Displaying publications 3381 - 3400 of 9872 in total

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  1. Thavanathan J, Huang NM, Thong KL
    Int J Nanomedicine, 2015;10:2711-22.
    PMID: 25897217 DOI: 10.2147/IJN.S74753
    We have developed a colorimetric biosensor using a dual platform of gold nanoparticles and graphene oxide sheets for the detection of Salmonella enterica. The presence of the invA gene in S. enterica causes a change in color of the biosensor from its original pinkish-red to a light purplish solution. This occurs through the aggregation of the primary gold nanoparticles-conjugated DNA probe onto the surface of the secondary graphene oxide-conjugated DNA probe through DNA hybridization with the targeted DNA sequence. Spectrophotometry analysis showed a shift in wavelength from 525 nm to 600 nm with 1 μM of DNA target. Specificity testing revealed that the biosensor was able to detect various serovars of the S. enterica while no color change was observed with the other bacterial species. Sensitivity testing revealed the limit of detection was at 1 nM of DNA target. This proves the effectiveness of the biosensor in the detection of S. enterica through DNA hybridization.
    Matched MeSH terms: Colorimetry/methods*; Biosensing Techniques/methods*
  2. Farzan A, Mashohor S, Ramli AR, Mahmud R
    Behav Brain Res, 2015 Sep 1;290:124-30.
    PMID: 25889456 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.04.010
    Boosting accuracy in automatically discriminating patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and normal controls (NC), based on multidimensional classification of longitudinal whole brain atrophy rates and their intermediate counterparts in analyzing magnetic resonance images (MRI).
    Matched MeSH terms: Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods*; Principal Component Analysis/methods*
  3. Rashid Ali MR, Parameswaran U, William T, Bird E, Wilkes CS, Lee WK, et al.
    Int J Tuberc Lung Dis, 2015 May;19(5):620-1.
    PMID: 25868033 DOI: 10.5588/ijtld.14.0938
    Matched MeSH terms: Specimen Handling/methods; Cryopreservation/methods*
  4. Kennedy KM, Flaherty GT
    J Travel Med, 2015 Apr-Aug;22(4):282-4.
    PMID: 25827813 DOI: 10.1111/jtm.12201
    Matched MeSH terms: Preventive Medicine/methods; Travel Medicine/methods
  5. Ma NL, Teh KY, Lam SS, Kaben AM, Cha TS
    Bioresour Technol, 2015 Aug;190:536-42.
    PMID: 25812996 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2015.03.036
    This study demonstrates the use of NMR techniques coupled with chemometric analysis as a high throughput data mining method to identify and examine the efficiency of different disruption techniques tested on microalgae (Chlorella variabilis, Scenedesmus regularis and Ankistrodesmus gracilis). The yield and chemical diversity from the disruptions together with the effects of pre-oven and pre-freeze drying prior to disruption techniques were discussed. HCl extraction showed the highest recovery of oil compounds from the disrupted microalgae (up to 90%). In contrast, NMR analysis showed the highest intensity of bioactive metabolites obtained for homogenized extracts pre-treated with freeze-drying, indicating that homogenizing is a more favorable approach to recover bioactive substances from the disrupted microalgae. The results show the potential of NMR as a useful metabolic fingerprinting tool for assessing compound diversity in complex microalgae extracts.
    Matched MeSH terms: Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy/methods*; Sonication/methods*
  6. Ramanathan S, Parthasarathy S, Murugaiyah V, Magosso E, Tan SC, Mansor SM
    Molecules, 2015 Mar 18;20(3):4915-27.
