vero mammalian kidney cells using 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) colourimetric assay. Selectivity indexes of ar-turmerone were calculated based on inhibition concentration at 50% of parasite growth (IC50) from MTT and pLDH assays and the effects of ar-turmerone were compared to the antimalarial reference drug chloroquine diphosphate. The inhibitory effect of ar-turmerone at the intraerythrocytic stages of plasmodial lifecycles was evaluated via a stage-dependant susceptibility test. The antiplasmodial and cytotoxic activities of ar-turmerone revealed IC50 values of 46.8 ± 2.4 μM and 820.4 ± 1.5 μM respectively. The selectivity index of ar-turmerone was 17.5. Ar-turmerone suppressed the ring-trophozoite transition stage of the intraerythrocytic life cycle of P. falciparum 3D7.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Antimalarials; Bromides; Chloroquine; Colorimetry; Ketones; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; Parasites; Plasmodium falciparum; Sesquiterpenes; Inhibitory Concentration 50; Curcuma; Trophozoites
  6. Arifin MH, Kayode JS, Ismail KI, Abdullah M, Embrandiri A, Nazer SM, et al.
    Data Brief, 2020 Dec;33:106595.
    PMID: 33318980 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2020.106595
    Industrial, and municipal wastes are part of the main sources of environmental hazards as well as groundwater and surface water pollutions. If not well composed, treated, and safely disposed, it could permeate through the subsurface lithologies by reaching down to the underground water aquifers, particularly in zones of unprotected aquifer units. Pollutants, most especially the landfills leachates that encompassed organic contaminants, ammonia, nitrates, total nitrogen, suspended solids, heavy metals and soluble inorganic salts, i.e., soluble nitrogen, sulphur compound, sulphate and chlorides, could posed undesirable environmental impacts due to inappropriate disposals that may give rise to gaseous fumes and leachate formations. An electrical resistivity geophysical technique utilizing the RES2D no-invasive, cost-effective and rapid method of data collection was integrated with the 3D Oasis Montaj software to approximate the volume of the generated rectangular prism model of the contaminants delineated from mixtures of the industrial, and municipal wastes plumes to be 312,000 m 3.
    MeSH terms: Ammonia; Chlorides; Cost-Benefit Analysis; Environment; Environmental Pollutants; Gases; Nitrates; Nitrogen; Salts; Sulfates; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Water Pollution; Metals, Heavy; Groundwater; Waste Disposal Facilities
  7. Emmanuel J, Omar H, See LT
    JGH Open, 2020 Dec;4(6):1059-1064.
    PMID: 33319037 DOI: 10.1002/jgh3.12386
    BACKGROUND AND AIM: The advent of endoscopic ultrasound-guided biliary drainage (EUS-BD) has provided an inimitable alternative for gaining biliary access in patients who fail conventional endoscopic drainage. The antimigratory features of the partially covered metal stent (PCMS), namely, the flange head and uncovered portion of the stent, makes it a valuable option in patients undergoing EUS-guided hepaticogastrostomy (EUS-HGS). The aim of the study is to evaluate the clinical outcome of EUS-BD via the hepaticogastrostomy approach using PCMS in patients with malignant biliary obstruction after failed ERCP.

    METHODS: This is a single-center retrospective observational study of patients with malignant biliary obstruction undergoing EUS-HGS after failed ERCP between January 2018 and May 2019. The end-point of the study was to assess the technical and clinical success rate, as well as the stent- and procedure-related complications.

    RESULTS: There were 20 subjects in this study. The average age was 71.8 ± 7.6 years. Most patients were male, 16 (80%). Inaccessible papillae was the most common indication for this procedure, 16 (80%). Technical success was achieved in all patients. The average procedural time was 39.9 ± 1.3 min. Mean preprocedural bilirubin levels were 348.6 ± 28.8 and subsequently decreased to 108.94 ± 37.1 μmol/L at 2 weeks postprocedure. The clinical success rate was 95% (19/20), with one patient requiring percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD). There were no stent- or procedure-related complications reported in this study.

    CONCLUSION: EUS-HGS with PCMS is a feasible, effective, and safe alternative for biliary decompression in patients with failed endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP).

  8. Zain SM, Tan HL, Mohamed Z, Chan WK, Mahadeva S, Basu RC, et al.
    JGH Open, 2020 Dec;4(6):1155-1161.
    PMID: 33319051 DOI: 10.1002/jgh3.12414
    Background and Aim: Advanced fibrosis is the most important predictor of liver-related mortality in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic performance of noninvasive scoring systems in identifying advanced fibrosis in a Malaysian NAFLD cohort and propose a simplified strategy for the management of NAFLD in a primary care setting.

