Displaying publications 21 - 40 of 150 in total

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  1. Ahmad AF, Hadip F, Ngui R, Lim YA, Mahmud R
    Parasitol Res, 2013 Aug;112(8):2811-6.
    PMID: 23666229 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-013-3450-z
    Detection of Strongyloides stercoralis infection particularly in asymptomatic individuals is often hampered due to the lack of standard diagnostic tools. In this study, the use of serological and molecular approaches were investigated for the detection of S. stercoralis infection among an Orang Asli (indigenous) community following a preliminary detection by microscopic examination of faecal samples. Out of 54 individuals studied, 17/54 (31.5%) were detected to be positive for S. stercoralis infection by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), compared to 0/54 (0%) by faecal examination. Further confirmation performed by a nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using DNA extracted from faecal samples of these 17 individuals yielded 3/17 (17.6%) positives for S. stercoralis DNA amplification. No amplification was seen with the other 37 faecal samples, which were negative by microscopy and ELISA. As the high ELISA positive results were suspected to be false-positives, ELISA is not recommended for use as a detection tool but may be beneficial for evaluating the effectiveness of anti-Strongyloides drugs. The present finding indicated that PCR should be considered as an alternative diagnostic tool for the detection of S. stercoralis infection.
  2. Sejdini A, Mahmud R, Lim YA, Mahdy M, Sejdini F, Gjoni V, et al.
    Ann Trop Med Parasitol, 2011 Apr;105(3):241-50.
    PMID: 21801503 DOI: 10.1179/136485911X12987676649584
    Although intestinal parasitic infections (IPI) among children remain a global issue, the current information on such infections in Albanian children is very limited. A cross-sectional study of the IPI in 321 children living in the Albanian counties of Tirana (152) and Elbasan (169) was therefore conducted in 2008, with a pre-tested standard questionnaire employed to gather the relevant personal and clinical data. Using formalin-ether concentration and permanent stains, stool samples were examined microscopically for the ova, cysts and oocysts of any parasites. The overall prevalence of IPI was 19% (61 of 321), with protozoan infections (11·5%) apparently more common than infections with soil-transmitted helminths (STH; 8·1%). Giardia duodenalis was the parasite most frequently detected (10·9%), followed by hookworm (5·6%), Ascaris lumbricoides (1·9%), Trichuris trichiura (0·6%), Cryptosporidium (0·3%) and Entamoeba histolytica/dispar (0·3%). The results of a univariate analysis indicated that the children from Tirana county were significantly more likely to be found infected with STH compared with the children from Elbasan county (12·5% v. 4·1%; P=0·006). Children sampled in the community were also more likely to be found STH-positive than the children sampled as they attended hospitals and health clinics (10·5% v. 6·0%) but this difference did not reach statistical significance. The children found STH-positive were five times more likely to be suffering from diarrhoea than the other children checked in clinical settings (P=0·004) and were also more likely to be suffering from abdominal pain (P=0·054) and/or diminished appetite (P=0·016).
  3. Al-Adhroey AH, Nor ZM, Al-Mekhlafi HM, Mahmud R
    Molecules, 2010 Nov;15(11):8366-76.
    PMID: 21081857 DOI: 10.3390/molecules15118366
    The methanolic extract of Languas galanga rhizomes was investigated for antimalarial activity against Plasmodium berghei (NK65) infections in mice. The median lethal dose was determined to ascertain the safety of the extract in ICR mice of both sexes. The antimalarial activities during early and established infections, as well as the prophylactic activity were evaluated. Phytochemical screening and radical scavenging activity of the extract were also investigated to elucidate the possible mechanism of the antimalarial properties. The acute oral toxicity (LD₅₀) of Languas galanga extract in mice was established to be 4.998 mg/kg. The extract of Languas galanga rhizomes demonstrated significant antiplasmodial activity in all the three models of the antimalarial evaluations. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of some vital antiplasmodial constituents such as terpenoids and flavonoids. The extract also exhibited a moderate capacity to scavenge the free radicals. The rhizome extract of Languas galanga thus possesses antimalarial activity, which explains the rational usage of this plant in traditional Malaysian medicine.
  4. Ngui R, Ishak S, Chuen CS, Mahmud R, Lim YA
    PLoS Negl Trop Dis, 2011;5(3):e974.
    PMID: 21390157 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0000974
    Intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) have a worldwide distribution and have been identified as one of the most significant causes of illnesses and diseases among the disadvantaged population. In Malaysia, IPIs still persist in some rural areas, and this study was conducted to determine the current epidemiological status and to identify risk factors associated with IPIs among communities residing in rural and remote areas of West Malaysia.
  5. Al-Adhroey AH, Nor ZM, Al-Mekhlafi HM, Mahmud R
    J Ethnopharmacol, 2010 Oct 28;132(1):362-4.
    PMID: 20723596 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2010.08.006
    Various plants species are used in the traditional medicine for the treatment of malaria. This is the first community based ethnobotanical study in Peninsular Malaysia.
  6. Al-Adhroey AH, Nor ZM, Al-Mekhlafi HM, Mahmud R
    Malar J, 2010;9:137.
    PMID: 20497543 DOI: 10.1186/1475-2875-9-137
    Despite continuous efforts by the government and private sectors, malaria is still a public health problem in rural Peninsular Malaysia. This study investigated household knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) regarding malaria in two malaria endemic communities, forest-aboriginal and rural communities, in the Lipis district of Pahang state, Malaysia.
