Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 325 in total

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  1. Abas SA, Ismail N, Zakaria Y, Ismail I, Mat Zain NH, Yasin SM, et al.
    JMIR Serious Games, 2023 Mar 07;11:e43047.
    PMID: 36881449 DOI: 10.2196/43047
    BACKGROUND: The success rate of tuberculosis (TB) treatment in Malaysia remains below the recommended World Health Organization target of 90% despite the implementation of directly observed therapy, short-course, a physical drug monitoring system, since 1994. With increasing numbers of patients with TB in Malaysia defaulting on treatment, exploring another method to improve TB treatment adherence is vital. The use of gamification and real-time elements via video-observed therapies in mobile apps is one such method expected to induce motivation toward TB treatment adherence.

    OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to document the process of designing, developing, and validating the gamification, motivation, and real-time elements in the Gamified Real-time Video Observed Therapies (GRVOTS) mobile app.

    METHODS: The modified nominal group technique via a panel of 11 experts was used to validate the presence of the gamification and motivation elements inside the app, which were assessed based on the percentage of agreement among the experts.

    RESULTS: The GRVOTS mobile app, which can be used by patients, supervisors, and administrators, was successfully developed. For validation purposes, the gamification and motivation features of the app were validated as they achieved a total mean percentage of agreement of 97.95% (SD 2.51%), which was significantly higher than the minimum agreement score of 70% (P

  2. Abas SA, Ismail N, Zakaria Y, Yasin SM, Ibrahim K, Ismail I, et al.
    BMC Public Health, 2024 Jan 22;24(1):249.
    PMID: 38254065 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-17561-z
    BACKGROUND: Finding innovative methods to enhance Tuberculosis treatment adherence in Malaysia is imperative, given the rising trend of non-adhere TB patients. Direct Observed Therapy (DOTS) has been used to ensure Tuberculosis (TB) drug compliance worldwide. However, due to its inconvenience, digitalizing this system into a virtual monitoring system via a mobile app can help deliver a more efficient tuberculosis management system. A gamified video-observed therapy is developed that connects three users the patient, supervisor, and administrator, allowing drug monitoring and patient loss to follow up with the patient tracking system. Thus, the objective of this study is to determine the impact of Gamified Real-time Video Observed Therapy (GRVOTS) mobile apps on patient medication adherence rates and motivation.

    METHODS: 71 patients from 18 facilities participated in the 8-week single-arm intervention study. GRVOTS mobile apps were installed in their mobile apps, and patients were expected to fulfill tasks such as providing Video Direct Observe Therapy (VDOTS) daily as well as side effect reporting. At 3-time intervals of baseline,1-month, and 2-month intervals, the number of VDOT taken, the Malaysian Medication Adherence Assessment Tool (MyMAAT), and the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) questionnaire were collected. One-sample t-test was conducted comparing the VDOT video adherence to the standard rate of 80%. RM ANOVA was used to analyze any significant differences in MyMAAT and IMI scores across three-time intervals.

    RESULTS: This study involved 71 numbers of patients from 18 healthcare facilities who showed a significantly higher treatment adherence score of 90.87% than a standard score of 80% with a mean difference of 10.87(95% CI: 7.29,14.46; p 