    Methods: We enrolled and reviewed 122 biopsy-proven NAFLD patients. Advanced fibrosis was defined as fibrosis stages 3-4. Noninvasive assessments included aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase (AST/ALT) ratio, AST-to-platelet ratio index (APRI), AST/ALT ratio, diabetes (BARD) score, fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) score, and NAFLD fibrosis score.

    Results: FIB-4 score had the highest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) and negative predictive value (NPV) of 0.86 and 94.3%, respectively, for the diagnosis of advanced fibrosis. FIB-4 score 

    MeSH terms: Alanine Transaminase; Aspartate Aminotransferases; Biopsy; Diabetes Mellitus; Fibrosis; gamma-Glutamyltransferase; Humans; Primary Health Care; Public Health; ROC Curve; Triage; Cohort Studies; Area Under Curve; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
  9. Bala AA, Jatau AI, Yunusa I, Mohammed M, Mohammed AH, Isa AM, et al.
    Toxicon X, 2020 Dec;8:100064.
    PMID: 33319211 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxcx.2020.100064
    Antisnake venom (ASV) is the only specific and standard treatment for snakebite envenoming worldwide. The knowledge of antivenom dosage, mode of administration, availability, and logistics is essential to the healthcare practitioners (HCPs) in the management of snakebites. It is vital for the HCPs involved in the handling of ASVs to have its basic knowledge. The ASV contains proteins and can, therefore, easily get denatured if not handled appropriately, leading to poor therapeutic outcome. It is also essential for clinicians to be aware of the tendency of ASV to cause a severe life-threatening hypersensitivity reaction. There is currently no validated tool for assessing the knowledge of ASV among HCPs. Therefore, we developed and validated a tool for evaluating the HCPs knowledge of ASV. The items included in the tool were first generated from a comprehensive literature review. Face validity were conducted by presenting the drafted tool to ten experts on the subject matter. A validation study was conducted among doctors, pharmacists, nurses, pharmacy technicians, and the general public. The objectives of the study were to test the tool for content validity using the content validity index (CVI), construct validity using contrast group approach, difficulty index, readability, and reliability test using the test-retest method. We developed and validated a final tool containing thirty-three items. The tool was valid for face validity and had a scale-level (average) content validity (S-CVI/Ave) of 0.91. The ASV knowledge of pharmacists was higher than that of doctors, pharmacy technicians, nurses, and the general public (p 
    MeSH terms: Antivenins; Humans; Isoquinolines; Pharmacists; Physicians; Psychometrics; Snake Bites; Sulfonamides; Venoms; Reproducibility of Results; Treatment Outcome; Comprehension; Tool Use Behavior
  10. Mohd Bukhari FD, Lau YL, Fong MY
    Am J Trop Med Hyg, 2020 Dec 14.
    PMID: 33319732 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.20-0797
    Invasion of Plasmodium knowlesi merozoite into human erythrocytes involves molecular interaction between the parasite's Duffy binding protein (PkDBPαII) and the Duffy antigen receptor for chemokines on the erythrocytes. This study investigates the binding activity of human erythrocyte with PkDBPαII of P. knowlesi isolates from high and low parasitemic patients in an erythrocyte binding assay. The binding activity was determined by counting the number and measuring the size of rosettes formed in the assay. The protein PkDBPαII of P. knowlesi isolated from low parasitemia cases produced significantly higher number of rosettes with human erythrocytes than high parasitemia case isolates (65.5 ± 12.9 and 17.2 ± 5.5, respectively). Interestingly, PkDBPαII of isolates from high parasitemia cases formed significantly larger rosettes with human erythrocytes than PkDBPαII of isolates from low parasitemia cases (18,000 ± 13,000 µm2 and 1,315 ± 623 µm2, respectively).
    MeSH terms: Animals; Carrier Proteins; Duffy Blood-Group System; Erythrocytes; Humans; Parasites; Receptors, Antigen; Plasmodium knowlesi; Parasitemia; Chemokines; Merozoites
  11. Yaradoddi JS, Banapurmath NR, Ganachari SV, Soudagar MEM, Mubarak NM, Hallad S, et al.
    Sci Rep, 2020 12 15;10(1):21960.
    PMID: 33319818 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-78912-z
    The main goal of the present work was to develop a value-added product of biodegradable material for sustainable packaging. The use of agriculture waste-derived carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) mainly is to reduce the cost involved in the development of the film, at present commercially available CMS is costly. The main focus of the research is to translate the agricultural waste-derived CMC to useful biodegradable polymer suitable for packaging material. During this process CMC was extracted from the agricultural waste mainly sugar cane bagasse and the blends were prepared using CMC (waste derived), gelatin, agar and varied concentrations of glycerol; 1.5% (sample A), 2% (sample B), and 2.5% (sample C) was added. Thus, the film derived from the sample C (gelatin + CMC + agar) with 2.0% glycerol as a plasticizer exhibited excellent properties than other samples A and B. The physiochemical properties of each developed biodegradable plastics (sample A, B, C) were characterized using Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) spectroscopy and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The swelling test, solubility in different solvents, oil permeability coefficient, water permeability (WP), mechanical strength of the produced material was claimed to be a good material for packaging and meanwhile its biodegradability (soil burial method) indicated their environmental compatibility nature and commercial properties. The reflected work is a novel approach, and which is vital in the conversion of organic waste to value-added product development. There is also another way to utilize commercial CMC in preparation of polymeric blends for the packaging material, which can save considerable time involved in the recovery of CMC from sugarcane bagasse.
    MeSH terms: Agar; Agriculture; Calorimetry, Differential Scanning; Carboxymethylcellulose Sodium; Fourier Analysis; Gelatin; Glycerol; Goals; Permeability; Plasticizers; Polymers; Soil; Solubility; Solvents; United States; Water; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; Saccharum; Biodegradable Plastics
