Displaying publications 201 - 220 of 594 in total

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  1. A rapid colorimetric screening method for vanillic acid and vanillin-producing bacterial strains
    Zamzuri NA, Abd-Aziz S, Rahim RA, Phang LY, Alitheen NB, Maeda T
    J Appl Microbiol, 2014 Apr;116(4):903-10.
    PMID: 24314059 DOI: 10.1111/jam.12410
    To isolate a bacterial strain capable of biotransforming ferulic acid, a major component of lignin, into vanillin and vanillic acid by a rapid colorimetric screening method.
  2. Fulltext Alteration of cell cytoskeleton and functions of cell recovery of normal human osteoblast cells caused by factors associated with real space flight
    Kapitonova MY, Salim N, Othman S, Muhd Kamauzaman TM, Ali AM, Nawawi HM, et al.
    Malays J Pathol, 2013 Dec;35(2):153-63.
    PMID: 24362479 MyJurnal
    Experiments involving short-term space flight have shown an adverse effect on the physiology, morphology and functions of cells investigated. The causes for this effect on cells are: microgravity, temperature fluctuations, mechanical stress, hypergravity, nutrient restriction and others. However, the extent to which these adverse effects can be repaired by short-term space flown cells when recultured in conditions of normal gravity remains unclear. Therefore this study aimed to investigate the effect of short-term spaceflight on cytoskeleton distribution and recovery of cell functions of normal human osteoblast cells. The ultrastructure was evaluated using ESEM. Fluorescent staining was done using Hoechst, Mito Tracker CMXRos and Tubulin Tracker Green for cytoskeleton. Gene expression of cell functions was quantified using qPCR. As a result, recovered cells did not show any apoptotic markers when compared with control. Tubulin volume density (p<0.001) was decreased significantly when compared to control, while mitochondria volume density was insignificantly elevated. Gene expression for IL-6 (p<0.05) and sVCAM-1 (p<0.001) was significantly decreased while alkaline phosphatase (p<0.001), osteocalcin and sICAM (p<0.05) were significantly increased in the recovered cells compared to the control ones. The changes in gene and protein expression of collagen 1A, osteonectin, osteoprotegerin and beta-actin, caused by short-term spaceflight, were statistically not significant. These data indicate that short term space flight causes morphological changes in osteoblast cells which are consistent with hypertrophy, reduced cell differentiation and increased release of monocyte attracting proteins. The long-term effect of these changes on bone density and remodeling requires more detailed studies.
  3. Antibiotic resistance and molecular typing among cockle (Anadara granosa) strains of Vibrio parahaemolyticus by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based analysis
    Sahilah AM, Laila RA, Sallehuddin HM, Osman H, Aminah A, Ahmad Azuhairi A
    World J Microbiol Biotechnol, 2014 Feb;30(2):649-59.
    PMID: 24068534 DOI: 10.1007/s11274-013-1494-y
    Genomic DNA of Vibrio parahaemolyticus were characterized by antibiotic resistance, enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus-polymerase chain reaction (ERIC-PCR) and random amplified polymorphic DNA-polymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR) analysis. These isolates originated from 3 distantly locations of Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Melaka (East coastal areas), Malaysia. A total of 44 (n = 44) of tentatively V. parahaemolyticus were also examined for the presence of toxR, tdh and trh gene. Of 44 isolates, 37 were positive towards toxR gene; while, none were positive to tdh and trh gene. Antibiotic resistance analysis showed the V. parahaemolyticus isolates were highly resistant to bacitracin (92%, 34/37) and penicillin (89%, 33/37) followed by resistance towards ampicillin (68%, 25/37), cefuroxime (38%, 14/37), amikacin (6%, 2/37) and ceftazidime (14%, 5/37). None of the V. parahaemolyticus isolates were resistant towards chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, ceftriaxone, enrofloxacin, norfloxacin, streptomycin and vancomycin. Antibiogram patterns exhibited, 9 patterns and phenotypically less heterogenous when compared to PCR-based techniques using ERIC- and RAPD-PCR. The results of the ERIC- and RAPD-PCR were analyzed using GelCompare software. ERIC-PCR with primers ERIC1R and ERIC2 discriminated the V. parahaemolyticus isolates into 6 clusters and 21 single isolates at a similarity level of 80%. While, RAPD-PCR with primer Gen8 discriminated the V. parahaemolyticus isolates into 11 clusters and 10 single isolates and Gen9 into 8 clusters and 16 single isolates at the same similarity level examined. Results in the presence study demonstrated combination of phenotypically and genotypically methods show a wide heterogeneity among cockle isolates of V. parahaemolyticus.
