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Adsorption of divalent heavy metal ion by mesoporous-high surface area chitosan/poly (ethylene oxide) nanofibrous membrane

Shariful MI, Sharif SB, Lee JJL, Habiba U, Ang BC, Amalina MA

Carbohydr Polym, 2017 Feb 10;157:57-64.
PMID: 27987964 DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2016.09.063

In this study, chitosan/poly (ethylene oxide) nanofibres were fabricated at different chitosan:PEO weight ratio by electrospinning process. The effects of chitosan/PEO composition onto adsorption capability for Cu(II), Zn(II) and Pb(II) ions were studied. Formation of beadless fibres were achieved at 60:40 chitosan:PEO ratio. Average fiber diameter, maximum tensile strength and the specific surface area of the beadless fibres were found to be 115±31nm, 1.58MPa and 218m2/g, respectively. Chitosan/PEO composition that produced beadless fibres tend to possess higher hydrophilicity and maximum specific surface area. These characteristics lead the beadless fibres to the maximum adsorption capability. Adsorption equilibrium data were analysed by Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm. Freundlich isotherm showed the better fit with the experimental data and proved the existence of the monolayer adsorption conditions. The maximum adsorption capacity of the beadless fibres for Cu(II), Zn(II) and Pb(II) ions were found to be 120, 117 and 108mgg-1, respectively.
Effects of short-term step aerobics exercise on bone metabolism and functional fitness in postmenopausal women with low bone mass

Wen HJ, Huang TH, Li TL, Chong PN, Ang BS

Osteoporos Int, 2017 02;28(2):539-547.
PMID: 27613719 DOI: 10.1007/s00198-016-3759-4

Measurement of bone turnover markers is an alternative way to determine the effects of exercise on bone health. A 10-week group-based step aerobics exercise significantly improved functional fitness in postmenopausal women with low bone mass, and showed a positive trend in reducing resorption activity via bone turnover markers.
INTRODUCTION: The major goal of this study was to determine the effects of short-term group-based step aerobics (GBSA) exercise on the bone metabolism, bone mineral density (BMD), and functional fitness of postmenopausal women (PMW) with low bone mass.
METHODS: Forty-eight PMW (aged 58.2 ± 3.5 years) with low bone mass (lumbar spine BMD T-score of -2.00 ± 0.67) were recruited and randomly assigned to an exercise group (EG) or to a control group (CG). Participants from the EG attended a progressive 10-week GBSA exercise at an intensity of 75-85 % of heart rate reserve, 90 min per session, and three sessions per week. Serum bone metabolic markers (C-terminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen [CTX] and osteocalcin), BMD, and functional fitness components were measured before and after the training program. Mixed-models repeated measures method was used to compare differences between the groups (α = 0.05).
RESULTS: After the 10-week intervention period, there was no significant exercise program by time interaction for CTX; however, the percent change for CTX was significantly different between the groups (EG = -13.1 ± 24.4 % vs. CG = 11.0 ± 51.5 %, P
Renoprotective effect of virgin coconut oil in heated palm oil diet-induced hypertensive rats

Kamisah Y, Ang SM, Othman F, Nurul-Iman BS, Qodriyah HM

Appl Physiol Nutr Metab, 2016 Oct;41(10):1033-1038.
PMID: 27618413

Virgin coconut oil, rich in antioxidants, was shown to attenuate hypertension. This study aimed to investigate the effects of virgin coconut oil on blood pressure and related parameters in kidneys in rats fed with 5-times-heated palm oil (5HPO). Thirty-two male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 4 groups. Two groups were fed 5HPO (15%) diet and the second group was also given virgin coconut oil (1.42 mL/kg, oral) daily for 16 weeks. The other 2 groups were given basal diet without (control) and with virgin coconut oil. Systolic blood pressure was measured pre- and post-treatment. After 16 weeks, the rats were sacrificed and kidneys were harvested. Dietary 5HPO increased blood pressure, renal thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS), and nitric oxide contents, but decreased heme oxygenase activity. Virgin coconut oil prevented increase in 5HPO-induced blood pressure and renal nitric oxide content as well as the decrease in renal heme oxygenase activity. The virgin coconut oil also reduced the elevation of renal TBARS induced by the heated oil. However, neither dietary 5HPO nor virgin coconut oil affected renal histomorphometry. In conclusion, virgin coconut oil has a potential to reduce the development of hypertension and renal injury induced by dietary heated oil, possibly via its antioxidant protective effects on the kidneys.
Fulltext A parallel spatiotemporal saliency and discriminative online learning method for visual target tracking in aerial videos

