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  1. Teoh BT, Sam SS, Tan KK, Johari J, Abd-Jamil J, Hooi PS, et al.
    Sci Rep, 2016 06 09;6:27663.
    PMID: 27278716 DOI: 10.1038/srep27663
    Timely and accurate dengue diagnosis is important for differential diagnosis and immediate implementation of appropriate disease control measures. In this study, we compared the usefulness and applicability of NS1 RDT (NS1 Ag Strip) and qRT-PCR tests in complementing the IgM ELISA for dengue diagnosis on single serum specimen (n = 375). The NS1 Ag Strip and qRT-PCR showed a fair concordance (κ = 0.207, p = 0.001). While the NS1 Ag Strip showed higher positivity than qRT-PCR for acute (97.8% vs. 84.8%) and post-acute samples (94.8% vs. 71.8%) of primary infection, qRT-PCR showed higher positivity for acute (58.1% vs. 48.4%) and post-acute (50.0% vs.41.4%) samples in secondary infection. IgM ELISA showed higher positivity in samples from secondary dengue (74.2-94.8%) than in those from primary dengue (21.7-64.1%). More primary dengue samples showed positive with combined NS1 Ag Strip/IgM ELISA (99.0% vs. 92.8%) whereas more secondary samples showed positive with combined qRT-PCR/IgM ELISA (99.4% vs. 96.2%). Combined NS1 Ag Strip/IgM ELISA is a suitable combination tests for timely and accurate dengue diagnosis on single serum specimen. If complemented with qRT-PCR, combined NS1 Ag Strip/IgM ELISA would improve detection of secondary dengue samples.
    Matched MeSH terms: Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/methods; Molecular Diagnostic Techniques/methods*; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods*
  2. Hasnain MS, Nayak AK, Singh M, Tabish M, Ansari MT, Ara TJ
    Int J Biol Macromol, 2016 Feb;83:71-7.
    PMID: 26608007 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2015.11.044
    Alginate-based bipolymeric-nanobioceramic composite matrices for sustained drug release were developed through incorporation of nano-hydroxyapatite [nHAp] powders within ionotropically-gelled calcium ion-induced alginate-poly (vinyl pyrrolidone) blends polymeric systems. nHAp powders were synthesized by precipitation technique using calcium hydroxide [Ca(OH)2] and orthophosphoric acid [H3PO4] as raw materials. The average particle size of these was synthesized. nHAp powders was found as 19.04 nm and used to prepare nHAp-alginate-PVP beads containing DS. These beads exhibited drug entrapment efficiency (%) of 65.82±1.88 to 94.45±3.72% and average bead sizes of 0.98±0.07 to 1.23±0.15 mm. These beads were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform-infra red (FTIR) spectroscopy analyses. Various nHAp-alginate-PVP beads containing DS exhibited prolonged sustained drug release and followed the Koresmeyer-Peppas model of drug release (R2=0.9908-0.9978) with non-Fickian release (anomalous transport) mechanism (n=0.73-0.84) for drug release over 8 h.
    Matched MeSH terms: Chemistry, Pharmaceutical/methods; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning/methods; Drug Delivery Systems/methods
  3. Jatoi MA, Kamel N, Malik AS, Faye I
    Australas Phys Eng Sci Med, 2014 Dec;37(4):713-21.
    PMID: 25359588 DOI: 10.1007/s13246-014-0308-3
    Human brain generates electromagnetic signals during certain activation inside the brain. The localization of the active sources which are responsible for such activation is termed as brain source localization. This process of source estimation with the help of EEG which is also known as EEG inverse problem is helpful to understand physiological, pathological, mental, functional abnormalities and cognitive behaviour of the brain. This understanding leads for the specification for diagnoses of various brain disorders such as epilepsy and tumour. Different approaches are devised to exactly localize the active sources with minimum localization error, less complexity and more validation which include minimum norm, low resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (LORETA), standardized LORETA, exact LORETA, Multiple Signal classifier, focal under determined system solution etc. This paper discusses and compares the ability of localizing the sources for two low resolution methods i.e., sLORETA and eLORETA respectively. The ERP data with visual stimulus is used for comparison at four different time instants for both methods (sLORETA and eLORETA) and then corresponding activation in terms of scalp map, slice view and cortex map is discussed.
