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Application of streptavidin mass spectrometric immunoassay tips for immunoaffinity based antibody phage display panning

Chin CF, Ler LW, Choong YS, Ong EB, Ismail A, Tye GJ, et al.

J Microbiol Methods, 2016 Jan;120:6-14.
PMID: 26581498 DOI: 10.1016/j.mimet.2015.11.007

Antibody phage display panning involves the enrichment of antibodies against specific targets by affinity. In recent years, several new methods for panning have been introduced to accommodate the growing application of antibody phage display. The present work is concerned with the application of streptavidin mass spectrometry immunoassay (MSIA™) Disposable Automation Research Tips (D.A.R.T's®) for antibody phage display. The system was initially designed to isolate antigens by affinity selection for mass spectrometry analysis. The streptavidin MSIA™ D.A.R.T's® system allows for easy attachment of biotinylated target antigens on the solid surface for presentation to the phage library. As proof-of-concept, a domain antibody library was passed through the tips attached with the Hemolysin E antigen. After binding and washing, the bound phages were eluted via standard acid dissociation and the phages were rescued for subsequent panning rounds. Polyclonal enrichment was observed for three rounds of panning with five monoclonal domain antibodies identified. The proposed method allows for a convenient, rapid and semi-automated alternative to conventional antibody panning strategies.
Klebsiella sp. FIRD 2, a TBT-resistant bacterium isolated from contaminated surface sediment along Strait of Johor Malaysia

Abubakar A, Mustafa MB, Johari WLW, Zulkifli SZ, Ismail A, Mohamat-Yusuff FB

Mar Pollut Bull, 2015 Dec 15;101(1):280-283.
PMID: 26434791 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.09.041

A possible tributyltin (TBT)-degrading bacterium isolated from contaminated surface sediment was successfully identified as Klebsiella sp. FIRD 2. It was found to be the best isolate capable of resisting TBT at a concentration of 1000 μg L(-1). This was a concentration above the reported contaminated level at the sampling station, 790 μg L(-1). Further studies revealed that the isolate was Gram negative and resisted TBT concentrations of up to 1500 μg L(-1) in a Minimal Salt Broth without the addition of any carbon source within the first 48 h of incubation. It is expected that additional work could be conducted to check the degradation activity of this new isolate and possibly improve the degradation capacity in order to contribute to finding a safe and sustainable remediation solution of TBT contamination.
Efficacy of cocoa pod extract as antiwrinkle gel on human skin surface

Abdul Karim A, Azlan A, Ismail A, Hashim P, Abd Gani SS, Zainudin BH, et al.

J Cosmet Dermatol, 2016 Sep;15(3):283-95.
PMID: 27041391 DOI: 10.1111/jocd.12218

OBJECTIVE: Cocoa pods are abundant waste materials of cocoa plantation, which are usually discarded onto plantation floors. However, due to poor plantation management, the discarded cocoa pods can create suitable breeding ground for Phytophthora palmivora, which is regarded as the causal agent of the black pod disease. On the other hand, cocoa pods potentially contain antioxidant compounds. Antioxidant compounds are related to the protection of skin from wrinkles and can be used as functional cosmetic ingredients. Therefore, in this study, cocoa pods were extracted and to be used as active ingredients for antiwrinkles.
METHODS: The active compounds in cocoa pod extracts (CPE) were screened using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Fibroblast cells were used to determine the effective concentration of CPE to maintain the viability for at least 50% of the cells (EC50 ). The gel was tested by 12 panelists to determine the efficacy of CPE in gel form using Visioscan to reduce skin wrinkles and improve skin condition.
RESULTS: CPE was detected to contain malic acid, procyanidin B1, rosmarinic acid, procyanidin C1, apigenin, and ellagic acid, all of which may contribute to functional cosmetic properties of CPE. The EC50 value of cocoa pod extracts was used to calculate the amount of CPE to be incorporated into gel so that the formulated product could reach an effective concentration of extract while being nonintoxicant to the skin cell. The results showed that CPE is potential ingredient to reduce wrinkles. Skin wrinkles reduced at 6.38 ± 1.23% with the application of the CPE gel within 3 weeks and significantly improved further (12.39 ± 1.59%) after 5 weeks. The skin hydration increased (3.181 ± 1.06%) after 3 weeks of the CPE gel application.
CONCLUSION: Flavonoid compounds in CPE contributed to the functional cosmetic properties of CPE. The CPE which is nontoxic to skin cells help to reduce wrinkles on skin after 3 weeks of application. CPE can be used as the active ingredients in antiwrinkle products, and prolonged application may result in significant visual changes to the naked eyes.
Effect of multi-strain probiotics (multi-strain microbial cell preparation) on glycemic control and other diabetes-related outcomes in people with type 2 diabetes: a randomized controlled trial