Aghamohammadi A, Ang MC, A Sundararajan E, Weng Ng K, Mogharrebi M, Banihashem SY

PLoS One, 2018;13(2):e0192246.
PMID: 29438421 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0192246

Visual tracking in aerial videos is a challenging task in computer vision and remote sensing technologies due to appearance variation difficulties. Appearance variations are caused by camera and target motion, low resolution noisy images, scale changes, and pose variations. Various approaches have been proposed to deal with appearance variation difficulties in aerial videos, and amongst these methods, the spatiotemporal saliency detection approach reported promising results in the context of moving target detection. However, it is not accurate for moving target detection when visual tracking is performed under appearance variations. In this study, a visual tracking method is proposed based on spatiotemporal saliency and discriminative online learning methods to deal with appearance variations difficulties. Temporal saliency is used to represent moving target regions, and it was extracted based on the frame difference with Sauvola local adaptive thresholding algorithms. The spatial saliency is used to represent the target appearance details in candidate moving regions. SLIC superpixel segmentation, color, and moment features can be used to compute feature uniqueness and spatial compactness of saliency measurements to detect spatial saliency. It is a time consuming process, which prompted the development of a parallel algorithm to optimize and distribute the saliency detection processes that are loaded into the multi-processors. Spatiotemporal saliency is then obtained by combining the temporal and spatial saliencies to represent moving targets. Finally, a discriminative online learning algorithm was applied to generate a sample model based on spatiotemporal saliency. This sample model is then incrementally updated to detect the target in appearance variation conditions. Experiments conducted on the VIVID dataset demonstrated that the proposed visual tracking method is effective and is computationally efficient compared to state-of-the-art methods.
Reliability and validity of the English and Malay versions of the Driving and Riding Questionnaire: a pilot study amongst older car drivers and motorcycle riders

Ang BH, Chen WS, Ngin CK, Oxley JA, Lee SWH

Public Health, 2018 Feb;155:8-16.
PMID: 29274898 DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2017.11.003

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine the reliability and validity of the English and Malay versions of the Driving and Riding Questionnaire.

STUDY DESIGN: An observational study with a mix-method approach by utilising both questionnaire and short debriefing interviews.

METHODS: Forward and backward translations of the original questionnaire were performed. The translated questionnaire was assessed for clarity by a multidisciplinary research team, translators, and several Malay native speakers. A total of 24 subjects participated in the pilot study. Reliability (Cronbach's alpha) and validity (content validity) of the original and translated questionnaires were examined.

RESULTS: The English and Malay versions of the Driving and Riding Questionnaire were found to be reliable tools in measuring driving behaviours amongst older drivers and riders, with Cronbach's alpha of 0.9158 and 0.8919, respectively. For content validity, the questionnaires were critically reviewed in terms of relevance, clarity, simplicity, and ambiguity. The feedback obtained from participants addressed various aspects of the questionnaire related to the improvement of wordings used and inclusion of visual guide to enhance the understanding of the items in the questionnaire. This feedback was incorporated into the final versions of the English and Malay questionnaires.

CONCLUSION: The findings of this study demonstrated both the English and Malay versions of the Driving and Riding Questionnaire to be valid and reliable.
Draft genome sequence of multidrug-resistant Salmonella enterica serovar Brancaster strain PS01 isolated from chicken meat, Malaysia

Chin PS, Yu CY, Ang GY, Yin WF, Chan KG

J Glob Antimicrob Resist, 2017 06;9:41-42.
PMID: 28300643 DOI: 10.1016/j.jgar.2016.12.017

OBJECTIVES: Salmonella spp. represent one of the main diarrhoeal pathogens that are transmitted via the food supply chain. Here we report the draft genome sequence of a multidrug-resistant Salmonella enterica serovar Brancaster (PS01) that was isolated from poultry meat in Malaysia.
METHODS: Genomic DNA was extracted from Salmonella strain PS01 and was sequenced using an Illumina HiSeq 2000 platform. The generated reads were de novo assembled using CLC Genomics Workbench. The draft genome was annotated and the presence of antimicrobial resistance genes was identified.
RESULTS: The 5 036 442bp genome contains various antimicrobial resistance genes conferring resistance to aminoglycosides, fluoroquinolones, fosfomycin, macrolides, phenicols, sulphonamides, tetracyclines and trimethoprim. The β-lactamase gene blaTEM-176 encoding TEM-176 was also found in this strain.
CONCLUSIONS: The genome sequence will aid in the understanding of drug resistance mechanisms in foodborne Salmonella Brancaster and highlights the need to ensure the judicious use of antibiotics in animal husbandry as well as the importance of implementing proper food handling and preparation practices.
Fulltext Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles Improve Oral Delivery of Antitubercular Bicyclic Nitroimidazoles

