Displaying publications 3521 - 3540 of 8505 in total

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  1. Para-Bombay Phenotype of a Pregnant Mother in Malaysia: Transfusion for an Extremely Premature Baby
    Pei TP, Ahmad NH, Noor NHM
    Oman Med J, 2022 Jan;37(1):e336.
    PMID: 35136665 DOI: 10.5001/omj.2021.45
    Para-Bombay blood phenotype is a rare blood group with limited cases reported worldwide. This blood group is characterized by the absence of ABH antigen on red blood cells but presence of ABH secretor substances in the body secretion. This rare phenotype is usually misinterpreted as O and may endanger the patient if urgent blood transfusion is required. A mother who was labelled as group O Rh D positive during antenatal follow-up was found to have ABO discrepancy during delivery. The newborn was admitted for extremely premature delivery at 25 weeks. As the baby required transfusion, problem arose during cross matching with the mother's sample. It was found that the mother was group O Rh D positive in forward grouping. However, the reverse grouping showed the presence of reaction (2+) in O cells. The baby was grouped as O Rh D positive. As transfusion was urgently needed due to baby's unstable condition, group O Rh D positive packed cell was found compatible with baby's serum, subsequently transfused. Bombay blood donor was contacted, and the donated blood was sent to the hospital for further management. Further investigations were performed, indicating that the mother is para-Bombay A. Due to recent transfusion to baby, we suggested to repeat baby's blood group after the baby is one year old. Para-Bombay was usually mislabelled as O if the sample was not tested with O cell in reverse grouping. Additional tests may be needed during antenatal follow-up to prevent complications during delivery, which requires emergency blood transfusion.
  2. Fulltext An electrochemical DNA microbiosensor based on succinimide-modified acrylic microspheres
    Ulianas A, Heng LY, Abu Hanifah S, Ling TL
    Sensors (Basel), 2012;12(5):5445-60.
    PMID: 22778594 DOI: 10.3390/s120505445
    An electrochemical microbiosensor for DNA has been fabricated based on new acrylic microspheres modified with reactive N-acryloxysuccinimide (NAS) functional groups. Hydrophobic poly(n-butylacrylate-N-acryloxysuccinimide) microspheres were synthesized in an emulsion form with a simple one-step photopolymerization technique. Aminated DNA probe was attached to the succinimde functional group of the acrylic microspheres via covalent bonding. The hybridization of the immobilized DNA probe with the complementary DNA was studied by differential pulse voltametry using anthraquninone-2-sulfonic acid monohydrate sodium salt (AQMS) as the electroactive hybridization label. The influences of many factors such as duration of DNA probe immobilization and hybridization, pH, type of ions, buffer concentrations, ionic strength, operational temperature and non-complementary DNA on the biosensor performance were evaluated. Under optimized conditions, the DNA microbiosensor demonstrated a linear response range to target DNA over a wide concentration range of 1.0 × 10(-16) and 1.0 × 10(-8) M with a lower limit of detection (LOD) of 9.46 × 10(-17) M (R(2) = 0.97). This DNA microbiosensor showed good reproducibility with 2.84% RSD (relative standard deviation) (n = 3). Application of the NAS-modified acrylic microspheres in the construction of DNA microbiosensor had improved the overall analytical performance of the resultant DNA microbiosensor when compared with other reported DNA biosensors using other nano-materials for membranes and microspheres as DNA immobilization matrices.
  3. Fulltext Blastocystis sp.: waterborne zoonotic organism, a possibility?
    Lee LI, Chye TT, Karmacharya BM, Govind SK
    Parasit Vectors, 2012;5:130.
    PMID: 22741573 DOI: 10.1186/1756-3305-5-130
    Blastocystis sp. is a common intestinal parasite found in faecal sample surveys. Several studies have implicated human-to-human, zoonotic and waterborne transmissions by Blastocystis sp. However, there has been no study providing evidence interlinking these three transmissions in a community. We have previously shown a high prevalence of Blastocystis sp. subtype 4 amongst village dwellers in Bahunipati, Nepal, and the present study extends the observation to assess if the same subtype of Blastocystis sp. occurs in animals they rear and rivers they frequent.
