Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 26 in total

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  1. Jaafar A, Al-Kadhim AHA, Ab Malik N
    MyJurnal
    Oral health literacy is an essential element of an individual to make better oral health decision. Low oral health literacy (OHL) is associated with poor oral health decision and outcome. This study aimed to determine factors associated with oral health literacy among undergraduate students in one of the public universities of Malaysia. Materials and methods:This is a cross-sectional study which was undertaken among the undergraduate students of Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM). Sample selection was done randomly. A validated oral health literacy index of Malay version was used throughout the study. Ethical approval was obtained from the University Research Ethics Committee and respondents had given their consent prior to the data collection. Data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS software version 24.0 and the significant level was set at p< 0.05. Results:The mean oral health literacy of the university undergraduate students was 77.7 (95% CI= 76.75, 78.71). Multiple linear regression indicated that female has higher OHL (β= 4.19; 95% CI= 1.99, 6.39; p< 0.001), social science stream has lower OHL (β= -9.14; 95% CI= -11.20, -7.07; p< 0.001) and higher education level of father had higher OHL (β= 1.97; 95% CI= 0.10, 3.83;p= 0.039) than their counterparts. Conclusion:Oral health literacy is higher among the science streams students compared to the social sciences streams. This suggests that science education might play a significant role in health literacy and improving health outcomes.
  2. Malik N, Bilal M
    PeerJ Comput Sci, 2024;10:e2203.
    PMID: 39145232 DOI: 10.7717/peerj-cs.2203
    In recent years, e-commerce platforms have become popular and transformed the way people buy and sell goods. People are rapidly adopting Internet shopping due to the convenience of purchasing from the comfort of their homes. Online review sites allow customers to share their thoughts on products and services. Customers and businesses increasingly rely on online reviews to assess and improve the quality of products. Existing literature uses natural language processing (NLP) to analyze customer reviews for different applications. Due to the growing importance of NLP for online customer reviews, this study attempts to provide a taxonomy of NLP applications based on existing literature. This study also examined emerging methods, data sources, and research challenges by reviewing 154 publications from 2013 to 2023 that explore state-of-the-art approaches for diverse applications. Based on existing research, the taxonomy of applications divides literature into five categories: sentiment analysis and opinion mining, review analysis and management, customer experience and satisfaction, user profiling, and marketing and reputation management. It is interesting to note that the majority of existing research relies on Amazon user reviews. Additionally, recent research has encouraged the use of advanced techniques like bidirectional encoder representations from transformers (BERT), long short-term memory (LSTM), and ensemble classifiers. The rising number of articles published each year indicates increasing interest of researchers and continued growth. This survey also addresses open issues, providing future directions in analyzing online customer reviews.
  3. Ab Malik N, Walls AWG
    Med J Malaysia, 2022 Nov;77(6):771-772.
    PMID: 36448399
    No abstract available.
  4. Ab Malik N, Walls AWG
    Saudi Dent J, 2023 Sep;35(6):625-640.
    PMID: 37817782 DOI: 10.1016/j.sdentj.2023.06.004
    BACKGROUND: The number of older people increases globally, so is the risk of cognitive impairment. Periodontal diseases are common among older adults with significant tooth loss and periodontal problems. Thus, this review explored the periodontal disease conditions among individuals with and without dementia.

    METHODS: Available databases such as Medline/Pubmed, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane Library and Embase/OVID were used in the search. Case-control studies reporting on periodontal disease and dementia parameters were selected based on PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparison and Outcomes) framework. A Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used to assess the quality reporting of the studies and PRISMA guideline was used for screening.

    RESULTS: A total of ten studies were identified for analysis. Most studies reported higher plaque index score (PI), bleeding on probing (BoP), pocket depth (PD) and clinical attachment loss (CAL) among individuals diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer's disease compared with clinically healthy controls or individual diagnosed without dementia. A higher prevalence of subjects with severe periodontal disease was also observed in individuals diagnosed with dementia/Alzheimer's disease. The quality of the studies was found to be moderate with lower comparability and ascertainment criteria scores.

