Displaying publications 21 - 40 of 161 in total

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  1. Addiena A Rahim NA, Noor NM, Mohd Jafri IA, Ul-Saufie AZ, Ramli N, Abu Seman NA, et al.
    Heliyon, 2023 Jun;9(6):e17472.
    PMID: 37426786 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e17472
    Haze has become a seasonal phenomenon affecting Southeast Asia, including Malaysia, and has occurred almost every year within the last few decades. Air pollutants, specifically particulate matter, have drawn a lot of attention due to their adverse impact on human health. In this study, the spatial and temporal variability of the PM10 concentration at Kelang, Melaka, Pasir Gudang, and Petaling Jaya during historic haze events were analysed. An hourly dataset consisting of PM10, gaseous pollutants and weather parameters were obtained from Department of Environment Malaysia. The mean PM10 concentrations exceeded the stipulated Recommended Malaysia Ambient Air Quality Guideline for the yearly average of 150 μg/m3 except for Pasir Gudang in 1997 and 2005, and Petaling Jaya in 2013. The PM10 concentrations exhibit greater variability in the southwest monsoon and inter-monsoon periods at the studied year. The air masses are found to be originating from the region of Sumatra during the haze episodes. Strong to moderate correlation of PM10 concentrations was found between CO during the years that recorded episodic haze, meanwhile, the relationship of PM10 level with SO2 was found to be significant in 2013 with significant negatively correlated relative humidity. Weak correlation of PM10-NOx was measured in all study areas probably due to less contribution of domestic anthropogenic sources towards haze events in Malaysia.
  2. Mrkobrada M, Chan MTV, Cowan D, Spence J, Campbell D, Wang CY, et al.
    BMJ Open, 2018 07 06;8(7):e021521.
    PMID: 29982215 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-021521
    OBJECTIVES: Covert stroke after non-cardiac surgery may have substantial impact on duration and quality of life. In non-surgical patients, covert stroke is more common than overt stroke and is associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia. Little is known about covert stroke after non-cardiac surgery.NeuroVISION is a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study that will characterise the association between perioperative acute covert stroke and postoperative cognitive function.

    SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: We are recruiting study participants from 12 tertiary care hospitals in 10 countries on 5 continents.

    PARTICIPANTS: We are enrolling patients ≥65 years of age, requiring hospital admission after non-cardiac surgery, who have an anticipated length of hospital stay of at least 2 days after elective non-cardiac surgery that occurs under general or neuraxial anaesthesia.

    PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Patients are recruited before elective non-cardiac surgery, and their cognitive function is measured using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) instrument. After surgery, a brain MRI study is performed between postoperative days 2 and 9 to determine the presence of acute brain infarction. One year after surgery, the MoCA is used to assess postoperative cognitive function. Physicians and patients are blinded to the MRI study results until after the last patient follow-up visit to reduce outcome ascertainment bias.We will undertake a multivariable logistic regression analysis in which the dependent variable is the change in cognitive function 1 year after surgery, and the independent variables are acute perioperative covert stroke as well as other clinical variables that are associated with cognitive dysfunction.

    CONCLUSIONS: The NeuroVISION study will characterise the epidemiology of covert stroke and its clinical consequences. This will be the largest and the most comprehensive study of perioperative stroke after non-cardiac surgery.

    TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT01980511; Pre-results.

  3. Usman AS, Mustaffa R, Ramli N, Diggi SA
    Asian J Transfus Sci, 2013 Jan;7(1):84-5.
    PMID: 23559775 DOI: 10.4103/0973-6247.106750
    OBJECTIVE: Maternal allo-antibody production is stimulated when fetal red blood cells are positive for an antigen absent on the mother's red cells. The maternal IgG antibodies produced will pass through the placenta and attack fetal red cells carrying the corresponding antigen. Allo-immune hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn caused by anti-E rarely occurs.

    CASE SUMMARY: We report two cases of anti-E hemolytic diseases in neonates. One of the neonates had severe hemolysis presenting with severe anemia, thrombocytopenia, and conjugated hyperbilirubinemia, while the other had moderate anemia and unconjugated hyperbilrubinemia. Although both the neonates were treated by phototherapy and intravenous immunoglobulin, one of them received double volume exchange transfusion.

    CONCLUSION: There appeared to be an increase in the occurrence of hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn caused by Rh antibodies other than anti-D. In this case report, both patients presented with anemia and hyperbilirubinemia but were successfully treated, with a favorable outcome.