  12. Balasubramaniam KN, Marty PR, Samartino S, Sobrino A, Gill T, Ismail M, et al.
    Sci Rep, 2020 12 15;10(1):21991.
    PMID: 33319843 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-78881-3
    Despite increasing conflict at human-wildlife interfaces, there exists little research on how the attributes and behavior of individual wild animals may influence human-wildlife interactions. Adopting a comparative approach, we examined the impact of animals' life-history and social attributes on interactions between humans and (peri)urban macaques in Asia. For 10 groups of rhesus, long-tailed, and bonnet macaques, we collected social behavior, spatial data, and human-interaction data for 11-20 months on pre-identified individuals. Mixed-model analysis revealed that, across all species, males and spatially peripheral individuals interacted with humans the most, and that high-ranking individuals initiated more interactions with humans than low-rankers. Among bonnet macaques, but not rhesus or long-tailed macaques, individuals who were more well-connected in their grooming network interacted more frequently with humans than less well-connected individuals. From an evolutionary perspective, our results suggest that individuals incurring lower costs related to their life-history (males) and resource-access (high rank; strong social connections within a socially tolerant macaque species), but also higher costs on account of compromising the advantages of being in the core of their group (spatial periphery), are the most likely to take risks by interacting with humans in anthropogenic environments. From a conservation perspective, evaluating individual behavior will better inform efforts to minimize conflict-related costs and zoonotic-risk.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Animals, Wild; Asia; Biological Evolution; Grooming; Humans; Macaca fascicularis; Macaca mulatta; Macaca radiata; Male; Social Behavior; Spatial Behavior; Sociological Factors
  13. Fatema KN, Jung CH, Liu Y, Sagadevan S, Cho KY, Oh WC
    ACS Biomater Sci Eng, 2020 12 14;6(12):6981-6994.
    PMID: 33320627 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.0c00423
    In the present study, electrochemical sensing for urea was proposed utilizing graphene-based quaternary nanocomposites YInWO4-G-SiO2 (YIWGS). These YIWGS nanocomposites were utilized due to their exceptionally delicate determination of urea with the lowest detection limit (0.01 mM). These YIWGS composites were developed through a simple self-assembly method. From physical characterization, we found that the YIWGS composites are crystalline in nature (powdered X-ray diffraction), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis provided the surface functionality and bonding. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies indicated the morphology characteristics of the as-synthesized composites and the high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) image supported the formation of cubic or hexagonal morphology of the YIW nanocomposites. The YIWGS sensor showed a great electroanalytical sensing performance of 0.07 mM urea with a sensitivity of 0.06 mA cm-2, an expansive linear range of 0.7-1.5 mM with a linear response (R2 1/4 0.99), and an eminent reaction time of around 2 s. It also displayed a good linear response toward urea with negligible interferences from normal coinciding species in urine samples.
    MeSH terms: Graphite*; Silicon Dioxide; Urea; Nanocomposites*
  14. Nair HK
    J Wound Care, 2020 Dec 01;29(Sup12):S3.
    PMID: 33320766 DOI: 10.12968/jowc.2020.29.Sup12.S3
    MeSH terms: Asia; Humans; Periodicals as Topic*; Publishing; Wound Healing*
  15. Albadr MAA, Tiun S, Ayob M, Al-Dhief FT, Omar K, Hamzah FA
    PLoS One, 2020;15(12):e0242899.
    PMID: 33320858 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0242899
    The coronavirus disease (COVID-19), is an ongoing global pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome. Chest Computed Tomography (CT) is an effective method for detecting lung illnesses, including COVID-19. However, the CT scan is expensive and time-consuming. Therefore, this work focus on detecting COVID-19 using chest X-ray images because it is widely available, faster, and cheaper than CT scan. Many machine learning approaches such as Deep Learning, Neural Network, and Support Vector Machine; have used X-ray for detecting the COVID-19. Although the performance of those approaches is acceptable in terms of accuracy, however, they require high computational time and more memory space. Therefore, this work employs an Optimised Genetic Algorithm-Extreme Learning Machine (OGA-ELM) with three selection criteria (i.e., random, K-tournament, and roulette wheel) to detect COVID-19 using X-ray images. The most crucial strength factors of the Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) are: (i) high capability of the ELM in avoiding overfitting; (ii) its usability on binary and multi-type classifiers; and (iii) ELM could work as a kernel-based support vector machine with a structure of a neural network. These advantages make the ELM efficient in achieving an excellent learning performance. ELMs have successfully been applied in many domains, including medical domains such as breast cancer detection, pathological brain detection, and ductal carcinoma in situ detection, but not yet tested on detecting COVID-19. Hence, this work aims to identify the effectiveness of employing OGA-ELM in detecting COVID-19 using chest X-ray images. In order to reduce the dimensionality of a histogram oriented gradient features, we use principal component analysis. The performance of OGA-ELM is evaluated on a benchmark dataset containing 188 chest X-ray images with two classes: a healthy and a COVID-19 infected. The experimental result shows that the OGA-ELM achieves 100.00% accuracy with fast computation time. This demonstrates that OGA-ELM is an efficient method for COVID-19 detecting using chest X-ray images.
    MeSH terms: Machine Learning*; Algorithms; Humans; Lung/physiopathology; Lung/virology; Thorax/physiopathology; Thorax/virology; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Neural Networks (Computer); Support Vector Machine
  16. Ahmed MA, Jouhar R, Adnan S, Ahmed N, Ghazal T, Adanir N
    Eur J Dent, 2020 Dec;14(S 01):S1-S6.
    PMID: 33321543 DOI: 10.1055/s-0040-1721295
    OBJECTIVES:  The aim of this study was to evaluate the patient's knowledge, attitude, and practice of cross-infection control in dentistry during coronavirus diseases 2019 (COVID-19).

