Displaying publications 21 - 40 of 109 in total

Abstract:
Sort:
  1. Study of optimal temperature, pH and stability of dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus) peel for use as potential natural colorant
    Harivaindaran KV, Rebecca OP, Chandran S
    Pak J Biol Sci, 2008 Sep 15;11(18):2259-63.
    PMID: 19137837
    The peel of Hylocereus polyrhizus is often regarded as a waste hence this study was aimed at exploring the feasibility of using the peel as a natural colorant using simple water extraction method. Samples were subjected to a series of temperatures: Room temperature (RT), 50, 80 and 100 degrees C; varied length of heating time from 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 10 min and a varied range of pH using 1 M of citric acid solution. The best condition to obtain highest betacyanin content was heating samples at 100 degrees C for 5 min in a pH 5 citric acid solution. The next part of this study involved the stability test of the pigments obtained through the best method determined earlier. The pigments were dried and resuspended in distilled water. The samples were then exposed to light to monitor pigment changes. Initial resuspension of the dried pigments yielded a comparable high content of betacyanins to its juice counterpart. The results showed that resuspended pigments had high pigment retention and were stable up to 7 days. These initial findings must be further studied in more controlled conditions to understand the stability of betacyanin. Nevertheless, the results show that betacyanin obtained from the peel of dragon fruit has a high potential to be used as a natural dye.
  2. Fulltext Helicobacter pylori infection in peptic ulcer disease: the importance of smoking and ethnicity
    Pillay KV, Htun M, Naing NN, Norsa'adah B
    Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health, 2007 Nov;38(6):1102-10.
    PMID: 18613553
    This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and its associated factors among patients with peptic ulcer disease in Taiping Hospital. Consecutive peptic ulcer disease patients who had undergone esophagogastro-duodenoscopy were included. The H. pylori status was assessed by the rapid urease test. We excluded those who had active bleeding, a perforated peptic ulcer, severe vomiting, a history of gastric surgery, peptic ulcer disease or renal or liver diseases, carcinoma of the stomach, and recent use of antibiotics or proton pump inhibitors. Socio-demography, H. pylori status, medication history and other relevant clinical data were collected from case notes. A total of 416 subjects were selected, 49.7% were positive and 50.3% were negative for H. pylori infection. There were significant associations between H. pylori and age, ethnicity, smoking status and NSAID usage. However, there were no significant relationships between H. pylori status and gender or type of peptic ulcer. Multiple logistic regression showed that other ethnicities than Malays and smokers had a higher risk of H. pylori. Our prevalence rate was low and the identified risk factors were consistent with previous studies. Ethnic differences may be related to genetic and sociocultural behaviors. Quitting smoking may benefit peptic ulcer patients with H. pylori infection.
  3. Nanofluid heat transfer under mixed convection flow in a tube for solar thermal energy applications
    Sekhar YR, Sharma KV, Kamal S
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2016 May;23(10):9411-7.
    PMID: 26593731 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-015-5715-9
    The solar flat plate collector operating under different convective modes has low efficiency for energy conversion. The energy absorbed by the working fluid in the collector system and its heat transfer characteristics vary with solar insolation and mass flow rate. The performance of the system is improved by reducing the losses from the collector. Various passive methods have been devised to aid energy absorption by the working fluid. Also, working fluids are modified using nanoparticles to improve the thermal properties of the fluid. In the present work, simulation and experimental studies are undertaken for pipe flow at constant heat flux boundary condition in the mixed convection mode. The working fluid at low Reynolds number in the mixed laminar flow range is undertaken with water in thermosyphon mode for different inclination angles of the tube. Local and average coefficients are determined experimentally and compared with theoretical values for water-based Al2O3 nanofluids. The results show an enhancement in heat transfer in the experimental range with Rayleigh number at higher inclinations of the collector tube for water and nanofluids.
  4. Association of cognitive function impairment in patients with psoriasis: A single-centre study in Malaysia
    Chan KV, Low DW, Kong KK
    Med J Malaysia, 2025 Jan;80(1):25-30.
