MyMedR

Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 250 in total

Abstract:

Sort:

Fulltext Workplace vaccination against influenza in Malaysia: does the employer benefit?

Samad AH, Usul MH, Zakaria D, Ismail R, Tasset-Tisseau A, Baron-Papillon F, et al.

J Occup Health, 2006 Jan;48(1):1-10.
PMID: 16484757

This study was designed to evaluate the health and economic benefits of a workplace vaccination programme against influenza funded by the employer. Employees of a Malaysian petrochemical plant volunteered to take part in this prospective, non-randomised, non-placebo-controlled study. Demographic and health information, including influenza-like symptoms, sick leave and post-vaccination adverse events were collected via questionnaires. Cost-benefit analyses were performed from the employer's perspective.

RESULTS: A total of 1,022 employees took part in the study, with 504 choosing to be vaccinated against influenza, and 518 remaining unvaccinated. The rate of influenza-like illness (ILI) was lower among vaccinated (8.13%) than non-vaccinated subjects (30.31%). Fever and respiratory symptoms were associated with all ILI cases. ILI-related sick leave was taken by 58.54% of vaccinated employees with ILI and 71.34% of non-vaccinated employees with ILI. Vaccination was financially beneficial, with the employer saving up to US dollar 53.00 per vaccinated employee when labour costs only were considered. Savings rose to up to US dollar 899.70 when the operating income of each employee was also considered. Workplace vaccination of healthy adults against influenza had a clear impact on ILI rates, absenteeism and reduced productivity in this Malaysian company. The health benefits translated into financial benefits for the employer, with cost savings significantly outweighting the costs of the vaccination programme.
Fulltext Weight perception among non-pregnant urban Malaysian women: is it reliable?

Fadzil F, Shamsuddin K, Wan Puteh SE, Ahmad S, Abdul Hayi NS, Abdul Samad A, et al.

Int J Public Health Res, 2015;5(2):637-642.
MyJurnal

Introduction: In maternal healthcare, pre-pregnancy weight is used to predict pregnancy outcomes. Since no recorded data on pre-pregnancy weight, perceived weight is used alternatively. This study examines the relationship between perceived and actual weight among non-pregnant urban Malaysian women of childbearing age and identifies differences in perceived and actual weight by selected socio-demographic characteristics.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between April and June 2013 among urban Malaysian women attending public health clinics in the Klang Valley. Information on height, perceived current weight and time when their weight was last taken were obtained and actual weight was the average of two measurements (TANITA-HD-323-digital-scale). Socio-demographic data collected were age, ethnicity, education level, marital and employment status and total household income.
Results: Mean age of 371 women in this study was 28.81±5.65, 82.2% were Malays, 62.8% had tertiary education, over 75% were married and employed, with more than half from middle-income households. Overall, the mean perceived and actual weight was 59.29±11.59 and 59.20±11.90 respectively. Pearson‟s Correlation test showed a very strong positive correlation between perceived and actual weight (r=0.957;p<0.0001), ranging between 0.852 to 0.994 among subgroups; 258 (69.5%) perceived their weight accurately (±2.0 kg of actual weight), 49 (13.2%) under and 64 (17.3%) overestimated their weight.Main outliers were among younger women, Malays, tertiary educated, employed, middle-income and had weight last measured a month or more ago.
Conclusion: Strong correlation between perceived and actual weight among women in this study reassured weight perception can be used more confidently in patients‟ history taking and future research among urban Malaysian women using public health services.
Variations between women and men in risk factors, treatments, cardiovascular disease incidence, and death in 27 high-income, middle-income, and low-income countries (PURE): a prospective cohort study

Walli-Attaei M, Joseph P, Rosengren A, Chow CK, Rangarajan S, Lear SA, et al.