  4. Hospital-acquired Clostridium difficile infection among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in acute medical wards
    Hassan SA, Rahman RA, Huda N, Wan Bebakar WM, Lee YY
    J R Coll Physicians Edinb, 2013;43(2):103-7.
    PMID: 23734349 DOI: 10.4997/JRCPE.2013.203
    Clostridum difficile (C. difficile) infection is increasingly seen among hospitalised patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus but its rate and associated risk factors are not known. We aimed to determine the rate and characteristics of hospital-acquired C. difficile infection in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus admitted into acute medical wards.
  5. Fulltext Characterization and risk factors of vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE) among animal-affiliated workers in Malaysia
    Getachew Y, Hassan L, Zakaria Z, Zaid CZ, Yardi A, Shukor RA, et al.
    J Appl Microbiol, 2012 Nov;113(5):1184-95.
    PMID: 22906187 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2672.2012.05406.x
    This study determined the risk factors and characteristics of vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE) among individuals working with animals in Malaysia.
  6. Fulltext Hymenolepis nana in a renal transplant recipient: to treat or not to treat?
    Syafinaz AN, Hamat RA, Malina O, Siti NM, Niazlin MT, Jamal F
    Med J Malaysia, 2011 Aug;66(3):259-60.
    PMID: 22111454 MyJurnal
    A case of hymenolepiasis in a renal transplant recipient. Issues discussed include the benefit of anti-parasitic agents as well as the preventive measures.
  7. Fulltext An analysis of forensic entomological specimens by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
    Syamsa RA, Ahmad FM, Marwi MA, Zuha RM, Omar B
    Med J Malaysia, 2010 Sep;65(3):192-5.
    PMID: 21939166 MyJurnal
    This study reviews forensic entomological specimens analysed by the Department of Parasitology & Medical Entomology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia for the year 2004. A total of 10 cases (6 males and 4 females) were observed for the entomological specimens. Various types of death scenes were obtained including indoor and outdoor area such as bushes field, rubbish dumping site, and aquatic areas. Identified fly species collected from the death sites were blow flies, Chrysomya megacephala, Chrysomya rufifacies and Lucilia cuprina and unknown sarcophagid larvae, with Ch. megacephala being the most common species found in the ecologically varied death scene habitats. The post-mortem interval (PMI) estimation ranged from one to five days, based on the entomological specimens collected.
  8. A low-GI diet is associated with a short-term improvement of glycaemic control in Asian patients with type 2 diabetes
    Yusof BN, Talib RA, Kamaruddin NA, Karim NA, Chinna K, Gilbertson H
    Diabetes Obes Metab, 2009 Apr;11(4):387-96.
    PMID: 19175374 DOI: 10.1111/j.1463-1326.2008.00984.x
    AIMS: The aim of this study is to compare the efficacy of low glycaemic index (GI) vs. conventional carbohydrate exchange (CCE) dietary advice on glycaemic control and metabolic parameters in patients with type 2 diabetes.
    METHODS: A total of 104 patients with type 2 diabetes were randomly assigned to either a low GI (GI) or CCE dietary advice over a 12-week period. The primary end-point was glycaemic control as assessed by glycated haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), fructosamine level and plasma glucose. The secondary end-points were anthropometric measurements and metabolic parameters that include blood pressure, lipid profile and insulin levels. The oral antidiabetic medications remained unchanged throughout the duration of the study.
