Xiang Sha Yang Wei Wan (XSYWW) is a Chinese traditional medicine that is used for gastrointestinal disorders, specifically gastric ulcer in many countries of South-East Asia. The aim of the study was to evaluate the potential effects of XSYWW on ethanol-induced gastric ulcer in rats by means of histological Study. On a similar basis of treatment, ranitidine, a conventional medication was used as gold standard. Methods: Fifty five male Sprague-Dawley rats (250-300 gm) were divided into four groups. Group I (ethanol treated group) was the control group and gastric ulcers were induced by administering 100% ethanol (1 ml/200 g). Group II (Pre-treatment group) was divided into two subgroups; they were orally fed with 1.0 gm/kg and 2.0 gm/kg respectively of XSYWW solution. Thirty minutes later they were administered with absolute ethanol as in group I. Group III, was given an oral dose of 2gm/kg of XSYWW solution after one hour of ethanol administration. Group IV was given an oral dose of 200mg/kg ranitidine solution after one hour of ethanol administration. Five rats from groups I, III and IV were sacrificed on day 1, 2 and 3 while the animals of group II were sacrificed one hour after ethanol administration. Results: Histological study of the stomachs from ethanol treated rats showed multiple ulcers of various depths that reached the muscularis and the serosa. Conclusion: Pre or post-treated rats with XSYWW showed that XSYWW has protective effect against ethanol-induced gastric mucosal lesion. However, there was a faster and more complete healing process in the ranitidine treated group when compared to the XSYWW treated subjects.
Accidental poisoning in children is a preventable condition. It is a problem mainly in children aged 1 to 4 years. This is a descriptive study of accidental poisoning in children below 12 years old admitted to Hospital Seremban from October 15, 1994 to October 14, 1995. A major cause of household accidental poisoning was kerosene ingestion (25%) followed by ingestion of medications (22%), liniment methyl salicylate (12 %), mothballs (12%) and hypochlorinate solution (9%). There was a higher incidence of poisoning in males (50.8%), among Indians (41.2%) and in children from lower social classes (67%). A greater proportion of the accident occurred when the child was taken care by the parents (53 %) and in the house (80%). Most of the poison was ingested from its original package (81%). The immediate action taken was sending the child to the hospital (75%) without carrying out other actions such as washing the child’s mouth. The delay of sending the child to hospital was due to husband not at home (57%). Most of the cases (72.1 %) were discharged well within 1-2 days following admission.
Introduction: The aim of treatment for hyperemesis gravidarum is to stop vomiting, correction of dehydration, starvation and electrolytes imbalance. The common types of fluid used for fluid replacement are isotonic solutions like normal saline and hartman's solutions. The absence of potassium in normal saline makes hartman's solution superior but there is a possibility that the lactate component in hartman's solution could worsen the starvation state of the patients. This study is to evaluate which of these two solutions is more effective for fluid replacement in hyperemesis gravidarum. The objectives are to compare which solution corrects dehydration, hypokalaemia and acetonuria faster and to evaluate whether the ketosis state is aggravated by lactate component in hartman's solution. Materials and Methods: Patients with hyperemesis gravidarum were randomised to receive either Hartman's solution or normal saline at the rate of 125mls/hour. Blood urea and serum electrolytes, haematocrit, lactate and urine acetone were taken during admission and repeated every 12 hours. The volume of fluid required to correct dehydration, hypokalaemia and acetonuria were compared. Comparison of the pre and post treatment level of serum lactate were also done. Results: Both hartman's solution and normal saline are both effective in correcting dehydration (11.52±3.28 pints versus 11.94 ± 2.30pints respectively) and acetonuria (11.64 ± 2.75 pints versus 11.64 ± 2.54 pints respectively).
A lower volume of hartman's solution was needed to correct hypokalaemia (8.34 ± 2.44 pints versus 8.88 ± 2.63 pints) but was not statistically significant. Ketonaemia was not made worse after treatment with hartman's solution. Conclusion: Normal saline and hartman's solution are equally effective in treating complications of hyperemesis gravidarum.