  4. Fulltext Congenital bilateral agenesis of the tibialis anterior muscles: a rare case report
    Htwe O, Swarhib M, Pei TS, Naicker AS, Das S
    Rom J Morphol Embryol, 2012;53(3):657-9.
    PMID: 22990563
    Congenital bilateral agenesis of the tibialis anterior muscles is a rare condition. We present a case of congenital absence of bilateral tibialis anterior muscles in a 6-year-old boy who presented with an abnormal gait. He was previously diagnosed to have bilateral congenital talipes equinovarus (CTEV) deformity for which he underwent corrective surgery two times. However, he still had a residual foot problem and claimed to have difficulty in walking. On examination, he walked with a high stepping gait and muscle power of both lower limbs was 5/5 on the medical research council scale (MRCS) except for both ankle dorsiflexors and long toe extensors. The sensation was intact. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) study of both legs revealed that tibialis anterior muscles were not visualized on both sides suggestive of agenesis of the tibialis anterior muscles. The rest of the muscles appeared mildly atrophied. The electrophysiological study showed normal motor and sensory conduction in both upper and lower limbs. Electromyographic (EMG) study of the vastus medialis was within normal limit and no response could be elicited for EMG of tibialis anterior muscles suggesting possible absence of tibialis anterior muscles, bilaterally. The patient underwent split tibialis posterior tendon transfer to achieve a balanced and functional foot and was well on discharge. The present case describes the normal anatomy and embryology of tibialis anterior muscles as well as possible causes of its agenesis along with its clinical implications.
  5. Immobilised Sarawak Malaysia yeast cells for production of bioethanol
    Zain MM, Kofli NT, Rozaimah S, Abdullah S
    Pak J Biol Sci, 2011 May 01;14(9):526-32.
    PMID: 22032081
    Bioethanol production using yeast has become a popular topic due to worrying depleting worldwide fuel reserve. The aim of the study was to investigate the capability of Malaysia yeast strains isolated from starter culture used in traditional fermented food and alcoholic beverages in producing Bioethanol using alginate beads entrapment method. The starter yeast consists of groups of microbes, thus the yeasts were grown in Sabouraud agar to obtain single colony called ST1 (tuak) and ST3 (tapai). The growth in Yeast Potatoes Dextrose (YPD) resulted in specific growth of ST1 at micro = 0.396 h-1 and ST3 at micro = 0.38 h-1, with maximum ethanol production of 7.36 g L-1 observed using ST1 strain. The two strains were then immobilized using calcium alginate entrapment method producing average alginate beads size of 0.51 cm and were grown in different substrates; YPD medium and Local Brown Sugar (LBS) for 8 h in flask. The maximum ethanol concentration measured after 7 h were at 6.63 and 6.59 g L-1 in YPD media and 1.54 and 1.39 g L-1in LBS media for ST1 and ST3, respectively. The use of LBS as carbon source showed higher yield of product (Yp/s), 0.59 g g-1 compared to YPD, 0.25 g g-1 in ST1 and (Yp/s), 0.54 g g-1 compared to YPD, 0.24 g g-1 in ST3 . This study indicated the possibility of using local strains (STI and ST3) to produce bioethanol via immobilization technique with local materials as substrate.
  6. Fulltext NOMID: the radiographic and MRI features and review of literature
    Zaki FM, Sridharan R, Pei TS, Ibrahim S, Ping TS
    J Radiol Case Rep, 2012 Mar;6(3):1-8.
    PMID: 22690285 DOI: 10.3941/jrcr.v6i3.745
    Neonatal onset multisystem inflammatory disease (NOMID) is a rare autoinflammatory disorder, which manifests early in infancy. We describe a case of a 10-year-old boy who has been unwell since infancy. He presented with urticarial rash, intermittent fever and hepatosplenomegaly followed by progressive arthropathy. His joint symptoms started at two years of age, which progressively involved multiple joints, resulting in bone and joint deformities. A series of joint radiographs demonstrated bizarre enlarging physeal mass with heterogenous calcification. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the involved right ankle and knee showed characteristic thickened and calcified physeal lesions, which enhanced post-gadolinium. This debilitating disease is also known to involve the central nervous system and eyes. This case report aims to highlight the conventional radiographic and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of this physeal abnormality in NOMID syndrome.
