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Fulltext First Report of Fusarium incarnatum-equiseti Species Complex Causing Leaf Spot on Rockmelon (Cucumis melo L.) in Malaysia

Ismail SI, Noor Asha NA, Zulperi D

Plant Dis, 2020 Nov 02.
PMID: 33135990 DOI: 10.1094/PDIS-06-20-1380-PDN

Rockmelon, (Cucumis melo L.) is an economically important crop cultivated in Malaysia. In October 2019, severe leaf spot symptoms with a disease incidence of 40% were observed on the leaves of rockmelon cv. Golden Champion at Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). Symptoms appeared as brown necrotic spots, 10 to 30 mm in diameter, with spots surrounded by chlorotic halos. Pieces (5 x 5 mm) of diseased tissue were sterilized with 0.5% NaOCl for 1 min, rinsed three times with sterile distilled water, plated onto potato dextrose agar (PDA) and incubated at 25°C for 7 days with a 12-h photoperiod. Nine morphologically similar isolates were obtained by using single spore isolation technique and a representative isolate B was characterized further. Colonies were abundant, whitish aerial mycelium with orange pigmentation. The isolates produced macroconidia with 5 to 6 septa, a tapered with pronounced dorsiventral curvature and measured 25 to 30 μm long x 3 to 5 μm wide. Microconidia produced after 12 days of incubation were single-celled, hyaline, ovoid, nonseptate, and 1.0 to 3.0 × 4.0 to 10.0 µm. Morphological characteristics of the isolates were similar to the taxonomic description of Fusarium equiseti (Leslie and Summerell 2006). Genomic DNA was extracted from fresh mycelium using DNeasy Plant Mini kit (Qiagen, USA). To confirm the identity of the fungus, two sets of primers, ITS4/ITS5 (White et al. 1990) and TEF1-α, EF1-728F/EF1-986R (Carbone and Kohn 1999) were used to amplify complete internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and partial translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF1-α) genes, respectively. BLASTn search in the NCBI database using ITS and TEF-1α sequences revealed 99 to 100% similarities with species of both F. incarnatum and F. equiseti. BLAST analysis of these in FUSARIUM-ID database showed 100% and 99% similarity with Fusarium incarnatum-F. equiseti species complex (FIESC) (NRRL34059 [EF-1α] and NRRL43619 [ITS]) respectively (Geiser et al. 2004). The ITS and TEF1-α sequences were deposited in GenBank (MT515832 and MT550682). The isolate was identified as F. equiseti, which belongs to the FIESC based on morphological and molecular characteristics. Pathogenicity was conducted on five healthy leaves of 1-month-old rockmelon cv. Golden Champion grown in 5 plastic pots filled with sterile peat moss. The leaves were surface-sterilized with 70% ethanol and rinsed twice with sterile-distilled water. Then, the leaves were wounded using 34-mm-diameter florist pin frog and inoculated by pipetting 20-μl conidial suspension (1 × 106 conidia/ml) of 7-day-old culture of isolate B onto the wound sites. Control leaves were inoculated with sterile-distilled water only. The inoculated plants were covered with plastic bags for 5 days and maintained in a greenhouse at 25 °C, 90% relative humidity with a photoperiod of 12-h. After 7 days, inoculated leaves developed necrotic lesions similar to the symptoms observed in the field while the control treatment remained asymptomatic. The fungus was reisolated from the infected leaves and was morphologically identical to the original isolate. F. equiseti was previously reported causing fruit rot of watermelon in Georgia (Li and Ji 2015) and China (Li et al. 2018). This pathogen could cause serious damage to established rockmelon as it can spread rapidly in the field. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a member of the Fusarium incarnatum-F.equiseti species complex causing leaf spot on Cucumis melo in Malaysia.
Gynura procumbens Improved Fertility of Diabetic Rats: Preliminary Study of Sperm Proteomic

Kamaruzaman KA, Aizat WM, Mat Noor M

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2018;2018:9201539.
PMID: 30363997 DOI: 10.1155/2018/9201539

