Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 182 in total

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  1. Zawawi NA, Abdul Halim Zaki I, Ming LC, Goh HP, Zulkifly HH
    Front Cardiovasc Med, 2021;8:736143.
    PMID: 34869639 DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2021.736143
    Vitamin K antagonist such as warfarin reduces the risk of stroke in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients. Since warfarin has a narrow therapeutic index, its administration needs to be regularly monitored to avoid any adverse clinical outcomes such as stroke and bleeding. The quality of anticoagulation control with warfarin therapy can be measured by using time in therapeutic range (TTR). This review focuses on the prevalence of AF, quality of anticoagulation control (TTR) and adverse clinical outcome in AF patients within different ethnic groups receiving warfarin therapy for stroke prevention. A literature search was conducted in Embase and PubMed using keywords of "prevalence," "atrial fibrillation," "stroke prevention," "oral anticoagulants," "warfarin," "ethnicities," "race" "time in therapeutic range," "adverse clinical outcome," "stroke, bleeding." Articles published by 1st February 2020 were included. Forty-one studies were included in the final review consisting of AF prevalence (n = 14 studies), time in therapeutic range (n = 18 studies), adverse clinical outcome (n = 9 studies) within different ethnic groups. Findings indicate that higher prevalence of AF but better anticoagulation control among the Whites as compared to other ethnicities. Of note, non-whites had higher risk of strokes and bleeding outcomes while on warfarin therapy. Addressing disparities in prevention and healthcare resource allocation could potentially improve AF-related outcomes in minorities.
  2. Zainal INA, Karim NAA, Soh YC, Suleiman AK, Khan TM, Hameed MA, et al.
    Ther Innov Regul Sci, 2017 Jul;51(4):419-425.
    PMID: 30227049 DOI: 10.1177/2168479017701977
    The Internet and rapid development of technology has led to the application of pharmacoinformatic technologies in improving the efficiency of the medication use process. By integrating pharmacoinformatics in pharmacy education, a qualified workforce of pharmacists well trained in the perspective of both pharmacy practice and informatics for safe and positive health-related outcomes can be produced. This survey assessed the level of importance of the suggested topics for pharmacoinformatics courses for pharmacy bachelor's and master's degrees by giving a questionnaire to pharmacy lecturers in both public and private universities, and to pharmacists registered with the Ministry of Health, Malaysia. Briefly the study of pharmacoinformatics was classified into 5 major areas: Drug Information Services, Information Technology & Internet, Drug Formulary Management, Supply Chain Management, and Health Policy. The relative importance of all relevant topics were evaluated and reported. It was found that compared with the undergraduate level, master's degree had higher expectations, and thus a more in-depth pharmacoinformatics curriculum content. In addition, the experiential method of learning instead of formal lectures alone was used on pharmacy master's courses. The findings from this survey could serve as a guide to improve pharmacoinformatics curricula in order to produce pharmacists who can safely and effectively utilize pharmacy informatics to disseminate information in drug use.
  3. Zafar R, Rehman IU, Shah Y, Ming LC, Goh HP, Goh KW
    PLoS One, 2023;18(9):e0291417.
    PMID: 37773947 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0291417
    INTRODUCTION: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a significant public health challenge due to its rising incidence, mortality, and morbidity. Patients with kidney diseases often suffer from various comorbid conditions, making them susceptible to potential drug-drug interactions (pDDIs) due to polypharmacy and multiple prescribers. Inappropriate prescriptions for CKD patients and their consequences in the form of pDDIs are a major challenge in Pakistan.

    AIM: This study aimed to compare the incidence and associated risk factors of pDDIs among a public and private sector hospital in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

    METHOD: A retrospective cross-sectional study design was conducted to compare pDDIs among public and private sector hospitals from January 2023 to February 2023. Patients profile data for the full year starting from January 1 2022 to December 302022, was accessed All adult patients aged 18 years and above, of both genders, who currently have or have previously been diagnosed with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) were included. For assessing pDDIs, patient data was retrieved and checked using Lexicomp UpToDate® for severity and documentation of potential drug-drug interactions.