    PMID: 39812425
    INTRODUCTION: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin condition often associated with comorbidities that may impact cognitive function. This study aims to determine if psoriasis is associated with the risk of cognitive impairment and to assess the relationship between cognitive impairment and various disease-related factors, including psoriasis severity, disease duration, and the presence of psoriatic arthropathy, using the Virtual Cognitive Assessment Tool (VCAT).

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 160 individuals were selected, comprising 80 psoriasis patients and 80 controls, matched for age, gender, ethnicity, marital status, education levels, and prevalence of comorbidities. Cognitive function was assessed using the VCAT. The relationship between cognitive impairment and various disease-related factors, including psoriasis severity measured using Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI scores), disease duration, and the presence of psoriatic arthropathy, was examined.

    RESULTS: The mean VCAT scores for the psoriasis and control groups were 25.38 (SD = 3.18) and 25.94 (SD = 2.67), respectively, with no significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.227). While most cognitive domains showed no significant differences, the VCAT attention sub-score was significantly lower in psoriasis patients (p < 0.05). There was no significant association between psoriasis and cognitive impairment. No significant association was found between cognitive function and PASI scores nor psoriatic arthropathy. A negative association was found between disease duration and VCAT scores, suggesting longer disease duration correlates with lower cognitive function (p = 0.05).

    CONCLUSIONS: This study did not find broad cognitive impairment in psoriasis patients compared to controls, the specific deficit in attention and its association with the duration of psoriasis warrants further investigation. Understanding and addressing the cognitive aspects of psoriasis could significantly improve the overall quality of life for these patients.

  5. The use of multiple-choice tests in anatomy: common pitfalls and how to avoid them
    Vahalia KV, Subramaniam K, Marks SC, De Souza EJ
    Clin Anat, 1995;8(1):61-5.
    PMID: 7697515
    Multiple-choice questions (MCQ) are widely used to evaluate students in the health sciences, including anatomy. Unusual responses in 90 simple MCQ examinations have been identified and classified as to cause, including a number of illustrated examples. About one-quarter of these errors were attributable to the teacher and could have been avoided by a critical analysis of the questions before use. The increasing use of sophisticated formats of the MCQ in medical education indicates that teachers need to analyze their questions more carefully before and after actual tests to minimize errors.
  6. Catalyst free silica templated porous carbon nanoparticles from bio-waste materials
    Kumar A, Hegde G, Manaf SA, Ngaini Z, Sharma KV
    Chem Commun (Camb), 2014 Oct 28;50(84):12702-5.
    PMID: 25100105 DOI: 10.1039/c4cc04378b
    Porous Carbon Nanoparticles (PCNs) with well-developed microporosity were obtained from bio-waste oil palm leaves (OPL) using single step pyrolysis in nitrogen atmosphere at 500-600 °C in tube-furnace without any catalysis support. The key approach was using silica (SiO2) bodies of OPL as a template in the synthesis of microporous carbon nanoparticles with very small particle sizes of 35-85 nm and pore sizes between 1.9-2 nm.
  7. Fulltext Assessing the effects of partially substituting chicken breast meat with oyster mushroom stalk powder on the quality attributes of mushroom-chicken burgers
    Mounir S, Mohamed R, Sunooj KV, El-Saidy S, Farid E
    Sci Rep, 2025 Feb 05;15(1):4361.
    PMID: 39910073 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-86127-3
    This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a partial substitution of chicken breast meat with oyster mushroom stalk powder on the quality attributes of mushroom-chicken burgers. Chicken breast meat was substituted with oyster mushroom stalk powder at different levels ranging from 2.5 to 10%, with an interval increase of 2.5%. The substitution level had a significant effect on the different characteristics studied. A decrease in both crude protein and crude lipid was observed as the substitution level increased from 2.5 to 10%. However, a contradictory trend was observed for crude fiber, ash, carbohydrates, antioxidant properties, water-binding capacity, and browning index. The cooking loss and shrinkage were reduced by about 81.6% and 72.6%, respectively, for the formulation prepared with 10% compared to the control sample. The formulation prepared with 2.5% showed the lowest hardness, chewiness, and shear force, which increased as the substitution level increased to 10%. The oyster mushroom stalk powder can be used at a level ranging from 2.5 to 5% to substitute chicken breast meat in the preparation of healthier and more functional chicken burgers.
