Displaying publications 2501 - 2520 of 7301 in total

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  1. Carbon stock and sequestration valuation in a mixed dipterocarp forest of Malaysia
    Nitanan Koshy Matthew, Ahmad Shuib, Sridar Ramachandran, Syamsul Herman Mohammad Afandi, Zaiton Samdin, Ismail Muhammad, et al.
    Sains Malaysiana, 2018;47:447-455.
    Forest degradation and deforestation are some of the major global concerns as they can reduce the forest carbon stock
    and sequestration capacity. However, the carbon stock and sequestration potential in a mixed dipterocarp tropical forest
    remains unclear due to a lack of information. This study was carried out on the carbon stock and estimated its economic
    value to justify its conservation. Six plots were established in the Endau Rompin National Park, Johor and subplots
    measuring 50 × 20 m were established in each plot. All trees greater than 15 cm DBH (diameter at breast height) were
    identified and the parameters measured included tree height and diameter. The aboveground carbon (AGC) content was
    about 222 Mg(C) ha-1, belowground carbon (BGC) was 53 Mg (C) ha-1 and it was 6 Mg (C) ha-1 for other components.
    In total, the carbon stock amounted to 281 Mg (C) ha-1. On the other hand, the total CO2 sequestrated in the mixed
    dipterocarp forest amounted to 1,040 t CO2
    ha-1. The carbon value was estimated at RM32,240 t CO2
    ha-1 or $7,280 t CO2
    ha-1. Therefore, the study found that the dipterocarp forest should be preserved to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.
  2. Highly efficient proliferation and regeneration of protocorm-like bodies (plbs) of the threatened orchid, phalaenopsis bellina
    Yee-Chern Chew, Muhammad Husni Abd Halim, Wan Muhamad Asrul Nizam Wan Abdullah, Janna Ong Abdullah, Kok-Song Lai
    Sains Malaysiana, 2018;47:1093-1099.
    Phalaenopsis bellina is an important indigenous fragrant orchid threatened with extinction. In this study, we evaluated
    the effect of medium strength, sucrose, nitrogen (NH4
    NO3
    ) and potato extract on proliferation of P. bellina protocormlike
    bodies (PLBs) to improve micropropagation in this species. Optimal treatment for PLBs proliferation rate with an
    average fresh weight (FW) of 0.97±0.16 g was obtained through culturing on half strength (½) MS medium containing
    20 g/L sucrose, 15 mM NH4
    NO3
    and 20% w/v potato extract supplemented with 0.8 µM 2,4 dichlorophenoxyacetic acid
    (2,4-D). The optimal treatment produced large, healthy and greenish PLBs with reduction in the occurrence of culture
    browning. In contrast, treatments with high potato extract (>20% w/v) or NH4
    NO3
    (>30 mM) concentrations tend to
    have inhibitory effect and resulted in low PLBs proliferation rate, with an average FW of 0.77±0.15 g and 0.69±0.15 g,
    respectively. Plant regeneration of PLBs was achieved on plant growth regulator (PGR)-free ½ MS medium. In total, 60
    healthy PLBs from the optimal treatment were successfully regenerated, acclimatized with 100% survival percentage and
    grew well in a mixture of soil, sand and vermicompost (8:4:2 (w/w/w)). With the optimal treatment, PLBs proliferation
    rate was enhanced by 27.63%. Our findings offer an improved micropropagation protocol of the endangered P. bellina
    for conservation and commercial production.
  3. Mathematical model of mixed convection boundary layer flow over a horizontal circular cylinder filled in a jeffrey fluid with viscous dissipation effect
    Syazwani Mohd Zokri, Nur Syamilah Arifin, Muhammad Khairul Anuar Mohamed, Abdul Rahman Mohd Kasim, Mohd Zuki Salleh, Nurul Farahain Mohammad
    Sains Malaysiana, 2018;47:1607-1615.
