Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 200 in total

Abstract:
Sort:
  1. Fulltext E-Cigarette Markets and Policy Responses in Southeast Asia: A Scoping Review
    van der Eijk Y, Tan Ping Ping G, Ong SE, Tan Li Xin G, Li D, Zhang D, et al.
    Int J Health Policy Manag, 2022 Sep 01;11(9):1616-1624.
    PMID: 33906338 DOI: 10.34172/ijhpm.2021.25
    BACKGROUND: The global e-cigarette market has proliferated and is increasingly dominated by transnational tobacco companies. While Southeast Asian countries have received relatively little attention in e-cigarette research, the region represents an area of potentially untapped growth for the industry. We review the e-cigarette situation in Southeast Asia in terms of the e-cigarette markets, advertising and promotion of e-cigarettes, reported health impacts of e-cigarette use, and policy responses in the region.

    METHODS: We examined e-cigarette market data from the Euromonitor Global Market Information Database (GMID) Passport database, searched in the academic literature, grey literature and news archives for any reports or studies of e-cigarette related diseases or injuries, e-cigarette marketing, and e-cigarette policy responses in Southeast Asian countries, and browsed the websites of online e-cigarette retailers catering to the region's active e-cigarette markets.

    RESULTS: In 2019, e-cigarettes were sold in six Southeast Asian markets with a total market value of $595 million, projected to grow to $766 million by 2023. E-commerce is a significant and growing sales channel in the region, with most of the popular or featured brands in online shops originating from China. Southeast Asian youth are targeted with a wide variety of flavours, trendy designs and point of sale promotions, and several e-cigarette related injuries and diseases have been reported in the region. Policy responses vary considerably between countries, ranging from strict bans to no or partial regulations.

    CONCLUSION: Although Southeast Asia's e-cigarette market is relatively nascent, this is likely to change if transnationals invest more heavily in the region. Populous countries with weak e-cigarette regulations, notably Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines, are desirable targets for the transnationals. Regulatory action is needed to prevent e-cigarette use from becoming entrenched into these societies, especially among young people.