  7. Salih QA, Ramli AR, Mahmud R, Wirza R
    MedGenMed, 2005;7(2):1.
    PMID: 16369380
    Different approaches to gray and white matter measurements in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have been studied. For clinical use, the estimated values must be reliable and accurate when, unfortunately, many techniques fail on these criteria in an unrestricted clinical environment. A recent method for tissue clusterization in MRI analysis has the advantage of great simplicity, and it takes the account of partial volume effects. In this study, we will evaluate the intensity of MR sequences known as T1-weighted images in an axial sliced section. Intensity group clustering algorithms are proposed to achieve further diagnosis for brain MRI, which has been hardly studied. Subjective study has been suggested to evaluate the clustering group intensity in order to obtain the best diagnosis as well as better detection for the suspected cases. This technique makes use of image tissue biases of intensity value pixels to provide 2 regions of interest as techniques. Moreover, the original mathematic solution could still be used with a specific set of modern sequences. There are many advantages to generalize the solution, which give far more scope for application and greater accuracy.
  8. Ramli K, Abdullah BJ, Ng KH, Mahmud R, Hussain AF
    Australas Radiol, 2005 Dec;49(6):460-6.
    PMID: 16351609
    The aim of this study was to compare the image quality and entrance skin dose (ESD) for film-screen and computed chest radiography. Analysis of the image quality and dose on chest radiography was carried out on a conventional X-ray unit using film-screen, storage phosphor plates and selenium drum direct chest radiography. For each receptor, ESD was measured in 60 patients using thermoluminescent dosemeters. Images were printed on 35 x 43 cm films. Image quality was assessed subjectively by evaluation of anatomic features and estimation of the image quality, following the guidelines established by the protocols of the Commission of the European Communities. There was no statistically significant difference noted between the computed and conventional images (Wilcoxon rank sum test, P > 0.05). Imaging of the mediastinum and peripheral lung structures were better visualized with the storage phosphor and selenium drum technique than with the film-screen combination. The patients' mean ESD for chest radiography using the storage phosphor, film-screen combination and selenium drum was 0.20, 0.20 and 0.25 mGy, respectively, with no statistically significant difference with P > 0.05 (chi(2) tests).
  9. Chandran PA, Jayaram G, Mahmud R, Anuar AK
    Malays J Pathol, 2004 Dec;26(2):119-23.
    PMID: 16329565
    Filariasis, a parasitic infection endemic in parts of India, Myanmar, islands of the South Pacific, West and East Africa and Saudi Arabia can be diagnosed from various types of cytopathological specimens. This case documents the detection of filarial infection from hydrocele fluid cytology in a 30-year-old Myanmar migrant worker in Malaysia.
  10. Alyousefi NA, Mahdy MA, Lim YA, Xiao L, Mahmud R
    Parasitology, 2013 May;140(6):729-34.
    PMID: 23369243 DOI: 10.1017/S0031182012001953
    Cryptosporidium is a protozoan parasite of humans and animals and has a worldwide distribution. The parasite has a unique epidemiology in Middle Eastern countries where the IId subtype family of Cryptosporidium parvum dominates. However, there has been no information on Cryptosporidium species in Yemen. Thus, this study was conducted in Yemen to examine the distribution of Cryptosporidium species and subtype families. Fecal samples were collected from 335 patients who attended hospitals in Sana'a city. Cryptosporidium species were determined by PCR and sequence analysis of the 18 s rRNA gene. Cryptosporidium parvum and C. hominis subtypes were identified based on sequence analysis of the 60 kDa glycoprotein (gp60) gene. Out of 335 samples, 33 (9.9%) were positive for Cryptosporidium. Of them, 97% were identified as C. parvum whilst 1 case (3%) was caused by C. hominis. All 7 C. parvum isolates subtyped belonged to the IIaA15G2R1 subtype. The common occurrence of the zoonotic IIa subtype family of C. parvum highlights the potential occurrence of zoonotic transmission of cryptosporidiosis in Yemen. However, this postulation needs confirmation with future molecular epidemiological studies of cryptosporidiosis in both humans and animals in Yemen.
  11. Bello I, Usman NS, Mahmud R, Asmawi MZ
    J Ethnopharmacol, 2015 Dec 4;175:422-31.
    PMID: 26429073 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2015.09.031
    Alstonia scholaris has a long history of use in the Ayurveda traditional treatment of various ailments including hypertension. We have reported the blood pressure lowering activity of the extract of A. scholaris. The following research aim to delineate the pharmacological mechanism involve in the antihypertensive action.
  12. Amran N, Rani AN, Mahmud R, Yin KB
    Pharmacognosy Res, 2016 Jan-Mar;8(1):66-70.
    PMID: 26941539 DOI: 10.4103/0974-8490.171104
    The fruits of Barringtonia racemosa and Hibiscus sabdariffa have been used in the treatment of abscess, ulcer, cough, asthma, and diarrhea as traditional remedy.
  13. Bello I, Shehu MW, Musa M, Zaini Asmawi M, Mahmud R
    J Ethnopharmacol, 2016 Aug 02;189:253-76.
    PMID: 27220655 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2016.05.049
    ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Kigelia africana is a quintessential African herbal medicinal plant with a pan-African distribution and immense indigenous medicinal and non-medicinal applications. The plant is use traditionally as a remedy for numerous disease such as use wounds healing, rheumatism, psoriasis, diarrhea and stomach ailments. It is also use as an aphrodisiac and for skin care.

