Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 55 in total

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  1. Noah SA, Abdullah SN, Shahar S, Abdul-Hamid H, Khairudin N, Yusoff M, et al.
    J Med Internet Res, 2004 Jan 30;6(1):e4.
    PMID: 15111270
    Attempts in current health care practice to make health care more accessible, effective, and efficient through the use of information technology could include implementation of computer-based dietary menu generation. While several of such systems already exist, their focus is mainly to assist healthy individuals calculate their calorie intake and to help monitor the selection of menus based upon a prespecified calorie value. Although these prove to be helpful in some ways, they are not suitable for monitoring, planning, and managing patients' dietary needs and requirements. This paper presents a Web-based application that simulates the process of menu suggestions according to a standard practice employed by dietitians.
  2. Abdul Rahman MH, Sadi T, Ahmad AA, Masri IN, Mohammad Yusoff M, Kamaruddin H, et al.
    Heliyon, 2020 Aug;6(8):e04748.
    PMID: 32885080 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04748
    [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04486.].
  3. Virk A, Croke K, Mohd Yusoff M, Mokhtaruddin K, Abdullah Z, Nadziha Mohd Hanafiah A, et al.
    Health Syst Reform, 2020 12 01;6(1):e1833639.
    PMID: 33314988 DOI: 10.1080/23288604.2020.1833639
    Health system reforms across high- and middle-income countries often involve changes to public hospital governance. Corporatization is one such reform, in which public sector hospitals are granted greater functional independence while remaining publicly owned. In theory, this can improve public hospital efficiency, while retaining a public service ethos. However, the extent to which efficiency gains are realized and public purpose is maintained depends on policy choices about governance and payment systems. We present a case study of Malaysia's National Heart Institute (IJN), which was created in 1992 by corporatization of one department in a large public hospital. The aim of the paper is to examine whether IJN has achieved the goals for which it was created, and if so, whether it provides a potential model for further reforms in Malaysia and other similar health systems. Using a combination of document analysis and key informant interviews, we examine key governance, health financing and payment, and equity issues. For governance, we highlight the choice to have IJN owned by and answerable to a Ministry of Finance (MOF) holding company and MOF-appointed board, rather than the Ministry of Health (MOH). On financing and payment, we analyze the implications of IJN's combined role as fee-for-service provider to MOH as well as provider of care to private patients. For equity, we analyze the targeting of IJN care across publicly-referred and private patients. These issues demonstrate unresolved tensions between IJN's objectives and public service goals. As an institutional innovation that has endured for 28 years and grown dramatically in size and revenue, IJN's trajectory offers critical insights on the relevance of the hybrid public-private models for hospitals in Malaysia as well as in other middle-income countries. While IJN appears to have achieved its goal of establishing itself as a commercially viable, publicly owned center of clinical excellence in Malaysia, the value for money and equity of the services it provides to the Ministry of Health remain unclear. IJN is accountable to a small Ministry of Finance holding company, which means that detailed information required to evaluate these critical questions is not published. The case of IJN highlights that corporatization cannot achieve its stated goals of efficiency, innovation, and equity in isolation; rather it must be supported by broader reforms, including of health financing, payment, governance, and transparency, in order to ensure that autonomous hospitals improve quality and provide efficient care in an equitable way.
  4. Fazalul Rahiman SS, Basir R, Talib H, Tie TH, Chuah YK, Jabbarzare M, et al.
    Trop Biomed, 2013 Dec;30(4):663-80.
    PMID: 24522137 MyJurnal
    Interleukin-27 (IL-27) has a pleiotropic role either as a pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory cytokine in inflammatory related diseases. The role and involvement of IL-27 during malaria was investigated and the effects of modulating its release on the production of major inflammatory cytokines and the histopathological consequences in major affected organs during the infection were evaluated. Results showed that IL-27 concentration was significantly elevated throughout the infection but no positive correlation with the parasitaemia development observed. Augmentation of IL-27 significantly elevated the release of anti-inflammatory cytokine, IL-10 whereas antagonising and neutralising IL-27 produced the opposite. A significant elevation of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IFN-γ and IL-6) was also observed, both during augmentation and inhibition of IL-27. Thus, it is suggested that IL-27 exerts an anti-inflammatory activity in the Th1 type response by signalling the production of IL-10 during malaria. Histopathological examination showed sequestration of PRBC in the microvasculature of major organs in malarial mice. Other significant histopathological changes include hyperplasia and hypertrophy of the Kupffer cells in the liver, hyaline membrane formation in lung tissue, enlargement of the white and red pulp followed by the disappearance of germinal centre of the spleen, and tubular vacuolation of the kidney tissues. In conclusion, it is suggested that IL-27 may possibly acts as an anti-inflammatory cytokine during the infection. Modulation of its release produced a positive impact on inflammatory cytokine production during the infection, suggesting its potential in malaria immunotherapy, in which the host may benefit from its inhibition.