    Matched MeSH terms: Brain Mapping/methods*; Electroencephalography/methods*; Pattern Recognition, Automated/methods
  4. Harruddin N, Othman N, Ee Sin AL, Raja Sulaiman RN
    Environ Technol, 2015 Jan-Feb;36(1-4):271-80.
    PMID: 25514128 DOI: 10.1080/09593330.2014.943301
    Effluent containing colour/dyes, especially reactive dyes, becomes a great concern of wastewater treatment because it is toxic to human life and aquatic life. In this study, reactive dye of Black B was separated using the supported liquid membrane process. Commercial polypropylene membrane was used as a support of the kerosene-tridodecylamine liquid membrane. Several parameters were tested and the result showed that almost 100% of 70 ppm Black B was removed and 99% of 70 ppm Black B was recovered at pH 2 of the feed phase containing 0.00001 M Na2SiO3, flow rate of 150 ml/min and 0.2 M NaOH. The membrane support also remained stable for up to 36 hours under an optimum condition.
    Matched MeSH terms: Ultrafiltration/methods; Water Purification/methods*; Recycling/methods*
  5. Hani AF, Kumar D, Malik AS, Walter N, Razak R, Kiflie A
    Acad Radiol, 2015 Jan;22(1):93-104.
    PMID: 25481518 DOI: 10.1016/j.acra.2014.08.008
    Quantitative assessment of knee articular cartilage (AC) morphology using magnetic resonance (MR) imaging requires an accurate segmentation and 3D reconstruction. However, automatic AC segmentation and 3D reconstruction from hydrogen-based MR images alone is challenging because of inhomogeneous intensities, shape irregularity, and low contrast existing in the cartilage region. Thus, the objective of this research was to provide an insight into morphologic assessment of AC using multilevel data processing of multinuclear ((23)Na and (1)H) MR knee images.
    Matched MeSH terms: Image Enhancement/methods; Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods*; Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy/methods*
  6. Idris Z, Johnson JR, Abdullah JM
    J. Neurosurg., 2015 Mar;122(3):504-10.
    PMID: 25343181 DOI: 10.3171/2014.9.JNS132683
    The splenial-habenular junctional area is an alternative site for neuroendoscopic fenestration to divert CSF flow into the quadrigeminal cistern in cases in which endoscopic third ventriculostomy is not amenable. In some patients with obstructive hydrocephalus, the splenium of the corpus callosum can be elevated from the habenular complex. This exposes the membranous connection between the splenium and habenula, which can be fenestrated to divert the CSF flow into the quadrigeminal cistern. This technique can be performed in patients in whom the foramen of Monro or the third ventricle is blocked by a lesion. Here, the authors present 3 complex cases that were managed by neuronavigation-guided transventricular transcavum endoscopic fenestration of the splenial-habenular junctional area. These cases may increase the knowledge and understanding of the anatomy of this region.
    Matched MeSH terms: Endoscopy/methods*; Neurosurgical Procedures/methods*; Neuronavigation/methods
  7. Yap LB, Qadir F, Nguyen ST, Ma SK, Koh KW, Muhammad Z, et al.
    Int J Cardiol, 2015 Mar 15;183:178-9.
    PMID: 25666128 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2015.01.042
    Matched MeSH terms: Echocardiography/methods; Electrocardiography/methods; Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy/methods*
  8. Wan Ibrahim WA, Abd Ali LI, Sulaiman A, Sanagi MM, Aboul-Enein HY
    Crit Rev Anal Chem, 2014;44(3):233-54.