    AIM OF THE REVIEW: The present review aims to compile an up-to-date review of the progress made in the continuous pharmacological and phytochemistry investigation of K. africana and the corresponding commercial and pharmaceutical application of these findings with the ultimate objective of providing a guide for future research on this plant.

    METHOD: The scholarly information needed for this paper were predominantly sourced from the electronic search engines such as Google, Google scholar; publishing sites such as Elsevier, scienceDirect, BMC, PubMed; other scientific database sites for chemicals such as ChemSpider, PubChem, and also from online books.

    RESULTS: Pharmacological investigations conducted confirm the anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antioxidant and anticancer activity of the extract of different parts of the plant. Bioactive constituents are found to be present in all parts of the plant. So far, approximately 150 compounds have been characterized from different part of the plant. Iridoids, naphthoquinones, flavonoids, terpenes and phenylethanoglycosides are the major class of compounds isolated. Novel compounds with potent antioxidant, antimicrobial and anticancer effect such as verbascoside, verminoside and pinnatal among others, have been identified. Commercial trade of K. africana has boosted in the las few decades. Its effect in the maintenance of skin has been recognized resulting in a handful of skin formulations in the market.

    CONCLUSIONS: The pharmaceutical potentials of K. africana has been recognized and have witness a surge in research interest. However, till date, many of its traditional medicinal uses has not been investigated scientifically. Further probing of the existential researches on its pharmacological activity is recommended with the end-goal of unravelling the pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, clinical relevance and possible toxicity and side effects of both the extract and the active ingredients isolated.