    This paper delves into the problem of mixed convection boundary layer flow from a horizontal circular cylinder filled in
    a Jeffrey fluid with viscous dissipation effect. Both cases of cooled and heated cylinders are discussed. The governing
    equations which have been converted into a dimensionless form using the appropriate non-dimensional variables are solved
    numerically through the Keller-box method. A comparative study is performed and authentication of the present results
    with documented outcomes from formerly published works is excellently achieved. Tabular and graphical representations
    of the numerical results are executed for the specified distributions, considering the mixed convection parameter, Jeffrey
    fluid parameters and the Prandtl and Eckert numbers. Interestingly, boundary layer separation for mixed convection
    parameter happens for some positive (assisting flow) and negative (opposing flow) values. Strong assisting flow means
    the cylinder is heated, which causes the delay in boundary layer separation, whereas strong opposing flow means the
    cylinder is cooled, which conveys the separation point close to the lower stagnation point. Contradictory behaviours
    of both Jeffrey fluid parameters are observed over the velocity and temperature profiles together with the skin friction
    coefficient and Nusselt number. The increase of the Prandtl number leads to the decrement of the temperature profile,
    while the increase of the Eckert number results in the slight increment of the skin friction coefficient and decrement of
    the Nusselt number. Both velocity and temperature profiles of Eckert number show no effects at the lower stagnation
    point of the cylinder.
  4. Fulltext Association between IL-31 serum levels and other predisposing factors with allergic diseases in HRPZ II and HUSM, Kelantan, Malaysia
    Siti Noor Syuhada Muhammad Amin, Noor Suryani Mohd Ashari, Wan Zuraida Wan Abd. Hamid, Azriani Ab Rahman, Azman Azid
    Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine, 2017;17(2):66-73.
    Interleukin 31 (IL-31)is one of the cytokines which appears to be an important regulator of Th2 responses. Previous study has been done to determine IL-31 serums levels in atopic dermatitis (AD). However, the serum levels of IL-31 in allergic rhinitis (AR) and atopic asthma (AA) is not many reported and still unclear. The objective of this cross sectional study is to determine an association between IL-31 and other predisposing factors with allergic diseases in HRPZ II (Hospital Raja PerempuanZainab II) and HUSM (Hospital UniversitiSains), Kelantan, Malaysia. This study involved 70 patients of AD, 70 patients of AR, 70 patients of AA and 70 healthy controls from staffs and people in HUSM.Five milliliters of blood were withdrawn and centrifuged for 5 minutes at 2000 rpm to obtain the serum and analyzed for IL-31 levels by using enzymelinked immunosorbent (ELISA) kits (Human IL 31 Duoset, R&D System). Simple and multiple logistic regressions were used to analyze the association between IL-31 levels and predisposing factors among allergic diseases. The levels of IL-31 and other predisposing factors showed significant associations in smoking status, occupational exposure and area of living for AD and AR, however in AA, the significant association only found in smoking status and occupational exposure. In conclusion, we found that there were associations between IL-31 serum levels and other predisposing factors with AD, AR and AA. The findings can be the pilot study to determine IL-31 levels in allergic diseases in Malaysia.
  5. Effects of plant growth regulators on root culture and yeast extract elicitation on metabolite profiles of polygonum minus
    Mohd Azhar Hassan, Ahmad Hafiz Baharom, Muhammad Shafie Md Sah, Mohamad Zulkiffely A. Rahman, Mariatulqabtiah Abdul Razak
    Sains Malaysiana, 2018;47:3085-3094.
    There are various secondary metabolites that have been identified in Polygonum minus Huds. or kesum plant, but
    the production is often very low and depending on growth stage. Therefore, elicitation and in vitro techniques have
    been suggested as an effective way for inducing secondary metabolites production in plant. This study was conducted
    to determine the optimal conditions for P. minus root formation in vitro and to profile the metabolite content from
    P. minus root culture with and without elicitor treatment. From the root induction study, it was found that the fresh
    weight of induced root for nodal explant in MS liquid media supplemented with 0.5 mg/L NAA and shaken had the
    highest production (0.38±0.08 g) compared to other treatments including the control. The results from metabolite
    profile showed that the volatile compound of P. minus root produced without any elicitation contained 50.11% aliphatic
    (27.59% aldehide, 9.17% alkane and 13.35% others) and 19.39% sesquiterpene (β-caryophyllene, α-bergamotene,
    β-farnesene, α-caryophyllene dan β-curcumene) where the dodecanal compound (22.27%) and β-caryophyllene
    (8.09%) have the highest percentage value for aliphatic and sesquiterpene group, respectively. Moreover, elicitation of
    P. minus root culture using yeast extract at 100 mg/L concentration for 1 day demonstrated the ability to increase the
    production of secondary metabolites in many volatile compounds of kesum in vitro root including the sesquiterpene
    compounds compared to control treatment and other yeast extract elicitation treatments.
