MyMedR

High prevalence of Southeast Asian ovalocytosis in Malays with distal renal tubular acidosis

Yusoff NM, Van Rostenberghe H, Shirakawa T, Nishiyama K, Amin N, Darus Z, et al.

J Hum Genet, 2003;48(12):650-653.

PMID: 14618420 DOI: 10.1007/s10038-003-0095-2

Southeast Asian ovalocytosis (SAO) is a red blood cell abnormality common in malaria-endemic regions and caused by a 27 nt deletion of the band 3 protein gene. Since band 3 protein, also known as anion exchanger 1, is expressed in renal distal tubules, the incidence of SAO was examined in distal renal tubular acidosis (dRTA) in Malays in Kelantan, Malaysia. Twenty-two patients with dRTA and 50 healthy volunteers were examined for complication of SAO by both morphological and genetic analyses. SAO was identified in 18 of the 22 dRTA patients (81.8%), but only two of the 50 controls (4%). The incidence of SAO was significantly high in those with dRTA (p<0.001), indicating a dysfunctional role for band 3 protein/anion exchanger 1 in the development of dRTA.

Fulltext Detection of Hartmannella sp, a free-living amoeba from Sungai Setiu, Terengganu

Mat Amin N, Najmiah Mustaffa N, Md Arshad N

Trop Biomed, 2004 Dec;21(2):77-80.

PMID: 16493402

Hartmannella sp is one of the free-living amoebae that have the ability to infect animal tissues because it has been found in human's nasal mucosa, dog's bronchial and turkey's intestine. Treatment for diseases inflicted by free-living amoebae is difficult because most of them infect and damage the host's tissues, so preventive measures are better to take rather than to cure the diseases. In this study, water taken from several stations namely Kampung Padang, Kampung Besut, Ibu Bekalan Setiu, Kampung Tasik, Kampung Guntung, Kampung Nyatoh, Kampung Penarik and Kampung Mangkok) along Sungai Setiu, Terengganu was examined for the presence of Hartmannella sp. The results of this study indicated that only Ibu Bekalan Setiu station was found positive to have the amoeba. Detail results on the water quality and nutrient contents measured in relation to the distribution of the amoeba at Ibu Bekalan Setiu station are presented and discussed.

Fulltext Proteinases in Naegleria Fowleri (strain NF3), a pathogenic amoeba: a preliminary study

Mat Amin N

Trop Biomed, 2004 Dec;21(2):57-60.

PMID: 16493399

Naegleria fowleri is a free-living amoeba, known as a causative agent for a fatal disease of the central nervous system (CNS) in man such as Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). Factors contributing to its pathogenicity and its distribution in the environment have been investigated by previous researchers. In case of its pathogenicity, several enzymes such as phospolipase A and sphingomyelinase, have been proposed to probably act as aggressors in promoting PAM but no study so far have been conducted to investigate the presence of proteinase enzyme in this amoeba although a 56kDa cystein proteinase enzyme has been identified in Entamoeba histolytica as an important contributing factor in the amoeba's virulence. In this preliminary study, a pathogenic amoeba, Naegleria fowleri (strain NF3) was examined for the presence of proteinases. Samples of enzymes in this amoeba were analysed by electrophoresis using SDS-PAGE-gelatin gels. The results showed that this amoeba possesses at least two high molecular weight proteinases on gelatin gels; their apparent molecular weights are approximately 128 kDa and approximately 170 kDa. Band of approximately 128 kDa enzyme is membrane-associated and its activity is higher at alkaline pH compared with lower pH; at lower pH, its activity is greatly stimulated by DTT. The approximately 170 kDa band enzyme appears to be inactivated at pH 8.0, at lower ph its activity is higher and DTT-dependance. The activity of this enzyme is partially inhibited by inhibitor E-64 but markedly inhibited to antipain suggesting it belongs to the cysteine proteinase group.

Fulltext Handlebar herniation: a case of near missed abdominal injury

Chew KS, Amin NM

Med J Malaysia, 2009 Jun;64(2):170-1.

