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  1. Chang JY, Syauqi TA, Sudesh K, Ng SL
    Bioresour Technol, 2024 Feb;393:130054.
    PMID: 37995876 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2023.130054
    Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are promising alternatives to non-degradable polymers in various applications. This study explored the use of biologically recovered PHA as a biofilm carrier in a moving bed biofilm reactor for acid orange 7 treatment. The PHA was comprised of 86 ± 1 mol% of 3-hydroxybutyrate and 14 ± 1 mol% of 3-hydroxyhexanoate and was melt-fused at 140 °C into pellets. The net positive surface charge of the PHA biocarrier facilitated attachment of negatively charged activated sludge, promoting biofilm formation. A 236-µm mature biofilm developed after 26 days. The high polysaccharides-to-protein ratio (>1) in the biofilm's extracellular polymeric substances indicated a stable biofilm structure. Four main microbial strains in the biofilm were identified as Leclercia adecarboxylata, Leuconostoc citreum, Bacillus cereus, and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, all of which exhibited decolourization abilities. In conclusion, PHA holds promise as an effective biocarrier for biofilm development, offering a sustainable alternative in wastewater treatment applications.
  2. Wee SY, Aris AZ, Yusoff FM, Praveena SM
    Ecotoxicol Environ Saf, 2024 Jan 15;270:115830.
    PMID: 38141339 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.115830
    Humans are exposed to environmental risks owing to the broad usage of endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs). However, the subjective evaluation of risk levels and characteristics, as well as the variation in risk processing, have not been thoroughly examined. The objective was to understand the public's perception of the risk associated with human exposure to environmental EDCs and identify any variations in risk perception. In this pioneering study conducted within the distinctive social and cultural context of Malaysia, a developing nation, a quantitative analysis approach was employed to assess the subjective evaluation of risk levels and characteristics among the public while developing a risk perception model. Data gathered from surveys and questionnaires were analyzed to gather information on the public's perception of environmental and health issues pertaining to pesticides, hormones, plastics, medicines, and cosmetics. The analysis revealed that the majority of the public assessed the level of human exposure to environmental risks based on experiential processing, which was influenced by cognitive and affective variables. Interestingly, a higher proportion of individuals in the community had a low risk perception of environmental EDCs, surpassing the overall risk perception by 19.3%. Furthermore, the public showed significant awareness of environmental and health issues related to pesticides, hormones, and plastics but had a lesser inclination to acknowledge the vulnerability of humans to risks associated with medicines and cosmetics. These findings suggest that the public is likely to be exposed to environmental EDCs based on their current perceived risks, and that sociopsychological factors play a significant role in shaping perceptions and judgments. This understanding can inform the development of targeted risk management strategies and interventions to mitigate the potential harm caused by environmental EDCs.
  3. Hapiz A, Jawad AH, Wilson LD, ALOthman ZA
    Int J Phytoremediation, 2024 Feb;26(3):324-338.
    PMID: 37545130 DOI: 10.1080/15226514.2023.2241912
    In this investigation, microwave irradiation assisted by ZnCl2 was used to transform pineapple crown (PN) waste into mesoporous activated carbon (PNAC). Complementary techniques were employed to examine the physicochemical characteristics of PNAC, including BET, FTIR, SEM-EDX, XRD, and pH at the point-of-zero-charge (pHpzc). PNAC is mesoporous adsorbent with a surface area of 1070 m2/g. The statistical optimization for the adsorption process of two model cationic dyes (methylene blue: MB and, crystal violet: CV) was conducted using the response surface methodology-Box-Behnken design (RSM-BBD). The parameters include solution pH (4-10), contact time (2-12) min, and PNAC dosage (0.02-0.1 g/100 mL). The Freundlich and Langmuir models adequately described the dye adsorption isotherm results for the MB and CV systems, whereas the pseudo-second order kinetic model accounted for the time dependent adsorption results. The maximum adsorption capacity (qmax) for PNAC with the two tested dyes are listed: 263.9 mg/g for CV and 274.8 mg/g for MB. The unique adsorption mechanism of MB and CV dyes by PNAC implicates multiple contributions to the adsorption process such as pore filling, electrostatic forces, H-bonding, and π-π interactions. This study illustrates the possibility of transforming PN into activated carbon (PNAC) with the potential to remove two cationic dyes from aqueous media.
  4. He L, Ayub AFBM, Amri SB
    BMC Public Health, 2024 Sep 02;24(1):2387.
    PMID: 39223514 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-19844-5
    BACKGROUND: Students' physical fitness has always been the focus of attention of the Chinese government, and the school as an important way to improve students' physical fitness, there are many studies on the current status of the implementation of physical education in schools, and there are many studies that use self-made questionnaires to investigate the implementation of physical education in schools, but most of the studies do not adequately validate the self-made questionnaires, so the purpose of this study was to develop a questionnaire to assess the level of implementation of physical education programmes in Chinese junior secondary schools and to test its reliability and validity.