  4. Ya, N. A., Singh, H. R., Samat, A., Mohd Rashid, H. N., Ramli, N. H., Makhtar, N., et al.
    MyJurnal
    Length-weight relationship (LWR) of six fish species from the Sepang Besar River estuary,
    Peninsular Malaysia were analyzes. A total of 594 individuals belonging to six species namely Arius
    sagor, Photopectoralis bindus, Plotosus lineatus, Toxotes chatareus, Toxotes jaculatrix, and Thryssa
    dussumieri collected from April 2014 to February 2015 were measured and weighed. Among them, four
    species showed positive allometric growth and the other two species showed negative allometric
    growth. The exponent b value of LWR ranged between 2.94 (Toxotes chatareus) and 3.50
    (Photopectoralis bindus). This outcome of the present study has contributed to the knowledge of basic
    information on the length–weight relationship of six most abundant species in Sepang Besar River
    estuary which is important for future ecological studies and assist in fishery management. Copyright
    © 2015 Penerbit Akademia Baru - All rights reserved.
  5. Goh CC, Kamarudin LM, Zakaria A, Nishizaki H, Ramli N, Mao X, et al.
    Sensors (Basel), 2021 Jul 21;21(15).
    PMID: 34372192 DOI: 10.3390/s21154956
    This paper presents the development of a real-time cloud-based in-vehicle air quality monitoring system that enables the prediction of the current and future cabin air quality. The designed system provides predictive analytics using machine learning algorithms that can measure the drivers' drowsiness and fatigue based on the air quality presented in the cabin car. It consists of five sensors that measure the level of CO2, particulate matter, vehicle speed, temperature, and humidity. Data from these sensors were collected in real-time from the vehicle cabin and stored in the cloud database. A predictive model using multilayer perceptron, support vector regression, and linear regression was developed to analyze the data and predict the future condition of in-vehicle air quality. The performance of these models was evaluated using the Root Mean Square Error, Mean Squared Error, Mean Absolute Error, and coefficient of determination (R2). The results showed that the support vector regression achieved excellent performance with the highest linearity between the predicted and actual data with an R2 of 0.9981.
  6. Foo JC, Rahmat K, Mumin NA, Koh MT, Gan CS, Ramli N, et al.
    J Clin Neurosci, 2017 Sep 01.
    PMID: 28867361 DOI: 10.1016/j.jocn.2017.08.024
    We report a rare case of paediatric diphtheria complicated with encephalitis. A 6-year-old boy who did not receive his scheduled diptheria-tetanus-pertusis vaccination presented with one episode of generalised convulsive seizure. His illness was preceded by a 3day history of fever associated with enlarged exudative tonsils with a pseudomembrane. He was commenced on intravenous penicillin and oral erythromycin. However, he developed progressive encephalopathy with focal neurological deficit which required intubation on day 5 of illness. Throat swab polymerase chain reaction for diphtheria toxin A and B were positive and diphtheria antitoxin was given. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of brain showed T2-weighted hyperintensities over the anterior cingulate gyri, insular cortex and cerebellum. This is the first reported MRI finding of diphtheric encephalitis. Our report highlights the importance of neuroimaging in diagnosing diphtheric encephalitis particularly in cases with unremarkable cerebrospinal findings.
  7. Veeramuthu V, Hariri F, Narayanan V, Tan LK, Ramli N, Ganesan D
    J Oral Maxillofac Surg, 2016 Jun;74(6):1197.e1-1197.e10.
    PMID: 26917201 DOI: 10.1016/j.joms.2016.01.042
    The aim of the present study was to establish the incidence of maxillofacial (MF) injury accompanying mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and the associated neurocognitive deficits and white matter changes.
  8. Narayanan V, Veeramuthu V, Ahmad-Annuar A, Ramli N, Waran V, Chinna K, et al.
    PLoS One, 2016;11(7):e0158838.
    PMID: 27438599 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0158838
    The predictability of neurocognitive outcomes in patients with traumatic brain injury is not straightforward. The extent and nature of recovery in patients with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) are usually heterogeneous and not substantially explained by the commonly known demographic and injury-related prognostic factors despite having sustained similar injuries or injury severity. Hence, this study evaluated the effects and association of the Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) missense mutations in relation to neurocognitive performance among patients with mTBI. 48 patients with mTBI were prospectively recruited and MRI scans of the brain were performed within an average 10.1 (SD 4.2) hours post trauma with assessment of their neuropsychological performance post full Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) recovery. Neurocognitive assessments were repeated again at 6 months follow-up. The paired t-test, Cohen's d effect size and repeated measure ANOVA were performed to delineate statistically significant differences between the groups [wildtype G allele (Val homozygotes) vs. minor A allele (Met carriers)] and their neuropsychological performance across the time point (T1 = baseline/ admission vs. T2 = 6th month follow-up). Minor A allele carriers in this study generally performed more poorly on neuropsychological testing in comparison wildtype G allele group at both time points. Significant mean differences were observed among the wildtype group in the domains of memory (M = -11.44, SD = 10.0, p = .01, d = 1.22), executive function (M = -11.56, SD = 11.7, p = .02, d = 1.05) and overall performance (M = -6.89 SD = 5.3, p = .00, d = 1.39), while the minor A allele carriers showed significant mean differences in the domains of attention (M = -11.0, SD = 13.1, p = .00, d = .86) and overall cognitive performance (M = -5.25, SD = 8.1, p = .01, d = .66).The minor A allele carriers in comparison to the wildtype G allele group, showed considerably lower scores at admission and remained impaired in most domains across the timepoints, although delayed signs of recovery were noted to be significant in the domains attention and overall cognition. In conclusion, the current study has demonstrated the role of the BDNF rs6265 Val66Met polymorphism in influencing specific neurocognitive outcomes in patients with mTBI. Findings were more detrimentally profound among Met allele carriers.
  9. Veeramuthu V, Narayanan V, Ramli N, Hernowo A, Waran V, Bondi MW, et al.
    World Neurosurg, 2017 Jan;97:416-423.
    PMID: 27751922 DOI: 10.1016/j.wneu.2016.10.041
    OBJECTIVE: To compare the extent of persistent neuropsychological impairment in patients with complicated mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and those with uncomplicated mTBI.