  8. Fulltext Would manufacturing go for renewable energy? Manufacturers' preference towards sustainability
    Amar SN, Kamaludin M, Azlina AA, K V Zainuddin MR, Sulaiman KI
    Heliyon, 2024 Mar 30;10(6):e27981.
    PMID: 38524591 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e27981
    Malaysia needs to fully utilize its renewable energy resources to meet its goal of installed capacity of 31% of renewable energy in 2025 and 40% in 2035. In order to empower renewable energy sources, the government has established a fund known as the renewable energy fund (RE FUND). In Malaysia, most manufacturing sectors contribute to the RE FUND through their monthly electricity bills due to their electricity consumption exceeding 300kwh per month. As Malaysia's highest electricity consumer, the manufacturing sector needs government investment incentives to switch to renewable energy sources to generate electricity. Therefore, this study was conducted to identify attribute preferences of the manufacturing sector due to investing in renewable energy sources. The Choice Experiment method was employed where the Mixed Logit model was chosen to identify the willingness to pay for the manufacturing sectors based on their preferences among the four attributes: types of renewable energy, project location, annual reduction in GHG emissions, and RE FUND. The study results found that the manufacturing sector places the highest value on the project location, where they prefer to improve the project location from current condition to far location. This study can also help to achieve the Goal 7 in the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), where investment in renewable energy sources can guarantee that all individuals obtain affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern electricity in 2030.
  9. Fulltext Potential New H1N1 Neuraminidase Inhibitors from Ferulic Acid and Vanillin: Molecular Modelling, Synthesis and in Vitro Assay
    Hariono M, Abdullah N, Damodaran KV, Kamarulzaman EE, Mohamed N, Hassan SS, et al.
    Sci Rep, 2016 12 20;6:38692.
    PMID: 27995961 DOI: 10.1038/srep38692
    We report the computational and experimental efforts in the design and synthesis of novel neuraminidase (NA) inhibitors from ferulic acid and vanillin. Two proposed ferulic acid analogues, MY7 and MY8 were predicted to inhibit H1N1 NA using molecular docking. From these two analogues, we designed, synthesised and evaluated the biological activities of a series of ferulic acid and vanillin derivatives. The enzymatic H1N1 NA inhibition assay showed MY21 (a vanillin derivative) has the lowest IC50 of 50 μM. In contrast, the virus inhibition assay showed MY15, a ferulic acid derivative has the best activity with the EC50 of ~0.95 μM. Modelling studies further suggest that these predicted activities might be due to the interactions with conserved and essential residues of NA with ΔGbind values comparable to those of oseltamivir and zanamivir, the two commercial NA inhibitors.
  10. Fulltext Is Platelet-rich Plasma Injection more Effective than Steroid Injection in the Treatment of Chronic Plantar Fasciitis in Achieving Long-term Relief?
    Soraganvi P, Nagakiran KV, Raghavendra-Raju RP, Anilkumar D, Wooly S, Basti BD, et al.
    Malays Orthop J, 2019 Nov;13(3):8-14.