  5. Chong HX, Yusoff NAA, Hor YY, Lew LC, Jaafar MH, Choi SB, et al.
    Benef Microbes, 2019 Apr 19;10(4):355-373.
    PMID: 30882244 DOI: 10.3920/BM2018.0135
    Probiotics have been reported to exert beneficial effects along the gut-brain axis. This randomised, double-blind and placebo-controlled human study aimed to evaluate such properties of Lactobacillus plantarum DR7 and its accompanying mechanisms in stressed adults. One hundred and eleven (n=111; DR7 n=56, placebo n=55) stressed adults were recruited based on moderate stress levels using the PSS-10 questionnaire. The consumption of DR7 (1×109 cfu/day) for 12 weeks reduced symptoms of stress (P=0.024), anxiety (P=0.001), and total psychological scores (P=0.022) as early as 8 weeks among stressed adults compared to the placebo group as assessed by the DASS-42 questionnaire. Plasma cortisol level was reduced among DR7 subjects as compared to the placebo, accompanied by reduced plasma pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interferon-γ and transforming growth factor-α and increased plasma anti-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin 10 (P<0.05). DR7 better improved cognitive and memory functions in normal adults (>30 years old), such as basic attention, emotional cognition, and associate learning (P<0.05), as compared to the placebo and young adults (<30 years old). The administration of DR7 enhanced the serotonin pathway, as observed by lowered expressions of plasma dopamine β-hydroxylase (DBH), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase and tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase accompanied by increased expressions of tryptophan hydroxylase-2 and 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor-6, while stabilising the dopamine pathway as observed via stabilised expressions of TH and DBH over 12 weeks as compared to the placebo (P<0.05). Our results indicated that DR7 fulfil the requirement of a probiotic strain as per recommendation of FAO/WHO and could be applicable as a natural strategy to improve psychological functions, cognitive health and memory in stressed adults.
  6. Abdul Rahman MH, Sadi T, Ahmad AA, Masri IN, Mohammad Yusoff M, Kamaruddin H, et al.
    Heliyon, 2020 Jul;6(7):e04486.
    PMID: 32715140 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04486
    Composting of yard waste is one of the waste management approaches in the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) in Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia. The yard waste inventory was developed in the headquarters' area and a pilot-scale study was performed on the potential compost product. The total amount of yard waste generated from June 2017 to December 2017 was 16.75 tonnes with an average generation of 0.60 tonnes per week on the dry weight (d.w.) basis. The collected yard waste consisted of three major characteristics, namely dry leaves, fresh green leaves, and grass cuttings, and a waste estimation technique was applied to determine the composition of these three elements. The acquired information was used to formulate the initial compost mixture. The wastes were then mixed with an appropriate amount of livestock manure and other wastes to obtain the optimum initial C/N ratio, which was then found in the analysis to range between 25:1 and 42:1. Meanwhile, the C/N ratios obtained from the matured compost product were from 10:1 and 15:1. Moreover, most of the compost yield ranged between 50% and 70% (w w-1 d.w. basis), while the percentage of the seed germination in the compost was over 95%. The viability of the project was indicated from the economic analysis, with benefit to cost ratio (BCR) values of more than 1. The results also suggested that the large scale composting of yard waste in MARDI was feasible and its applicability is continuous. This technique also fulfilled the objective of producing quality compost, which was suitable for agricultural use.
  7. Yusoff MF, Baki MM, Mohamed N, Mohamed AS, Yunus MR, Ami M, et al.
    Traffic Inj Prev, 2010 Dec;11(6):594-9.
    PMID: 21128189 DOI: 10.1080/15389588.2010.505255
    Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been identified as one of the significant risk factors for motor vehicle crashes (MVCs). In the interest of public safety, this study was conducted to determine the prevalence of OSA and its associated factors among express bus drivers in Malaysia. Identifying factors or conditions related with OSA is very important because they can be used as indicators to subject a person to a confirmatory diagnosis using polysomnography testing.
  8. Ahmad K, Ariffin MFM, Deraman F, Ariffin S, Abdullah M, Razzak MMA, et al.
    J Relig Health, 2018 Oct;57(5):1649-1663.