    METHODS: Sixty-one patients with mTBI (Glasgow Coma Scale score 13-15) were recruited prospectively, categorized according to baseline computed tomography findings, and subjected to neuropsychological assessment at initial admission (n = 61) as well as at a 6-month follow-up (n = 30). The paired t test, Cohen's d effect size calculation, and repeated-measures analysis of variance were used to establish the differences between the 2 groups in terms of neuropsychological performance.

    RESULTS: A trend toward poorer neuropsychological performance among the patients with complicated mTBI was observed during admission; however, performance in this group improved over time. In contrast, the uncomplicated mTBI group showed slower recovery, especially in tasks of memory, visuospatial processing, and executive functions, at follow-up.

    CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that despite the broad umbrella designation of mTBI, the current classification schemes of injury severity for mild neurotrauma should be revisited. They also raise questions about the clinical relevance of both traumatic focal lesions and the absence of visible traumatic lesions on brain imaging studies in patients with milder forms of head trauma.

  10. Adilah Harun N, Ramli N, Rahman Kazim Azli A, Hassan H, Bariah Chi Adam K, Haikal Muhamad Halil M
    Saudi Dent J, 2023 Sep;35(6):663-667.
    PMID: 37817781 DOI: 10.1016/j.sdentj.2023.05.019
    INTRODUCTION: Invasive surgical procedures in the oral cavity inevitably cause trauma to the soft and hard tissues. The healing process in the oral cavity tissue occurs in a complex manner involving different types of cells, maturation process, and the time of healing. Salvadora persica (miswak) has been found to exert various positive effects on the oral cavity, including antimicrobial, anti-gingivitis, anti-cariogenic, gingival healing, and teeth whitening properties. This study aims to investigate the potential of miswak as an adjunctive therapy in promoting wound healing.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: 30 live Sprague-Dawley rats were used in this study. The rats' mandibular first molar tooth was extracted, and an incision wound was made on the tongue. The extraction socket and incision wound were irrigated using normal saline and different concentrations of locally processed miswak plant extracts (0.05%, 10%, and 20%) for 7 days. The rats were sacrificed for gross examination of the tooth socket and tongue healing. Both soft tissue and alveolar bone were examined microscopically.

    RESULTS: Complete closure of the incision wound was observed on all rats' tongues; miswak groups showed better wound healing than control and placebo groups in the oral mucosa overlying the alveolar bones. 0.05% and 20% miswak extracts showed prominent wound healing effects in the sagittal sections of the tongue, with moderate formation of connective tissue under the wound site and notable wound contraction. The 20% miswak extract group showed the highest percentage of healed oral mucosa on the alveolar bone and higher bone deposition at the alveolar base.

    CONCLUSION: A concentration of 20% miswak extract enhances the initial phase of wound healing both in oral soft and hard tissues. Miswak extract at this concentration was not toxic to the tissues and had potential therapeutic effects in oral tissue healing.

