Displaying publications 3621 - 3640 of 7301 in total

Abstract:
Sort:
  1. Essential oil composition of Alseodaphne perakensis (Gamble) Kosterm from Malaysia
    Anuar MZA, Salleh WMNHW, Khamis S, Nafiah MA, Mat Said Z
    Nat Prod Res, 2021 Feb;35(3):508-511.
    PMID: 31266357 DOI: 10.1080/14786419.2019.1636245
    The chemical composition of the essential oil from the leaves of Alseodaphne perakensis (Gamble) Kosterm (Lauraceae) growing in Perak, Malaysia was investigated for the first time. The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation and fully characterized by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A total of 37 components (90.9 ± 2.5%) were successfully identified in the essential oil which were characterized by high proportions of bicyclogermacrene (15.8 ± 0.5%), δ-cadinene (11.7 ± 0.2%), γ-cadinene (6.3 ± 0.4%), and aromadendrene (5.6 ± 0.5%).
  2. Fulltext Depression, anxiety, stress and socio-demographic factors for poor glycaemic control in patients with type II diabetes
    Nini Shuhaida MH, Siti Suhaila MY, Azidah KA, Norhayati NM, Nani D, Juliawati M
    J Taibah Univ Med Sci, 2019 Jun;14(3):268-276.
    PMID: 31435416 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtumed.2019.03.002
    OBJECTIVE: This study aims to identify risks induced by depression, anxiety, stress, and socio-demographic factors associated with poor glycaemic control among type II diabetes mellitus patients in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia.

    METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed in two Malaysian health clinics by using the Malay version of a self-administered questionnaire. This instrument contains a diabetes care profile, a 21-item version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS21), and a Malaysian Medication Adherence Score (MalMAS). Simple and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed.

    RESULTS: A total of 338 type II diabetes mellitus patients responded (response rate 93.1%). The proportion of patients with poor glycaemic control was 76.0%. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that 1) social support scores [Adj. OR (95% CI): 1.06 (1.03,1.10); p = 0.001]; 2) unemployment [Adj. OR (95% CI): 0.46 (0.22,0.95); p = 0.035]; 3) pensioner status [Adj. OR (95% CI): 0.28 (0.13,0.61); p = 0.001]; and 4) perception of diabetes as interfering with daily living activities [Adj. OR (95% CI): 3.18 (1.17,8.70); p = 0.024] were significant factors for poor glycaemic control.

    CONCLUSIONS: Unemployment, perception of diabetes' interference with daily living activities, and social support are significantly correlated with poor glycaemic control. Further studies assessing other important clinical and psychosocial factors that may influence glycaemic control are suggested. A younger age range of participants is recommended for better outcomes and interventional implementation of findings.