    RESULTS: A total of 358 patients' data was retrieved (with n = 179 in each hospital); however, due to incomplete data, n = 4 patients were excluded from the final analysis. The prevalence of pDDIs was found to be significantly higher in private hospitals (84.7%) than in public hospitals (26.6%), with a p-value <0.001. Patients in the age category of 41-60 years (AOR = 6.2; p = 0.008) and those prescribed a higher number of drugs (AOR = 1.2; p = 0.027) were independently associated with pDDIs in private hospitals, while the higher number of prescribed drugs (AOR = 2.9; p = <0.001) was an independent risk factor for pDDIs in public hospitals. The majority of pDDIs (79.0%) were of moderate severity, and a significant number of patients (15.1%) also experienced major pDDIs, with a p-value <0.001. The majority of pDDIs had fair documentation for reliability rating in both public and private hospitals.

    CONCLUSION: The prevalence of pDDIs was higher among CKD patients at private hospitals, and most of the pDDIs were of moderate severity. A considerable number of patients also experienced major pDDIs. The risk of experiencing pDDIs was found to be higher in older patients and among those prescribed a higher number of drugs.

  4. Zafar R, Rehman IU, Shah Y, Ali Z, Ming LC, Khan TM
    J Pharm Policy Pract, 2023 Sep 19;16(1):102.
    PMID: 37726861 DOI: 10.1186/s40545-023-00606-4
    BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) poses a significant public health challenge. CKD patients have compromised renal function, which not only alters the pharmacokinetics of drugs but also their pharmacodynamics. Adjusting drug doses for these patients is essential to achieve the intended clinical outcomes, prevent adverse drug events, and halt further progression of the disease. Pharmacists play a pivotal role in ensuring safe and appropriate therapy for CKD patients. However, there is a noticeable absence of national dosing guidelines for CKD in Pakistan, coupled with a scarcity of studies exploring the knowledge, attitude, and perception of renal dose adjustments in the country. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of pharmacists in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and Islamabad regarding renal dose adjustments.

    METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study was conducted to gauge the knowledge, attitude, and perception of pharmacists working in various cities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the capital city, Islamabad, from February to May 2023. The Renal Dosing Questionnaire-13 (RDQ-13) scale was employed for this purpose. The survey link was disseminated through emails, and the RDQ-13 scale was also completed in person by pharmacists from hospitals, clinics, community, and retail settings who interact with CKD patients. Univariate linear regression was employed, and factors with a p value 

  5. Yun WZ, Kassab YW, Yao LM, Khairuddin N, Ming LC, Hadi MA
    Int J Clin Pharm, 2022 Oct;44(5):1140-1148.
    PMID: 35915341 DOI: 10.1007/s11096-022-01437-0
    BACKGROUND: Early administration of intravenous (IV) caffeine (initiation within 2 days of life) is an effective treatment strategy for the management of apnoea of prematurity among infants. However, the safety and effectiveness of early administration of oral caffeine treatment is not be fully established.

    AIM: We aimed to compare the effectiveness and safety of early versus late caffeine therapy on preterm infants' clinical outcomes.

    METHOD: A retrospective matched cohort study was conducted using data of patients admitted to neonatal intensive care units of two tertiary care hospitals between January 2016 and December 2018. The clinical outcomes and mortality risk between early caffeine (initiation within 2 days of life) and late caffeine (initiation ≥ 3 days of life) were compared.