    Matched MeSH terms: Commerce
  2. Fulltext Innovation of buying and selling process for used reference materials
    Zuraini Jusoh, Nur Amirah Zainal, Nurhidayah Abu Bakar, Dina Adriana Mohd Rahmatullah, Nur Zulaikha Ab Rahman, Farah Adibah Ahmad Zaifuddin, et al.
    Jurnal Inovasi Malaysia, 2020;4(1):132-149.
    MyJurnal
    Students need the used of reference materials because they want to save their money for daily expenses. It is also as their side income if they become as a seller. However, the available buying and selling process using Whatsapp as a medium seen inefficient because the user was faced with several problems. Among the problems were incomplete advertisements information, sale status cannot be updated automatically and the process of buying and selling takes too long. Therefore, the construction of the BOOKU webpage is recommended to solve the problems. There was a several methods used in problem selection phase such as brain storming, preliminary study of problems, verification and validation as well as T-shape Matrix. Ishikawa diagram has been used to identify the cause and effect of the problem in terms of material, process, human and environmental factors. A review from user also was carried out to obtain an endorsement of the problem in hand. Then the SWOT analysis method was used to assess the suggestion solution. After the completion construction of BOOKU webpage, a few trials were carried out to ensure the BOOKU webpage functioned properly. Again, a review from the user was carried out based on the trials results. The result showed majority of users was agreed on the BOOKU webpage as a good solution for identified problems. The BOOKU webpage can provide a completed advertisement, automatically updated the sale status and the buying and selling process has been shorten from seven days to one day. For the spin-off project, the BOOKU website is planned to be devoted to the borrowing service for used of reference materials. Meanwhile for the purpose of replicating, the BOOKU webpage can be adapted in the school level. In conclusion, the BOOKU webpage can increase the quality of available process. It also can optimize the use of manpower and time.
    Matched MeSH terms: Commerce
  3. Fulltext Structural examination and elemental composition analysis of rattan waste fibers for binderless board application
    Zuraida, A., Maisarah, T., Zahurin, H., Muhammad Luqman, A., Roszaliya, A., Wan Shazlin Maisarah, W.M.Y., et al.
    Malaysian Journal of Microscopy, 2015;11(1):39-44.
    MyJurnal
    The chemical composition and anatomical characteristics on lignin distribution of rattan waste were analyzed to determine its suitability to be used in binderless board fabrication. The chemical composition was analyzed by using TAPPI methods. Observation and determination of lignin distribution and board structure were executed by using optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). High amount of hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin content found in rattan waste chemical composition is seen to help in binderless board fabrication. The micrographs revealed that the rattan has fine structural construction that helps in producing good qualities of binderless boards with particular manufacturing parameters.
    Matched MeSH terms: Commerce
  4. Fulltext Cell-based influenza vaccine: current production, halal status assessment, and recommendations towards Islamic-compliant manufacturing
    Zulkarnain NN, Anuar N, Abd Rahman N, Sheikh Abdullah SR, Alias MN, Yaacob M, et al.
    Hum Vaccin Immunother, 2021 07 03;17(7):2158-2168.
    PMID: 33539195 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2020.1865044
    Influenza virus is a life-threatening pathogen that infects millions of people every year, with annual mortality in the hundreds of thousands. The scenario for controlling infection has worsened with increasing numbers of vaccine hesitancy cases reported worldwide due to objections on safety, religious and other grounds. Uses of haram (impermissible) and mashbooh (doubtful) ingredients in vaccine production has raised doubts among Muslim consumers and consequently stimulated serious vaccine hesitancy. To address this major problem, we have reviewed and recommended some alternatives appropriate for manufacturing cell-based influenza vaccine which comply with Islamic laws and consumers' needs. Intensive assessments of current influenza vaccine production in both scientific and Islamic views have led to the identification of four main ingredients deemed impermissible in novel sharia-compliant (approved by Islamic laws) vaccine manufacturing. Only some of these impermissible components could be replaced with halal (permissible) alternatives, while others remain impermissible due to unavailability and unsuitability.
    Matched MeSH terms: Commerce
  5. Fulltext Roboethics of tourism and hospitality industry: A systematic review
    Zhu JJ, Liu Z, Huang T, Guo XS
    PLoS One, 2023;18(6):e0287439.
    PMID: 37390063 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0287439
    This study aims to give a comprehensive analysis of customers' acceptance and use of AI gadgets and its relevant ethical issues in the tourism and hospitality business in the era of the Internet of Things. Adopting a PRISMA methodology for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses, the present research reviews how tourism and hospitality scholars have conducted research on AI technology in the field of tourism and the hospitality industry. Most of the journal articles related to AI issues published in Web of Science, ScienceDirect.com and the journal websites were considered in this review. The results of this research offer a better understanding of AI implementation with roboethics to investigate AI-related issues in the tourism and hospitality industry. In addition, it provides decision-makers in the hotel industry with practical references on service innovation, participation in the design of AI devices and AI device applications, meeting customer needs, and optimising customer experience. The theoretical implications and practical interpretations are further identified.
    Matched MeSH terms: Commerce
  6. Fulltext Advancing e-commerce user purchase prediction: Integration of time-series attention with event-based timestamp encoding and Graph Neural Network-Enhanced user profiling
    Zhou S, Hudin NS
    PLoS One, 2024;19(4):e0299087.
    PMID: 38635519 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0299087
    In recent years, the global e-commerce landscape has witnessed rapid growth, with sales reaching a new peak in the past year and expected to rise further in the coming years. Amid this e-commerce boom, accurately predicting user purchase behavior has become crucial for commercial success. We introduce a novel framework integrating three innovative approaches to enhance the prediction model's effectiveness. First, we integrate an event-based timestamp encoding within a time-series attention model, effectively capturing the dynamic and temporal aspects of user behavior. This aspect is often neglected in traditional user purchase prediction methods, leading to suboptimal accuracy. Second, we incorporate Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) to analyze user behavior. By modeling users and their actions as nodes and edges within a graph structure, we capture complex relationships and patterns in user behavior more effectively than current models, offering a nuanced and comprehensive analysis. Lastly, our framework transcends traditional learning strategies by implementing advanced meta-learning techniques. This enables the model to autonomously adjust learning parameters, including the learning rate, in response to new and evolving data environments, thereby significantly enhancing its adaptability and learning efficiency. Through extensive experiments on diverse real-world e-commerce datasets, our model demonstrates superior performance, particularly in accuracy and adaptability in large-scale data scenarios. This study not only overcomes the existing challenges in analyzing e-commerce user behavior but also sets a foundation for future exploration in this dynamic field. We believe our contributions provide significant insights and tools for e-commerce platforms to better understand and cater to their users, ultimately driving sales and improving user experiences.
    Matched MeSH terms: Commerce*
  7. Need for developing a security robot-based risk management for emerging practices in the workplace using the Advanced Human-Robot Collaboration Model
    Zheyuan C, Rahman MA, Tao H, Liu Y, Pengxuan D, Yaseen ZM
    Work, 2021;68(3):825-834.
    PMID: 33612525 DOI: 10.3233/WOR-203416
    BACKGROUND: The increasing use of robotics in the work of co-workers poses some new problems in terms of occupational safety and health. In the workplace, industrial robots are being used increasingly. During operations such as repairs, unmanageable, adjustment, and set-up, robots can cause serious and fatal injuries to workers. Collaborative robotics recently plays a rising role in the manufacturing filed, warehouses, mining agriculture, and much more in modern industrial environments. This development advances with many benefits, like higher efficiency, increased productivity, and new challenges like new hazards and risks from the elimination of human and robotic barriers.