Gynura procumbens (GP) is a medicinal herb that has long been known as anti-inflammatory and antihyperglycaemic. Recently, this herbal extract has been associated with a profertility effect, suggesting its applicability in treating both diabetes and male infertility. In this study, the effects of GP aqueous extract (GPAE) on diabetic rats were investigated through evaluating testes histology and androgen hormone levels as well as the implantation sites of female rats on copulation with the treated male rats. Three dosages of GPAE were used (150, 300, and 450 mg/kg), and there were three control groups [normal, diabetic, and metformin-treated diabetic]. Testes histology, androgen hormone levels, and number of implantation sites of the GPAE-treated groups matched those of the normal group in contrast to the diabetic and metformin-treated diabetic controls. Sperm proteomics analysis identified 666 proteins, but only 88 were consistently found in all the control and 450-mg/kg GPAE-treated groups. Four proteins, including cysteine-rich secretory protein 1, carboxylesterase 5A, zona pellucida binding protein, and phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein 1, were significantly upregulated with GPAE treatment compared with the diabetic control, matching the protein levels of the normal group. These proteins were mainly involved in sperm maturation, sperm capacitation, and sperm-egg interaction, suggesting that GP treatment was able to restore the fertility of male diabetic rats at molecular protein level. In conclusion, GP treatment effectively treats infertility of male diabetic rats, possibly through the upregulation of proteins related to sperm maturation and sperm-egg interaction.
Fulltext The In Vitro Antibiotic Susceptibility of Malaysian Isolates of Burkholderia pseudomallei

Ahmad N, Hashim R, Mohd Noor A

Int J Microbiol, 2013;2013:121845.
PMID: 24194761 DOI: 10.1155/2013/121845

Acute melioidosis may present as localised or septicaemic infections and can be fatal if left untreated. Burkholderia pseudomallei resistant to antibiotics used for the treatment of melioidosis had been reported. The aim of this study was to determine the in vitro antibiotic susceptibility patterns of Burkholderia pseudomallei isolated in Malaysia to a panel of antibiotics used for the treatment of melioidosis and also to potential alternative antibiotics such as tigecycline, ampicillin/sulbactam, and piperacillin/tazobactam. A total of 170 Burkholderia pseudomallei isolates were subjected to minimum inhibitory concentration determination using E-test method to eleven antibiotics. All isolates were sensitive to meropenem and piperacillin/tazobactam. For ceftazidime, imipenem, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, and doxycycline resistance was observed in 1 isolate (0.6%) for each of the antibiotics. Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole resistance was observed in 17 (10%) isolates. For other antibiotics, ampicillin/sulbactam, chloramphenicol, tigecycline, and ciprofloxacin resistance were observed in 1 (0.6%), 6 (3.5%), 60 (35.3%) and 98 (57.7%) isolates respectively. One isolate B170/06 exhibited resistance to 4 antibiotics, namely, ciprofloxacin, chloramphenicol, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, and tigecycline. In conclusion, the Malaysian isolates were highly susceptible to the current antibiotics used in the treatment of melioidosis in Malaysia. Multiple resistances to the antibiotics used in the maintenance therapy are the cause for a concern.
Fulltext Psychometric evaluation of the Malay version of the Individual Community-Related Empowerment scale among older adults in Malaysia

Zaidun Z, Sutan R, Noor Aizuddin A

Belitung Nurs J, 2023;9(3):287-292.
PMID: 37492756 DOI: 10.33546/bnj.2652

BACKGROUND: Malaysia is projected to become an aged country by 2030, with the older age group comprising 10 percent of the total population. To address this demographic shift, comprehensive plans and initiatives are being implemented at various levels, ranging from the government to local communities. A crucial aspect of these efforts is community empowerment, which requires a reliable and validated tool for measurement.
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to validate the Individual Community Related Empowerment (ICRE) scale in alignment with the national language of Malaysia.
METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted from May to December 2019. Back-to-back translation from the English to Malay version of the ICRE scale was done. A total of 328 older persons aged 60 years old and above who attended clinics and understood Malay had been randomly selected. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA), particularly Principal Component Analysis (PCA) with Varimax rotation and Kaiser Normalization, was performed in this study using IBM SPSS version 27 Amos graphic.
RESULTS: The findings revealed that the Malay version of the Individual Community Related Empowerment (ICRE-m) scale consists of five components: self-efficacy, intention, participation, motivation, and critical awareness, which collectively accounted for 92.3% of total variance. All five components demonstrated Cronbach's alpha values greater than 0.7, indicating the reliability of the selected items for field studies.
CONCLUSION: The ICRE-m scale is acceptable for field studies and valid for measuring individual-related community empowerment. Nurses and other healthcare professionals can employ this scale specifically within the Malay-speaking population, particularly in the Asian region. Future studies on community empowerment among older individuals can utilize this tool to assess community readiness for participating in community health interventions.
Fulltext Heat and mass transfer on MHD squeezing flow of Jeffrey nanofluid in horizontal channel through permeable medium