  3. Abbas Alkarkhi FM, Ismail N, Easa AM
    J Hazard Mater, 2008 Feb 11;150(3):783-9.
    PMID: 17590506
    Cockles (Anadara granosa) sample obtained from two rivers in the Penang State of Malaysia were analyzed for the content of arsenic (As) and heavy metals (Cr, Cd, Zn, Cu, Pb, and Hg) using a graphite flame atomic absorption spectrometer (GF-AAS) for Cr, Cd, Zn, Cu, Pb, As and cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometer (CV-AAS) for Hg. The two locations of interest with 20 sampling points of each location were Kuala Juru (Juru River) and Bukit Tambun (Jejawi River). Multivariate statistical techniques such as multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and discriminant analysis (DA) were applied for analyzing the data. MANOVA showed a strong significant difference between the two rivers in term of As and heavy metals contents in cockles. DA gave the best result to identify the relative contribution for all parameters in discriminating (distinguishing) the two rivers. It provided an important data reduction as it used only two parameters (Zn and Cd) affording more than 72% correct assignations. Results indicated that the two rivers were different in terms of As and heavy metal contents in cockle, and the major difference was due to the contribution of Zn and Cd. A positive correlation was found between discriminate functions (DF) and Zn, Cd and Cr, whereas negative correlation was exhibited with other heavy metals. Therefore, DA allowed a reduction in the dimensionality of the data set, delineating a few indicator parameters responsible for large variations in heavy metals and arsenic content. Taking into account of these results, it can be suggested that a continuous monitoring of As and heavy metals in cockles be performed in these two rivers.
  4. Abbas SZ, Rafatullah M, Ismail N, Lalung J
    J Basic Microbiol, 2014 Dec;54(12):1279-87.
    PMID: 24852724 DOI: 10.1002/jobm.201400157
    This study focused on the isolation and characterization of high cadmium-resistant bacterial strains, possible exploitation of its cadmium-accumulation and cadmium-induced proteins. Cadmium-resistant bacterial strains designated as RZ1 and RZ2 were isolated from industrial wastewater of Penang, Malaysia. These isolates were identified as Enterobacter mori and Enterobacter sp. WS12 on the basis of phenotypic, biochemical and 16S rDNA sequence based molecular phylogenetic characteristics. Both isolates were Gram negative, cocci, and growing well in Lauria-Bertani broth medium at 35 °C temperature and pH 7.0. Results also indicated that Enterobacter mori and Enterobacter sp. WS12are capable to remove 87.75 and 85.11% of the cadmium from 100 µg ml(-1) concentration, respectively. This study indicates that these strains can be useful as an inexpensive and efficient bioremediation technology to remove and recover the cadmium from wastewater.
  5. Abd Ghafar SA, Ismail M, Saiful Yazan L, Fakurazi S, Ismail N, Chan KW, et al.
    PMID: 23606884 DOI: 10.1155/2013/549705
    Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus) from the family Malvaceae, is a valuable fiber plant native to India and Africa and is currently planted as the fourth commercial crop in Malaysia. Kenaf seed oil contains alpha-linolenic acid, phytosterol such as β -sitosterol, vitamin E, and other antioxidants with chemopreventive properties. Kenaf seeds oil (KSO) was from supercritical carbon dioxide extraction fluid (SFE) at 9 different permutations of parameters based on range of pressures from 200 to 600 bars and temperature from 40 to 80°C. They were 200/40, 200/60, 200/80, 400/40, 400/60, 400/80, 600/40, 600/60, and 600/80. Extraction from 9 parameters of KSO-SFE was screened for cytotoxicity towards human colorectal cancer cell lines (HT29) and mouse embryonic fibroblast (NIH/3T3) cell lines using MTS assay. KSO-SFE at 600/40 showed the strongest cytotoxicity towards HT29 with IC50 of 200 µg/mL. The IC50 for NIH/3T3 was not detected even at highest concentration employed. Cell cycle analysis showed a significant increase in the accumulation of KSO-SFE-treated cells at sub-G1 phase, indicating the induction of apoptosis by KSO-SFE. Further apoptosis induction was confirmed by Annexin V/PI and AO/PI staining.
  6. Abdul Hakim Shaah M, Hossain MS, Salem Allafi FA, Alsaedi A, Ismail N, Ab Kadir MO, et al.
    RSC Adv, 2021 Jul 13;11(40):25018-25037.
    PMID: 35481051 DOI: 10.1039/d1ra04311k
    There is increasing concern regarding alleviating world energy demand by determining an alternative to petroleum-derived fuels due to the rapid depletion of fossil fuels, rapid population growth, and urbanization. Biodiesel can be utilized as an alternative fuel to petroleum-derived diesel for the combustion engine. At present, edible crops are the primary source of biodiesel production. However, the excessive utilization of these edible crops for large-scale biodiesel production might cause food supply depletion and economic imbalance. Moreover, the utilization of edible oil as a biodiesel feedstock increases biodiesel production costs due to the high price of edible oils. A possible solution to overcome the existing limitations of biodiesel production is to utilize non-edible crops oil as a feedstock. The present study was conducted to determine the possibility and challenges of utilizing non-edible oil as a potential feedstock for biodiesel production. Several aspects related to non-edible oil as a biodiesel feedstock such as overview of biodiesel feedstocks, non-edible oil resources, non-edible oil extraction technology, its physicochemical and fatty acid properties, biodiesel production technologies, advantages and limitation of using non-edible oil as a feedstock for biodiesel production have been reviewed in various recent publications. The finding of the present study reveals that there is a huge opportunity to utilize non-edible oil as a feedstock for biodiesel production.
  7. Abdul Murad NA, Abdullah N, Kamaruddin MA, Abd Jalal N, Ismail N, Yusof NAM, et al.
    J ASEAN Fed Endocr Soc, 2021;36(2):127-132.
    PMID: 34966195 DOI: 10.15605/jafes.036.02.02
    OBJECTIVE: In this present study, we aim to evaluate the accuracy of the HbA1c relative to fasting plasma glucose (FPG) in the diagnosis of diabetes and pre-diabetes among The Malaysian Cohort (TMC) participants.