    RESULTS: A low-GI diet was associated with significant changes in the fructosamine level (DeltaGI = -0.20 +/- 0.03; DeltaCCE = -0.08 +/- 0.03 mmol/l, p < 0.01) and waist circumference (DeltaGI group = -1.88 +/- 0.30 cm; DeltaCCE group: -0.36 +/- 0.4 cm, p < 0.05) at week 4. At week 12, the changes in fasting glucose (DeltaGI = -0.03 +/- 0.3; DeltaCCE = 0.7 +/- 0.3 mmol/l; p < 0.05) and waist circumference (DeltaGI = -2.35 +/- 0.47 cm; DeltaCCE group = -0.66 +/- 0.46 cm; p < 0.05) in the GI group was significantly lower than the CCE group. With the low-GI diet, the changes in postprandial glycaemia at time 0, 60, 150 and 180 min after consuming the standard test meal was lower than with the CCE diet (p < 0.05). No significant differences were found between the groups for the remaining parameters that were measured.
    CONCLUSIONS: Use of a low-GI diet resulted in significant changes of serum fructosamine level, plasma glucose and waist circumference in Asian patients with type 2 diabetes over a 12-week period compared with those following a CCE diet. The effect on HbA1c and other metabolic parameters was not significantly different between the two study groups but the improvement within the GI group was more pronounced and of clinical benefit.
  9. Effectiveness and safety of olanzapine in the treatment of Asian outpatients with schizophrenia
    Habil MH, Gondoyoewono H, Chaudhry HR, Samanwongthai U, Hamid AR, Hashmi IT, et al.
    Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther, 2007 Dec;45(12):631-42.
    PMID: 18184531
    OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness and safety of olanzapine in the treatment of schizophrenia among Asian patients in an outpatient setting.

    METHODS: This was an open-label, prospective, observational study involving 339 patients from Indonesia, Pakistan, Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore. Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), Clinical Global Impression Severity scale (CGI-S), and safety parameters were assessed.

    RESULTS: 62% of patients responded to olanzapine treatment, defined a priori as a reduction in BPRS of > 40% from baseline. Following the 8-week treatment period, the BPRS total, BPRS positive, BPRS negative, and CGI-S scores decreased by 18.7 (95% CI: 17.4, 20.2), 6.1 (5.6, 6.6), 2.9 (2.6, 3.2), and 1.5 points (median 1.0), respectively (p < 0.0001). In total, 31 of the 339 patients (9.1%) failed to complete the study according to the study description. Loss to follow-up and personal conflict were the most common reasons for discontinuation. There were 30 treatment-emergent adverse events with six serious cases, assessed as unrelated to study drug, reported.

    CONCLUSION: This study further demonstrates the effectiveness and safety of olanzapine in actual clinical practice settings, in reducing the severity of psychopathological symptoms in Asian patients with schizophrenia.

  10. Method optimization to assess endothelial function in females-duration of glyceryl trinitrate effect
    Ibrahim NN, Rasool AH, Wong AR, Rahman AR
    Methods Find Exp Clin Pharmacol, 2007 Jun;29(5):349-52.
    PMID: 17805437
    Pulse-wave analysis (PWA) combined with pharmacological challenges has recently been used as a method to measure endothelial function. This involved administration of glyceryl trinitrate (GTN), followed by salbutamol as endothelium-independent and -dependent vasodilators, respectively. The duration of GTN effect needs to be established before the administration of salbutamol. Baseline augmentation index (AIx) and pulse-wave velocity (PWV) measurements were taken in 11 healthy female subjects (mean age 23.27 +/- 3.66 years). Sublingual GTN 0.5 mg was administered for 3 min, followed by AIx and PWV measurements every 5 min till 20 min and then every 10 min until 40 min post-GTN. Maximum change in AIx post-GTN was at 3 min with a mean change from the baseline of -17.86% +/- 4.40% (p < 0.001). There were no significant changes noted after 30 and 40 min with mean change being -0.82% +/- 2.61% and 0.14% +/- 3.20%, respectively (p > 0.05). Significant changes in PWV were noted at 5 and 10 min with the mean change of -0.33 +/- 0.36 m/s and -0.33 +/- 0.35 m/s, respectively (p = 0.01). There were no further changes noted at 15 min and thereafter (p > 0.05). A duration of at least 30 min after GTN is required for AIx and PWV values to reach their baseline. Thus, the administration of salbutamol should be given only after 30 min of sublingual GTN for the assessment of endothelial function.