    CONCLUSION: This qualitative analysis has shown poor periodontal health and increased inflammatory mediators in case groups compared to the control groups. Thus, more quality studies and novel intervention are warranted to reduce the impact of periodontal health on dementia globally.

  5. Fai SC, Yen GK, Malik N
    Can Pharm J (Ott), 2016 Sep;149(5):303-312.
    PMID: 27708676
    BACKGROUND: Smoking cessation clinics have been established in Malaysia since 2004, but wide variations in success rates have been observed. This study aimed to evaluate the proposed pharmacist-led Integrated Quit Smoking Service (IQSS) in Sabah, Malaysia, and identify factors associated with successful smoking cessation.
    METHODS: Data from 176 participants were collected from one of the quit-smoking centres in Sabah, Malaysia. Pharmacists, doctors and nurses were involved throughout the study. Any health care provider can refer patients for smoking cessation, and free pharmacotherapy and counselling was provided during the cessation period for up to 3 months. Information on demographic characteristics, smoking behaviours, follow-up and pharmacotherapy were collected. The main outcome measure was the abstinence from smoking, which was verified through carbon monoxide in expired air during the 6-month follow-up.
    RESULTS: A 42.6% success rate was achieved in IQSS. Smoking behaviour such as lower cigarette intake and lower Fagerström score were identified as factors associated with success. On top of that, a longer duration of follow-up and more frequent visits were significantly associated with success in quitting smoking.
    CONCLUSION: Collaboration among health care practitioners should be the main focus, and we need a combination of proven effective modalities in order to create an ideal smoking cessation module.
    Study site: Klinik Kesihatan Luyang, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
  6. Malik N, Edwards D, Freckleton RP
    Ecol Evol, 2023 Apr;13(4):e10004.
    PMID: 37091565 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10004
    The Janzen-Connell hypothesis proposes that density and distance-dependent mortality generated by specialist natural enemies prevent competitive dominance. Much literature on Janzen-Connell mechanisms comes from the neotropics, and evidence of the role of distance and density-dependence is still relatively sparse. We tested the predictions of the Janzen-Connell hypothesis in a South-East Asian system dominated by mast fruiting species. We hypothesized that seedling survival would decrease with distance and density, seedling growth would increase, and herbivory would decrease, according to the predictions of the Janzen-Connell hypothesis. Experiments were conducted to determine the strength of the Janzen-Connell mechanism by manipulating the density and identity of tree species as a function of the distance from parent trees. Survival of conspecific seedlings was reduced near adult trees of one species, but not another. High densities of seedlings decreased the growth of conspecific seedlings of both species. In both species, herbivory rates decreased with distance in low-density areas. This study indicates that dipterocarp species experienced weak Janzen-Connell effects of distance and density dependence at the growth stage studied. Future studies in this system might focus on earlier life-history stages such as seeds and small seedlings, as well as studying mortality during mast-seeding events.
  7. Abdul Malik N, Mohamed M, Mustafa MZ, Zainuddin A
    J Food Biochem, 2020 01;44(1):e13098.
    PMID: 31746481 DOI: 10.1111/jfbc.13098
    This study determined the antiaging effect of stingless bee honey on the expression of extracellular matrix genes. MTS (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium, inner salt) assay was performed for determination of optimum concentration and incubation time of stingless bee honey. Gene expression of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) and collagen type Ⅰ (COL1A1) were analyzed using real time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction technique. Incubation with stingless bee honey at concentration of 0.02% for 72 hr showed significant increase in the viability of human fibroblast cells. Stingless bee honey significantly downregulates metalloproteinase-1 gene expression in both pre-senescence and senescence fibroblast cells and upregulates collagen type Ⅰ gene expression in senescence fibroblast cells. In conclusion, stingless bee honey potentially delayed skin aging through modulation of extracellular matrix genes. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Changes of the extracellular matrix regulation promote skin aging. Stingless bee honey is a good source of natural antioxidant which potentially delays skin aging. This study demonstrated that stingless bee honey beneficially increases collagen type Ⅰ expression and decreases MMP-1 expression during cellular aging of human dermal fibroblast cells.