PMID: 20058582 MyJurnal

Timely identification of specific injuries in a polytrauma case is of paramount importance in order to reduce morbidity and mortality. Unfortunately, some of these injuries are subtle and can be missed on initial primary and secondary assessments. In this paper, we report one such injury in a case of a 16-year old motorcyclist who complained of abdominal pain over the right lumbar region after the motorcycle handlebar hit his abdomen. Although initial assessment was uneventful, he was subsequently diagnosed to have a traumatic abdominal wall herniation on abdominal computed tomography after more than 24 hours of observation in the ward.

Unsteady magnetohydrodynamic blood flow through irregular multi-stenosed arteries

Mustapha N, Amin N, Chakravarty S, Mandal PK

Comput Biol Med, 2009 Oct;39(10):896-906.

PMID: 19665698 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2009.07.004

Flow of an electrically conducting fluid characterizing blood through the arteries having irregular shaped multi-stenoses in the environment of a uniform transverse magnetic-field is analysed. The flow is considered to be axisymmetric with an outline of the irregular stenoses obtained from a three-dimensional casting of a mild stenosed artery, so that the physical problem becomes more realistic from the physiological point of view. The marker and cell (MAC) and successive-over-relaxation (SOR) methods are respectively used to solve the governing unsteady magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equations and pressure-Poisson equation quantitatively and to observe the flow separation. The results obtained show that the flow separates mostly towards the downstream of the multi-stenoses. However, the flow separation region keeps on shrinking with the increasing intensity of the magnetic-field which completely disappears with sufficiently large value of the Hartmann number. The present observations certainly have some clinical implications relating to magnetotherapy which help reducing the complex flow separation zones causing flow disorder leading to the formation and progression of the arterial diseases.

Fulltext Rhino-orbito-cerebral mucormycosis in an immunocompetent patient: case report and review of literature

Shatriah I, Mohd-Amin N, Tuan-Jaafar TN, Khanna RK, Yunus R, Madhavan M

Middle East Afr J Ophthalmol, 2012 Apr-Jun;19(2):258-61.

PMID: 22623872 DOI: 10.4103/0974-9233.95269

Rhino-orbito-cerebral mucormycosis is a fungal infection that can be fatal especially in immunocompromised patients. It is extremely rare in immunocompetent individuals. We describe here an immunocompetent patient who survived rhino-orbito-cerebral mucormycosis due to Saksenaea vasiformis, and provide a literature review of this rare entity.

Fulltext Parental refusal to diphtheria vaccine: a fatal outcome

Syafinaz Amin N, Faridah I, Rukman AH, Fathinul Fakri AS, Malina O, Fadzillah G, et al.

Med J Malaysia, 2013 Oct;68(5):435-6.

PMID: 24632874 MyJurnal

We present a case of a four-year-old boy who succumbed to diphtheria following incomplete course of immunisation, which included diphtheria vaccine. This case report focuses on the issues of parental refusal to vaccines and the development of "halal" vaccines for the prevention of infectious diseases.

Fulltext Draft Genome Sequence of Erwinia mallotivora BT-MARDI, Causative Agent of Papaya Dieback Disease

Redzuan RA, Abu Bakar N, Rozano L, Badrun R, Mat Amin N, Mohd Raih MF

Genome Announc, 2014;2(3).

PMID: 24812220 DOI: 10.1128/genomeA.00375-14

Erwinia mallotivora was isolated from papaya trees infected with dieback disease, which were planted at the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI), Malaysia. Here, we report a draft genome sequence of E. mallotivora BT-MARDI, which offers an important source of information for understanding pathogen and host interaction during papaya dieback development.

Fulltext Validity and Reliability of Malay Version of the Job Content Questionnaire among Public Hospital Female Nurses in Malaysia

Amin NA, Quek KF, Oxley JA, Noah RM, Nordin R

Int J Occup Environ Med, 2015 10;6(4):232-42.

PMID: 26498051 DOI: 10.15171/ijoem.2015.632

BACKGROUND: The Job Content Questionnaire (M-JCQ) is an established self-reported instrument used across the world to measure the work dimensions based on the Karasek's demand-control-support model.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the psychometrics properties of the Malay version of M-JCQ among nurses in Malaysia.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study was carried out on nurses working in 4 public hospitals in Klang Valley area, Malaysia. M-JCQ was used to assess the perceived psychosocial stressors and physical demands of nurses at their workplaces. Construct validity of the questionnaire was examined using exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Cronbach's α values were used to estimate the reliability (internal consistency) of the M-JCQ.

