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Fulltext Underwater image quality enhancement through composition of dual-intensity images and Rayleigh-stretching

Abdul Ghani AS, Mat Isa NA

Springerplus, 2014;3:757.
PMID: 25674483 DOI: 10.1186/2193-1801-3-757

The quality of underwater image is poor due to the properties of water and its impurities. The properties of water cause attenuation of light travels through the water medium, resulting in low contrast, blur, inhomogeneous lighting, and color diminishing of the underwater images. This paper proposes a method of enhancing the quality of underwater image. The proposed method consists of two stages. At the first stage, the contrast correction technique is applied to the image, where the image is applied with the modified Von Kries hypothesis and stretching the image into two different intensity images at the average value with respects to Rayleigh distribution. At the second stage, the color correction technique is applied to the image where the image is first converted into hue-saturation-value (HSV) color model. The modification of the color component increases the image color performance. Qualitative and quantitative analyses indicate that the proposed method outperforms other state-of-the-art methods in terms of contrast, details, and noise reduction.
Fulltext Hepatitis C and kidney disease: An overview and approach to management

Azmi AN, Tan SS, Mohamed R

World J Hepatol, 2015 Jan 27;7(1):78-92.
PMID: 25624999 DOI: 10.4254/wjh.v7.i1.78

Hepatitis C infection and chronic kidney disease are major health burden worldwide. Hepatitis C infection is associated with a wide range of extra-hepatic manifestations in various organs including the kidneys. A strong association between hepatitis C and chronic kidney disease has come to light. Hemodialysis in supporting the end stage renal disease patients unfortunately carries a risk for hepatitis C infection. Despite much improvement in the care of this group of patients, the prevalence of hepatitis C infection in hemodialysis patients is still higher than the general population. Hepatitis C infection has a negative effect on the survival of hemodialysis and renal transplant patients. Treatment of hepatitis C in end stage renal disease patients using conventional or pegylated interferon with or without ribavirin remains a clinical challenge with low response rate, high dropout rate due to poor tolerability and many unmet needs. The approval of new direct acting antiviral agents for hepatitis C may dramatically change the treatment approach in hepatitis C infected patients with mild to moderate renal impairment. However it remains to be confirmed if the newer Hepatitis C therapies are safe in individuals with severe renal impairment. This review article discusses the relationship between hepatitis C and chronic kidney disease, describe the various types of renal diseases associated with hepatitis C and the newer as well as the existing treatments for hepatitis C in the context of this subpopulation of hepatitis C patients.
Total anti-oxidant capacity, flavonoid, phenolic acid and polyphenol content in ten selected species of Zingiberaceae rhizomes

Alafiatayo AA, Syahida A, Mahmood M

Afr J Tradit Complement Altern Med, 2014;11(3):7-13.
PMID: 25371557

BACKGROUND: Natural products such as herbs, fruits, spices, beverages, vegetables are becoming more popular among scientific community and consumers because of their potential to arrest the effect of free radicals in human system. This study determined the total antioxidant capacity of ten selected species of Zingiberaceae (Ginger) used as spices and for medicinal purposes in Southeast Asia.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Methanol was used as the extraction solvent, 2,2 - diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazil (DPPH) for free radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. Phenolic compounds were measured using Total flavonoid, Phenolic acid and Polyphenols content assay to evaluate the quality of the antioxidant capacity of the rhizomes and vitamin C as positive control.
RESULTS: The results obtained revealed that Curcuma longa and Zingiber officinale had the highest free radical scavenging capacity of 270.07mg/TE/g DW and 266.95mg/TE/g DW and FRAP assay, Curcuma longa and Zingiber officinale also gave the highest ferric reducing power of 231.73mg/TE/g DW and 176.26mg/TE/g DW respectively. For Phenolic compounds, Curcuma longa and Curcuma xanthorrhiza gave the highest values of flavonoid (741.36mg/NGN/g DW and 220.53mg/NGN/g DW), phenolic acid (42.71mg/GAE/g DW and 22.03mg/GAE/g DW) and polyphenols (39.38mg/GAE/g DW and 38.01mg/GAE/g DW) respectively. Significant and positive linear correlations were found between Total antioxidant capacity and Phenolic compounds (R = 0.65 - 0.96).
CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence that extracts of Zingiberaceae (Ginger) rhizomes are a potential source of natural antioxidants and could serve as basis for future drugs and food supplements.
Similarities and differences in cultural values between Iranian and Malaysian nursing students