Drug nanosuspensions have gained tremendous attraction as a platform in drug delivery. In the present work, a nanosuspension was prepared by a wet milling approach in order to increase saturation solubility and dissolution of the water insoluble drug, hydrocortisone. Size of the generated particeles was 290 nm ± 9 nm having a zeta potential of -1.9 mV ± 0.6 mV. Nanosized particles were found to have a rod shape with a narrow particle size distribution (PDI =0.17). Results of differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction analyses revealed minor modifications of crystallinity of hydrocortisone following the milling process. Solubility of hydrocortisone was enhanced by nanonization to 875µg/ml ±2.5, an almost 2.9-fold compared to the raw hydrocortisone. Moreover, the nanosuspension formulation substabtially enhanced the dissolution rate of hydrocortisone where >97% of the hydrocortisone was dissolved within 10 minutes opposed to 22.3% for the raw 50% for the raw hydrocortisone and the commercial tablet, respectively. The bioavailability study resulted in AUC 0-9h for HC nanosuspensions (31.50±2.50), which is significantly (p<0.05) higher compared to the AUC 0-9h (14.85±3.25) resulted for HC solution. The nanosuspension was physically stable at room temperature for 24 months.
Normally, topographic map is produced using aerial photogrammetry. The recent development in aerial photogrammetry is the use of large format digital aerial camera for producing topographic map, however, the cost of the camera is too expensive and many mapping organization around the world could not afford to purchase it. In certain application, there is a need to map small area with limited budget. This issue has been solved by using small format camera (i.e. conventional or digital) to produce digital map. This study concentrates on the use of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for producing digital map. UAV has been widely used in military for reconnaissance, planning, combat, and etc. Today, UAV can be used by civilian for reconnaissance, monitoring, mapping, and others. The objectives of this study are to investigate the capability of UAV in producing digital map and assess the accuracy of mapping using UAV. In this study, a light weight fixed wing UAV was used as a platform and a high resolution digital camera was used to acquire aerial digital images of the study area. The aerial digital images were acquired at low altitude. After capturing the aerial digital images, ground control points and check points were established using GPS. Then the aerial digital images were processed using photogrammetric software. The output of the study is a digital map and digital orthophoto. For accuracy assessment, the root mean square error (RMSE) is used. Based on the assessment, the results showed that accuracy of sub-meter can be obtained using the procedure and method used in the study. In conclusion, this study shows that UAV can be used for producing digital map at sub-meter accuracy and it can also be used for diversified applications.
In this paper, the problem of steady laminar boundary layer flow of an incompressible viscous fluid over a moving thin needle is considered. The governing boundary layer equations were first transformed into non-dimensional forms. These non-dimensional equations were then transformed into similarity equations using the similarity variables, which were solved numerically using an implicit finite-difference scheme known as the Keller-box method. The solutions were obtained for a blunt-nosed needle. Numerical computations were carried out for various values of the dimensionless parameters of the problem which included the Prandtl number Pr and the parameter a representing the needle size. It was found that the heat transfer characteristics were significantly
influenced by these parameters. However, the Prandtl number had no effect on the flow characteristics due to the decoupled boundary layer equations.
This study was conducted using crab shells as a biosorbent to remove Cu and Cd with different initial concentrations of 1, 5, 10, 15, and 20 mg/L in a biosorption treatment process. Crab shells were selected as biosorbents due to their abundance in the environment and ready availability as waste products from the market place. This study aimed to determine the ability of Scylla Serrata shells to remove Cu and Cd in an aqueous solution, as well as to provide a comparison of the removal rate between the two metals. The data were incorporated into hydrochemical software, PHREEQC, to investigate the chemical speciation distribution of each heavy metal. The shells of S. serrata were found to have a significant (p< 0.05) ability to remove Cu and Cd following the treatment. After six hours of treatment, the crab shells had removed 60 to 80% of both metals. However, the highest removal percentage was achieved for Cu with up to 94.7% removal rate in 5 mg/L initial Cu concentration, while 85.1% of Cd was removed in 1 mg/L initial solution, respectively. It can be concluded that the shells of S. serrata could remove Cu and Cd better with significant results (p
This paper presents on ionic conductivity of MG30-PEMA blend solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) prepared by solution cast technique. The analysis has shown that conductivity increases with the increasing salt composition. It is observed via x-ray diffraction analysis that the crystallinity of the sample decreased with the amount of salt composition as expected. It is also observed that the dielectric value increases with increasing amount of LiCF3SO3 in the sample. Surface morphology revealed that ion aggregation occurred after optimum conductivity which has lowered the conductivity.
