Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 365 in total

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  1. Fulltext "High frequency presbycusis"-is there an earlier onset?
    Arvin B, Prepageran N, Raman R
    Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg, 2013 Dec;65(Suppl 3):480-4.
    PMID: 24427701 DOI: 10.1007/s12070-011-0356-x
    The objective of this study is to determine whether presbycusis occurs much earlier than previously believed if the high frequency (above 8 kHz) are included. Tertiary referral center (a teaching University). This is a cross-sectional observational study. Healthy adults from 20 to 49 years of age who had essentially normal hearing were included into the study. They were subjected to high frequency pure tone audiometry (until 16 kHz). Participants were grouped based on age ranges of 10 years (e.g., 20-29, 30-39, and 40-49) and the presence of symmetrical high frequency sensor neural hearing loss were documented. There is a significant presence of symmetrical high frequency sensor neural hearing loss (not attributed to any known risk factors) as early as from the age group of 40 to 49 years. Seven of 43 participants (16%) from age group of 20 to 29 years and 12 of 24 participants (50%) from age group of 30 to 39 years had significant high frequency hearing loss. High frequency hearing loss (high frequency Presbycusis) may occur much earlier than previously believed.
    Matched MeSH terms: Data Collection
  2. Fulltext 3D Transparent Object Detection and Reconstruction Based on Passive Mode Single-Pixel Imaging
    Mathai A, Guo N, Liu D, Wang X
    Sensors (Basel), 2020 Jul 29;20(15).
    PMID: 32751165 DOI: 10.3390/s20154211
    Transparent object detection and reconstruction are significant, due to their practical applications. The appearance and characteristics of light in these objects make reconstruction methods tailored for Lambertian surfaces fail disgracefully. In this paper, we introduce a fixed multi-viewpoint approach to ascertain the shape of transparent objects, thereby avoiding the rotation or movement of the object during imaging. In addition, a simple and cost-effective experimental setup is presented, which employs two single-pixel detectors and a digital micromirror device, for imaging transparent objects by projecting binary patterns. In the system setup, a dark framework is implemented around the object, to create shades at the boundaries of the object. By triangulating the light path from the object, the surface shape is recovered, neither considering the reflections nor the number of refractions. It can, therefore, handle transparent objects with a relatively complex shape with the unknown refractive index. The implementation of compressive sensing in this technique further simplifies the acquisition process, by reducing the number of measurements. The experimental results show that 2D images obtained from the single-pixel detectors are better in quality with a resolution of 32×32. Additionally, the obtained disparity and error map indicate the feasibility and accuracy of the proposed method. This work provides a new insight into 3D transparent object detection and reconstruction, based on single-pixel imaging at an affordable cost, with the implementation of a few numbers of detectors.
    Matched MeSH terms: Data Collection
  3. A 10-years retrospective study on Severe Cutaneous Adverse Reactions (SCARs) in a tertiary hospital in Penang, Malaysia
    Loo CH, Tan WC, Khor YH, Chan LC
    Med J Malaysia, 2018 04;73(2):73-77.
    PMID: 29703869 MyJurnal
    INTRODUCTION: Severe cutaneous adverse drug reactions (SCARs) are not uncommon and potentially lifethreatening. Our objective is to study the patient characteristics, the pattern of implicated drugs and treatment outcome among patients with SCARs.

    METHODS: A 10-year retrospective analysis of SCARs cases in Penang General Hospital was carried out from January 2006 to December 2015. Data collection is based on the Malaysian Adverse Drug Reactions Advisory Committee registry and dermatology clinic records.