  3. Facile synthesis of GO and g-C3N4 nanosheets encapsulated magnetite ternary nanocomposite for superior photocatalytic degradation of phenol
    Rehman GU, Tahir M, Goh PS, Ismail AF, Samavati A, Zulhairun AK, et al.
    Environ Pollut, 2019 Oct;253:1066-1078.
    PMID: 31434184 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2019.07.013
    In this study, the synthesis of Fe3O4@GO@g-C3N4 ternary nanocomposite for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of phenol has been investigated. The surface modification of Fe3O4 was performed through layer-by-layer electrostatic deposition meanwhile the heterojunction structure of ternary nanocomposite was obtained through sonicated assisted hydrothermal method. The photocatalysts were characterized for their crystallinity, surface morphology, chemical functionalities, and band gap energy. The Fe3O4@GO@g-C3N4 ternary nanocomposite achieved phenol degradation of ∼97%, which was significantly higher than that of Fe3O4@GO (∼75%) and Fe3O4 (∼62%). The enhanced photoactivity was due to the efficient charge carrier separation and desired band structure. The photocatalytic performance was further enhanced with the addition of hydrogen peroxide, in which phenol degradation up to 100% was achieved in 2 h irradiation time. The findings revealed that operating parameters have significant influences on the photocatalytic activities. It was found that lower phenol concentration promoted higher activity. In this study, 0.3 g of Fe3O4@GO@g-C3N4 was found to be the optimized photocatalyst for phenol degradation. At the optimized condition, the reaction rate constant was reported as 6.96 × 10-3 min-1. The ternary photocatalyst showed excellent recyclability in three consecutive cycles, which confirmed the stability of this ternary nanocomposite for degradation applications.
  4. Fulltext Metabolic Syndrome Is Associated With Advanced Liver Fibrosis Among Pediatric Patients With Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
    Ting YW, Wong SW, Anuar Zaini A, Mohamed R, Jalaludin MY
    Front Pediatr, 2019;7:491.
    PMID: 31850288 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2019.00491
    Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) among children is a growing concern with potential significant outcome. This study aims to investigate the relationship between hepatic steatosis, metabolic syndrome, and liver fibrosis among children with obesity and diabetes mellitus. Methodology: Children aged 6-18 years old were recruited from pediatric obesity and diabetes clinic in University Malaya Medical Center (UMMC) between year 2016 and 2019. Data on basic demographics, anthropometric measurements and clinical components of metabolic syndrome were collected. Transient elastography was performed with hepatic steatosis and liver fibrosis assessed by controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) and liver stiffness measurement (LSM) respectively. Mild, moderate and severe steatosis were defined as >248, >268, and >280 dB/m respectively, and LSM above 7.0 kPa for fibrosis stage F ≥ 2, 8.7 kPa for F ≥ 3, and 10.3 kPa for F4 (cirrhosis). Results: A total of 57 children (60% male) with median age of 13 years old were recruited. Fifty (87.7%) of the children are obese and 27 (54%) out of 50 are morbidly obese. Among 44 (77.2%) patients with steatosis, 40 (70.2%) had severe steatosis and 18 (40.9%) had developed liver fibrosis of stage 2 and above. Advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis was detected in 8 (18.2%) children with presence of steatosis. Twenty-three out of 57 (40.4%) was diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. Fibrosis is three times more likely to occur in the presence of metabolic syndrome (OR = 3.545, 95% CI: 1.135-11.075, p = 0.026). Waist circumference is a significant predictor of fibrosis after multiple regression analysis. Conclusion: Obese children with metabolic syndrome are more likely to have advanced liver fibrosis compared to those without metabolic syndrome. Waist circumference predicts development of liver fibrosis.
  5. Fulltext Effect of Irradiated and Non-Irradiated Waste PET Based Cementitious Grouts on Flexural Strength of Semi-Flexible Pavement
    Khan MI, Huat HY, Dun MHBM, Sutanto MH, Jarghouyeh EN, Zoorob SE
    Materials (Basel), 2019 Dec 10;12(24).
    PMID: 31835533 DOI: 10.3390/ma12244133
