Displaying publications 2321 - 2340 of 6724 in total

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  1. Hamad Alfarisi, Hamad Abdulsalam, Nuraniza Azahari, Muhammad Ibrahim, Mohamed, Zenab Hamad, Asmah Hanim Hamdan, Che Anuar Che Mohamad
    MyJurnal
    Introduction: Hypercholesterolemia has been proven as a main pathogenic trigger for pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis characterised by chronic inflammatory process and increased expression of inflammatory markers. In this study; Trihoney (a combination of three types of natural honey namely: Trigona, mellifera, and Dorsata)
    was investigated for its anti-inflammatory effect in hypercholesterolemic atherosclerotic rabbits. Methods: Thirty
    male New Zealand white rabbits (NZW) were grouped into: normal diet (C), normal diet with 0.6g/kg/day of Trihoney (C+H), 1% cholesterol diet (HCD), 1% cholesterol diet with 0.6g/kg/day of Trihoney (HCD+H), and 1%
    cholesterol diet with 2mg/kg/day of atorvastatin (HCD+At.). After 12 weeks of starting the experiment, animals were
    sacrificed and serum analysed for homocysteine and pro-atherogenic inflammatory markers such as: interleukin-1β
    (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). Fasting serum glucose was analysed to assess glycaemic status. Results: Trihoney treated group showed significantly lower (p
  2. Noor Annisa Darman, Muhammad Adib Abd Wahab, Wan Nur Illyana Wan Yusoff, Sasikala Siva, Xiao Hui Sem, Jessica Markby
    MyJurnal
    Introduction:Despite significant advancements in testing technologies and treatment, 80% of 80 million chronically hepatitis C virus (HCV) infected people remain undiagnosed. FIND in collaboration with Ministries of Health and local partners, initiated seven Unitaid funded Hepatitis C Elimination through Access to Diagnostics (HEAD-Start) projects in four countries (Georgia, India, Malaysia and Myanmar) to demonstrate innovative models of HCV care to inform programme scale-up nationally and globally. Here, we describe preliminary findings for patient retention in the HCV cascade for each project. Methods: Target populations and settings include people who inject drugs (PWID) in harm reduction sites (Manipur, Georgia, Myanmar), high risk patients in primary health care facilities (Malaysia), general population in polyclinics and district hospitals (Delhi) and people living with HIV (PLHIV) in antiretroviral therapy (ART) clinics (Punjab). All projects employ rapid diagnostic tests for HCV screening. HCV seropositive patients received confirmatory testing either on site (Georgia, Myanmar) or via centralized laboratory (Malaysia, Georgia, Delhi) or testing hubs (Punjab, Manipur). Results: In Malaysia, 4,613 patients were screened - 23% (1,042) are HCV seropositive, 57% (594) received RNA confirmatory testing and 11% (54) confirmed RNA-positive initiated treatment. In Delhi, 17,101 patients were screened – 2% (355) are seropositive, 92% (326) received confirmatory testing and 70% (180) initiated treatment. In Punjab, 17,507 patients were screened – 19% (3,368) are seroposi-tive, 94% (3,165) received confirmatory testing and 31% (828) initiated treatment. In Manipur, 3,845 patients were screened - 56% (2,180) are seropositive, 73% (1,591) received confirmatory testing and 67% (823) initiated treat-ment. In Myanmar, 199 patients were screened – 96% (191) are seropositive, 100% received confirmatory testing and 86% (151) initiated treatment. In Georgia (Arm 1) - 100% (619) received confirmatory testing and 76% (389) initiated treatment. Conclusion: The fully decentralised HCV testing model demonstrated higher numbers of patients progressing to each step in the care cascade.