  11. Maxillofacial trauma with emphasis on soft-tissue injuries in Malaysia
    Hussaini HM, Rahman NA, Rahman RA, Nor GM, Ai Idrus SM, Ramli R
    Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg, 2007 Sep;36(9):797-801.
    PMID: 17630250
    Soft-tissue injuries with or without facial bone involvement are the most common presentation following maxillofacial trauma. The objective of this study was to look at the distribution, pattern and type of soft-tissue injury in relation to aetiology. Records of patients over a period of 5 years (1998-2002), who sustained maxillofacial injuries and were treated at Kajang Hospital, a secondary referral hospital, were reviewed. Out of 313 patients with maxillofacial injuries, 295 patients sustained soft-tissue injuries. Males (79%) between 21 and 30 years old (34%) were the majority of patients. Road-traffic accident was the main cause of soft-tissue injuries (75%) with motorcycle accident being the most frequent (40%). The upper lips (23%) and the lower lips (18%) were the most common extraoral site involved, while the labial mucosa and sulcular areas, both accounting for 21%, were the most common intraoral sites. Stringent road-traffic regulations should be practiced in developing countries, as morbidity arising from road-traffic accidents poses a national economic and social problem.
  12. PCR tools for the verification of the specific identity of ascaridoid nematodes from dogs and cats
    Li MW, Lin RQ, Chen HH, Sani RA, Song HQ, Zhu XQ
    Mol Cell Probes, 2007 Oct-Dec;21(5-6):349-54.
    PMID: 17532185
    Based on the sequences of the internal transcribed spacers (ITS-1 and ITS-2) of nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) of Toxocara canis, Toxocara cati, Toxocara malaysiensis and Toxascaris leonina, specific forward primers were designed in the ITS-1 or ITS-2 for each of the four ascaridoid species of dogs and cats. These primers were used individually together with a conserved primer in the large subunit of rDNA to amplify partial ITS-1 and/or ITS-2 of rDNA from 107 DNA samples from ascaridoids from dogs and cats in China, Australia, Malaysia, England and the Netherlands. This approach allowed their specific identification, with no amplicons being amplified from heterogeneous DNA samples, and sequencing confirmed the identity of the sequences amplified. The minimum amounts of DNA detectable using the PCR assays were 0.13-0.54ng. These PCR assays should provide useful tools for the diagnosis and molecular epidemiological investigations of toxocariasis in humans and animals.
  13. Facial Fractures in Kajang Hospital, Malaysia: A 5-Year Review
    Rahman RA, Hussaini HM, Rahman NA, Rahman SR, Nor GM, Ai Idrus SM, et al.
    Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg, 2007 Feb;33(1):90-5.
    PMID: 26815981 DOI: 10.1007/s00068-007-5154-5
    The objective of this study was to determine the demographic data as well as other relevant data pertaining to the management of patients with maxillofacial injury in a Malaysian government regional hospital.
  14. [The 2006/'07 influenza season in the Netherlands and the vaccine composition for the 2007/'08 season]
    de Jong JC, Rimmelzwaan GF, Donker GA, Meijer A, Fouchier RA, Osterhaus AD
    Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd, 2007 Sep 29;151(39):2158-65.