Mat Noor NA, Shafie S, Admon MA

PLoS One, 2021;16(5):e0250402.
PMID: 33956793 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0250402

The heat and mass transfer on time dependent hydrodynamic squeeze flow of Jeffrey nanofluid across two plates over permeable medium in the slip condition with heat generation/absorption, thermal radiation and chemical reaction are investigated. The impacts of Brownian motion and thermophoresis is examined in the Buongiorno's nanofluid model. Conversion of the governing partial differential equations to the ordinary differential equations is conducted via similarity transformation. The dimensionless equations are solved by imposing numerical method of Keller-box. The outputs are compared with previous reported works in the journals for the validation of the present outputs and found in proper agreement. The behavior of velocity, temperature, and nanoparticles concentration profiles by varying the pertinent parameters are examined. Findings portray that the acceleration of the velocity profile and the wall shear stress is due to the squeezing of plates. Furthermore, the velocity, temperature and concentration profile decline with boost in Hartmann number and ratio of relaxation to retardation times. It is discovered that the rate of heat transfer and temperature profile increase when viscous dissipation, thermophoresis and heat source/sink rises. In contrast, the increment of thermal radiation reduces the temperature and enhances the heat transfer rate. Besides, the mass transfer rate decelerates for increasing Brownian motion in nanofluid, while it elevates when chemical reaction and thermophoresis increases.
Fulltext Red cell immunization in multiply transfused Malay thalassemic patients

Noor Haslina MN, Ariffin N, Illuni Hayati I, Rosline H

Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health, 2006 Sep;37(5):1015-20.
PMID: 17333748

The development of red blood cell (RBC) isoimmunization with alloantibodies and autoantibodies complicate transfusion therapy in multiply transfused thalassemia patients. Thus, the frequency, causes and prevention of these phenomena were studied among these patients. Clinical and serological data from 58 Malay multiply transfused thalassemic patients who sought treatment at Hospital University Sains Malaysia were collected and analyzed prospectively. Blood samples were subjected to standard blood bank procedures to screen for antibody and subsequent antibodies identification. All patients in our hospital received blood matched for only ABO and Rh (D) antigens. There were 46 (79.3%) patients with Hb E/beta thalassemia, 8 (13.8%) with beta thalassemia major, 3 (5.2%) with Hb H Constant Spring and 1 (1.7%) with Hb H disease. Overall, 8.6% of the patients had alloantibodies and 1.7% had autoantibodies. The alloantibodies identified were anti-E, anti-c, anti-K, anti-Jka, anti-N and anti-S. In conclusion, the transfusion of matched blood is essential for chronically multiply transfused patients in order to avoid alloimmunization. Considering the high frequency of anti E at our hospital, it is advisable to genotype patients and match the red cells for E antigens in multiply transfused thalassemia patients.
Fulltext Induction of epoxide hydrolase, glucuronosyl transferase, and sulfotransferase by phenethyl isothiocyanate in male Wistar albino rats

Abdull Razis AF, Mohd Noor N, Konsue N

Biomed Res Int, 2014;2014:391528.
PMID: 24592387 DOI: 10.1155/2014/391528

Phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) is an isothiocyanate found in watercress as the glucosinolate (gluconasturtiin). The isothiocyanate is converted from the glucosinolate by intestinal microflora or when contacted with myrosinase during the chopping and mastication of the vegetable. PEITC manifested protection against chemically-induced cancers in various tissues. A potential mechanism of chemoprevention is by modulating the metabolism of carcinogens so as to promote deactivation. The principal objective of this study was to investigate in rats the effect of PEITC on carcinogen-metabolising enzyme systems such as sulfotransferase (SULT), N-acetyltransferase (NAT), glucuronosyl transferase (UDP), and epoxide hydrolase (EH) following exposure to low doses that simulate human dietary intake. Rats were fed for 2 weeks diets supplemented with PEITC at 0.06 µmol/g (low dose, i.e., dietary intake), 0.6 µmol/g (medium dose), and 6.0 µmol/g (high dose), and the enzymes were monitored in rat liver. At the Low dose, no induction of the SULT, NAT, and EH was noted, whereas UDP level was elevated. At the Medium dose, only SULT level was increased, whereas at the High dose marked increase in EH level was observed. It is concluded that PEITC modulates carcinogen-metabolising enzyme systems at doses reflecting human intake thus elucidating the mechanism of its chemoprevention.
A study on compliance to hearing conservation programme among industries in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