    RESULTS: A total of 189 cases of SCARs were encountered (F:M ratio; 1.2:1.0; mean age of 45 year). The commonest manifestation was Stevens-Johnson Syndrome [SJS] (55.0%), followed by toxic epidermal necrolysis [TEN] (23.8%), drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms [DRESS] (12.7%), acute generalised exanthematous pustulosis [AGEP] (4.8%), SJS/TEN overlap syndrome (2.6%) and generalised bullous fixed drug eruptions [GBFDE] (1.1%). Mean time to onset for TEN/SJS/Overlap syndrome was 10.5±13 days; AGEP, three days; GBFDE, 2.5±0.7 days, and DRESS, 29.4±5.7 days. The most common drugs implicated were antibiotics (33.3%), followed by allopurinol (18.9%) and anticonvulsant (18.4%). Out of 154 cases of SJS/TEN/overlap syndrome, allopurinol was the commonest causative agents (20.1%). In DRESS, allopurinol accounts for 45.8% of the cases. The mortality rate in SJS, TEN and DRESS were 1.9%, 13.3% and 12.5% respectively. No mortality was observed in AGEP and GBFDE.

    CONCLUSION: The commonest manifestations of SCARs in our setting were SJS, TEN and DRESS. Allopurinol was the most common culprit. Thus, judicious allopurinol use is advocated and pre-emptive genetic screening for HLAB *5801 should be considered.

    Matched MeSH terms: Data Collection
  4. Fulltext A Lightweight Radio Propagation Model for Vehicular Communication in Road Tunnels
    Qureshi MA, Noor RM, Shamim A, Shamshirband S, Raymond Choo KK
    PLoS One, 2016;11(3):e0152727.
    PMID: 27031989 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0152727
    Radio propagation models (RPMs) are generally employed in Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs) to predict path loss in multiple operating environments (e.g. modern road infrastructure such as flyovers, underpasses and road tunnels). For example, different RPMs have been developed to predict propagation behaviour in road tunnels. However, most existing RPMs for road tunnels are computationally complex and are based on field measurements in frequency band not suitable for VANET deployment. Furthermore, in tunnel applications, consequences of moving radio obstacles, such as large buses and delivery trucks, are generally not considered in existing RPMs. This paper proposes a computationally inexpensive RPM with minimal set of parameters to predict path loss in an acceptable range for road tunnels. The proposed RPM utilizes geometric properties of the tunnel, such as height and width along with the distance between sender and receiver, to predict the path loss. The proposed RPM also considers the additional attenuation caused by the moving radio obstacles in road tunnels, while requiring a negligible overhead in terms of computational complexity. To demonstrate the utility of our proposed RPM, we conduct a comparative summary and evaluate its performance. Specifically, an extensive data gathering campaign is carried out in order to evaluate the proposed RPM. The field measurements use the 5 GHz frequency band, which is suitable for vehicular communication. The results demonstrate that a close match exists between the predicted values and measured values of path loss. In particular, an average accuracy of 94% is found with R2 = 0.86.
    Matched MeSH terms: Data Collection
  5. Fulltext A Multi-Sensor Comparative Analysis on the Suitability of Generated DEM from Sentinel-1 SAR Interferometry Using Statistical and Hydrological Models
    Mohammadi A, Karimzadeh S, Jalal SJ, Kamran KV, Shahabi H, Homayouni S, et al.
    Sensors (Basel), 2020 Dec 16;20(24).
    PMID: 33339435 DOI: 10.3390/s20247214
    Digital elevation model (DEM) plays a vital role in hydrological modelling and environmental studies. Many essential layers can be extracted from this land surface information, including slope, aspect, rivers, and curvature. Therefore, DEM quality and accuracy will affect the extracted features and the whole process of modeling. Despite freely available DEMs from various sources, many researchers generate this information for their areas from various observations. Sentinal-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images are among the best Earth observations for DEM generation thanks to their availabilities, high-resolution, and C-band sensitivity to surface structure. This paper presents a comparative study, from a hydrological point of view, on the quality and reliability of the DEMs generated from Sentinel-1 data and DEMs from other sources such as AIRSAR, ALOS-PALSAR, TanDEM-X, and SRTM. To this end, pair of Sentinel-1 data were acquired and processed using the SAR interferometry technique to produce a DEM for two different study areas of a part of the Cameron Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia, a part of Sanandaj, Iran. Based on the estimated linear regression and standard errors, generating DEM from Sentinel-1 did not yield promising results. The river streams for all DEMs were extracted using geospatial analysis tool in a geographic information system (GIS) environment. The results indicated that because of the higher spatial resolution (compared to SRTM and TanDEM-X), more stream orders were delineated from AIRSAR and Sentinel-1 DEMs. Due to the shorter perpendicular baseline, the phase decorrelation in the created DEM resulted in a lot of noise. At the same time, results from ground control points (GCPs) showed that the created DEM from Sentinel-1 is not promising. Therefore, other DEMs' performance, such as 90-meters' TanDEM-X and 30-meters' SRTM, are better than Sentinel-1 DEM (with a better spatial resolution).