  6. Exploring antidiabetic potential of adamantyl-thiosemicarbazones via aldose reductase (ALR2) inhibition
    Shehzad MT, Hameed A, Al-Rashida M, Imran A, Uroos M, Asari A, et al.
    Bioorg Chem, 2019 11;92:103244.
    PMID: 31541804 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2019.103244
    The role of aldose reductase (ALR2) in diabetes mellitus is well-established. Our interest in finding ALR2 inhibitors led us to explore the inhibitory potential of new thiosemicarbazones. In this study, we have synthesized adamantyl-thiosemicarbazones and screened them as aldehyde reductase (ALR1) and aldose reductase (ALR2) inhibitors. The compounds bearing phenyl 3a, 2-methylphenyl 3g and 2,6-dimethylphenyl 3m have been identified as most potent ALR2 inhibitors with IC50 values of 3.99 ± 0.38, 3.55 ± 0.26 and 1.37 ± 0.92 µM, respectively, compared with sorbinil (IC50 = 3.14 ± 0.02 μM). The compounds 3a, 3g, and 3m also inhibit ALR1 with IC50 value of 7.75 ± 0.28, 7.26 ± 0.39 and 7.04 ± 2.23 µM, respectively. Molecular docking was also performed for putative binding of potent inhibitors with target enzyme ALR2. The most potent 2,6-dimethylphenyl bearing thiosemicarbazone 3m (IC50 = 1.37 ± 0.92 µM for ALR2) and other two compound 3a and 3g could potentially lead for the development of new therapeutic agents.
  7. Hemodialysis performance and anticoagulant activities of PVP-k25 and carboxylic-multiwall nanotube composite blended Polyethersulfone membrane
    Irfan M, Irfan M, Shah SM, Baig N, Saleh TA, Ahmed M, et al.
    Mater Sci Eng C Mater Biol Appl, 2019 Oct;103:109769.
    PMID: 31349444 DOI: 10.1016/j.msec.2019.109769
    Non-covalent electrostatic interaction between amide nitrogen and carbonyl carbon of shorter chain length of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP-k25) was developed with in-house carboxylic oxidized multiwall carbon nanotubes (O-MWCNT) and then blended with Polyethersulfone (PES) polymer. FTIR analysis was utilized to confirm bonding nature of nano-composites (NCs) of O-MWCNT/PVP-k25 and casting membranes. Non-solvent induces phase separation process developed regular finger-like channels in composite membranes whereas pristine PES exhibited spongy entities as studied by cross sectional analysis report of FESEM. Further, FESEM instrument was also utilized to observe the dispersion of O-MWCNT/PVP based nanocomposite (NCs) with PES and membranes leaching phenomena analysis. Contact angle experiments described 24% improvement of hydrophilic behaviour, leaching ratio of additives was reduced to 1.89%, whereas water flux enhanced up to 6 times. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) and lysozyme based antifouling analysis shown up to 25% improvement, whereas 84% of water flux was regained after protein fouling than pristine PES. Anticoagulant activity was reported by estimating prothrombin, thrombin, plasma re-calcification times and production of fibrinogen cluster with platelets-adhesions photographs and hemolysis experiments. Composite membranes exhibited 3.4 and 3 times better dialysis clearance ratios of urea and creatinine solutes as compared to the raw PES membrane.
  8. Connotations of psychological and physiological health in the psychosocial work environment: An industrial context
    Javaid MU, Bano S, Mirza MZ, Isha ASN, Nadeem S, Jawaid A, et al.
    Work, 2019;64(3):551-561.
    PMID: 31658088 DOI: 10.3233/WOR-193016
    BACKGROUND: Psychological conditions are experiences of the conscious and unconscious elements of the work context, which revolve around workers' perceptions of feeling either engaged or disengaged with the assigned tasks. In the psychosocial work environment of hazardous industries like petrochemicals where production lasts twenty-four hours a day and continues seven-days-a-week, a psychologically available worker is extremely important. Psychological availability refers to when workers who are physically, emotionally and psychologically engaged at the moment of performing tasks.

    OBJECTIVE: The broad objective of this study was to investigate the direct and indirect effects of behavioral factors on the psychological and physiological health of workers.