    METHOD: The content of the questionnaire was developed based on the content of Annex 1 of the Assessment Measures for Physical Education in Primary and Secondary Schools issued by the Ministry of Education of China in 2014 and was modified based on feedback from the expert panel and pre-test participants. The questionnaire was initially tested for validity by 5 expert reviewers, and then we collected data information from 350 participants and conducted exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to explore the factor structure of the initial version. One week later, 40 of the 350 participants were randomly selected to assess test-retest reliability.

    RESULTS: The I-CVI and KAPPA value analysis results of the expert review results show that the questionnaire has extremely high reliability and consistency among experts. EFA results indicate that the five dimensions of this questionnaire are highly reliable. In the test-retest reliability, the Pearson correlation coefficients of the initial test data and the retest data of each dimension are all greater than 0.7, and the significance probability values are all less than 0.05, reaching the significance level, the results show that the questionnaire has good stability.

    CONCLUSIONS: This study concluded that the 5 dimensions and 38 items of this questionnaire had high reliability and validity and could be used as a preliminary tool to measure the implementation level of physical education programs in junior high schools in China. However, future research should explore the potential need for adjustment to suit different regions and cultures.

  5. Mohd Ridzwan SF, Anual ZF, Sahani M, Ghazali AR
    Iran J Public Health, 2013 Dec;42(12):1374-86.
    PMID: 26060639
    Neurotoxicants present in water supply may affect human functions in terms of attention, response speed and perceptual motor speed. Neurobehavioural performance can be influenced by gender, age and education levels. This study aims to assess the neurobehavioral performance of palm oil estate residents with private water supply in southern Peninsular of Malaysia.
  6. Juhan N, Zubairi YZ, Khalid ZM, Mahmood Zuhdi AS
    Iran J Public Health, 2020 Sep;49(9):1642-1649.
    PMID: 33643938 DOI: 10.18502/ijph.v49i9.4080
    Background: Identifying risk factors associated with mortality is important in providing better prognosis to patients. Consistent with that, Bayesian approach offers a great advantage where it rests on the assumption that all model parameters are random quantities and hence can incorporate prior knowledge. Therefore, we aimed to develop a reliable model to identify risk factors associated with mortality among ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) male patients using Bayesian approach.

    Methods: A total of 7180 STEMI male patients from the National Cardiovascular Disease Database-Acute Coronary Syndrome (NCVD-ACS) registry for the years 2006-2013 were enrolled. In the development of univariate and multivariate logistic regression model for the STEMI patients, Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) simulation approach was applied. The performance of the model was assessed through convergence diagnostics, overall model fit, model calibration and discrimination.

    Results: A set of six risk factors for cardiovascular death among STEMI male patients were identified from the Bayesian multivariate logistic model namely age, diabetes mellitus, family history of CVD, Killip class, chronic lung disease and renal disease respectively. Overall model fit, model calibration and discrimination were considered good for the proposed model.

    Conclusion: Bayesian risk prediction model for CVD male patients identified six risk factors associated with mortality. Among the highest risks were Killip class (OR=18.0), renal disease (2.46) and age group (OR=2.43) respectively.

