Displaying publications 261 - 280 of 323 in total

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  1. Liu A, Byrne NM, Ma G, Nasreddine L, Trinidad TP, Kijboonchoo K, et al.
    Eur J Clin Nutr, 2011 Dec;65(12):1321-7.
    PMID: 21731041 DOI: 10.1038/ejcn.2011.122
    To develop and cross-validate bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) prediction equations of total body water (TBW) and fat-free mass (FFM) for Asian pre-pubertal children from China, Lebanon, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand.
  2. Abedini F, Ismail M, Hosseinkhani H, Ibrahim TA, Omar AR, Chong PP, et al.
    Cancer Manag Res, 2011;3:301-9.
    PMID: 21931504 DOI: 10.2147/CMR.S11678
    Liver metastasis is the main cause of mortality related to colorectal cancer. CXCR4 is necessary for the outgrowth of colon cancer micrometastases. In oncology, it has been demonstrated that several human tumors release lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) into the circulation. CXCR4 gene expression and serum LDH levels are often increased in patients with colorectal cancer. Despite technological advances in cancer therapy, five-year overall survival is still around 50%. Therefore, better treatment needs to be developed. RNA interference (RNAi) is a modern and powerful tool for inhibition of gene expression. However, the rate-limiting step in this technology is effective delivery of RNAi agents. We have investigated a novel strategy of CXCR4 siRNA therapy and its effect on serum LDH levels in a BALB/C mouse model of colorectal cancer metastasis to the liver. Hepatic metastasis was established by injecting a CT26.WT mouse colon carcinoma cell line via the tail vein. Our results demonstrated that CXCR4 siRNA/ dextran-spermine nanoparticles achieved high silencing efficiency with low toxicity. Favorable localization of the nanoparticles was confirmed with CXCR4 gene expression in the liver, that was correlated with serum LDH levels. More research will be needed to determine the effect of CXCR4 silencing on serum LDH levels, which may be a useful marker for predicting liver metastasis in colorectal cancer.
  3. Norhayati M, Al-Mekhlafi HM, Azlin M, Nor Aini U, Shaik A, Sa'iah A, et al.
    Ann Trop Med Parasitol, 2007 Sep;101(6):547-50.
    PMID: 17716439
  4. Aini UN, Al-Mekhlafi MS, Azlin M, Shaik A, Sa'iah A, Fatmah MS, et al.
    Asia Pac J Clin Nutr, 2007;16(4):724-30.
    PMID: 18042535
    We conducted a cross sectional study to examine the association of intestinal parasitic infections and protein energy malnutrition (PEM) with iron-status indicators and anaemia among Orang Asli children in Selangor, Malaysia. A total of 281 children aged 2 - 15 years were studied. The data were collected using structured questionnaires, anthropometric measurements and laboratory analysis for blood and faecal samples. All children were infected either by A. lumbricoides, T. trichiura or hookworm and almost 19%, 26% and 3% of the children had severe infection of ascariasis, trichuriasis and hookworm infection respectively. The prevalence of giardiasis among them was 24.9%. Overall, 41.5% of the children were anaemic (haemoglobin < 11.0 g/dL). Of these 61.0% of the children had iron deficiency and 36.5% had iron deficiency anaemia (IDA), which accounted for 88.0% of anaemia in this population. Severe trichuriasis had the most significant correlation with anaemia and iron deficiency in this population. It contributed to low concentrations of haemoglobin, serum iron and serum ferritin and high total iron binding capacity (TIBC). Significant underweight and stunting were associated with low concentrations of haemoglobin and serum iron while significant wasting was significantly associated with low concentration of serum ferritin. Logistic regression analysis confirmed that severe trichuriasis was a strong predictor of IDA. It also confirmed that children who were significantly underweight and whose mother was working were independent predictors of IDA in this population.