  7. Molecular classification and phylogenetic relationships of selected edible Basidiomycetes species
    Avin FA, Bhassu S, Shin TY, Sabaratnam V
    Mol Biol Rep, 2012 Jul;39(7):7355-64.
    PMID: 22327649 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-012-1567-2
    Morphological identification of edible mushrooms can sometimes prove troublesome, because phenotypic variation in fungi can be affected by substrate and environmental factors. One of the most important problems for mushroom breeders is the lack of a systematic consensus tool to distinguish different species, which are sometimes morphologically identical. Basidiomycetes as one of the largest groups of edible mushrooms have become more important in recent times for their medicinal and nutritional properties. Partial rDNA sequences, including the Internal Transcribed Spacer I-5.8SrDNA-Internal Transcribed Spacer II, were used in this study for molecular identification and assessment of phylogenetic relationships between selected edible species of the Basidiomycetes. Phylogenetic trees showed five distinct clades; each clade belonging to a separate family group. The first clade included all the species belonging to the Pleurotaceae (Pleurotus spp.) family; similarly, the second, third, fourth, and fifth clades consist of species from the Agaricaceae (Agaricus sp.), Lyophllaceae (Hypsigygus sp.), Marasmiaceae (Lentinula edodes sp.) and Physalacriaceae (Flammulina velutipes sp.) families, respectively. Moreover, different species of each family were clearly placed in a distinct sub-cluster and a total of 13 species were taken for analysis. Species differentiation was re-confirmed by AMOVA analysis (among the populations: 99.67%; within: 0.33%), nucleotide divergence, haplotyping and P value. Polymorphism occurred throughout the ITS regions due to insertion-deletion and point mutations, and can be clearly differentiated within the families as well as genera. Moreover, this study proves that the sequence of the ITS region is a superior molecular DNA barcode for taxonomic identification of Basidiomycetes.
  8. Phenylethanoid glycosides isolated from Paraboea paniculata
    Yue TH, Hock AH, Kiang LC, Mooi LY
    Nat Prod Commun, 2012 Jun;7(6):775-8.
    PMID: 22816305
    Phytochemical studies of the leaves and rhizomes of Paraboea pa niculata (Gesneriaceae) are reported for the first time. Three phenylethanoid glycosides were isolated and characterized as 3,4-dihydroxyphenethyl-(3"-O-beta-D-apiofuranosyl)-beta-D-glucopyranoside, calceoralarioside E, and acteoside. These isolates exhibited weak cytotoxic activity against the K-562 cell line with a 50% of cell killing rate of 40.18 microM, 27.05 microM, and 27.24 microM, respectively. In the DPPH free radical scavenging assay, their IC50 values were determined as 75.89 microM, 25.00 microM, and 26.04 microM, respectively.
  9. Isotherm equilibria of Mn²⁺ biosorption in drinking water treatment by locally isolated Bacillus species and sewage activated sludge
    Hasan HA, Abdullah SR, Kofli NT, Kamarudin SK
    J Environ Manage, 2012 Nov 30;111:34-43.
    PMID: 22813857 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2012.06.027
    Manganese (Mn(2+)) is one of the inorganic contaminant that causes problem to water treatment and water distribution due to the accumulation on water piping systems. In this study, Bacillus sp. and sewage activated sludge (SAS) were investigated as biosorbents in laboratory-scale experiments. The study showed that Bacillus sp. was a more effective biosorbent than SAS. The experimental data were fitted to the Langmuir (Langmuir-1 & Langmuir-2), Freundlich, Temkin, Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) and Redlich-Peterson (R-P) isotherms to obtain the characteristic parameters of each model. Mn(2+) biosorption by Bacillus sp. was found to be significantly better fitted to the Langmuir-1 isotherm than the other isotherms, while the D-R isotherm was the best fit for SAS; i.e., the χ(2) value was smaller than that for the Freundlich, Temkin, and R-P isotherms. According to the evaluation using the Langmuir-1 isotherm, the maximum biosorption capacities of Mn(2+) onto Bacillus sp. and SAS were 43.5 mg Mn(2+)/g biomass and 12.7 mg Mn(2+)/g biomass, respectively. The data fitted using the D-R isotherm showed that the Mn(2+) biosorption processes by both Bacillus sp. and SAS occurred via the chemical ion-exchange mechanism between the functional groups and Mn(2+) ion.