  7. Peng S, Othman AT, Yuan F, Liang J
    Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2022 Jun 15;19(12).
    PMID: 35742582 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19127337
    Planning interventions such as action planning (AP) and coping planning (CP) have been recognized as influential strategies in promoting physical activity (PA), but mixed results of existing evidence have been observed. This study aims to perform a systematical meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy of planning interventions for improving PA in the general population. Eight databases, including Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, ProQuest, CNKI, and Wanfang Data, were searched to locate relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from their inception to 31 December 2021. In total, 41 trials with 5439 samples were included in this systematic review, and 35 trials were used in our meta-analysis. The results showed that PA was better promoted in the planned intervention group compared to the control group (SMD = 0.35, 95% CI = 0.25-0.44, I2 = 61.4%). Based on the subgroup analyses, we found that planning strategies were more effective among patients, males, when adopting AP intervention, when using the face-to-face sessions delivery mode, and when reinforcements were conducted during the follow-up. The findings of this study indicate that planning interventions significantly improved PA behavior, and, in some contexts, the effects performed better. Future research needs to be conducted to explore the underlying mechanisms of planning interventions and validate their effects more extensively.
  8. Wan Mustapa WN, Azizan FL, Arifin MA, Rozali AZ
    J Health Organ Manag, 2024 Aug 29;38(6):843-856.
    PMID: 39198958 DOI: 10.1108/JHOM-02-2024-0063
    PURPOSE: This study aims to review the last 50 years of academic research on collective leadership (CL) and how far it has progressed by using the Scopus database and the science mapping technique of bibliometric analysis.

    DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: This study has analysed 417 publications from the Scopus database on collective leadership from 1967 to 2023. Data were analysed using MS Excel and VOSviewer.

    FINDINGS: There has been research from different parts of the world on the various aspects of collective leadership. In recent years, collective leadership research has gained momentum. However, collective leadership is still at a nascent level when it comes to the applicability of the concepts. So far, the research on collective leadership has relied on themes such as shared leadership and distributed leadership, how collective leadership differs from other similar-looking leadership styles such as transformational leadership, and how this influences followers' outcomes such as team effectiveness, achievements, relations, commitment, etc. Most of the research so far has been done in the United States of America, the UK and the Australian context. There exists a huge gap for studying collective leadership in African, Middle Eastern and Asian contexts.

    RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS: Collective leadership research trends may be addressed to enable academics and practitioners to better understand current and future trends and research directions. Future studies in this field might use the findings as a starting point to highlight the nature of the topic.

    ORIGINALITY/VALUE: Bibliometric techniques provide a far more comprehensive and reliable picture of the field. This article has the potential to serve as a one-stop resource for researchers and practitioners seeking information that can aid in transdisciplinary endeavours by leading them to recognized, peer-reviewed papers, journals and networks.

  9. Ibrahim AZ, Hussein AS, Said Gulam Khan HB, Ghazali N
    Saudi Dent J, 2024 Aug;36(8):1117-1122.
    PMID: 39176152 DOI: 10.1016/j.sdentj.2024.06.004
    INTRODUCTION: The effects of hydroxyapatite (HA) on oral bacteria and biofilm remains inconclusive, with conflicting results. Studies assessing its effect against caries-causing bacteria are limited.

    OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the antibacterial activity of HA synthesized using microwave against two of the most common cariogenic bacteria, Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) and Streptococcus sobrinus (S. sobrinus).

    METHODS: HA was chemically synthesized using a microwave. To verify the existence of the crystalline phase and the calcium and phosphate content, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis were employed, respectively. Reduction in bacterial growth was used to assess the antibacterial effects of 10 %, 20 %, and 30 % HA against the tested bacteria.

    RESULTS: The presence of the hydroxyapatite crystallite phase was verified using XRD, while EDX revealed the Calcium to Phosphorus (Ca/P) ratio to be 1.6. In response to the 10 %, 20 %, and 30 % HA, S. mutans were reduced by 14.5 %, 15.6 %, and 23.4 %, whereas S. sobrinus decreased by 17.1 %, 60.8 %, and 98.6 %, respectively.