    OBJECTIVES: In this paper, the Advanced Human-Robot Collaboration Model (AHRCM) approach is to enhance the risk assessment and to make the workplace involving security robots. The robots use perception cameras and generate scene diagrams for semantic depictions of their environment. Furthermore, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) have utilized to develop a highly protected security robot based risk management system in the workplace.

    RESULTS: The experimental results show that the proposed AHRCM method achieves high performance in human-robot mutual adaption and reduce the risk.

    CONCLUSION: Through an experiment in the field of human subjects, demonstrated that policies based on the proposed model improved the efficiency of the human-robot team significantly compared with policies assuming complete human-robot adaptation.

    Matched MeSH terms: Commerce
  8. Fulltext International Trade Path with Multi-Polarization based on Multidirectional Mutation Genetic Algorithm Enabled Neural Network
    Zhang Q, Chong CW, Abdullah AR, Ali MH
    Comput Intell Neurosci, 2021;2021:1370180.
    PMID: 34691167 DOI: 10.1155/2021/1370180
    At present, the development speed of international trade cannot catch up with the economic development speed, and the insufficient development speed of international trade will directly affect the rapid development of national economy. In order to solve the problem of international trade, the overall optimal scheduling of trade vehicles and the optimal planning of trade transportation path are very important to improve enterprise services, reduce enterprise costs, increase enterprise benefits, and enhance enterprise competitiveness. The second development of the program is based on the programming interface provided by Baidu map. This paper proposes a neural network algorithm for genetic optimization of multiple mutations, which overcomes the shortcoming of traditional genetic algorithm population "ten" character distribution by mixing multiple coding methods, and enhances the local search ability of genetic algorithm by introducing a new large-mutation small-range search population. The example application shows that the optimization method can realize the optimization of international trade path under real road conditions and greatly improve the work efficiency of actual trade.
    Matched MeSH terms: Commerce*
  9. Fulltext Consumers purchase intention in live-streaming e-commerce: A consumption value perspective and the role of streamer popularity
    Zhang Q, Wang Y, Ariffin SK
    PLoS One, 2024;19(2):e0296339.
    PMID: 38358985 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0296339
    The rapid development of live-streaming e-commerce has driven billions of sales revenues and made customers' purchase intention a life-and-death issue for sellers. This study examines the influencing factors of customers' purchase intention from a value perspective by adopting and extending the Theory of Consumption Values (TCV). We also incorporated streamer popularity as a moderating variable to reveal its significant impact on live-streaming e-commerce. This study collected 457 valid online questionnaires from Chinese live-streaming e-commerce users. Our findings show that five of six consumption values, namely functional, social, emotional, conditional, and self-gratification value, are significant drivers of purchase intention. In addition, streamer popularity has strengthened the influence of functional, social, emotional, and self-gratification value on purchase intention. This study deepens the current understanding of live-streaming and customer value research by establishing and validating a comprehensive research model, and reveals the decisive role of multi-dimensional value and streamer popularity in live-streaming industry. The research findings could guide live-streaming merchants to increase sales by reallocating their resources to different consumption values and optimising their investment strategy in popular streamers.
    Matched MeSH terms: Commerce*
  10. Fulltext Will pay-per-view in the advanced charging model recover the business losses for online video companies in China?
    Zhang C, Phoong SW
    PLoS One, 2024;19(1):e0297977.
    PMID: 38295093 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0297977
    The evolution of Internet technology is closely mirrored by the innovative business and profit models emerging within the platform economy. Integrating this economic framework, online video platforms are dynamically refining their pricing strategies to optimize profit margins. This paper, anchored in the theoretical construct of second-degree price discrimination, selects the Chinese online video platforms iQiyi and Tencent Video for in-depth case studies. It charts the progression of its pricing strategies and juxtaposes these with those of prominent international online video sites to highlight both congruities and divergences. The synthesis of theoretical models with real-world case studies culminates in strategic recommendations to foster the growth of Chinese online video platforms in the global Internet arena.
    Matched MeSH terms: Commerce*
  11. Fulltext Sustainable risk management practice in the organization: a Malaysian case study
    Zainuddin SA, Abdullah B, Nasir NAM, Abdullah T, Nawi NC, Patwary AK, et al.
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2023 Feb;30(9):24708-24717.