    METHODOLOGY: FPG and HbA1c were taken from 40,667 eligible TMC participants that have no previous history of diabetes, aged between 35-70 years and were recruited from 2006 - 2012. Participants were classified as normal, diabetes and pre-diabetes based on the 2006 World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. Statistical analyses were performed using ANOVA and Chi-square test, while Pearson correlation and Cohen's kappa were used to examine the concordance rate between FPG and HbA1c.

    RESULTS: The study samples consisted of 16,224 men and 24,443 women. The prevalence of diabetes among the participants was 5.7% and 7.5% according to the FPG and HbA1c level, respectively. Based on FPG, 10.6% of the participants had pre-diabetes but this increased to 14.2% based on HbA1c (r=0.86; P<0.001). HbA1c had a sensitivity of 58.20 (95% CI: 56.43, 59.96) and a specificity of 98.59 (95% CI: 98.46, 98.70).

    CONCLUSION: A higher prevalence of pre-diabetes and diabetes was observed when using HbA1c as a diagnosis tool, suggesting that it could possibly be more useful for early detection. However, given that HbA1c may also have lower sensitivity and higher false positive rate, several diagnostic criteria should be used to diagnose diabetes accurately.

  8. Abdul Nasir NA, Agarwal P, Agarwal R, Iezhitsa I, Alyautdin R, Nukolova NN, et al.
    Drug Deliv, 2016 Oct;23(8):2765-71.
    PMID: 26289215
    Topical administration is the preferred route of drug delivery for ophthalmic ailments. However, poor permeation through ocular surface and significant systemic absorption, makes the topical drug delivery challenging. Furthermore, distribution of topically delivered drugs varies with their physicochemical properties and the type of formulation used. Hence, this study was done to understand the pattern of ocular drug distribution of topically applied hydrophilic and lipophilic substances in two different formulations.
  9. Abdul Nasir NA, Agarwal R, Sheikh Abdul Kadir SH, Vasudevan S, Tripathy M, Iezhitsa I, et al.
    PLoS One, 2017;12(3):e0174542.
    PMID: 28350848 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0174542
    Cataract, a leading cause of blindness, is of special concern in diabetics as it occurs at earlier onset. Polyol accumulation and increased oxidative-nitrosative stress in cataractogenesis are associated with NFκB activation, iNOS expression, ATP depletion, loss of ATPase functions, calpain activation and proteolysis of soluble to insoluble proteins. Tocotrienol was previously shown to reduce lens oxidative stress and inhibit cataractogenesis in galactose-fed rats. In current study, we investigated anticataract effects of topical tocotrienol and possible mechanisms involved in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Diabetes was induced in Sprague Dawley rats by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin. Diabetic rats were treated with vehicle (DV) or tocotrienol (DT). A third group consists of normal, non-diabetic rats were treated with vehicle (NV). All treatments were given topically, bilaterally, twice daily for 8 weeks with weekly slit lamp monitoring. Subsequently, rats were euthanized and lenses were subjected to estimation of polyol accumulation, oxidative-nitrosative stress, NFκB activation, iNOS expression, ATP levels, ATPase activities, calpain activity and total protein levels. Cataract progression was delayed from the fifth week onwards in DT with lower mean of cataract stages compared to DV group (p<0.01) despite persistent hyperglycemia. Reduced cataractogenesis in DT group was accompanied with lower aldose reductase activity and sorbitol level compared to DV group (p<0.01). DT group also showed reduced NFκB activation, lower iNOS expression and reduced oxidative-nitrosative stress compared to DV group. Lenticular ATP and ATPase and calpain 2 activities in DT group were restored to normal. Consequently, soluble to insoluble protein ratio in DT group was higher compared to DV (p<0.05). In conclusion, preventive effect of topical tocotrienol on development of cataract in STZ-induced diabetic rats could be attributed to reduced lens aldose reductase activity, polyol levels and oxidative-nitrosative stress. These effects of tocotrienol invlove reduced NFκB activation, lower iNOS expression, restoration of ATP level, ATPase activities, calpain activity and lens protein levels.
  10. Abdullah B, Muadz B, Norizal MN, Ismail N, Kornain NK, Kutty M
    PMID: 28494268 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejogrb.2017.05.002
    OBJECTIVE: To compare the pregnancy outcome and cord blood cotinine levels between secondhand smokers and non-secondhand smokers.