Ang CW, Tan L, Qu Z, West NP, Cooper MA, Popat A, et al.

ACS Biomater Sci Eng, 2022 Oct 10;8(10):4196-4206.
PMID: 34464089 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.1c00807

Pretomanid and MCC7433, a novel nitroimidazopyrazinone analog, are promising antitubercular agents that belong to the bicyclic nitroimidazole family. Despite possessing high cell permeability, they suffer from poor aqueous solubility and require specialized formulations in order to be orally bioavailable. To address this limitation, we investigated the use of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MCM-41) as drug carriers. MCM-41 nanoparticles were synthesized using a sol-gel method, and their surface was further modified with amine and phosphonate groups. A simple rotary evaporation method was used to incorporate the compounds of interest into the nanoparticles, leading to a high encapsulation efficiency of ≥86% with ∼10% loading (w/w). An overall significant improvement of solubility was also observed, and the pharmacological activity of pretomanid and MCC7433 was fully retained when tested in vitro against Mycobacterium tuberculosis using these nanocarriers. Amino-functionalized MCM-41 nanoparticles were found to enhance the systemic exposure of MCC7433 in mice (1.3-fold higher Cmax) compared to MCC7433 alone. The current work highlights the potential of using nanoparticles such as mesoporous silica as a carrier for oral delivery of poorly soluble antibacterial agents against tuberculosis.
Predicting mechanically ventilated patients future respiratory system elastance - A stochastic modelling approach

Ang CYS, Chiew YS, Wang X, Mat Nor MB, Cove ME, Chase JG

Comput Biol Med, 2022 Dec;151(Pt A):106275.
PMID: 36375413 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2022.106275

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Respiratory mechanics of mechanically ventilated patients evolve significantly with time, disease state and mechanical ventilation (MV) treatment. Existing deterministic data prediction methods fail to comprehensively describe the multiple sources of heterogeneity of biological systems. This research presents two respiratory mechanics stochastic models with increased prediction accuracy and range, offering improved clinical utility in MV treatment.
METHODS: Two stochastic models (SM2 and SM3) were developed using retrospective patient respiratory elastance (Ers) from two clinical cohorts which were averaged over time intervals of 10 and 30 min respectively. A stochastic model from a previous study (SM1) was used to benchmark performance. The stochastic models were clinically validated on an independent retrospective clinical cohort of 14 patients. Differences in predictive ability were evaluated using the difference in percentile lines and cumulative distribution density (CDD) curves.
RESULTS: Clinical validation shows all three models captured more than 98% (median) of future Ers data within the 5th - 95th percentile range. Comparisons of stochastic model percentile lines reported a maximum mean absolute percentage difference of 5.2%. The absolute differences of CDD curves were less than 0.25 in the ranges of 5
Psychological impact amongst patients with COVID-19 in Perak state