    MATERIALS AND METHODS:  This cross-sectional observational study was conducted at Altamash Institute of Dental Medicine, Karachi from June 2020 to August 2020. A total of 775 patients participated to fill questionnaire. After scrutiny, 25 questionnaire forms were excluded due to incomplete information. Questionnaire was divided in to four sections. First section obtained patients sociodemographic information, while knowledge of patients regarding cross-infection control during COVID-19 pandemic was evaluated in second section. Similarly, the purpose of third section was to assess attitude and fourth section was designed to evaluate practice. Likert's 3-point scale was used for registration of participant's response. The reliability of questionnaire was assessed through Crohnbach's α (α = 0.74). Statistical analysis was performed after entering data in to SPSS version 25. Independent t-test was used to evaluate the difference in patients' knowledge, attitude, and practice. A p-value ≤ 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.

    RESULTS:  Majority of the participants agreed that COVID-19 is a highly contagious disease (631, 97%) and daily screening of staff, dental assistants, dentists, and patients is necessary (568, 75.7%) along with proper sterilization of instruments and disinfection of dental operatory (650, 86.66%). A large number of participant also agreed that proper disposal of waste is utmost important for cross-infection control (601, 80.24%) and patient's waiting area should also be marked with social distancing sign (620, 82.66%). However, when asked about the common route of COVID-19 transmission in dentistry, 341 (45.5%) participants disagreed that it is not through aerosol (water droplets) generated during dental procedures.

    CONCLUSIONS:  Dental health professionals should take additional measures to educate dental patients on mechanism of potential spread of COVID-19 through the aerosols and droplets generated during dental procedures. They should also encourage the dental patients to be vigilant and question the cross-infection control measures practiced by the dentist to whom they go for dental treatment, and to decrease their chances of acquiring an infection during their visit to the dental office.