    STUDY DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional comparative study in a Malaysian tertiary obstetric hospital involving 200 non-smoking pregnant women at term, of whom 100 were secondhand smokers and 100 were non-secondhand smokers. Those with multiple pregnancies, with a body mass index (BMI) of more than 30kg/m2or who delivered by Caesarean section were excluded. The participants' basic demographic details, delivery details, neonatal outcome and placental weight were recorded. Umbilical cord blood samples were obtained, and cord blood cotinine levels were measured with a Cotinine ELISA kit. The primary outcomes were baby's birth weight, length, and head circumference, Apgar score at 5min and placental weight. The secondary outcome was difference in cord blood cotinine levels between the two groups and the correlation of these differences with the neonatal outcome.

    RESULTS: The secondhand smoker group had significantly lower baby weight (2.94±0.31kg vs 3.05±0.40kg), head circumference (30.87±2.35cm vs 37.13±2.36cm), length (46.58±1.95cm vs 51.53±2.05cm) and placental weight (520±73.5g vs 596±61.3g) and significantly higher cord blood cotinine levels (16.35±12.84ng/mL vs 0.56±0.22ng/mL). Cord blood cotinine levels had significant negative correlations with placental weight (r=-0.461), baby's weight (r=-0.297), baby's head circumference (r=-0.501) and baby's length (r=-0.374).

    CONCLUSION: Secondhand smoke increases the incidence of adverse pregnancy outcomes (newborns'anthropometric measurements and placental weight) and causes higher cord blood cotinine levels.

  11. Abdullah N, Abd Jalal N, Ismail N, Kamaruddin MA, Abd Mutalib NS, Alias MR, et al.
    Cancer Epidemiol, 2020 04;65:101656.
    PMID: 31923638 DOI: 10.1016/j.canep.2019.101656
    BACKGROUND: There has been a rapid increase in colorectal cancer (CRC) cases in Asian countries, including Malaysia. CRC is usually diagnosed at a late stage, and early detection of CRC is vital in improving survival. This study was conducted to determine the uptake rate of the immunochemical faecal occult blood test (iFOBT), the response rate to colonoscopy, and the CRC detection rate. We also wanted to identify the association between colorectal neoplasia and the Asia Pacific Colorectal Cancer Screening (APCS) scoring system.

    METHODS: We recruited 2264 individuals from The Malaysian Cohort participants aged 35-65 years who consented to colorectal screening using the iFOBT kit from July 2017 until January 2019.

    RESULTS: The response rate and positive iFOBT test rate of this study were 79.6% and 13.1% respectively. Among those with positive results, 125 individuals (52.7%) underwent colonoscopy; CRC was detected in six of them while 45 others (36.0%) had polyps. The overall CRC detection rate was 0.3% while the colorectal neoplasia detection rate (both colorectal cancer and colorectal polyps) was 2.3%. The APCS scoring indicated a significant association with colorectal neoplasia risk, with increasing trend by severity from moderate to high risk (3.46-11.14) compared to low risk. Most of the participants who were positive for iFOBT were those at high risk.

    CONCLUSIONS: The awareness of CRC risk and iFOBT screening are important strategies for early detection of CRC. We showed a CRC detection rate of 0.3 % among those who volunteered to have the iFOBT screening.