  5. Al-Mekhlafi MS, Azlin M, Nor Aini U, Shaikh A, Sa'iah A, Fatmah MS, et al.
    PMID: 16771211
    Soil-transmitted helminthiases are a public health problem in rural communities. A cross-sectional study of the prevalence and distribution of Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura and hookworm was conducted in 281 Orang Asli children (aborigines) aged between 2 and 15 years, from 8 Orang Asli villages in Selangor, Malaysia. All the children were infected with soil-transmitted helminthes, with 26.3% of the children infected either with A. lumbricoides, T. trichiura or hookworm and 72.6% having mixed infection. The overall prevalences of A. lumbricoides, T. trichiura and hookworm were 61.9, 98.2 and 37.0%, respectively. Approximately 19.0, 26.0 and 3.0% of the children had severe infection of ascariasis, trichuriasis and hookworm infection, respectively. The prevalences and mean egg per gram (epg) counts for A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura were not significantly dependent on age, therefore age-dependent convexity was not seen in this study. However, the results of this study reveal an age-dependent prevalence and mean epg count in children with hookworm infection. We conclude that ascariasis, trichuriasis and hookworm infection are still prevalent and therefore a public health concern in Orang Asli communities. Severe ascariasis and trichuriasis may lead to other health and medical problems.
  6. Zen DI, Saidin N, Damanhuri SS, Harun SW, Ahmad H, Ismail MA, et al.
    Appl Opt, 2013 Feb 20;52(6):1226-9.
    PMID: 23434993 DOI: 10.1364/AO.52.001226
    We demonstrate mode locking of a thulium-bismuth codoped fiber laser (TBFL) operating at 1901.6 nm, using a graphene-based saturable absorber (SA). In this work, a single layer graphene is mechanically exfoliated using the scotch tape method and directly transferred onto the surface of a fiber pigtail to fabricate the SA. The obtained Raman spectrum characteristic indicates that the graphene on the core surface has a single layer. At 1552 nm pump power of 869 mW, the mode-locked TBFL self starts to generate an optical pulse train with a repetition rate of 16.7 MHz and pulse width of 0.37 ps. This is a simple, low-cost, stable, and convenient laser oscillator for applications where eye-safe and low-photon-energy light sources are required, such as sensing and biomedical diagnostics.
  7. Armania N, Yazan LS, Musa SN, Ismail IS, Foo JB, Chan KW, et al.
    J Ethnopharmacol, 2013 Mar 27;146(2):525-35.
    PMID: 23353897 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2013.01.017
    Dillenia suffruticosa (Family: Dilleniaceae) locally known as Simpoh air has been reported to be used traditionally to treat cancerous growth. Therefore, the present study was attempted to investigate the antioxidant and cytotoxic properties of different parts (root, flower, fruit and leaf) of D. suffruticosa extracts.
  8. Al-Mekhlafi MS, Azlin M, Nor Aini U, Shaik A, Sa'iah A, Fatmah MS, et al.
    Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg, 2005 Sep;99(9):686-91.
    PMID: 15992838
    A cross-sectional study to examine the association of giardiasis with protein-energy malnutrition, vitamin A deficiency and iron deficiency anaemia was conducted among Orang Asli children in Selangor, Malaysia. A total of 281 children aged 2-15 years were studied. The data were collected using structured questionnaires, anthropometric measurements and laboratory analysis of blood and faecal samples. The results showed that 24.9% of the children were infected with Giardia duodenalis, while 56.5, 61.3 and 15.1% had significant underweight, stunting and wasting, respectively. Giardiasis was statistically identified as a strong predictor of significant wasting in this study population.
  9. Chew BH, Yasin MM, Cheong AT, Rashid MR, Hamzah Z, Ismail M, et al.
    Springerplus, 2015;4:213.
