Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 44 in total

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  1. Ong YS, Saiful Yazan L, Ng WK, Abdullah R, Mustapha NM, Sapuan S, et al.
    Nanomedicine (Lond), 2018 07;13(13):1567-1582.
    PMID: 30028248 DOI: 10.2217/nnm-2017-0322
    AIM: To investigate the enhancement of anticancer activity of thymoquinone (TQ) by the use of nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC) in 4T1 tumor-bearing female BALB/c mice.

    MATERIAL & METHODS: TQ was incorporated into NLC (TQNLC) by using high pressure homogenization. TQNLC and TQ were orally administered to the mice.

    RESULTS & CONCLUSION: TQNLC and TQ are potential chemotherapeutic drugs as they exhibited anticancer activity. The use of NLC as a carrier has enhanced the therapeutic property of TQ by increasing the survival rate of mice. The antimetastasis effect of TQNLC and TQ to the lungs was evidence by downregulation of MMP-2. TQNLC and TQ induced apoptosis via modulation of Bcl-2 and caspase-8 in the intrinsic apoptotic pathway.

  2. Abdul Wahid SN, Md Daud MK, Sidek D, Abd Rahman N, Mansor S, Zakaria MN
    Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol, 2012 Sep;76(9):1366-9.
    PMID: 22770594 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijporl.2012.06.008
    OBJECTIVE: To identify the outcomes of hearing screening using different protocols of both Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emissions (DPOAE) and Automated Auditory Brainstem Response (AABR) tests in the same ear of the babies in a neonatal unit population.
    METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out on babies who were admitted into a neonatal unit. By using a formula of single proportion and considering 20% drop out, the number of sample required was 114. The subjects were chosen by using a systematic random sampling. The infants selected were subjected to DPOAE followed by AABR tests screening at the same setting before discharge.
    RESULTS: There were 73 newborns (61.6% male and 38.4% female) participated in this study with a total of 146 ears screened. Ototoxic medication was the most common risk factor followed by hyperbilirubinaemia and low birth weight. AABR had higher passing rate (82.9%) as compared to DPOAE (77.4%). The highest passing rate was achieved if the protocol of either passed DPOAE or AABR was used (90.4%). The rate was lower when auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD) has been considered (82.9%). Hyperbilirubinaemia, prematurity, craniofacial malformation and ototoxic drugs seem to be the high risk factors for auditory neuropathy.
    CONCLUSION: AABR has a higher passing rate as compared to DPOAE. However, the use of both instruments in the screening process especially in NICU will be useful to determine the infants with ANSD who may need different approach to management. Therefore, a protocol in which newborns are tested with AABR first and then followed by DPOAE on those who fail the AABR is recommended.
  3. Daud MK, Noh NF, Sidek DS, Abd Rahman N, Abd Rani N, Zakaria MN
    B-ENT, 2011;7(4):245-9.
    PMID: 22338236
    The effect of noise on employees of dental clinics is debatable. The purposes of this study were to determine the intensity and frequency components of dental instruments used by dental staff nurses and the prevalence of noise induced hearing loss.
  4. Md Daud MK, Noor SS, Yusoff MN, Abd Rahman N, Zakaria MN
    B-ENT, 2013;9(4):319-23.
    PMID: 24597108
    To assess differences between the coping strategies of the mothers and fathers with hearing-impaired children.
  5. Rothan HA, Bahrani H, Mohamed Z, Abd Rahman N, Yusof R
    PLoS One, 2014;9(4):e94561.
    PMID: 24722532 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0094561
    Dengue virus (DENV) broadly disseminates in tropical and sub-tropical countries and there are no vaccine or anti-dengue drugs available. DENV outbreaks cause serious economic burden due to infection complications that requires special medical care and hospitalization. This study presents a new strategy for inexpensive production of anti-DENV peptide-fusion protein to prevent and/or treat DENV infection. Antiviral cationic peptides protegrin-1 (PG1) and plectasin (PLSN) were fused with MAP30 protein to produce recombinant antiviral peptide-fusion protein (PG1-MAP30-PLSN) as inclusion bodies in E. coli. High yield production of PG1-MAP30-PLSN protein was achieved by solubilization of inclusion bodies in alkaline buffer followed by the application of appropriate refolding techniques. Antiviral PG1-MAP30-PLSN protein considerably inhibited DENV protease (NS2B-NS3pro) with half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) 0.5±0.1 μM. The real-time proliferation assay (RTCA) and the end-point proliferation assay (MTT assay) showed that the maximal-nontoxic dose of the peptide-fusion protein against Vero cells is approximately 0.67±0.2 μM. The cell-based assays showed considerable inhibition of the peptide-fusion protein against binding and proliferating stages of DENV2 into the target cells. The peptide-fusion protein protected DENV2-challeged mice with 100% of survival at the dose of 50 mg/kg. In conclusion, producing recombinant antiviral peptide-fusion protein by combining short antiviral peptide with a central protein owning similar activity could be useful to minimize the overall cost of short peptide production and take advantage of its synergistic antiviral activities.
  6. Eng-Chong T, Yean-Kee L, Chin-Fei C, Choon-Han H, Sher-Ming W, Li-Ping CT, et al.
    PMID: 23243448 DOI: 10.1155/2012/473637
    Boesenbergia rotunda is a herb from the Boesenbergia genera under the Zingiberaceae family. B. rotunda is widely found in Asian countries where it is commonly used as a food ingredient and in ethnomedicinal preparations. The popularity of its ethnomedicinal usage has drawn the attention of scientists worldwide to further investigate its medicinal properties. Advancement in drug design and discovery research has led to the development of synthetic drugs from B. rotunda metabolites via bioinformatics and medicinal chemistry studies. Furthermore, with the advent of genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, new insights on the biosynthetic pathways of B. rotunda metabolites can be elucidated, enabling researchers to predict the potential bioactive compounds responsible for the medicinal properties of the plant. The vast biological activities exhibited by the compounds obtained from B. rotunda warrant further investigation through studies such as drug discovery, polypharmacology, and drug delivery using nanotechnology.
  7. Abd Rahman N, Ibrahim F, Yafouz B
    Sensors (Basel), 2017 Feb 24;17(3).
    PMID: 28245552 DOI: 10.3390/s17030449
    Dielectrophoresis (DEP) is a label-free, accurate, fast, low-cost diagnostic technique that uses the principles of polarization and the motion of bioparticles in applied electric fields. This technique has been proven to be beneficial in various fields, including environmental research, polymer research, biosensors, microfluidics, medicine and diagnostics. Biomedical science research is one of the major research areas that could potentially benefit from DEP technology for diverse applications. Nevertheless, many medical science research investigations have yet to benefit from the possibilities offered by DEP. This paper critically reviews the fundamentals, recent progress, current challenges, future directions and potential applications of research investigations in the medical sciences utilizing DEP technique. This review will also act as a guide and reference for medical researchers and scientists to explore and utilize the DEP technique in their research fields.
  8. Hariono M, Choi SB, Roslim RF, Nawi MS, Tan ML, Kamarulzaman EE, et al.
    PLoS One, 2019;14(1):e0210869.
    PMID: 30677071 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0210869
    Dengue virus Type 2 (DENV-2) is predominant serotype causing major dengue epidemics. There are a number of studies carried out to find its effective antiviral, however to date, there is still no molecule either from peptide or small molecules released as a drug. The present study aims to identify small molecules inhibitor from National Cancer Institute database through virtual screening. One of the hits, D0713 (IC50 = 62 μM) bearing thioguanine scaffold was derivatised into 21 compounds and evaluated for DENV-2 NS2B/NS3 protease inhibitory activity. Compounds 18 and 21 demonstrated the most potent activity with IC50 of 0.38 μM and 16 μM, respectively. Molecular dynamics and MM/PBSA free energy of binding calculation were conducted to study the interaction mechanism of these compounds with the protease. The free energy of binding of 18 calculated by MM/PBSA is -16.10 kcal/mol compared to the known inhibitor, panduratin A (-11.27 kcal/mol), which corroborates well with the experimental observation. Results from molecular dynamics simulations also showed that both 18 and 21 bind in the active site and stabilised by the formation of hydrogen bonds with Asn174.
  9. Muhamad Rosli SH, Lau MS, Khalid T, Maarof SK, Jeyabalan S, Sirdar Ali S, et al.
    PMID: 36947708 DOI: 10.1080/19440049.2023.2183068