    PMID: 31890104 DOI: 10.5704/MOJ.1911.002
    Introduction: Plantar fasciitis is characterised by pain in the heel, which is aggravated on weight bearing after prolonged rest. Many modalities of treatment are commonly used in the management of plantar fasciitis including steroid injection. Many studies show that steroid injection provides pain relief in the short term but not long lasting. Recent reports show autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection promotes healing, resulting in better pain relief in the short as well as long term. The present study was undertaken to compare the effects of local injection of platelet-rich plasma and Corticosteroid in the treatment of chronic plantar fasciitis. Materials and methods: Patients with the clinical diagnosis of chronic plantar fasciitis (heel pain of more than six weeks) after failed conservative treatment and plantar fascia thickness more than 4mm were included in the study. Patients with previous surgery for plantar fasciitis, active bilateral plantar fasciitis, vascular insufficiency or neuropathy related to heel pain, hypothyroidism and diabetes mellitus were excluded from the study. In this prospective double-blind study, 60 patients who fulfilled the criteria were divided randomly into two groups. Patients in Group A received PRP injection and those in Group B received steroid injection. Patients were assessed with visual analog scale (VAS) and American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) score. Assessment was done before injection, at six weeks, three months and six months follow-up after injection. Plantar fascia thickness was assessed before the intervention and six months after treatment using sonography. Results: Mean VAS in Group A decreased from 7.14 before injection to 1.41 after injection and in Group B decreased from 7.21 before injection to 1.93 after injection, at final follow-up. Mean AOFAS score in Group A improved from 54 to 90.03 and in Group B from 55.63 to 74.67 at six months' follow-up. The improvements observed in VAS and AOFAS were statistically significant. At the end of six months' follow-up, plantar fascia thickness had reduced in both groups (5.78mm to 3.35mm in Group A and 5.6 to 3.75 in Group B) and the difference was statistically significant. Conclusion: Local injection of platelet-rich plasma is an effective treatment option for chronic plantar fasciitis when compared with steroid injection with long lasting beneficial effect.
  11. Fulltext Size dependent effects of antifungal phytogenic silver nanoparticles on germination, growth and biochemical parameters of rice (Oryza sativa L), maize (Zea mays L) and peanut (Arachis hypogaea L)
    Prasad TNVKV, Adam S, Visweswara Rao P, Ravindra Reddy B, Giridhara Krishna T
    IET Nanobiotechnol, 2017 Apr;11(3):277-285.
    PMID: 28476985 DOI: 10.1049/iet-nbt.2015.0122
    Advancement in materials synthesis largely depends up on their diverse applications and commercialisation. Antifungal effects of phytogenic silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were evident, but the reports on the effects of the same on agricultural crops are scant. Herein, we report for the first time, size dependent effects of phytogenic AgNPs (synthesised using Stevia rebaudiana leaf extract) on the germination, growth and biochemical parameters of three important agricultural crops viz., rice (Oryza sativa L), maize (Zea mays L) and peanut (Arachis hypogaea L). AgNPs with varied sizes were prepared by changing the concentration and quantity of the Stevia rebaudiana leaf extract. As prepared AgNPs were characterized using the techniques, such as high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, particle size and zeta potential analyser. The measured (dynamic light scattering technique) average sizes of particles are ranging from 68.5 to 116 nm. Fourier transform infrared studies confirmed the participation of alcohols, aldehydes and amides in the reduction and stabilisation of the AgNPs. Application of these AgNPs to three agricultural crop seeds (rice, maize and peanut) resulted in size dependent effects on their germination, growth and biochemical parameters such as, chlorophyll content, carotenoid and protein content. Further, antifungal activity of AgNPs also evaluated against fungi, Aspergillus niger.
  12. Reassortment and evolutionary dynamics of tilapia lake virus genomic segments
    Verma DK, Sood N, Paria A, Swaminathan TR, Mohan CV, Rajendran KV, et al.
    Virus Res, 2021 Nov 12;308:198625.
    PMID: 34780882 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2021.198625
    The tilapia lake virus (TiLV), a highly infectious negative-sense single-stranded segmented RNA virus, has caused several outbreaks worldwide since its first report from Israel in 2014, and continues to pose a major threat to the global tilapia industry. Despite its economic importance, little is known about the underlying mechanisms in the genomic evolution of this highly infectious viral pathogen. Using phylogenomic approaches to the genome sequences of TiLV isolates from various geographic regions, we report on the pervasive role of reassortment, selection, and mutation in TiLV evolution. Our findings provided the evidence of genome-wide reassortment in this newly discovered RNA virus. The rate of non-synonymous (dN) to synonymous (dS) substitutions was less than one (dN/dS = 0.076 to 0.692), indicating that each genomic segment has been subjected to purifying selection. Concurrently, the rate of nucleotide substitution for each genomic segment was in the order of 1-3 × 10-3 nucleotide substitutions per site per year, which is comparable to the rate of other RNA viruses. Collectively, in line with the results of the previous studies, our results demonstrated that reassortment is the dominant force in the evolution and emergence of this highly infectious segmented RNA virus.