  8. Bilal M, Gani A, Lali MIU, Marjani M, Malik N
    Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw, 2019 Jul;22(7):433-450.
    PMID: 31074639 DOI: 10.1089/cyber.2018.0670
    Social media has taken an important place in the routine life of people. Every single second, users from all over the world are sharing interests, emotions, and other useful information that leads to the generation of huge volumes of user-generated data. Profiling users by extracting attribute information from social media data has been gaining importance with the increasing user-generated content over social media platforms. Meeting the user's satisfaction level for information collection is becoming more challenging and difficult. This is because of too much noise generated, which affects the process of information collection due to explosively increasing online data. Social profiling is an emerging approach to overcome the challenges faced in meeting user's demands by introducing the concept of personalized search while keeping in consideration user profiles generated using social network data. This study reviews and classifies research inferring users social profile attributes from social media data as individual and group profiling. The existing techniques along with utilized data sources, the limitations, and challenges are highlighted. The prominent approaches adopted include Machine Learning, Ontology, and Fuzzy logic. Social media data from Twitter and Facebook have been used by most of the studies to infer the social attributes of users. The studies show that user social attributes, including age, gender, home location, wellness, emotion, opinion, relation, influence, and so on, still need to be explored. This review gives researchers insights of the current state of literature and challenges for inferring user profile attributes using social media data.
  9. Ab Malik N, M Yatim S, Lam OLT, Jin L, McGrath C
    JDR Clin Trans Res, 2017 Jul;2(3):312-319.
    PMID: 30938632 DOI: 10.1177/2380084417693784
    During a stroke, the mouth tends to become an unhealthy place and may give rise to various life-threatening conditions. To this end, there have been repeated calls to incorporate oral hygiene guidelines and practices for hospitalized stroke patients to prevent aspiration pneumonia and improve patients' oral health. The objective of the study was to determine health care providers' practices of oral health care among patients hospitalized after an occurrence of stroke and to determine health care providers' background and work environment effect on these practices. A cross-sectional study was conducted among stroke care providers in 13 public hospitals in Malaysia. The questionnaires distributed were self-administered, where nursing staff provided details of their oral health care practices for stroke patients. Information on the background of health care providers and work environment was also collected. Overall, a total of 780 responses from the registered nurses were obtained. Almost half of the respondents (48.1%) reported that they recommended toothbrushing twice or more per day to stroke patients. Two-thirds (64.7%) reported that they performed daily mouthwashing on their patient, while less than half (38.8%) reported daily oral hygiene assistance. Result of the analysis revealed that oral hygiene practices were significantly associated with having working wards ( P < 0.05), level of qualification ( P < 0.05), having oral health care guidelines ( P < 0.001), specific resources ( P < 0.05), and attending previous training in oral care ( P < 0.001). Provision of oral hygiene practices for hospitalized stroke patients is important. A lack of oral health care guidelines, support from dental professionals, specific resources, training, and assistance in daily oral care for patients is evident and detrimental to oral hygiene practices. The current findings have significant implications for new initiatives to support health care providers, particularly the registered nurses performing oral health care for hospitalized stroke patients. Knowledge Transfer Statement: This study may provide a basis of information for improving the delivery of oral health care to stroke patients. Enhancement in the training and improvement in the existing guidelines and resources is pivotal for the provision of better oral health care for the potential benefits to these patients, including their improved quality of life and disease prevention.
  10. Ab Malik N, Mohamad Yatim S, Hussein N, Mohamad H, McGrath C
    J Clin Nurs, 2018 May;27(9-10):1913-1919.
    PMID: 29266493 DOI: 10.1111/jocn.14241
    AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To investigate oral health knowledge for stroke care and the clinical practices performed for oral hygiene care in Malaysia.