    3-Monochloropropane-1,2-diol esters (3-MCPDE) are food contaminants commonly found in refined vegetable oils and fats, which have possible carcinogenic implications in humans. To investigate this clinically, we conducted an occurrence level analysis on eight categories of retail and cooked food commonly consumed in Malaysia. This was used to estimate the daily exposure level, through a questionnaire-based case-control study involving 77 subjects with renal cancer, with 80 matching controls. Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) was calculated using the multiple logistic regression model adjusted for confounding factors. A pooled estimate of total 3-MCPDE intake per day was compared between both groups, to assess exposure and disease outcome. Among the food categories analysed, vegetable fats and oils recorded the highest occurrence levels (mean: 1.91 ± 1.90 mg/kg), significantly more than all other food categories (p 
  10. Keng FS, Phang SM, Abd Rahman N, Yeong HY, Malin G, Leedham Elvidge E, et al.
    Phytochemistry, 2021 Oct;190:112869.
    PMID: 34274551 DOI: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2021.112869
    Four tropical seaweeds, Gracilaria manilaensis Yamamoto & Trono, Ulva reticulata Forsskål, Kappaphycus alvarezii (Doty) L.M.Liao and Turbinaria conoides (J.Agardh) Kützing, collected from various habitats throughout Malaysia, were subjected to temperatures of 40, 35, 30, 25 and 20 °C in the laboratory. An exposure range of 21-38 °C is reported for Malaysian waters. The effect of the temperature exposures on the halocarbon emissions of the seaweeds were determined 4 and 28 h after treatment. The emission rates for a suite of six halocarbons commonly emitted by seaweeds, bromoform (CHBr3), dibromomethane (CH2Br2), diiodomethane (CH2I2), iodomethane (CH3I), dibromochloromethane (CHBr2Cl) and dichlorobromomethane (CHBrCl2), were measured using a cryogenic purge-and-trap sample preparation system coupled to a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The emission rate of CHBr3 was the highest of the six halocarbons for all the seaweeds under all the temperatures tested, followed by CH2Br2, and CH2I2. The emission rates were affected by temperature change and exposure duration, but overall responses were unique to each seaweed species. Larger decreases in the emissions of CHBr3, CH2Br2, CH2I2 and CHBr2Cl were found for K. alvarezii and T. conoides after 4 h at 40 °C. In both cases there was a >90% (p 
  11. Abdullah N, Al Marzooq F, Mohamad S, Abd Rahman N, Rani KGA, Chi Ngo H, et al.
    PLoS One, 2020;15(11):e0241519.
    PMID: 33141868 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0241519
    Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) is commonly used to arrest caries lesions, especially in early childhood caries. Recently, it was suggested that SDF can be combined with potassium iodide (KI) to minimize the discoloration of demineralized dentine associated with SDF application. However, the antibacterial efficacy of SDF alone or combined with KI on in-situ biofilm is unknown. Hence, we compared the anti-plaque biofilm efficacy of two different commercially available SDF solutions, with or without KI, using an in-situ biofilm, analysed using viability real-time PCR with propidium monoazide (PMA). Appliance-borne in-situ biofilm samples (n = 90) were grown for a period of 6 h in five healthy subjects who repeated the experiment on three separate occasions, using a validated, novel, intraoral device. The relative anti-biofilm efficacy of two SDF formulations; 38.0% Topamine (SDFT) and 31.3%, Riva Star (SDFR), KI alone, and KI in combination with SDFR (SDFR+KI) was compared. The experiments were performed by applying an optimized volume of the agents onto the biofilm for 1min, mimicking the standard clinical procedure. Afterwards the viability of the residual biofilm bacteria was quantified using viability real-time PCR with PMA, then the percentage of viable from total bacteria was calculated. Both SDF formulations (SDFT and SDFR) exhibited potent antibacterial activities against the in-situ biofilm; however, there was non-significant difference in their efficacy. KI alone did not demonstrate any antibacterial effect, and there was non-significant difference in the antibacterial efficacy of SDF alone compared to SDF with KI, (SDFT v SDFR/KI). Thus, we conclude that the antibacterial efficacy of SDF against plaque biofilms is not modulated by KI supplements. Viability real-time PCR with PMA was successfully used to analyze the viability of naturally grown oral biofilm; thus, the same method can be used to test the antimicrobial effect of other agents on oral biofilms in future research.
  12. Abdul Razak N, Nordin R, Abd Rahman N, Ramli R
    Dent Traumatol, 2017 Oct;33(5):400-405.
    PMID: 28649703 DOI: 10.1111/edt.12355
    BACKGROUND/AIMS: The association between facial injury characteristics and mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the association between facial injury characteristics and mTBI.