    PMID: 25793541 DOI: 10.3390/molecules20034915
    Varied pharmacological responses have been reported for mitragynine in the literature, but no supportive scientific explanations have been given for this. These studies have been undertaken without a sufficient understanding of the physicochemical properties of mitragynine. In this work a UV spectrophotometer approach and HPLC-UV method were employed to ascertain the physicochemical properties of mitragynine. The pKa of mitragynine measured by conventional UV (8.11 ± 0.11) was in agreement with the microplate reader determination (8.08 ± 0.04). Mitragynine is a lipophilic alkaloid, as indicated by a logP value of 1.73. Mitragynine had poor solubility in water and basic media, and conversely in acidic environments, but it is acid labile. In an in vitro dissolution the total drug release was higher for the simulated gastric fluid but was prolonged and incomplete for the simulated intestinal fluid. The hydrophobicity, poor water solubility, high variability of drug release in simulated biological fluids and acid degradable characteristics of mitragynine probably explain the large variability of its pharmacological responses reported in the literature. The determined physicochemical properties of mitragynine will provide a basis for developing a suitable formulation to further improve its solubility, stability and oral absorption for better assessment of this compound in preclinical studies.
    Matched MeSH terms: Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods; Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet/methods
  7. Ravindran S, Jambek AB, Muthusamy H, Neoh SC
    Comput Math Methods Med, 2015;2015:283532.
    PMID: 25793009 DOI: 10.1155/2015/283532
    A novel clinical decision support system is proposed in this paper for evaluating the fetal well-being from the cardiotocogram (CTG) dataset through an Improved Adaptive Genetic Algorithm (IAGA) and Extreme Learning Machine (ELM). IAGA employs a new scaling technique (called sigma scaling) to avoid premature convergence and applies adaptive crossover and mutation techniques with masking concepts to enhance population diversity. Also, this search algorithm utilizes three different fitness functions (two single objective fitness functions and multi-objective fitness function) to assess its performance. The classification results unfold that promising classification accuracy of 94% is obtained with an optimal feature subset using IAGA. Also, the classification results are compared with those of other Feature Reduction techniques to substantiate its exhaustive search towards the global optimum. Besides, five other benchmark datasets are used to gauge the strength of the proposed IAGA algorithm.
    Matched MeSH terms: Fetal Monitoring/methods*; Cardiotocography/methods
  8. Ang LF, Por LY, Yam MF
    PLoS One, 2015;10(3):e0111859.
    PMID: 25789757 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0111859
    An amperometric enzyme-electrode was introduced where glucose oxidase (GOD) was immobilized on chitosan membrane via crosslinking, and then fastened on a platinum working electrode. The immobilized enzyme showed relatively high retention activity. The activity of the immobilized enzyme was influenced by its loading, being suppressed when more than 0.6 mg enzyme was used in the immobilization. The biosensor showing the highest response to glucose utilized 0.21 ml/cm2 thick chitosan membrane. The optimum experimental conditions for the biosensors in analysing glucose dissolved in 0.1 M phosphate buffer (pH 6.0) were found to be 35°C and 0.6 V applied potential. The introduced biosensor reached a steady-state current at 60 s. The apparent Michaelis-Menten constant ([Formula: see text]) of the biosensor was 14.2350 mM, and its detection limit was 0.05 mM at s/n > 3, determined experimentally. The RSD of repeatability and reproducibility of the biosensor were 2.30% and 3.70%, respectively. The biosensor was showed good stability; it retained ~36% of initial activity after two months of investigation. The performance of the biosensors was evaluated by determining the glucose content in fruit homogenates. Their accuracy was compared to that of a commercial glucose assay kit. There was no significance different between two methods, indicating the introduced biosensor is reliable.
    Matched MeSH terms: Food Analysis/methods*; Biosensing Techniques/methods*
  9. Gul YA, Prasannan S, Hairuszah I
    Acta Chir. Belg., 2003 Aug;103(4):420-2.
    PMID: 14524166
    Primary malignant melanoma arising in the oesophagus is a rare condition with a dismal prognosis. The diagnosis is often made following surgical resection even though the endoscopic features may be pathognomonic. The classical treatment is oesophagectomy even though the advanced disease stage at the time of presentation and aggressive biological behaviour of the tumour usually results in a fatal outcome. We report the case of a male patient initially diagnosed with squamous oesophageal carcinoma and treated with conventional neo-adjuvant chemo-radiotherapy. Poor clinical and radiological response resulted in a review of the original histology confirming a diagnosis of primary malignant melanoma of the oesophagus. The subsequent alteration in management conferred the patient an improved quality of life. A short review of the literature on primary malignant melanoma of the oesophagus supplements this case report.