Loo TH, Arvinder-Singh HS, Ang YC, Kong YH, Vikram Suarn S, Rakesh S

Med J Malaysia, 2022 Nov;77(6):643-649.
PMID: 36448379

INTRODUCTION: Psychological distress had been documented since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in 2019. The aim of the study is to describe the psychological impact among those who were hospitalized for COVID-19 infection within 6 months after being discharged from the hospital. The psychological impact in this study is defined as depression, anxiety, and stress.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study conducted from July 2020 till August 2021 in a regional state hospital, north of Malaysia. All patients requiring hospitalization for COVID-19 were approached within the first 2 weeks after admission to administer the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale - 21 Items (DASS-21) scale. Follow-up phone calls were made within 3 months of discharged to enquire about the DASS-21 items as well as the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) scale items. Participants above the age of 18 and technology savvy to answer an online questionnaire were recruited for the study. We excluded participants with a known history of psychotic disorder from the study. We utilised the DASS-21 to screen for depression, anxiety, and stress, as well as the IES-R to identify symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Participants could answer the questionnaires in either English or Bahasa Malaysia. For comparison of two categorical data, a chi-square was applied. A univariate analysis was first conducted and all variables with a p ≤0.3 was then entered into the multivariate analysis for the final output. Other than the univariate analysis, all other p values <0.05 were considered to be statistically significant. All data collected were tabulated and analysed in the SPSS v21.0 system.
RESULTS: A total of 306 out of 696 COVID-19 patients responded. The mean age for the participants was 31.69 (SD:11.19) years old. From the total, 54.2% were ladies, 78.8% were Malay, 50.7% were unmarried, 55.2% had higher education, and 67.6% were employed at the time of the survey. We found 20.5% of the participants were depressed, 38.9% had moderate anxiety, and 17.3% were stressed. From the total, 31.7% of the participants were deemed to have had some symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) ranging from mild to severe. From the final multivariate analysis, it was found that depression (p=0.02) had a 2.78 times likeliness of having PTSD, anxiety (p<0.001) had a 3.35 times likeliness of having PTSD and stressed patients (p=0.02) 2.86 times likeliness of having PTSD when compared to those without PTSD.
CONCLUSION: Patients reported to suffer from symptoms of PTSD and might benefit from psychological interventions to mitigate the impact in the long run.
Proteogenomics: From next-generation sequencing (NGS) and mass spectrometry-based proteomics to precision medicine

Ang MY, Low TY, Lee PY, Wan Mohamad Nazarie WF, Guryev V, Jamal R

Clin Chim Acta, 2019 Nov;498:38-46.
PMID: 31421119 DOI: 10.1016/j.cca.2019.08.010

One of the best-established area within multi-omics is proteogenomics, whereby the underpinning technologies are next-generation sequencing (NGS) and mass spectrometry (MS). Proteogenomics has contributed significantly to genome (re)-annotation, whereby novel coding sequences (CDS) are identified and confirmed. By incorporating in-silico translated genome variants in protein database, single amino acid variants (SAAV) and splice proteoforms can be identified and quantified at peptide level. The application of proteogenomics in cancer research potentially enables the identification of patient-specific proteoforms, as well as the association of the efficacy or resistance of cancer therapy to different mutations. Here, we discuss how NGS/TGS data are analyzed and incorporated into the proteogenomic framework. These sequence data mainly originate from whole genome sequencing (WGS), whole exome sequencing (WES) and RNA-Seq. We explain two major strategies for sequence analysis i.e., de novo assembly and reads mapping, followed by construction of customized protein databases using such data. Besides, we also elaborate on the procedures of spectrum to peptide sequence matching in proteogenomics, and the relationship between database size on the false discovery rate (FDR). Finally, we discuss the latest development in proteogenomics-assisted precision oncology and also challenges and opportunities in proteogenomics research.
Fulltext New vectors that are early feeders for Plasmodium knowlesi and other simian malaria parasites in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo

De Ang JX, Yaman K, Kadir KA, Matusop A, Singh B

Sci Rep, 2021 Apr 08;11(1):7739.
PMID: 33833272 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-86107-3

Plasmodium knowlesi is the main cause of malaria in Sarawak, where studies on vectors of P. knowlesi have been conducted in only two districts. Anopheles balabacensis and An. donaldi were incriminated as vectors in Lawas and An. latens in Kapit. We studied a third location in Sarawak, Betong, where of 2169 mosquitoes collected over 36 days using human-landing catches, 169 (7.8%) were Anopheles spp. PCR and phylogenetic analyses identified P. knowlesi and/or P. cynomolgi, P. fieldi, P. inui, P. coatneyi and possibly novel Plasmodium spp. in salivary glands of An. latens and An. introlatus from the Leucosphyrus Group and in An. collessi and An. roperi from the Umbrosus Group. Phylogenetic analyses of cytochrome oxidase subunit I sequences indicated three P. knowlesi-positive An. introlatus had been misidentified morphologically as An. latens, while An. collessi and An. roperi could not be delineated using the region sequenced. Almost all vectors from the Leucosphyrus Group were biting after 1800 h but those belonging to the Umbrosus Group were also biting between 0700 and 1100 h. Our study incriminated new vectors of knowlesi malaria in Sarawak and underscores the importance of including entomological studies during the daytime to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the transmission dynamics of malaria.
Occurrence and risk assessment of 3-monochloropropanediols esters (3-MCPDE), 2-monochloropropanediol esters (2-MCPDE), and glycidyl esters (GE) in commercial infant formula samples from Malaysia