  11. Van Rostenberghe H, Short J, Ramli N, Geok TB, Subramaniam S, Che Yaakob CA, et al.
    Front Pediatr, 2014;2:115.
    PMID: 25478550 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2014.00115
    Even though in the corporate world psychological science has been widely used, the formal use of evidence-based psychology in important areas of clinical medicine has been scanty at best. It was the aim of this study to determine the efficacy of a psychologist-led 2-week nurse educator training on the infection rate in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
  12. Al-Rawi HA, Yau KL, Mohamad H, Ramli N, Hashim W
    ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:960584.
    PMID: 25140350 DOI: 10.1155/2014/960584
    Cognitive radio (CR) enables unlicensed users (or secondary users, SUs) to sense for and exploit underutilized licensed spectrum owned by the licensed users (or primary users, PUs). Reinforcement learning (RL) is an artificial intelligence approach that enables a node to observe, learn, and make appropriate decisions on action selection in order to maximize network performance. Routing enables a source node to search for a least-cost route to its destination node. While there have been increasing efforts to enhance the traditional RL approach for routing in wireless networks, this research area remains largely unexplored in the domain of routing in CR networks. This paper applies RL in routing and investigates the effects of various features of RL (i.e., reward function, exploitation, and exploration, as well as learning rate) through simulation. New approaches and recommendations are proposed to enhance the features in order to improve the network performance brought about by RL to routing. Simulation results show that the RL parameters of the reward function, exploitation, and exploration, as well as learning rate, must be well regulated, and the new approaches proposed in this paper improves SUs' network performance without significantly jeopardizing PUs' network performance, specifically SUs' interference to PUs.
  13. Zainudin MH, Mustapha NA, Maeda T, Ramli N, Sakai K, Hassan M
    Waste Manag, 2020 Apr 01;106:240-249.
    PMID: 32240940 DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2020.03.029
    Biochar has proven to be a feasible additive for mitigating nitrogen loss during the composting process. This study aims to evaluate the influence of biochar addition on bacterial community and physicochemical properties changes, including ammonium (NH4+), nitrite (NO2-) and nitrate (NO3-) contents during the composting of poultry manure. The composting was carried out by adding 20% (w/w) of biochar into the mixture of poultry manure and rice straw with a ratio of 2:1, and the same treatment without biochar was prepared as a control. The finished product of control compost recorded the high contents of NO2- and NO3- (366 mg/kg and 600 mg/kg) with reduced the total NH4+ content to 10 mg/kg. Meanwhile, biochar compost recorded a higher amount of total NH4+ content (110 mg/kg) with low NO2- and NO3- (161 mg/kg and 137 mg/kg) content in the final composting material. The principal component analysis showed that the dynamics of dominant genera related to Halomonas, Pusillimonas, and Pseudofulvimonas, all of which were known as nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria, was significantly correlated with the dynamic of NO2- and NO3- content throughout the composting process. The genera related to Pusillimonas, and Pseudofulvimonas appeared as the dominant communities as the NO2- and NO3- increased. In contrast, as the NO2- and NO3- concentration decreased, the Halomonas genus were notably enriched in biochar compost. This study revealed the bacterial community shifts corresponded with the change of physicochemical properties, which provides essential information for a better understanding of monitoring and improving the composting process.
  14. Abdullah AA, Ramli N, Yaacob NM, Hussain S
    J ASEAN Fed Endocr Soc, 2022;37(2):15-22.
    PMID: 36578895 DOI: 10.15605/jafes.037.02.03
    OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the proportion, clinical characteristics, hormonal status, median time for normalization of serum thyroxine (FT4) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and factors affecting time to thyroid function test (TFT) normalization of neonates born to mothers with maternal hyperthyroidism admitted in our institution.

    METHODOLOGY: This was a retrospective cohort study that included 170 newborns admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM) with a history of maternal hyperthyroidism from January 2013 until December 2018. We analyzed their baseline demographic and clinical characteristics, maternal thyroid status and antibody levels. Finally, we analyzed newborn thyroid function and thyroid antibodies.

    RESULTS: The proportion of neonates born to mothers with maternal hyperthyroidism was 0.8% (170 of 20,198 neonates within the study period). Seven (4.1%) developed overt hyperthyroidism, while four (2.4%) had thyroid storm. The median time for thyroid function test normalization was 30 days (95% CI: 27.1 to 32.8). The median time for TFT normalization was longer among neonates of mothers with positive thyroid antibodies [46.6 days (95% CI, 20.6 to 39.4)] and of mothers who received anti-thyroid treatment [31.7 days (95% CI, 23.5 to 39.9)].

    CONCLUSION: Neonates born to mothers with hyperthyroidism is uncommon. These babies were observed to have a longer time for normalization of thyroid function tests if their mothers had thyroid antibodies or received anti-thyroid treatment.