    METHODS: The latest, second generation technique, which is structural equation modeling, is used to identify the relationships between behavioral antecedents and health outcomes. A total of 277 technical workers participated, aged between 20 and 49 and were healthy in all aspects.

    RESULTS: The study results showed quantitative demands, emotional demands, work-family conflict, and job insecurity were significantly associated with both psychological (stress) and physiological (Body Mass Index) factors. The social support of colleagues produced mixed findings with direct and indirect paths. Stress also significantly mediates the psychosocial factors and burnout of the workers.

    CONCLUSION: The study concluded that workers were physically available, but they experienced distractions as members of social systems, affecting their physiological and psychological health.

  9. Synthesis, molecular docking, dynamic simulations, kinetic mechanism, cytotoxicity evaluation of N-(substituted-phenyl)-4-{(4-[(E)-3-phenyl-2-propenyl]-1-piperazinyl} butanamides as tyrosinase and melanin inhibitors: In vitro, in vivo and in silico approaches
    Raza H, Abbasi MA, Aziz-Ur-Rehman, Siddiqui SZ, Hassan M, Abbas Q, et al.
    Bioorg Chem, 2020 01;94:103445.
    PMID: 31826809 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2019.103445
    In the current research work, different N-(substituted-phenyl)-4-{(4-[(E)-3-phenyl-2-propenyl]-1-piperazinyl}butanamides have been synthesized according to the protocol described in scheme 1. The synthesis was initiated by reacting various substituted anilines (1a-e) with 4-chlorobutanoyl chloride (2) in aqueous basic medium to give various electrophiles, 4-chloro-N-(substituted-phenyl)butanamides (3a-e). These electrophiles were then coupled with 1-[(E)-3-phenyl-2-propenyl]piperazine (4) in polar aprotic medium to attain the targeted N-(substituted-phenyl)-4-{(4-[(E)-3-phenyl-2-propenyl]-1-piperazinyl}butanamides (5a-e). The structures of all derivatives were identified and characterized by proton-nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), carbon-nuclear magnetic resonance (13C NMR) and Infra-Red (IR) spectral data along with CHN analysis. The in vitro inhibitory potential of these butanamides was evaluated against Mushroom tyrosinase, whereby all compounds were found to be biologically active. Among them, 5b exhibited highest inhibitory potential with IC50 value of 0.013 ± 0.001 µM. The same compound 5b was also assayed through in vivo approach, and it was explored that it significantly reduced the pigments in zebrafish. The in silico studies were also in agreement with aforesaid results. Moreover, these molecules were profiled for their cytotoxicity through hemolytic activity, and it was found that except 5e, all other compounds showed minimal toxicity. The compound 5a also exhibited comparable results. Hence, some of these compounds might be worthy candidates for the formulation and development of depigmentation drugs with minimum side effects.
  10. Fulltext Synthesis of Silver-Coated Bioactive Nanocomposite Scaffolds Based on Grafted Beta-Glucan/Hydroxyapatite via Freeze-Drying Method: Anti-Microbial and Biocompatibility Evaluation for Bone Tissue Engineering
    Khan MUA, Al-Thebaiti MA, Hashmi MU, Aftab S, Abd Razak SI, Abu Hassan S, et al.
    Materials (Basel), 2020 Feb 21;13(4).
    PMID: 32098139 DOI: 10.3390/ma13040971
    Advancement and development in bone tissue engineering, particularly that of composite scaffolds, are of great importance for bone tissue engineering. We have synthesized polymeric matrix using biopolymer (β-glucan), acrylic acid, and nano-hydroxyapatite through free radical polymerization method. Bioactive nanocomposite scaffolds (BNSs) were fabricated using the freeze-drying method and Ag was coated by the dip-coating method. The scaffolds have been characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) to investigate their functional groups, surface morphology, and phase analysis, respectively. The pore size and porosity of all BNS samples were found to be dependent on silver concentration. Mechanical testing of all BNS samples have substantial compressive strength in dry form that is closer to cancellous bone. The samples of BNS showed substantial antibacterial effect against DH5 alpha E. coli. The biological studies conducted using the MC3T3-E1 cell line via neutral red dye assay on the scaffolds have found to be biocompatible and non-cytotoxic. These bioactive scaffolds can bring numerous applications for bone tissue repairs and regenerations.