  12. Abdullah N, Abdul Murad NA, Attia J, Oldmeadow C, Mohd Haniff EA, Syafruddin SE, et al.
    Diabet Med, 2015 Oct;32(10):1377-84.
    PMID: 25711284 DOI: 10.1111/dme.12735
    AIMS: To characterize the association with Type 2 diabetes of known Type 2 diabetes risk variants in people in Malaysia of Malay, Chinese and Indian ancestry who participated in the Malaysian Cohort project.
    METHODS: We genotyped 1604 people of Malay ancestry (722 cases, 882 controls), 1654 of Chinese ancestry (819 cases, 835 controls) and 1728 of Indian ancestry (851 cases, 877 controls). First, 62 candidate single-nucleotide polymorphisms previously associated with Type 2 diabetes were assessed for association via logistic regression within ancestral groups and then across ancestral groups using a meta-analysis. Second, estimated odds ratios were assessed for excess directional concordance with previously studied populations. Third, a genetic risk score aggregating allele dosage across the candidate single-nucleotide polymorphisms was tested for association within and across ancestral groups.
    RESULTS: After Bonferroni correction, seven individual single-nucleotide polymorphisms were associated with Type 2 diabetes in the combined Malaysian sample. We observed a highly significant excess in concordance of effect directions between Malaysian and previously studied populations. The genetic risk score was strongly associated with Type 2 diabetes in all Malaysian groups, explaining from 1.0 to 1.7% of total Type 2 diabetes risk variance.
    CONCLUSION: This study suggests there is substantial overlap of the genetic risk alleles underlying Type 2 diabetes in Malaysian and other populations.
    Study name: The Malaysian Cohort (TMC) project
  13. Abdullah N, Ismail N, Abd Jalal N, Mohd Radin F, Othman R, Kamalul Arifin AS, et al.
    Ann Hematol, 2020 Nov;99(11):2521-2527.
    PMID: 32975589 DOI: 10.1007/s00277-020-04279-w
    This study was aimed at determining the prevalence of anaemia amongst the Malaysian Cohort participants and the associated risk factors. This was a cross-sectional study that involved 102,388 participants from The Malaysian Cohort (TMC) aged between 35 and 70 years old recruited from April 2006 to September 2012. Venous blood was taken for the full blood count. The prevalence of anaemia was 13.8% with majority having the microcytic-hypochromic type (59.7%). Comparison between the ethnic groups showed that Indians have the highest prevalence of anaemia (19.9%), followed by Malays (13.1%), and Chinese (12.0%). The prevalence of anaemia was substantially higher in females (20.1%) compared to males (4.9%). Amongst the female participants, the prevalence of anaemia was highest amongst those who were younger than 49 years old and decreased as the age increased. In contrast, the prevalence of anaemia in males increased with age. Gender, ethnicity, age, marital status, presence of platelet disorders and kidney disease were significant risk factors associated with anaemia and contributed to 14.9% of the risk of developing anaemia in this population. The prevalence of anaemia amongst the Malaysian Cohort participants is 13.8% with the majority having the microcytic and hypochromic type implying iron deficiency as the main cause. It is important that those who have anaemia be further investigated and treated.
    Study name: The Malaysian Cohort (TMC) project
  14. Abdullah N, Abdul Murad NA, Mohd Haniff EA, Syafruddin SE, Attia J, Oldmeadow C, et al.
    Public Health, 2017 Aug;149:31-38.
    PMID: 28528225 DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2017.04.003
    OBJECTIVE: Malaysia has a high and rising prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D). While environmental (non-genetic) risk factors for the disease are well established, the role of genetic variations and gene-environment interactions remain understudied in this population. This study aimed to estimate the relative contributions of environmental and genetic risk factors to T2D in Malaysia and also to assess evidence for gene-environment interactions that may explain additional risk variation.