    METHODS: A retrospective review utilizing patients' medical records at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, was performed. Records of subjects with a history of facial trauma from 1 April 2012 to 31 December 2012 were selected. Various levels and surgical speciality records were reviewed to ascertain the diagnoses of facial injuries and mTBI.

    RESULTS: A total of 348 medical records with the diagnosis of facial injuries were included. The prevalence of mTBI among these patients was 41.4% (95% CI 36.2-46.6). The majority of the patients with mTBI were in the age group of 18-25 years old. Patients with or without facial lacerations that were located on the lower face had a significant association with mTBI, P=.001, compared to other types of soft tissue injury. In addition, a statistically significant association was observed between facial fractures occurring to the middle face and mTBI, P=.018. Pearson chi-square test also showed statistically significant association between the severity of facial injuries and mTBI, P=.018.

    CONCLUSIONS: Mild traumatic brain injury should be suspected in patients with facial injuries and particularly those with lower face lacerations, midface fractures, moderate to severe facial injury and presence of multiple injuries.

  13. Othman MM, Abd Rahman N, Musirin I, Fotuhi-Firuzabad M, Rajabi-Ghahnavieh A
    ScientificWorldJournal, 2015;2015:731013.
    PMID: 25879068 DOI: 10.1155/2015/731013
    This paper introduces a novel multiobjective approach for capacity benefit margin (CBM) assessment taking into account tie-line reliability of interconnected systems. CBM is the imperative information utilized as a reference by the load-serving entities (LSE) to estimate a certain margin of transfer capability so that a reliable access to generation through interconnected system could be attained. A new Pareto-based evolutionary programming (EP) technique is used to perform a simultaneous determination of CBM for all areas of the interconnected system. The selection of CBM at the Pareto optimal front is proposed to be performed by referring to a heuristic ranking index that takes into account system loss of load expectation (LOLE) in various conditions. Eventually, the power transfer based available transfer capability (ATC) is determined by considering the firm and nonfirm transfers of CBM. A comprehensive set of numerical studies are conducted on the modified IEEE-RTS79 and the performance of the proposed method is numerically investigated in detail. The main advantage of the proposed technique is in terms of flexibility offered to an independent system operator in selecting an appropriate solution of CBM simultaneously for all areas.
  14. Shanmugasiva VV, Ramli Hamid MT, Fadzli F, Shaleen Kaur KS, Abd Rahman N, Rahmat K
    Malays J Pathol, 2018 Dec;40(3):349-353.
    PMID: 30580368
    INTRODUCTION: Myofibroblastoma is a rare benign mesenchymal tumour arising from the stromal elements of the breast tissue. Histopathological variants such as classic, cellular, collagenous / fibrous, lipomatous, infiltrative, myxoid and epithelioid have been identified. Most myofibroblastomas are immunoreactive for CD34, actin, CD10 and desmin, usually express oestrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and variably express androgen receptor (AR).