Lancet, 2020 07 11;396(10244):97-109.
PMID: 32445693 DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30543-2

BACKGROUND: Some studies, mainly from high-income countries (HICs), report that women receive less care (investigations and treatments) for cardiovascular disease than do men and might have a higher risk of death. However, very few studies systematically report risk factors, use of primary or secondary prevention medications, incidence of cardiovascular disease, or death in populations drawn from the community. Given that most cardiovascular disease occurs in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), there is a need for comprehensive information comparing treatments and outcomes between women and men in HICs, middle-income countries, and low-income countries from community-based population studies.
METHODS: In the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiological study (PURE), individuals aged 35-70 years from urban and rural communities in 27 countries were considered for inclusion. We recorded information on participants' sociodemographic characteristics, risk factors, medication use, cardiac investigations, and interventions. 168 490 participants who enrolled in the first two of the three phases of PURE were followed up prospectively for incident cardiovascular disease and death.
FINDINGS: From Jan 6, 2005 to May 6, 2019, 202 072 individuals were recruited to the study. The mean age of women included in the study was 50·8 (SD 9·9) years compared with 51·7 (10) years for men. Participants were followed up for a median of 9·5 (IQR 8·5-10·9) years. Women had a lower cardiovascular disease risk factor burden using two different risk scores (INTERHEART and Framingham). Primary prevention strategies, such as adoption of several healthy lifestyle behaviours and use of proven medicines, were more frequent in women than men. Incidence of cardiovascular disease (4·1 [95% CI 4·0-4·2] for women vs 6·4 [6·2-6·6] for men per 1000 person-years; adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 0·75 [95% CI 0·72-0·79]) and all-cause death (4·5 [95% CI 4·4-4·7] for women vs 7·4 [7·2-7·7] for men per 1000 person-years; aHR 0·62 [95% CI 0·60-0·65]) were also lower in women. By contrast, secondary prevention treatments, cardiac investigations, and coronary revascularisation were less frequent in women than men with coronary artery disease in all groups of countries. Despite this, women had lower risk of recurrent cardiovascular disease events (20·0 [95% CI 18·2-21·7] versus 27·7 [95% CI 25·6-29·8] per 1000 person-years in men, adjusted hazard ratio 0·73 [95% CI 0·64-0·83]) and women had lower 30-day mortality after a new cardiovascular disease event compared with men (22% in women versus 28% in men; p<0·0001). Differences between women and men in treatments and outcomes were more marked in LMICs with little differences in HICs in those with or without previous cardiovascular disease.
INTERPRETATION: Treatments for cardiovascular disease are more common in women than men in primary prevention, but the reverse is seen in secondary prevention. However, consistently better outcomes are observed in women than in men, both in those with and without previous cardiovascular disease. Improving cardiovascular disease prevention and treatment, especially in LMICs, should be vigorously pursued in both women and men.
FUNDING: Full funding sources are listed at the end of the paper (see Acknowledgments).
Fulltext Valorization of rare earth processing byproducts for agriculture usage

Hanafi MM, Azizi P, Akinbola ST, Ismail R, Sahibin AR, Wan Mohd Razi I, et al.

Sci Rep, 2021 Jul 27;11(1):15234.
PMID: 34315931 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-93704-9

Sandy texture soil, a major problem for agriculture requires structure and capacity improvements. However, utilization of soil conditioner may arrest this problem. This research was carried out to investigate the accumulated levels of metal ions and radionuclides in water, soil and plants following phosphogypsum organic (PG organic) added to a sandy soil for 23-month in 3 cropping seasons. The condition in the field was simulated in the laboratory using an open leaching column for 30-day under constant but different pH of leachant. More ions were released at pH 5.6. The metal ions measured in the surface and borehole water, and soils were below the target values for respective standard raw drinking water. The metal ions did not accumulate in soil, plant and grain, and water as indicated by biological accumulation coefficients, contamination factors, I-geo index and pollution load index in a sandy soil that received the PG organic. Naturally occurring radionuclide concentrations, such as 226Ra, 228Ra, and 40K, in soil and plant tissue were found to be lower than the average value reported by several earlier studies. Under field condition the pH of water (i.e., rainfall) was greater than pH 5.6, thus renders PG organic became less soluble. There was no leaching of natural occurring radionuclides to the groundwater. Therefore, the application of PG organic to the studied soil had no impact on the soil, plants, and water and suitable as a soil conditioner in sandy texture soils.
Validation of a high-performance liquid chromatography method for tramadol and o-desmethyltramadol in human plasma using solid-phase extraction