Firouzi S, Majid HA, Ismail A, Kamaruddin NA, Barakatun-Nisak MY

Eur J Nutr, 2017 Jun;56(4):1535-1550.
PMID: 26988693 DOI: 10.1007/s00394-016-1199-8

AIM: Evidence of a possible connection between gut microbiota and several physiological processes linked to type 2 diabetes is increasing. However, the effect of multi-strain probiotics in people with type 2 diabetes remains unclear. This study investigated the effect of multi-strain microbial cell preparation-also refers to multi-strain probiotics-on glycemic control and other diabetes-related outcomes in people with type 2 diabetes.
DESIGN: A randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, controlled clinical trial.
SETTING: Diabetes clinic of a teaching hospital in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
PARTICIPANTS: A total of 136 participants with type 2 diabetes, aged 30-70 years, were recruited and randomly assigned to receive either probiotics (n = 68) or placebo (n = 68) for 12 weeks.
OUTCOMES: Primary outcomes were glycemic control-related parameters, and secondary outcomes were anthropomorphic variables, lipid profile, blood pressure and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. The Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium quantities were measured before and after intervention as an indicator of successful passage of the supplement through gastrointestinal tract.
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis was performed on all participants, while per-protocol (PP) analysis was performed on those participants who had successfully completed the trial with good compliance rate.
RESULTS: With respect to primary outcomes, glycated hemoglobin decreased by 0.14 % in the probiotics and increased by 0.02 % in the placebo group in PP analysis (p
Alterations in juvenile diploid and triploid African catfish skin gelatin yield and amino acid composition: Effects of chlorpyrifos and butachlor exposures

Karami A, Karbalaei S, Zad Bagher F, Ismail A, Simpson SL, Courtenay SC

Environ Pollut, 2016 Aug;215:170-177.
PMID: 27182978 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2016.05.014

Skin is a major by-product of the fisheries and aquaculture industries and is a valuable source of gelatin. This study examined the effect of triploidization on gelatin yield and proximate composition of the skin of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus). We further investigated the effects of two commonly used pesticides, chlorpyrifos (CPF) and butachlor (BUC), on the skin gelatin yield and amino acid composition in juvenile full-sibling diploid and triploid African catfish. In two separate experiments, diploid and triploid C. gariepinus were exposed for 21 days to graded CPF [mean measured: 10, 16, or 31 μg/L] or BUC concentrations [Mean measured: 22, 44, or 60 μg/L]. No differences in skin gelatin yield, amino acid or proximate compositions were observed between diploid and triploid control groups. None of the pesticide treatments affected the measured parameters in diploid fish. In triploids, however, gelatin yield was affected by CPF treatments while amino acid composition remained unchanged. Butachlor treatments did not alter any of the measured variables in triploid fish. To our knowledge, this study is the first to investigate changes in the skin gelatin yield and amino acid composition in any animal as a response to polyploidization and/or contaminant exposure.
Fulltext Effect of Cosmos caudatus (Ulam raja) supplementation in patients with type 2 diabetes: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Cheng SH, Ismail A, Anthony J, Ng OC, Hamid AA, Yusof BN

BMC Complement Altern Med, 2016 Feb 27;16:84.
PMID: 26920910 DOI: 10.1186/s12906-016-1047-7

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a major health threat worldwide. Cosmos caudatus is one of the medicinal plants used to treat type 2 diabetes. Therefore, this study aims to determine the effectiveness and safety of C. caudatus in patients with type 2 diabetes. Metabolomic approach will be carried out to compare the metabolite profiles between C. Caudatus treated diabetic patients and diabetic controls.
METHODS AND DESIGN: This is a single-center, randomized, controlled, two-arm parallel design clinical trial that will be carried out in a tertiary hospital in Malaysia. In this study, 100 patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes will be enrolled. Diabetic patients who meet the eligibility criteria will be randomly allocated to two groups, which are diabetic C. caudatus treated(U) group and diabetic control (C) group. Primary and secondary outcomes will be measured at baseline, 4, 8, and 12 weeks. The serum and urine metabolome of both groups will be examined using proton NMR spectroscopy.
DISCUSSION: The study will be the first randomized controlled trial to assess whether C. caudatus can confer beneficial effect in patients with type 2 diabetes. The results of this trial will provide clinical evidence on the effectiveness and safety of C. caudatus in patients with type 2 diabetes.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02322268.
Fulltext An Investigation into the Antiobesity Effects of Morinda citrifolia L. Leaf Extract in High Fat Diet Induced Obese Rats Using a (1)H NMR Metabolomics Approach