    In this study the effect of irradiated and non-irradiated waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) as replacement of cement and fly-ash in ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and geopolymeric cement (GPC) based cementitious grouts on flexural strength of semi-flexible pavement specimens were evaluated. The porous asphalt gradation was selected based on Malaysian specifications for semi-flexible pavements with a target of 30% air voids. The cement content in the OPC grouts and the fly-ash content in the GPC based grouts were partially replaced with 1.25% PET (using both irradiated and non-irradiated PET). Beam specimens were prepared and tested for flexural strength properties using center point loading configuration. The grouts modified with recycled waste plastic (PET) showed approximately the same results as obtained from the control specimens. Although the replacement amount was low (1.25% by weight of cement), nonetheless, significant impact on reducing CO2 emissions is expected when preparing grouts for mass construction of semi-flexible pavement surfaces. Similarly, effective recycling of waste plastics in road construction and replacing OPC with plastic and geopolymers will have a positive effect on the environment and will furthermore contribute to sustainable pavement construction.
  6. Experimental data on glucose and energy levels of orange mud crab, Scylla olivacea at different water velocities
    Taufik M, Amin-Safwan A, Mohd Nordin AR, Shahrul I, Abol-Munafi AB, Ikhwanuddin M
    Data Brief, 2020 Apr;29:105232.
    PMID: 32099875 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2020.105232
    The present datasets were conducted to investigate glucose concentration in hemolymph, energy levels at selected body parts (hepatopancreas, muscle, gonad), and feces among different sexes of crabs cultured at four different water velocities (0, 20, 40, and 60 cm/s) during a 60-day culture period. A total of 102 immature crabs (51 males, and 51 females) were sampled from Kuala Muda, Kedah coastal water, Peninsular Malaysia (5°39'N 100°19'E) from April to November of 2018. Results indicated that glucose concentration was the highest at water velocity of 60 cm/s for both male and female crabs (♂: 3.76 ± 0.08 mmol/L; ♀: 3.63 ± 0.06 mmol/L), whereas at 0 cm/s, the lowest levels of glucose concentration (♂: 0.13 ± 0.08 mmol/L; ♀: 0.19 ± 0.06 mmol/L) were recorded. As for energy analysis in hepatopancreas, results showed that both male and female crabs recorded the highest levels at 0 cm/s (no flow) with 37.919 ± 0.07 KJ/g and 34.636 ± 0.50 KJ/g, respectively. Energy for locomotion (muscle) of male crabs recorded the highest at 0 cm/s (♂: 26.823 ± 0.06 KJ/g), meanwhile for females, the highest was recorded at 20 cm/s (26.607 ± 0.34 KJ/g). Energy for reproduction of males could not be compared due to an insufficient available amount of testes/vas deferens, whereas female crabs recorded the highest energy usage at 20 cm/s water velocity (♀: 37.895 ± 0.08 KJ/g). For feces, both male and female crabs recorded the lowest energy at 60 cm/s (♂: 5.841 ± 0.03 KJ/g; ♀: 5.393 ± 0.01 KJ/g). Glucose assessment showed a direct relationship between increased velocity and glucose secretion in hemolymph at high velocity of 60 cm/s (stress condition) compared to other treatments. Regarding energy analysis, this research improved the mechanism of hepatopancreas, gonad, muscle and feces functions in development and reproduction, while it shed light on the influence of velocity on energy metabolism of S. olivacea.
  7. Genetic polymorphisms of HbE/beta thalassemia related to clinical presentation: implications for clinical diversity
    Azman NF, Abdullah WZ, Hanafi S, Diana R, Bahar R, Johan MF, et al.
    Ann Hematol, 2020 Apr;99(4):729-735.
    PMID: 32078010 DOI: 10.1007/s00277-020-03927-5
    HbE/Beta thalassemia (HbE/β-thalassemia) is one of the common genetic disorders in South East Asia. It is heterogeneous in its clinical presentation and molecular defects. There are genetic modifiers which have been reported to influence the disease severity of this disorder. The aim of this study was to determine the genetic polymorphisms which were responsible for the disease clinical diversity. A case-control study was conducted among Malay transfusion-dependent HbE/β-thalassemia patients. Patients who were confirmed HbE/β-thalassemia were recruited and genotyping study was performed on these subjects. Ninety-eight patients were selected and divided into moderate and severe groups based on clinical parameters using Sripichai scoring system (based on hemoglobin level, spleen size, growth development, the age of first transfusion and age of disease presentation). Forty-three (44.9%) and 55 (56.1%) patients were found to have moderate and severe clinical presentation, respectively. Genotyping analysis was performed using Affymetrix 6.0 microarray platform. The SNPs were filtered using PLINK and Manhattan plot by R software. From the GWAS results, 20 most significant SNPs were selected based on disease severity when compared between moderate and severe groups. The significant SNPs found in this study were mostly related to thalassemia complications such as rs7372408, associated with KCNMB2-AS1 and SNPs associated with disease severity. These findings could be used as genetic predictors in managing patients with HbE/β-thalassemia and served as platform for future study.