Nik Azmi NNA, Tan TC, Ang MY, Leong YH

Food Addit Contam Part A Chem Anal Control Expo Risk Assess, 2023 Feb;40(2):212-221.
PMID: 36602442 DOI: 10.1080/19440049.2022.2163054

The presence of 3-monochloropropanediol esters (3-MCPDE), 2-monochloropropanediol esters (2-MCPDE) and glycidyl esters (GE) in infant formula products has raised serious concerns. They incorporate vegetable oils, particularly palm-based oils, which are well-known to contain large amounts of these process contaminants. An analysis was conducted on infant formula samples (n = 16) obtained from the Malaysian market to determine the levels of 3-MCPDE, 2-MCPDE and GE using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The method was validated, with a limit of quantification (LOQ) on instrument of 0.10 µg/g for all analytes. The median concentrations of 3-MCPDE, 2-MCPDE and GE in infant formula in this study were 0.008 µg/g, 0.003 µg/g and 0.002 µg/g respectively. The estimated dietary intakes calculated from consumption of infant formula show higher exposures to infants within the age group of 0 to 5 months, highest for GE (1.61 µg/kg bw/day), followed by 3-MCPDE (0.68 µg/kg bw/day) and 2-MCPDE (0.41 µg/kg bw/day) compared to the age group of 6 to 12 months. Only one sample, relating to GE exposure is a potential risk for both age groups with MOE value below 25,000.
COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on emergency surgery in colorectal cancer: A single centre experience

Ng GH, Philip Ding HL, Leow YC, Umasangar R, Ang CW

Med J Malaysia, 2023 Jan;78(1):32-34.
PMID: 36715188

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to major changes in the provision of surgical services and also affected patients' health-seeking behaviour. This contributes to delayed presentation of many surgical conditions resulting in poorer outcomes. Colorectal cancer (CRC) patients who present with acute surgical emergencies such as complete bowel obstruction, perforation, bleeding or sepsis often require immediate intervention. This study aimed to assess the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the proportion of emergency surgery in CRC patients.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study. All CRC patients who underwent elective and emergency surgery from January until December 2019 (pre-COVID era) and September 2020 until August 2021 (COVID era) were included. Patient demographics, presentation, tumour stage, surgery performed and waiting time for surgery were collected. Data were then compared.
RESULTS: Seventy-seven and 76 new cases of CRC underwent surgery before and during COVID-19, respectively. The proportions of emergency surgery before and during COVID-19 are 29% vs 33% (p=0.562). Of those who required emergency surgery, the proportions of patients who required stoma formation are 59% vs 72% (p= 0.351). There was no difference in median waiting time for patients requiring elective surgery (p= 0.668).
CONCLUSION: The proportion of emergency surgery for CRC patients is not statistically higher during the pandemic.
Occupational ergonomics and related musculoskeletal disorders among dentists: A systematic review

Soo SY, Ang WS, Chong CH, Tew IM, Yahya NA

Work, 2023;74(2):469-476.
PMID: 36278379 DOI: 10.3233/WOR-211094

BACKGROUND: There is an increasing concern about musculoskeletal disorders (MSD), resulting from occupational health hazards among dentists. Dentists who are susceptible to occupational health hazards could develop cumulative trauma disorders, lead to absenteeism from work, loss of productivity and performance or even long-term disability.
OBJECTIVE: This study aims to determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among dentists, explore the risk factors and identify the ergonomic preventive measures for dental professionals.
METHODS: Articles published between 2008-2020 were searched in scientific databases (MEDLINE, PubMed, Scopus and Cochrane Library). The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme Systematic Review Checklist was used to assess the quality of the studies.
RESULTS: Eighteen studies were found to be suitable in the final review. Relevant data was extracted and summarized from the included studies. The annual prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in any body site ranged between 68% and 100%. The most predominant regions for musculoskeletal disorders among dental professionals were identified to be the lower back (29% to 94.6%), shoulder (25% to 92.7%), and neck (26% to 92%). The most frequently reported risk factors of MSDs were the individual characteristic female gender (57.1%), followed by awkward working postures (50%), long working experience (50%) and being dental specialists (42.9%). Several preventive measures were identified as the most effective ways in preventing MSDs, the use of magnification (40%) and regular physical activity (40%).
CONCLUSIONS: This review reported a high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) among dentists. It critically updates and adds the latest evidence on occupational ergonomics among dentists.
Fulltext Validation of Malay Version of the COVID-19 Burnout Scale

Ang CS, Lee KW, Voon SP, Ho MC, Tan CE, Ching SM, et al.