    PMID: 25992310 DOI: 10.1186/s40064-015-1004-9
    Perception of healthcare providers who worked with family medicine specialists (FMSs) could translate into the effectiveness of primary healthcare delivery in daily practices. This study examined perceptions of public healthcare providers/professionals (PHCPs) on FMSs at public health clinics throughout Malaysia. This was a cross-sectional study in 2012-2013 using postal method targeting PHCPs from three categories of health facilities, namely health clinics, health offices and hospitals. A structured questionnaire was developed to assess PHCP's perception of FMS's clinical competency, safety practice, ethical and professional values, and research involvement. It consists of 37 items with Likert scale of strongly disagree (a score of 1) to strongly agree (a score of 5). Interaction and independent effect of the independent variables were tested and adjusted means score were reported. The participants' response rate was 58.0% (780/1345) with almost equal proportion from each of the three public healthcare facilities. There were more positive perceptions than negative among the PHCPs. FMSs were perceived to provide effective and safe treatment to their patients equally disregards of patient's social background. However, there were some concerns of FMSs not doing home visits, not seeing walk-in patients, had long appointment time, not active in scientific research, writing and publication. There were significant differences in perception based on a respondent's health care facility (p 
  10. Yida Z, Imam MU, Ismail M, Ooi DJ, Sarega N, Azmi NH, et al.
    J Diabetes Res, 2015;2015:760535.
    PMID: 26273674 DOI: 10.1155/2015/760535
    Edible bird's nest (EBN) is used traditionally in many parts of Asia to improve wellbeing, but there are limited studies on its efficacy. We explored the potential use of EBN for prevention of high fat diet- (HFD-) induced insulin resistance in rats. HFD was given to rats with or without simvastatin or EBN for 12 weeks. During the intervention period, weight measurements were recorded weekly. Blood samples were collected at the end of the intervention and oral glucose tolerance test conducted, after which the rats were sacrificed and their liver and adipose tissues collected for further studies. Serum adiponectin, leptin, F2-isoprostane, insulin, and lipid profile were estimated, and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance computed. Effects of the different interventions on transcriptional regulation of insulin signaling genes were also evaluated. The results showed that HFD worsened metabolic indices and induced insulin resistance partly through transcriptional regulation of the insulin signaling genes. Additionally, simvastatin was able to prevent hypercholesterolemia but promoted insulin resistance similar to HFD. EBN, on the other hand, prevented the worsening of metabolic indices and transcriptional changes in insulin signaling genes due to HFD. The results suggest that EBN may be used as functional food to prevent insulin resistance.
  11. Abdullah S, Mansor AA, Napi NNLM, Mansor WNW, Ahmed AN, Ismail M, et al.
    Sci Total Environ, 2020 Aug 10;729:139022.
    PMID: 32353722 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139022
    An outbreak of respiratory illness which is proven to be infected by a 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) officially named as Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first detected in Wuhan, China and has spread rapidly in other parts of China as well as other countries around the world, including Malaysia. The first case in Malaysia was identified on 25 January 2020 and the number of cases continue to rise since March 2020. Therefore, 2020 Malaysia Movement Control Order (MCO) was implemented with the aim to isolate the source of the COVID-19 outbreak. As a result, there were fewer number of motor vehicles on the road and the operation of industries was suspended, ergo reducing emissions of hazardous air pollutants in the atmosphere. We had acquired the Air Pollutant Index (API) data from the Department of Environment Malaysia on hourly basis before and during the MCO with the aim to track the changes of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) at 68 air quality monitoring stations. It was found that the PM2.5 concentrations showed a high reduction of up to 58.4% during the MCO. Several red zone areas (>41 confirmed COVID-19 cases) had also reduced of up to 28.3% in the PM2.5 concentrations variation. The reduction did not solely depend on MCO, thus the researchers suggest a further study considering the influencing factors that need to be adhered to in the future.
  12. Chan KW, Ismail M, Mohd Esa N, Mohamed Alitheen NB, Imam MU, Ooi J, et al.
    Oxid Med Cell Longev, 2018;2018:6742571.