    PMID: 36344894 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-23897-7
    Businesses are becoming more conscious of operational risk management practices due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, some firms practice risk management without fully comprehending how it might help them and their needs. As a result, companies that practice risk management without realizing it are being controlled by the discipline itself. The goal of this study is to look into the epistemic process of risk management practice in the workplace. This phenomenological study interviewed 39 risk management officers, executives, and employees. Data are thematically analyzed. This study discovered five epistemic processes of risk mapping using Foucault's governmentality paradigm. This phenomenological study, interestingly, revealed the black box of risk management practices, as well as the behavior of risk management officers, executives, and risk owners who preferred to monitor the compliance aspects of risk management practices rather than comprehend the capabilities of risk management that could be used within their strategic planning process. Unaware of this black box, organizational actors were blanketed by the organization's culture of fear, which created the impression that the authority was always watching every word said and every action taken. Practically, this study contributes an improved understanding of the real function of risk management that helps them justify the practice and reduce unnecessary fear. The paper concludes with limitations and research recommendations.
    Matched MeSH terms: Commerce
  12. Glycaemic index of four commercially available breads in Malaysia
    Yusof BN, Abd Talib R, Karim NA, Kamarudin NA, Arshad F
    Int J Food Sci Nutr, 2009 Sep;60(6):487-96.
    PMID: 18785052 DOI: 10.1080/09637480701804268
    This study was carried out to determine the blood glucose response and glycaemic index (GI) values of four types of commercially available breads in Malaysia. Twelve healthy volunteers (six men, six women; body mass index, 21.9±1.6 kg/m(2); age, 22.9±1.7 years) participated in this study. The breads tested were multi-grains bread (M-Grains), wholemeal bread (WM), wholemeal bread with oatmeal (WM-Oat) and white bread (WB). The subjects were studied on seven different occasions (four tests for the tested breads and three repeated tests of the reference food) after an overnight fast. Capillary blood samples were taken immediately before (0 min) and 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120 min after consumption of the test foods. The blood glucose response was obtained by calculating the incremental area under the curve. The GI values were determined according to the standardized methodology. Our results showed that the M-Grains and WM-Oat could be categorized as intermediate GI while the WM and WB breads were high GI foods, respectively. The GI of M-Grains (56±6.2) and WM-Oat (67±6.9) were significantly lower than the reference food (glucose; GI = 100) (P < 0.05). No significant difference in GI value was seen between the reference food and the GI of WM (85±5.9) and WB (82±6.5) (P > 0.05). Among the tested breads, the GI values of M-Grains and WM-Oat were significantly lower (P < 0.05) than those of WM and WB. There was no relationship between the dietary fibre content of the bread with the incremental area under the curve (r = 0.15, P = 0.15) or their GI values (r = 0.17, P = 0.12), indicating that the GI value of the test breads were unaffected by the fibre content of the breads. The result of this study will provide useful nutritional information for dieticians and the public alike who may prefer low-GI over high-GI foods.
    Matched MeSH terms: Commerce
  13. Fulltext Stock market comovements among Asian emerging economies: A wavelet-based approach
    Younis I, Longsheng C, Basheer MF, Joyo AS
    PLoS One, 2020;15(10):e0240472.
    PMID: 33044995 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0240472
    Stock market, is one of the most important financial market which has a close relationship with a country's economy, due to which it is often called the barometer of the economy. Over the past 25 years, the stock markets have been affected by different global economic shocks. Various researchers have analyzed different aspects of these effects one by one, however, this study is an assessment of stock market interrelationship of emeriging Asian economies which include most of the East Asian, and Southeast Asian emerging economies with special focus on China for past decades during which different crisis occurred. We used Morgan Stanley capital international (MSCI) daily indices data for each stock market and compared Chinese stock market with the stock markets of India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. We analyzed the data through the individual wavelet power spectrum, cross-wavelet transform and wavelet coherence, to determine the correlation and volatility among the selected stock markets. These model have the power to analyze co-movements among these countries with respect to both frequency and time spaces. Our findings show that there are co-movement patterns of higher frequencies during the crises periods of 1997, 2008 and 2015. The dependency strength among the considered economies is noted to increase in the crisis periods, which implies increased short- and long-term benefits for the investors. From a financial point of view, it has been determined that the co-movement strength among the emerging economies of Asia may have an effect on the VaR (Value at Risk) levels of a multi-country portfolio. Furthermore, the stock market of China shows a high correlation with the other six Asian stock emerging markets in both high and low-frequency spectrums. The association of the south and east Asian stock market with Chinese stock markets show the interconnection of these economies with the economy of China since past two decades. These findings are useful for investors, portfolio managers and the policymaker around the globe.