Gan SH, Ismail R

J Chromatogr B Biomed Sci Appl, 2001 Aug 15;759(2):325-35.
PMID: 11499486

An HPLC system using solid-phase extraction and HPLC with UV detection has been validated in order to determine tramadol and o-desmethyltramadol (M1) concentrations in human plasma. The method developed was selective and linear for concentrations ranging from 50 to 3,500 ng/ml (tramadol) and 50 to 500 ng/ml (M1) with mean recoveries of 94.36 +/- 12.53% and 93.52 +/- 7.88%, respectively. Limit of quantitation (LOQ) was 50 ng/ml. For tramadol, the intra-day accuracy ranged from 95.48 to 114.64% and the inter-day accuracy, 97.21 to 103.24%. Good precision (0.51 and 18.32% for intra- and inter-day, respectively) was obtained at LOQ. The system has been applied to determine tramadol concentrations in human plasma samples for a pharmacokinetic study.
Validation of Occupational Zoonotic Disease Questionnaire Using Fuzzy Delphi Method

Sulaiman HF, Ismail R, Mohd Yusoff H, Anuar N, Mohd Jamil MR, Daud F

J Agromedicine, 2020 04;25(2):166-172.
PMID: 31533524 DOI: 10.1080/1059924X.2019.1666763

Objective: The Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM) is one of the phases in Design and Development Research (DDR). It is a systematic method for tool development and validation. This article aims to validate an occupational zoonotic disease questionnaire using this technique. DDR is applied going through phase 1 (needs analysis), phase 2 (development and design), and phase 3 (usability).Method: In phase 1, information about safe work practices and occupational zoonotic exposure was obtained from discussions to verify predetermined domains as stated in The National Park Service survey on zoonotic disease exposure and risk. In phase 2, agreement from 14 experts about the domains was obtained using the FDM. In phase 3, a cognitive debriefing was performed to determine its usability for future studies. A total of five superior domains were verified, and their items were adapted. All domains and their items were submitted to experts to obtain consensus agreement.Results: A total of 31 (96.9%) passed the Triangle of Fuzzy Numbers and Defuzzification process with acceptable consensus agreement (78.8-91.9%) and threshold d value (0.07-0.14). Only four veterinarians were needed for cognitive debriefing to achieve the point of saturation.Conclusion: FDM in DDR is suitable to be applied by various professions for tool validation, as it is doable and cost and time effective. The Occupational Zoonotic Disease Questionnaire is now ready to be used for future studies in Malaysia.
Fulltext Utility of Lung Perfusion SPECT/CT in Detection of Pulmonary Thromboembolic Disease: Outcome Analysis

Tan TH, Ismail R

Nucl Med Mol Imaging, 2023 Feb;57(1):1-8.
PMID: 35013684 DOI: 10.1007/s13139-021-00726-2

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical outcome of Q-SPECT/CT in pulmonary thromboembolic disease.
METHODS: From Jan 2020 to Jan 2021, 30 consecutive patients (M:F = 8:22; median age = 52 year (21-89)) suspected of having acute pulmonary embolism (PE) or chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) were referred for non-contrasted Q-SPECT/CT. All patients were COVID-19 PCR negative. MSKCC Q-SPECT/CT and/or PISAPED criteria were used to determine the presence of thromboembolic disease in Q-SPECT/CT. Final diagnosis was made based on composite reference standards that included at least 2-month clinical cardiorespiratory assessment and follow-up imaging.
RESULTS: Q-SPECT/CT was positive in 19 patients: indeterminate in 1 and 10 were negative. Three false positive cases were observed during follow-up. Of the remaining 16 true positives, all patients' cardiorespiratory symptom were improved or stabilised after treatment with anticoagulants. The overall sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and accuracy of Q-SPECT/CT were 100% (95% CI, 79.41-100%), 78.57% (95% CI, 49.20-95.34%), 84.21% (95% CI, 66.41-93.57%), 100% and 90.00% (95% CI, 73.47-97.89%) respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: In the current COVID-19 pandemic, Q-SPECT/CT can be an alternative modality to detect pulmonary thromboembolic disease. Normal Q-SPECT/CT excludes pulmonary thromboembolic disease with high degree of certainty. However, false positive has been observed.
Fulltext Use of the Griffiths Mental Scales in normal 2 year old Malaysian children