  8. Arabinoxylan-co-AA/HAp/TiO2 nanocomposite scaffold a potential material for bone tissue engineering: An in vitro study
    Khan MUA, Haider S, Shah SA, Razak SIA, Hassan SA, Kadir MRA, et al.
    Int J Biol Macromol, 2020 May 15;151:584-594.
    PMID: 32081758 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.02.142
    Arabinoxylan (AX) is a natural biological macromolecule with several potential biomedical applications. In this research, AX, nano-hydroxyapatite (n-HAp) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) based polymeric nanocomposite scaffolds were fabricated by the freeze-drying method. The physicochemical characterizations of these polymeric nanocomposite scaffolds were performed for surface morphology, porosity, swelling, biodegradability, mechanical, and biological properties. The scaffolds exhibited good porosity and rough surface morphology, which were efficiently controlled by TiO2 concentrations. MC3T3-E1 cells were employed to conduct the biocompatibility of these scaffolds. Scaffolds showed unique biocompatibility in vitro and was favorable for cell attachment and growth. PNS3 proved more biocompatible, showed interconnected porosity and substantial mechanical strength compared to PNS1, PNS2 and PNS4. Furthermore, it has also showed more affinity to cells and cell growth. The results illustrated that the bioactive nanocomposite scaffold has the potential to find applications in the tissue engineering field.
  9. Fulltext Insights into the Effects of the Dental Stem Cell Secretome on Nerve Regeneration: Towards Cell-Free Treatment
    Man RC, Sulaiman N, Idrus RBH, Ariffin SHZ, Wahab RMA, Yazid MD
    Stem Cells Int, 2019;2019:4596150.
    PMID: 31772587 DOI: 10.1155/2019/4596150
    Cell-free treatment is emerging as an alternative to cell delivery to promote endogenous regeneration using cell-derived factors. The purpose of this article was to systematically review studies of the effects of the dental stem cell secretome on nerve regeneration. PubMed and Scopus databases were used where searched and related studies were selected. The primary search identified 36 articles with the utilized keywords; however, only 13 articles met the defined inclusion criteria. Eight out of thirteen articles included in vivo and in vitro studies. We classified the dental stem cell-derived secretome with its nerve regeneration potential. All studies demonstrated that dental stem cell-derived factors promote neurotrophic effects that can mechanistically stimulate nerve regeneration in neurodegenerative diseases and nerve injury. This data collection will enable researchers to gather information to create a precise formulation for future prescribed treatments.
  10. Impacts of morphological-controlled ZnO nanoarchitectures on aerobic microbial communities during real wastewater treatment in an aerobic-photocatalytic system
    Chang JS, Chong MN, Poh PE, Ocon JD, Md Zoqratt MZH, Lee SM
    Environ Pollut, 2020 Apr;259:113867.
    PMID: 31896479 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2019.113867
    This study aimed to evaluate the impacts of morphological-controlled ZnO nanoarchitectures on aerobic microbial communities during real wastewater treatment in an aerobic-photocatalytic system. Results showed that the antibacterial properties of ZnO nanoarchitectures were significantly more overwhelming than their photocatalytic properties. The inhibition of microbial activities in activated sludge by ZnO nanoarchitectures entailed an adverse effect on wastewater treatment efficiency. Subsequently, the 16S sequencing analysis were conducted to examine the impacts of ZnO nanoarchitectures on aerobic microbial communities, and found the significantly lower microbial diversity and species richness in activated sludge treated with 1D-ZnO nanorods as compared to other ZnO nanoarchitectures. Additionally, 1D-ZnO nanorods reduced the highest proportion of Proteobacteria phylum in activated sludge due to its higher proportion of active polar surfaces that facilitates Zn2+ ions dissolution. Pearson correlation coefficients showed that the experimental data obtained from COD removal efficiency and bacterial log reduction were statistically significant (p-value 
  11. Fulltext Modelling excess mortality among breast cancer patients in the North East Region of Peninsular Malaysia, 2007-2011: a population-based study
    Hanis TM, Yaacob NM, Hairon SM, Abdullah S, Nordin N, Abdullah NH, et al.
    BMC Public Health, 2019 Dec 30;19(1):1754.
    PMID: 31888561 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-019-8113-2
    BACKGROUND: Measurement of breast cancer burden and identification of its influencing factors help in the development of public health policy and strategy against the disease. This study aimed to examine the variability of the excess mortality of female breast cancer patients in the North East Region of Peninsular Malaysia.