    Matched MeSH terms: Commerce/economics*
  14. Fulltext Factors Affecting the Manufacturing Industry Transformation and Upgrading: A Case Study of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area
    Yang F, Sun Y, Zhang Y, Wang T
    Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2021 07 04;18(13).
    PMID: 34281094 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18137157
    This study aims to analyze the development trend of the manufacturing industry transformation and upgrading in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (2008-2018). On the basis of synergetics, the order parameter method of factor analysis is used to study these factors. The results show that: (1) There are five slow variable factors, such as intelligent manufacturing industry, technological innovation, scale agglomeration, market demand, and fixed asset investment, which are important power sources of the transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing industry in Greater Bay Area. The development of these factors is relatively mature, and they cooperate with each other. (2) Similar to a fast variable of manufacturing development ecology, green development is an important coordinating factor in removing bottlenecks. Finally, suggestions for the development of the transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing industry are put forward.
    Matched MeSH terms: Commerce*
  15. Fulltext Dataset on the acceptance of islamic microfinance in Kano State, Nigeria
    Yakubu SM, Naim AM, Yusuff N
    Data Brief, 2021 Jun;36:107108.
    PMID: 34041316 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2021.107108
    The present data from 194 customers of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is about their acceptance of Islamic microfinance in Kano State, Nigeria. The dataset includes variables such as gender, age, marital status, duration as customer, account operate, annual income, type of business, service quality, perceived value, corporate image and religiosity of customers in Kano State. A survey from March to June 2019, self-administered questionnaires were used for data collection. This data may help scholars to understand how people of Kano State accept Islamic microfinance interacted with service quality, customer perceived value, corporate image and religiosity.
    Matched MeSH terms: Commerce
  16. Fulltext Effectiveness of Malaria intervention programmes among patent medicine vendors: a systematic review
    Yahaya Mohammed Katagum, Hayati Kadir @ Shahar, Faisal Ibrahim
    Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2017;13(3):81-91.
    MyJurnal
    Poor diagnosis, treatment and prevention practices had characterised Patent Medicine Vendor (PMV) activities in malaria control despite expectations on their contributions to check the menace. Interventions reversing this situation reduces disease burden and legitimise PMV inclusion in basic healthcare delivery. This study seeks to identify and review studies addressing this priority problem. Steps outlined in PRISMA guidelines were adopted to search and conduct reviews via electronic databases. Randomized trials with intervention effects on PMVs were considered and thirteen articles were ultimately reviewed and narratively evaluated. Analysis of search outputs identified intervention types, methods used, sample sizes, intervention periods, knowledge, attitude and practice variables, other outcomes and listing of priority systematic review topics, using pre-determined criteria. All reviewed studies were found to be effective despite adopting different intervention approaches. Furthermore, identifying and prioritizing reviews greatly improves future malaria interventions and results thereof, thereby maximising opportunities to deliver appropriate and evidence-based healthcare.
    Matched MeSH terms: Commerce
  17. Fulltext Analysis of the key influencing factors of China's cross-border e-commerce ecosystem based on the DEMATEL-ISM method
    Xi X, Wei M, Teo BS
    PLoS One, 2023;18(8):e0287401.
    PMID: 37561794 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0287401