  10. Preferences of Malaysian cancer patients in communication of bad news
    Eng TC, Yaakup H, Shah SA, Jaffar A, Omar K
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2012;13(6):2749-52.
    PMID: 22938453
    BACKGROUND: Breaking bad news to cancer patients is a delicate and challenging task for most doctors. Better understanding of patients' preferences in breaking bad news can guide doctors in performing this task.

    OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to describe the preferences of Malaysian cancer patients regarding the communication of bad news.

    METHODOLOGY: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in the Oncology clinic of a tertiary teaching hospital. Two hundred adult cancer patients were recruited via purposive quota sampling. They were required to complete the Malay language version of the Measure of Patients' Preferences (MPP-BM) with minimal researcher assistance. Their responses were analysed using descriptive statistics. Association between demographic characteristics and domain scores were tested using non-parametric statistical tests.

    RESULTS: Nine items were rated by the patients as essential: "Doctor is honest about the severity of my condition", "Doctor describing my treatment options in detail", "Doctor telling me best treatment options", Doctor letting me know all of the different treatment options", "Doctor being up to date on research on my type of cancer", "Doctor telling me news directly", "Being given detailed info about results of medical tests", "Being told in person", and "Having doctor offer hope about my condition". All these items had median scores of 5/5 (IQR:4-5). The median scores for the three domains were: "Content and Facilitation" 74/85, "Emotional Support" 23/30 and "Structural and Informational Support" 31/40. Ethnicity was found to be significantly associated with scores for "Content and Facilitation" and "Emotional Support". Educational status was significantly associated with scores for "Structural and Informational Support".

    CONCLUSION: Malaysian cancer patients appreciate the ability of the doctor to provide adequate information using good communication skills during the process of breaking bad news. Provision of emotional support, structural support and informational support were also highly appreciated.

  11. Fulltext Risk factors for clinically significant macular edema in a multi-ethnics population with type 2 diabetes
    Jew OM, Peyman M, Chen TC, Visvaraja S
    Int J Ophthalmol, 2012;5(4):499-504.
    PMID: 22937513 DOI: 10.3980/j.issn.2222-3959.2012.04.18
    AIM: To determine the risk factors of clinically significant macular edema (CSME) in patients with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) in a multi-ethnics Malaysian population.
    METHODS: We performed a case control study in which 150 patients with bilateral NPDR and CSME in either eye were compared to 150 patients with bilateral NPDR and no CSME in both eyes. CSME and NPDR were graded according to Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study criteria. Student's t-test, odds ratio and multiple logistic regression analysis were performed to analyze the duration of diabetes, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure(BP), total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL), high density lipoprotein (HDL), triglycerides (TG), fasting blood glucose (FBG), HbA1c, full blood count, serum creatinine and proteinuria between the two groups.
    RESULTS: Both groups were matched in terms of age, gender and ethnicity. Duration of diabetes, total serum cholesterol, serum LDL, FBG, HbA1c and serum creatinine were significantly higher in the CSME group (P<0.05). The hemoglobin, packed cell volume were significantly lower in the CSME group (p<0.05). There was no significant difference for serum HDL, TG, BMI, systolic and diastolic BP. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that total serum cholesterol and HbA1c had significantly high odds of developing CSME.
    CONCLUSION: HbA1c and total cholesterol are the two most important risk factors associated with CSME in patients with NPDR.