    CONCLUSION: Microwave-synthesized HA could have antibacterial properties against caries-causing bacteria with different potencies depending on concentration and bacteria.

  10. Ismail NM, Jaarin K, Ahmad A, Marzuki A, Ng WK, Gapor MT
    Asia Pac J Clin Nutr, 1999 Dec;8(4):258-62.
    PMID: 24394225
    The main focus of the study was to examine the effect of palm vitamin E (a tocotrienol-enriched fraction of palm oil) on the healing of ethanol-induced gastric mucosal lesions. The study was divided into three sections.Study 1 determined the gastric content of vitamin E after dietary supplementation with palm vitamin E for 3 weeks. Seven rats were fed a normal diet and another 7 were fed a palm vitamin E-enriched diet (150 mg/kg food). The gastric content of vitamin E levels were higher in rats fed with a palm vitamin E-enriched diet (p<0.01). Study 2 determined the time-dependent effects of palm vitamin E on gastric lesions and gastric acidity postethanol administration. Two groups of rats were fed either a normal rat diet or a palm vitamin E-enriched diet (150 mg/kg food). After 3 weeks, the control and a treated group received a single intragastric dose of 100% ethanol. Assessment of gastric lesions after 1 week showed a lower gastric lesion index in the palm vitamin E group compared with the controls (p<0.05) but there was no difference in the gastric acid content after 1 week between the two groups. Study 3 determined the effects of palm vitamin E on the gastric tissue content of malondialdehyde (MDA), PGE2 and gastric acidity without ethanol administration. The MDA content was lower in the palm vitamin E-treated group (p<0.05). However, the gastric acid and PGE2 content in both groups did not differ. The findings suggest that feeding with a palm vitamin E-enriched diet (150 mg/kg food) for 3 weeks resulted in a significant concentration of vitamin E in the gastric tissue. It was concluded that palm vitamin E may promote the healing of ethanol-induced gastric lesions through minimizing the lipid preoccupation process in the gastric mucous.
  11. Musa R, Abu Bakar AZ, Ali Khan U
    Asia Pac J Public Health, 2012 Sep;24(5):826-32.
    PMID: 21490111 DOI: 10.1177/1010539511404396
    BACKGROUND: The commencement of methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) in 2005 represents a quantum leap in the management of heroin dependence in Malaysia.
    OBJECTIVE: To examine the 2-year outcomes of this modality in the treatment of heroin dependence with respect to the quality of life (QOL), heroin abstinence, and rate of employment among heroin dependants attending the Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital (HTAA) MMT clinic.
    METHOD: This was an experimental study in which the second QOL assessment was conducted 2 years after treatment initiation.
    RESULTS: A total of 172 patients enrolled at the point of entry to the MMT program. The authors examined 107 patients who remained in the program 2 years later (62.6% retention rate). A paired t test demonstrated significant improvements in all 4 domains of QOL (physical, psychological, social relationships, and environment; P < .001). The most marked improvement was noted in the psychological domain.
    CONCLUSION: The MMT program at HTAA is effective in improving the QOL among heroin dependants.
    Study site: MMT clinic, Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital (HTAA), Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia
  12. Bong YB, Shariff AA, Mohamed AM, Merican AF
    Asia Pac J Public Health, 2015 Mar;27(2):NP1217-27.
    PMID: 22652249 DOI: 10.1177/1010539512446959
    In this article, the authors propose reference curves for height and weight for school children in the Kuching area, Sarawak. The school children were from primary to secondary schools (aged 6.5 to 17 years old) and comprised both genders. Anthropometric measurements and demographic information for 3081 school-aged children were collected (1440 boys and 1641 girls). Fitted line plots and percentiles for height and weight (3rd, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th, and 97th percentiles) were obtained. The height of school boys and school girls were almost similar at the start of their school-going age. For school girls, height and weight values stabilized when they reached 16 or 17 years old but kept increasing for school boys. School boys were taller than school girls as they entered adolescence. Height differences between school boys and school girls became significantly wider as they grew older. Chinese school children were taller and heavier than those of other ethnic groups.
  13. Mohamad Isa II, Abu Bakar S, Ab Rahman AK
    J Med Virol, 2020 08;92(8):1173-1181.
    PMID: 31957025 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.25680
