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Fulltext Associations of Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D with Adiposity and At-Risk Lipid Profile Differ for Indigenous (Orang Asli) Male and Female Adults of Peninsular Malaysia

Chua EY, Mohd Shariff Z, Sulaiman N, Appannah G, Yong HY

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2020 04 21;17(8).
PMID: 32326217 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17082855

BACKGROUND: Low vitamin D status, adiposity, and at-risk lipid profile are associated with adverse health consequences. This study aimed to assess serum 25(OH)D concentration of Indigenous (Orang Asli) adults and to determine the associations between serum 25(OH)D with adiposity and lipid profile, respectively.
METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 555 (164 men, 391 women) Orang Asli adults aged 18-65 years of Jah Hut sub-tribe in Krau Wildlife Reserve (KWR), Peninsular Malaysia. Demographic and socio-economic information were obtained using interviewer-administered questionnaire. Participants were also assessed for serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentration, adiposity indices (BMI, WC, WHtR, WHR, %BF) and lipid parameters (TC, LDL-C, HDL-C, TG). Data were analyzed using binary logistic regression via SPSS.
RESULTS: The prevalence of suboptimal 25(OH)D concentration was 26.3%, comprising 24.9% insufficiency (50 to <75 nmol/L) and 1.4% deficiency (<50 nmol/L). While men (14-30.5%) were associated with a more proatherogenic lipid profile than women (6.1-14.3%), more women were with central obesity (M: 19.5-46.3%; F: 34.5-49.1%) and suboptimal (<75 nmol/L) vitamin D status (M: 11.6%; F: 32.4%). While suboptimal 25(OH)D concentration was significantly associated with higher odds of at-risk LDL-C (p < 0.01) and obesity (WC, WHtR) (p < 0.05) in men, no significant association was observed for women. Nonetheless, it should be noted that there were only 19 men with suboptimal (<75 nmol/L) vitamin D status.
CONCLUSIONS: While suboptimal vitamin D status was relatively low in Orang Asli adults, the prevalence of obesity and undesirable serum lipids were relatively high. The sex-specific associations between vitamin D status with adiposity indices and serum lipids warrant further investigation.
Fulltext Three dimensional microcarrier system in mesenchymal stem cell culture: a systematic review

Koh B, Sulaiman N, Fauzi MB, Law JX, Ng MH, Idrus RBH, et al.

Cell Biosci, 2020;10:75.
PMID: 32518618 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-020-00438-8

Stem cell-based regenerative medicine is a promising approach for tissue reconstruction. However, a large number of cells are needed in a typical clinical study, where conventional monolayer cultures might pose a limitation for scale-up. The purpose of this review was to systematically assess the application of microcarriers in Mesenchymal Stem Cell cultures. A comprehensive search was conducted in Medline via Ebscohost, Pubmed, and Scopus, and relevant studies published between 2015 and 2019 were selected. The literature search identified 53 related studies, but only 14 articles met the inclusion criteria. These include 7 utilised commercially available microcarriers, while the rest were formulated based on different surface characteristics, all of which are discussed in this review. Current applications of microcarriers were focused on MSC expansion and induction of MSCs into different lineages. These studies demonstrated that MSCs could proliferate in a microcarrier culture system in-fold compared to monolayer cultures, and the culture system could simulate a three-dimensional environment which induces cell differentiation. However, detailed studies are still required before this system were to be adapted into the scale of GMP manufacturing.
Fulltext Comparison of deep and moderate neuromuscular blockade in microwave ablation of liver tumours: a randomized-controlled clinical trial

Loh PS, Yeong CH, Masohood NS, Sulaiman N, Zaki RA, Fabell K, et al.

Sci Rep, 2021 01 27;11(1):2299.
PMID: 33504909 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-81913-1

Microwave ablation (MWA) is gaining popularity for the treatment of small primary hepatocellular carcinoma and metastatic lesions especially if patients are not candidates for surgical resection. Deep neuromuscular blockade (DMB) is perceived to improve surgical working conditions compared to moderate neuromuscular blockade (MMB) but no studies have examined the same benefits in MWA of liver tumours. This study aimed to compare the clinical outcomes of DMB and MMB in MWA of liver tumours in terms of liver excursion, performance scores by the interventional radiologists and patients, requirements of additional muscle relaxants and complications. 50 patients were recruited and 45 patients (22 in MMB group, 23 in DMB group) completed the study. The mean liver excursion for the MMB group (1.42 ± 1.83 mm) was significantly higher than the DMB group (0.26 ± 0.38 mm) (p = 0.001). The mean Leiden-Surgical Rating Scale (L-SRS) rated by the two interventional radiologists were 4.5 ± 0.59 and 3.6 ± 0.85 for the DMB and MMB groups, respectively (p = 0.01). There was also statistically significant difference on patient satisfaction scores (0-10: Extremely Dissatisfied-Extremely Satisfied) between DMB (8.74 ± 1.1) and MMB (7.86 ± 1.25) groups (p = 0.01). 5 patients from MMB group and none from DMB group required bolus relaxant during the MWA procedure. Adverse events were also noted to be more severe in the MMB group. In conclusion, DMB significantly reduced liver excursion and movement leading to improved accuracy, safety and success in ablating liver tumour.
Identification of Distributed Denial of Services Anomalies by Using Combination of Entropy and Sequential Probabilities Ratio Test Methods