Abdollahimohammad A, Jaafar R, Rahim AF

Iran J Nurs Midwifery Res, 2014 Sep;19(5):542-4.
PMID: 25400685

Cultural values are invisible and relatively constant in societies. The purpose of the present study is to find diversities in cultural values of Iranian and Malaysian nursing students.
Glycaemic control and quality of life among ethnically diverse Malaysian diabetic patients

Daher AM, AlMashoor SA, Winn T

Qual Life Res, 2015 Apr;24(4):951-8.
PMID: 25352036 DOI: 10.1007/s11136-014-0830-5

PURPOSE: To assess the relationship between glycaemic control and quality of life (QoL) among a sample of Malaysians with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

METHODS: This study is a cross-sectional hospital-based study involving 256 patients from three major ethnic groups in Malaysia. Data about QoL were collected with the 18-item Audit of Diabetes Dependent QoL questionnaire. Other data about putative predictors of QoL including personal characteristics and disease-related factors were also collected. Hierarchical multiple linear regression was used to determine factors associated with QoL and to control for confounding variables.

RESULTS: The mean age of participants was 56.79 years. Participants were mostly women, employed and married and had attained secondary education. More than a third of the patients had a disease duration of more than 10 years, and about two-thirds had HbA1c ≥ 6.5 %. Those with desired glycaemic control had poorer QoL than those with less than desired glycaemic control moderated by the use of insulin. Hierarchical multiple linear regression showed that desired glycaemic control (HbA1c), diabetes worry, use of insulin, more than 10 years' duration of diabetes, neuropathy and retinopathy were associated with poor QoL, whereas being satisfied with waiting time for consultation was associated with better QoL.

CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study show that diabetes was associated with negative impact on quality of life. The use of insulin to achieve desired glycaemic control was particularly associated with negative impact on QoL.
Fulltext Analysis of motorcyclist riding behaviour on speed table

Yuen CW, Karim MR, Saifizul A

ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:236396.
PMID: 24991638 DOI: 10.1155/2014/236396

This paper focuses on the study of the change of various types of riding behaviour, such as speed, brake force, and throttle force applied, when they ride across the speed table. An instrumented motorcycle equipped with various types of sensor, on-board camera, and data logger was used in acquiring the traffic data in the research. Riders were instructed to ride across two speed tables and the riding data were then analyzed to study the behaviour change from different riders. The results from statistical analysis showed that the riding characteristics such as speed, brake force, and throttle force applied are influenced by distance from hump, riding experience, and travel mileage of riders. Riders tend to apply higher brake intensity at distance point 50 m before the speed table and release the braking at point -10 m after the hump. In short, speed table has different rates of influence towards riding behaviour on different factors, such as distance from hump and different riders' attributes.
Fulltext Proliferation of keratinocytes induced by adipose-derived stem cells on a chitosan scaffold and its role in wound healing, a review

Gomathysankar S, Halim AS, Yaacob NS

Arch Plast Surg, 2014 Sep;41(5):452-7.
PMID: 25276634 DOI: 10.5999/aps.2014.41.5.452

In the field of tissue engineering and reconstruction, the development of efficient biomaterial is in high demand to achieve uncomplicated wound healing. Chronic wounds and excessive scarring are the major complications of tissue repair and, as this inadequate healing continues to increase, novel therapies and treatments for dysfunctional skin repair and reconstruction are important. This paper reviews the various aspects of the complications related to wound healing and focuses on chitosan because of its unique function in accelerating wound healing. The proliferation of keratinocytes is essential for wound closure, and adipose-derived stem cells play a significant role in wound healing. Thus, chitosan in combination with keratinocytes and adipose-derived stem cells may act as a vehicle for delivering cells, which would increase the proliferation of keratinocytes and help complete recovery from injuries.
Depression and psychosocial correlates of liver transplant candidates: a systematic review