Thermal characterization of sugar palm fibre (SPF), reinforced high impact polystyrene (HIPS)
composites, was studied by means of thermogravimetric analysis. The effects of alkaline treatment and compatibilizing agent on the thermal stability of the composites were evaluated. Alkaline treatment was carried out by soaking the fibres in 4 and 6% of NaOH solution, while treatment with compatibilizing agent was employed by adding 2 and 3% maleic anhydride-graft-polystyrene (MA-g-PS) to the composites. Both the treatments were aimed to improve the mechanical performance of the composites. From the study, the thermal stability of the treated composites was found to be higher than that of untreated composites. It is shown that the incorporation of sugar palm fibre influences the degree of thermal stability of the composites. The treatments on composites also contributed to shifting the peak temperature of degradation of the composites. In other words, there are strong chemical reactions between the components of the treated composites. The thermal stability of the composites, with alkaline treatment and compatibilizing agent, was found to be better as compared to those of the untreated composites.
Introduction: Knowledge, attitude as well as adoption of pharmacogenomics in clinical practice among the pharmacists and physicians in Malaysia have not been reported. This cross-sectional study explores various facets of the two professions as related to pharmacogenomics to determine the need and preferred method to improve education among them. This study also aims to identify the current state of pharmacogenomics practice in Malaysia to help identify barrier and solution to reap advantages from pharmacogenomics practices. Methods: A questionnaire consisting of 38 questions in five parts was adopted and validated. It explores the respondents’ characteristics, attitude, knowledge, adoption and education. It was distributed online to 1500 pharmacists and physicians over five months. Results: Pharmacists differed from the physicians in terms of attitude, knowledge, adoption and education. Overall, adoption rate of pharmacogenomics was found to be low but its anticipation for future adoption is high, and benefits were reported by healthcare professionals who have used the test in a clinical setting. Majority of respondents had poor to fair knowledge and nearly half have had no prior formal teaching on pharmacogenomics. Interest in the education is very high, and most of them preferred to learn pharmacogenomics via continuous professional education programs. Conclusion: Pharmacogenomics is a field that promises many benefits, but to reap these benefits require its implementation in clinical setting. Pharmacists and physicians need to be equipped with adequate knowledge and positive attitude towards pharmacogenomics.
This paper presents the solution to a calculation of the pH of a very dilute solution of a strong acid or base, taking into account the effect of the hydronium or hydroxyl ions generated from the ionisation of the strong acid or base on the ionisation of water, as a second very weak acid. To be solved successfully, this calculation involves the concepts of conservation of charge, pH and the application of the general solution to a quadratic equation. Such an exercise involves the application of skills in basic numeracy, and can provide a core of understanding that can prepare students for
many different sorts of calculations that represent reallife problems in the medical and biological sciences.A programme is presented in C++ which enables the work of students to be individualised so that each student in a class can work through a slightly different pH calculation, in such a way that a class supervisor can quickly check each student’s result for accuracy. This exercise is presented as a potential means of enabling students to undertake and master similar types of calculations involving simple or more complex equilibria.
Konjac glucomannan (KGM) was treated with or without sonication and/or hydrochloric acid (HCl).
Hydrolysis effects on KGM were studied for properties such as degree of hydrolysis, fluidity, molecular mass, and creep properties. The degree of hydrolysis for sonicated KGM and acid treated KGM were not significantly different. However, the combination treatment of acid hydrolysis and sonication was found effective in yielding a smaller molecular weight fraction of KGM and solution with higher fluidity. From the creep analysis, KGM treated with combination treatment exhibited the highest compliance among samples tested. In general, ultrasound mediated acid hydrolysis was found to be a promising technique in degrading high molecular weight biopolymer. This could be attributed to a localized high temperature and high shear forces generated during cavitation that facilitated the endothermic acid hydrolysis.