Ali BH, Sulaiman N, Al-Haddad SAR, Atan R, Hassan SLM, Alghrairi M

Sensors (Basel), 2021 Sep 27;21(19).
PMID: 34640773 DOI: 10.3390/s21196453

One of the most dangerous kinds of attacks affecting computers is a distributed denial of services (DDoS) attack. The main goal of this attack is to bring the targeted machine down and make their services unavailable to legal users. This can be accomplished mainly by directing many machines to send a very large number of packets toward the specified machine to consume its resources and stop it from working. We implemented a method using Java based on entropy and sequential probabilities ratio test (ESPRT) methods to identify malicious flows and their switch interfaces that aid them in passing through. Entropy (E) is the first technique, and the sequential probabilities ratio test (SPRT) is the second technique. The entropy method alone compares its results with a certain threshold in order to make a decision. The accuracy and F-scores for entropy results thus changed when the threshold values changed. Using both entropy and SPRT removed the uncertainty associated with the entropy threshold. The false positive rate was also reduced when combining both techniques. Entropy-based detection methods divide incoming traffic into groups of traffic that have the same size. The size of these groups is determined by a parameter called window size. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) 1998, DARPA2000, and Canadian Institute for Cybersecurity (CIC-DDoS2019) databases were used to evaluate the implementation of this method. The metric of a confusion matrix was used to compare the ESPRT results with the results of other methods. The accuracy and f-scores for the DARPA 1998 dataset were 0.995 and 0.997, respectively, for the ESPRT method when the window size was set at 50 and 75 packets. The detection rate of ESPRT for the same dataset was 0.995 when the window size was set to 10 packets. The average accuracy for the DARPA 2000 dataset for ESPRT was 0.905, and the detection rate was 0.929. Finally, ESPRT was scalable to a multiple domain topology application.
Fulltext Successful febuxostat desensitization in a patient with febuxostat hypersensitivity: A Malaysian experience

Sulaiman N, Othman AZ, Shahril NS, Abdul Rashid AM, Md Noh MSF

SAGE Open Med Case Rep, 2017;5:2050313X17749080.
PMID: 29318019 DOI: 10.1177/2050313X17749080

Over the years, allopurinol has been widely used as the preferred choice of urate lowering therapy in patients with gout. However, its role in patients with renal impairment is limited; and adverse reactions are well documented. Febuxostat, a newer oral non-purine xanthine oxidase inhibitor has been proven in several trials to be more effective and tolerable compared to allopurinol and may be used in patients with renal impairment. Here, we describe a case of successful febuxostat desensitization in a patient with a history of allopurinol- and febuxostat-induced adverse cutaneous reaction, as well as the protocol utilized.
Oestrogen-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in endometriosis: Aetiology of vaginal agenesis in Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome

Lih Yuan T, Sulaiman N, Nur Azurah AG, Maarof M, Rabiatul Adawiyah Razali, Yazid MD

Front Physiol, 2022;13:937988.
PMID: 36582359 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.937988

Endometriosis occurs when endometrial-like tissue forms and grows outside the uterus due to oestrogen-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition in the female reproductive tract. Factors that suppress this event could become potential therapeutic agents against disease occurrence and progression. However, an overview of these studies is still lacking. This review assessed the impact of a number factors on oestrogen-mediated epithelial-mesenchymal transition in the emergence of several diseases in the female reproductive tract, primarily endometriosis. The association between epithelial-mesenchymal transition and Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome was also investigated. Oestrogen, Wnt4 and epithelial-mesenchymal transition were chosen as keywords in Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science searches performed on 28th June 2021. Study selection was refined to cancer-irrelevant, English, original articles published between years 2011-2021. The full-text assessment was carried out for topic-related articles after title and abstract screening. Included studies were summarised and assessed for their risk of bias using the Office of Health Assessment and Translation tool. In this review, 10 articles investigating oestrogen and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in the female reproductive tract were summarised and classified into two groups: seven studies under 'factor'-modulated epithelial-mesenchymal transition and three studies under 'factor'-manipulated oestrogen-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition. The current evidence proposes that epithelial-mesenchymal transition is one of the prime causes of reproductive-related disease. This event could be mediated by distinct stimuli, specifically oestrogen and Wnt4 aberration. The results of this review suggest that oestrogen and Wnt4 participate in epithelial-mesenchymal transition in vaginal epithelial cells in MRKH syndrome, adopting from the theories of endometriosis development, which could therefore serve as a foundation for novel target treatment, specifically related to vaginal epithelialisation, to ensure better surgical outcomes.
Fulltext Factors Associated With Anemia Among Orang Asli Children Aged Two to Six Years in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