  17. Yahaya MAF, Zolkiffly SZI, Moklas MAM, Hamid HA, Stanslas J, Zainol M, et al.
    J Immunol Res, 2020;2020:9469210.
    PMID: 32258178 DOI: 10.1155/2020/9469210
    Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been clinically characterized by a progressive degeneration of neurons which resulted in a gradual and irreversible cognitive impairment. The accumulation of Aβ and τ proteins in the brain contribute to the severity of the disease. Recently, vitexin compound has been the talk amongst researchers due to its pharmacological properties as anti-inflammation and anti-AD. However, the epigenetic mechanism of the compound in regulating the neuroinflammation activity is yet to be fully elucidated. Hence, this review discusses the potential of vitexin compound to have the pharmacoepigenetic property in regulating the neuroinflammation activity in relation to AD. It is with hope that the review would unveil the potential of vitexin as the candidate in treating AD.
    MeSH terms: Alzheimer Disease/genetics; Alzheimer Disease/immunology*; Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents/metabolism*; Humans; Neurons/pathology*; Neurogenic Inflammation/genetics; Neurogenic Inflammation/immunology*; Epigenesis, Genetic; Apigenin/metabolism*
  18. Tahir MKAM, Kadir K, Apipi M, Ismail SM, Yusof ZYM, Yap AU
    J Oral Facial Pain Headache, 2020 12 9;34(4):323-330.
    PMID: 33290438 DOI: 10.11607/ofph.2624
    AIMS: To develop the Malay DC/TMD through a formal cross-cultural adaptation (CCA) process for use in non-English speaking populations and to determine the reliability and validity of the Malay Graded Chronic Pain Scale (M-GCPS) and Malay Jaw Functional Limitation Scale (M-JFLS).

    METHODS: The English DC/TMD was translated into the Malay language using the forward-backward translation procedures specified in the INfORM guideline. The initial Malay instrument was pre-tested, and any discrepancies were identified and reconciled before producing the final Malay DC/TMD. Psychometric properties of the M-GCPS and M-JFLS were evaluated using a convenience sample of 252 subjects and were assessed using internal consistency and test-retest reliability, as well as face, content, concurrent, and construct validity testing. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha, while test-retest reliability was examined using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Concurrent and construct validity of both domains were performed using Spearman ρ correlation test. In addition, construct and discriminant validity were appraised using Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests, respectively.

    RESULTS: Cronbach's alpha values for the M-GCPS and M-JFLS were 0.95 and 0.97, respectively. The ICC was 0.98 for the M-GCPS and 0.99 for M-JFLS. The majority of the tested associations for both domains were found to be statistically significant, with good positive correlations.

    CONCLUSION: The M-GCPS and M-JFLS were found to be reproducible and valid. The Malay DC/TMD shows potential for use among Malay-speaking adults.

    MeSH terms: Adult; Humans; Language*; Malaysia; Psychometrics; Surveys and Questionnaires; Reproducibility of Results
  19. Subramaniam S, Yee A, Bin Amer Nordin AS, Bin Khalib AQ
    J Dual Diagn, 2020 12 12;17(1):4-12.
    PMID: 33308058 DOI: 10.1080/15504263.2020.1854410
    OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of alcohol or non-alcohol substance use dual diagnosis among inpatients with severe mental illness in a psychiatric institution in Malaysia. In addition, this study aimed to determine adverse outcomes between dual diagnosis versus single diagnosis. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in the inpatient ward using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) to establish the diagnosis of severe mental illness and to screen for alcohol or non-alcohol substance use disorder comorbidity. Outcomes and severity of different domains among severe mental illness patients were assessed using the Addiction Severity Index (ASI). Results: Out of 152 patients who participated in this study, 51.3% (n = 78) had comorbid alcohol use disorder, and 29.6% (n = 45) had non-alcohol substance use disorder. Males with Kadazan ethnicity with severe mental illness and alcohol use disorder had a higher risk of having comorbid non-alcohol substance use disorder. Similarly, male Kadazan patients with severe mental illness and non-alcohol substance use disorder had a higher risk of having a comorbid alcohol use disorder. Dual diagnosis patients with alcohol and non-alcohol substance use disorder had higher rates of hospitalizations (p < .001 and p = .001). Family and social relationships were affected among the alcohol use disorder group as shown by the higher composite score for family status (FCOMP; p < .001). This group also showed more severe psychiatric status, as the composite score for psychiatric status (PCOMP) was high (p = .004). Suicidality was higher among patients with alcohol use disorder and severe mental illness (p < .001). Conclusions: The prevalence of severe mental illness dual diagnosis was high in this study with poorer outcomes, higher rates of admissions, and risk of suicidality. This highlights the importance of provisions for a more holistic treatment approach among patients with dual diagnosis.
    MeSH terms: Cross-Sectional Studies; Hospitals, Psychiatric; Humans; Inpatients; Malaysia/epidemiology; Male; Severity of Illness Index; Comorbidity; Prevalence; Diagnosis, Dual (Psychiatry)
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