Nor Saleha IT, Noor Hassim I

Ind Health, 2006 Oct;44(4):584-91.
PMID: 17085919

Noise is one of the hazards faced by workers. A cross-sectional study was conducted among industries in Negeri Sembilan with the objective to assess their compliance to Hearing Conservation Programme (HCP). The other objectives of this study were to determine the factors influencing it and to show the industries' compliance to each element of the programme. It was also to identify the association between compliance to HCP and the prevalence of hearing impairment and standard threshold shift. Data for this study were collected using questionnaires sent by mail and also the results of the latest audiometric tests. A total of 167 industries were analysed for this study. It was found that 41.3% of these industries fully complied to the programme. It was also found that the industries preferred to provide hearing protection device (92.8%) and least complied to noise control (61.1%). There were significant associations (p<0.05) between compliance and number of employees, status of ownership and the presence of officer in charge of hearing conservation programme. Having at least 150 employees actually raised the compliance to HCP in two folds (beta = 0.717, OR = 2.048, C.I 95% = 1.063 to 3.944). The prevalences of hearing impairment and standard threshold shift were 23.9% and 5.2% respectively. There was no significant association between the prevalence for hearing impairment and compliance to HCP. The prevalence for standard threshold shift was inversely related to compliance. This study showed that compliance percentage need to be improved as an effort to prevent the hearing problems among workers exposed to noise.
Fulltext Leveraging dynamics informed neural networks for predictive modeling of COVID-19 spread: a hybrid SEIRV-DNNs approach

Cheng C, Aruchunan E, Noor Aziz MH

Sci Rep, 2025 Jan 15;15(1):2043.
PMID: 39814760 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-85440-1

A dynamics informed neural networks (DINNs) incorporating the susceptible-exposed-infectious-recovered-vaccinated (SEIRV) model was developed to enhance the understanding of the temporal evolution dynamics of infectious diseases. This work integrates differential equations with deep neural networks to predict time-varying parameters in the SEIRV model. Experimental results based on reported data from China between January 1, and December 1, 2022, demonstrate that the proposed dynamics informed neural networks (DINNs) method can accurately learn the dynamics and predict future states. Our proposed hybrid SEIRV-DNNs model can also be applied to other infectious diseases such as influenza and dengue, with some modifications to the compartments and parameters in the model to accommodate the related control measures. This approach will facilitate improving predictive modeling and optimizing public health intervention strategies.
Fulltext Prevalence of Hypoglycaemia among Insulin-Treated Pregnant Women with Diabetes Who Achieved Tight Glycaemic Control

Ng D, Noor NM, Yong SL

J ASEAN Fed Endocr Soc, 2019;34(1):29-35.
PMID: 33442134 DOI: 10.15605/jafes.034.01.06

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of hypoglycaemia using continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS) among insulin-treated pregnant women with diabetes whose glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) were <6.0% and identify the risk factors associated with hypoglycaemia occurrence.
Methodology: We conducted a cross-sectional study using 6-days CGMS to detect the prevalence of hypoglycaemia in 31 insulin-treated pregnant women with diabetes who achieved HbA1c <6.0%. Patients were required to log-keep their self-monitoring blood glucose (SMBG) readings and hypoglycaemia events.
Results: Eight women experienced confirmed hypoglycaemia with additional seven experienced relative hypoglycaemia, giving rise to prevalence rate of 45.2% (one had both confirmed and relative hypoglycaemia). Nine relative hypoglycaemia and 17 confirmed hypoglycaemic events were recorded. Sixteen (94%) out of 17 confirmed hypoglycaemia events recorded by CGMS were asymptomatic and were missed despite performing regular SMBG. Nocturnal hypoglycaemia events were recorded in seven women. Univariable analysis did not identify any association between conventional risk factors and hypoglycaemia events in our cohort.
Conclusion: Insulin-treated pregnant women with diabetes who achieved HbA1c <6.0% were associated with high prevalence of hypoglycaemia. Asymptomatic hypoglycaemia is common in our cohort and frequently missed despite regular SMBG. Present study did not identify any association between conventional risk factors and hypoglycaemia events in our cohort.
Maqasid al-shariah as a complementary framework to conventional bioethics