    Matched MeSH terms: Combined Modality Therapy/methods; Esophagoscopy/methods
  10. Molla AH, Fakhru'l-Razi A, Abd-Aziz S, Hanafi MM, Roychoudhury PK, Alam MZ
    Bioresour Technol, 2002 Dec;85(3):263-72.
    PMID: 12365494
    Twenty seven filamentous fungal strains representing five genera; Aspergillus, Penicillium, Trichoderma, Myriodontium and Pleurotus were isolated from four sources; domestic wastewater sludge cake (SC) from IWK (Indah Water Konsortium) wastewater treatment plant, palm oil mill effluent compost from Sri Ulu palm Oil Processing Mill, compost of plant debris, and fungal fruiting bodies from a rotten wood stump. Thirty-three strains/isolates were tested for their ability to convert domestic wastewater sludge into compost by assessing biomass production and growth rate on sludge enriched media. The strains/isolates Aspergillus niger, SS-T2008, WW-P1003 and RW-P1 512 produced the highest dry biomass at higher sludge supplemented culture media from their respective group (Aspergillus, Trichoderma, Penicillium and Basidiomycetes, respectively). This implied these strains are better adapted for growth at higher sludge rich substances, and subsequently may be efficient in bioconversion/biodegradation of sludge. The fungi isolated from ecological closely related sources were more amendable to adaptation in a sludge rich culture media.
    Matched MeSH terms: Waste Disposal, Fluid/methods*; Water Purification/methods*
  11. Thassri J, Kala N, Chusintong L, Phongthanasarn J, Boonsrirat S, Jirojwong S
    J Adv Nurs, 2000 Dec;32(6):1450-8.
    PMID: 11136413
    The maternal mortality rate (MMR) in Thailand is higher than neighbouring developing countries including Malaysia and Singapore. The 1993 MMR of Thailand was 249 per 100 000 livebirths which was four times higher than the rates in Malaysia and Singapore (World Health Organization 1995). The major causes of these deaths were haemorrhage, toxaemia of pregnancy and sepsis which were likely to be prevented by adequate prenatal care (Thailand Ministry of Public Health 1996). A large proportion of Thai pregnant women have poor health. Between 1994 and 1995, a national study conducted by Thailand Ministry of Health showed that 39% of pregnant women were anaemic, defined as haemoglobin concentration lower than 33% (Supamethaporn 1997). Another study conducted in the southern region also indicated that 13.8% of pregnant women were anaemic caused by iron deficiency (Phatthanapreechakul et al. 1997). Other behaviours which increased risks associated with child birth included non-antenatal care (ANC) attendance, undertaking physically demanding tasks and failure to increase nutritional intake during their pregnancy period (N. Phiriyanuphong et al. 1992, unpublished report). These factors emphasize the importance of a health education programme which could facilitate women to, for example, increase protein and iron intake during pregnancy which would reduce complications from their poor health status. This study was conducted in a regional hospital in Thailand where there was no systematic and well-planned health education programme for pregnant women. The initial aim was to design a health education programme using input from the hospital health care professionals including obstetricians, nurses, nutritionists, health educators and health promoters. An active involvement of these personnel assisted to sustain the provision of the programme provided for pregnant women after the cessation of the study project. Another aim of the study was to evaluate the outcomes of the programme using a pre-test-post-test method among selected pregnant women who participated in the newly designed health education programme.
    Matched MeSH terms: Patient Education as Topic/methods*; Prenatal Care/methods*
  12. Samat SB, Evans CJ, Kadni T, Dolah MT
    Br J Radiol, 2000 Aug;73(872):867-77.