Gooda Sahib Jambocus N, Saari N, Ismail A, Khatib A, Mahomoodally MF, Abdul Hamid A

J Diabetes Res, 2016;2016:2391592.
PMID: 26798649 DOI: 10.1155/2016/2391592

The prevalence of obesity is increasing worldwide, with high fat diet (HFD) as one of the main contributing factors. Obesity increases the predisposition to other diseases such as diabetes through various metabolic pathways. Limited availability of antiobesity drugs and the popularity of complementary medicine have encouraged research in finding phytochemical strategies to this multifaceted disease. HFD induced obese Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with an extract of Morinda citrifolia L. leaves (MLE 60). After 9 weeks of treatment, positive effects were observed on adiposity, fecal fat content, plasma lipids, and insulin and leptin levels. The inducement of obesity and treatment with MLE 60 on metabolic alterations were then further elucidated using a (1)H NMR based metabolomics approach. Discriminating metabolites involved were products of various metabolic pathways, including glucose metabolism and TCA cycle (lactate, 2-oxoglutarate, citrate, succinate, pyruvate, and acetate), amino acid metabolism (alanine, 2-hydroxybutyrate), choline metabolism (betaine), creatinine metabolism (creatinine), and gut microbiome metabolism (hippurate, phenylacetylglycine, dimethylamine, and trigonelline). Treatment with MLE 60 resulted in significant improvement in the metabolic perturbations caused obesity as demonstrated by the proximity of the treated group to the normal group in the OPLS-DA score plot and the change in trajectory movement of the diseased group towards the healthy group upon treatment.
Fulltext Detection of Butter Adulteration with Lard by Employing (1)H-NMR Spectroscopy and Multivariate Data Analysis

Fadzillah NA, Man Yb, Rohman A, Rosman AS, Ismail A, Mustafa S, et al.

J Oleo Sci, 2015;64(7):697-703.
PMID: 25994556 DOI: 10.5650/jos.ess14255

The authentication of food products from the presence of non-allowed components for certain religion like lard is very important. In this study, we used proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance ((1)H-NMR) spectroscopy for the analysis of butter adulterated with lard by simultaneously quantification of all proton bearing compounds, and consequently all relevant sample classes. Since the spectra obtained were too complex to be analyzed visually by the naked eyes, the classification of spectra was carried out.The multivariate calibration of partial least square (PLS) regression was used for modelling the relationship between actual value of lard and predicted value. The model yielded a highest regression coefficient (R(2)) of 0.998 and the lowest root mean square error calibration (RMSEC) of 0.0091% and root mean square error prediction (RMSEP) of 0.0090, respectively. Cross validation testing evaluates the predictive power of the model. PLS model was shown as good models as the intercept of R(2)Y and Q(2)Y were 0.0853 and -0.309, respectively.
Relationship Between Metabolites Composition and Biological Activities of Phyllanthus niruri Extracts Prepared by Different Drying Methods and Solvents Extraction

Mediani A, Abas F, Khatib A, Tan CP, Ismail IS, Shaari K, et al.

Plant Foods Hum Nutr, 2015 Jun;70(2):184-92.
PMID: 25800644 DOI: 10.1007/s11130-015-0478-5

The study investigated the changes in the metabolite, antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities of Phyllanthus niruri after three drying treatments: air, freeze and oven dryings. Water extracts and extracts obtained using different solvent ratios of ethanol and methanol (50, 70, 80 and 100%) were compared. The relationships among the antioxidant, α-glucosidase inhibitory activity and metabolite levels of the extracts were evaluated using partial least-square analysis (PLS). The solvent selectivity was assessed based on the phytochemical constituents present in the extract and their concentrations quantitatively analyzed using high performance liquid chromatography. The freeze-dried P. niruri samples that were extracted with the mixture of ethanol or methanol with low ratio of water showed higher biological activity values compared with the other extracts. The PLS results for the ethanolic with different ratio and water extracts demonstrated that phenolic acids (chlorogenic acid and ellagic acid) and flavonoids were highly linked to strong α-glucosidase inhibitory and antioxidant activities.
Rapid and reliable serological diagnosis of enteric fever: comparative sensitivity and specificity of Typhidot and Typhidot-M tests in febrile Malaysian children