Epoxidised Natural Rubber (ENR) is now a commercially available polymer produced by chemical modification of natural rubber. Currently, three types of ENR are commercially available, and these are ENR 10, ENR 25, and ENR 50 with 10%, 25%, and 50% mol epoxidation, respectively. Studies on prevulcanisation of ENR 50 and postvulcanisation of the latex films were carried out. The objective of this study was to develop ENR 50 that could be dipped easily in coagulant dipping solution to produce dipped products. Several attempts were made by compounding prevulcanised ENR 50 at various sulphur levels ranging from 0.5 to 3.0 pphr. Using suitable coagulant dipping systems, ENR 50 film could be formed despite the high contents of non-ionic surfactant. It was found that the tensile strength of prevulcanised ENR 50 film decreased with the increase in the sulphur level. The results show that as level of sulphur increased, M300 also increased to an optimum value of 1.5 pphr of sulphur. For the postvulcanised ENR 50 film, however, the tensile strength increased and then decreased with the increasing sulphur level. Meanwhile M300 increased with the increasing postvulcanization time and sulphur level. The postvulcanisation of ENR 50 film seems to be a more effective way of increasing tensile properties than by prevulcanisation of ENR 50.
Lattice Boltzmann Model for Shallow Water Equation with Turbulence Modeling (LABSWETM) is used to study the flow patterns of sidewall friction effects. The lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) approach in recovery the macroscopic governing equation which is shallow water equation from the microscopic flow behavior of particle movement as described by kinetic theory is explored. With the solution of force term to be used in lattice Boltzmann equation, the boundary condition of LBM is explored. With the use of bed and wall friction coefficients, the importance of Manning’s coefficient in determining the outcome of flow patterns simulation is explained. For model verification, the model represents a straight channel with a circular cavity attached to it. The result of this simulation includes the water circulation patterns, cross-section of average velocity distribution, and water depth. For validation, the cross-sections of the model in term of velocity vectors are compared against alternative numerical and experimental data.
Introduction: The purpose of the present study was to investigate exploratory factor analysis of the
Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and reports its reliability and validity in Malaysia. Method: One thousand
and ninety participants from four different samples (namely students, general population, medical and
psychiatric patients) completed the Malay version of Beck Anxiety Inventory, as well as additional
questionnaires such as Fear Questionnaire, Anxiety Sensitivity Index, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, and Catastrophic Cognition Questionnaire. Results: Exploratory factor analysis revealed a three factor solution and accounted for 48.01% of the total variance. The three-factor structure appeared to be; subjective anxiety, autonomic, and neurophysiology. The Cronbach alpha coefficients (α) ranged from 0.66 to 0.89 with satisfactory overall alpha value (.91). Evidence was also found acceptable concurrent validity of the BAI-Malay (range between r=.22 to r=.67). Conclusion: This study shows that the BAIMalay is a reliable and valid instrument to measure symptoms of anxiety in the Malay population
and can be used in research and clinical service in Malaysia. However, replication of study by using
confirmatory factor analysis and application of the instrument among anxiety patients worth of further
investigation.
In the current research, osmotic dehydration of red pitaya (Hylocereus polyrhizusis) cubes using sucrose solution at mild temperature (35ºC) was investigated. Sucrose solution (40, 50 and 60% w/w) was employed for osmotic dehydration process. Responses of weight reduction (WR), solid gain (SG), water loss (WL), color (L*, a* and b*) and texture (hardness) were evaluated. It was found that sucrose concentration significantly (p < 0.05) affected the mass transfer terms during osmosis process. The results obtained revealed an increase in yellowness (b*), decrease in lightness (L*) and redness (a*) as the sucrose concentration increased. Furthermore, osmotically dehydrated samples were considerably softer than untreated samples. Increasing of sucrose concentration and dehydration time caused softer tissue of dehydrated product compared with the fresh red pitaya.