    PMID: 11026863
    A cylindrical gamma-ray 60Co source of activity alpha is predicted to produce an exposure rate X at a distance d in vacuum, given by X = gamma(T)(alpha/d2), where gamma(T) is the specific gamma-ray constant. It has been documented that this formula may be used to approximate X with an accuracy of 1% from a source of length l, provided that d/l > or = 5. It is shown that the formula is accurate to 0.1% under these conditions, provided that the distance is measured from the centre of the source. When absorption in the source and scattering in the collimator are considered, the position of the origin d = 0 can shift by a distance of the order of centimetres. Absorption in air between the source and the ionization chamber adds an exponential factor to the formula. It is shown that even when these modifications are included the discrepancy in the results, although generally less than 1%, is still large compared with the measurement errors. Some suggestions are made for the origin of this discrepancy.
    Matched MeSH terms: Radiometry/methods; Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted/methods*
  13. Goh AY, Lum LC, Chan PW, Bakar F, Chong BO
    Arch Dis Child, 1999 May;80(5):424-8.
    PMID: 10208946
    OBJECTIVES: To compare the modes of death and factors leading to withdrawal or limitation of life support in a paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) in a developing country.

    METHODS: Retrospective analysis of all children (< 12 years) dying in the PICU from January 1995 to December 1995 and January 1997 to June 1998 (n = 148).

    RESULTS: The main mode of death was by limitation of treatment in 68 of 148 patients, failure of active treatment including cardiopulmonary resuscitation in 61, brain death in 12, and withdrawal of life support with removal of endotracheal tube in seven. There was no significant variation in the proportion of limitation of treatment, failure of active treatment, and brain death between the two periods; however, there was an increase in withdrawal of life support from 0% in 1995 to 8% in 1997-98. Justification for limitation was based predominantly on expectation of imminent death (71 of 75). Ethnic variability was noted among the 14 of 21 patients who refused withdrawal. Discussions for care restrictions were initiated almost exclusively by paediatricians (70 of 75). Diagnostic uncertainty (36% v 4.6%) and presentation as an acute illness were associated with the use of active treatment.

    CONCLUSIONS: Limitation of treatment is the most common mode of death in a developing country's PICU and active withdrawal is still not widely practised. Paediatricians in developing countries are becoming more proactive in managing death and dying but have to consider sociocultural and religious factors when making such decisions.

    Matched MeSH terms: Critical Care/methods*; Life Support Care/methods*
  14. Choy YC, Puvenesvari S, Samad S
    Med J Malaysia, 1998 Sep;53(3):277-9.
    PMID: 10968166
    Coeliac plexus block has been described more than seventy years ago and is widely used for chronic pain management in upper visceral malignancies. The technique described here is a posterior approach using CT scan guidance with absolute ethyl alcohol. A case illustration of a patient with carcinoma of pancreas managed with coeliac plexus block for pain control is presented.
    Matched MeSH terms: Nerve Block/methods*; Palliative Care/methods*
  15. Lee KM, Lim PE
    Water Sci Technol, 2003;47(10):41-7.
    PMID: 12862215
    The objective of this study is to investigate the potential of the activated rice husk to be used as an alternative adsorbent to powdered activated carbon (PAC) in the simultaneous adsorption and biodegradation processes under sequencing batch reactor (SBR) operation to treat synthetic wastewater containing phenol, p-methylphenol, p-ethylphenol and p-isopropylphenol. The rice husk (PRH) was activated by pyrolysis at 600 degrees C for 5 hours in a nitrogen atmosphere. Using the Langmuir model, the limiting adsorption capacities of PRH for the phenols were found to vary from 0.015-0.05 of those of PAC. The SBR reactors with and without adsorbent addition were operated with fill, react, settle, draw and idle periods in the ratio of 4:6:1:0.76:0.25 for a cycle time of 12 hours. For phenolic wastewater containing, 1,200 mg/L phenol, 1,200 mg/L p-methylphenol, 800 mg/L p-ethylphenol and 660 mg/L p-isopropylphenol, it was found that the biodegradation process alone was unable to produce effluent of quality which would satisfy the discharge standards of COD < or = 100 mg/L and phenol concentration < or = 1 mg/L. The addition of PAC in the ratio of PAC/phenolic compound at 0.095 g/g for phenol, 0.119 g/g for p-methylpheol, 0.179 g/g for p-ethylphenol and 0.220 g/g for p-isopropylphenol, can improve the effluent quality to satisfy the discharge standards. Equivalent treatment performance was achieved with the use of PRH at dosages of 2-3 times higher than those of PAC for all the phenolic wastewater studied. The increased adsorption capacity of PRH shown in the treatment indicates bioregeneration of the adsorbed surface during the treatment process.