Saifuddeen SM, Rahman NN, Isa NM, Baharuddin A

Sci Eng Ethics, 2014 Jun;20(2):317-27.
PMID: 23836155 DOI: 10.1007/s11948-013-9457-0

With the rapid advancements made in biotechnology, bioethical discourse has become increasingly important. Bioethics is a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary field that goes beyond the realm of natural sciences, and has involved fields in the domain of the social sciences. One of the important areas in bioethical discourse is religion. In a country like Malaysia, where Muslims make up the majority of the population, Islam plays a crucial role in providing the essential guidelines on the permissibility and acceptability of biotechnological applications in various fields such as medicine, agriculture, and food processing. This article looks at the framework of a complementary model of bioethics derived from the perspective of Islam. The framework is based on 'maqasid al-shariah' (purposes or objectives of Islamic law) which aims to protect and preserve mankind's faith, life, intellect, progeny, and property. It is proposed that 'maqasid al-shariah' be used as a pragmatic checklist that can be utilized in tackling bioethical issues and dilemmas.
Fulltext Dendritic cell distribution in lymphomas

Hussin HN, Zulkifli FN, Phang KS, Cheong SK

Malays J Pathol, 2009 Dec;31(2):105-12.
PMID: 20514853 MyJurnal

Dendritic cells (DC) are specialized antigen presenting cells (APC) that have important roles in host defenses and in generating anti-tumour immune response. Altered frequency and maturation of DC have been reported in malignant tumours. We studied the distribution and maturation status of DC by immunohistochemistry, on the formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded lymph node tissues of 32 histologically diagnosed lymphomas and 40 inflammatory conditions that were retrieved from the Department of Pathology, UKM Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur. Our study showed a significant reduction in the total DC counts in the lymphoma tissues compared to the inflammatory conditions. The mature and immature DC counts were both significantly reduced (p = 0.008 and 0.001 respectively), although a greater reduction was observed in mature DC numbers. We also observed compartmentalization of DC where the immature DC were seen within the tumour tissues and the mature DC were more in peri-tumoural areas. Our findings were similar to other reports, suggesting that reduced numbers of DC appears to be a factor contributing to lack of tumour surveillance in these cases.
Fulltext Autologous serum supplement favours in vitro regenerative paracrine factors synthesis

Haque N, Kasim NHA, Kassim NLA, Rahman MT

Cell Prolif, 2017 Aug;50(4).
PMID: 28682474 DOI: 10.1111/cpr.12354

OBJECTIVES: Foetal bovine serum (FBS) is often the serum supplement of choice for in vitro human cell culture. This study compares the effect of FBS and autologous human serum (AuHS) supplement in human peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) culture to prepare secretome.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The PBMC (n = 7) were cultured either in RPMI-1640 containing L-glutamine and 50 units/ml Penicillin-Streptomycin (BM) or in BM with either AuHS or FBS. Viability, proliferation and differentiation of PBMC were evaluated. Paracrine factors present in the secretomes (n = 6) were analysed using ProcartaPlex Human Cytokine panel (17 plex). Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) was performed to predict activation or inhibition of biological functions related to tissue regeneration.
RESULTS: The viability of PBMC that were cultured with FBS supplement was significantly reduced at 96 h compared to those at 0 and 24 h (P
Fulltext Removal of failed dental implant with application of concentrated growth factor (CGF): a case report

Nurul Ain Mohamed Yusof, Mohd Salman Masri, Erni Noor

Compendium of Oral Science, 2018;5(1):46-53.
MyJurnal

Introduction: High survival rates of dental implants were commonly reported even after 10 years of follow up. Nevertheless, complications and failure may occur and the implant would need to be removed. In recent years, the use of autogenous blood products in dental surgery has increased due to its ability to aid the healing of the soft and hard tissues. Clinical case: The case demonstrated the utilisation of concentrated growth factor (CGF) from the patient’s blood for healing following conservative removal of a failed dental implant. Subsequently, the patient showed satisfactory recovery without any infections and clinical complaints. Conclusion: This explantation procedure, together with the use of CGF, may prevent the normal bone resorption and accelerate soft tissue healing. As it is biological in nature having originated from the patient’s blood, it is more readily accepted by the tissues and the risk of infection is low.
Fulltext “CanDiTM”: a Malaysian-tailored dietary smartphone app for cancer patients and survivors

Noor Salihah, Pei LL, Aryati Ahmad, Mohd. Razif Shahril

Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine, 2017;17 Special(2):32-40.