    The impact of sociodemographic and clinical factors on immune recovery and viral load suppression among HIV-1 positive patients treated with HAART particularly in Malaysia is largely unknown. This cross-sectional study enrolled 170 HIV-1-infected individuals of three major ethnicities who attended three HIV outpatient clinics in Malaysia. Questionnaire was used to obtain sociodemographic data while CD4 count and viral load data were gathered from hospital's record. Multiple factors were assessed for their predictive effects on CD4 count recovery (≥500 cells/mm3 ) and viral load suppression (≤50 copies/mL) using binary logistic regression. Most of the subjects were male (149/87.6%), in the age group 30 to 39 years old (78/45.9%) and got infected via homosexual contact (82/48.2%). Indians were associated with 11 times higher chance for CD4 recovery as compared to Malays at 8 to 12 months of HAART (adjusted OR: 10.948, 95% CI: 1.873, 64.001, P = .008). Viral load suppression was positively influenced by intravenous drug use (IVDU) status (adjusted OR: 35.224, 95% CI: 1.234, 1000.489, P = .037) at 4 to 6 months of HAART. Higher pretreatment CD4 count was a positive predictor for both initial immunological and virological responses while higher pretreatment viral load was a negative predictor for virological suppression only. In conclusion, ethnicity plays a significant role in determining early immune reconstitution in Malaysia, besides pretreatment CD4 count. Further studies are needed to identify possible biological factors underlying this association.
  14. Md Nasir NAN, Zakarya IA, Kamaruddin SA
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2024 Dec;31(58):66360-66371.
    PMID: 39625624 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-35598-4
    The potential of two different aquatic macrophytes, Azolla pinnata R.Br. and Lemna minor L., to treat livestock wastewater through phytoremediation was investigated. The physiological analysis includes the removal efficiency of manganese (Mn) from livestock wastewater by AAS. Morphological observation was performed by using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and visual observation. RAPD analysis was applied to observe the DNA profile. It was observed that the removal efficiency of Mn was higher in L. minor with a 92% removal rate, while in A. pinnata RE, it was at a 77% rate. The higher removal rate of Mn by L. minor showed that plants had a significant impact on the removal of heavy metals, with a p ≤ 0.05. Retention time and the removal of heavy metals were found to be positively correlated. As early as 24 h after exposure to livestock wastewater (LW), the stomata on the leaves of A. pinnata and L. minor have both shrunk, and the root surfaces have shortened. According to the RAPD analysis, A. pinnata only shows an increase in band intensities and no polymorphism, whereas L. minor has 19% polymorphisms that indicate higher tolerance as hyperaccumulators. As a conclusion, L. minor showed no signs of necrosis and performed more efficiently as a hyperaccumulator in LW, with a higher removal efficiency.
  15. Hassan H, Razak HRA, Saad FFA, Kumar V
    Malays J Med Sci, 2019 Jul;26(4):122-126.
    PMID: 31496901 MyJurnal DOI: 10.21315/mjms2019.26.4.14
    Using radiolabelled peptides that bind, with high affinity and specificity, to receptors on tumour cells is one of the most promising fields in modern molecular imaging and targeted radionuclide therapy (1). In the emergence of molecular imaging and nuclear medicine diagnosis and therapy, albeit theranostic, radiolabelled peptides have become vital tools for in vivo visualisation and monitoring physiological and biochemical processes on molecular and cellular levels (2). This approach may benefit patients in the era of personalised medicine.
  16. Nazri MUIA, Idris I, Ross O, Ismail WIW
    Malays J Med Sci, 2019 Nov;26(6):5-18.
    PMID: 31908583 MyJurnal DOI: 10.21315/mjms2019.26.6.2
    The incidence of neurodegenerative diseases is directly proportional to age. The prevalence of non-communicable diseases, for example, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, is expected to rise in the coming years. Understanding the etiopathology of these diseases is a crucial step that needs to be taken to develop drugs for their treatment. Animal models are being increasingly used to expand the knowledge and understanding on neurodegenerative diseases. Marine worms, known as polychaetes (phylum Annelida), which are abundantly and frequently found in benthic environments, possess a simple yet complete nervous system (including a true brain that is centralised and specialised) compared to other annelids. Hence, polychaetes can potentially be the next candidate for a nerve disease model. The ability to activate the entire nervous system regeneration (NSR) is among the remarkable features of many polychaetes species. However, the information on NSR in polychaetes and how it can potentially model neurodegenerative diseases in humans is still lacking. By exploring such studies, we may eventually be able to circumvent the developmental constraints that limit NSR in the human nervous system. This article is intended to briefly review responsible mechanisms and signalling pathways of NSR in marine polychaetes and to make a comparison with other established models of neurodegenerative disease.
  17. Irniza R, Emilia ZA, Muhammad Saliluddin S, Nizam Isha AS
    Malays J Med Sci, 2014 Jul;21(4):42-50.
    PMID: 25977621 MyJurnal
    BACKGROUND: Police Stress Questionnaire (PSQ) was developed to measure police-specific stressors. The present study was the first to have translated the PSQ to Malay. This study aims to test the reliability, construct validity, and component structure of the Malay-version PSQ.