  3. Siew, Caroline Yin Eng, Vijayakulasingam, Thalitha, Hong, Boon Ng, Maryam Jamilah Surdi Roslan, Muhammad Zamakhshari Zainal Abidin, Lee, Ming Lee
    MyJurnal
    Background:Recent retrospective studies suggest irrelevance of urine screening for neonate with prolonged jaundice. We re-evaluated the incidence of urinary tract infection (UTI) among these infants, their renal outcome and evaluated the cost incurred. Methods: This is a prospective cohort study. Asymptomatic, prolonged jaundiced infants with unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia were screened for evidence of UTI as per local guidelines. Infants with pyuria would have urine sent for culture and sensitivity. Unit cost was referenced from hospital purchase. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 24.0. Results:A total of 291 cases were analyzed. Majority were term infants (93.8%). The commonest cause of prolonged jaundice was breast milk jaundice, hence an incidence rate of 0.34%. Only one infant persistently showed single uropathogen on urinary culture with concurrent pyuria. Urinary structures were normal on ultrasonography and there was no evidence of renal cortical scarring. No recurrence of UTI documented in the first year of life. Each “clean-catch” urinalysis costed RM7. This unit cost escalated to RM37 for catheterized sample. A negative urine culture costed RM28 while a positive culture twice this price. The average cost effectiveness ratio (ACER) in this study was RM5856.56 per detection of case. Conclusion: Incidence of UTI is low. In our study, an undesirable outcome is negligible. Unnecessary parental anxiety from the potentially laborious procedure could be avoided. This study refutes previous literature to include such screening in prolonged jaundice as this may well be irrelevant.
  4. Muhammad Yusoff Mohd Ramdzan, Jamil Aiman Mohd Baharuddin, Nordiyana Azmi, Noraida Ramli, Nor Rosidah Ibrahim, Rostenberghe, Hans Van
    MyJurnal
    Neonatal mastitis and abscess are rare and most often unilateral. Neonatal breast massage for physiological breast hypertrophy is suspected to be a predisposing factor in the case reported here: a 14-day-old neonate with bilateral neonatal breast abscess, treated effectively with intravenous cloxacillin and surgical aspiration.
  5. Zainah, M., Muhammad Nur Akmal, A., Nor Syazwani, A.A., Sim, T.S., Nur Erietika, A., Wan Norshafika, W.M.Z.
    Medicine & Health, 2019;14(2):154-167.
    MyJurnal
    Each human being exhibits their own personality traits and each aspect of stress and coping is essential and related. The relationship between the big five personality traits, coping mechanisms and stress level among final year medical students of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) was investigated in this study. In this cross-sectional study, 152 final year medical students batch 2017/2018, were randomly selected, excluding those who had chronic diseases, married and repeated final year. The questionnaires used were Big Five Personality Inventory and 12-Item General Health Questionnaire. An open-ended question was used to determine how the respondents cope with their stress. Data was analyzed using SPSS 20.0. Agreeableness was the most common personality trait portrayed among the students, whereas Openness to Experience appeared to be the least. The relationship between the Big Five Personality Traits and coping mechanisms (p=0.016; p
  6. Butt ARS, Abbasi MA, Aziz-Ur-Rehman, Siddiqui SZ, Raza H, Hassan M, et al.
    Bioorg Chem, 2019 05;86:459-472.
    PMID: 30772647 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2019.01.036
    The present research was designed for the selective synthesis of novel bi-heterocyclic acetamides, 9a-n, and their tyrosinase inhibition to overwhelm the problem of melanogenesis. The structures of newly synthesized compounds were confirmed by spectral techniques such as 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and EI-MS along with elemental analysis. The inhibitory effects of these bi-heterocyclic acetamides (9a-n) were evaluated against tyrosinase and all these molecules were recognized as potent inhibitors relative to the standard used. The Kinetics mechanism was analyzed by Lineweaver-Burk plots which explored that compound, 9h, inhibited tyrosinase competitively by forming an enzyme-inhibitor complex. The inhibition constants Ki calculated from Dixon plots for this compound was 0.0027 µM. The computational study was coherent with the experimental records and these ligands exhibited good binding energy values (kcal/mol). The hemolytic analysis revealed their mild cytotoxicity towards red blood cell membranes and hence, these molecules can be pondered as nontoxic medicinal scaffolds for skin pigmentation and related disorders.