    PMID: 17957994
    The influenza epidemic of 2006/'07 began late in the season, like the two previous influenza epidemics. In week 8 a peak of modest height was reached. As usual, the causal strains were mainly A/H3N2 viruses and to a lesser extent A/H1N1 and B viruses. A new A/H1N1 virus variant has emerged, an event that on average takes place only every 10 years. However, almost all A/H1N1 virus isolates belonged to the old variant and were similar to the vaccine virus. The A/H3N2 virus isolates appeared to deviate from the vaccine strain, but after antigenic cartographic analysis and correction for low avidity they proved also closely related to the vaccine strain. The few type B virus isolates belonged to the B/Yamagata/16/88 lineage, whereas the used B vaccine virus had been chosen from the B/Victoria/2/87 lineage. The vaccine therefore will have provided almost optimal protection against the circulating influenza A/H1N1 and A/H3N2 viruses but not against the influenza B viruses. For the 2007/'08 influenza season the World Health Organization has recommended the following vaccine composition: A/Solomon Islands/3/06 (H1N1) (new), A/Wisconsin/67/05 (H3N2), and B/Malaysia/2506/04.
  15. [The 2005-2006 influenza season in the Netherlands and the vaccine composition for the 2006-2007 season]
    Rimmelzwaan GF, de Jong JC, Donker GA, Meijer A, Fouchier RA, Osterhaus AD
    Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd, 2006 Oct 7;150(40):2209-14.
    PMID: 17061434
    The first sign of influenza activity in the Netherlands during the 2005-2006 influenza season was the isolation of influenza viruses in the last week of 2005. From Week 1 of 2006 onwards, an increase in clinical influenza activity was also observed that did not return to baseline levels until Week 15. Two waves of influenza activity were observed with peak incidences of 13.8 and 9.8 influenza-like illnesses per 10,000 inhabitants on Weeks 7 and 12, respectively. The first wave of influenza was caused primarily by influenza B viruses, whereas the second wave was caused predominantly by influenza A/H3N2 viruses. The influenza B viruses appeared to belong to two different phylogenetic lineages and were antigenically distinguishable from the vaccine strain. The isolated influenza A/H3N2 viruses were closely related to the vaccine strain for this subtype and only minor antigenic differences with the vaccine strain were observed for a limited number of isolates. Only a small number of influenza A/H1N1 viruses were isolated, which all closely resembled the H1N1 vaccine strain. For the 2006-2007 influenza season, the World Health Organization has recommended the following vaccine composition: A/Wisconsin/67/05 (H3N2), A/New Caledonia/20/99 (H1N1) and B/Malaysia/2506/05.
  16. Multiresolution wavelet analysis for efficient analysis, compression and remote display of long-term physiological signals
    Khuan LY, Bister M, Blanchfield P, Salleh YM, Ali RA, Chan TH
    Australas Phys Eng Sci Med, 2006 Jun;29(2):216-28.
    PMID: 16845928
    Increased inter-equipment connectivity coupled with advances in Web technology allows ever escalating amounts of physiological data to be produced, far too much to be displayed adequately on a single computer screen. The consequence is that large quantities of insignificant data will be transmitted and reviewed. This carries an increased risk of overlooking vitally important transients. This paper describes a technique to provide an integrated solution based on a single algorithm for the efficient analysis, compression and remote display of long-term physiological signals with infrequent short duration, yet vital events, to effect a reduction in data transmission and display cluttering and to facilitate reliable data interpretation. The algorithm analyses data at the server end and flags significant events. It produces a compressed version of the signal at a lower resolution that can be satisfactorily viewed in a single screen width. This reduced set of data is initially transmitted together with a set of 'flags' indicating where significant events occur. Subsequent transmissions need only involve transmission of flagged data segments of interest at the required resolution. Efficient processing and code protection with decomposition alone is novel. The fixed transmission length method ensures clutter-less display, irrespective of the data length. The flagging of annotated events in arterial oxygen saturation, electroencephalogram and electrocardiogram illustrates the generic property of the algorithm. Data reduction of 87% to 99% and improved displays are demonstrated.
  17. Isolation of Neospora caninum from a calf in Malaysia
    Cheah TS, Mattsson JG, Zaini M, Sani RA, Jakubek EB, Uggla A, et al.
    Vet Parasitol, 2004 Dec 15;126(3):263-9.