Despite being effective in promoting healthy dietary behaviour, smartphone apps are scarcely available for our local communities and the majority of nutritional-related information is based on western food selections. Our new innovation aims to provide specific educational advice about recommended food intake, types, nutritional qualities and weight issues for cancer patients and survivors who suffer appetite problems and nutritional deficits. The Cancer Dietary (CanDiTM) app was developed as a convenient, flexible and attractively engaging smartphone app containing healthy tips which are uniquely tailored to the local food choices, preferences and ingredients. This helps customise users’ dietary needs besides permitting constant information up-dating. Features are broadly categorised into Healthy Eating Guide (advice from healthy eating to eating problems, weight loss prevention and increasing proteins and calories intake) and Malaysian Recipes For Cancer Patients (focusing on common Malaysian dishes, ingredients, treatment-based recipes and special diets). An additional Symptom Diary allows user’s personal profile to be recorded and stored virtually online. Its feasibility and acceptability were further tested among 30 cancer patients, family caregivers and dieticians recruited from a public hospital in Terengganu, Malaysia. Very good feasibility (> 80%) and excellent acceptability (> 90%) were reported regarding its ease of operation, suitability of language used, attractiveness, knowledge enhancement and perceived usefulness. With this scientific yet creative innovation, routine dietary habits related to cancer conditions could be easily facilitated for both patients/survivors as well as family caregivers for their independent and healthy living.
Sesquiterpene production in methyl jasmonate-induced persicaria minor cell suspension culture

Piriyatasni Sellapan, Emelda Rosseleena Rohani, Normah Mohd Noor

Sains Malaysiana, 2018;47:3051-3059.

Sesquiterpenes are a three-isoprene unit compounds which belong to terpenoid family of secondary metabolites. These
volatile compounds are one of the major constituents of essential oils in plants and plays major roles in plant signaling
of defense mechanism. The effects of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) concentrations (100 and 200 μM) on the production
of sesquiterpene compounds after incubation period for 1, 3, and 6 days were investigated in Persicaria minor cell
suspension culture. Headspace Solid-Phase Microextraction (HS-SPME) method was used to absorb volatile compounds
from suspension cells and liquid medium. They were then analyzed through Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
(GC-MS) to identify sesquiterpene compounds. Among the 15 sesquiterpene compounds identified, α- muurolene was found
in significantly higher concentration in all MeJA treated cultures. The results showed that α-muurolene was detected in
the suspension cells at the highest peak area of 14.17% at 100 μM MeJA treated cultures with 3-day incubation. Analysis
of liquid medium of the treatments identified secretion of α-muurolene into the culture medium, with total peak area of
0.72%. These results showed that sesquiterpene production in MeJA induced P. minor suspension culture depended on
the MeJA concentration and also culture incubation period.
Fulltext The use of weight loss products among overweight and obese patients in Malaysia

Murni Aliza Abd Malik, Noor Azimah Muhammad, Mohd Fairuz Ali

Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2019;15(1):23-30.
MyJurnal

Local profiles on the use of weight loss products are scarce. The study aims to address this together with concerns on the users’ misperception of the safety of these products, and the absence of high-quality evidence to support such use. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in overweight and obese patients attending a public primary care clinic in Penang. Selected patients were given a set of self-administered questionnaire that assessed types of weight loss products used, factors that influenced the usage and the users’ perception of their own body weight and the diet products they are taking. Results: From 332 participants of this study, 18.7% were users. Mean age of users were 44.6 (SD 11.9) years. The majority (66.1%) only used dietary supplements, 11.3% used weight loss medications and the rest (22.6%) used both products. Reasons for its use were for health, a faster result to lose weight and failing dieting and exercise regimes. The average amount spent on this was RM100 per month. Commonest source of weight loss products were friends. Majority (80.6%) did not discuss the use of the products with doctors. Factors associated with the use of weight loss products were being female (AOR=5.59), had tertiary level education (AOR=2.27), being employed (AOR=3.42), self-perceived of overweight (AOR=3.61) and perception that weight loss products as safe (AOR 2.48). Conclusion: Users of weight loss products are among highly educated working females who perceived themselves as being overweight and assume the products are safe.
Fulltext Automatic meat slicing machine