  7. Ahmad U, Sohail M, Ahmad M, Minhas MU, Khan S, Hussain Z, et al.
    Int J Biol Macromol, 2019 May 15;129:233-245.
    PMID: 30738157 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2019.02.031
    Oral drug delivery is natural, most acceptable and desirable route for nearly all drugs, but many drugs like NSAIDs when delivered by this route cause gastrointestinal irritation, gastric bleeding, ulcers, and many undesirable effects which limits their usage by oral delivery. Moreover, it is almost impossible to control the release of a drug in a targeted location in body. We developed thermo-responsive chitosan-co-poly(N-isopropyl-acrylamide) injectable hydrogel as an alternative for the gastro-protective and controlled delivery of loxoprofen sodium as a model drug. A free radical polymerization technique was used to synthesize thermo-responsive hydrogel by cross-linking chitosan HCl with NIPAAM using glutaraldehyde as cross-linker. Confirmation of crosslinked hydrogel structure was done by Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR). The thermal stability of hydrogel was confirmed through thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was performed to evaluate the structural morphology of cross-linked hydrogel. To evaluate the rheological behavior of hydrogel with increasing temperature, rheological study was performed. Swelling and in vitro drug release studies were carried out under various temperature and pH conditions. The swelling study revealed that maximum swelling was observed at low pH (pH 1.2) and low temperature (25 °C) compared to the high range of pH and temperature and it resulted in quick release of the drug. The high range of pH (7.4) and temperature (37 °C) however caused controlled release of the drug. The in vivo evaluation of the developed hydrogel in rabbits demonstrated the controlled release behavior of fabricated system.
  8. Venkatason P, Zubairi YZ, Wan Ahmad WA, Hafidz MI, Ismail MD, Hadi MF, et al.
    BMJ Open, 2019 05 05;9(5):e025734.
    PMID: 31061031 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-025734
    OBJECTIVES: Cardiogenic shock (CS) complicating ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) carries an extremely high mortality. The clinical pattern of this life threatening complication has never been described in Malaysian setting. This study is to investigate the incidence, clinical characteristics and outcome of STEMI patients with CS in our population.

    DESIGN: A retrospective analysis of STEMI patients from 18 hospitals across Malaysia contributing to the Malaysian National Cardiovascular Database-acute coronary syndrome) registry (NCVD-ACS) year 2006-2013.

    PARTICIPANTS: 16 517 patients diagnosed of STEMI from 18 hospitals in Malaysia from the year 2006 to 2013.

    PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: In-hospital and 30 day post-discharge mortality.

    RESULTS: CS complicates 10.6% of all STEMIs in this study. They had unfavourable premorbid conditions and poor outcomes. The in-hospital mortality rate was 34.1% which translates into a 7.14 times mortality risk increment compared with STEMI without CS. Intravenous thrombolysis remained as the main urgent reperfusion modality. Percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) in CS conferred a 40% risk reduction over non-invasive therapy but were only done in 33.6% of cases. Age over 65, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, chronic lung and kidney disease conferred higher risk of mortality.

    CONCLUSION: Mortality rates of CS complicating STEMI in Malaysia are high. In-hospital PCI confers a 40% mortality risk reduction but the rate of PCI among our patients with CS complicating STEMI is still low. Efforts are being made to increase access to invasive therapy for these patients.

  9. Mohammad Fauzan Zainudin, Ummu Afifah Fadzir, Athirah Rosdi, Muhammad Farid Johan, Ridzwan Hashim, Ridhwan Abdul Wahab, et al.
    MyJurnal
    Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common leukemia subtypes among paediatrics in Malaysia. Although treatment options are available but some patients remain incurable, some undergo relapse and many experiences adverse effects by the conventional therapies. Thus, we aim to investigate possible treatment alternative by studying the antileukemogenesis properties of concentrated Nypa fruticans sap called nisaan by focusing on adiponectin expression.