    Systematically analysing the relative importance and hierarchical relationships among the influencing factors of the cross-border e-commerce ecosystem holds rich theoretical value and practical significance for the development of this ecosystem. A total of 19 influencing factors covering four aspects affecting the cross-border e-commerce ecosystem are identified by means of the relevant literature, web pages, research, and discussions with relevant experts and scholars, and the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) and interpretative structural modeling (ISM) method is used to analyse the cause-effect correlation of each factor and to obtain a cause-effect diagram and a multi-level recursive structure model. The results show that three factors, i.e., the e-commerce platform development level, cross-border e-commerce competitiveness, and the cross-border e-commerce transaction scale, have a greater degree of influence on the other influencing factors. Additionally, three factors, i.e., the information development level, GDP, and cross-border online shopping demand, are vulnerable to the influence of the other factors. The level of cross-border e-commerce platform development, cross-border e-commerce competitiveness, and inter-firm competition are the root factors and occupy an important position in the cross-border e-commerce ecosystem as influencing factors and influence the stability of the cross-border e-commerce ecosystem by affecting the other factors.
    Matched MeSH terms: Commerce*
  18. Green finance and environmental, social, and governance: evidence from Chinese listed companies
    Wu J, Liew CY
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2023 Nov;30(51):110499-110514.
    PMID: 37792189 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-30139-x
    In recent years, academics have paid more attention to green finance, and public companies have reached a broad consensus on the concept of timely environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosure. Due to the close relationship between green finance and ESG, this presents an opportunity to determine whether green finance compels companies to actively disclose ESG. The sample for this study consists of China's non-financial A-share listed companies from 2010 to 2021, and the empirical findings demonstrate that green finance can positively influence the ESG performance of listed companies. Through an analysis of heterogeneity, this study reaches the following conclusions: state-owned enterprises, heavy pollution companies, and companies in low-carbon pilot cities perform better in terms of green finance's role in promoting ESG scoring. This study also introduces market concentration and social trust as the moderating variables, enriching the green finance research framework. Through the analysis of moderating variables, the 'black box' effect of green finance on ESG is disclosed, providing theoretical support for the government and companies to better comprehend the policy effect as well as a reference for reform and experimental promotion of green finance.
    Matched MeSH terms: Commerce/economics
  19. Mercury, lead, and other heavy metals in Chinese medicines
    Wong MK, Koh LL
    Biol Trace Elem Res, 1986 Aug;10(2):91-7.
    PMID: 24254355 DOI: 10.1007/BF02795561
    Ninety-nine samples of common Chinese medicines were purchased from Chinese medical shops in Singapore and Malaysia and analyzed for mercury, lead, copper, cadmium, cobalt, iron, and nickel. The majority of these medicines were manufactured in China, Hong Kong, and Malaysia. A few of them were of Singapore and Taiwan origin. Atomic absorption method (both flame and flameless) was used for the analyses. Mercury was found to be present in high concentrations in several of the medicines that were for oral consumption.
    Matched MeSH terms: Commerce
  20. ENTEROAGGREGATIVE ESCHERICHIA COLI O104 FROM THAI AND IMPORTED MALAYSIAN RAW BEEF
    Wameadesa N, Sae-lim A, Hayeebilan F, Rattanachuay P, Sukhumungoon P
    Southeast Asian J. Trop. Med. Public Health, 2017 Mar;48(2):338-50.
    PMID: 29642296
    Local Thai and imported Malaysian beef in southern Thailand area carry
    several Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) serotypes. STEC O104 is an
    important pathogen capable of causing outbreaks with considerable morbidity
    and mortality. This study investigated the presence of E. coli O104 from local Thai
    and imported Malaysian beef obtained from markets in Hat Yai City, Songkhla
    Province during August 2015 - February 2016. Thirty-one E. coli O104 strains
    were isolated from 12 beef samples (16% and 23% Thai and imported Malaysian,
    respectively). Thirty strains possessed aggA (coding for a major component of
    AAF/I fimbriae), a gene associated with enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) pathotype,
    and all strains carried fimH (encoding Type 1 fimbriae). Thirty strains
    belonged to phylogenetic group B1 and one strain (from Malaysian beef) to group
    A. Agglutination of yeast cells was observed among 29 E. coli O104 strains. Investigation
    of stx2 phage occupancy loci demonstrated that sbcB was occupied in 12
    strains. Antimicrobial susceptibility assay revealed that 7 strains were resistant
    to at least one antimicrobial agent and two were multi-drug resistant. One strain
    carried extended spectrum β-lactamase gene blaCTX-M and three carried blaTEM. PFGE-generated DNA profiling showed identical DNA pattern between that of
    one EAEC O104 strain from Thai beef and another from Malaysian beef, indicating
    that these two strains originated from the same clone. This is the first report
    in Thailand describing the presence of EAEC O104 from both Thai and imported
    Malaysian beef and their transfer between both countries. Thorough surveillance
    of this pathogen in fresh meats and vegetables should help to prevent any possible
    outbreak of E. coli O104.
    Matched MeSH terms: Commerce
Related Terms
Filters
Contact Us

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

External Links