RESULTS: EFA showed that 34 selected items were loaded in 4 factors. Except for psychological job demand (Cronbach's α 0.51), the remaining 3 α values for 3 subscales (job control, social support, and physical demand) were greater than 0.70, indicating acceptable internal consistency. However, an item was excluded due to poor item-total correlation (r<0.3). The final M-JCQ was consisted of 33 items.

CONCLUSION: The M-JCQ is a reliable and valid instrument to measure psychosocial and physical stressors in the workplace of public hospital nurses in Malaysia.

Fulltext Staphylococcus aureus carriage in selected kindergartens in Klang Valley

Mohamed NA, Ramli S, Amin NN, Sulaiman WS, Isahak I, Jamaluddin TZ, et al.

Med J Malaysia, 2016 04;71(2):62-5.

PMID: 27326943 MyJurnal

INTRODUCTION: Nasal colonisation of S. aureus in healthy children was 18% to 30%. One to three percent of them were colonised by Methicillin-resistant Staphlycoccus aureus (MRSA). Although MRSA infection has become increasingly reported, population-based S. aureus and MRSA colonisation estimates are lacking. The main objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of S. aureus carriage among children.

METHODS: Nasal samples for S. aureus culture were obtained from 250 children from three kindergartens in the Klang Valley, after consent was obtained from the children and their parents. Swabs were transported in Stuart medium, and inoculated on mannitol-salt agar within four hours of collection. Identification and disk diffusion test were done according to guidelines. Polymerase chain reaction was done on MRSA isolates for the presence of mecA and lukS/FPV genes.

RESULTS: Overall prevalence of S. aureus and MRSA carriage were 19.2% (48/250) and 1.6% (4/250) respectively. mecA gene was present in all isolates, 50% isolates carried Panton-Valentine leucocidin (PVL) gene. Sccmec type I was found in 2 isolates and the remaining isolates has Sccmec type V.

CONCLUSION: The prevalence of S. aureus and MRSA carriage were similar to other studies. However, risk of contracting severe infection might be higher due to presence of PVL gene in half of the MRSA isolates.

Prospects of Graphene as a Potential Carrier-Transport Material in Third-Generation Solar Cells

Chowdhury TH, Islam A, Mahmud Hasan AK, Terdi MA, Arunakumari M, Prakash Singh S, et al.

Chem Rec, 2016 Apr;16(2):614-32.

PMID: 26816190 DOI: 10.1002/tcr.201500206

Third-generation solar cells are understood to be the pathway to overcoming the issues and drawbacks of the existing solar cell technologies. Since the introduction of graphene in solar cells, it has been providing attractive properties for the next generation of solar cells. Currently, there are more theoretical predictions rather than practical recognitions in third-generation solar cells. Some of the potential of graphene has been explored in organic photovoltaics (OPVs) and dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), but it has yet to be fully comprehended in the recent third-generation inorganic-organic hybrid perovskite solar cells. In this review, the diverse role of graphene in third-generation OPVs and DSSCs will be deliberated to provide an insight on the prospects and challenges of graphene in inorganic-organic hybrid perovskite solar cells.

Pyrolysis of low density polyethylene waste in subcritical water optimized by response surface methodology

Wong SL, Ngadi N, Amin NA, Abdullah TA, Inuwa IM

Environ Technol, 2016;37(2):245-54.

PMID: 26150081 DOI: 10.1080/09593330.2015.1068376

Pyrolysis of low density polyethylene (LDPE) waste from local waste separation company in subcritical water was conducted to investigate the effect of reaction time, temperature, as well as the mass ratio of water to polymer on the liquid yield. The data obtained from the study were used to optimize the liquid yield using response surface methodology. The range of reaction temperature used was 162-338°C, while the reaction time ranged from 37 min to 143 min, and the ratio of water to polymer ranged from 1.9 to 7.1. It was found that pyrolysis of LDPE waste in subcritical water produced hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, while the liquid product contained alkanes and alkenes with 10-50 carbons atoms, as well as heptadecanone, dichloroacetic acid and heptadecyl ester. The optimized conditions were 152.3°C, reaction time of 1.2 min and ratio of water solution to polymer of 32.7, with the optimum liquid yield of 13.6 wt% and gases yield of 2.6 wt%.