    Matched MeSH terms: Data Collection
  6. Fulltext A New Wide-Band Double-Negative Metamaterial for C- and S-Band Applications
    Hossain MI, Faruque MRI, Islam MT, Ullah MH
    Materials (Basel), 2014 Dec 25;8(1):57-71.
    PMID: 28787924 DOI: 10.3390/ma8010057
    A new design and analysis of a wide-band double-negative metamaterial, considering a frequency range of 0.5 to 7 GHz, is presented in this paper. Four different unit cells with varying design parameters are analyzed to evaluate the effects of the unit-cell size on the resonance frequencies of the metamaterial. Moreover, open and interconnected 2 × 2 array structures of unit cells are analyzed. The finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method, based on the Computer Simulation Technology (CST) Microwave Studio, is utilized in the majority of this investigation. The experimental portion of the study was performed in a semi-anechoic chamber. Good agreement is observed between the simulated and measured S parameters of the developed unit cell and array. The designed unit cell exhibits negative permittivity and permeability simultaneously at S-band (2.95 GHz to 4.00 GHz) microwave frequencies. In addition, the designed unit cell can also operate as a double-negative medium throughout the C band (4.00 GHz to 4.95 GHz and 5.00 GHz to 5.57 GHz). At a number of other frequencies, it exhibits a single negative value. The two array configurations cause a slight shift in the resonance frequencies of the metamaterial and hence lead to a slight shift of the single- and double-negative frequency ranges of the metamaterial.
    Matched MeSH terms: Data Collection
  7. Fulltext A Precise Prediction Method for the Properties of API-Containing Tablets Based on Data from Placebo Tablets
    Hayashi Y, Shirotori K, Kosugi A, Kumada S, Leong KH, Okada K, et al.
    Pharmaceutics, 2020 Jun 28;12(7).
    PMID: 32605318 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics12070601
    We previously reported a novel method for the precise prediction of tablet properties (e.g., tensile strength (TS)) using a small number of experimental data. The key technique of this method is to compensate for the lack of experimental data by using data of placebo tablets collected in a database. This study provides further technical knowledge to discuss the usefulness of this prediction method. Placebo tablets consisting of microcrystalline cellulose, lactose, and cornstarch were prepared using the design of an experimental method, and their TS and disintegration time (DT) were measured. The response surfaces representing the relationship between the formulation and the tablet properties were then created. This study investigated tablets containing four different active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) with a drug load ranging from 20-60%. Overall, the TS of API-containing tablets could be precisely predicted by this method, while the prediction accuracy of the DT was much lower than that of the TS. These results suggested that the mode of action of APIs on the DT was more complicated than that on the TS. Our prediction method could be valuable for the development of tablet formulations.
    Matched MeSH terms: Data Collection
  8. Fulltext A Review on COVID-19 Mediated Impacts and Risk Mitigation Strategies for Dental Health Professionals
    Sharma S, Parolia A, Kanagasingam S
    Eur J Dent, 2020 Dec;14(S 01):S159-S164.