    PMID: 25391563 DOI: 10.1080/10408347.2013.855607
    The progress of novel sorbents and their function in preconcentration techniques for determination of trace elements is a topic of great importance. This review discusses numerous analytical approaches including the preparation and practice of unique modification of solid-phase materials. The performance and main features of ion-imprinting polymers, carbon nanotubes, biosorbents, and nanoparticles are described, covering the period 2007-2012. The perspective and future developments in the use of these materials are illustrated.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Monitoring/methods; Solid Phase Extraction/methods*; Molecular Imprinting/methods
  9. Liew KB, Loh GO, Tan YT, Peh KK
    Biomed Chromatogr, 2015 Jun;29(6):953-60.
    PMID: 25400284 DOI: 10.1002/bmc.3378
    A simple, rapid, specific and reliable UFLC coupled with ESI-MSMS assay method to simultaneously quantify sildenafil and N-desmethyl sildenafil, with loperamide as internal standard, was developed. Chromatographic separation was performed on a Thermo Scientific Accucore C18 column with an isocratic mobile phase composed of 0.1% v/v formic acid in purified water-methanol (20:80, v/v), at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min. Sildenafil, N-desmethyl sildenafil and loperamide were detected with proton adducts at m/z 475.4 > 58.2, 461.3 > 85.2 and 477.0 > 266.1 in multiple reaction monitoring positive mode, respectively. Both analytes and internal standard were extracted by diethyl ether. The method was validated over a linear concentration range of 10-800 ng/mL for sildenafil and 10-600 ng/mL for N-desmethyl sildenafil with correlation coefficient (r(2) ) ≥0.9976 for sildenafil and (r(2) ) ≥0.9992 for N-desmethyl sildenafil. The method was precise, accurate and stable. The proposed method was applied to study the bioequivalence between a 100 mg dose of two pharmaceutical products: Viagra (original) and Edyfil (generic) products. AUC0-t , Cmax and Tmax were 2285.79 ng h/mL, 726.10 ng/mL and 0.94 h for Viagra and 2363.25 ng h/mL, 713.91 ng/mL and 0.83 hour for Edyfil. The 90% confidence interval of these parameters of this study fall within the regulatory range of 80-125%, hence they are considered as bioequivalent.
    Matched MeSH terms: Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods*; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization/methods; Tandem Mass Spectrometry/methods*
  10. Zaman ZK, Ung NM, Malik RA, Ho GF, Phua VC, Jamalludin Z, et al.
    Phys Med, 2014 Dec;30(8):980-4.
    PMID: 25086486 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmp.2014.07.002
    Cobalt-60 (Co-60) is a relatively new source for the application of high-dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy. Radiation dose to the rectum is often a limiting factor in achieving the full prescribed dose to the target during brachytherapy of cervical cancer. The aim of this study was to measure radiation doses to the rectum in-vivo during HDR Co-60 brachytherapy. A total of eleven HDR brachytherapy treatments of cervical cancer were recruited in this study. A series of diodes incorporated in a rectal probe was inserted into the patient's rectum during each brachytherapy procedure. Real-time measured rectal doses were compared to calculated doses by the treatment planning system (TPS). The differences between calculated and measured dose ranged from 8.5% to 41.2%. This corresponds to absolute dose differences ranging from 0.3 Gy to 1.5 Gy. A linear relationship was observed between calculated and measured doses with linear regression R(2) value of 0.88, indicating close association between the measured and calculated doses. In general, absorbed doses for the rectum as calculated by TPS were observed to be higher than the doses measured using the diode probe. In-vivo dosimetry is an important quality assurance method for HDR brachytherapy of cervical cancer. It provides information that can contribute to the reduction of errors and discrepancies in dose delivery. Our study has shown that in-vivo dosimetry is feasible and can be performed to estimate the dose to the rectum during HDR brachytherapy using Co-60.