Ho JJ, Amar HSS, Ismail R

Med J Malaysia, 2001 Sep;56(3):331-5.
PMID: 11732079

The Griffiths Scales for Mental Development were used to assess a group of 60 normal 2-year old Malaysian children (25 Indian, 23 Malay and 12 Chinese). The mean GQ was 104.2 (SD 9.3). This was significantly higher than the test mean of 100, p < 0.001. The mean score for Malaysian children was significantly higher on the locomotor, personal social, performance and practical reasoning subscales while they were significantly lower on the hand eye subscale and did not differ from the test mean on the hearing and speech subscale. There was a significant correlation between GQ and social class, r = -0.39, p < 0.05. Scores were lower than those currently obtained on British children, p < 0.001. Minor difficulties due to language and cultural factors arose over the interpretation of several items but with standardisation of these items the test is useful in Malaysian children.
Fulltext Use of pilot plant scale continuous fryer to simulate industrial production of potato chips: thermal properties of palm olein blends under continuous frying conditions

Tarmizi AH, Ismail R

Food Sci Nutr, 2014 Jan;2(1):28-38.
PMID: 24804062 DOI: 10.1002/fsn3.76

Binary blends of palm olein (PO) with sunflower oil (SFO), canola oil (CNO), and cottonseed oil (CSO) were formulated to assess their stability under continuous frying conditions. The results were then compared with those obtained in PO. The oil blends studied were: (1) 60:40 for PO + SFO; (2) 70:30 for PO + CNO; and (3) 50:50 for PO + CSO. The PO and its blends were used to fry potato chips at 180°C for a total of 56 h of operation. The evolution of analytical parameters such as tocols, induction period, color, p-anisidine value, free fatty acid, smoke point, polar compounds, and polymer compounds were evaluated over the frying time. Blending PO with unsaturated oils was generally proved to keep most qualitative parameters comparable to those demonstrated in PO. Indeed, none of the oils surpassed the legislative limits for used frying. Overall, it was noted that oil containing PO and SFO showed higher resistance toward oxidative and hydrolytic behaviors as compared to the other oil blends.
Urbanization and physical activity in the global Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology study

Boakye K, Bovbjerg M, Schuna J, Branscum A, Varma RP, Ismail R, et al.

Sci Rep, 2023 Jan 06;13(1):290.
PMID: 36609613 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-26406-5

Urbanization may influence physical activity (PA) levels, although little evidence is available for low- and middle- income countries where urbanization is occurring fastest. We evaluated associations between urbanization and total PA, as well as work-, leisure-, home-, and transport-specific PA, for 138,206 adults living in 698 communities across 22 countries within the Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study. The 1-week long-form International PA Questionnaire was administered at baseline (2003-2015). We used satellite-derived population density and impervious surface area estimates to quantify baseline urbanization levels for study communities, as well as change measures for 5- and 10-years prior to PA surveys. We used generalized linear mixed effects models to examine associations between urbanization measures and PA levels, controlling for individual, household and community factors. Higher community baseline levels of population density (- 12.4% per IQR, 95% CI - 16.0, - 8.7) and impervious surface area (- 29.2% per IQR, 95% CI - 37.5, - 19.7), as well as the rate of change in 5-year population density (- 17.2% per IQR, 95% CI - 25.7, - 7.7), were associated with lower total PA levels. Important differences in the associations between urbanization and PA were observed between PA domains, country-income levels, urban/rural status, and sex. These findings provide new information on the complex associations between urbanization and PA.
Fulltext Understanding Dieting and Previous Weight Loss Attempts among Overweight and Obese Participants: Insights into My Body Is Fit and Fabulous at Work Program

Ismail TAT, Jalil RA, Wan Ishak WR, Hamid NF, Wan Nik WS, Jan Mohamed HJ, et al.