    Our study model was CCRF-CEM, an acute lymphoblastic leukemia cell lines. The cells were treated with nisaan at a range of concentration and treated for 24, 48 and 72 hours followed by determination of the leukemic cells viability using tryphan blue method. Effective nisaan concentrations that significantly reduced the cells viability were again treated to the cells followed by determination of the cell proliferation using BrdU colorimetric kit and adiponectin level using adiponectin ELISA kit.
    The results showed that, increase concentration of nisaan treatment reduced the cells viability and cells proliferation and enhance the adiponectin level in the leukemic cells.
    This preliminary data suggest that Nypa fruticans might has the antileukemogenesis effect on acute lymphoblastic cells by regulating the adiponectin expression.
  10. Norazlina, M., Siti Mariam, B., Mohamad-Sharif, M.A., Norain, M.M., Muhammad-Adam, A.C., Hazlinda, M., et al.
    Medicine & Health, 2019;14(2):109-120.
    MyJurnal
    Pharmacology teaching during preclinical years is important for medical students to make rational choices in choosing suitable treatment for patients in future. Therefore, the present study determined the adequacy and effectiveness of pharmacology teaching in the undergraduate medical program at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Center (UKMMC). Suggestions for improvement of the curriculum were also identified. An online questionnaire on the perceptions of pharmacology teaching methodology was distributed to a total of 459 medical students in 4th and 5th year at UKMMC. The questionnaire covered demographics, perceptions about pharmacology teaching, the ideal teaching learning methodology for learning pharmacology, pharmacology topics which are useful for future clinical practice, the pharmacology topic which was most interesting and recommendations for improvement. The response rate was 46.4% and majority of the participants were females (65.7%). Most of the students agreed that interactive learning was more helpful than didactic lectures (88.0%). Seventy percent of the students reported that pharmacology lectures in the preclinical years were helpful during the clinical years. Percentage of students who agreed that pharmacology teaching in their preclinical was adequate for their clinical practice was 47.0%. There was no association between demographic variables (gender, race, year of study and medical family background) and interest in pharmacology (p>0.05). In conclusion, the pharmacology teaching during preclinical years was perceived to be effective and useful for students’ clinical practice. More pharmacology teaching sessions in clinical years was suggested which may improve adequacy of pharmacology teaching.
  11. Hassan MNFB, Yazid MD, Yunus MHM, Chowdhury SR, Lokanathan Y, Idrus RBH, et al.
    Stem Cells Int, 2020;2020:9529465.
    PMID: 32733574 DOI: 10.1155/2020/9529465
    Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent stem cells with strong immunosuppressive property that renders them an attractive source of cells for cell therapy. MSCs have been studied in multiple clinical trials to treat liver diseases, peripheral nerve damage, graft-versus-host disease, autoimmune diseases, diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular damage. Millions to hundred millions of MSCs are required per patient depending on the disease, route of administration, frequency of administration, and patient body weight. Multiple large-scale cell expansion strategies have been described in the literature to fetch the cell quantity required for the therapy. In this review, bioprocessing strategies for large-scale expansion of MSCs were systematically reviewed and discussed. The literature search in Medline and Scopus databases identified 26 articles that met the inclusion criteria and were included in this review. These articles described the large-scale expansion of 7 different sources of MSCs using 4 different bioprocessing strategies, i.e., bioreactor, spinner flask, roller bottle, and multilayered flask. The bioreactor, spinner flask, and multilayered flask were more commonly used to upscale the MSCs compared to the roller bottle. Generally, a higher expansion ratio was achieved with the bioreactor and multilayered flask. Importantly, regardless of the bioprocessing strategies, the expanded MSCs were able to maintain its phenotype and potency. In summary, the bioreactor, spinner flask, roller bottle, and multilayered flask can be used for large-scale expansion of MSCs without compromising the cell quality.
  12. Maher S, Choudhary MI, Saleem F, Rasheed S, Waheed I, Halim SA, et al.
    Biology (Basel), 2020 Jul 30;9(8).