    PMID: 29849908 DOI: 10.1155/2018/6742571
    The present study aimed to investigate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of defatted kenaf seed meal (DKSM) and its phenolic-saponin-rich extract (PSRE) in hypercholesterolemic rats. Hypercholesterolemia was induced using atherogenic diet feeding, and dietary interventions were conducted by incorporating DKSM (15% and 30%) or PSRE (at 2.3% and 4.6%, resp., equivalent to the total content of DKSM-phenolics and saponins in the DKSM groups) into the atherogenic diets. After ten weeks of intervention, serum total antioxidant capacities of hypercholesterolemic rats were significantly enhanced by DKSM and PSRE supplementation (p < 0.05). Similarly, DKSM and PSRE supplementation upregulated the hepatic mRNA expression of antioxidant genes (Nrf2, Sod1, Sod2, Gsr, and Gpx1) of hypercholesterolemic rats (p < 0.05), except for Gpx1 in the DKSM groups. The levels of circulating oxidized LDL and proinflammatory biomarkers were also markedly suppressed by DKSM and PSRE supplementation (p < 0.05). In aggregate, DKSM and PSRE attenuated the hypercholesterolemia-associated oxidative stress and systemic inflammation in rats, potentially by enhancement of hepatic endogenous antioxidant defense via activation of the Nrf2-ARE pathway, which may be contributed by the rich content of phenolics and saponins in DKSM and PSRE. Hence, DKSM and PSRE are prospective functional food ingredients for the potential mitigation of atherogenic risks in hypercholesterolemic individuals.
  13. Zulkhairi Amin FA, Sabri S, Mohammad SM, Ismail M, Chan KW, Ismail N, et al.
    Adv Pharmacol Sci, 2018;2018:6179596.
    PMID: 30687402 DOI: 10.1155/2018/6179596
    Both honeybees (Apis spp.) and stingless bees (Trigona spp.) produce honeys with high nutritional and therapeutics value. Until recently, the information regarding potential health benefits of stingless bee honey (SBH) in medical databases is still scarce as compared to the common European bee honey (EBH) which is well known for their properties as therapeutic agents. Although there have been very few reports on SBH, empirically these products would have similar therapeutic quality as the EBH. In addition, due to the structure of the nest, few studies reported that the antimicrobial activity of SBH is a little bit stronger than EBH. Therefore, the composition of both the types of honey as well as the traditional uses and clinical applications were compared. The results of various studies on EBH and SBH from tissue culture research to randomised control clinical trials were collated in this review. Interestingly, there are many therapeutic properties that are unique to SBH. Therefore, SBH has a great potential to be developed for modern medicinal uses.
  14. Foo SC, Yusoff FM, Imam MU, Foo JB, Ismail N, Azmi NH, et al.
    Biotechnol Rep (Amst), 2019 Mar;21:e00296.
    PMID: 30581767 DOI: 10.1016/j.btre.2018.e00296
    In this study, anti-proliferative effects of C. calcitrans extract and its fucoxanthin rich fraction (FxRF) were assessed on human liver HepG2 cancer cell line. Efficacy from each extract was determined by cytotoxicity assay, morphological observation, and cell cycle analysis. Mechanisms of action observed were evaluated using multiplex gene expression analysis. Results showed that CME and FxRF induced cytotoxicity to HepG2 cells in a dose and time-dependent manner. FxRF (IC50: 18.89 μg.mL-1) was found to be significantly more potent than CME (IC50: 87.5 μg.mL-1) (p 
  15. Ismail M, Alsalahi A, Khaza'ai H, Imam MU, Ooi J, Samsudin MN, et al.
    PMID: 32731336 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17155410
    BACKGROUND: Cerebrovascular diseases (CBVDs) and diabetes mellitus (DM) are interrelated and cumbersome global health burdens. However, the relationship between edible oils consumption and mortality burdens of CBVDs and DM has not yet been evaluated. This review aims to explore correlations between per capita mortality burdens of CBVDs and DM, as well as food consumption of palm or soya oils in 11 randomly selected countries in 2005, 2010, and 2016.

    METHODS: After obtaining data on food consumption of palm and soya oils and mortality burdens of CBVDs and DM, correlations between the consumption of oils and mortality burdens of diseases were explored.

    RESULTS: There was a positive correlation between the consumption of soya oil with the mortality burden of CBVDs in Australia, Switzerland, and Indonesia, as well as the mortality burden of DM in the USA. The consumption of palm oil had a positive correlation with the mortality burden of DM in Jordan only.