  11. Fulltext Henneguya (Cnidaria: Myxosporea: Myxobolidae) infections of cultured barramundi, Lates calcarifer (Perciformes: Latidae) in an estuarine wetlands system of Malaysia: description of Henneguya setiuensis n. sp., Henneguya voronini n. sp. and Henneguya calcarifer n. sp
    Borkhanuddin MH, Cech G, Molnár K, Shaharom-Harrison F, Khoa TND, Samshuri MA, et al.
    Parasitol Res, 2020 Jan;119(1):85-96.
    PMID: 31768684 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-019-06541-1
    Examination of 35 barramundi (Lates calcarifer) from aquaculture cages in Setiu Wetland, Malaysia, revealed a single fish infected with three Henneguya spp. (Cnidaria: Myxosporea). Characterization of the infections using tissue tropism, myxospore morphology and morphometry and 18S rDNA sequencing supported description of three new species: Henneguya setiuensis n. sp., Henneguya voronini n. sp. and H. calcarifer n. sp. Myxospores of all three species had typical Henneguya morphology, with two polar capsules in the plane of the suture, an oval spore body, smooth valve cell surfaces, and two caudal appendages. Spores were morphometrically similar, and many dimensions overlapped, but H. voronini n. sp. had shorter caudal appendages compared with H. calcarifer n. sp. and H. setiuensis n. sp. Gross tissue tropism distinguished the muscle parasite H. calcarifer n. sp. from gill parasites H. setiuensis n. sp. and H. voronini n. sp.; and these latter two species were further separable by fine-scale location of developing plasmodia, which were intra-lamellar for H. setiuensis n. sp. and basal to the filaments for H. voronini n. sp. small subunit ribosomal DNA sequences distinguished all three species: the two gill species H. setiuensis n. sp. and H voronini n. sp. were only 88% similar (over 1708 bp), whereas the muscle species H. calcarifer n. sp. was most similar to H. voronini n. sp. (98% over 1696 bp). None of the three novel species was more than 90% similar to any known myxosporean sequence in GenBank. Low infection prevalence of these myxosporeans and lack of obvious tissue pathology from developing plasmodia suggested none of these parasites are currently a problem for barramundi culture in Setiu Wetland; however additional surveys of fish, particularly at different times of the year, would be informative for better risk assessment.
  12. Enhancing the three-dimensional visualization of a foreign object using Mimics software
    Asif MK, Nambiar P, Khan IM, Aziz ZABCA, Noor NSBM, Shanmuhasuntharam P, et al.
    Radiol Case Rep, 2019 Dec;14(12):1545-1549.
    PMID: 31719943 DOI: 10.1016/j.radcr.2019.10.001
    A patient was referred to the Oral and Maxillofacial Imaging Division and the attending dental specialist suspected a foreign object at the anterior region of the maxilla. The region was scanned using Kodak 9000 3D cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) extraoral imaging system (Carestream Health, Inc.) to determine the type and morphometric characteristic of foreign object. The CBCT images failed to determine the identity and nature of the foreign object. CBCT images were then exported to the Materialise Interactive Medical Image Control System (Mimics) software to evaluate whether this software can help in enhancing the visualization of the foreign object in the maxillofacial region. The findings showed that there was an improved visualization of the foreign body and the type of the object could be determined with certainty. The object was identified as an endodontic file and was clearly visible when visualized as a reconstructed 3D model in Mimics software. Although the identification of abnormalities has been dramatically improved using 3D scans, the visualization can be further enhanced using image processing software like Mimics.
  13. Fulltext QoSRP: A Cross-layer QoS Channel-Aware Routing Protocol for the Internet of Underwater Acoustic Sensor Networks
    Faheem M, Butt RA, Raza B, Alquhayz H, Ashraf MW, Shah SB, et al.
    Sensors (Basel), 2019 Nov 02;19(21).
    PMID: 31684014 DOI: 10.3390/s19214762
    Quality of service (QoS)-aware data gathering in static-channel based underwater wireless sensor networks (UWSNs) is severely limited due to location and time-dependent acoustic channel communication characteristics. This paper proposes a novel cross-layer QoS-aware multichannel routing protocol called QoSRP for the internet of UWSNs-based time-critical marine monitoring applications. The proposed QoSRP scheme considers the unique characteristics of the acoustic communication in highly dynamic network topology during gathering and relaying events data towards the sink. The proposed QoSRP scheme during the time-critical events data-gathering process employs three basic mechanisms, namely underwater channel detection (UWCD), underwater channel assignment (UWCA) and underwater packets forwarding (UWPF). The UWCD mechanism finds the vacant channels with a high probability of detection and low probability of missed detection and false alarms. The UWCA scheme assigns high data rates channels to acoustic sensor nodes (ASNs) with longer idle probability in a robust manner. Lastly, the UWPF mechanism during conveying information avoids congestion, data path loops and balances the data traffic load in UWSNs. The QoSRP scheme is validated through extensive simulations conducted by NS2 and AquaSim 2.0 in underwater environments (UWEs). The simulation results reveal that the QoSRP protocol performs better compared to existing routing schemes in UWSNs.