Korean J Fam Med, 2018 Jan;39(1):15-22.
PMID: 29383207 DOI: 10.4082/kjfm.2018.39.1.15

Background: A qualitative study providing an in-depth exploration of people's view and the increasing burden of overweight and obesity is required. This study aimed to explore the understanding of dieting and previous experiences on weight loss attempts among overweight and obese government employees in Kelantan, Malaysia, prior to recruitment into the intervention program.
Methods: Thirteen focus group discussions involving 129 participants from a weight-loss intervention program were conducted within the first 1 month of recruitment. These discussions were moderated by two trained researchers in the Malay language and assisted by an interview guide. They were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. A thematic analysis was performed, and codes and themes from each discussion were constructed.
Results: The participants understood dieting with various meanings, including skipping meals and removing rice from daily diets. They applied numerous methods to lose weight and achieved various outcomes. Health and appearance, social support, and compliance with current trends were the factors motivating these participants to lose weight. Their determination to lose weight was limited by lack of self-control and motivation, experiences of unpleasant effects, influence on weight, and environmental and health factors.
Conclusion: Real-life weight loss experiences and perceptions provided relevant insights into current weight loss management strategies. Some of these issues and misunderstandings should be emphasized in weight loss strategies during health promotion.
Tumefactive demyelinating lesion and bilateral optic neuritis in a paediatric myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease

Siti Aeisyah A, Ain Masnon N, Ismail R, Mohamed AR

BMJ Case Rep, 2023 Dec 16;16(12).
PMID: 38103908 DOI: 10.1136/bcr-2023-255679
Fulltext Tuberculosis Treatment Outcome in Patients with TB-HIV Coinfection in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Selimin DS, Ismail A, Ahmad N, Ismail R, Mohd Azman NF, Azman A

J Trop Med, 2021;2021:9923378.
PMID: 34194511 DOI: 10.1155/2021/9923378

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is a serious health threat to people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This study aimed to identify the characteristics, unsuccessful TB treatment rate, and determinants of unsuccessful TB treatment outcome among patients with TB-HIV coinfection in Kuala Lumpur.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. The data of all patients with TB-HIV in the federal territory of Kuala Lumpur from 2013 to 2017 were collected and reviewed. The data were retrieved from the national database (TB Information System) at the Kuala Lumpur Health Department from 1 March 2018 to 31 May 2018.
Results: Out of 235 randomly selected patients with TB-HIV, TB treatment outcome was successful in 57.9% (cured and completed treatment) and unsuccessful in 42.1% (died, failed, or lost to follow-up). Patients who did not receive DOTS (directly observed treatment, short course) (adjusted odds ratio: 21.71; 95% confidence interval: 5.36-87.94) and those who received shorter treatment duration of <6 months (aOR: 34.54; 95% CI: 5.97-199.93) had higher odds for unsuccessful TB treatment outcome.
Conclusions: Nearly half of the patients with TB-HIV had unsuccessful TB treatment outcome. Therefore, it is important to ensure that such patients receive DOTS and continuous TB treatment of >6 months. It is crucial to strengthen and widen the coverage of DOTS, especially among high-risk groups, in healthcare settings. Strict follow-up by healthcare providers is needed for patients with TB-HIV to gain treatment adherence and for better rates of successful TB treatment.
Fulltext Tualang honey supplementation as cognitive enhancer in patients with schizophrenia

Yahaya R, Zahary MN, Othman Z, Ismail R, Nik Him NAS, Abd Aziz A, et al.