    PMID: 29075949 DOI: 10.1007/s10943-017-0507-9
    This study was conducted to identify and describe the patients' perceptions of Islamic medicine based on gender, age, marital, educational level and working status among the Malaysian Muslim population. A nationwide interviewer-administered questionnaire survey was conducted in 2013. An open-ended questionnaire pertaining to Islamic medicine was used to increase the probability of capturing maximum data. This survey implemented a multistage design, stratified by state, proportionate to the size of the state population and was representative of the Malaysian population. Post-survey classification of results was performed accordingly. Complex data analysis was carried out using SPSS 16.0. The discussion was identified and categorised into various sections. The paper concludes that Islamic medicine has a major influence in the Malaysian Muslim community compared to other alternatives. Further, its potential for growth and importance especially for treating spiritual ailments cannot be denied. The respondents indicated that two factors motivate Islamic medicine in Malaysia: (1) the Muslim community opts for alternative healing because of their dissatisfaction with conventional methods; (2) Islamic medicine focuses only on healing spiritual-related problems. The average perception of respondents is that the function of Islamic medicine in healing physical diseases is undervalued and that it is not suitable to replace the functions of modern health institutions.
  9. Koh DXR, Raja Sabudin RZA, Mohd Yusoff M, Hussin NH, Ahmad R, Othman A, et al.
    Ann. Hum. Genet., 2017 Sep;81(5):205-212.
    PMID: 28620953 DOI: 10.1111/ahg.12201
    Thalassaemia is a public health problem in Malaysia, with each ethnic group having their own common mutations. However, there is a lack on data on the prevalence and common mutations among the indigenous people. This cross-sectional study was performed to determine the common mutations of α- and β-thalassaemia among the subethnic groups of Senoi, the largest Orang Asli group in Peninsular Malaysia. Blood samples collected from six Senoi subethnic groups were analysed for full blood count and haemoglobin analysis (HbAn). Samples with abnormal findings were then screened for α- and β-globin gene mutations. Out of the 752 samples collected, 255 showed abnormal HbAn results, and 122 cases showing abnormal red cell indices with normal HbAn findings were subjected to molecular screening. DNA analysis revealed a mixture of α- and β-globin gene mutations with 25 concomitant cases. The types of gene abnormalities detected for α-thalassaemia were termination codon (T>C) Hb CS (αCS α), Cd59 (G>A) haemoglobin Adana (Hb Adana) (αCd59 α), initiation codon (ATG>A-G) (αIniCd α), two-gene deletion (-SEA ), and single-gene 3.7-kb deletion (-α3.7 ). For β-thalassaemia, there were Cd26 (G>A) Hb E (βE ), Cd19 (A>G) Haemoglobin Malay (Hb Malay) (βCd19 ), and IVS 1-5 (G>C) (βIVS 1-5 ).
  10. Ghazali SM, Huey TC, Cheong KC, Li LH, Fadhli M, Yusoff M, et al.
    Tob Induc Dis, 2019;17:22.
    PMID: 31582933 DOI: 10.18332/tid/102728
    INTRODUCTION: Exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) has been proven to be detrimental to health. However, there is little information on SHS exposure among Malaysian adolescents. This study aims to assess the magnitude of and factors associated with SHS exposure among school-going adolescents in Malaysia.

    METHODS: We performed secondary analysis on data from 25461 respondents of the Global School Health Survey in Malaysia. Descriptive analyses and multivariable logistic regression were performed to determine factors associated with SHS exposure.

    RESULTS: Respondents were adolescents of mean age 14.84 (SD=1.45) years, 50.2% of which were male and 49.8% female. Approximately four in ten respondents were exposed to SHS in the past week (41.5%). SHS exposure was significantly higher among respondents who smoked than among non-smokers (85.8% vs 35.7%, p<0.001). The likelihood of exposure to SHS was higher among smoking adolescents (Adjusted OR=1.66, 95% CI: 1.07-2.56) and non-smoking adolescents (AOR=3.15, 95% CI: 1.48-4.71) who had at least one smoking parent/guardian regardless of their own smoking status. Male adolescents had higher risk of SHS exposure compared to their female counterparts (current smoker AOR=1.66, 95% CI: 1.07-2.56; non-smoker AOR=1.50, 95% CI: 1.12-2.00) and increased with age, regardless of their smoking status.

    CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that prevalence of exposure to SHS among school-going adolescents in Malaysia is high. Parents should be advised to stop smoking or abstain from smoking in the presence of their children. Education programmes are recommended to increase awareness on avoidance of SHS as well as smoking cessation interventions for both adolescents and their parents.

  11. Goh KM, Wong YH, Abas F, Lai OM, Mat Yusoff M, Tan TB, et al.
    Foods, 2020 Jun 04;9(6).