    Matched MeSH terms: Waste Disposal, Fluid/methods*; Water Purification/methods*
  16. Papakostopoulos D, Williams A, Ramani V, Hart CJ, Dodson K, Papakostopoulos S
    J Telemed Telecare, 1999;5 Suppl 1:S17-20.
    PMID: 10534828
    The First International Teleconference in Ophthalmology was held during March 1998 between five sites in the UK, USA, Greece and Malaysia. ISDN transmission at 128 kbit/s was used to reduce costs while maintaining the clarity of the presented material. Specialized lecture theatres were not available at all sites and conventional halls had to be adapted for videoconferencing. For this reason initial point-to-point testing was carried with Bristol to simplify problem solving. Thereafter, a multipoint bridge was used to connect all sites together. During the conference a number of individual presentations were given, all followed by extensive discussion periods. Special instructions were given beforehand on the production of slide material, with particular reference to font sizes and colour combinations. Full use was made of various presentation media, including slides, videos and live demonstrations. The conference was attended by over 500 delegates, all of whom were specialists in ophthalmology. The technology employed was ideal for teaching purposes. However, if used in a clinical field, it should be kept in mind that the choice of transmission rate makes certain features not easily apparent in images but they become clearer when pointed out by the presenter.
    Matched MeSH terms: Ophthalmology/methods*; Telemedicine/methods*
  17. Nawawi H, Lim HH, Zakiah I
    PMID: 10926257
    An activity supportive of the MOH QA Programme, the National EQAS for clinical chemistry monitors for analytical performance in core routine biochemical testing by the pathology laboratories, with unsatisfactory performance scores serving to alert against deficiencies or problems and the scores in subsequent challenges providing the feedback of effectiveness of remedial actions taken. While unacceptable individual analyte performance score (variance index score, VIS) indicated problems in instruments, reagent and calibrators, or the use of inherently poorer methods, repeated occurrence of unsatisfactory OMRVIS was traceable to generally poor laboratory management of usually inadequately-equipment small laboratories. The outcome has been one of slow but gradual improvement in the overall performance of participating laboratories, with a move towards methods upgrading and standardization to achieve greater concordance of results. Presently, the programme is limited to 61 government and 4 private hospital laboratories in the country for 12 commonly assayed clinical biochemistry analytes. It is hoped that the NEQAS could be extended to the other private laboratories and that of academic institutions. However, this is dependent to a large extent on the manpower and financial support obtainable by the organizing body of the programme in the future. Belk and Sunderman, 1947 demonstrated that laboratories participating in an quality assessment scheme could rapidly and dramatically improve their analytical performance. In some countries, participation has become mandatory, and acceptable performance is a requirement in laboratory accreditation. The need and value of the NEQAP is, therefore, evident. While there may be limitations in the national programme. efforts are being made at improving the programme within the means and resources of the organising body. The goals of the NEQAP are not just to monitor performance but also to educate. On this, matters related to and supportive of these goals have also been pursued. The annual workshop/forum on quality controls had allowed exchange of information between representatives of participating laboratories and the organising body. Recently in the 1997 MOH Quality Improvement evaluation, Quality Control has been evaluated together with the other 17 such activities. The study on knowledge, attitude and practice has provided the necessary feedback and will be used for future planning in making efforts at increasing the effectiveness and benefits of the all QC activities including this NEQAP for clinical chemistry. In addition, there is a need to look into areas such as selection of methods and test systems, and improvement of continuing education, training as well as research in quality improvement as suggested by the Quality Improvement evaluation.
    Matched MeSH terms: Peer Review/methods*; Quality Assurance, Health Care/methods
  18. Ng CJ, McCarthy SA
    Med J Malaysia, 2002 Dec;57 Suppl E:44-51.
