Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 43 in total

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  1. Abdul Aziz FAB, Abd Rahman N, Mohd Ali J
    Comput Intell Neurosci, 2019;2019:6252983.
    PMID: 31239836 DOI: 10.1155/2019/6252983
    Due to the rapid development of economy and society around the world, the most urban city is experiencing tropospheric ozone or commonly known as ground-level air pollutants. The concentration of air pollutants must be identified as an early precaution step by the local environmental or health agencies. This work aims to apply the artificial neural network (ANN) in estimating the ozone concentration forecast in Bangi. It consists of input variables such as temperature, relative humidity, concentration of nitrogen dioxide, time, UVA and UVB rays obtained from routine monitoring, and data recorded. Ten hidden layer is utilized to obtain the optimized ozone concentration, which is the output layer of the ANN framework. The finding showed that the meteorology condition and emission patterns play an important part in influencing the ozone concentration. However, a single network is sufficient enough to estimate the concentration despite any circumstances. Thus, it can be concluded that ANN is able to give reliable and satisfactory estimations of ozone concentration for the following day.
  2. 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.

  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Jusoh AR, Abd Rahman N, Abd Latiff A, Othman F, Das S, Abd Ghafar N, et al.
    Rom J Morphol Embryol, 2010;51(1):163-6.
    PMID: 20191138
    The obturator artery (OA) originates from the internal iliac artery. Variation in the origin of the OA may be asymptomatic in individuals and occasionally be detected during routine cadaveric dissections or autopsies. In the present study, we observed the origin and the branching pattern of the OA on 34 lower limbs (17 right sides and 17 left sides) irrespective of sex. The bifurcation of the common iliac artery into internal and external iliac from the sacral ala varied between 4.3-5.3 cm. The distance of the origin of the anterior division of internal iliac artery from the bifurcation of common iliac artery varied between 1-6 cm. The distance of the origin of the posterior division of the internal iliac artery from the point of bifurcation of the common iliac artery varied between 0-6 cm. Out of 34 lower limbs studied, two specimens (5.8%) showed anomalous origin of the OA originating from the posterior division of the internal iliac artery. Of these two, one limb belonged to the right side while the other was from the left side. The anomalous OA gave off an inferior vesical branch to the prostate in both the specimens. No other associated anomalies regarding the origin or branching pattern of the OA were observed. Prior knowledge of the anatomical variations may be beneficial for vascular surgeons ligating the internal iliac artery or its branches and the radiologists interpreting angiograms of the pelvic region.
  7. Sukumaran SD, Chee CF, Viswanathan G, Buckle MJ, Othman R, Abd Rahman N, et al.
    Molecules, 2016 Jul 22;21(7).
    PMID: 27455222 DOI: 10.3390/molecules21070955
    A series of 2'-hydroxy- and 2'-hydroxy-4',6'-dimethoxychalcones was synthesised and evaluated as inhibitors of human acetylcholinesterase (AChE). The majority of the compounds were found to show some activity, with the most active compounds having IC50 values of 40-85 µM. Higher activities were generally observed for compounds with methoxy substituents in the A ring and halogen substituents in the B ring. Kinetic studies on the most active compounds showed that they act as mixed-type inhibitors, in agreement with the results of molecular modelling studies, which suggested that they interact with residues in the peripheral anionic site and the gorge region of AChE.
  8. Heng HL, Chee CF, Chin SP, Ouyang Y, Wang H, Buckle MJC, et al.
    MedChemComm, 2018 Mar 01;9(3):576-582.
    PMID: 30108948 DOI: 10.1039/c7md00629b
    In this study, the (S)-enantiomers of the aporphine alkaloids, nuciferine and roemerine, were prepared via a synthetic route involving catalytic asymmetric hydrogenation and both stereoisomers were evaluated in vitro for functional activity at human 5-HT2 and adrenergic α1 receptor subtypes using a transforming growth factor-α shedding assay. Both enantiomers of each of the compounds were found to act as antagonists at 5-HT2 and α1 receptors. (R)-roemerine was the most potent compound at 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C receptors (pKb = 7.8-7.9) with good selectivity compared to (S)-roemerine at these two receptors and compared to its activity at 5-HT2B, α1A, α1B and α1D receptors.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. Ali N, Nur Kalmi Z, Sanusi NS, Ahad A, Mohd Khairuddin NA, Rosman SR, et al.
    Malays Fam Physician, 2022 Nov 30;17(3):137-143.
    PMID: 36606167 DOI: 10.51866/oa.135
    INTRODUCTION: Anaemia is common during pregnancy and can lead to miscarriage, intrauterine growth retardation, premature labour and antepartum haemorrhage. Anaemia in pregnancy is defined as a haemoglobin (Hb) level of <11 g/dL.

    METHOD: This retrospective review included 407 antenatal mothers diagnosed with anaemia at 36±1 weeks of gestation at all 10 health clinics in Alor Gajah between January and December 2018.

    RESULTS: According to the district annual returns, 2,407 antenatal mothers (36 weeks of gestation) were registered in the health clinics in Alor Gajah in 2018. Among them, the prevalence of anaemia was 18.6% (n=448). However, there were only 407 cards found. Most participants were Malays (89.4%), aged 20-40 years (93.6%) and married (96.3%). Almost all anaemia cases (96.5%) were mild (Hb level of 9-10.9 g/dL). Approximately 34.4% of the mothers were already anaemic at booking; 77.6% belonged to the B40 income group; and 31.6% had poor pregnancy spacing of <2 years. Iron deficiency anaemia was the most common type of anaemia (51.0%), followed by dilutional anaemia (34.0%), which did not normalise at 36 weeks of gestation. Anaemia was associated with lower educational (p<0.05) and Hb levels at booking (p<0.001).