    PMID: 32512737 DOI: 10.3390/foods9060739
    Shortening derived from palm oil is widely used in baking applications. However, palm oil and the related products are reported to contain high levels of monochloropropandiol (MCPD) ester and glycidyl ester (GE). MCPD and glycidol are known as process contaminants, which are carcinogenic and genotoxic compounds, respectively. The objective was to evaluate the effects of antioxidant addition in palm olein and stearin to the content of MCPD esters and GE in baked cake. Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), rosemary extract and tocopherol were used to fortify the samples at 200 mg/kg and in combinations (400, 600 and 800 mg/kg rosemary or tocopherol combined with 200 mg/kg BHA). The MCPD esters and GE content, radical formation and the quality of the fats portion were analyzed. The results showed that palm olein fortified with rosemary extract yielded less 2-MCPD ester. The GE content was lower when soft stearin was fortified with rosemary. ESR spectrometry measurements showed that the antioxidants were effective to reduce radical formation. The synergistic effects of combining antioxidants controlled the contaminants formation. In conclusion, oxidation stability was comparable either in the single or combined antioxidants. Tocopherol in combination with BHA was more effective in controlling the MCPD esters and GE formation.
  12. Rahman ML, Srinivasa HT, Mohd Yusoff M, Kwong HC, Quah CK
    Acta Crystallogr Sect E Struct Rep Online, 2014 Jun 1;70(Pt 6):o696-7.
    PMID: 24940271 DOI: 10.1107/S1600536814010642
    The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C17H18O3, comprises three independent mol-ecules with similar geometries. In each mol-ecule, the carbonyl group is twisted away from the napthalene ring system, making dihedral angles of 1.0 (2), 1.05 (19)° and 1.5 (2)°. The butene group in all three mol-ecules are disordered over two sets of sites, with a refined occupancy ratio of 0.664 (6):0.336 (6). In the crystal, mol-ecules are oriented with respect to their carbonyl groups, forming head-to-head dimers via O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds. Adjacent dimers are further inter-connected by C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds into chains along the a-axis direction. The crystal structure is further stabilized by weak C-H⋯π inter-actions.
  13. Zulkifli FH, Jahir Hussain FS, Abdull Rasad MS, Mohd Yusoff M
    J Biomater Appl, 2015 Feb;29(7):1014-27.
    PMID: 25186524 DOI: 10.1177/0885328214549818
    The aim of this research is to develop biocompatible nanofibrous mats using hydroxyethyl cellulose with improved cellular adhesion profiles and stability and use these fibrous mats as potential scaffold for skin tissue engineering. Glutaraldehyde was used to treat the scaffolds water insoluble as well as improve their biostability for possible use in biomedical applications. Electrospinning of hydroxyethyl cellulose (5 wt%) with poly(vinyl alcohol) (15 wt%) incorporated with and without collagen was blended at (1:1:1) and (1:1) ratios, respectively, and was evaluated for optimal criteria as tissue engineering scaffolds. The nanofibrous mats were crosslinked and characterized by scanning electron microscope, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis. Scanning electron microscope images showed that the mean diameters of blend nanofibers were gradually increased after chemically crosslinking with glutaraldehyde. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was carried out to understand chemical interactions in the presence of aldehyde groups. Thermal characterization results showed that the stability of hydroxyethyl cellulose/poly(vinyl alcohol) and hydroxyethyl cellulose/poly(vinyl alcohol)/collagen nanofibers was increased with glutaraldehyde treatment. Studies on cell-scaffolds interaction were carried out by culturing human fibroblast (hFOB) cells on the nanofibers by assessing the growth, proliferation, and morphologies of cells. The scanning electron microscope results show that better cell proliferation and attachment appeared on hydroxyethyl cellulose/poly(vinyl alcohol)/collagen substrates after 7 days of culturing, thus, promoting the potential of electrospun scaffolds as a promising candidate for tissue engineering applications.
  14. Rahman ML, Kwong HC, Mohd Yusoff M, Hegde G, Mohamed Tahir MI, Rahman MZ
    Acta Crystallogr Sect E Struct Rep Online, 2012 Oct 1;68(Pt 10):o2958.
    PMID: 23125741 DOI: 10.1107/S1600536812038718
    The title compound, C(17)H(16)N(2)O(3), has an E conformation about the azobenzene (-N=N-) linkage. The benzene rings are twisted slightly with respect to each other [6.79 (9)°], while the dihedral angle between the plane through the carb-oxy group and the attached benzene ring is 3.2 (2)°. In the crystal, mol-ecules are oriented with the carb-oxy groups head-to-head, forming O-H⋯O hydrogen-bonded inversion dimers. These dimers are connected by C-H⋯O hydrogen-bonds into layers lying parallel to the (013) plane.