    STUDY DESIGN: This was a case-control study including 1604 Malays, 1654 Chinese and 1728 Indians from the Malaysian Cohort Project.
    METHODS: The proportion of T2D risk variance explained by known genetic and environmental factors was assessed by fitting multivariable logistic regression models and evaluating McFadden's pseudo R(2) and the area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC). Models with and without the genetic risk score (GRS) were compared using the log likelihood ratio Chi-squared test and AUCs. Multiplicative interaction between genetic and environmental risk factors was assessed via logistic regression within and across ancestral groups. Interactions were assessed for the GRS and its 62 constituent variants.
    RESULTS: The models including environmental risk factors only had pseudo R(2) values of 16.5-28.3% and AUC of 0.75-0.83. Incorporating a genetic score aggregating 62 T2D-associated risk variants significantly increased the model fit (likelihood ratio P-value of 2.50 × 10(-4)-4.83 × 10(-12)) and increased the pseudo R(2) by about 1-2% and AUC by 1-3%. None of the gene-environment interactions reached significance after multiple testing adjustment, either for the GRS or individual variants. For individual variants, 33 out of 310 tested associations showed nominal statistical significance with 0.001 
  15. Abdullah N, Murad NAA, Attia J, Oldmeadow C, Kamaruddin MA, Jalal NA, et al.
    Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2018 Dec 10;15(12).
    PMID: 30544761 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph15122813
    The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is escalating rapidly in Asian countries, with the rapid increase likely attributable to a combination of genetic and lifestyle factors. Recent research suggests that common genetic risk variants contribute minimally to the rapidly rising prevalence. Rather, recent changes in dietary patterns and physical activity may be more important. This nested case-control study assessed the association and predictive utility of type 2 diabetes lifestyle risk factors in participants from Malaysia, an understudied Asian population with comparatively high disease prevalence. The study sample comprised 4077 participants from The Malaysian Cohort project and included sub-samples from the three major ancestral groups: Malay (n = 1323), Chinese (n = 1344) and Indian (n = 1410). Association of lifestyle factors with type 2 diabetes was assessed within and across ancestral groups using logistic regression. Predictive utility was quantified and compared between groups using the Area Under the Receiver-Operating Characteristic Curve (AUC). In predictive models including age, gender, waist-to-hip ratio, physical activity, location, family history of diabetes and average sleep duration, the AUC ranged from 0.76 to 0.85 across groups and was significantly higher in Chinese than Malays or Indians, likely reflecting anthropometric differences. This study suggests that obesity, advancing age, a family history of diabetes and living in a rural area are important drivers of the escalating prevalence of type 2 diabetes in Malaysia.
  16. Abdullah N, Goh YX, Othman R, Ismail N, Jalal N, Wan Sallam WAF, et al.
    J Clin Lab Anal, 2023 Apr;37(8):e24898.
    PMID: 37243371 DOI: 10.1002/jcla.24898
    OBJECTIVE: Glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) is a standard indication for screening type 2 diabetes that also has been widely used in large-scale epidemiological studies. However, its long-term quality (in terms of reproducibility) stored in liquid nitrogen is still unknown. This study is aimed to evaluate the stability and reproducibility of HbA1c measurements from frozen whole blood samples kept at -196°C for more than 7 years.