    KEYWORDS: clinically significant macular edema; diabetes; risk factors
    Study site: Ophthalmology clinic, Hospital Melaka, Malaysia
  12. Fulltext Synthesis and optical enhancement of amorphous carbon nanotubes/silver nanohybrids via chemical route at low temperature
    Han TK, Fen LB, Nee NM, Johan MR
    ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:847806.
    PMID: 24995365 DOI: 10.1155/2014/847806
    We report the synthesis of amorphous carbon nanotubes/silver (αCNTs/Ag) nanohybrids via simple chemical route without additional reactant and surfactant at low temperature. Field emission scanning microscope (FESEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) confirmed formation of CNTs. X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern confirmed the amorphous phase of carbon and the formation of Ag nanoparticles crystalline phase. Raman spectra revealed the amorphous nature of α CNTs. UV-visible spectroscopy showed enhancement of optical properties of α CNTs/Ag nanohybrids.
  13. Fulltext Fusarium sp. infection in a patient with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia
    Tan R, Ng KP, Gan GG, Na SL
    Med J Malaysia, 2013 Dec;68(6):479-80.
    PMID: 24632920 MyJurnal
    In the past two decades, Fusarium species have been increasingly recognized as serious pathogens in immunocompromised patients. The outcome of fusariosis in the context of severe persistent neutropaenia has been almost universally fatal. The treatment of fusariosis in immunocompromised patients remains a challenge and the prognosis of systemic fusariosis in this population remains poor. This report presents a case of fatal fusariosis in a 37- year-old patient who was diagnosed with precursor-B cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL).
  14. Fulltext Rapid anterior capsular contraction after phacoemulsification surgery in a patient with retinitis pigmentosa
    Jin-Poi T, Shatriah I, Khairy-Shamel ST, Zunaina E
    Clin Ophthalmol, 2013;7:839-42.
    PMID: 23674886 DOI: 10.2147/OPTH.S42122
    A decrease in the anterior capsule opening after cataract surgery has been observed in eyes with weakened lens zonules. It commonly occurs in diabetes mellitus, uveitis, pseudoexfoliation syndrome, high myopia, and elderly patients. Herein, we report the case of a middle-aged man with advanced retinitis pigmentosa who developed a rapid contraction of the anterior capsule after an uneventful phacoemulsification surgery that resulted in severe visual loss during the early postoperative period.
  15. Fulltext Multipurpose contrast enhancement on epiphyseal plates and ossification centers for bone age assessment
    Chai HY, Swee TT, Seng GH, Wee LK
    Biomed Eng Online, 2013;12:27.
    PMID: 23565999 DOI: 10.1186/1475-925X-12-27
    The high variations of background luminance, low contrast and excessively enhanced contrast of hand bone radiograph often impede the bone age assessment rating system in evaluating the degree of epiphyseal plates and ossification centers development. The Global Histogram equalization (GHE) has been the most frequently adopted image contrast enhancement technique but the performance is not satisfying. A brightness and detail preserving histogram equalization method with good contrast enhancement effect has been a goal of much recent research in histogram equalization. Nevertheless, producing a well-balanced histogram equalized radiograph in terms of its brightness preservation, detail preservation and contrast enhancement is deemed to be a daunting task.
  16. Noncompaction cardiomyopathy manifesting as retinal artery occlusion
    Jin-Poi T, Shatriah I, Ng SL, Zurkurnai Y, Yunus R
    JAMA Ophthalmol, 2013 Feb;131(2):263-5.
    PMID: 23411903 DOI: 10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2013.587
  17. Influence of growth stage and season on the antioxidant constituents of Cosmos caudatus
    Mediani A, Abas F, Ping TC, Khatib A, Lajis NH
    Plant Foods Hum Nutr, 2012 Dec;67(4):344-50.