    METHODS: A set of survey consisted of the Malay-version PSQ, General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ), Global Stress Questionnaire (GSQ) and General Self-rated Health (GSRH) were distributed to 300 traffic police officers in Kuala Lumpur and all traffic police officers in a few districts of Pahang and Negeri Sembilan.

    RESULTS: The response rate was 65.5% (N = 262). The reported Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.93 for Operational PSQ (PSQ-Op) and 0.94 for Organisational PSQ (PSQ-Org). Findings indicated that the PSQ had positive construct validity with the GSRH, GSQ, and GHQ. After excluding four factors related to lifestyles, all police-specific stressors were highly loaded (0.50) in one component.

    CONCLUSION: It is confirmed that the Malay-version PSQ, excluding the four factors related to lifestyle, was uni-dimensional, reliable, and a valid questionnaire. This study proffers a potentially better instrument for assessing the stressors among Malaysian police.

  18. Yusoff MS, Abdul Rahim AF, Yaacob MJ
    Malays J Med Sci, 2010 Jan;17(1):30-7.
    PMID: 22135523 MyJurnal
    Being in medical school has always been regarded as highly stressful. Excessive stress causes physical and mental health problems. Persistent stress can impair students' academic achievement and personal or professional development. The aim of this study is to explore the nature of stress among medical students by determining the prevalence, sources and pattern of stress and the factors affecting it.
  19. Hassan R, Abd Aziz A, Md Ralib AR, Saat A
    Malays J Med Sci, 2011 Jan;18(1):60-7.
    PMID: 22135575 MyJurnal
    The spleen is one of the organs most frequently injured in blunt abdominal trauma. Computed tomography (CT) scanning can accurately detect splenic injury and is currently the imaging modality of choice in assessing clinically stable patients with blunt abdominal trauma. The CT features of spleen injury include lacerations, subcapsular or parenchymal haematomas, active haemorrhage, and vascular injuries. We present a pictorial review of the spectrum of CT findings for blunt splenic injuries. This article will be a useful reference for radiologists and surgeons as CT scan is widely used for the assessment of splenic injuries and contributes to the current trend towards nonsurgical management of this injury.
  20. Athar PP, Norhan NA, Abdul Rahman MS
    Malays J Med Sci, 2007 Jan;14(1):75-8.
    PMID: 22593658 MyJurnal
    Schwannoma of the cervical sympathetic chain is an extremely rare nerve tumour. We report an unusual swelling in a 41-year-old female who presented with an asymptomatic solitary mass in the right parapharyngeal space. Clinical examination and computed tomography showed displaced carotid artery in an antero-medial direction. Surgical excision of the lesion was carried out and histological examination revealed an Ancient Schwannoma.
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