    Matched MeSH terms: Brachytherapy/methods*; Radiometry/methods; Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted/methods
  11. Yahya WN, Kadri NA, Ibrahim F
    Sensors (Basel), 2014 Jul 02;14(7):11714-34.
    PMID: 24991941 DOI: 10.3390/s140711714
    Liver transplantation is the most common treatment for patients with end-stage liver failure. However, liver transplantation is greatly limited by a shortage of donors. Liver tissue engineering may offer an alternative by providing an implantable engineered liver. Currently, diverse types of engineering approaches for in vitro liver cell culture are available, including scaffold-based methods, microfluidic platforms, and micropatterning techniques. Active cell patterning via dielectrophoretic (DEP) force showed some advantages over other methods, including high speed, ease of handling, high precision and being label-free. This article summarizes liver function and regenerative mechanisms for better understanding in developing engineered liver. We then review recent advances in liver tissue engineering techniques and focus on DEP-based cell patterning, including microelectrode design and patterning configuration.
    Matched MeSH terms: Cell Separation/methods*; Electrophoresis/methods*; Tissue Engineering/methods*
  12. Lee NK, Fong PK, Abdullah MT
    Biomed Mater Eng, 2014;24(6):3807-14.
    PMID: 25227097 DOI: 10.3233/BME-141210
    Using Genetic Algorithm, this paper presents a modelling method to generate novel logical-based features from DNA sequences enriched with H3K4mel histone signatures. Current histone signature is mostly represented using k-mers content features incapable of representing all the possible complex interactions of various DNA segments. The main contributions are, among others: (a) demonstrating that there are complex interactions among sequence segments in the histone regions; (b) developing a parse tree representation of the logical complex features. The proposed novel feature is compared to the k-mers content features using datasets from the mouse (mm9) genome. Evaluation results show that the new feature improves the prediction performance as shown by f-measure for all datasets tested. Also, it is discovered that tree-based features generated from a single chromosome can be generalized to predict histone marks in other chromosomes not used in the training. These findings have a great impact on feature design considerations for histone signatures as well as other classifier design features.
    Matched MeSH terms: Chromosome Mapping/methods*; Pattern Recognition, Automated/methods; Sequence Analysis, DNA/methods*
  13. Gan HS, Tan TS, Wong LX, Tham WK, Sayuti KA, Abdul Karim AH, et al.
    Biomed Mater Eng, 2014;24(6):3145-57.
    PMID: 25227024 DOI: 10.3233/BME-141137
    In medical image segmentation, manual segmentation is considered both labor- and time-intensive while automated segmentation often fails to segment anatomically intricate structure accordingly. Interactive segmentation can tackle shortcomings reported by previous segmentation approaches through user intervention. To better reflect user intention, development of suitable editing functions is critical. In this paper, we propose an interactive knee cartilage extraction software that covers three important features: intuitiveness, speed, and convenience. The segmentation is performed using multi-label random walks algorithm. Our segmentation software is simple to use, intuitive to normal and osteoarthritic image segmentation and efficient using only two third of manual segmentation's time. Future works will extend this software to three dimensional segmentation and quantitative analysis.
    Matched MeSH terms: Image Enhancement/methods*; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted/methods*; Pattern Recognition, Automated/methods*
  14. Zain NM, Chelliah KK
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2014;15(3):1327-31.
    PMID: 24606460
    BACKGROUND: Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is a new non-invasive, mobile screening method which does not use ionizing radiation to the human breast; allows conducting quantitative assessment of the images besides the visual interpretation. The aim of this study was to correlate the quantitative assessment and visual interpretation of breast electrical impedance tomographs and associated factors.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and fifty mammography patients above 40 years and undergoing EIT were chosen using convenient sampling. Visual interpretation of the images was carried out by a radiologist with minimum of three years experience using the breast imaging - electrical impedance (BI-EIM) classification for detection of abnormalities. A set of thirty blinded EIT images were reinterpreted to determine the intra-rater reliability using kappa. Quantitative assessment was by comparison of the breast average electric conductivity with the norm and correlations with visual interpretation of the images were determined using Chi-square. One-way ANOVA was used to compare the mean electrical conductivity between groups and t-test was used for comparisons with pre-existing Caucasians statistics. Independent t-tests were applied to compare the mean electrical conductivity of women with factors like exogenous hormone use and family history of breast cancer.