    CONCLUSION: Having normal maternal Hb levels in early pregnancy especially at booking is crucial, as it may reduce the possibility of anaemia during pregnancy. Early screening and supplementation of at-risk pregnancies may be applied as a preventive strategy. Suitable methods of iron treatment and investigation need further exploration.

  12. Abdul Razak, S. Z., Abd. Rahman, N. A., Baharuddin, A. S., Mohd Amin, N. A., Mat Johari, A., Mohammad Parid, D.
    MyJurnal
    The present work aimed at obtaining the optimum combination of stabilisers used in an
    instant ice cream formulation. Instant ice cream mixes were formulated using milk protein,
    fat, sucrose, stabilisers, emulsifiers and water. A basic formulation for ice cream mix was
    prepared according to the process flow of instant ice cream. Three different stabilisers
    mixtures, which were carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), carrageenan, and sodium alginate
    used in 14 formulations were studied using mixture design methodology. Physical analyses on
    meltdown rate, hardness, melted ice cream viscosity, and overrun were performed. The results
    were compared with those of commercial instant ice cream to determine the acceptability and
    quality of the final products. From the optimisation study, the recommended combination of
    stabilisers was found to be 0.151% CMC and 0.149% sodium alginate. The optimised sample
    had a higher viscosity of 0.17 Pa.s than the commercial one (0.16 Pa.s), which corresponded to
    higher hardness thus indicating slower melting rate, which is a good texture for ice cream. The
    overrun of the optimised sample was 108.33%, which is considered high. The high amount of
    air, viscosity, and hardness resulted in a low melting rate of 0.22 g/min, which is desirable for
    ice cream consumption. Based on sensory evaluation, the optimised instant ice cream was the
    most preferred by panellists as compared to commercial sample.
  13. 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.

  14. Zainal SA, Md Daud MK, Abd Rahman N, Zainuddin Z, Alwi Z
    Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol, 2012 Aug;76(8):1175-9.
    PMID: 22613756 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijporl.2012.04.027
    To identify the mutations in the GJB2 gene and to determine its association with non-syndromic hearing loss in Malays.
  15. 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.
  16. Idris SS, Abd Rahman N, Ismail K, Alias AB, Abd Rashid Z, Aris MJ
    Bioresour Technol, 2010 Jun;101(12):4584-92.
    PMID: 20153633 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2010.01.059
    This study aims to investigate the behaviour of Malaysian sub-bituminous coal (Mukah Balingian), oil palm biomass (empty fruit bunches (EFB), kernel shell (PKS) and mesocarp fibre (PMF)) and their respective blends during pyrolysis using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The coal/palm biomass blends were prepared at six different weight ratios and experiments were carried out under dynamic conditions using nitrogen as inert gas at various heating rates to ramp the temperature from 25 degrees C to 900 degrees C. The derivative thermogravimetric (DTG) results show that thermal decomposition of EFB, PMF and PKS exhibit one, two and three distinct evolution profiles, respectively. Apparently, the thermal profiles of the coal/oil palm biomass blends appear to correlate with the percentage of biomass added in the blends, thus, suggesting lack of interaction between the coal and palm biomass. First-order reaction model were used to determine the kinetics parameters for the pyrolysis of coal, palm biomass and their respective blends.
  17. 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.
  18. Heng HL, Chee CF, Thy CK, Tee JT, Chin SP, Herr DR, et al.
    Chem Biol Drug Des, 2019 02;93(2):132-138.
    PMID: 30216681 DOI: 10.1111/cbdd.13390
    Compounds with activity at serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) 5-HT2 and α1 adrenergic receptors have potential for the treatment of central nervous system disorders, drug addiction or overdose. Isolaureline, dicentrine and glaucine enantiomers were synthesized, and their in vitro functional activities at human 5-HT2 and adrenergic α1 receptor subtypes were evaluated. The enantiomers of isolaureline and dicentrine acted as antagonists at 5-HT2 and α1 receptors with (R)-isolaureline showing the greatest potency (pKb  = 8.14 at the 5-HT2C receptor). Both (R)- and (S)-glaucine also antagonized α1 receptors, but they behaved very differently to the other compounds at 5-HT2 receptors: (S)-glaucine acted as a partial agonist at all three 5-HT2 receptor subtypes, whereas (R)-glaucine appeared to act as a positive allosteric modulator at the 5-HT2A receptor.
  19. Ghazali N, Abd Rahman N, Ahmad A, Sulong S, Kannan TP
    Front Physiol, 2021;12:637306.
    PMID: 33732167 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2021.637306
    Nonsyndromic cleft lip and or without cleft palate (NSCL/P) with the hypodontia is a common developmental abnormality in humans and animals. This study identified the genetic aberration involved in both NSCL/P and hypodontia pathogenesis. A cross-sectional study using genome-wide study copy number variation-targeted CytoScan 750K array carried out on salivary samples from 61 NSCL/P and 20 noncleft with and without hypodontia Malay subjects aged 7-13 years old. Copy number variations (CNVs) of SKI and fragile histidine triad (FHIT) were identified in NSCL/P and noncleft children using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) as a validation analysis. Copy number calculated (CNC) for each gene determined with Applied Biosystems CopyCaller Software v2.0. The six significant CNVs included gains (12q14.3, 15q26.3, 1p36.32, and 1p36.33) and losses (3p14.2 and 4q13.2) in NSCL/P with hypodontia patients compared with the NSCL/P only. The genes located in these regions encoded LEMD3, IGF1R, TP73, SKI, FHIT, and UGT2β15. There were a significant gain and loss of both SKI and FHIT copy number in NSCL/P with hypodontia compared with the noncleft group (p < 0.05). The results supported that CNVs significantly furnish to the development of NSCL/P with hypodontia.
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