Oman Med J, 2023 Jan;38(1):e456.
PMID: 36937773 DOI: 10.5001/omj.2023.20

OBJECTIVES: From early 2020, Malaysia had to implement nationwide lockdowns, quarantines, and other social distancing practices to contain the spread of COVID-19 virus, leading to symptoms of psychosocial burnout among the people. The aim of the present research is to develop and validate a Malay language version of the COVID-19 Burnout Scale (M-COVID-19-BS).
METHODS: This three-phase study was conducted among Malaysian population. Phase 1 involved forward and backward translations of the Scale to Malay language by four professional bilingual translators. In Phase 2, the new M-COVID-19-BS instrument was piloted on 30 participants who suggested minor lexical modifications. Phase 3 consisted of online recruiting of Malaysian citizens to answer a composite questionnaire comprising the M-COVID-19-BS, Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI), World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale Abbreviated Version (WHOQOL-BREF), and Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S). Data were statistically analyzed.
RESULTS: The composite four-part questionnaire in Malay was answered by N = 225 Malaysian citizens. The M-COVID-19-BS instrument demonstrated a good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.926) and had a unidimensional factor structure. M-COVID-19-BS scores positively correlated with the three CBI subscales, showing evidence of convergent validity. Negative correlation was reported between M-COVID-19-BS and WHOQOL-BREF, achieving discriminant validity. M-COVID-19-BS also exhibited moderate positive correlations with the FCV-19S, thus supporting its concurrent validity.
CONCLUSIONS: Results demonstrate that M-COVID-19-BS is a valid and reliable instrument to assess burnout symptoms related to COVID-19 among Malay-speaking populations either collectively or as a self-care tool to detect burnout symptoms without needing to further burden the already overwhelmed Malaysian healthcare system.
Comparison of outcome among type 2 vs type 1 myocardial infarction: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Jaiswal V, Ang SP, Ishak A, Nasir YM, Chia JE, Naz S, et al.

J Investig Med, 2023 Mar;71(3):223-234.
PMID: 36705027 DOI: 10.1177/10815589221140589

To date, there were limited studies available on myocardial infarction (MI), and consequently, the outcomes of patients with type 1 myocardial infarction (T1MI) compared to type 2 myocardial infarction (T2MI) remained inconclusive. We aimed to compare the outcomes of T1MI and T2MI patients in terms of mortality and adverse cardiovascular outcomes. We performed a systematic literature search on PubMed, Embase, and Scopus for relevant articles from inception until March 20, 2022. 341,049 patients had T1MI, while the remaining 67,537 patients had T2MI. Mean age was similar between both groups (T1MI: 67.3 years, T2MI: 71.03 years), while the proportion of females was lower in T1MI (37.81% vs 47.15%). Our analysis revealed that patients with T1MI had significantly lower odds of all-cause mortality (OR 0.45, 95% CI 0.36-0.56, p
Fulltext The Relationship between Job Insecurity and Psychological Well-Being among Malaysian Precarious Workers: Work-Life Balance as a Mediator

Abdul Jalil NI, Tan SA, Ibharim NS, Musa AZ, Ang SH, Mangundjaya WL

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2023 Feb 03;20(3).
PMID: 36768122 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20032758

The emergence of coronavirus disease has impacted human lives, one of which is economic disruption. Many Malaysian organisations have devised various crisis-response techniques, such as downsizing, laying off, retrenching, and combining. As a result, the number of Malaysians working in precarious jobs, which are defined by unpredictable and uncertain situations, has indirectly increased, hence increasing job insecurity. Therefore, maintaining psychological health is essential to safeguarding the mental health of employees. In the current working landscape, job security and work-life balance have commonly been deemed necessary in contributing to well-being among employees. As a result, the purpose of this study was to examine how work-life balance influences the relationship between job insecurity and psychological well-being among Malaysian precarious workers. It also fills a gap in the research by explaining the causal association between job insecurity and psychological well-being among precarious workers, as previous well-being studies have largely focused on employees with secure jobs. There were 442 responders collected using purposive and snowball sampling methods, and they were requested to complete the Job Insecurity Scale (JIS), Work-Life Balance, and Well-Being Index Scale (WHO-5). Job instability was negatively connected with work-life balance and psychological well-being. On the other hand, work-life balance was found to be positively related to psychological well-being. This supports the notion that work-life balance is a significant mediator in the relationship between job insecurity and psychological well-being. These findings emphasise that Malaysian precarious workers with job security could enhance their psychological well-being by achieving work-life balance.
Maternal gonosomal mosaicism in rare autosomal dominant SLFN14-related thrombocytopenia