    RESULTS: The mean electrical conductivity of Malaysian women was significantly lower than that of Caucasians (p<0.05). Quantitative assessment of electrical impedance tomography was significantly related with visual interpretation of images of the breast (p<0.05).

    CONCLUSIONS: Quantitative assessment of electrical impedance tomography images was significantly related with visual interpretation.

    Matched MeSH terms: Mammography/methods*; Tomography/methods*; Early Detection of Cancer/methods*
  15. Al-Qaim FF, Abdullah MP, Othman MR, Latip J, Zakaria Z
    J Chromatogr A, 2014 Jun 6;1345:139-53.
    PMID: 24768127 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2014.04.025
    An analytical method that facilitated the analysis of 11 pharmaceuticals residue (caffeine, prazosin, enalapril, carbamazepine, nifedipine, levonorgestrel, simvastatin, hydrochlorothiazide, gliclazide, diclofenac-Na, and mefenamic acid) with a single pre-treatment protocol was developed. The proposed method included an isolation and concentration procedure using solid phase extraction (Oasis HLB), a separation step using high-performance liquid chromatography, and a detection procedure that applies time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The method was validated for drinking water (DW), surface water (SW), sewage treatment plant (STP) influent and effluent, and hospital (HSP) influent and effluent. The limits of quantification were as low as 0.4, 1.6, 5, 3, 2.2 and 11 ng/L in DW, SW, HSP influent and effluent, STP effluent, and STP influent, respectively. On average, good recoveries higher than 75% were obtained for most of the target analytes in all matrices. Matrix effect was evaluated for all samples matrices. The proposed method successfully determined and quantified the target compounds in raw and treated wastewater of four STPs and three hospitals in Malaysia, as well as in two SW sites. The results showed that a number of the studied compounds pose moderate to high persistency in sewage treatment effluents as well as in the recipient rivers, namely; caffeine, simvastatin, and hydrochlorothiazide. Ten out of 11 compounds were detected and quantified in 13 sampling points. Caffeine was detected with the highest level, with concentrations reaching up to 9099 ng/L in STP influent.
    Matched MeSH terms: Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods*; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization/methods*; Solid Phase Extraction/methods
  16. Nusee Z, Ibrahim N, Rus RM, Ismail H
    Taiwan J Obstet Gynecol, 2014 Mar;53(1):12-6.
    PMID: 24767639 DOI: 10.1016/j.tjog.2013.01.028
    To determine the accuracy of bladder volume (BV) measurement and to identify factors that influenced the ultrasound bladder scanner (UBS) measurement of BV in postpartum women compared with transurethral catheterization.
    Matched MeSH terms: Ultrasonography/methods*; Urinary Catheterization/methods*; Imaging, Three-Dimensional/methods*
  17. Abdullah J, Saffie N, Sjasri FA, Husin A, Abdul-Rahman Z, Ismail A, et al.
    Braz J Microbiol, 2014;45(4):1385-91.
    PMID: 25763045
    An in-house loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) reaction was established and evaluated for sensitivity and specificity in detecting the presence of Salmonella Typhi (S. Typhi) isolates from Kelantan, Malaysia. Three sets of primers consisting of two outer and 4 inner were designed based on locus STBHUCCB_38510 of chaperone PapD of S. Typhi genes. The reaction was optimised using genomic DNA of S. Typhi ATCC7251 as the template. The products were visualised directly by colour changes of the reaction. Positive results were indicated by green fluorescence and negative by orange colour. The test was further evaluated for specificity, sensitivity and application on field samples. The results were compared with those obtained by gold standard culture method and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). This method was highly specific and -10 times more sensitive in detecting S. Typhi compared to the optimised conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method.