    BACKGROUND: Oral hygiene care following stroke is important as the mouth can act as a reservoir for opportunistic infections that can lead to aspirational pneumonia.

    DESIGN: A national cross-sectional survey was conducted in Malaysia among public hospitals where specialist stroke rehabilitation care is provided.

    METHODS: All (16) hospitals were invited to participate, and site visits were conducted. A standardised questionnaire was employed to determine nurses' oral health knowledge for stroke care and existing clinical practices for oral hygiene care. Variations in oral health knowledge and clinical practices for oral hygiene care were examined.

    RESULTS: Questionnaires were completed by 806 nurses across 13 hospitals. Oral health knowledge scores varied among the nurses; their mean score was 3.7 (SD 1.1) out of a possible 5.0. Approximately two-thirds (63.6%, n = 513) reported that some form of "mouth cleaning" was performed for stroke patients routinely. However, only a third (38.3%, n = 309) reported to perform or assist with the clinical practice of oral hygiene care daily. Their oral health knowledge of stroke care was associated with clinical practices for oral hygiene care (p 

  11. Bidawid S, Malik N, Adegbunrin O, Sattar SA, Farber JM
    J Food Prot, 2004 Jan;67(1):103-9.
    PMID: 14717359
    While there is good epidemiological evidence for foods as vehicles for norovirus transmission, the precise means of spread and its control remain unknown. The feline calicivirus was used as a surrogate for noroviruses to study infectious virus transfer between hands and selected types of foods and environmental surfaces. Assessment of the potential of selected topicals in interrupting such virus transfer was also made. Ten microliters of inoculum of feline calicivirus deposited onto each fingerpad of adult subjects was allowed to air dry and the contaminated area on individual fingerpads was pressed (10 s at a pressure of 0.2 to 0.4 kg/cm2) onto 1-cm-diameter disks of ham, lettuce, or brushed stainless steel. The virus remaining on the donor and that transferred to the recipient surfaces was eluted and plaque assayed. Virus transfer to clean hands from experimentally contaminated disks of ham, lettuce, and stainless steel was also tested. Nearly 46 +/- 20.3, 18 +/- 5.7, and 13 +/- 3.6% of infectious virus was transferred from contaminated fingerpads to ham, lettuce, and metal disks, respectively. In contrast, approximately 6 +/- 1.8, 14 +/- 3.5, and 7 +/- 1.9% virus transfer occurred, respectively, from ham, lettuce, and metal disks to hands. One-way analysis of variance test showed that pretreatment (washing) of the fingerpads either with water or with both topical agent and water significantly (P < 0.05) reduced virus transfer to < or = 0.9%, as compared with < or = 2.3 and < or = 3.4% transfer following treatments with either 75% (vol/vol) ethanol or a commercial hand gel containing 62% ethanol, respectively. Despite wide variations in virus transfer among the targeted items used, intervention agents tested reduced virus transfer significantly (P < 0.05) when compared with that without such treatments (71 +/- 8.9%). These findings should help in a better assessment of the potential for cross-contamination of foods during handling and also assist in developing more effective approaches to foodborne spread of norovirus infections.
  12. Bidawid S, Malik N, Adegbunrin O, Sattar SA, Farber JM
    J Virol Methods, 2003 Feb;107(2):163-7.
    PMID: 12505630
    Feline calicivirus (FCV) has been used by researchers as a surrogate for Norwalk virus (NV), since they share a similar genomic organization, physicochemical characteristics, and are grouped in the same family, Caliciviridae. Unlike NV, however, FCV can grow in established cell lines and produce a syncytial form of cytopathic effect. In this report, we describe the development and standardization of a plaque assay for FCV using monolayers of an established line of feline kidney (CrFK) cells in 12-well cell culture plates. The assay method has demonstrated reproducibility, ease of performance and resulted in clear plaque zones, readable in 24 h after virus inoculation. The infectivity titre of the virus by this plaque assay agreed well with tissue culture infectious dose(50) (TCID(50)) determinations. The described plaque assay would be a valuable tool in conducting various quantitative investigations using FCV as a model for NV and Norwalk-like viruses (NLV).
  13. Ab Malik N, Zhang J, Lam OL, Jin L, McGrath C
    J Am Med Inform Assoc, 2017 01;24(1):209-217.
    PMID: 27274013 DOI: 10.1093/jamia/ocw045
    Computer-aided learning (CAL) offers enormous potential in disseminating oral health care information to patients and caregivers. The effectiveness of CAL, however, remains unclear.

    OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to systematically review published evidence on the effectiveness of CAL in disseminating oral health care information to patients and caregivers.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: A structured comprehensive search was undertaken among 7 electronic databases (PUBMED, CINAHL Plus, EMBASE, SCOPUS, WEB of SCIENCE, the Cochrane Library, and PsycINFO) to identify relevant studies. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies were included in this review. Papers were screened by 2 independent reviewers, and studies that met the inclusion criteria were selected for further assessment.

    RESULTS: A total of 2915 papers were screened, and full texts of 53 potentially relevant papers (κ = 0.885) were retrieved. A total of 5 studies that met the inclusion criteria (1 RCT, 1 quasi-experimental study, and 3 post-intervention studies) were identified. Outcome measures included knowledge, attitude, behavior, and oral health. Significant improvements in clinical oral health parameters (P 

  14. Khedekar M, Suresh KV, Parkar MI, Malik N, Patil S, Taur S, et al.
    J Coll Physicians Surg Pak, 2015 Dec;25(12):856-9.
    PMID: 26691356 DOI: 12.2015/JCPSP.856859
    To determine the knowledge and oral hygiene status of orphanage children in Pune and changes in them after health education.
  15. Ab Malik N, Mohamad Yatim S, Lam OL, Jin L, McGrath CP
    J Med Internet Res, 2017 03 31;19(3):e87.
    PMID: 28363880 DOI: 10.2196/jmir.7024
    BACKGROUND: Oral hygiene care is of key importance among stroke patients to prevent complications that may compromise rehabilitation or potentially give rise to life-threatening infections such as aspiration pneumonia.

    OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a Web-based continuing professional development (CPD) program on "general intention" of the health carers to perform daily mouth cleaning for stroke patients using the theory of planned behavior (TPB).

    METHODS: A double-blind cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted among 547 stroke care providers across 10 hospitals in Malaysia. The centers were block randomized to receive either (1) test intervention (a Web-based CPD program on providing oral hygiene care to stroke patients using TPB) or (2) control intervention (a Web-based CPD program not specific to oral hygiene). Domains of TPB: "attitude," "subjective norm" (SN), "perceived behavior control" (PBC), "general intention" (GI), and "knowledge" related to providing oral hygiene care were assessed preintervention and at 1 month and 6 months postintervention.

    RESULTS: The overall response rate was 68.2% (373/547). At 1 month, between the test and control groups, there was a significant difference in changes in scores of attitude (P=.004) and subjective norm (P=.01), but not in other TPB domains (GI, P=.11; PBC, P=.51; or knowledge, P=.08). At 6 months, there were significant differences in changes in scores of GI (P=.003), attitude (P=.009), SN (P

  16. Ab Malik N, Mohamad Yatim S, Lam OLT, Jin L, McGrath C
    Disabil Rehabil, 2018 04;40(8):889-893.
    PMID: 28129510 DOI: 10.1080/09638288.2016.1277397
    OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine "intention to" and "performance of" oral hygiene care to stroke patients using the Theory of Planned Behavior.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: A large scale survey of 13 centers in Malaysia was conducted involving 806 nurses in relation to oral hygiene care intentions and practices. In addition, information on personal and environmental factors was collected.