    PMID: 12733193
    BACKGROUND: Taking a sexual history and discussing sexual health issues with patients form an important part of a medical consultation. These specific communication skills can be acquired through various teaching methods.
    OBJECTIVE: This paper describes the communication skill workshops conducted for undergraduate medical students on how to talk to patients about sex.
    METHODOLOGY: 198 medical students participated in a series of workshops conducted in the University of Malaya in 2001-2002. Pre- and post-workshop evaluations of the programme were carried out to find out the students' difficulties and to assess the usefulness of the workshop. The workshop consisted of a short lecture, role-plays and discussion.
    RESULTS: Only 34% of the participants had received some informal training during their clinical years. The main barriers encountered were gender and age differences, language and choice of words, patients and doctors feeling shy, and cultural differences. The workshop was felt to be useful (mean score 4.38, maximum 5.0), most students felt comfortable during the workshop (mean score 4.10, maximum 5.0) and there was significant improvement in the "comfort level" when talking to patients about sex after attending the workshop (P < 0.001).
    CONCLUSION: Gender, language and cultural differences were the main barriers in taking a sexual history and discussing sexual health issues among the medical students. Communication workshop was felt to be a useful and comfortable method of learning these specific.
    Matched MeSH terms: Education, Medical, Undergraduate/methods*; Medical History Taking/methods*
  19. Boo NY, Lee HT
    J Paediatr Child Health, 2002 Apr;38(2):151-5.
    PMID: 12030996
    OBJECTIVE: To compare the rates of decrease in serum bilirubin levels in severely jaundiced healthy term infants given oral or intravenous fluid supplementation during phototherapy.

    METHODS: A randomized controlled study was carried out in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia over a 12-month period. Fifty-four healthy term infants with severe hyperbilirubinemia were randomized to receive either solely enteral feeds (n = 27) or both enteral and intravenous (n = 27) fluid during phototherapy.

    RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the mean birthweight, mean gestational age, ethnic distribution, gender distribution, modes of delivery and types of feeding between the two groups. Similarly, there was no significant difference in the mean indirect serum bilirubin (iSB) level at the time of admission to the NICU between the enteral (359 +/- 69 micromol/L [mean +/- SD]) and intravenous group (372 +/- 59 micromol/L; P = 0.4). The mean rates of decrease in iSB during the first 4 h of phototherapy were also not significantly different between the enteral group (10.4 +/- 4.9 micromol/L per h) and intravenous group (11.2 +/- 7.4 micromol/L per h; P = 0.6). There was no significant difference in the proportion of infants requiring exchange transfusion (P = 0.3) nor in the median duration of hospitalization (P = 0.7) between the two groups. No infant developed vomiting or abdominal distension during the study period.

    CONCLUSION: Severely jaundiced healthy term infants had similar rates of decrease in iSB levels during the first 4 h of intensive phototherapy, irrespective of whether they received oral or intravenous fluid supplementation. However, using the oral route avoided the need for intravenous cannulae and their attendant complications.

    Matched MeSH terms: Fluid Therapy/methods*; Intensive Care, Neonatal/methods*
  20. Salasawati H, Ramelah M, Pitt TL, Holmes B
    PMID: 10772579
    The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the usefulness of a co-agglutination procedure for the typing of Flavobacterium meningosepticum. The sensitivity and specificity of the co-agglutination test was compared to the slide agglutination test using reference strains of the bacterial species. Antisera were characterized by both technics to determine their titer and working dilution. The specificity of the sera was assessed by performing tests which include strains of other species and serotypes. A collection of 47 strains of F. meningosepticum isolated from clinical specimens were typed by both co-agglutination and slide agglutination methods. Co-agglutination proved to be markedly more specific than the slide procedure although both methods were similar in sensitivity. It was concluded that co-agglutination proved to be an excellent method for the serotyping of F. meningosepticum.
    Matched MeSH terms: Agglutination Tests/methods*; Serotyping/methods*
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