    Matched MeSH terms: Bacteriological Techniques/methods*; Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques/methods*; Molecular Diagnostic Techniques/methods*
  18. Alwaeli HA, Al-Khateeb SN, Al-Sadi A
    Lasers Med Sci, 2015 Feb;30(2):801-7.
    PMID: 24037036 DOI: 10.1007/s10103-013-1426-y
    Mechanical removal of microbial biofilm dental plaque from tooth surfaces is important for treatment of periodontal diseases. However, the effectiveness of conventional scaling and root planing (SRP) is affected by the local conditions and residual bacteria which may affect the healing process. We performed a randomized clinical trial to test our hypothesis that adjunctive antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) plus SRP has significant effect compared with SRP alone, which can last for 1 year. The study included 136 sites in 16 patients with previously untreated chronic periodontitis, at least one premolar and one molar in every quadrant (minimum, four teeth/quadrant) and at least one tooth with attachment loss of ≥4 mm in every quadrant. In all patients, two randomly assigned quadrants were treated with SRP and the other two were treated with SRP + aPDT. The clinical parameters of probing pocket depth (PPD), bleeding on probing (BOP), and clinical attachment level (CAL) were evaluated at baseline and after 3, 6, and 12 months. There were no significant differences between the two groups at baseline. PPD and BOP showed significant reduction, and CAL showed significant gain from baseline for all three time points in both groups. In addition, there were significantly greater reduction and gain for SRP + aPDT than for SRP at all three time points. No adverse effects of aPDT were observed. These data demonstrate significant improvement in all evaluated clinical parameters for at least 1 year and suggest that aPDT as an adjunctive therapy to SRP represents a promising therapeutic concept for persistent periodontitis.
    Matched MeSH terms: Photochemotherapy/methods*; Dental Scaling/methods*; Root Planing/methods*
  19. Lau YL, Anthony C, Fakhrurrazi SA, Ibrahim J, Ithoi I, Mahmud R
    Parasit Vectors, 2013;6(1):250.
    PMID: 23985047 DOI: 10.1186/1756-3305-6-250
    Amebiasis caused by Entamoeba histolytica is the third leading cause of death worldwide. This pathogenic amoeba is morphologically indistinguishable from E. dispar and E. moshkovskii, the non-pathogenic species. Polymerase chain reaction is the current method of choice approved by World Health Organization. Real-time PCR is another attractive molecular method for diagnosis of infectious diseases as post-PCR analyses are eliminated and turnaround times are shorter. The present work aimed to compare the results of Entamoeba species identification using the real-time assay against the established nested PCR method.
    Matched MeSH terms: Parasitology/methods*; Molecular Diagnostic Techniques/methods*; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods*
  20. Fadilah SA, Mohd-Razif MI, Seery ZA, Nor-Rafeah T, Wan-Fariza WJ, Habsah A, et al.
    Transfus Apher Sci, 2013 Dec;49(3):583-9.
    PMID: 24012241 DOI: 10.1016/j.transci.2013.07.032
    We examined the donor factors that may affect the yield of peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) mobilized from healthy donors. Pre-apheresis PB-CD34(+) cell count was the only factor that correlated with PBSC yield. Leukocyte count (LC) and monocyte count (MC) correlated with PB-CD34(+) cell. Male gender and PB-CD34(+) cell count of at least 87.1/μL and 69.8/μL on day-4 and -5 of G-CSF were associated with the ability to harvest at least 5×10(6)/kg CD34(+) cells after one apheresis. We concluded that gender and PB-CD34(+) cell count are important predictors of PBSC yield. LC and MC may serve as surrogate markers for estimating the PB-CD34(+) cell count.
    Matched MeSH terms: Blood Component Removal/methods*; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Mobilization/methods; Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation/methods*
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