    RESULTS: The response rate was 95.6% (778/806). The domains of the Theory of Planned Behavior were significantly associated with general intention to perform oral hygiene care: attitudes (β = 0.21, p 

  17. Bhujbal R, A Malik N, Kumar N, Kv S, I Parkar M, Mb J
    PMID: 30443299 DOI: 10.15171/joddd.2018.024
    Background.
    Surgical removal of mandibular third molars results in pain, swelling and bony defects, causing prolonged postoperative recovery. The growth factors present in platelet-rich plasma (PRP) can accelerate the healing, thereby shortening postoperative recovery period. This study was undertaken to evaluate the role of PRP in postoperative socket healing, pain, swelling and bone regeneration following surgical removal of impacted mandibular third molars.
    Methods.
    The present case‒control study was conducted on 20 patients with identical bilateral mandibular third molar impaction. PRP was placed randomly on one side of 3rd molar extraction socket and the contralateral side was used as control. Evaluation of soft tissue healing, pain, swelling and radiologic bone density was carried out.
    Results.
    Soft tissue healing was better in the PRP compared to the control site. Immediate postoperative assessment of pain scores showed no significant difference between the two groups (Mann-Whitney U test). On the 7th day, pain scores were lower in case site compared to the control site. Measurement of swelling on the 1st, 3rd and 7th day showed statistically significant differences between the case and control sites (P<0.0001). Postoperative mean bone density at the 3rd and 6th postoperative months was significantly higher in the case site compared to the control site (P=0.00001).
    Conclusion.
    The results showed an improvement in wound healing and swelling and an increase in the bone density at PRP site. The growth factors in PRP would improve the hard and soft tissue healing 3 months after molar surgery.
  18. Ab Malik N, Mohamad Yatim S, Abdul Razak F, Lam OLT, Jin L, Li LSW, et al.
    J Oral Rehabil, 2018 Feb;45(2):132-139.
    PMID: 29090475 DOI: 10.1111/joor.12582
    Maintaining good oral hygiene is important following stroke. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of two oral health promotion (OHP) programmes to reduce dental plaque levels following stroke. A multi-centre randomised clinical control trial was conducted among patients hospitalised following stroke in Malaysia. Patients were randomly allocated to two OHP groups: (i) control group who received the conventional method for plaque control-daily manual tooth brushing with a standardised commercial toothpaste, (ii) test group-who received an intense method for plaque control-daily powered tooth brushing with 1% Chlorhexidine gel. Oral health assessments were performed at baseline, at 3 months and 6 months post-intervention. Within- and between-group changes in dental plaque were assessed over time. Regression analyses were conducted on dental plaque levels at 6 months controlling for OHP group, medical, dental and socio-demographic status. The retention rate was 62.7% (54 of 86 subjects). Significant within-group changes of dental plaque levels were evident among the test group (P  .05). Regression analyses identified that baseline plaque levels (adjusted ß = 0.79, P 
  19. Iqbal SZ, Ullah Z, Asi MR, Jinap S, Ahmad MN, Sultan MT, et al.
    J Food Prot, 2018 May;81(5):806-809.
    PMID: 29637809 DOI: 10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-17-256
    Two hundred ten samples of selected vegetables (okra, pumpkin, tomato, potato, eggplant, spinach, and cabbage) from Faisalabad, Pakistan, were analyzed for the analysis of heavy metals: cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), arsenic (As), and mercury (Hg). Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry was used for the analysis of heavy metals. The mean levels of Cd, Pb, As, and Hg were 0.24, 2.23, 0.58, and 7.98 mg/kg, respectively. The samples with Cd (27%), Pb (50%), and Hg (63%) exceeded the maximum residual levels set by the European Commission. The mean levels of heavy metals found in the current study are high and may pose significant health concerns for consumers. Furthermore, considerable attention should be paid to implement comprehensive monitoring and regulations.
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