    CASE REPORT: We report a case of myofibroblastoma in an octogenarian male presenting with painless solitary breast lump. Mammography (digital tomosynthesis) and ultrasound showed a well-circumscribed hyperdense mass and hypoechoic, solid, oval mass with peripheral vascularity respectively. Patient underwent wide local excision.

    DISCUSSION: Diverse characteristics of myofibroblastoma on imaging necessitates histopathological analysis for an accurate diagnosis. Myofibroblastoma are often confused with fibroadenomas due to the benign imaging characteristics and with malignant neoplasia due to their wide morphological spectrum. Surgical excision is considered curative.

  15. Mai CW, Yaeghoobi M, Abd-Rahman N, Kang YB, Pichika MR
    Eur J Med Chem, 2014 Apr 22;77:378-87.
    PMID: 24675137 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2014.03.002
    In the present study, a series of 46 chalcones were synthesised and evaluated for antiproliferative activities against the human TRAIL-resistant breast (MCF-7, MDA-MB-231), cervical (HeLa), ovarian (Caov-3), lung (A549), liver (HepG2), colorectal (HT-29), nasopharyngeal (CNE-1), erythromyeloblastoid (K-562) and T-lymphoblastoid (CEM-SS) cancer cells. The chalcone 38 containing an amino (-NH2) group on ring A was the most potent and selective against cancer cells. The effects of the chalcone 38 on regulation of 43 apoptosis-related markers in HT-29 cells were determined. The results showed that 20 apoptotic markers (Bad, Bax, Bcl-2, Bcl-w, Bid, Bim, CD40, Fas, HSP27, IGF-1, IGFBP-4, IGFBP-5, Livin, p21, Survivin, sTNF-R2, TRAIL-R2, XIAP, caspase-3 and caspase-8) were either up regulated or down regulated.
  16. Abdullah N, Al-Marzooq F, Mohamad S, Abd Rahman N, Chi Ngo H, Perera Samaranayake L
    J Oral Microbiol, 2019;11(1):1647757.
    PMID: 31489127 DOI: 10.1080/20002297.2019.1647757
    Background: Oral biofilms are the root cause of major oral diseases. As in vitro biofilms are not representative of the intraoral milieu, various devices have been manufactured over the years to develop Appliance Grown Oral Biofilm (AGOB). Objective: To review various intraoral appliances used to develop AGOB for microbiological analysis, and to judge the optimal means for such analyses. Design: Four databases (PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus and Medline) were searched by two independent reviewers, and articles featuring the key words 'device' OR 'splint' OR 'appliance'; 'Oral biofilm' OR 'dental plaque'; 'in vivo' OR 'in situ'; 'Microbiology' OR 'Bacteria' OR 'microbiome'; were included. The standard Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) were adopted for data gathering. Results: Of the 517 articles which met the initial inclusion criteria, 24 were deemed eligible for review. The age of the AGOB, sampled at various intervals, ranged from 30 min to 28 days. The most commonly used microbiome analytical methods were fluorescence microscopy, total cell count using conventional, and molecular tools including Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) platforms. Conclusions: No uniformly superior method for collecting AGOB could be discerned. NGS platforms are preferable for AGOB analyses.
  17. Kong C, Yehye WA, Abd Rahman N, Tan MW, Nathan S
    PMID: 24393217 DOI: 10.1186/1472-6882-14-4
    The limited antibiotic options for effective control of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections has led to calls for new therapeutic approaches to combat this human pathogen. An alternative approach to control MRSA is through the use of anti-infective agents that selectively disrupt virulence-mediated pathways without affecting microbial cell viability or by modulating the host natural immune defenses to combat the pathogen.
  18. Kong C, Chee CF, Richter K, Thomas N, Abd Rahman N, Nathan S
    Sci Rep, 2018 02 09;8(1):2758.
    PMID: 29426873 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-21141-2