  14. Fulltext The aerodynamics study of skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur: the effect on occupants and pedestrians comfort
    Nur ‘Izzati Mohmad Ismail, Mohd Rashdan Saad, Muhammad Taufiq Jumahadi, Azam Che Idris, Mohd Rosdzimin Abdul Rahman, Suriyadi Sujipto
    ZULFAQAR International Journal of Defence Science, Engineering & Technology, 2018;1(1):38-49.
    MyJurnal
    Skyscrapers have been constructed all over the world because of the social demand for more iconic building, including excellent aerodynamic performance and architectural aesthetic reasons. However, the increasing high-rise buildings in densely built-up cities created low velocity air flow caused by the phenomena of flow separation at pedestrian level and also exerts drag force on the building walls that may affect the occupants’ and pedestrians’ comfort. Therefore, the objective of this study is to investigate the drag force and pedestrian level wind condition of 15 skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur of various designs and shapes by using Solidworks Flow Simulation. The effect of the height of surrounding buildings were also investigated. From the results, the bamboo shape of the Telekom tower shows the lowest drag coefficient by 0.1056 compared to others and the ratio of surrounding building height to skyscraper of 0.83 shows the smallest drag.
  15. Synthesis, α-glycosidase inhibitory potential and molecular docking study of benzimidazole derivatives
    Taha M, Rahim F, Zaman K, Selvaraj M, Uddin N, Farooq RK, et al.
    Bioorg Chem, 2020 01;95:103555.
    PMID: 31911306 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2019.103555
    A series of twenty-six analogs of benzimidazole based oxadiazole have been synthesized and evaluated against alpha-glycosidase enzyme. Most the analogs showed excellent to good inhibitory potential. Among the screened analogs, analog 1, 2, 3 and 14 with IC50 values 4.6 ± 0.1, 9.50 ± 0.3, 2.6 ± 0.1 and 9.30 ± 0.4 µM respectively showedexcellent inhibitory potential than reference drug acarbose (IC50 = 38.45 ± 0.80 µM). Some of the analogs like 19, 21, 22 and 23 with methyl and methoxy substituent on phenyl ring show hydrophobic interaction and were found with no inhibitory potential. The binding interactions between synthesized analogs and ligands protein were confirmed through molecular docking study. Various spectroscopic techniques like 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and EI-MS were used for characterization of all synthesized analogs. These derivatives were synthesized by simple mode of synthesis like heterocyclic ring formation.
  16. Fulltext Structural and electronic properties of orthorhombic phase bi2se3 based on first-principles study
    Muhammad Zamir Mohyedin, Afiq Radzwan, Mohammad Fariz Mohamad Taib, Rosnah Zakaria, Nor Kartini Jaafar, Masnawi Mustaffa, et al.
    Scientific Research Journal, 2019;16(2):77-88.
    MyJurnal
    Bi2Se3 is one of the promising materials in thermoelectric devices and is environmentally friendly due to its efficiency to perform in room temperature. Structural and electronic properties of Bi2Se3 were investigated based on the first-principles calculation of density functional theory (DFT) using CASTEP computer code. The calculation is conducted within the exchange-correlation of local density approximation (LDA) and generalised gradient approximation within the revision of Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (GGA-PBE) functional. A comparative study is carried out between the electronic properties of LDA and GGA-PBE. Lattice parameter and band gap are consistent with the other reports. Calculation from LDA is more accurate and has a better agreement than GGA-PBE in describing the lattice parameter of Bi2Se3. Band gap and density of states of LDA show higher electrical conductivity than GGA-PBE. Both LDA and GGA-PBE have same degree of thermal conductivity due to the occurrence of indirect band gap at same range of wave vector.