    METHODS: This retrospective cohort study was conducted using breast cancer data from the Kelantan Cancer Registry between 2007 and 2011, and Kelantan general population mortality data. The breast cancer cases were followed up for 5 years until 2016. Out of 598 cases, 549 cases met the study criteria and were included in the analysis. Modelling of excess mortality was conducted using Poisson regression.

    RESULTS: Excess mortality of breast cancer varied according to age group (50 years old and below vs above 50 years old, Adj. EHR: 1.47; 95% CI: 1.31, 4.09; P = 0.004), ethnicity (Malay vs non-Malay, Adj. EHR: 2.31; 95% CI: 1.11, 1.96; P = 0.008), and stage (stage III and IV vs. stage I and II, Adj. EHR: 5.75; 95% CI: 4.24, 7.81; P 

  12. Development, formulation and optimization of a novel biocompatible ionic liquids dispersant for the effective oil spill remediation
    Baharuddin SH, Mustahil NA, Reddy AVB, Abdullah AA, Mutalib MIA, Moniruzzaman M
    Chemosphere, 2020 Jun;249:126125.
    PMID: 32058133 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.126125
    The application of chemical dispersants in marine oil spill remediation is comprehensively reported across the globe. But, the augmented toxicity and poor biodegradability of reported chemical dispersants have created necessity for their replacement with the bio-based green dispersants. Therefore, in the present study, we have synthesized five ionic liquids (ILs) namely 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium lauroylsarcosinate, 1,1'-(1,4-butanediyl)bis(1-H-pyrrolidinium) dodecylbenzenesulfonate, tetrabutylammonium citrate, tetrabutylammonium polyphosphate and tetrabutylammonium ethoxylate oleyl ether glycolate, and formulated a water based ILs dispersant combining the synthesized ILs at specified compositions. The effectiveness of formulated ILs dispersant was found between 70.75% and 94.71% for the dispersion of various crude oils ranging from light to heavy. Further, the acute toxicity tests against zebra fish and grouper fish have revealed the practically non-toxic behaviour of formulated ILs dispersant with LC50 value greater than 100 ppm after 96 h. In addition, the formulated ILs dispersant has provided excellent biodegradability throughout the test period. Overall, the formulated new ILs dispersant is deemed to facilitate environmentally benign oil spill remediation and could effectively substitute the use of hazardous chemical dispersants in immediate future.
  13. Fulltext Investigation of α-Glucosidase Inhibitory Metabolites from Tetracera scandens Leaves by GC-MS Metabolite Profiling and Docking Studies
    Nokhala A, Siddiqui MJ, Ahmed QU, Ahamad Bustamam MS, Zakaria AZA
    Biomolecules, 2020 02 12;10(2).
    PMID: 32059529 DOI: 10.3390/biom10020287
    Stone leaf (Tetracera scandens) is a Southeast Asian medicinal plant that has been traditionally used for the management of diabetes mellitus. The underlying mechanisms of the antidiabetic activity have not been fully explored yet. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the α-glucosidase inhibitory potential of the hydromethanolic extracts of T. scandens leaves and to characterize the metabolites responsible for such activity through gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) metabolomics. Crude hydromethanolic extracts of different strengths were prepared and in vitro assayed for α-glucosidase inhibition. GC-MS analysis was further carried out and the mass spectral data were correlated to the corresponding α-glucosidase inhibitory IC50 values via an orthogonal partial least squares (OPLS) model. The 100%, 80%, 60% and 40% methanol extracts displayed potent α-glucosidase inhibitory potentials. Moreover, the established model identified 16 metabolites to be responsible for the α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of T. scandens. The putative α-glucosidase inhibitory metabolites showed moderate to high affinities (binding energies of -5.9 to -9.8 kcal/mol) upon docking into the active site of Saccharomyces cerevisiae isomaltase. To sum up, an OPLS model was developed as a rapid method to characterize the α-glucosidase inhibitory metabolites existing in the hydromethanolic extracts of T. scandens leaves based on GC-MS metabolite profiling.
  14. Fulltext Methanol Extract of Dicranopteris linearis Leaves Attenuate Pain via the Modulation of Opioid/NO-Mediated Pathway
    Zakaria ZA, Roosli RAJ, Marmaya NH, Omar MH, Basir R, Somchit MN
    Biomolecules, 2020 02 12;10(2).