Choo KE, Davis TM, Ismail A, Tuan Ibrahim TA, Ghazali WN

Acta Trop, 1999 Mar 15;72(2):175-83.
PMID: 10206117

The Typhidot test, which detects IgM and IgG antibodies to a Salmonella typhi-specific outer membrane protein, is as sensitive as, and more specific than, the Widal test in the diagnosis of enteric fever in Malaysian children. It is easier and quicker to perform. In order to increase diagnostic accuracy in an area of high endemicity, the Typhidot-M test has been developed in which IgG is first removed. This theoretically allows improved detection of IgM, and thus would differentiate new from recent infections. We evaluated both tests in 134 unselected febrile children admitted to the General Hospital Kota Bharu, Malaysia. The children were divided into two groups: (i) those who were blood and/or stool culture positive for S. typhi and/or who had clinical features strongly suggestive of enteric fever (n = 62); and (ii) those who were both culture-negative and had clinical evidence of another diagnosis (n = 72). The sensitivity and specificity of the Typhidot and Typhidot-M tests were identical at 90.3 and 93.1%, respectively. Both tests had comparable sensitivity but greater specificity than those of the Widal test (91.9 and 80.6%, respectively). When used together, a positive result for Typhidot and/or Typhidot-M was more specific than either test alone (95.2%) but specificity was lower (87.5%). We conclude that the Typhidot and Typhidot-M tests have comparatively high diagnostic accuracy, suggesting that IgM can be detected in children who may have a predominant IgG response to S. typhi. Using these tests in combination increases the negative predictive value but at the cost of a lower positive predictive value.
Fulltext Embryonic toxicity of 3,4-dichloroaniline (3,4-DCA) on Javanese medaka (Oryzias javanicus Bleeker, 1854)

Ibrahim MA, Zulkifli SZ, Azmai MNA, Mohamat-Yusuff F, Ismail A

Toxicol Rep, 2020;7:1039-1045.
PMID: 32913717 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxrep.2020.08.011

Early-life exposure to toxic chemicals causes irreversible morphological and physiological abnormalities that may last for a lifetime. The present study aimed to determine the toxicity effect of 3,4-Dichloroaniline (3,4-DCA) on Javanese medaka (Oryzias javanicus) embryos. Healthy embryos were exposed to various 3,4-DCA concentrations for acute toxicity (5, 10, 25, 50, and 100 mg.L-1) and sublethal toxicity (0.10, 0.50, 1.25, 2.50, and 5.00 mg.L-1) for 96 h and 20 days respectively. Acute toxicity test revealed that the median lethal concentration (96h-LC50) was 32.87 mg.L-1 (95 % CI = 27.90-38.74, R2 = 0.95). Sublethal exposure revealed that 1.25 mg.L-1 at 3 days post-exposure (3 dpe) has a significant lower heartrate (120 ± 12.3 beats/min., p
Fulltext MYNursingHome: A fully-labelled image dataset for indoor object classification

Ismail A, Ahmad SA, Che Soh A, Hassan MK, Harith HH

Data Brief, 2020 Oct;32:106268.
PMID: 32984464 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2020.106268

A fully labelled image dataset serves as a valuable tool for reproducible research inquiries and data processing in various computational areas, such as machine learning, computer vision, artificial intelligence and deep learning. Today's research on ageing is intended to increase awareness on research results and their applications to assist public and private sectors in selecting the right equipments for the elderlies. Many researches related to development of support devices and care equipment had been done to improve the elderly's quality of life. Indoor object detection and classification for autonomous systems require large annotated indoor images for training and testing of smart computer vision applications. This dataset entitled MYNursingHome is an image dataset for commonly used objects surrounding the elderlies in their home cares. Researchers may use this data to build up a recognition aid for the elderlies. This dataset was collected from several nursing homes in Malaysia comprises 37,500 digital images from 25 different indoor object categories including basket bin, bed, bench, cabinet and others.
Fulltext Drone for medical products transportation in maternal healthcare: A systematic review and framework for future research