Mohamed S, Sabki ZA, Zainal NZ

Asia Pac Psychiatry, 2014 Dec;6(4):447-53.
PMID: 25132651 DOI: 10.1111/appy.12145

Liver transplant candidates are vulnerable to develop depression. This paper aims to ascertain the prevalence of depression in liver transplant candidates and its psychosocial factors in a systematic review.
Fulltext Local convexity-preserving C2 rational cubic spline for convex data

Abbas M, Abd Majid A, Ali JM

ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:391568.
PMID: 24757421 DOI: 10.1155/2014/391568

We present the smooth and visually pleasant display of 2D data when it is convex, which is contribution towards the improvements over existing methods. This improvement can be used to get the more accurate results. An attempt has been made in order to develop the local convexity-preserving interpolant for convex data using C(2) rational cubic spline. It involves three families of shape parameters in its representation. Data dependent sufficient constraints are imposed on single shape parameter to conserve the inherited shape feature of data. Remaining two of these shape parameters are used for the modification of convex curve to get a visually pleasing curve according to industrial demand. The scheme is tested through several numerical examples, showing that the scheme is local, computationally economical, and visually pleasing.
Correlation of MT levels in livers and gills with heavy metals in wild tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) from the Klang River, Malaysia

Naji A, Ismail A, Kamrani E, Sohrabi T

Bull Environ Contam Toxicol, 2014 Jun;92(6):674-9.
PMID: 24590446 DOI: 10.1007/s00128-014-1243-4

Metallothionein (MT) concentrations in gill and liver tissues of Oreochromis mossambicus were determined to assess biological response of fish to levels of some metals. Metal concentrations in gill and liver tissues of O. mossambicus ranged from 0.6 to 2.6 for Cd, 16 to 52 for Zn, 0.5 to 17 for Cu and 2 to 67 for T-Hg (all in μg/g wet weight, except for T-Hg in ng/g wet weight). Accumulation of Cd, Zn, Cu and Hg (μg/g wet weight) in the liver and gills of O. mossambicus were in the order of liver > gills. The concentrations of Cd, Zn, Cu and Hg in fish tissues were correlated with MT content. The increases in MT levels from the reference area Puchong Tengah compared to the polluted area Kampung Seri Kenangan were 3.4- and 3.8-fold for gills and livers, respectively. The results indicate that MT concentrations were tissue-specific, with the highest levels in the liver. Therefore, the liver can act as a tissue indicator in O. mossambicus in the study area.
Highly sensitive fluorescence optode based on polymer inclusion membranes for determination of Al(III) ions

Suah FB, Ahmad M, Heng LY

J Fluoresc, 2014 Jul;24(4):1235-43.
PMID: 24871034 DOI: 10.1007/s10895-014-1406-z

This paper reports the use of a polymer inclusion membranes (PIMs) for direct determination of Al(III) ions in natural water by using a fluorescence based optode. The best composition of the PIMs consisted of 60 wt.% (m/m) poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC) as the base polymer, 20 wt.% (m/m) triton X-100 as an extractant, 20 wt.% (m/m) dioctyl phthalate (DOP) as plasticizer and morin as the reagent, was used in this study. The inclusion of triton X-100 was used for enhancing the sorption of Al(III) ions from liquid phase into the membrane phase, thus increasing the optode fluorescence intensity. The optimized optode was characterized by a linear calibration curve in the range from 7.41 × 10(-7) to 1.00 × 10(-4) molL(-1) of Al(III), with a detection limit of 5.19 × 10(-7) molL(-1). The response of the optode was 4 min and reproducible results were obtained for eight different membranes demonstrated good membrane stability. The optode was applied to the determination of Al(III) in natural water samples. The result obtained is comparable to atomic absorption spectrometry method.
Effect of glyphosate-based herbicide on early life stages of Java medaka (Oryzias javanicus): a potential tropical test fish