  13. Conformational properties of serum albumin binding sites in rats with different behaviour in the open field test
    Gryzunov YA, Koplik EV, Smolina NV, Kopaeva LB, Dobretsov GE, Sudakov KV
    Stress, 2006 Mar;9(1):53-60.
    PMID: 16753933
    In this study, the hypothesis was tested that behaviour of rats under the open field test condition and effects of subsequent acute stress relate to conformational properties of the main plasma carrier protein, albumin.To evaluate albumin properties, fluorescence intensity of a molecular probe CAPIDAN (N-carboxyphenylimide of dimethylaminonaphthalic acid) at N (at pH 7.4) and F (at pH 4.2) albumin conformations was measured and the N-F signal ratio was calculated. The data obtained showed that CAPIDAN fluoresces selectively from albumin in rat serum and its fluorescence is sensitive to binding of fatty acids and some other ligands to albumin. Behaviour of 78 Wistar male rats was characterized from the fraction of time taken for exploratory and ambulatory activity during the open field test. In rats not subjected to stress (n = 40), a negative correlation was revealed between open field activity and CAPIDAN N-to-F ratio for albumin (r = - 0.55, p < 0.0005). In the group of rats subjected to acute stress (immobilization plus stochastic electrocutaneous stimulation) the correlation between behavioural activity and the albumin conformational properties was significantly positive (r = 0.59, p < 0.0001): the CAPIDAN albumin fluorescence ratio increased in the highly active rats and decreased in the low-activity rats. The mechanisms of the observed effects may involve differences in nonesterified fatty acid production during stress.
  14. The effects of superheated steam roasting on proximate analysis, antioxidant activity, and oil quality of black seed (Nigella sativa)
    Harivaindaran KV, Hữu Tiến N, Nguyễn Song Đinh T, Samsudin H, Ariffin F, Mohammadi Nafchi A
    Food Sci Nutr, 2023 Nov;11(11):7296-7310.
    PMID: 37970392 DOI: 10.1002/fsn3.3655
    Nigella sativa, commonly known as the black seed, is a culinary spice therapeutic against many ailments. Common preparation practice of roasting or heating the seeds often deteriorates bioactive compounds, which can be remedied with superheated steam (SHS). With roasting temperatures of 150, 200, and 250°C and roasting times of 10, 15, and 20 min, convection and SHS roasting media were tested, and their effects on proximate analysis, antioxidant assays, and oil quality were evaluated. For proximate content, moisture significantly decreased from 9.08% in unroasted seeds to 4.18%-1.04% in roasted seeds, while fat increased to as high as 44.76% from 32.87% in unroasted seeds. Roasting only slightly increased ash content and had no significant impact on protein and carbohydrate content. SHS roasted black seeds had better DPPH (2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging capacity (RSC) than convection roasted seeds. DPPH RSC decreased with elevated roasting time and temperature, conversely related to total phenolic content, which increased with increased roasting time and temperature. Oil of roasted seeds developed an increasingly intense brown color from an initial light, yellow, unroasted oil with better extraction efficiency in SHS roasting. For oil quality analysis, free fatty acid values were significantly lower in both roasted samples. Peroxide value was initially recorded at 84 in convection and 48 (meq O2/kg of oil) in SHS roasted samples. In contrast, p-anisidine values were initially recorded at 28.36 in convection roasted samples compared to 23.73 in SHS roasted samples. Based on all quality analyses, SHS showed better potential in black seed quality preservation.
  15. Thermal performance of Fe3O4, SWCNT, MWCNT and H2O based on magnetohydrodynamic nanofluid flow across a wedge with significant impacts of Soret and Dufour
    Vinutha K, Nagaraja KV, Sajjan K, Khan U, Madhukesh JK, Kolli UC, et al.
    Nanoscale Adv, 2023 Oct 24;5(21):5952-5964.