Zailani MAH, Sabudin RZAR, Rahman RA, Saiboon IM, Ismail A, Mahdy ZA

Medicine (Baltimore), 2020 Sep 04;99(36):e21967.
PMID: 32899033 DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000021967

INTRODUCTION: Medical products transportation has become an important research topic requiring multidisciplinary collaboration among experts in medicine, engineering, and health economics. Current modes of transportation are unable to overcome the limited settings in maternal healthcare, particularly during the event of obstetric emergencies. The drone is a promising medical product aerial transportation (MedART) that holds an enormous potential for delivery of medical supplies in the healthcare system. We conducted a systematic review to examine scientific evidence of positive impact of drone transportation on maternal health.
METHODS: The following electronic databases were searched from inception to July 2019: ScienceDirect, PubMed, and EMBASE. The report was made in accordance with the principles of PRISMA guidelines. The search terms used were related to drones including unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and unmanned aerial system (UAS), and related to obstetric/maternal including obstetric emergencies and postpartum hemorrhage. Studies were selected if the intervention used were drones, and if any direct or indirect maternal health indicators were reported. Meta-analysis was not done throughout the study in view of the anticipated heterogeneity of each study.
RESULTS: Our initial search yielded a total of 244 relevant publications, from which 236 were carried forward for a title and abstract screening. After careful examination, only two were included for systematic synthesis. Among the reasons for exclusion were irrelevance to maternal health purpose, and irrelevance to drone applications in healthcare. An updated search yielded one additional study that was also included. Overall, two studies assessed drones for blood products delivery, and one study used drones to transport blood samples.
CONCLUSION: A significant deficiency was found in the number of reported studies analyzing mode of medical products transportation and adaptation of drones in maternal healthcare. Future drone research framework should focus on maternal healthcare-specific drone applications in order to reap benefits in this area.
Fulltext Antidepressant-Like Properties of Fish Oil on Postpartum Depression-Like Rats Model: Involvement of Serotonergic System

Abdul Aziz NU, Chiroma SM, Mohd Moklas MA, Adenan MI, Ismail A, Hidayat Baharuldin MT

Brain Sci, 2020 Oct 13;10(10).
PMID: 33066310 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10100733

Pathophysiology of postpartum depression (PPD) has been associated with many factors, such as neuroendocrine, neuroinflammation and neurotransmitter changes. Fish oil (FO) improves PPD both in humans and animals. However, little is known with regards to its pharmacology on a PPD-like rat model. Hence, the current study aimed at investigating the effects of FO on a PPD-like rat model. Female rats were induced with PPD-like symptoms and then randomly divided into six groups (n = 6) for two experimental protocols. Protocol 1 consisted of PPD-like rats (2 mL distilled water), PPD-like + FO (9 g/kg/d) and PPD-like + Fluoxetine (FLX) (15 mg/kg/d) groups of rats, whereas Protocol 2 consisted of PPD-like rats (2 mL distilled water) + PCPA (p-chlorophenylalanine) 150 mg/kg, PPD-like + FO (9 g/kg/d) + PCPA 150 mg/kg and PPD-like + FLX (15 mg/d) + PCPA 150 mg/kg groups of rats, respectively. All treatments were administered orally for 10 days postpartum, except PCPA, which was given intraperitoneally. Prior to euthanasia, the antidepressant-like effect of the FO was evaluated using the forced swimming test (FST) and open field test (OFT) on day 10 postpartum. Biochemical analysis of serotonin, serotonin metabolite and serotonin turnover from their prefrontal cortex and hippocampus were also measured. The results showed that FO decreased immobility time and increased swimming time significantly, but not climbing time in FST. Further, it also decreased serotonin metabolite and turnover significantly in the hippocampus of the PPD-like rats. In contrast, administration with PCPA reversed all the outcomes. The antidepressant-like effects of FO were found to be similar with that of FLX. Thus, it can be concluded that FO exerts its antidepressant-like effects in PPD-like rats through modulation of serotonergic system.
Magnesium-zinc scaffold loaded with tetracycline for tissue engineering application: In vitro cell biology and antibacterial activity assessment

Dayaghi E, Bakhsheshi-Rad HR, Hamzah E, Akhavan-Farid A, Ismail AF, Aziz M, et al.