  15. Yusoff M, Alwi AA, Said MM, Zakariah S, Ghani ZA, Zunaina E
    BMC Ophthalmol, 2011;11:15.
    PMID: 21679403 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2415-11-15
    Live intraocular nematode is a rare occurrence. Nematode can migrate actively within the eye, creating visual symptoms and damaging ocular tissue.
  16. Md Daud MK, Noor SS, Yusoff MN, Abd Rahman N, Zakaria MN
    B-ENT, 2013;9(4):319-23.
    PMID: 24597108
    To assess differences between the coping strategies of the mothers and fathers with hearing-impaired children.
  17. Rahman ML, Kwong HC, Mohd Yusoff M, Hegde G, Mohamed Tahir MI
    Acta Crystallogr Sect E Struct Rep Online, 2012 Dec 1;68(Pt 12):o3311-2.
    PMID: 23476157 DOI: 10.1107/S160053681204559X
    In the title compound, C26H24N2O2, the benzimidazole ring system is almost planar [maximum displacement = 0.025 (1) Å] and makes dihedral angles of 80.48 (5) and 41.57 (5)° with the benzene rings, which are inclined to one another by 65.33 (6)°. In the crystal, mol-ecules are linked via C-H⋯π and weak π-π inter-actions [centroid-centroid distance = 3.8070 (7) Å and inter-planar distance = 3.6160 (5) Å].
  18. Zulkifli FH, Hussain FSJ, Rasad MSBA, Mohd Yusoff M
    Carbohydr Polym, 2014 Dec 19;114:238-245.
    PMID: 25263887 DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2014.08.019
    In this study, a novel fibrous membrane of hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC)/poly(vinyl alcohol) blend was successfully fabricated by electrospinning technique and characterized. The concentration of HEC (5%) with PVA (15%) was optimized, blended in different ratios (30-50%) and electrospun to get smooth nanofibers. Nanofibrous membranes were made water insoluble by chemically cross-linking by glutaraldehyde and used as scaffolds for the skin tissue engineering. The microstructure, morphology, mechanical and thermal properties of the blended HEC/PVA nanofibrous scaffolds were characterized by scanning electron microscope, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning colorimetry, universal testing machine and thermogravimetric analysis. Cytotoxicity studies on these nanofibrous scaffolds were carried out using human melanoma cells by the MTT assays. The cells were able to attach and spread in the nanofibrous scaffolds as shown by the SEM images. These preliminary results show that these nanofibrous scaffolds that supports cell adhesion and proliferation is promising for skin tissue engineering.
  19. Nur Azura AB, Yusoff M, Tan GY, Jegadeesh R, Appleton DR, Vikineswary S
    J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol, 2016 Apr;43(4):485-93.
    PMID: 26721619 DOI: 10.1007/s10295-015-1724-4
    Actinomycete strain AUM 00500 was 99.5 % similar to Streptomyces sanglieri NBRC 100784(T) and was evaluated for antagonistic activity towards Ganoderma boninense, the causative fungus of basal stem rot of oil palm. The strain showed strong antifungal activity towards G. boninense in in vitro and SEM analysis showed various modes of inhibition of the fungus. Ethyl acetate extracts of single culture and inhibition zone of cross-plug culture by HPLC indicated that strain AUM 00500 produced two different antibiotics of the glutarimide group namely cycloheximide and actiphenol. In greenhouse trials, oil palm seed treated with spores of S. sanglieri strain AUM 00500 at 10(9) cfu/ml showed significant (P 
  20. Kulkarni AD, Rahman ML, Mohd Yusoff M, Kwong HC, Quah CK
    Acta Crystallogr E Crystallogr Commun, 2015 Nov 1;71(Pt 11):1411-3.
    PMID: 26594522 DOI: 10.1107/S2056989015020101
    The title compound, C23H22FN5S, exists in a trans conformation with respect to the methene C=C and the acyclic N=C bonds. The 1,2,4-triazole-5(4H)-thione ring makes dihedral angles of 88.66 (9) and 84.51 (10)°, respectively, with the indole and benzene rings. In the crystal, mol-ecules are linked by pairs of N-H⋯S hydrogen bonds, forming inversion dimers with an R 2 (2)(8) ring motif. The dimers are linked via C-H⋯π inter-actions, forming chains along [1-10]. The chains are linked via π-π inter-actions involving inversion-related triazole rings [centroid-centroid distance = 3.4340 (13) Å], forming layers parallel to the ab plane.
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