    PMID: 32059475 DOI: 10.3390/biom10020280
    Dicranopteris linearis leaf has been reported to exert antinociceptive activity. The present study elucidates the possible mechanisms of antinociception modulated by the methanol extract of D. linearis leaves (MEDL) using various mouse models. The extract (25, 150, and 300 mg/kg) was administered orally to mice for 30 min priot to subjection to the acetic acid-induced writhing-, hot plate- or formalin-test to establish the antinociceptive profile of MEDL. The most effective dose was then used in the elucidation of possible mechanisms of action stage. The extract was also subjected to the phytochemical analyses. The results confirmed that MEDL exerted significant (p < 0.05) antinociceptive activity in those pain models as well as the capsaicin-, glutamate-, bradykinin- and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-induced paw licking model. Pretreatment with naloxone (a non-selective opioid antagonist) significantly (p < 0.05) reversed MEDL effect on thermal nociception. Only l-arginine (a nitric oxide (NO) donor) but not N(ω)-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME; a NO inhibitor) or 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ; a specific soluble guanylyl cyclase inhibitor) significantly (p < 0.05) modified MEDL effect on the writhing test. Several polyphenolics and volatile antinociceptive compounds were detected in MEDL. In conclusion, MEDL exerted the opioid/NO-mediated antinociceptive activity, thus, justify D. linearis as a potential source for new analgesic agents development.
  15. Fulltext The first dataset of de novo transcriptome assembly of Heterotrigona itama (Apidae, Meliponinae) queen larva
    Tamizi AA, Nazaruddin NH, Yeong WC, Mohd Radzi MF, Jaafar MA, Sekeli R
    Data Brief, 2020 Apr;29:105235.
    PMID: 32071998 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2020.105235
    Heterotrigona itama is a species of stingless bee recently domesticated (or reared) for honey production in a few Southeast Asian countries namely Malaysia and Indonesia. Being categorized in the clade Corbiculata together with the honeybees (Apis spp.) and bumble bees (Bombus spp.), the stingless bees are highly social in which the colony members are subjected to labor division where a queen functions as the reproductive caste. In this data article, we provide a resource encompassing a transcriptome profile (de novo assembled) from H. itama queen larva - the first report of transcriptome assembly for this species. The generated data is pivotal for the characterization of important genes and biological pathways in order to further improve our understanding on the developmental biology, behavior, social structure and ecological needs of this eusocial hymenopteran insect from the molecular aspect. The raw RNA sequencing data is available at NCBI Sequence Read Archive (SAR) under the accession number SRP230250 and the assembled reads are deposited at DDBJ/EMBL/Genbank as Transcriptome Shotgun Assembly (TSA) under the accession GIIH00000000.
  16. Solar irradiance measurement instrumentation and power solar generation forecasting based on Artificial Neural Networks (ANN): A review of five years research trend
    Pazikadin AR, Rifai D, Ali K, Malik MZ, Abdalla AN, Faraj MA
    Sci Total Environ, 2020 May 01;715:136848.
    PMID: 32040994 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.136848
    The increased demand for solar renewable energy sources has created recent interest in the economic and technical issues related to the integration of Photovoltaic (PV) into the grid. Solar photovoltaic power generation forecasting is a crucial aspect of ensuring optimum grid control and power solar plant design. Accurate forecasting provides significant information to grid operators and power system designers in generating an optimal solar photovoltaic plant and to manage the power of demand and supply. This paper presents an extensive review on the implementation of Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) on solar power generation forecasting. The instrument used to measure the solar irradiance is analysed and discussed, specifically on studies that were published from February 1st, 2014 to February 1st, 2019. The selected papers were obtained from five major databases, namely, Direct Science, IEEE Xplore, Google Scholar, MDPI, and Scopus. The results of the review demonstrate the increased application of ANN on solar power generation forecasting. The hybrid system of ANN produces accurate results compared to individual models. The review also revealed that improvement forecasting accuracy can be achieved through proper handling and calibration of the solar irradiance instrument. This finding indicates that improvements in solar forecasting accuracy can be increased by reducing instrument errors that measure the weather parameter.