  15. Mohamad N, Ramli N, Abd-Aziz S, Ibrahim MF
    3 Biotech, 2019 Jun;9(6):234.
    PMID: 31139549 DOI: 10.1007/s13205-019-1767-8
    Pineapple peel is a potential feedstock for the extraction of essential oil due to the presence of aromatic compounds. To extract the essential oil from pineapple peels, three different methods were applied, i.e., (1) hydro-distillation (HD); (2) hydro-distillation with enzyme-assisted (HDEA); and (3) supercritical fluid extraction (SFE). SFE had successfully produced an essential oil with the yield of 0.17% (w/w) together with 0.64% (w/w) of concrete, whereby the HD and HDEA had only produced hydrosols with the yield of 70.65% (w/w) and 80.65% (w/w), respectively. Parameters' optimization for HD (substrate to solvent ratio, temperature, and extraction duration) and HDEA (cellulase loading and incubation duration) significantly affected the hydrosol yield, but did not extract out the essential oil. This is because only SFE had successfully ruptured the oil gland after observed under the scanning electron microscope. The essential oil obtained from SFE composed of mainly propanoic acid ethyl ester (40.25%), lactic acid ethyl ester (19.35%), 2-heptanol (15.02%), propanol (8.18%), 3-hexanone (2.60%), and butanoic acid ethyl ester (1.58%). In overall, it can be concluded that the SFE had successfully extracted the essential oil as compared to the HD and HDEA methods.
  16. Lim SY, Tan AH, Ahmad-Annuar A, Schneider SA, Bee PC, Lim JL, et al.
    J Mov Disord, 2018 May;11(2):89-92.
    PMID: 29860786 DOI: 10.14802/jmd.17082
    We present a case of beta-propeller protein-associated neurodegeneration, a form of neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation. The patient harbored a novel mutation in the WDR45 gene. A detailed video and description of her clinical condition are provided. Her movement disorder phenomenology was characterized primarily by limb stereotypies and gait dyspraxia. The patient's disability was advanced by the time iron-chelating therapy with deferiprone was initiated, and no clinical response in terms of cognitive function, behavior, speech, or movements were observed after one year of treatment.
  17. Choo M, Prakash K, Samsudin A, Soong T, Ramli N, Kadir A
    Int J Ophthalmol, 2010;3(3):234-6.
    PMID: 22553561 DOI: 10.3980/j.issn.2222-3959.2010.03.12
    To compare corneal endothelial structure and central corneal thickness (CCT) between type II diabetics and non-diabetic control patients. To look for correlations between diabetic status and corneal findings.
  18. Chandrasekaran S, Ramli N, Ahmad MJ, Effendi I, Amir NN, Chow RC, et al.
    J Adolesc Young Adult Oncol, 2021 08;10(4):425-431.
    PMID: 32996803 DOI: 10.1089/jayao.2020.0064
    Purpose: Childhood cancer survivors (CCS) demonstrate features of premature aging in a multitude of organ systems. The aim of this pilot study is to determine the presence of premature ocular aging features in CCS, specifically childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) survivors. Methods: This prospective case-control study was conducted over a period of 21 months, starting July 2015 till March 2017. A total of 59 childhood ALL survivors who attended the Paediatric Oncology Clinic of University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) and 48 age, race, and gender-matched controls went through a series of ocular examinations and tests. Inclusion criteria used to recruit survivors were age above 16 years, history of ALL in childhood, completion of treatment for ALL, and a remission period of at least 5 years. Patients with ocular disease and those who received hematopoietic stem cell transplantation were excluded. The parameters measured were visual acuity, amplitude of accommodation, pupil cycle time (PCT), and tear break-up time (TBUT). Results: Survivors of childhood ALL demonstrated significant differences in amplitude of accommodation, PCT, and TBUT compared to age-matched controls. Survivors had a lower median (interquartile range [IQR]) amplitude of accommodation compared to controls (11.0 D [9.0-13.0] vs. 12.0 D [10.5-15]; p = 0.045). Survivors also showed a longer median (IQR) PCT in comparison to controls (931.00 mseconds (857.00-1063.00) vs. 875.50 mseconds (825.75-966.00); p = 0.024). In addition, median (IQR) TBUT was worse in survivors in comparison to the control group (9 seconds [6-13] vs. 11 seconds [10-15]; p = 0.001). Conclusion: Survivors of childhood ALL demonstrate premature ocular aging features compared to age-matched controls. Thus, survivors may benefit from having ocular examinations as part of their routine late-effects screening to detect age-related ocular morbidities early in its course.
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