    PMID: 33167046 DOI: 10.1055/s-0040-1718240
    In the light of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), dentistry is facing unprecedented challenges. The closure of clinics has impacted dental health professionals (DHPs) not only financially but also psychologically. In this review, these consequences are discussed in detail to highlight the challenges that DHPs are facing thus far, in both developing and developed nations. Compromised mental health among DHPs is an important area that requires attention during this difficult period. Although, in previous pandemics, dentists have not worked on the frontline, the article discusses how their wide range of skillsets can be leveraged if another wave of COVID-19 pandemic appears. Finally, guidelines to reopen clinics and patient management have been discussed in detail that could serve as a quick reference guide for DHPs.
    Matched MeSH terms: Data Collection
  9. A clinical and economic study of community-acquired pneumonia between single versus combination therapy
    Hasali MA, Ibrahim MI, Sulaiman SA, Ahmad Z, Hasali JB
    Pharm World Sci, 2005 Jun;27(3):249-53.
    PMID: 16096896
    BACKGROUND: Pneumonia is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among children in many developing countries. It is reported that 12.9 million children under 5 years of age died world-wide in 1990 and one-third of these deaths or 4.3 million annually were attributed to acute respiratory infection with pneumonia.

    OBJECTIVES: On this basis, a study was conducted in a district hospital to study the therapy outcomes of antibiotic regimens used in pediatric community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) management and to conduct a cost-effectiveness analysis (CE) between IV ampicillin versus combination therapy of IV ampicillin and IV gentamicin.

    METHOD: A prospective, randomized, controlled, single blind study was conducted in a pediatric ward in a 80-bed district hospital. Pediatric patients diagnosed with CAP aged 2 months to 5 years old were randomly and equally divided into two treatment arms: ampicillin versus ampicillin plus gentamicin. The dose of IV ampicillin used in this study was 100 mg/kg/day divided every 6 h and 5 mg/kg of IV gentamicin as a single daily dose. Both clinical and economic evaluations were carried out to compare both treatment arms.

    RESULTS: With the inclusion and exclusion criteria, only 40 patients diagnosed with CAP were included in the study. The results showed that the two treatment arms were significantly different (P < 0.05) in terms of duration of patients on ampicillin, number of days of hospitalization and time to switch to oral therapy. A significant difference was noted between the two treatment modalities in terms of effectiveness and cost (P < 0.05).

    CONCLUSION: Overall, the endpoint of this study showed that the total cost per patient of ampicillin-treated group is cheaper than the total cost with the combination therapy (ampicillin plus gentamicin) and reduced unnecessary exposure to adverse effects or toxicities. Besides that, addition of gentamicin in the treatment modalities will only increase the cost of treatment without introducing any changes in the treatment outcome.

    Matched MeSH terms: Data Collection
  10. A comparative study of Loestrin versus Nordette in Kelantan, West Malaysia
    Arshat H
    Malays J Reprod Health, 1984 Jun;2(1):25-31.
    PMID: 12267518
    Matched MeSH terms: Data Collection*
  11. Fulltext A comparative study of surgical training in South East Asia, Australia and the United Kingdom
    Lum SK, Crisostomo AC
    Asian J Surg, 2009 Jul;32(3):137-42.
    PMID: 19656752 DOI: 10.1016/S1015-9584(09)60384-5
    A survey of the current status of surgical training in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines and Thailand, in comparison with the UK and Australia, was done to explore the possibility of cross border training in South East Asia (SEA).
    Matched MeSH terms: Data Collection
  12. Fulltext A data fusion method in wireless sensor networks
    Izadi D, Abawajy JH, Ghanavati S, Herawan T
    Sensors (Basel), 2015;15(2):2964-79.
    PMID: 25635417 DOI: 10.3390/s150202964
    The success of a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) deployment strongly depends on the quality of service (QoS) it provides regarding issues such as data accuracy, data aggregation delays and network lifetime maximisation. This is especially challenging in data fusion mechanisms, where a small fraction of low quality data in the fusion input may negatively impact the overall fusion result. In this paper, we present a fuzzy-based data fusion approach for WSN with the aim of increasing the QoS whilst reducing the energy consumption of the sensor network. The proposed approach is able to distinguish and aggregate only true values of the collected data as such, thus reducing the burden of processing the entire data at the base station (BS). It is also able to eliminate redundant data and consequently reduce energy consumption thus increasing the network lifetime. We studied the effectiveness of the proposed data fusion approach experimentally and compared it with two baseline approaches in terms of data collection, number of transferred data packets and energy consumption. The results of the experiments show that the proposed approach achieves better results than the baseline approaches.