Mater Sci Eng C Mater Biol Appl, 2019 Sep;102:53-65.
PMID: 31147024 DOI: 10.1016/j.msec.2019.04.010

Recently, porous magnesium and its alloys are receiving great consideration as biocompatible and biodegradable scaffolds for bone tissue engineering application. However, they presented poor antibacterial performance and corrosion resistance which limited their clinical applications. In this study, Mg-Zn (MZ) scaffold containing different concentrations of tetracycline (MZ-xTC, x = 1, 5 and 10%) were fabricated by space holder technique to meet the desirable antibacterial activity and corrosion resistance properties. The MZ-TC contains total porosity of 63-65% with pore sizes in the range of 600-800 μm in order to accommodate bone cells. The MZ scaffold presented higher compressive strength and corrosion resistance compared to pure Mg scaffold. However, tetracycline incorporation has less significant effect on the mechanical and corrosion properties of the scaffolds. Moreover, MZ-xTC scaffolds drug release profiles show an initial immediate release which is followed by more stable release patterns. The bioactivity test reveals that the MZ-xTC scaffolds are capable of developing the formation of HA layers in simulated body fluid (SBF). Next, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli bacteria were utilized to assess the antimicrobial activity of the MZ-xTC scaffolds. The findings indicate that those scaffolds that incorporate a high level concentration of tetracycline are tougher against bacterial organization than MZ scaffolds. However, the MTT assay demonstrates that the MZ scaffolds containing 1 to 5% tetracycline are more effective to sustain cell viability, whereas MZ-10TC shows some toxicity. The alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity of the MZ-(1-5)TC was considerably higher than that of MZ-10TC on the 3 and 7 days, implying higher osteoblastic differentiation. All the findings suggest that the MZ-xTC scaffolds containing 1 to 5% tetracycline is a promising candidate for bone tissue healing due to excellent antibacterial activity and biocompatibility.
Fulltext Low-Slow-Small (LSS) Target Detection Based on Micro Doppler Analysis in Forward Scattering Radar Geometry

Musa SA, Raja Abdullah RSA, Sali A, Ismail A, Rashid NEA

Sensors (Basel), 2019 Jul 29;19(15).
PMID: 31362452 DOI: 10.3390/s19153332

The increase in drone misuse by civilian apart from military applications is alarming and need to be addressed. This drone is characterized as a low altitude, slow speed, and small radar cross-section (RCS) (LSS) target and is considered difficult to be detected and classified among other biological targets, such as insects and birds existing in the same surveillance volume. Although several attempts reported the successful drone detection on radio frequency-based (RF), thermal, acoustic, video imaging, and other non-technical methods, however, there are also many limitations. Thus, this paper investigated a micro-Doppler analysis from drone rotating blades for detection in a special Forward Scattering Radar (FSR) geometry. The paper leveraged the identified benefits of FSR mode over conventional radars, such as improved radar cross-section (RCS) value irrespective of radar absorbing material (RAM), direct signal perturbation, and high resolutions. To prove the concept, a received signal model for micro-Doppler analysis, a simulation work, and experimental validation are elaborated and explained in the paper. Two rotating blades aspect angle scenarios were considered, which are (i) when drone makes a turn, the blade cross-sectional area faces the receiver and (ii) when drone maneuvers normally, the cross-sectional blade faces up. The FSR system successfully detected a commercial drone and extracted the micro features of a rotating blade. It further verified the feasibility of using a parabolic dish antenna as a receiver in FSR geometry; this marked an appreciable achievement towards the FSR system performance, which in future could be implemented as either active or passive FSR system.
Optimization of culture conditions of soymilk for equol production by Bifidobacterium breve 15700 and Bifidobacterium longum BB536

Mustafa SE, Mustafa S, Abas F, Manap MYABD, Ismail A, Amid M, et al.