    Staphylococcus aureus is a major cause of nosocomial infections and secretes a diverse spectrum of virulence determinants as well as forms biofilm. The emergence of antibiotic-resistant S. aureus highlights the need for alternative forms of therapeutics other than conventional antibiotics. One route to meet this need is screening small molecule derivatives for potential anti-infective activity. Using a previously optimized C. elegans - S. aureus small molecule screen, we identified a benzimidazole derivative, UM-C162, which rescued nematodes from a S. aureus infection. UM-C162 prevented the formation of biofilm in a dose-dependent manner without interfering with bacterial viability. To examine the effect of UM-C162 on the expression of S. aureus virulence genes, a genome-wide transcriptome analysis was performed on UM-C162-treated pathogen. Our data indicated that the genes associated with biofilm formation, particularly those involved in bacterial attachment, were suppressed in UM-C162-treated bacteria. Additionally, a set of genes encoding vital S. aureus virulence factors were also down-regulated in the presence of UM-C162. Further biochemical analysis validated that UM-C162-mediated disruption of S. aureus hemolysins, proteases and clumping factors production. Collectively, our findings propose that UM-C162 is a promising compound that can be further developed as an anti-virulence agent to control S. aureus infections.
  19. Abd Rahman N, Abdullah N, Samsudin AR, Naing Mohd Ayub Sadiq L
    Malays J Med Sci, 2004 Jul;11(2):41-51.
    PMID: 22973126
    This study was done to determine the prevalence of dental anomalies and facial profile abnormality and its association with the non-syndromic cleft lip and palate (CLP) as compared to the non-cleft children. A comparative cross sectional study was conducted where the case group consist of 98 non-syndromic CLP children-unilateral (UCLP) and bilateral (BCLP) who attended the Combined Clinic at Kota Bharu Dental Clinic (KBDC) while the comparison group comprised of 109 non-cleft children who attended the outpatient clinic at KBDC. Their ages were between 3 to 12 years old. Clinical oral and facial profile examinations were carried out to look for dental anomalies (morphology, number and alignment of teeth) and facial profile abnormality. The prevalence of anomalies in morphology of teeth in CLP (24.5%) and non-cleft (10.1%), number of teeth in CLP (44.9%) and non-cleft (7.3%), mal-alignment in CLP (79.6%) and non-cleft (27.5%) and facial profile abnormality in CLP (26.5%) and non-cleft (9.1 %). There was a significant association between CLP and anomalies in morphology, number, mal-alignment and abnormality in facial profile; (p < 0.05). Therefore, there was a high prevalence and risk of dental anomalies and facial profile abnormality in the CLP children compared to the non-cleft children.
  20. Ahmat Zainuri N, Abd-Rahman N, Halim L, Chan MY, Mohd Bazari NN
    Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2022 Nov 30;19(23).
    PMID: 36498088 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192316013
    Pro-environmental behavior in addressing climate change is influenced by multi-dimensional factors-knowledge, values, intention and sociodemographic background. Correlational studies between environmental values and environmental behaviors have not been able to determine values or behaviors that need to be given priority in future interventions. Therefore, this study firstly determined the environmental values and pro-environmental behavior that are easy or difficult to embrace by 152 respondents with low socioeconomic background. Secondly, we identified the extent pro-environmental behavior is triggered by environmental values. This survey study employs the Rasch analysis model. The respondents had difficulty in associating themselves with biospheric values however readily demonstrated consideration toward altruistic values, especially related to concerns for future generations. In terms of environmental conservation behavior, the respondents were not willing to relinquish comfort easily, such as giving up self-driving and taking public transportation or reducing usage of electricity. In addition, adults of low socioeconomic background find it difficult to endorse statements such as getting involved in campaigns related to environmental conservation. Thus, younger family members must be educated about conservation behaviors such as environmental campaigns commonly offered at schools, and these youngsters can be encouraged to extend their role by educating their parents.
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