    PMID: 32751610 DOI: 10.3390/biology9080197
    Withania coagulans (W. coagulans) is well-known in herbal medicinal systems for its high biological potential. Different parts of the plant are used against insomnia, liver complications, asthma, and biliousness, as well as it is reported to be sedative, emetic, diuretic, antidiabetic antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, hepatoprotective, antihyperglycemic, cardiovascular, immuno-suppressive and central nervous system depressant. Withanolides present in W. coagulans have attracted an immense interest in the scientific field due to their diverse therapeutic applications. The current study deals with chemical and biological evaluation of chloroform, and n-butanol fractions of W. coagulans. The activity-guided fractionation of both extracts via multiple chromatographic steps and structure elucidation of pure isolates using spectroscopies (NMR, mass spectrometry, FTIR and UV-Vis) led to the identification of a new withanolide glycoside, withacogulanoside-B (1) from n-butanol extract and five known withanolides from chloroform extract [withanolid J (2), coagulin E (3), withaperuvin C (4), 27-hydroxywithanolide I (5), and ajugin E (6)]. Among the tested compounds, compound 5 was the most potent α-glucosidase inhibitor with IC50 = 66.7 ± 3.6 µM, followed by compound 4 (IC50: 407 ± 4.5 µM) and compound 2 (IC50: 683 ± 0.94 µM), while no antiglycation activity was observed with the six isolated compounds. Molecular docking was used to predict the binding potential and binding site interactions of these compounds as α-glucosidase inhibitors. Consequently, this study provides basis to discover specific antidiabetic compounds from W. coagulans.
  13. Siti Munirah Abdul Basir, Muhammad Safwan Abdul Rahman, Wan Azdie Mohd Abu Bakar, Nor Azwani Mohd Shukri
    MyJurnal
    Traditional postpartum practices generally involve food proscriptions and prescriptions. Certain foods are prohibited due to their properties such as “windy”, “cold” and “hot”. As lactating mother needs higher energy and protein intake, this practice may impact their ability to meet their nutritional requirements. Consequently, their health may not be fully restored, wound healing would be slowed, and lactation success may be interfered. This study was conducted in Kuantan, Pahang, to investigate Malay mothers’ perception on confinement dietary practices during postpartum period. A total of 80 respondents aged between 23-43 years old were interviewed using a questionnaire which consisted of an extensive list of food items. It was found that 100% of respondents mentioned that they do observe the traditional postpartum practices after childbirth with most of them (63.0%) chose to confine for up to 44 days. Flavored rice, roti canai and various types of noodle were generally avoided during postpartum period due to their ‘oily/fatty’ property. Tubers, and most fruits and vegetables were also avoided due to their ‘cold’ property. Moreover, the famous ‘reason’ for exclusion of fish was ‘bisa’ and ‘causing itchiness’ for seafood. Milk and dairy products were included in majority of respondents’ diet. Out of 80, 43 (53.8%) respondents avoided soy sauce because it was believed to give negative effect on wound healing. Other than
    that, iced drink, tea and sugarcane drink were avoided due to their ‘cold’ and ‘sharp/sour’ properties. In addition, statistical tests of all food items show that there is no difference in terms of level of acceptance for each food between women delivered via normal delivery or caesarean section. It is concluded that postpartum food taboo beliefs are still prevalent among Malay women. Extensive food prohibition and restriction causes limited food choices which may affect mothers’ nutritional intake. Thus, a more balanced diet should be recommended for Malay mothers during postpartum period to ensure adequate nutrient intake, as much as culturally acceptable.