    RESULTS: Ninety-five pairs matched based on gestational age were included in the study. Compared to late initiation, preterm infants with early caffeine therapy had: a shorter duration of non-invasive mechanical ventilation (median 5 days vs. 12 days; p 

  6. Yong YL, Tan LT, Ming LC, Chan KG, Lee LH, Goh BH, et al.
    Front Pharmacol, 2016;7:538.
    PMID: 28119613 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2016.00538
    In particular, neuropathic pain is a major form of chronic pain. This type of pain results from dysfunction or lesions in the central and peripheral nervous system. Capsaicin has been traditionally utilized as a medicine to remedy pain. However, the effectiveness and safety of this practice is still elusive. Therefore, this systematic review aimed to investigate the effect of topical capsaicin as a pain-relieving agent that is frequently used in pain management. In brief, all the double-blinded, randomized placebo- or vehicle-controlled trials that were published in English addressing postherpetic neuralgia were included. Meta-analysis was performed using Revman(®) version 5.3. Upon application of the inclusion and exclusion criteria, only six trials fulfilled all the criteria and were included in the review for qualitative analysis. The difference in mean percentage change in numeric pain rating scale score ranges from -31 to -4.3. This demonstrated high efficacy of topical capsaicin application and implies that capsaicin could result in pain reduction. Furthermore, meta-analysis was performed on five of the included studies. All the results of studies are in favor of the treatment using capsaicin. The incidence of side effects from using topical capsaicin is consistently higher in all included studies, but the significance of safety data cannot be quantified due to a lack of p-values in the original studies. Nevertheless, topical capsaicin is a promising treatment option for specific patient groups or certain neuropathic pain conditions such as postherpetic neuralgia.
  7. Yong SJ, Halim A, Halim M, Ming LC, Goh KW, Alfaresi M, et al.
    Expert Opin Investig Drugs, 2023;32(7):655-667.
    PMID: 37534972 DOI: 10.1080/13543784.2023.2242773
    INTRODUCTION: Over three years have passed since the emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and yet the treatment for long-COVID, a post-COVID-19 syndrome, remains long overdue. Currently, there is no standardized treatment available for long-COVID, primarily due to the lack of funding for post-acute infection syndromes (PAIS). Nevertheless, the past few years have seen a renewed interest in long-COVID research, with billions of dollars allocated for this purpose. As a result, multiple randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have been funded in the quest to find an effective treatment for long-COVID.

    AREAS COVERED: This systematic review identified and evaluated the potential of current drug treatments for long-COVID, examining both completed and ongoing RCTs.

    EXPERT OPINION: We identified four completed and 22 ongoing RCTs, investigating 22 unique drugs. However, most drugs were deemed to not have high potential for treating long-COVID, according to three pre-specified domains, a testament to the ordeal of treating long-COVID. Given that long-COVID is highly multifaceted with several proposed subtypes, treatments likely need to be tailored accordingly. Currently, rintatolimod appears to have modest to high potential for treating the myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) subtype, LTY-100 and Treamid for pulmonary fibrosis subtype, and metformin for general long-COVID prevention.

  8. Yap YY, Wong CP, Lee KS, Ming LC, Khan TM
    Ther Innov Regul Sci, 2017 Jul;51(4):446-459.
    PMID: 30227055 DOI: 10.1177/2168479017697253
    This article aims to discuss the main consequences of the implementation of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TTPA) in the pharmaceutical sector in regard to public health, focusing on the accessibility and affordability of medicines. This paper also looks at the likely impact of the TPP agreement on access to affordable medicines. The potential effects of provisions in the final text are explored based on the context of developed and developing countries. A meta-synthesis study design was used. The thematic analysis technique was used to generate themes and a decision tree of the TTPA meta-synthesis. PubMed, EBSCOhost, Ovid, and Scopus databases from inception until the first week of January 2016 were used. Only peer-reviewed journals that discussed TPPA's impact on the pharmaceutical sector were included. Data were extracted by 2 reviewers and then verified by 3 senior researchers. The extracted data were imported into Excel spreadsheets and coded line by line. Codes were organized into descriptive themes. The identified themes were cross-checked against original articles to ensure consistency. A total of 85 full articles and reports were reviewed and, finally, 32 of them were used in the meta-synthesis. Two central themes to the TTPA emerged: intellectual property rights and transparency. Five subthemes were identified under intellectual property rights: patent subject matter (representing scope of patentability), patent term adjustment for patent office delays (representing patent term extension), protection of undisclosed test or other data (representing data exclusivity), protection of undisclosed test or other data (representing patent linkage), and compulsory licensing. Meanwhile, transparency and anti-corruption-procedural fairness, which presents restriction of coverage program and reimbursement, were identified as the subthemes of transparency. Findings indicate that the TPPA could potentially hinder the affordability and accessibility of medicine, which could increase risks to public health.
  9. Xue Qin QN, Ming LC, Abd Wahab MS, Tan CS, Yuda A, Hermansyah A
    Res Social Adm Pharm, 2023 Jun;19(6):873-881.
    PMID: 36914513 DOI: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2023.02.015
    INTRODUCTION: Dementia is a disorder that causes a decline of cognitive function, and it affects millions of people worldwide. Increased availability of medications used to treat dementia will inevitably increase the likelihood of drug-related problems (DRPs).