  17. Fulltext Circulating interleukins in leptospirosis with pulmonary involvement patients
    Wan Shahriman Yushdie Wan Yusoff, Maha Abdullah, Fairuz Amran, Zamberi Sekawi, Muhammad Yazli Yuhana, Syafinaz Amin Nordin
    Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2019;15(108):48-48.
    MyJurnal
    Introduction: Leptospirosis is a re-emerging zoonotic disease caused by Leptospira bacteria. The clinical manifes-tations of leptospirosis include mild-fever to a severe or even fatal. Increased levels of inflammatory cytokines pro-duced in response to the Leptospira infection by the host immune system were hypothesized as among the causes of severity in leptospirosis. Besides the classical presentation with the triad of febrile, jaundice, and renal failure, patients with leptospirosis also can pose with predominant sign and symptoms of pulmonary involvement. This study aimed to compare the levels of TNF-α, IL-1b, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, IL-13, IL-17A, IL-18, and IL-22 In the plasma of samples of leptospirosis patients with and without pneumonia. Methods: Circulating cytokine levels in plasma were measured in seventeen patients hospitalized and diagnosed with leptospirosis in Malaysia (January 2016 – December 2017) and nineteen healthy individuals as controls. Patients were categorized into leptospirosis without pneumonia (n=12) and with pneumonia (n=5). Cytokine was measured using SimplePlexTM assays (San Jose, CA, USA). Measurement was performed in triplicate and statistical analysis was conducted using Graphpad® Prism v6 (San Diego, CA, USA). Results: Elevation of plasma TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-18, and IL-22 levels were observed among leptospirosis patients with pneumonia compared to without, although no statistical differences were observed between these two groups. Conclusion: There are no significant differences observed between the levels of plasma TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-18, and IL-22 in patients with pneumonia compared to without.
  18. New naphthalene derivative for cost-effective AChE inhibitors for Alzheimer's treatment: In silico identification, in vitro and in vivo validation
    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.
  19. Fulltext Blending the appearance of all-ceramic crowns in fluo-rosis condition with direct chair-side technique
    Siti Mariam Ab Ghani, Ahmad Syahir Ahmad Zu Saifudin, Muhammad Aliff Ikram Noor Zari, Teh Adilla Mustaza
    Compendium of Oral Science, 2015;2(1):47-51.
    MyJurnal
    Dental fluorosis incidence had been reported to be affecting children widely, especially in water-fluoridated ar-ea. As these children grow into young adults, perceived aesthetic problems arise mainly due to their concern with generalized mottled and stained teeth appearance. Fixed prosthodontics treatment involving single anterior tooth in patients with generalized fluorosis condition had been found challenging due to aesthetic restorability to blend with fluorosis condition. Clinical considerations: A simplified procedural direct chair-side technique of mimicking fluorosis condition onto anterior all-ceramic crowns are discussed in this paper. The mimicked fluoro-sis is reversible and has the opportunity to be adjusted according to the patient’s fluorosis condition thus hinder-ing the need to redo the crown in the future. Conclusions: The appearance of anterior all-ceramic crowns with direct chair-side staining technique provided blended and harmonized well with the dental fluorosis condition in both patients thus, giving natural looking smile.
  20. Fulltext Mode of delivery, order of birth, parental age gap and autism spectrum disorder among Malaysian children: A case-control study
    Andoy Galvan JA, Ramalingam PN, Patil SS, Bin Shobri MAS, Chinna K, Sahrir MS, et al.
    Heliyon, 2020 Oct;6(10):e05068.
    PMID: 33083595 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05068
    Rising prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in the last decades has led research to focus on the diagnosis and identification of factors associated with ASD. This paper sought for possible factors that put children at risk for ASD. In this study, we investigated the association between ASD and parental ages, parental age gaps, birth order and birth delivery method in Malaysian population. In this school-based case control study, 465 children with ASD 464 controls participated. Questionnaires were distributed to the parents of the selected children through the respective principals. Among the tested variables, Caesarean section (OR = 1.63, 95% CI 1.20, 2.20), earlier order of birth in the family (OR = 0.68, 95% CI 0.59, 0.77) and increasing gap in parental ages (OR = 1.04, 95% CI 1.001, 1.07) were significantly associated with ASD. This study concludes that Caesarean section, earlier order of birth in the family and increasing gap in parental age are independent risk factors for developing autism among Malaysian children.
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