    PMID: 37881705 DOI: 10.1039/d3na00732d
    The Soret and Dufour effects have significant importance in several practical scenarios, especially in the domain of fluidic mass and temperature transfer. Nanofluidics, biological systems, and combustion processes are all areas where these consequences are crucial. Because of its distinct geometry, a wedge-shaped structure has aerodynamics, production, and engineering applications. Wedge shapes are used in aerodynamics for analyzing and improving airflow across various objects. Nanofluids increase thermal conductivity over traditional fluids making them ideal for cooling high-power electronics, boosting temperature transfer efficiencies, and boosting the solar energy system output. This work is of critical importance since it examines the consequences of a heat source/sink, the Soret impact and the Dufour impact, on the movement of a ternary nanofluid over a wedge. This work uses appropriate similarity constraints to reduce the complexity of the underlying governing equations, allowing for fast computational solutions with the Runge-Kutta-Fehlberg 4-5th order method (RKF-45). Analysis of these phenomena helps determine their possible real-world applications across various engineering fields, by presenting numerical results through plots. The results reveal that adjusting the moving wedge factor lessens the temperature profile, improving the magnetic constraint increases the velocity, and modifying the heat source/sink, Dufour, and Soret factors increases the temperature and concentration profiles. Dufour and heat source/sink constraints speed-up the heat transmission rate. In all cases, ternary nano liquids show significant performance over hybrid nano liquids.
  16. H274Y's Effect on Oseltamivir Resistance: What Happens Before the Drug Enters the Binding Site
    Yusuf M, Mohamed N, Mohamad S, Janezic D, Damodaran KV, Wahab HA
    J Chem Inf Model, 2016 Jan 25;56(1):82-100.
    PMID: 26703840 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.5b00331
    Increased reports of oseltamivir (OTV)-resistant strains of the influenza virus, such as the H274Y mutation on its neuraminidase (NA), have created some cause for concern. Many studies have been conducted in the attempt to uncover the mechanism of OTV resistance in H274Y NA. However, most of the reported studies on H274Y focused only on the drug-bound system, so the direct effects of the mutation on NA itself prior to drug binding still remain unclear. Therefore, molecular dynamics simulations of NA in apo form, followed by principal component analysis and interaction energy calculations, were performed to investigate the structural changes of the NA binding site as a result of the H274Y mutation. It was observed that the disruption of the NA binding site due to the H274Y mutation was initiated by the repulsive effect of Y274 on the 250-loop, which in turn altered the hydrogen-bonding network around residue 274. The rotated W295 side chain caused the upward movement of the 340-loop. Consequently, sliding box docking results suggested that the binding pathway of OTV was compromised because of the disruption of this binding site. This study also highlighted the importance of the functional group at C6 of the sialic acid mimicry. It is hoped that these results will improve the understanding of OTV resistance and shed some light on the design of a novel anti-influenza drug.
  17. Implementation of Oral Health Education to Orphan Children
    Khedekar M, Suresh KV, Parkar MI, Malik N, Patil S, Taur S, et al.
    J Coll Physicians Surg Pak, 2015 Dec;25(12):856-9.
    PMID: 26691356 DOI: 12.2015/JCPSP.856859
    To determine the knowledge and oral hygiene status of orphanage children in Pune and changes in them after health education.
  18. Fulltext Machine learning analysis of thermophysical and thermohydraulic properties in ethylene glycol- and glycerol-based SiO2 nanofluids
    Akilu S, Sharma KV, Baheta AT, Kanti PK, Paramasivam P
    Sci Rep, 2024 Jun 27;14(1):14829.