    OBJECTIVE: This systematic review sought to identify DRPs due to medication misadventures, including adverse drug reactions (ADRs), and use of inappropriate medications, among patients with dementia or cognitive impairments.

    METHODS: The included studies were retrieved from the electronic databases PubMed and SCOPUS, and a preprint platform (MedRXiv) which were searched from their inception through August 2022. The English-language publications that reported DRPs among dementia patients were included. The JBI Critical Appraisal Tool for quality assessment was used to evaluate the quality of studies included in the review.

    RESULTS: Overall, 746 distinct articles were identified. Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria and reported the most common DRPs, which comprised medication misadventures (n = 9), such as ADRs, inappropriate prescription use, and potentially inappropriate medication use (n = 6).

    CONCLUSION: This systematic review provides evidence that DRPs are prevalent among dementia patients, particularly the older people. It indicates that medication misadventures such as ADRs and inappropriate drug use, as well as potentially inappropriate medications, are the most prevalent DRPs among older people with dementia. Due to the small number of included studies, however, additional studies are required to improve comprehension about the issue.

  10. Xuan YW, Goh HP, Rehman IU, Shafqat N, Al-Worafi YM, Ming LC, et al.
    J Pharm Policy Pract, 2023 Nov 29;16(1):162.
    PMID: 38031133 DOI: 10.1186/s40545-023-00609-1
    BACKGROUND: This study aimed to assess the general public's perception of services provided by community pharmacies, their willingness to utilize these services, their satisfaction with and understanding of community pharmacists, and their views on dispensing separation and pharmacy medicines (P medicines).

    METHODS: An online cross-sectional study was conducted, in which questionnaires were distributed among the general public. A novel questionnaire was designed and validated specifically for this study. It was composed of six sections: demographics, pharmacy usage and service preferences, understanding and satisfaction with pharmacists, views on dispensing separation, private community pharmacies, and knowledge of P medicines. Statistical analyses such as one-way ANOVA, independent t test, and binary logistic regression were employed, with a p value of 

  11. Wong RS, Ming LC, Raja Ali RA
    JMIR Med Educ, 2023 Nov 21;9:e47274.
    PMID: 37988149 DOI: 10.2196/47274
    As we progress deeper into the digital age, the robust development and application of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technology, specifically generative language models like ChatGPT (OpenAI), have potential implications in all sectors including medicine. This viewpoint article aims to present the authors' perspective on the integration of AI models such as ChatGPT in clinical medicine and medical education. The unprecedented capacity of ChatGPT to generate human-like responses, refined through Reinforcement Learning with Human Feedback, could significantly reshape the pedagogical methodologies within medical education. Through a comprehensive review and the authors' personal experiences, this viewpoint article elucidates the pros, cons, and ethical considerations of using ChatGPT within clinical medicine and notably, its implications for medical education. This exploration is crucial in a transformative era where AI could potentially augment human capability in the process of knowledge creation and dissemination, potentially revolutionizing medical education and clinical practice. The importance of maintaining academic integrity and professional standards is highlighted. The relevance of establishing clear guidelines for the responsible and ethical use of AI technologies in clinical medicine and medical education is also emphasized.
  12. Wasli NS, Ridzwan IE, Azzubaidi MS, Kasmuri AR, Ahmed QU, Ming LC, et al.
    J Pharm Bioallied Sci, 2020 Nov;12(Suppl 2):S826-S830.
    PMID: 33828384 DOI: 10.4103/jpbs.JPBS_379_19
    Introduction: κ-opioid receptor (KOPr) system has been linked to relapse to many substances, especially opioids. Positive responses were recently reported in morphine and methamphetamine (polydrug)-dependent mice treated with buprenorphine and naltrexone, a functional κ antagonist.