    PMID: 23054393 DOI: 10.1007/s11130-012-0317-x
    The impact of tropical seasons (dry and wet) and growth stages (8, 10 and 12 weeks) of Cosmos caudatus on the antioxidant activity (AA), total phenolic content (TPC) as well as the level of bioactive compounds were evaluated using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The plant morphology (plant height) also showed variation between the two seasons. Samples planted from June to August (during the dry season) exhibited a remarkably higher bioactivity and height than those planted from October to December (during the wet season). The samples that were harvested at eight weeks of age during the dry season showed the highest bioactivity with values of 26.04 g GAE/100 g and 22.1 μg/ml for TPC and IC₅₀, respectively. Identification of phytochemical constituents in the C. caudatus extract was carried out by liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detection and electrospray tandem mass (LC-DAD-ESIMS/MS) technique and the confirmation of constituents was achieved by comparison with literature data and/or co-chromatography with authentic standards. Six compounds were indentified including quercetin 3-O-rhamnoside, quercetin 3-O-glucoside, rutin, quercetin 3-O-arabinofuranoside, quercetin 3-O-galactoside and chlorogenic acid. Their concentrations showed significant variance among the 8, 10 and 12-week-old herbs during both seasons.
  18. Fulltext Detection of Bordetella pertussis from Clinical Samples by Culture and End-Point PCR in Malaysian Patients
    Ting TX, Hashim R, Ahmad N, Abdullah KH
    Int J Bacteriol, 2013;2013:324136.
    PMID: 26904725 DOI: 10.1155/2013/324136
    Pertussis or whooping cough is a highly infectious respiratory disease caused by Bordetella pertussis. In vaccinating countries, infants, adolescents, and adults are relevant patients groups. A total of 707 clinical specimens were received from major hospitals in Malaysia in year 2011. These specimens were cultured on Regan-Lowe charcoal agar and subjected to end-point PCR, which amplified the repetitive insertion sequence IS481 and pertussis toxin promoter gene. Out of these specimens, 275 were positive: 4 by culture only, 6 by both end-point PCR and culture, and 265 by end-point PCR only. The majority of the positive cases were from ≤3 months old patients (77.1%) (P < 0.001). There was no significant association between type of samples collected and end-point PCR results (P > 0.05). Our study showed that the end-point PCR technique was able to pick up more positive cases compared to culture method.
  19. Effective microbes for simultaneous bio-oxidation of ammonia and manganese in biological aerated filter system
    Abu Hasan H, Abdullah SR, Kofli NT, Kamarudin SK
    Bioresour Technol, 2012 Nov;124:355-63.
    PMID: 22995166 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2012.08.055
    This study determined the most effective microbes acting as ammonia-oxidising (AOB) and manganese-oxidising bacteria (MnOB) for the simultaneous removal of ammonia (NH(4)(+)-N) and manganese (Mn(2+)) from water. Two conditions of mixed culture of bacteria: an acclimatised mixed culture (mixed culture: MC) in a 5-L bioreactor and biofilm attached on a plastic medium (stages of mixed culture: SMC) in a biological aerated filter were isolated and identified using Biolog MicroSystem and 16S rRNA sequencing. A screening test for determining the most effective microbe in the removal of NH(4)(+)-N and Mn(2+) was initially performed using SMC and MC, respectively, and found that Bacillus cereus was the most effective microbe for the removal of NH(4)(+)-N and Mn(2+). Moreover, the simultaneous NH(4)(+)-N and Mn(2+) removal (above 95% removal for both NH(4)(+)-N and Mn(2+)) was achieved using a biological aerated filter under various operating conditions. Thus, the strain could act as an effective microbe of AOB and a MnOB for the simultaneous removal of NH(4)(+)-N and Mn(2+).
  20. Fulltext Detection and characterization of chicken anemia virus from commercial broiler breeder chickens
    Hailemariam Z, Omar AR, Hair-Bejo M, Giap TC
    Virol J, 2008;5:128.
    PMID: 18954433 DOI: 10.1186/1743-422X-5-128
    Chicken anemia virus (CAV) is the causative agent of chicken infectious anemia (CIA). Study on the type of CAV isolates present and their genetic diversity, transmission to their progeny and level of protection afforded in the breeder farms is lacking in Malaysia. Hence, the present study was aimed to detect CAV from commercial broiler breeder farms and characterize CAV positive samples based on sequence and phylogenetic analysis of partial VP1 gene.
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