Heliyon, 2020 May;6(5):e03948.
PMID: 32426546 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e03948

Introduction: Schizophrenia is a chronic mental illness with clusters of symptoms, including cognitive impairment. This study aimed to explore the effect of Tualang Honey (TH) on cognitive domains, especially as it pertained to the verbal memory of schizophrenia patients.
Method: This was a cross-sectional study involved 80 individuals, diagnosed with schizophrenia. The Malay Version Auditory Verbal Learning Test (MVAVLT) was used. Data were analysed using SPSS 20.0 software. Intention to treat analysis was applied.
Result: A comparison of the total learning score at eight weeks between the two groups based on time effect and time-treatment interaction favoured TH group.
Conclusion: This study concludes that by supplementing schizophrenia patients with 8-week of TH did improve total learning performance across domains in the immediate memory among patients with schizophrenia.
Trends and factors associated with mental health problems among children and adolescents in Malaysia

Ahmad N, MuhdYusoff F, Ratnasingam S, Mohamed F, Nasir NH, MohdSallehuddin S, et al.

International journal of culture and mental health, 2015 Apr 03;8(2):125-136.
PMID: 26000035

Studying trends in mental health morbidity will guide the planning of future interventions for mental and public health services. To assess the trends in mental health problems among children and adolescents aged 5 through 15 years in Malaysia from 1996 to 2011, data from the children's mental health component of three population-based surveys was analysed using a two-stage stratified sampling design. Mental health problems were assessed using the Reporting Questionnaire for Children. The prevalence of mental health problems among children and adolescents aged 5 through 15 years showed an increasing trend from 13.0% (95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 11.5-14.6) in 1996 to 19.4% (95% CI: 18.5-20.3) in 2006 and 20.0% (95% CI: 18.8-21.3) in 2011. In 2011, male children and adolescents and those who were in less affluent families were significantly associated with mental health problems. The findings indicate that even though mental health problems among children and adolescents in Malaysia are increasing, the rate of increase has decreased in the past five years. Socially and economically disadvantaged groups were most vulnerable to mental health problems.
Translation and Validation of Bahasa Malaysia Version of Urogenital Distress Inventory (UDI-6) and Incontinence Impact Quality of Life Questionnaires (IIQ-7), a Cross Sectional Study

Nusee Z, Rusly A, Jamalludin AR, Abdulwahab DF, Ismail R

Malays J Med Sci, 2016 May;23(3):57-63.
PMID: 27418870

BACKGROUND: Urinary incontinence (UI) demonstrates major prevalence in women of different population groups. Reduced quality of life (QOL) is observed due to incontinence problems. Urogenital Distress Inventory (UDI-6) and Incontinence Impact Quality of Life (IIQ-7) are useful disease-specific questionnaires evaluating the impact of urinary incontinence on the QOL of women which is accepted internationally.
OBJECTIVE: This study aims to translate and validate UDI-6 and IIQ-7 in Malay language.
METHODS: A cross sectional study, which recruited 100 participants from two urogynecology clinics. Both questionnaires were initially translated from English to Bahasa Malaysia followed by back translation and final correction done by the professional translators. The participants were requested to maintain a urinary record of the upcoming week for three days that assisted in quantifying the severity of symptoms. None of the subjects were assigned any treatment during the study period. Validity and reliability of the translated questionnaires were determined by checking the internal consistency and also by doing test-retest.
RESULTS: The internal consistency levels of the UDI-6 and IIQ-7 Bahasa Malaysia questionnaires were 0.73 and 0.90 respectively with good test-retest (0.86 and 0.95). Incontinence episodes were strongly associated with obstructive, irritative, and stress symptoms. The factor of day time voiding had strong correlation with obstructive and irritative symptoms.
CONCLUSION: UDI-6 and IIQ-7 did not measure similar outcomes; however, both questionnaires have their strengths in clinical settings. Analysis has also revealed that the Malaysian versions of both questionnaires had appropriate test-retest validity and reliability. Thus, it can be said that both of the questionnaires had great importance for screening patients with urinary incontinence in Malaysia.
Toxic metals in Perna viridis mussel and surface seawater in Pasir Gudang coastal area, Malaysia, and its health implications