    Objectives: This study aimed to determine the specific brain region that is responsive to KOPr treatment following polydrug dependence.

    Materials and Methods: The polydrug-dependent mice model was developed using conditioned place preference (CPP) method. Following successful withdrawal phase, the mice were treated with 0.3 mg/kg buprenorphine and 1.0 mg/kg naltrexone. Four brain regions (hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and striatum) were investigated using immunohistochemistry technique. This is to quantify the changes in KOPr expression in each major brain region that was primarily involved in addiction neurocircuits of many substances. Unpaired Student's t test was used to analyze all results, where P < 0.05 is considered significant.

    Results: The results showed that treatment with buprenorphine and naltrexone successfully attenuated relapse in 60% of mice (n = 14). A significant upregulation of KOPr was detected in striatum at the end of post-withdrawal phase (P < 0.01, n = 12). This treatment successfully suppressed KOPr in striatum (P < 0.001, n = 12), which supports the positive results seen in the CPP setting. No significant changes were observed in other brain regions studied.

    Conclusion: The hyperactivity of striatum suggests that the affected brain region following KOPr antagonist treatment is the region that primarily controls the drug rewarding activity, in which nucleus accumbens is located. This indicates that manipulation of KOPr system is one of the potential targets to treat morphine- or methamphetamine-dependence problem.

  13. Wahab MSA, Jalani MM, Goh KW, Ming LC, Faller EM
    Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2022 Sep 02;19(17).
    PMID: 36078707 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191710994
    Herbal and dietary supplements (HDSs) are frequently obtained from community pharmacies, but community pharmacists (CPs) have been underutilized for information regarding them. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of, factors behind, and reasons for consultation with CPs among HDS consumers in Malaysia. A cross-sectional study using an online survey was conducted among conveniently sampled individuals in Malaysia. Reasons for consultation or non-consultation with CPs about HDSs were sought from the respondents. A logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the predictors of consultation with CPs. Overall, 40.3% (239/593) of participants consulted CPs about the HDSs that they purchased. The participants were predominantly unmarried (362/588, 61.6%) and belonged to the 18-29 age group (332/593, 56%). The multivariate analysis showed that a suburban residential setting was the only significant predictor for consultation with CPs (adjusted odds ratio = 0.390, 95% CI = 0.260-0.583). Respondents who consulted CPs generally agreed that the CPs were the right people to consult on HDSs (mean = 4.37, SD = 0.73). However, their discussion with CPs regarding HDSs mostly revolved around the benefits and directions for use, but little on the potential risks. Meanwhile, most respondents who did not consult CPs agreed that they had never thought of consulting CPs about their HDS use (mean = 3.45, SD = 1.02). The majority of them referred to the Internet (61.3%, 217/354) and social media (59.9%, 212/354) for information about HDSs. The findings from this study show that more efforts are warranted in encouraging consumers to consult CPs about their HDS use and to enhance their awareness of the roles of CPs in ensuring the safe use of HDSs.
  14. Wahab MSA, Abd Hamid NN, Yassen AO, Naim MJ, Ahamad J, Zulkifli NW, et al.
    Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2022 Sep 20;19(19).
    PMID: 36231154 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191911853
    BACKGROUND: Tongkat Ali (TA) or Eurycoma longifolia is a herbal medicine (HM) plant traditionally used to treat sexual dysfunction and enhance libido in men. Websites containing information about HM are abundant. However, studies have shown that in general the quality of websites containing information on HM is low. The present study aims to assess the quality and risks of websites containing information about TA supplements and to identify the health claims for TA.

    METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study to evaluate the quality and risks of websites discussing TA supplements was conducted. Online marketing websites, research articles, news articles, personal opinions, and those restricted by password were excluded. The quality and risks of websites were assessed using a modified DISCERN tool and a set of risk assessment criteria, respectively. The health claims for TA were identified and analyzed using content analysis.

    RESULTS: Overall, 321 websites met the inclusion criteria and were further evaluated. The overall rating of the quality of the websites was low, with a mean score ± standard deviation of 1.07 ± 0.51. Most websites lacked information that there may be more than one possible treatment choice and did not discuss areas of uncertainty. However, 67.9% (218/321) of the websites received a risk score of zero. A minority of websites (5/321, 1.6%) discouraged the use of conventional medicines. The most common health claims for TA included in the websites related to the enhancement of testosterone level (121/321, 37.7%), treatment of malaria (112/321, 34.9%), and improvement in libido (108/321, 33.6%).

    CONCLUSIONS: Websites containing information about TA supplements generally have a low-quality rating based on a modified DISCERN tool despite having a low-risk score. Government agencies and healthcare professionals (HCPs) must be more proactive in the critique and dissemination of information relating to HM, and in ensuring the safe use of HM among the public and patients.

  15. Voo JYH, Lean QY, Ming LC, Md Hanafiah NH, Al-Worafi YM, Ibrahim B
    Vaccines (Basel), 2021 Nov 17;9(11).
    PMID: 34835279 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9111348
    BACKGROUND: Incomplete childhood immunization against communicable diseases is a major concern and vaccine hesitancy remains a hurdle to overcome in primary vaccination programs. This study was to examine the parents' vaccine knowledge, awareness and hesitancy in relation to their children's immunization status.

    METHODS: A cross-sectional questionnaire study design was used. The parents who brought their children for immunization visit or follow-up at four public health clinics located in Sandakan district were invited to participate in this survey. Informed consent was obtained before each participant completed a hard copy of self-administered questionnaire in either English or Malay versions.

    RESULTS: Of 405 parents responded, they generally had good knowledge and awareness of vaccines, only a small percentage (6.8%) of parents were found vaccine hesitant. There were significant differences in vaccine knowledge and awareness in those from different education levels and employment status; similarly, these two factors also significantly affected the vaccine hesitancy among the parents. The parents' knowledge score was found to be moderately associated with their awareness (r = 0.551, p < 0.01) and inversely correlated to vaccine hesitancy (r = -0.397, p < 0.01). Most of the children (n = 376, 92.8%) in the study were immunized. The children's immunization status was significantly associated with the parents' education level (p = 0.025). There was also a significant difference in the total vaccine knowledge scores between the groups of parents with different child immunization status (p = 0.05).

    CONCLUSION: This study revealed that parents with higher education had a better knowledge of vaccinations, were less vaccine hesitant and were more likely to ensure that their children complete the recommended course of immunization. It is crucial to ensure parents are well-informed about the safety and efficacy of vaccines so that the children are protected from communicable diseases by the child vaccination program.