    PMID: 38937518 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-65411-8
    The study investigates the heat transfer and friction factor properties of ethylene glycol and glycerol-based silicon dioxide nanofluids flowing in a circular tube under continuous heat flux circumstances. This study tackles the important requirement for effective thermal management in areas such as electronics cooling, the automobile industry, and renewable energy systems. Previous research has encountered difficulties in enhancing thermal performance while handling the increased friction factor associated with nanofluids. This study conducted experiments in the Reynolds number range of 1300 to 21,000 with particle volume concentrations of up to 1.0%. Nanofluids exhibited superior heat transfer coefficients and friction factor values than the base liquid values. The highest enhancement in heat transfer was 5.4% and 8.3% for glycerol and ethylene glycol -based silicon dioxide Nanofluid with a relative friction factor penalty of ∼30% and 75%, respectively. To model and predict the complicated, nonlinear experimental data, five machine learning approaches were used: linear regression, random forest, extreme gradient boosting, adaptive boosting, and decision tree. Among them, the decision tree-based model performed well with few errors, while the random forest and extreme gradient boosting models were also highly accurate. The findings indicate that these advanced machine learning models can accurately anticipate the thermal performance of nanofluids, providing a dependable tool for improving their use in a variety of thermal systems. This study's findings help to design more effective cooling solutions and improve the sustainability of energy systems.
  19. Relationship between statin use and depression among diabetic patients in Seremban: a cross-sectional study
    Pannir SV, Zakaria ZF, Surendren KV, Kok YS, Phua QL, Roslan QH, et al.
    Med J Malaysia, 2025 Mar;80(2):191-198.
    PMID: 40145162
    INTRODUCTION: Statins are one of the most commonly used drugs in primary care. Both hyperlipidaemia and diabetes have independently shown statistically significant association with depression. Conversely, patients with depression have also been shown to have increased comorbidity with and poorer control of both diabetes and hyperlipidaemia.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted for about 7 months (from 23 January 2024 to 9 August 2024) among adult Type 2 diabetic patients in the non-communicable disease section of Seremban Health Clinic to determine the association between statin use and depression. The data was collected via interviewerguided questionnaire that consisted of 5 sections: Section A (Participant Information), Section B (Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale 21 [DASS-21]), Section C (Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire [BMQ]), Section D (Malaysia Medication Adherence Assessment Tool [MyMAAT]) and Section E (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 [PHQ-9]). Consecutive patients that met inclusion and exclusion criteria who consent to be involved in the study were sampled. Although the ideal sample size that was required is 242, only 82 participants were enrolled in this study. These participants were also part of the Seremban Diabetes cohort study.

    RESULTS: Since only 82 participants consented to be part of this study, the response rate was 33.9%. About 25% of patients had depression. As the statin dosage intensity increased, the prevalence of depression also increased but this was not statistically significant. Based on Pearson's chi square test, only stress (p<0.001), anxiety (p=0.002), beliefs about medicines (p=0.010) and marital status (p=0.039) had a statistically significant association with depression. Upon adjusted logistic regression of the 4 factors (marital status, stress, anxiety and belief about medicines), only stress (OR 14.000, 95% CI 2.682 - 73.076, p=0.002) was statistically significant.

    CONCLUSION: The association between depression and statin use among patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus is not statistically significant. Further studies are needed to confirm the cause of depression in this group of patients.

  20. Realization of a Novel Free-Piston Engine Generator for Hybrid-Electric Vehicle Applications
    Smallbone A, Hanipah MR, Jia B, Scott T, Heslop J, Towell B, et al.
    Energy Fuels, 2020 Oct 15;34(10):12926-12939.
    PMID: 33122874 DOI: 10.1021/acs.energyfuels.0c01647
    Free-piston engine generators (FPEGs) have huge potential to be the principal energy conversion device for generating electricity from fuel as part of a hybrid-electric vehicle (EV) powertrain system. The principal advantages lay in the fact that they are theoretically more efficient, more compact, and more lightweight compared to other competing EV hybrid and range-extender solutions (internal combustion engines, rotary engines, fuel cells, etc.). However, this potential has yet to be realized. This article details a novel dual-piston FPEG configuration and presents the full layout of a system and provides technical evidence of a commercial FPEG system's likely size and weight. The work also presents the first results obtained from a project which set-out to realize an operational FPEG system in hardware through the development and testing of a flexible prototype test platform. The work presents the performance and control system characteristics, for a first of a kind system; these show great technical potential with stable and repeatable combustion events achieved with around 700 W per cylinder and 26% indicated efficiency.
Related Terms
    Try searching for something
Filters
Contact Us

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

External Links