Nor’ain Senin, Noorhidayah Ramli, Mai Noor Asiah Tan Zalilah

Journal of Engineering and Science Research, 2018;2(5):49-54.
MyJurnal

A new innovation has been created which is called AUTOMATIC MEAT SLICING (AMS) MACHINE. The main purpose of the machine creation is to replace the old-style method in slicing the chicken meat to modern method. BABARITTOS DELIGHT supplies Tortillas Wrap to the latest trend of Food & Beverage (F&B) business called Food Truck. The main ingredient of Burritos is slices of boneless chicken meat, where each slice is approximately has to be 5 mm thick. Formerly, the slicing procedure used a normal cutting knife and its production rate was truncated as the demands of the Burritos are going higher by days. This method requires 3 to 4 workers to team up to complete the 30 kg boneless chicken meat to be cut into roughly 5 mm per slice within one and half hour. The AMS machine is predominant to help the company to grow the output of sliced meat and at the same time can reduce the number of workers. The usage of AMS machine is only required one worker for the operation and the output can be up to 30kg per 30mins, which is actually can end up almost 3 times quantity of output and 3 times labor cost-saving. Meanwhile the quality of the sliced meat is much enhanced as most of the slice meat is precisely 5mm thick. The AMS concept design is cutting the meat using several circular cutting blades, where the chicken will be put on the moving conveyor and finally will fall onto the hygienic tray.
Fulltext Chemical profile of Xanthine Oxidase inhibitor fraction of Persicaria Hydropiper

Noor Hashim, N.H., Maulidiani, M., Mediani, A., Abas, F.

International Food Research Journal, 2018;25(3):1088-1094.
MyJurnal

Persicaria hydropiper, locally known as kesum, is an herb belongs to the family Polygonaceae. It has been used widely in many countries as food flavoring and possesses a wide range of medicinal values. The total phenolic content and xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity of the methanolic extract of P. hydropiper and fractions were determined spectrophotometrically. The butanol fraction was found to contain high phenolic content and was able to inhibit xanthine oxidase activity. Online profiling using liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionisation spectrometry (LC-ESIMS/MS) has revealed ten constituents in this active fraction. The major components were flavonoid derivatives and flavonoid sulphates, which were confirmed by comparison with an authentic standards as well as their MS/MS fragmentation patterns and UV spectra.
Fulltext Wait time analysis to optimize number of opened counters

Noraini Noordin, Nurul Elfieqah Rostam, Nur Ariena Farhana Noor Hamizan

ESTEEM Academic Journal, 2020;16(2):1-10.
MyJurnal

The Morning Shift (MS) flow of passengers on Thursday is similar to any other day in the week at an urban train station. However, passenger congestion occurring in the Evening Shift (ES) affects the system behaviour. The system has been showing this characteristic over the years. However,
only one counter is opened. This counter also sells different types of tickets. Thus, the system is not cost-effective. The study aims to determine the optimal number of counters that should be opened on Thursday. In order to solve this problem, the study has applied Poisson Queuing Simulation (PQ) to the MS and ES data. Findings indicate that running one or two counters in MS
maintains the mean of wait time in-queue and in-system at less than one minute, while the mean of in-queue and in-system passengers is also at one person. Extra cost has to be incurred to hire another teller; thus, one counter is optimal. For ES, the service rate was only slightly higher than the arrival rate. Based on the mean number of in-queue and in-system passengers, there was no way that one counter can efficiently service the queue that was formed. A simulation was done to determine if there was a need to set up a two-counter or a three-counter system. Although a two-counter system will be idle 47% of the time, it was not cost-effective for the management to two
extra tellers for a three-counter system. The management must take future corrective measures. Based on the findings, one counter is optimal for MS, but cost-effectiveness tests must confirm that two counters are optimal for ES. Besides, the management should also identify actions that can be taken during the 47% idle system time in ES.

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