  16. Vellasamy DM, Lee SJ, Goh KW, Goh BH, Tang YQ, Ming LC, et al.
    Int J Mol Sci, 2022 Oct 27;23(21).
    PMID: 36361845 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232113059
    Atherosclerosis is one of the main underlying causes of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). It is associated with chronic inflammation and intimal thickening as well as the involvement of multiple cell types including immune cells. The engagement of innate or adaptive immune response has either athero-protective or atherogenic properties in exacerbating or alleviating atherosclerosis. In atherosclerosis, the mechanism of action of immune cells, particularly monocytes, macrophages, dendritic cells, and B- and T-lymphocytes have been discussed. Immuno-senescence is associated with aging, viral infections, genetic predispositions, and hyperlipidemia, which contribute to atherosclerosis. Immune senescent cells secrete SASP that delays or accelerates atherosclerosis plaque growth and associated pathologies such as aneurysms and coronary artery disease. Senescent cells undergo cell cycle arrest, morphological changes, and phenotypic changes in terms of their abundances and secretome profile including cytokines, chemokines, matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) and Toll-like receptors (TLRs) expressions. The senescence markers are used in therapeutics and currently, senolytics represent one of the emerging treatments where specific targets and clearance of senescent cells are being considered as therapy targets for the prevention or treatment of atherosclerosis.
  17. Tufail S, Sherwani MA, Shamim Z, Abdullah, Goh KW, Alomary MN, et al.
    Biomed Pharmacother, 2024 Jan;170:116070.
    PMID: 38163396 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.116070
    Two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials have garnered enormous attention seemingly due to their unusual architecture and properties. Graphene and graphene oxide based 2D nanomaterials remained the most sought after for several years but the quest to design superior 2D nanomaterials which can find wider application gave rise to development of non-graphene 2D materials as well. Consequently, in addition to graphene based 2D nanomaterials, 2D nanostructures designed using macromolecules (such as DNAs, proteins, peptides and peptoids), transition metal dichalcogenides, transition-metal carbides and/or nitrides (MXene), black phosphorous, chitosan, hexagonal boron nitrides, and graphitic carbon nitride, and covalent organic frameworks have been developed. Interestingly, these 2D nanomaterials have found applications in diagnosis and treatment of various diseases including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although AD is one of the most debilitating neurodegenerative conditions across the globe; unfortunately, there remains a paucity of effective diagnostic and/or therapeutic intervention for it till date. In this scenario, nanomaterial-based biosensors, or therapeutics especially 2D nanostructures are emerging to be promising in this regard. This review summarizes the diagnostic and therapeutic platforms developed for AD using 2D nanostructures. Collectively, it is worth mentioning that these 2D nanomaterials would seemingly provide an alternative and intriguing platform for biomedical interventions.
  18. Ting CY, Abd Wahab MS, Lee KS, Tan RT, Ming LC
    Ther Innov Regul Sci, 2017 Mar;51(2):212-220.
    PMID: 30231729 DOI: 10.1177/2168479016674041
    BACKGROUND: Because of the large size of Sarawak and the high proportion of people residing in rural areas in this Malaysian state, disseminating drug-related information there can be challenging. It is, therefore, important to recognize the type of mass media for drug-related information that are salient to the people of Sarawak. This study was aimed at identifying the use of and the preferences for mass media to obtain drug-related information among the public in Sarawak. We also aimed to recognize the media perceived as the most reliable for drug-related information.

    METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire carried out from September to October 2013. Survey respondents were recruited from 4 divisions in Sarawak: Kuching, Sibu, Miri, and Bintulu.

    RESULTS: A total of 433 completed questionnaires were obtained at the end of the study period. All respondents had access to common mass media such as television (89.8%, 389/433), radio (68.6%, 297/433), and the Internet (66.1%, 286/433). Among all respondents, television (71.4%, 309/433) was noted as the most preferred media for drug-related information. Compared with rural respondents, urban respondents were significantly more likely to have access to and prefer the Internet to obtain drug-related information. On the other hand, rural respondents were more likely to have access to and prefer radio for such information compared to their urban counterparts.

    CONCLUSIONS: Television can be an important and attractive choice of mass media in a quality use of medicines (QUM) campaign. The Internet can be used to disseminate drug-related information in urban areas, whereas radio can be used in a QUM campaign targeting the rural public.

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