Mahat NA, Muktar NK, Ismail R, Abdul Razak FI, Abdul Wahab R, Abdul Keyon AS

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2018 Oct;25(30):30224-30235.
PMID: 30155632 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-018-3033-8

Contamination of toxic metals in P. viridis mussels has been prevalently reported; hence, health risk assessment for consuming this aquaculture product as well as the surrounding surface seawater at its harvesting sites appears relevant. Since Kampung Pasir Puteh, Pasir Gudang is the major harvesting site in Malaysia, and because the last heavy metal assessment was done in 2009, its current status remains unclear. Herein, flame atomic absorption spectrometry and flow injection mercury/hydride system were used to determine the concentrations of Pb, Cd, Cu and total Hg in P. viridis mussels and surface seawater (January-March 2015), respectively. Significantly higher concentrations of these metals were found in P. viridis mussels (p r = 0.787) observed between Pb concentration in P. viridis mussel with the surface seawater indicates its possible application for inferring Pb concentrations in the mussel. Since both the calculated target hazard quotient and hazard index for Pb and Cd exceeded 1, the possible detrimental health impacts on human for consuming P. viridis mussels from this rearing site cannot be ignored. Hence, promoting continuous monitoring programmes and developing efficient toxic metal removal techniques prior to entering the market are required.
Fulltext Thymoquinone: From Nigella sativa to a protective pharmacological compound in managing opioid dependence and amphetamine type stimulant issues

Mohd Adnan LH, Abu Bakar NH, Simbak N, Mohamad N, Ismail R, Ahmad NZ, et al.

Iran J Basic Med Sci, 2020 Jul;23(7):849-852.
PMID: 32774804 DOI: 10.22038/ijbms.2020.41678.9841

Opioids, amphetamines, and other types of substances have been widely abused around the world. Opioid dependence and tolerance are two distinct phenomena that have been associated with substance abuse issues. The management of its adverse consequences is becoming more challenging. More and more people are treated in Methadone Maintenance Therapy (MMT) program yet the issues are still unresolved. Researchers are continuing to study the best formulation in treating opioid dependent people starting with modern and alternative drug therapies. Since 2008 , thymoquinone (TQ) has been extensively studied by researchers around the world and has emerged to be a new potential drug candidate in managing substance abuse issues. Thus, the aim of this article is to review the effects that TQ may have on opioid dependent subjects and other abused substances such as amphetamine may have been studied. All of the articles from 2008 until 2019 involving the effects of TQ on substance abuse from Google Scholar®, Scopus®, and Pubmed® databases have been searched and reviewed. The keywords used were thymoquinone, opioid dependence, amphetamine, and Nigella sativa. The research results also have been discussed in this article. Based on the research conducted, TQ was effective in reducing the adverse health consequences associated with substance abuse such as withdrawal symptoms, tolerance, and cell damages. It is concluded that TQ could be a potential drug that can be complemented with the currently available drugs in substance abuse therapies.
Therapeutic drug monitoring of gentamicin: a 6-year follow-up audit

Ismail R, Haq AH, Azman M, Rahman AF

J Clin Pharm Ther, 1997 Feb;22(1):21-5.
PMID: 9292398

In 1984 a therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) service was established in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM) and gentamicin concentrations were measured and used to design optimal regimens for the antibiotic. In this study we report on a 6-year follow-up audit since our first assessment of the service.
Fulltext Therapeutic drug monitoring for gentamicin in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia

Ismail R, Sarriff A, Abdul Rahman AF

Med J Malaysia, 1990 Mar;45(1):57-64.
PMID: 2152070

We evaluated the usefulness of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) for gentamicin and the use of a two-point peak and trough pair concentration method to adjust its dose. Of the 194 patients included, initial concentrations were appropriate in only sixty nine. In the seventy one cases of dosage adjustments using this method, those attaining therapeutic levels increased overall from 38% to 67%. It is concluded that TDM for gentamicin with dosage adjustment using this simple pharmacokinetic approach is useful and adequate in monitoring for gentamicin therapy.

Filters

Please provide feedback to Administrator (afdal@afpm.org.my)

External Links