  14. Muhammad Nur Amir Azman, Yusilawati Ahmad Nor, Nur Husna Samsudin, Ma’an Fahmi Rashid Alkhatib, Yeow, Tshai Kim
    MyJurnal
    Carbon nanoparticles have been widely used in various applications. However, they are commonly known to have low dispersibility and chemical inertness which limit their practical ability in medical or biological area. Some studies have been performed to modify carbon nanoparticles such as carbon nanotubes using ultraviolet (UV)-Ozone system. However, little is known on the effects of such system towards other types of carbon nanoparticles such as mesoporous hollow carbon nanoparticles (MHCNs). Thus, in this study, improvement of MHCNs physiochemical properties have been studied using UV-Ozone treatment for the first time. The treatment was conducted in water as dispersant agent at ozone flowrate of 1.0 L/min and exposure time of 45 min. SEM images observed that MHCNs morphology and surface structure remain intact after the treatment. Observations on the dispersibility of MHCNs in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) solution shows that the dispersibility was improved compared to the untreated ones. This was supported by the low Z-average and PDI values of treated MHCNs obtained at ~400 nm and 0.2, respectively when compared to the untreated MHCNs which was obtained at 970 nm and 0.417, respectively. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed an increased in weight loss of treated MHCNs at the lower temperature compared to untreated MHCNs. Results from Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) showed an increase number of new functional groups that includes carboxylic acid group presence at the surface of treated MHCNs which contributes to the improvement of their dispersibility, thermal properties and chemical functionality. These findings opened a new possibility of using UV-Ozone treatment to improve physicochemical properties of MHCNs for medical area such as in drug delivery application in addition to their excellent storage and carrier system.
  15. Anwar F, Saleem U, Ahmad B, Ashraf M, Rehman AU, Froeyen M, et al.
    Comput Biol Chem, 2020 Dec;89:107378.
    PMID: 33002716 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2020.107378
    Neurodegenerative diseases have complex etiology and pose a challenge to scientists to develop simple and cost-effective synthetic compounds as potential drug candidates for such diseases. Here, we report an extension of our previously published in silico screening, where we selected four new compounds as AChE inhibitors. Further, based on favorable binding possess, MD simulation and MMGBSA, two most promising compounds (3a and 3b) were selected, keeping in view the ease of synthesis and cost-effectiveness. Due to the critical role of BChE, LOX and α-glucosidase in neurodegeneration, the selected compounds were also screened against these enzymes. The IC50 values of 3a against AChE and BChE found to be 12.53 and 352.42 μM, respectively. Moderate to slight inhibitions of 45.26 % and 28.68 % were presented by 3a against LOX and α-glucosidase, respectively, at 0.5 mM. Insignificant inhibitions were observed with 3b against the four selected enzymes. Further, in vivo trial demonstrated that 3a could significantly diminish AChE levels in the mice brain as compared to the control. These findings were in agreement with the histopathological analysis of the brain tissues. The results corroborate that selected compounds could serve as a potential lead for further development and optimization as AChE inhibitors to achieve cost-effective anti-Alzheimer's drugs.
  16. Mohd Shaiful Nizam Mamat Nasir, Bathma Dhevi Susibalan, Muhammad Nasri Abu Bakar, Suhaimi Yusof, Arfahiza Selimin, Kahairi Abdullah, et al.
    MyJurnal
    Primary thyroid lymphoma is a relatively uncommon pathology of the thyroid gland that mainly occurs in elderly females. We describe a rare case of B-cell thyroid lymphoma in a young healthy male. It is an important diagnosis to be considered in patients presenting with a rapidly enlarging neck mass as its management is different from other differentiated thyroid carcinoma which require total thyroidectomy plus adjuvant radioactive iodine ablation. Our report emphasizes the need for clinical awareness leading to early detection, followed by early multidisciplinary management.
  17. Masri A, Khan NA, Zoqratt MZHM, Ayub Q, Anwar A, Rao K, et al.
    BMC Microbiol, 2021 Feb 17;21(1):51.
    PMID: 33596837 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-021-02097-2
    BACKGROUNDS: Escherichia coli K1 causes neonatal meningitis. Transcriptome studies are indispensable to comprehend the pathology and biology of these bacteria. Recently, we showed that nanoparticles loaded with Hesperidin are potential novel antibacterial agents against E. coli K1. Here, bacteria were treated with and without Hesperidin conjugated with silver nanoparticles, and silver alone, and 50% minimum inhibitory concentration was determined. Differential gene expression analysis using RNA-seq, was performed using Degust software and a set of genes involved in cell stress response and metabolism were selected for the study.