Food Chem, 2019 Apr 25;278:767-772.
PMID: 30583440 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2018.11.107

This study analyzed the effect of pH (X1), temperature (X2) and inulin amount (X3) on transformation of isoflavones (daidzin and daidzein) to equol in soymilk fermented with Bifidobacterium spp. All responses significantly (p  0.05) difference between the experimental and predicted values, suggested the suitability of established models in explaining the daidzin and daidzein transformation to equol as a function of pH, temperature and inulin.
CMF-iteMS: An automatic threshold selection for detection of copy-move forgery

Abd Warif NB, Idris MYI, Abdul Wahab AW, Salleh R, Ismail A

Forensic Sci Int, 2019 Feb;295:83-99.
PMID: 30576953 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2018.12.004

Taking into consideration that the prior CMF detection methods rely on several fixed threshold values in the filtering process, we propose an efficient CMF detection method with an automatic threshold selection, named as CMF-iteMS. The CMF-iteMS recommends a PatchMatch-based CMF detection method that adapts Fourier-Mellin Transform (FMT) as the feature extraction technique while a new automatic threshold selection based on iterative means of regions size (iteMS) procedure is introduced to have flexibility in changing the threshold value for various characteristics (quality, sizes, and attacks) in each input image. To ensure the reliability of the proposed CMF-iteMS, the method is compared with four state-of-the-art CMF detection methods based on Scale Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT), patch matching, multi-scale analysis and symmetry techniques using three available datasets that cover the variety of characteristics in CMF images. The results show that the F-score of the CMF-iteMS outperformed existing CMF detection methods by exceeding an average of 90% F-score values for image-level evaluation and 82% of F-score value for pixel-level evaluation for all datasets in original size. As special attention is given to the image resizing attack, the method is able to maintain the highest performance even if the images in the datasets are resized to 0.25 parameter.
Facile synthesis of GO and g-C3N4 nanosheets encapsulated magnetite ternary nanocomposite for superior photocatalytic degradation of phenol

Rehman GU, Tahir M, Goh PS, Ismail AF, Samavati A, Zulhairun AK, et al.

Environ Pollut, 2019 Oct;253:1066-1078.
PMID: 31434184 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2019.07.013

In this study, the synthesis of Fe3O4@GO@g-C3N4 ternary nanocomposite for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of phenol has been investigated. The surface modification of Fe3O4 was performed through layer-by-layer electrostatic deposition meanwhile the heterojunction structure of ternary nanocomposite was obtained through sonicated assisted hydrothermal method. The photocatalysts were characterized for their crystallinity, surface morphology, chemical functionalities, and band gap energy. The Fe3O4@GO@g-C3N4 ternary nanocomposite achieved phenol degradation of ∼97%, which was significantly higher than that of Fe3O4@GO (∼75%) and Fe3O4 (∼62%). The enhanced photoactivity was due to the efficient charge carrier separation and desired band structure. The photocatalytic performance was further enhanced with the addition of hydrogen peroxide, in which phenol degradation up to 100% was achieved in 2 h irradiation time. The findings revealed that operating parameters have significant influences on the photocatalytic activities. It was found that lower phenol concentration promoted higher activity. In this study, 0.3 g of Fe3O4@GO@g-C3N4 was found to be the optimized photocatalyst for phenol degradation. At the optimized condition, the reaction rate constant was reported as 6.96 × 10-3 min-1. The ternary photocatalyst showed excellent recyclability in three consecutive cycles, which confirmed the stability of this ternary nanocomposite for degradation applications.
Fulltext Impact of clinical pathway on clinical outcomes in the management of COPD exacerbation

Ban A, Ismail A, Harun R, Abdul Rahman A, Sulung S, Syed Mohamed A

BMC Pulm Med, 2012;12:27.
PMID: 22726610 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2466-12-27

BACKGROUND: Exacerbations, a leading cause of hospitalization in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), affect the quality of life and prognosis. Treatment recommendations as provided in the evidence-based guidelines are not consistently followed, partly due to absence of simplified task-oriented approach to care. In this study, we describe the development and implementation of a clinical pathway (CP) and evaluate its effectiveness in the management of COPD exacerbation.
METHODS: We developed a CP and evaluated its effectiveness in a non-randomized prospective study with historical controls on patients admitted for exacerbation of COPD to Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC). Consecutive patients who were admitted between June 2009 and December 2010 were prospectively recruited into the CP group. Non-CP historical controls were obtained from case records of patients admitted between January 2008 and January 2009. Clinical outcomes were evaluated by comparing the length of stay (LOS), complication rates, readmissions, and mortality rates.
RESULTS: Ninety-five patients were recruited in the CP group and 98 patients were included in the non-CP historical group. Both groups were comparable with no significant differences in age, sex and severity of COPD (p = 0.641). For clinical outcome measures, patients in the CP group had shorter length of stay than the non-CP group (median (IQR): 5 (4-7) days versus 7 (7-9) days, p

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