Fulltext Search for new physics in same-sign dilepton events in proton-proton collisions at [Formula: see text]

Khachatryan V, Sirunyan AM, Tumasyan A, Adam W, Asilar E, Bergauer T, et al.

Eur Phys J C Part Fields, 2016;76(8):439.

PMID: 28303081 DOI: 10.1140/epjc/s10052-016-4261-z

A search for new physics is performed using events with two isolated same-sign leptons, two or more jets, and missing transverse momentum. The results are based on a sample of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13[Formula: see text] recorded with the CMS detector at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.3 [Formula: see text]. Multiple search regions are defined by classifying events in terms of missing transverse momentum, the scalar sum of jet transverse momenta, the transverse mass associated with a [Formula: see text] boson candidate, the number of jets, the number of [Formula: see text] quark jets, and the transverse momenta of the leptons in the event. The analysis is sensitive to a wide variety of possible signals beyond the standard model. No excess above the standard model background expectation is observed. Constraints are set on various supersymmetric models, with gluinos and bottom squarks excluded for masses up to 1300 and 680[Formula: see text], respectively, at the 95 % confidence level. Upper limits on the cross sections for the production of two top quark-antiquark pairs (119[Formula: see text]) and two same-sign top quarks (1.7[Formula: see text]) are also obtained. Selection efficiencies and model independent limits are provided to allow further interpretations of the results.

Fulltext Observation of Charge-Dependent Azimuthal Correlations in p-Pb Collisions and Its Implication for the Search for the Chiral Magnetic Effect

Khachatryan V, Sirunyan AM, Tumasyan A, Adam W, Asilar E, Bergauer T, et al.

Phys Rev Lett, 2017 Mar 24;118(12):122301.

PMID: 28388204 DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.122301

Charge-dependent azimuthal particle correlations with respect to the second-order event plane in p-Pb and PbPb collisions at a nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV have been studied with the CMS experiment at the LHC. The measurement is performed with a three-particle correlation technique, using two particles with the same or opposite charge within the pseudorapidity range |η|<2.4, and a third particle measured in the hadron forward calorimeters (4.4

Fulltext Relative Modification of Prompt ψ(2S) and J/ψ Yields from pp to PbPb Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02 TeV

Sirunyan AM, Tumasyan A, Adam W, Asilar E, Bergauer T, Brandstetter J, et al.

Phys Rev Lett, 2017 Apr 21;118(16):162301.

PMID: 28474955 DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.162301

The relative modification of the prompt ψ(2S) and J/ψ yields from pp to PbPb collisions, at the center-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV per nucleon pair, is presented. The analysis is based on pp and PbPb data samples collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC in 2015, corresponding to integrated luminosities of 28.0 pb^{-1} and 464 μb^{-1}, respectively. The double ratio of measured yields of prompt charmonia reconstructed through their decays into muon pairs, (N_{ψ(2S)}/N_{J/ψ})_{PbPb}/(N_{ψ(2S)}/N_{J/ψ})_{pp}, is determined as a function of PbPb collision centrality and charmonium transverse momentum p_{T}, in two kinematic intervals: |y|<1.6 covering 6.5

The Association of Workplace Exposures on Quality of Life in Small and Medium Enterprises Workers: A Cross-Sectional Study in Four ASEAN Countries

Isahak M, Loh MY, Susilowati IH, Kaewboonchoo O, Harncharoen K, Mohd Amin N, et al.

Asia Pac J Public Health, 2017 May;29(4):315-327.

PMID: 28569111 DOI: 10.1177/1010539517699060

Quality of life is associated with several factors, including personal living styles and working conditions. This article aims to investigate the factors associated with quality of life among small and medium enterprises (SME) workers in 4 countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), namely Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam. A total of 2014 workers from food and textile industries were asked to answer a questionnaire about their sociodemographic characteristics, working environment and conditions, and quality of life. Results from showed that lifestyle (ie, alcohol intake and exercising), working characteristics (ie, shift work, working hours, and working days) and workplace conditions were associated with SME workers' quality of life (ie, physical, psychological, social, and environmental domain). Among the 16 types of workplace conditions, "sitting on the chair" and "slippery floor" most affect their quality of life . It is important for these variables to be taken into account in promoting workers' well-being and quality of life.