  14. Farzan A, Mashohor S, Ramli AR, Mahmud R
    Behav Brain Res, 2015 Sep 1;290:124-30.
    PMID: 25889456 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.04.010
    Boosting accuracy in automatically discriminating patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and normal controls (NC), based on multidimensional classification of longitudinal whole brain atrophy rates and their intermediate counterparts in analyzing magnetic resonance images (MRI).
  15. Wong MS, Sidik SM, Mahmud R, Stanslas J
    Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol, 2013 May;40(5):307-19.
    PMID: 23534409 DOI: 10.1111/1440-1681.12083
    Tumour invasion and metastasis have been recognized as major causal factors in the morbidity and mortality among cancer patients. Many advances in the knowledge of cancer metastasis have yielded an impressive array of attractive drug targets, including enzymes, receptors and multiple signalling pathways. The present review summarizes the molecular pathogenesis of metastasis and the identification of novel molecular targets used in the discovery of antimetastatic agents. Several promising targets have been highlighted, including receptor tyrosine kinases, effector molecules involved in angiogenesis, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), urokinase plasminogen activator, adhesion molecules and their receptors, signalling pathways (e.g. phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, phospholipase Cγ1, mitogen-activated protein kinases, c-Src kinase, c-Met kinases and heat shock protein. The discovery and development of potential novel therapeutics for each of the targets are also discussed in this review. Among these, the most promising agents that have shown remarkable clinical outcome are anti-angiogenic agents (e.g. bevacizumab). Newer agents, such as c-Met kinase inhibitors, are still undergoing preclinical studies and are yet to have their clinical efficacy proven. Some therapeutics, such as first-generation MMP inhibitors (MMPIs; e.g. marimastat) and more selective versions of them (e.g. prinomastat, tanomastat), have undergone clinical trials. Unfortunately, these drugs produced serious adverse effects that led to the premature termination of their development. In the future, third-generation MMPIs and inhibitors of signalling pathways and adhesion molecules could form valuable novel classes of drugs in the anticancer armamentarium to combat metastasis.
  16. Al-Akwaa AA, Asmawi MZ, Dewa A, Mahmud R
    Heliyon, 2020 Jul;6(7):e04588.
    PMID: 32775735 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04588
    Background: Vitex pubescens has been used traditionally in hypertension treatment but not yet scientifically assessed. The objective of the study is to investigate the antihypertensive and vasorelaxant activities of V. pubescens, study its underlying pharmacological mechanisms, and identify the relevant vasoactive compounds.

    Methods: Successive extractions of V. pubescens leaf were carried out to produce petroleum ether (VPPE), chloroform (VPCE), methanol (VPME), and water (VPWE) extracts. Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) received a daily oral administration of the extracts (500 mg/kg/day; n = 6) or verapamil (15 mg/kg/day; n = 6) for 2 weeks, while the systolic and diastolic blood pressures were measured using non-invasive tail-cuff method. Vasorelaxation assays of the extracts were later conducted using phenylephrine (PE, 1 μM) pre-contracted aortic ring preparation. Mechanisms of vasorelaxation by the most potent fraction were studied using vasorelaxation assays with selected blockers/inhibitors. GC-MS was conducted to determine the active compounds.

    Results: VPPE elicited the most significant diminution in systolic and diastolic blood pressure of treated SHRs and produced the most significant vasorelaxation in the aortic rings. Vasorelaxant effects of F2-VPPE were significantly reduced in endothelium-denuded aortic rings by glibenclamide (1 μM), whereas calcium chloride and PE-induced contractions were significantly suppressed. Endothelium removal of the aortic rings or incubation with indomethacin (10 μM), atropine (1 μM), methylene blue (10 μM), propranolol (1μM) and L-NAME (10 μM) did not significantly alter F2-VPPE-induced vasorelaxation. Seven compounds were identified using GC-MS, including spathulenol.

    Conclusion: F2-VPPE exerted its endothelium-independent vasorelaxation by inhibition of vascular smooth muscle contraction induced by extracellular Ca+2 influx through trans-membrane Ca+2 channels and/or Ca+2 release from intracellular stores, and by activation of KATP channels. The vasorelaxation effects of V. pubescens could be mediated by the compound, spathulenol.

  17. Tawfiq Zyoud TY, Abdul Rashid SN, Suppiah S, Abdul Rahim E, Mahmud R
    Med J Malaysia, 2020 07;75(4):411-418.
    PMID: 32724006
    INTRODUCTION: Autopsy is one of the most important approaches to identify clearly the exact cause of death, whether it was due to natural causes, sudden death, or traumatic. Various studies have been done in different countries regarding ways to improve the diagnosis during autopsy. The imaging approach is one of the methods that has been used to complement autopsy findings and to enhance the diagnosis for achieving the most accurate post-mortem diagnosis. The aim of this study is to identify the role of imaging modalities that complement routine autopsy and correlate the findings of diagnostic imaging that can help improve the accuracy of diagnosing the cause of death.

    METHODS: We sourced articles from Scopus, Ovid and PubMed databases for journal publications related to post-mortem diagnostic imaging. We highlight the most relevant full articles in English that explain the type of modality that was utilised and the added value it provided for diagnosing the cause of death.

    RESULTS: Minimally invasive autopsies assisted by imaging modalities added a great benefit to forensic medicine, and supported conventional autopsy. In particular the role of post mortem computed tomography (PMCT), post mortem computed tomography angiography (PMMR) and positron emission tomography computed tomography (PMCTA) that have incremental benefits in diagnosing traumatic death, fractures, tissue injuries, as well as the assessment of body height or weight for corpse identification.