Yusof S, Ismail A, Alias MS

Mar Pollut Bull, 2014 Aug 30;85(2):494-8.
PMID: 24731878 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.03.022

Glyphosate is globally a widely used herbicide, yet there is little information on their toxicity to marine fishes. Java medaka, a small tropical fish native to coastal areas in several Southeast Asian countries, is viewed as a suitable candidate for toxicity test and thus was used for this study. Java medaka adults were cultured in the laboratory and the fertilized eggs of the F2 generation were exposed to different concentrations of glyphosate-based herbicide (100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 ppm) until they hatched. The survival and hatching rates of the embryos, changes in the heart rate and morphological impairments were recorded. Generally, survival and hatching percentage decreased as glyphosate concentration increased. Absence of pectoral fin(s) and cornea, permanently bent tail, irregular shaped abdomen, and cell disruption in the fin, head and abdomen are among the common teratogenic effects observed. Furthermore, risk factor also increased with the increased in glyphosate concentrations.
Editorial: novel agents in the treatment of osteoporosis and its complications

Shuid AN, Soelaiman IN, Das S

Curr Drug Targets, 2013 Dec;14(13):1523.
PMID: 24266612
Fulltext Investigation on motorcyclist riding behaviour at curve entry using instrumented motorcycle

Yuen CW, Karim MR, Saifizul A

ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:968946.
PMID: 24523660 DOI: 10.1155/2014/968946

This paper details the study on the changes in riding behaviour, such as changes in speed as well as the brake force and throttle force applied, when motorcyclists ride over a curve section road using an instrumented motorcycle. In this study, an instrumented motorcycle equipped with various types of sensors, on-board cameras, and data loggers, was developed in order to collect the riding data on the study site. Results from the statistical analysis showed that riding characteristics, such as changes in speed, brake force, and throttle force applied, are influenced by the distance from the curve entry, riding experience, and travel mileage of the riders. A structural equation modeling was used to study the impact of these variables on the change of riding behaviour in curve entry section. Four regression equations are formed to study the relationship between four dependent variables, which are speed, throttle force, front brake force, and rear brake force applied with the independent variables.
First record of the tree-frog genus Chiromantis from Borneo with the description of a new species (Amphibia: Rhacophoridae)

Matsui M, Shimada T, Sudin A

Zoolog Sci, 2014 Jan;31(1):45-51.
PMID: 24410495 DOI: 10.2108/zsj.31.45

We record a tree frog of the genus Chiromantis for the first time from outside the Southeast Asian continent and describe it as a new species, Chiromantis inexpectatus. The new species from the Malaysian state of Sabah, Borneo, is a small-sized Chiromantis (male snout-vent length ca. 22 mm), and is distinguished from all other members of the genus by the combination of the following morphological characteristics: dark stripes absent, but dark spots present on dorsum; a dark-brown lateral band present from snout tip to half of body, bordered ventrally by white stripe; third and fourth fingers less than half webbed; third finger disk wider than tympanum diameter; and inner metatarsal tubercle present. Significance of findings of this species from Borneo Island, as well as phylogeny and breeding habit of the genus Chiromantis, are briefly discussed.
Novel agents in the treatment of osteoporosis

Shuid AN, Ima Nirwana S, Das S

Curr Drug Targets, 2013 Dec;14(14):1631.
PMID: 24383964
Beneficial effects of traditional Chinese medicine on the treatment of osteoporosis on ovariectomised rat models