    RESULTS: 50% minimum inhibitory concentration with silver-conjugated Hesperidin was achieved with 0.5 μg/ml of Hesperidin conjugated with silver nanoparticles at 1 h. Differential genetic analysis revealed the expression of 122 genes (≥ 2-log FC, P

  18. Hayat K, Arshed M, Fiaz I, Afreen U, Khan FU, Khan TA, et al.
    Front Public Health, 2021;9:603602.
    PMID: 33981657 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.603602
    Background: The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly increased the rate of mortality and morbidity worldwide due to its rapid transmission rate. The mental health status of individuals could have a negative impact attributed to this global situation. Therefore, this study was intended to explore the symptoms of depression and anxiety among healthcare workers (HCWs) of Pakistan during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was undertaken by administering a web-based questionnaire between May and June 2020. Two tools, including the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), were employed to measure anxiety and depression symptoms among HCWs. The data analyses were carried out using descriptive statistics, Man Whitney, and Kruskal Wallis tests. Results: Of 1094 HCWs who participated in this online survey, 742 (67.8%) were physicians, followed by nurses (n = 277, 25.3%) and pharmacists (n = 75, 6.9%). The survey respondents had a median depression and anxiety score of 5.00 (7.00-3.00) and 8.00 (11.00-5.00), respectively. A considerable number of HCWs (82.2%) utilized online psychological resources to deal with their psychological distress. Female HCWs, nurses, frontline HCWs, and HCWs aged 30-49 years were more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety (p < 0.05). Conclusion: During the recent ongoing pandemic of COVID-19, there is a mild level of symptoms of depression and anxiety among HCWs. Our findings call for urgent psychological interventions for vulnerable groups of Pakistani HCWs.
  19. YIP TAIM HING, TAN EVONNE, POONG JUN HAN, TEE LIAN SHENG, MUHAMMAD HASBI RAMLI, ONG MENG CHUAN, et al.
    MyJurnal
    The distribution of heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb) in surface sediments was examined in waters off the coast of Marang, Terengganu. A total of 20 samples were collected using Ponar grab and analysed by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer after closed digestion with acid. The sediments were filtered using a dry sieving method to determine their particle size. The spatial distribution maps on the concentration of selected metals were drawn using the ArcGIS software. Results showed that the average concentration of Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb were 2.33±0.38 µg/g dry weight, 28.4±3.78 µg/g dry weight, 0.09±0.01 µg/g dry weight and 8.35±1.48 µg/g dry weight, respectively. The level of pollution was also evaluated using the Index of Geoaccumulation (Igeo) and Pollution Load Index (PLI). All Igeo and PLI values obtained were low, which indicated low or no pollution. Meanwhile, the sediment mean size ranged between -0.77Ø and 3.18Ø, which characterised a sandy type of sediment. Correlation analysis showed a positive correlation between the heavy metals and sediment size. The results indicated that there was a common source of heavy metal pollution in the study area, possibly from shipping activities. Overall, there was no significant heavy metal pollution in the waters off Marang. This finding is important as the data could be used to evaluate the risk of metal contamination and the impact of anthropogenic activities on the marine environment.
  20. Muhammad Aa’zamuddin Ahmad Radzi, Majdah Zawawi, Munirah Sha’ban, Nur Syamimi Mohd. Azharuddin, Azran Azhim, Abdurezak Abdulahi Hashi
    MyJurnal
    Presently, there is no specific federal legislation governing articular cartilage tissue engineering (ACTE) experimenta- tion practices in Malaysia. However, there are related regulations and guidelines provided by government agencies to oversee and guide such practices. The rules and regulations provided in the documents have the essential aim of safeguarding public health through ensuring that non-clinical studies reach a certain quality, efficient and safe for hu- man use. There are themes identified when scrutinising relevant documents which includes, the need for authorised personnel and the establishment of facilities in conducting such experiments, the aspect of cell-scaffold construct development, the use of human materials, the aspect of biosafety, animal care and use during the experiments, and considerations on the impact on the environment. The individual laboratory or facility shall adopt and adapt these standards as deemed appropriate by the ACTE researchers to ensure that non-clinical studies are conducted in a proper and ethical manner.
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