    Matched MeSH terms: Data Collection
  13. Fulltext A dataset of tree heights in mangrove and non-mangrove trees in Malaysia derived from multiple measurement methods
    Saliu IS, Wolswijk G, Satyanarayana B, Fisol MAB, Decannière C, Lucas R, et al.
    Data Brief, 2020 Dec;33:106386.
    PMID: 33102654 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2020.106386
    The dataset contains tree height data collected in 200 mangrove and non-mangrove trees sampled in various sites in Malaysia. Different height measurement methods were performed, including visual measurements (stick, thumb rule) and precision field instruments (clinometer, laser rangefinder and altimeter), which were compared against benchmark values obtained using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and a Leica distometer. The core data have been analysed and interpreted in the paper by Saliu et al. ''An accuracy analysis of mangrove tree height mensuration using forestry techniques, hypsometers and UAVs '' [1], in which the accuracy of each method for tree height measurement was discussed.
    Matched MeSH terms: Data Collection
  14. A flow cell optosensor for lead based on immobilized gallocynin in chitosan membrane
    Yusof NA, Ahmad M
    Talanta, 2002 Sep 12;58(3):459-66.
    PMID: 18968772
    Gallocynin immobilized in chitosan membrane has been studied as a sensor element of an optical sensor for lead using a flowing system. By using this set up, lead in solution has been determined in the concentration range from 1.0x10(-1) to 1.0x10(3) ppm with a detection limit of 0.075 ppm. The standard deviation of the method for the repeatability of lead detection at a concentration of 100 ppm was found to be 2.10%. The response of the sensor was reproducible and can be regenerated by using acidified saturated KNO(3) solution. Interference from foreign ions was also studied at 1:1 mole ratio of Pb(II):foreign ions.
    Matched MeSH terms: Data Collection
  15. A mosquito survey at Kuala Lumpur airport with special reference to Aedes aegypti
    MACDONALD WW
    Med J Malaya, 1956 Mar;10(3):232-45.
    PMID: 13347454
    Matched MeSH terms: Data Collection*
  16. A pilot study on generic medicine substitution practices among community pharmacists in the State of Penang, Malaysia
    Ping CC, Bahari MB, Hassali MA
    Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf, 2008 Jan;17(1):82-9.
    PMID: 17879323
    The purpose of this study was to evaluate the generic substitution (GS) practices undertaken by community pharmacists in the State of Penang, Malaysia with a focus on the extent of communication between pharmacists and prescribers on issues related to GS, consumer's acceptance on the GS and estimation of cost saving achieved for patients opted for GS.
    Matched MeSH terms: Data Collection
  17. A portable electrochemical sensor for detection of the veterinary drug xylazine in beverage samples
    Saisahas K, Soleh A, Promsuwan K, Phonchai A, Mohamed Sadiq NS, Teoh WK, et al.
    J Pharm Biomed Anal, 2021 Feb 08;198:113958.
    PMID: 33662759 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2021.113958
    A portable electrochemical sensor was developed to determine xylazine in spiked beverages by adsorptive stripping voltammetry (AdSV). The sensor was based on a graphene nanoplatelets-modified screen-printed carbon electrode (GNPs/SPCE). The electrochemical behavior of xylazine at the GNPs/SPCE was an adsorption-controlled irreversible oxidation reaction. The loading of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) on the modified SPCE, electrolyte pH, and AdSV accumulation potential and time were optimized. Under optimal conditions, the GNPs/SPCE provided high sensitivity, linear ranges of 0.4-6.0 mg L-1 (r = 0.997) and 6.0-80.0 mg L-1 (r = 0.998) with a detection limit of 0.1 mg L-1 and a quantitation limit of 0.4 mg L-1. Repeatability was good. The accuracy of the proposed sensor was investigated by spiking six beverage samples at 1.0, 5.0, and 10.0 mg L-1. The recoveries from this method ranged from 80.8 ± 0.2-108.1 ± 0.3 %, indicating the good accuracy of the developed sensor. This portable electrochemical sensor can be used to screen for xylazine in beverage samples as evidence in cases of sexual assault or robbery.