Study of Jet Quenching with Z+jet Correlations in Pb-Pb and pp Collisions at sqrt[s]_{NN}=5.02 TeV

Sirunyan AM, Tumasyan A, Adam W, Asilar E, Bergauer T, Brandstetter J, et al.

Phys Rev Lett, 2017 Aug 25;119(8):082301.

PMID: 28952777 DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.082301

The production of jets in association with Z bosons, reconstructed via the μ^{+}μ^{-} and e^{+}e^{-} decay channels, is studied in pp and, for the first time, in Pb-Pb collisions. Both data samples were collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC, at a nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV. The Pb-Pb collisions were analyzed in the 0%-30% centrality range. The back-to-back azimuthal alignment was studied in both pp and Pb-Pb collisions for Z bosons with transverse momentum p_{T}^{Z}>60 GeV/c and a recoiling jet with p_{T}^{jet}>30 GeV/c. The p_{T} imbalance x_{jZ}=p_{T}^{jet}/p_{T}^{Z}, as well as the average number of jet partners per Z, R_{jZ}, was studied in intervals of p_{T}^{Z}. The R_{jZ} is found to be smaller in Pb-Pb than in pp collisions, which suggests that in Pb-Pb collisions a larger fraction of partons associated with the Z bosons fall below the 30 GeV/c p_{T}^{jet} threshold because they lose energy.

Search for Low Mass Vector Resonances Decaying to Quark-Antiquark Pairs in Proton-Proton Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV

Sirunyan AM, Tumasyan A, Adam W, Ambrogi F, Asilar E, Bergauer T, et al.

Phys Rev Lett, 2017 Sep 15;119(11):111802.

PMID: 28949210 DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.111802

A search is reported for a narrow vector resonance decaying to quark-antiquark pairs in proton-proton collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV, collected with the CMS detector at the LHC. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 2.7 fb^{-1}. The vector resonance is produced at large transverse momenta, with its decay products merged into a single jet. The resulting signature is a peak over background in the distribution of the invariant mass of the jet. The results are interpreted in the framework of a leptophobic vector resonance and no evidence is found for such particles in the mass range of 100-300 GeV. Upper limits at 95% confidence level on the production cross section are presented in a region of mass-coupling phase space previously unexplored at the LHC. The region below 140 GeV has not been explored by any previous experiments.

Search for Charged Higgs Bosons Produced via Vector Boson Fusion and Decaying into a Pair of W and Z Bosons Using pp Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV

Sirunyan AM, Tumasyan A, Adam W, Asilar E, Bergauer T, Brandstetter J, et al.

Phys Rev Lett, 2017 Oct 06;119(14):141802.

PMID: 29053305 DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.141802

A search for charged Higgs bosons produced via vector boson fusion and decaying into W and Z bosons using proton-proton collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV is presented. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 15.2 fb^{-1} collected with the CMS detector in 2015 and 2016. The event selection requires three leptons (electrons or muons), two jets with large pseudorapidity separation and high dijet mass, and missing transverse momentum. The observation agrees with the standard model prediction. Limits on the vector boson fusion production cross section times branching fraction for new charged physical states are reported as a function of mass from 200 to 2000 GeV and interpreted in the context of Higgs triplet models.

Search for Supersymmetry in pp Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV in the Single-Lepton Final State Using the Sum of Masses of Large-Radius Jets

Sirunyan AM, Tumasyan A, Adam W, Ambrogi F, Asilar E, Bergauer T, et al.

Phys Rev Lett, 2017 Oct 13;119(15):151802.

PMID: 29077436 DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.151802

Results are reported from a search for supersymmetric particles in proton-proton collisions in the final state with a single lepton, multiple jets, including at least one b-tagged jet, and large missing transverse momentum. The search uses a sample of proton-proton collision data at sqrt[s]=13 TeV recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb^{-1}. The observed event yields in the signal regions are consistent with those expected from standard model backgrounds. The results are interpreted in the context of simplified models of supersymmetry involving gluino pair production, with gluino decay into either on- or off-mass-shell top squarks. Assuming that the top squarks decay into a top quark plus a stable, weakly interacting neutralino, scenarios with gluino masses up to about 1.9 TeV are excluded at 95% confidence level for neutralino masses up to about 1 TeV.

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