Ang MP, Yeoh SL, Lim CH, Foo SL, Wong YW, Ch'ng GS

Br J Haematol, 2022 Dec;199(5):765-767.
PMID: 36237120 DOI: 10.1111/bjh.18481
Degradation reaction of Diazo reactive black 5 dye with copper (II) sulfate catalyst in thermolysis treatment

Lau YY, Wong YS, Ang TZ, Ong SA, Lutpi NA, Ho LN

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2018 Mar;25(7):7067-7075.
PMID: 29275478 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-017-1069-9

The theme of present research demonstrates performance of copper (II) sulfate (CuSO4) as catalyst in thermolysis process to treat reactive black 5 (RB 5) dye. During thermolysis without presence of catalyst, heat was converted to thermal energy to break the enthalpy of chemical structure bonding and only 31.62% of color removal. With CuSO4 support as auxiliary agent, the thermally cleaved molecular structure was further destabilized and reacted with CuSO4. Copper ions functioned to delocalize the coordination of π of the lone paired electron in azo bond, C=C bond of the sp2 carbon to form C-C of the sp3 amorphous carbon in benzene and naphthalene. Further, the radicals of unpaired electrons were stabilized and RB 5 was thermally decomposed to methyl group. Zeta potential measurement was carried out to analyze the mechanism of RB 5 degradation and measurement at 0 mV verified the critical chemical concentration (CCC) (0.7 g/L copper (II) sulfate), as the maximum 92.30% color removal. The presence of copper (II) sulfate catalyst has remarkably increase the RB 5 dye degradation as the degradation rate constant without catalyst, k1 is 6.5224 whereas the degradation rate constant with catalyst, k2 is 25.6810. This revealed the correlation of conversion of thermal energy from heat to break the chemical bond strength, subsequent fragmentation of RB 5 dye molecular mediated by copper (II) sulfate catalyst. The novel framework on thermolysis degradation of molecular structure of RB 5 with respect to the bond enthalpy and interfacial intermediates decomposition with catalyst reaction were determined.
A novel approach to evaluate the mechanical responses of elastin-like bioresorbable poly(glycolide-co-caprolactone) (PGCL) suture

Low YJ, Kittur MI, Andriyana A, Ang BC, Zainal Abidin NI

J Mech Behav Biomed Mater, 2023 Apr;140:105723.
PMID: 36821908 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2023.105723

Poly(glycolide-co-caprolactone) (PGCL) has become a novice to the bioresorbable suture owing to the synergistic properties taken from the homo-polyglycolide (PGA) and polycaprolactone (PCL) such as excellent bioresorption and flexibility. In addition to under conventional monotonic loading, the understanding of mechanical responses of PGCL copolymers under complex loading conditions such as cyclic and stress relaxation is crucial for its application as a surgical suture. Consequently, the present work focuses on evaluating the mechanical responses of PGCL sutures under monotonic, cyclic, and stress relaxation loading conditions. Under monotonic loading, the stress-strain behavior of the PGCL suture was found to be non-linear with noticeable strain-rate dependence. Under cyclic loading, inelastic responses including stress-softening, hysteresis and permanent set were observed. During cyclic loading, both stress-softening and hysteresis were found to increase with the maximum strain. In multi-step stress relaxation, the PGCL sutures were observed to exhibit a strong viscoelastic response. In an attempt to describe the relationship between the stress-relaxation and strain-induced crystallization (SIC) occurring during the loading and relaxation processes, a schematic illustration of the conformational change of polymer chains in PGCL sutures was proposed in this work. Results showed that SIC was dependent on the strain level as well as the loading and relaxation durations. The inelastic phenomena observed in PGCL sutures can be thus correlated to the combined effect of stress relaxation and SIC.

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