    CONCLUSIONS: Food consumption of soya oil in several countries possibly contributes to the mortality burden of CBVDs or DM more than food consumption of palm oil, which could be a possible risk factor in the mortality burdens of CBVDs and DM.

  16. Foo SC, Yusoff FM, Ismail M, Basri M, Yau SK, Khong NMH, et al.
    J Biotechnol, 2017 Jan 10;241:175-183.
    PMID: 27914891 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2016.11.026
    Natural antioxidants from sustainable sources are favoured to accommodate worldwide antioxidant demand. In addition to bioprospecting for natural and sustainable antioxidant sources, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between the bioactives (i.e. carotenoid and phenolic acids) and the antioxidant capacities in fucoxanthin-producing algae. Total carotenoid, phenolic acid, fucoxanthin contents and fatty acid profile of six species of algae (five microalgae and one macroalga) were quantified followed by bioactivity evaluation using four antioxidant assays. Chaetoceros calcitrans and Isochrysis galbana displayed the highest antioxidant activity, followed by Odontella sinensis and Skeletonema costatum which showed moderate bioactivities. Phaeodactylum tricornutum and Saccharina japonica exhibited the least antioxidant activities amongst the algae species examined. Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression showed that both carotenoids and phenolic acids were significantly correlated (p<0.05) with the antioxidant activities, indicating the influence of these bioactives on the algal antioxidant capacities.
  17. Ismail N, Ismail M, Azmi NH, Bakar MFA, Yida Z, Stanslas J, et al.
    Chem Biol Interact, 2017 Sep 25;275:61-73.
    PMID: 28734741 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbi.2017.07.014
    The study determined the effect of thymoquinone rich fraction (TQRF) and thymoquinone (TQ) in the forms of nano- and conventional emulsions on learning and memory, lipid peroxidation, total antioxidant status, antioxidants genes expression and soluble β-amyloid (Aβ) levels in rats fed with a high fat-cholesterol diet (HFCD). The TQRF was extracted from Nigella sativa seeds using a supercritical fluid extraction system and prepared into nanoemulsion, which later named as TQRF nanoemulsion (TQRFNE). Meanwhile, TQ was acquired commercially and prepared into thymoquinone nanoemulsion (TQNE). The TQRF and TQ conventional emulsions (CE), named as TQRFCE and TQCE, respectively were studied for comparison. Statin (simvastatin) and non-statin (probucol) cholesterol-lowering agents, and a mild-to-severe Alzheimer's disease drug (donepezil) were served as control drugs. The Sprague Dawley rats were fed with HFCD for 6 months, and treated with the intervention groups via oral gavage daily for the last 3 months. As a result, HFCD-fed rats exhibited hypercholesterolaemia, accompanied by memory deficit, increment of lipid peroxidation and soluble Aβ levels, decrement of total antioxidant status and down-regulation of antioxidants genes expression levels. TQRFNE demonstrated comparable effects to the other intervention groups and control drugs in serum biomarkers as well as in the learning and memory test. Somehow, TQRFNE was more prominent than those intervention groups and control drugs in brain biomarkers concomitant to gene and protein expression levels. Supplementation of TQRFNE into an HFCD thus could ameliorate memory deficit, lipid peroxidation and soluble Aβ levels as well as improving the total antioxidant status and antioxidants genes expression levels.
  18. Halim Yap MFAA, Yahya MS, Sazelee N, Ali NA, Mustafa NS, Sulaiman NN, et al.
    ACS Omega, 2021 Jul 27;6(29):18948-18956.