Rufus P, Mohamed N, Shuid AN

Curr Drug Targets, 2013 Dec;14(14):1689-93.
PMID: 24354584

Osteoporosis is a metabolic bone disorder that affects both men and women worldwide. It causes low bone mass and therefore increases bone susceptibility to fracture when bone undergoes a minor trauma. Lack of estrogen is the principal cause of osteoporosis. Estrogen, calcium, calcitonin, vitamin D and several antioxidants help in the prevention of osteoporosis. In order to effectively treat osteoporosis, there has been an extended research on the biological activities of traditional medicines since synthetic medicines possess several side effects that reduce their efficacy. Therefore, there is a need to develop new treatment alternatives for osteoporosis. This review centres on the scientific researches carried out on the evaluation of Chinese traditional medicines in the treatment of osteoporosis. Various plants like Achyranthes bidentata, Davallia formosana, polygonatum sibiricum, Cibotium barometz, Er-Zhi-Wan, Curculigo orchioides and a combined treatment of Hachimi-jio-gan (Ba-Wei-Di-Huang-Wan) with alendronate proved active in preventing post-menopausal osteoporosis.
Osteoporotic fracture healing: potential use of medicinal plants from the tropics

Abdul Jalil MA, Shuid AN, Muhammad N

Curr Drug Targets, 2013 Dec;14(14):1651-8.
PMID: 24354586

With improvements in living standards and healthcare, life expectancy has been increasing dramatically in most parts of the world. These situations lead to the increase in the reported cases of geriatrics-related diseases such as hypogonadal osteoporosis with skeletal fracture being the ultimate outcome, which eventually causes significant morbidity and mortality. The deficient gonadal hormones, which are the main cause of hypogonadal osteoporosis, could be substituted with hormone replacement therapy to hinder bone loss. However, the artificial hormonal therapy has been linked to grievous conditions such as breast and prostate cancers. In view of the various adverse effects associated with conventional treatment, many researchers are now focusing on finding alternative remedies from nature. This article explores the possibilities of certain medicinal plants native to Malaysia that possess androgenic and antioxidant properties to potentially be used in the treatment of fracture due to osteoporosis in ageing people.
Fulltext Optimal homotopy asymptotic method for flow and heat transfer of a viscoelastic fluid in an axisymmetric channel with a porous wall

Mabood F, Khan WA, Ismail AI

PLoS One, 2013;8(12):e83581.
PMID: 24376722 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0083581

In this article, an approximate analytical solution of flow and heat transfer for a viscoelastic fluid in an axisymmetric channel with porous wall is presented. The solution is obtained through the use of a powerful method known as Optimal Homotopy Asymptotic Method (OHAM). We obtained the approximate analytical solution for dimensionless velocity and temperature for various parameters. The influence and effect of different parameters on dimensionless velocity, temperature, friction factor, and rate of heat transfer are presented graphically. We also compared our solution with those obtained by other methods and it is found that OHAM solution is better than the other methods considered. This shows that OHAM is reliable for use to solve strongly nonlinear problems in heat transfer phenomena.
Vortex-assisted liquid-liquid microextraction coupled with high performance liquid chromatography for the determination of furfurals and patulin in fruit juices

Abu-Bakar NB, Makahleh A, Saad B

Talanta, 2014 Mar;120:47-54.
PMID: 24468341 DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2013.11.081

A fast and simple solvent microextraction technique using salting out-vortex-assisted liquid-liquid microextraction (salting out-VALLME) was developed for the extraction of furfurals (2-furfural (2-F), 3-furfural (3-F), 5-methylfurfural (5-MF) and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF)) and patulin (PAT) in fruit juice samples. The optimum extraction conditions for 5 mL sample were: extraction solvent, 1-hexanol; volume of extractant, 200 µL; vortex time, 45 s; salt addition, 20%. The simultaneous determination of the furfurals and PAT were investigated using high performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detector (HPLC-DAD). The separation was performed using ODS Hypersil C18 column (4.6 mm i.d × 250 mm, 5 μm) under gradient elution. The detection wavelengths used for all compounds were 280 nm except for 3-F (210 nm). The furfurals and PAT were successfully separated in less than 9 min. Good linearities (r(2)>0.99) were obtained within the range 1-5000 μg L(-1) for all compounds except for 3-F (10-5000 µg L(-1)) and PAT (0.5-100 μg L(-1)). The limits of detection (0.28-3.2 µg L(-1)) were estimated at S/N ratio of 3. The validated salting out-VALLME-HPLC method was applied for the analysis of furfurals and PAT in fruit juice samples (apple, mango and grape).

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