    Matched MeSH terms: Data Collection
  18. A retrospective assessment of current reproductive practices
    Gabriel R, Shantharajan A
    Malays J Reprod Health, 1994 Jun;12(1):10-3.
    PMID: 12320336
    PIP: Data from 297 interviews among married patients attending prenatal clinics in Malaysia in 1993 are used to determine the number, spacing, and timing of pregnancies. Only live born children are included. Findings indicate that 92.2% of women were 18-35 years old, 4.2% were under 18 years of age, and 3.6% were over 35 years old. 86.2% had 4 or fewer children and 13.8% had 4 or more children. 69.7% spaced children 2 or more years apart and 30.3% had birth spacing of under 2 years. Over 90% of women had their pregnancies during the ages of 18 and 35 years.
    Matched MeSH terms: Data Collection*
  19. A simple and efficient sequential electrokinetic and hydrodynamic injections in micellar electrokinetic chromatography method for quantification of anticancer drug 5-fluorouracil and its metabolite in human plasma
    Semail NF, Noordin SS, Keyon ASA, Waras MN, Saad B, Kamaruzaman S, et al.
    Biomed Chromatogr, 2021 May;35(5):e5050.
    PMID: 33314228 DOI: 10.1002/bmc.5050
    A simple and sensitive preconcentration strategy using sequential electrokinetic and hydrodynamic injection modes in micellar electrokinetic chromatography with diode array detection was developed and applied for the separation and determination of anticancer agent, 5-fluorouracil and its metabolite, 5-fluoro-2'-deoxyuridine, in human plasma. Sequential injection modes with increased analyte loading capacity using the anionic pseudo-stationary phase facilitated collection of the dispersed neutral and charged analytes into narrow zones and improved sensitivity. Several important parameters affecting sample enrichment performance were evaluated and optimized in this study. Under the optimized experimental conditions, 614- and 643-fold and 782- and 803-fold sensitivity improvement were obtained for 5-fluorouracil and its metabolite when compared with normal hydrodynamic and electrokinetic injection, respectively. The method has good linearity (1-1,000 ng/ml) with acceptable coefficient of determination (r2  > 0.993), low limits of detection (0.11-0.14 ng/ml) and satisfactory analyte relative recovery (97.4-99.7%) with relative standard deviations of 4.6-9.3% (n = 6). Validation results as well as the application to analysis of human plasma samples from cancer patients demonstrate the applicability of the proposed method to clinical studies.
    Matched MeSH terms: Data Collection
  20. Fulltext A study on patient's decision-making process in deciding treatment strategies: an illustration of using grounded theory approach
    LOW, LEE LAN, TONG, SENG FAH, LOW, WAH YUN
    Malaysian Journal of Qualitative Research, 2019;5(1):28-40.
    MyJurnal
    The learning curve for doing a good qualitative study is steep because qualitative methodologies are often vague and lack explicit steps. We detail the formulation of the grounded theory approach in a study of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who made decisions while strategizing their treatment types. This undertaking is to demonstrate how this systematic and yet flexible methods contributed to the understanding of the issue we were investigating. The process from deciding on research objectives and research questions, follow with systematic process for data collection and analysis allows us to generate a substantive theoretical model. By paying critical attention to theoretical saturation, grounded theory approach enabled us to construct all possible explanatory concepts related to decision making in strategizing diabetes treatment. We also describe the challenges throughout the whole research journey, including getting permission to interview patients, gaining the trust of research participants and staying open to the participants’ views.
    Matched MeSH terms: Data Collection
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