    CONCLUSION: PMCT and PMMR, with particular emphasis on PMCTA, can provide higher accuracy than the other modalities. They can be regarded as indispensable methods that should be applied to the routine autopsy protocol, thus improving the findings and accuracy of diagnosing the cause of death.

  18. Anthony C, Mahmud R, Lau YL, Syedomar SF, Sri La Sri Ponnampalavanar S
    Trop Biomed, 2013 Sep;30(3):459-66.
    PMID: 24189676 MyJurnal
    Battling malaria will be a persistent struggle without the proper means to diagnose the parasitic infection. However, the inherent limitations of microscopy, the conventional method of diagnosing malaria, affect the accuracy of diagnosis. The present study aimed to compare the accuracy of two different set of primers targeting the small subunit ribosomal RNA (ssRNA) and the dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase linker region (dhfr-ts) in detecting species specific malaria infections by nested PCR. The sensitivity and specificity of nested PCR assay using the two primers were calculated with reference to microscopy as the 'gold standard'. The results show that 18S rRNA primers had 91.9% sensitivity and 100% specificity in detecting human Plasmodium species as opposed to dhfr-ts primers which had 51.4% sensitivity and 100% specificity. The higher sensitivity of 18S rRNA primers suggests that it may be a better diagnostic tool for detecting human malaria.
  19. Junaid OQ, Wong KT, Khaw LT, Mahmud R, Vythilingam I
    Trop Biomed, 2018 Dec 01;35(4):981-998.
    PMID: 33601846
    Co-infection with multiple different parasites is a common phenomenon in both human and animals. Among parasites that frequently co-infect the same hosts, are the filarial worms and malaria parasites. Despite this, the mechanisms underlying the interactions between these parasites is still relatively unexplored with very few studies available on the resulting pathologies due to co-infection by filarial nematodes and malaria parasites. Hence, this study investigated the histopathological effect of Brugia pahangi and Plasmodium berghei ANKA (PbA) infections in gerbil host. Gerbils grouped into B. pahangi-infected, PbA-infected, B. pahangi and PbA-coinfected, and uninfected control, were necropsied at different time points of post PbA infections. Brugia pahangi infections in the gerbils were first initiated by subcutaneous inoculation of 50 infective larvae, while PbA infections were done by intraperitoneal injection of 106 parasitized red blood cells after 70 days patent period of B. pahangi. Organs such as the lungs, kidneys, spleen, heart and liver were harvested aseptically at the point of necropsy. There was significant hepatosplenomegaly observed in both PbA-infected only and coinfected gerbils. The spleen, liver and lungs were heavily pigmented. Both B. pahangi and PbA infections (mono and coinfections) resulted in pulmonary edema, while glomerulonephritis was associated with PbA infections. The presence of both parasites induced extramedullary hematopoiesis in the spleen and liver. These findings suggest that the pathologies associated with coinfected gerbils were synergistically induced by both B. pahangi and PbA infections.
  20. Moghbel M, Mashohor S, Mahmud R, Saripan MI
    EXCLI J, 2016;15:406-23.
    PMID: 27540353 DOI: 10.17179/excli2016-402
    Segmentation of liver tumors from Computed Tomography (CT) and tumor burden analysis play an important role in the choice of therapeutic strategies for liver diseases and treatment monitoring. In this paper, a new segmentation method for liver tumors from contrast-enhanced CT imaging is proposed. As manual segmentation of tumors for liver treatment planning is both labor intensive and time-consuming, a highly accurate automatic tumor segmentation is desired. The proposed framework is fully automatic requiring no user interaction. The proposed segmentation evaluated on real-world clinical data from patients is based on a hybrid method integrating cuckoo optimization and fuzzy c-means algorithm with random walkers algorithm. The accuracy of the proposed method was validated using a clinical liver dataset containing one of the highest numbers of tumors utilized for liver tumor segmentation containing 127 tumors in total with further validation of the results by a consultant radiologist. The proposed method was able to achieve one of the highest accuracies reported in the literature for liver tumor segmentation compared to other segmentation methods with a mean overlap error of 22.78 % and dice similarity coefficient of 0.75 in 3Dircadb dataset and a mean overlap error of 15.61 % and dice similarity coefficient of 0.81 in MIDAS dataset. The proposed method was able to outperform most other tumor segmentation methods reported in the literature while representing an overlap error improvement of 6 % compared to one of the best performing automatic methods in the literature. The proposed framework was able to provide consistently accurate results considering the number of tumors and the variations in tumor contrast enhancements and tumor appearances while the tumor burden was estimated with a mean error of 0.84 % in 3Dircadb dataset.
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