    PMID: 15567590
    In order to attempt isolate the protozoan parasite Neospora caninum, an N. caninum seropositive pregnant Sahiwal Friesian cross heifer from a large-scale dairy farm in Malaysia was kept for observation until parturition at the Veterinary Research Institute, Ipoh. The heifer gave birth to a female calf that was weak, underweight and unable to rise. Precolostral serum from the calf had an N. caninum indirect fluorescent antibody test titre of 1:3200. It died 12 h after birth and necropsy was performed. Brain homogenate from the calf was inoculated into 10 BALB/c mice that were kept for 3 months after which brain tissue from the mice was inoculated onto 24 h fresh monolayer Vero cell lines. The cell cultures were examined daily until growth of intracellular protozoa was observed. DNA of the organisms from the cell cultures was analyzed by PCR and DNA sequencing. DNA fragments of the expected size were amplified from the isolate using N. caninum-specific primers, and sequence analysis of ITS1 clearly identified the isolate as N. caninum. This is the first successful isolation of N. caninum from a bovine in Malaysia, and the isolate is designated Nc-MalB1.
  18. Fulltext Group B streptococcal bacteremia in a major teaching hospital in Malaysia: a case series of eighteen patients
    Eskandarian N, Neela V, Ismail Z, Puzi SM, Hamat RA, Desa MN, et al.
    Int J Infect Dis, 2013 Sep;17(9):e777-80.
    PMID: 23453715 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2013.01.011
    Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a leading cause of infections such as meningitis and septicemia in neonates and pregnant women; however the significance of invasive GBS disease has not been clearly defined in non-pregnant adults.
  19. Fulltext Real space flight travel is associated with ultrastructural changes, cytoskeletal disruption and premature senescence of HUVEC
    Kapitonova MY, Muid S, Froemming GR, Yusoff WN, Othman S, Ali AM, et al.
    Malays J Pathol, 2012 Dec;34(2):103-13.
    PMID: 23424772 MyJurnal
    Microgravity, hypergravity, vibration, ionizing radiation and temperature fluctuations are major factors of outer space flight affecting human organs and tissues. There are several reports on the effect of space flight on different human cell types of mesenchymal origin while information regarding changes to vascular endothelial cells is scarce. Ultrastructural and cytophysiological features of macrovascular endothelial cells in outer space flight and their persistence during subsequent culturing were demonstrated in the present investigation. At the end of the space flight, endothelial cells displayed profound changes indicating cytoskeletal lesions and increased cell membrane permeability. Readapted cells of subsequent passages exhibited persisting cytoskeletal changes, decreased metabolism and cell growth indicating cellular senescence.
  20. Genetic variation among methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates from cancer patients in Saudi Arabia
    Alreshidi MA, Alsalamah AA, Hamat RA, Neela V, Alshrari AS, Atshan SS, et al.
    Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis, 2013 Jun;32(6):755-61.
    PMID: 23318757 DOI: 10.1007/s10096-012-1801-9
    One hundred and twenty methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolated from cancer and non-cancer patients in Saudi Arabia were investigated for antibiotic resistance, virulence determinants and genotypes. The majority of MRSA isolates from cancer (n = 44, 73.3 %) and non-cancer patients (n = 34, 56.7 %) were multi-resistant to more than four classes of antibiotics. Virulence gene profiling showed that all strains were commonly positive for adhesin genes, except ebps and bbp genes, which were not detected in any isolate. Although the presence of adhesin genes varied slightly among MRSA isolates from cancer and non-cancer patients, these variations were not found to be statistically significant. In contrast, the presence of the toxin genes seb, sec, seg and sei was significantly elevated in MRSA strains isolated from cancer patients. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) detected six and nine sequence types (STs) among isolates from cancer and non-cancer patients, respectively. Using spa typing, 12 and 25 types were detected, including four new types. The ability of different MRSA clones to become multi-resistant and their ability to acquire different virulence factors may contribute to their success as pathogens in individual groups of patients.
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