The adsorption equilibrium time and effects of pH and concentration of ¹⁴C-labeled chlorpyrifos
O,O-diethyl O-(3, 5, 6 trichloro-2-pyridyl)-phosphorothiote in soil were investigated. Two types of Malaysian soil under oil palm were used in this study; namely clay loam and clay soil obtained from the Sungai Sedu and Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Estates, respectively. Equilibrium studies of chlorpyrifos between the agricultural soil and the pesticide solution were conducted. Adsorption equilibrium time was achieved within 6 and 24 hours for clay loam and clay soil, respectively. It was found that chlorpyrifos adsorbed by the soil samples was characterized by an initial rapid adsorption after which adsorption remained approximately constant. The percentage of ¹⁴C-labeled chlorpyrifos adsorption on soil was found to be higher in clay loam than in clay soils. Results of the study demonstrated that pH affected the adsorption of chlorpyrifos on both clay loam and clay soils. The adsorption of chlorpyrifos on both types of soil was higher at low pH with the adsorption reduced as the pH increased. Results also suggest that chlorpyrifos sorption by soil is concentration dependent.
The purpose of this study was to determine the adsorption coefficient (Koc) of chlorpyrifos in clay soil by measuring the Freundlich adsorption coefficient (Kads(f)) and desorption coefficient (1/n value) of chlorpyrifos. It was found that the Freundlich adsorption coefficient (Kads(f)) and the linear regression (r 2 ) of the Freundlich adsorption isotherm for chlorpyrifos in the clay soil were 52.6 L/kg and 0.5344, respectively. Adsoprtion equilibrium time was achieved within 24 hours for clay soil. This adsoprtion equilibrium time was used to determine the effect of concentration on adsorption. The adsorption coefficient (Koc) of clay soil was found to be 2783 L/kg with an initial concentration solution of 1 µg/g, soil-solution ratio (1:5) at 30 o C when the equilibrium between the soil matrix and solution was 24 hours. The Kdes decreased over four repetitions of the desorption process. The chlorpyrifos residues may be strongly adsorbed onto the surface of clay.
The accumulation of tear film proteins as well as microbes colonization onto worn contact lenses can be eliminated conventionally by mechanical rubbing during the cleaning process. Lens2® functions in rotation manner to loosen the deposits on the contact lens and has antimicrobial coating to keep lenses away from contamination. The objective of this study was to determine the efficiency of Lens2® to remove deposited protein and reduce microbial contamination compared to conventional method. Twenty-eight subjects each wore a pair of contact lens FDA Group 1 (Polymacon, SoftLens® 38, Bausch & Lomb) for one month and cleaned them using multipurpose solution (COMPLETE® MoisturePLUSTM, Advanced Medical Optics) separately using two different methods. The right lens was cleaned conventionally while the left lens were cleaned using the Lens2®. The control group of thirteen subjects each wore a pair of contact lens for the same period and cleaned both conventionally. These lenses and its cases were then analyzed for protein deposition using Bichinchoninic Acid Assay (BCA) Kit (Sigma, USA) in 96-well plate. Microbial contamination was determined by culturing the samples on nutrient agar for bacteria and fungi and non-nutrient agar for amoeba isolation. The mean of total protein on control lenses (17.014 ± 13.246 µg/mL) was not significantly different from those on the Lens2® (21.623 ± 19.127 µg/mL). There were also low growth numbers of amoeba in each group of samples. Interestingly, there were no growths of amoeba from all Lens2® samples collected. There was also low growth numbers of bacteria in each sample group whereby Lens2® had the lowest growth of bacteria. No growth of fungi was obtained from all samples. The automatic lens cleaner, Lens2® was found to be as efficient as the conventional cleaning method. However, the Lens2® has additional advantage because of its antimicrobial material and need shorter time in the cleaning process as well as easy and effective.
Electrodeposition of white copper-tin alloys (including white miralloys) has been done onto planar mild steel substrates from alkaline cyanide solutions at 65 0 C. The chemical composition of the coating is influenced by plating bath composition and current density. White miralloy can be produced from the test solution containing 10 g/l CuCN2 - , 45 g/l Na2SnO3, 25 g/l NaCN, and 12 g/l NaOH at current density about 5 mA/cm 2 . The local compositions of the coating cross section were analyzed using EDX installed in a FESEM operated at an accelerating voltage of 20 kV. The phases formed during co-deposition process were identified using XRD at 25 mA current and 35 kV voltage.