  17. Assessment of efficacy of Oseltamivir-Azithromycin combination therapy in prevention of Influenza-A (H1N1)pdm09 infection complications and rapidity of symptoms relief
    Ishaqui AA, Khan AH, Sulaiman SAS, Alsultan MT, Khan I, Naqvi AA
    Expert Rev Respir Med, 2020 05;14(5):533-541.
    PMID: 32053044 DOI: 10.1080/17476348.2020.1730180
    Objectives: This study aimed to assess the efficacy of oseltamivir-Azithromycin combination therapy for prevention of Influenza-A (H1N1)pdm09 infection associated complications and early relief of influenza symptoms.Methods: In a retrospective observational cohort study, Influenza-A (H1N1)pdm09 infection hospitalized patients were identified and divided into two groups based on the initial therapy. Group-AV patients were initiated on Oseltamivir without any antibiotic in treatment regimen while Group-AV+AZ patients were initiated on Oseltamivir and Azithromycin combination therapy for at least 3-5 days. Patients were evaluated for different clinical outcomes.Results: A total of 227 and 102 patients were identified for Group-AV and Group-AV+AZ respectively. Multivariate regression analysis showed that incidences of secondary bacterial infections were significantly less frequent (23.4% vs 10.4%; P-value = 0.019) in Group-AV+AZ patients. Group-AV+AZ patients were associated with shorter length of hospitalization (6.58 vs 5.09 days; P-value = <0.0001) and less frequent incidences of respiratory support (38.3% vs 17.6%; P-value = 0.016). Overall influenza symptom severity score was statistically significant less for Group-AV+AZ patients on Day-5 (10.68 ± 2.09; P-value = 0.001) of hospitalization.Conclusion: Oseltamivir-Azithromycin combination therapy was found to be more efficacious as compared to oseltamivir alone in rapid recovery and prevention of Influenza associated complications especially in high risk patients.
  18. Feasibility study on small cars as an alternative to conventional fleets due to low occupancy: case study in Indonesia
    Setiyo M, Widodo EM, Rosyidi MI, Waluyo B, Pambuko ZB, Tamaldin N
    Heliyon, 2020 Jan;6(1):e03318.
    PMID: 32051877 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e03318
    Consumer interest in privately managed urban transport services in Indonesia are showing a declining trend. On the other hand, the presence of Transportation on Demand (ToD) based on Internet of Things (IoT) has attracted the majority of conventional fleet customers which contribute to the declining trend of occupancy. Therefore, this study aims to present a feasibility study of a small car RE60 Three Passenger and One Driver (3P+1D) four-wheeler as an alternative to replace conventional fleets. The Break-Even Point (BEP), Net Present Value (NPV), Internal Rate of Return (IRR), and Payback Period (PP) are analyzed based on vehicle operating data. The analysis shows that there is an additional monthly income flow of IDR 1,533,122 and IDR 2,536,946 from RE60 operations compared to the high and low consumption of fuel from existing fleets, respectively. In conclusion, it is feasible to invest in small car RE60 as a replacement for the existing fleets since the fundamental indicators (BEP, NPV, IRR, and PP) showed positive results before the specified instalment period. Sensitivity analysis also shows good results, NPV shows positive results (>0) although the input conditions are made pessimistic to -30% from NPV base case. The BEP of RE60 will cut distance travelled at 190,670 km and 115,225 km, respectively. NPV of IDR 33,088,000 and IDR 80,841,000 will be obtained at the 60th month after the operation and IRR also enabled good scores, at 2.24% and 4.17%.
  19. Fulltext Post-operative Sore Throat: Comparing the Monitored Endotracheal Tube Cuff Pressure and Pilot Balloon Palpation Methods
    Ganason N, Sivanaser V, Liu CY, Maaya M, Ooi JSM
    Malays J Med Sci, 2019 Sep;26(5):132-138.
    PMID: 31728125 MyJurnal DOI: 10.21315/mjms2019.26.5.12
    BACKGROUND: Endotracheal tube cuff (ETTc) inflation pressure is usually not regarded as an important aspect during intubation. In this study, we compared measuring ETTc pressure and pilot balloon palpation method in causing post-operative airway complications.

