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Assessment of natural radioactivity levels in rocks and their relationships with the geological structure of Johor state, Malaysia

Alnour IA, Wagiran H, Ibrahim N, Hamzah S, Elias MS, Laili Z, et al.

Radiat Prot Dosimetry, 2014 Jan;158(2):201-7.
PMID: 23965286 DOI: 10.1093/rpd/nct206

The distribution of natural radionuclides ((238)U, (232)Th and (40)K) and their radiological hazard effect in rocks collected from the state of Johor, Malaysia were determined by gamma spectroscopy using a high-purity germanium detector. The highest values of (238)U, (232)Th and (40)K activity concentrations (67±6, 85±7 and 722±18 Bg kg(-1), respectively) were observed in the granite rock. The lowest concentrations of (238)U and (232)Th (2±0.1 Bq kg(-1) for (238)U and 2±0.1 Bq kg(-1) for (232)Th) were observed in gabbro rock. The lowest concentration of (40)K (45±2 Bq kg(-1)) was detected in sandstone. The radium equivalent activity concentrations for all rock samples investigated were lower than the internationally accepted value of 370 Bq kg(-1). The highest value of radium equivalent in the present study (239±17 Bq kg(-1)) was recorded in the area of granite belonging to an acid intrusive rock geological structure. The absorbed dose rate was found to range from 4 to 112 nGy h(-1). The effective dose ranged from 5 to 138 μSv h(-1). The internal and external hazard index values were given in results lower than unity. The purpose of this study is to provide information related to radioactivity background levels and the effects of radiation on residents in the study area under investigation. Moreover, the relationships between the radioactivity levels in the rocks within the geological structure of the studied area are discussed.
Fulltext Primary imatinib resistance in chronic myeloid leukemia patients in a developing country: BCR-ABL kinase domain mutations or BCR-ABL independent mechanisms?

Yap E, Tumian NR, Azma RZ, Sharifah NA, Salwati S, Hamidah NH, et al.

Malays J Pathol, 2017 Aug;39(2):107-113.
PMID: 28866691 MyJurnal

Clinical resistance to imatinib (IM) in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) carries adverse consequences. We investigated 22 CML patients who developed IM-resistance for BCR-ABL kinase domain (KD) mutations. The median follow-up for this study was 101.9 months (range: 22.2 to 176.5 months) and the estimated mean overall survival was 150.87 months (95% CI: 130.0 to 171.0). Five out of 22 patients tested positive for BCR-ABL KD mutations: 2 had T315I, 2 had E255K and 1 had V289F mutations. Of the remaining 17 patients who did not harbor BCR-ABL KD mutations, 11 patients received nilotinib while the rest continued on IM. All 17 achieved haematological remission but only 5 patients achieved complete cytogenetic remission, 4 of whom did so after switching to nilotinib. Our study shows that most of our IM-resistant patients do not test positive for BCR-ABL KD mutations by available testing methods and the role of second generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors remains undetermined. A critical analysis of the BCR-ABL KD mutations and the underlying mechanisms/ pathways of BCR-ABL independent IM-resistance along with potential treatments in the horizon will be discussed.
Conventional versus Doxorubicin-Eluting Beads Transarterial Chemoembolization for Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma: a Tertiary Medical Centre Experience in Malaysia

Rahman FA, Naidu J, Ngiu CS, Yaakob Y, Mohamed Z, Othman H, et al.

Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2016;17(8):4037-41.
PMID: 27644658

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common cancer that is frequently diagnosed at an advanced stage. Transarterial chemoembolisation (TACE) is an effective palliative treatment for patients who are not eligible for curative treatment. The two main methods for performing TACE are conventional (c-TACE) or with drug eluting beads (DEB-TACE). We sought to compare survival rates and tumour response between patients undergoing c-TACE and DEB-TACE at our centre.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing either treatment was carried out from January 2009 to December 2014. Tumour response to the procedures was evaluated according to the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (mRECIST). Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to assess and compare the overall survival in the two groups.
RESULTS: A total of 79 patients were analysed (34 had c-TACE, 45 had DEB-TACE) with a median follow-up of 11.8 months. A total of 20 patients in the c-TACE group (80%) and 12 patients in the DEB-TACE group (44%) died during the follow up period. The median survival durations in the c-TACE and DEB-TACE groups were 4.9 ± 3.2 months and 8.3 ± 2.0 months respectively (p=0.008). There was no statistically significant difference noted among the two groups with respect to mRECIST criteria.
CONCLUSIONS: DEB-TACE demonstrated a significant improvement in overall survival rates for patients with unresectable HCC when compared to c-TACE. It is a safe and promising approach and should potentially be considered as a standard of care in the management of unresectable HCC.
Radiation Exposure in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: a Fourteen-Year Review at a Tertiary Care Centre in Malaysia

Naidu J, Wong Zh, Palaniappan Sh, Ngiu ChS, Yaacob NY, Abdul Hamid H, et al.

Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2017 04 01;18(4):933-939.
PMID: 28545190

Background and Aims: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are subjected to a large amount of ionizing
radiation during the course of their illness. This may increase their risk of malignancy to a greater level than that due
to the disease itself. In Caucasian patients with Crohn’s disease, this has been well documented and recommendations
are in place to avoid high radiation imaging protocols. However, there are limited data available on radiation exposure
in Asian IBD patients.We therefore sought to identify total radiation exposure and any differences between ethnically
diverse ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD) patients at our centre along with determining factors that may
contribute to any variation. Methods: The cumulative effective dose (CED) was calculated retrospectively from 2000
to 2014 using data from our online radiology database and patients’ medical records. Total CED in the IBD population
was measured. High exposure was defined as a radiation dose of greater than 0.2mSv (equivalent to slightly less than
½ a year of background radiation). Results: A total of 112 cases of IBD (36 CD and 76 UC) were reviewed. Our CD
patients were diagnosed at an earlier age than our UC cases (mean age 26.1 vs 45.7). The total CED in our IBD population
was 8.53 (95% CI: 4.53-12.52). Patients with CD were exposed to significantly higher radiation compared to those
with UC. The mean CED was 18.6 (7.30-29.87) and 3.65 (1.74-5.56, p=0.01) for CD and UC patients respectively. 2
patients were diagnosed as having a malignancy during follow up with respective CED values of 1.76mSv and 10mSv.
Conclusions: CD patients, particularly those with complicated disease, received a higher frequency of diagnostic
imaging over a shorter period when compared to UC patients. Usage of low radiation imaging protocols should be
encouraged in IBD patients to reduce their risk of consequent malignancy.
Distinct microRNA expression pattern in breast cancer cells following anti-neoplastic treatment: A systematic review and functional analysis of microRNA target genes

Qatrun Nada D, Masniza ML, Abdullah N, Marlini M, Elias MH, Pathmanathan SG, et al.

Malays J Pathol, 2022 Dec;44(3):367-385.
PMID: 36591707

Breast cancer remains a significant cause of mortality in females worldwide, despite advances in technology and treatment. MicroRNA expression in breast cancer is studied both as potential biomarkers and for therapeutic purposes. Accumulated evidence revealed microRNA profile of various types of cancer cells following antineoplastic treatment. The progression of research in this area provides better understanding on the anti-cancer mechanism of various natural compounds and drugs specifically on the microRNA regulation. Hence, we aim to systematically review differentially expressed microRNA in MCF-7, a commonly studied breast cancer cell line, after treatment with anti-neoplastic agents. Relevant keywords were used to screen for research articles that reported on the differentially expressed microRNAs in experimental models of MCF-7 before and after anti-neoplastic treatment. Target genes of microRNAs were identified from MiRTarbase and further in silico functional analysis of the target genes were performed using DAVID bioinformatic resources. Two upregulated microRNAs (mir-200c and let-7d) and 3 downregulated microRNAs (mir-27a, mir-27b and mir-203) were identified by highest number of studies. Three microRNAs (let-7a, mir-23a and mir-7) showed inconsistent direction of expression. Genes functional analysis revealed the regulatory effect of microRNA on genes related to angiogenesis, hypoxia, P53, FoxO and PI3K-AKT signalling. Clusters of genes associated to the pathway of angiogenesis, cancers, cell proliferation and apoptosis were noted through protein-protein interaction analysis. MicroRNAs, especially the mir-200c, let-7d, mir-27a, mir-27b and mir-203 from this review could be further validated experimentally to serve as molecular target or biomarkers for anti-neoplastic therapy.
Fulltext A Geospatial Drug Abuse Risk Assessment and Monitoring Dashboard Tailored for School Students: Development Study With Requirement Analysis and Acceptance Evaluation

Al-Aboosi AM, Sheikh Abdullah SNH, Ismail R, Abdul Maulud KN, Nahar L, Zainol Ariffin KA, et al.

JMIR Hum Factors, 2024 Jul 30;11:e48139.
PMID: 39078685 DOI: 10.2196/48139

BACKGROUND: The enormous consequences of drugs include suicides, traffic accidents, and violence, affecting the individual, family, society, and country. Therefore, it is necessary to constantly identify and monitor the drug abuse rate among school-going youth. A geospatial dashboard is vital for the monitoring of drug abuse and related crime incidence in a decision support system.
OBJECTIVE: This paper mainly focuses on developing MyAsriGeo, a geospatial drug abuse risk assessment and monitoring dashboard tailored for school students. It introduces innovative functionality, seamlessly orchestrating the assessment of drug abuse usage patterns and risks using multivariate student data.
METHODS: A geospatial drug abuse dashboard for monitoring and analysis was designed and developed in this study based on agile methodology and prototyping. Using focus group and interviews, we first examined and gathered the requirements, feedback, and user approval of the MyAsriGeo dashboard. Experts and stakeholders such as the National Anti-Drugs Agency, police, the Federal Department of Town and Country Planning, school instructors, students, and researchers were among those who responded. A total of 20 specialists were involved in the requirement analysis and acceptance evaluation of the pilot and final version of the dashboard. The evaluation sought to identify various user acceptance aspects, such as ease of use and usefulness, for both the pilot and final versions, and 2 additional factors based on the Post-Study System Usability Questionnaire and Task-Technology Fit models were enlisted to assess the interface quality and dashboard sufficiency for the final version.
RESULTS: The MyAsriGeo geospatial dashboard was designed to meet the needs of all user types, as identified through a requirement gathering process. It includes several key functions, such as a geospatial map that shows the locations of high-risk areas for drug abuse, data on drug abuse among students, tools for assessing the risk of drug abuse in different areas, demographic information, and a self-problem test. It also includes the Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test and its risk assessment to help users understand and interpret the results of student risk. The initial prototype and final version of the dashboard were evaluated by 20 experts, which revealed a significant improvement in the ease of use (P=.047) and usefulness (P=.02) factors and showed a high acceptance mean scores for ease of use (4.2), usefulness (4.46), interface quality (4.29), and sufficiency (4.13).
CONCLUSIONS: The MyAsriGeo geospatial dashboard is useful for monitoring and analyzing drug abuse among school-going youth in Malaysia. It was developed based on the needs of various stakeholders and includes a range of functions. The dashboard was evaluated by a group of experts. Overall, the MyAsriGeo geospatial dashboard is a valuable resource for helping stakeholders understand and respond to the issue of drug abuse among youth.