    PMID: 34337234 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c02208
    In this work, the catalytic effects of FeCl3 toward the hydrogen storage properties of the MgH2-Na3AlH6 composite were investigated for the first time. The temperature-programed desorption results indicated that the onset temperature of the hydrogen release of a 10 wt % FeCl3-doped MgH2-Na3AlH6 composite was ∼30 °C lower than that of the undoped MgH2-Na3AlH6 composite. The addition of FeCl3 into the MgH2-Na3AlH6 composite resulted in improved absorption and desorption kinetics performance. The absorption/desorption kinetics measurements at 320 °C (under 33 and 1 atm hydrogen pressure, respectively) indicated that within 10 min, the doped sample absorbed ∼4.0 wt % and desorbed ∼1.5 wt % hydrogen. By comparison, the undoped sample absorbed only ∼2.1 wt % and desorbed only ∼0.6 wt % hydrogen under the same conditions and time. Comparably, the apparent activation energy value of the doped composite is 128 kJ/mol, which is 12 kJ/mol lower than that of the undoped composite (140 kJ/mol). The formation of the new species of MgCl2 and Fe in the doped composite was detected from X-ray diffraction analysis after heating and absorption processes. These two components were believed to play a vital role in reducing the decomposition temperature and kinetics enhancement of the MgH2-Na3AlH6 composite.
  19. Al-Sodani KAA, Adewumi AA, Mohd Ariffin MA, Maslehuddin M, Ismail M, Salami HO, et al.
    Materials (Basel), 2021 Jun 03;14(11).
    PMID: 34205101 DOI: 10.3390/ma14113049
    This paper presents the outcome of work conducted to develop models for the prediction of compressive strength (CS) of alkali-activated limestone powder and natural pozzolan mortar (AALNM) using hybrid genetic algorithm (GA) and support vector regression (SVR) algorithm, for the first time. The developed hybrid GA-SVR-CS1, GA-SVR-CS3, and GA-SVR-CS14 models are capable of estimating the one-day, three-day, and 14-day compressive strength, respectively, of AALNM up to 96.64%, 90.84%, and 93.40% degree of accuracy as measured on the basis of correlation coefficient between the measured and estimated values for a set of data that is excluded from training and testing phase of the model development. The developed hybrid GA-SVR-CS28E model estimates the 28-days compressive strength of AALNM using the 14-days strength, it performs better than hybrid GA-SVR-CS28C model, hybrid GA-SVR-CS28B model, hybrid GA-SVR-CS28A model, and hybrid GA-SVR-CS28D model that respectively estimates the 28-day compressive strength using three-day strength, one day-strength, all the descriptors and seven day-strength with performance improvement of 103.51%, 124.47%, 149.94%, and 262.08% on the basis of root mean square error. The outcome of this work will promote the use of environment-friendly concrete with excellent strength and provide effective as well as efficient ways of modeling the compressive strength of concrete.
  20. Al-Mayouf YR, Ismail M, Abdullah NF, Wahab AW, Mahdi OA, Khan S, et al.
    PLoS One, 2016;11(11):e0165966.
    PMID: 27855165 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0165966
    Vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) are considered an emerging technology in the industrial and educational fields. This technology is essential in the deployment of the intelligent transportation system, which is targeted to improve safety and efficiency of traffic. The implementation of VANETs can be effectively executed by transmitting data among vehicles with the use of multiple hops. However, the intrinsic characteristics of VANETs, such as its dynamic network topology and intermittent connectivity, limit data delivery. One particular challenge of this network is the possibility that the contributing node may only remain in the network for a limited time. Hence, to prevent data loss from that node, the information must reach the destination node via multi-hop routing techniques. An appropriate, efficient, and stable routing algorithm must be developed for various VANET applications to address the issues of dynamic topology and intermittent connectivity. Therefore, this paper proposes a novel routing algorithm called efficient and stable routing algorithm based on user mobility and node density (ESRA-MD). The proposed algorithm can adapt to significant changes that may occur in the urban vehicular environment. This algorithm works by selecting an optimal route on the basis of hop count and link duration for delivering data from source to destination, thereby satisfying various quality of service considerations. The validity of the proposed algorithm is investigated by its comparison with ARP-QD protocol, which works on the mechanism of optimal route finding in VANETs in urban environments. Simulation results reveal that the proposed ESRA-MD algorithm shows remarkable improvement in terms of delivery ratio, delivery delay, and communication overhead.
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