    METHODS: Two hundred and ninety-two surgical patients requiring intubation were recruited into this prospective, double-blind, randomised controlled study. Group A patients had their ETTc initially inflated, checked by a cuff pressure gauge, recorded and then set to 25 cmH2O. Group B patients had their ETTc inflated using the pilot balloon palpation method. Patients were then followed up for post-operative sore throat, hoarseness and cough.

    RESULTS: The overall incidence of post-operative sore throat was 39.0% versus 75.3% (P < 0.001), hoarseness 6.2% versus 15.1% (P < 0.05) and cough 7.5% versus 21.9% (P < 0.05) in Group A and B, respectively. Group A patients experienced a significant reduction in the incidence and severity of sore throat up to 24 h post-operatively (P < 0.001), hoarseness at the first hour (P = 0.004) and cough at first and 12 h post-operatively (P = 0.002).

    CONCLUSION: Adjusting the ETTc pressure to 25 cmH2O reduces post-operative sore throat, hoarseness and cough compared to pilot balloon palpation method.

  20. Nonselective Laryngeal Reinnervation versus Type 1 Thyroplasty in Patients with Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis: A Single Tertiary Centre Experience
    Ab Rani A, Azman M, Ubaidah MA, Mohamad Yunus MR, Sani A, Mat Baki M
    J Voice, 2021 May;35(3):487-492.
    PMID: 31732294 DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2019.09.017
    OBJECTIVE: This study compared the voice outcomes of selected patients with unilateral vocal fold palsy (UVFP) who underwent either nonselective laryngeal reinnervation (LR) or Type 1 thyroplasty (thyroplasty) in a Malaysian tertiary centre using multidimensional voice assessments.

    PARTICIPANTS: The study included 16 patients with UVFP who underwent either LR (9 patients) or thyroplasty (7 patients) between 2015 and 2018 who fulfilled the inclusion criteria.

    MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The outcomes were measured subjectively and objectively with: (1) voice handicap index-10 (VHI-10- Malay version); (2) auditory perceptual evaluation using the breathiness component of Grade, Roughness, Breathiness, Asthenia, Strain scale; (3) maximum phonation time (MPT); and (4) acoustic analysis (jitter%, shimmer%, and NHR) using OperaVOXTM. The outcomes were measured at baseline, 6 and 12-months postoperative. The comparison of outcomes between pre and postoperative of each group was evaluated using one-way ANOVA test. Mann-Whitney test was used to compare the outcomes between the two groups.

    RESULTS: Comparison of each group at different time points showed significant improvement of VHI-10 and MPT of LR group between baseline and 12 months (P ≤ 0.05) whereas, the improvement in thyroplasty group was observed at all time points (P ≤ 0.05). When comparing between the two groups at 12 months, the VHI-10 and MPT was significantly better in the LR group than thyroplasty group with P = 0.004 and P = 0.001 respectively. Other outcome measures did not reveal significant difference between the two groups.

    CONCLUSION: This observational study showed that LR may be better than thyroplasty in improving VHI-10 and MPT in selected patients with UVFP.

Related Terms
Filters
Contact Us

Please provide feedback to Administrator (afdal@afpm.org.my)

External Links