    METHODS: A total of 401 whole blood samples with a fresh HbA1c measurement were randomly selected from The Malaysian Cohort's (TMC) biobank. The HbA1c measurements of fresh and frozen (stored for 7-8 years) samples were assayed using different high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) systems. The HbA1c values of the fresh samples were then calculated and corrected according to the later system. The reproducibility of HbA1c measurements between calculated-fresh and frozen samples was assessed using a Passing-Bablok linear regression model. The Bland-Altman plot was then used to evaluate the concordance of HbA1c values.

    RESULTS: The different HPLC systems highly correlated (r = 0.99) and agreed (ICC = 0.96) with each other. Furthermore, the HbA1c measurements for frozen samples strongly correlate with the corrected HbA1c values of the fresh samples (r = 0.875) with a mean difference of -0.02 (SD: -0.38 to 0.38). Although the mean difference is small, discrepancies were observed within the diabetic and non-diabetic samples.

    CONCLUSION: These data demonstrate that the HbA1c measurements between fresh and frozen samples are highly correlated and reproducible.

  17. Abdullah N, Blin JA, Kamalul Arifin AS, Abd Jalal N, Ismail N, Mohd Yusof NA, et al.
    Curr Probl Cardiol, 2024 Mar;49(3):102192.
    PMID: 37952789 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpcardiol.2023.102192
    The cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) is an important parameter assessing arterial function. It reflects arterial stiffness from the origin of the aorta to the ankle, and the algorithm is blood pressure independent. Recent data have suggested that a high CAVI score can predict future cardiovascular disease (CVD) events; however, to date, no study has been done in Malaysia. We conducted a prospective study on 2,168 The Malaysian Cohort (TMC) CVD-free participants (971 men and 1,197 women; mean age 51.64 ± 8.38 years old) recruited from November 2011 to March 2012. This participants were followed-up until the emergence of CVD incidence and mortality (endpoint between May to September 2019; duration of 7.5 years). Eligible participants were assessed based on CAVI baseline measurement which categorised them into low (CAVI <9.0) and high (CAVI ≥ 9.0) scores. The CVD events in the group with high CAVI (6.5 %) were significantly higher than in the low CAVI (2.6 %) group (p 
  18. Abidin ZZ, Ismail N, Yunus R, Ahamad IS, Idris A
    Environ Technol, 2011 Jul;32(9-10):971-7.
    PMID: 21882550
    Many coagulants, mainly inorganic, are widely used in conventional water and wastewater treatment. Recent studies reported the occurrence of some chronic diseases associated with residual coagulant in treated wastewater. The use of alternative coagulants which are biodegradable and environmentally friendly could alleviate the problem associated with these diseases. This work investigates the capability of Jatropha curcas seed and presscake (the residue left after oil extraction) to reduce the turbidity of wastewater through coagulation. The coagulant was prepared by dissolving Jatropha curcas seed and presscake powder into solution. Then jar tests were conducted on kaolin solution as the model wastewater. The Jatropha seed was found to be an effective coagulant with more than 96% of turbidity removal at pH 1-3 and pH 11-12. The highest turbidity removal was recorded at pH 3 using a dosage of 120 mg/L. The flocs formed using Jatropha were observed to be bigger and to sediment faster when compared with flocs formed using alum. The turbidity removal was high (>98%) at all turbidities (100 NTU to 8000 NTU), suggesting its suitability for a wide range of industrial wastewater. The performance of Jatropha presscake after extraction of oil was also comparable to the fresh seed and alum at highly acidic and highly alkaline conditions. The addition of Jatropha did not significantly affect the pH of the kaolin samples after treatment and the sludge volume produced was less in comparison to alum. These results strongly support the use of Jatropha curcas seed and presscake as a potential coagulant agent.
  19. Abu Bakar SA, Syed Mohamed Shahruddin SNS, Ismail N, Wan Md Adnan WAH
    PeerJ, 2022;10:e13694.
    PMID: 35935256 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.13694
    The estimation of biological age (BA) is an important asymptomatic measure that can be used to understand the physical changes and the aging process of a living being. Factors that contribute towards profiling the human biological age can be diverse. Therefore, this study focuses on developing a BA model for patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). The procedure commences with the selection of significant biomarkers using a correlation test. Appropriate weighting is then assigned to each selected biomarker using the indexing method to produce a BA index. The BA index is matched to the age variation within the sample to acquire additional terms for the chronological age leading ultimately to the estimated BA. From a sample of 190 patients (133 trained data and 57 testing data) obtained from the University of Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), Malaysia, the intensity of the BA is found to be between three to nine years from the chronological age. Visual observations further validate the high similarities between the training and testing data sets.
  20. Abu Hassan MR, Aziz N, Ismail N, Shafie Z, Mayala B, Donohue RE, et al.
    PLoS Negl Trop Dis, 2019 03;13(3):e0007243.
    PMID: 30883550 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007243
    BACKGROUND: Melioidosis, a fatal infectious disease caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, is increasingly diagnosed in tropical regions. However, data on risk factors and the geographic epidemiology of the disease are still limited. Previous studies have also largely been based on the analysis of case series data. Here, we undertook a more definitive hospital-based matched case-control study coupled with spatial analysis to identify demographic, socioeconomic and landscape risk factors for bacteremic melioidosis in the Kedah region of northern Malaysia.

    METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We obtained patient demographic and residential information and clinical presentation and medical history data from 254 confirmed melioidosis cases and 384 matched controls attending Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah (HSB), the main tertiary hospital of Alor Setar, the capital city of Kedah, during the period between 2005 and 2011. Crude and adjusted odds ratios employing conditional logistic regression analysis were used to assess if melioidosis in this region is related to risk factors connected with socio-demographics, various behavioural characteristics, and co-occurring diseases. Spatial clusters of cases were determined using a continuous Poisson model as deployed in SaTScan. A land cover map in conjunction with mapped case data was used to determine disease-land type associations using the Fisher's exact test deploying simulated p-values. Crude and adjusted odds ratios indicate that melioidosis in this region is related to gender (males), race, occupation (farming) and co-occurring chronic diseases, particularly diabetes. Spatial analyses of disease incidence, however, showed that disease risk and geographic clustering of cases are related strongly to land cover types, with risk of disease increasing non-linearly with the degree of human modification of the natural ecosystem.

    CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These findings indicate that melioidosis represents a complex socio-ecological public health problem in Kedah, and that its control requires an understanding and modification of the coupled human and natural variables that govern disease transmission in endemic communities.

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