Murtaza SF, Lee LJ, Usaini NN, Gan WY, Sulaiman N

Cureus, 2023 Feb;15(2):e35511.
PMID: 37007386 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.35511

Background Anemia is a global public health problem that needs urgent attention, especially in early childhood. Young children living in remote indigenous communities are vulnerable to anemia. This study aimed to determine factors associated with anemia among children of the Orang Asli (OA) community, aged two to six years old. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 269 OA children, together with their biological non-pregnant mothers. Their mothers were interviewed using a structured questionnaire to gather information on sociodemographic characteristics, sanitation facility and personal hygiene, food security, and dietary diversity. Anthropometric and biochemical assessments were measured using standard protocols. Results One in five of the OA children was anemic (21.2%) and had a low birth weight (20.4%). About 27.7% of the children were underweight, 35.2 % were stunted, 6.1% were wasted, and 5.7% were overweight. One-third of them (35.0%) had parasitic infections and almost all were food-insecure (96.3%). As for the mothers, more than one-third of them were anemic (39.0%), 58.9% had abdominal obesity, and 61.8% were overweight and obese. Parasitic infections (adjusted OR (AOR)=2.49, 95%CI=1.23-5.06), not wearing shoes outside the house (AOR=2.95, 95%CI=1.39-6.27), and mothers with anemia (AOR=2.62, 95%CI=1.30-5.28) were associated with increased risk of anemia among OA children. Conclusion Preventing maternal anemia and strengthening knowledge on sanitation and hygiene could be incorporated into nutrition intervention programs to address anemia issues among OA children.
Fulltext The Molecular Approaches and Challenges of Streptococcus pneumoniae Serotyping for Epidemiological Surveillance in the Vaccine Era

Abdul Rahman NA, Mohd Desa MN, Masri SN, Taib NM, Sulaiman N, Hazman H, et al.

Pol J Microbiol, 2023 Jun 01;72(2):103-115.
PMID: 37314355 DOI: 10.33073/pjm-2023-023

Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) belongs to the Gram-positive cocci. This bacterium typically colonizes the nasopharyngeal region of healthy individuals. It has a distinct polysaccharide capsule - a virulence factor allowing the bacteria to elude the immune defense mechanisms. Consequently, it might trigger aggressive conditions like septicemia and meningitis in immunocompromised or older individuals. Moreover, children below five years of age are at risk of morbidity and mortality. Studies have found 101 S. pneumoniae capsular serotypes, of which several correlate with clinical and carriage isolates with distinct disease aggressiveness. Introducing pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV) targets the most common disease-associated serotypes. Nevertheless, vaccine selection pressure leads to replacing the formerly dominant vaccine serotypes (VTs) by non-vaccine types (NVTs). Therefore, serotyping must be conducted for epidemiological surveillance and vaccine assessment. Serotyping can be performed using numerous techniques, either by the conventional antisera-based (Quellung and latex agglutination) or molecular-based approaches (sequetyping, multiplex PCR, real-time PCR, and PCR-RFLP). A cost-effective and practical approach must be used to enhance serotyping accuracy to monitor the prevalence of VTs and NVTs. Therefore, dependable pneumococcal serotyping techniques are essential to precisely monitor virulent lineages, NVT emergence, and genetic associations of isolates. This review discusses the principles, associated benefits, and drawbacks of the respective available conventional and molecular approaches, and potentially the whole genome sequencing (WGS) to be directed for future exploration.
Cluster of differentiation 147 (CD147) as potential membrane protein biomarker for bladder cancer cells

Roslan A, Said DS, Sulaiman N, Mohd Ghani KA, Nurdin A

J Pharm Biomed Anal, 2023 Nov 30;236:115729.
PMID: 37778199 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2023.115729

Studies reveal that alterations in membrane protein (MP) patterns are associated with underlying drug resistance to chemotherapy. Therefore, the tryptic-digested MPs from the bladder cancer cell line were subjected to global proteomics using LC-MS/MS to identify the highly expressed potential MPs in bladder cancer cells. Our findings revealed the identification of MP biomarkers, CD147, and caveolin-1. Immunocytochemistry analysis confirmed the presence of CD147 on the cell membrane, while caveolin-1 showed positive signals without apparent staining on the membrane, suggesting its existence in multiple locations. Western blot analysis confirmed the higher expression of CD147 in non-invasive (RT 112) and metastatic (UM-UC-13) bladder cancer cells compared to invasive bladder cancer cells (5637 and J82), suggesting its potential as an MP biomarker for both of the former subtypes. The identified MPs could be used as drug therapy targets aimed at improving drug sensitivity and enhancing treatment outcomes in bladder cancer patients. SIGNIFICANCE: Identification of the membrane proteins associated with bladder cancer recurrence is crucial to understanding the mechanisms underlying the drug resistance to chemotherapy.
Fulltext Cardioprotective Effects of Honey and Its Constituent: An Evidence-Based Review of Laboratory Studies and Clinical Trials

Bt Hj Idrus R, Sainik NQAV, Nordin A, Saim AB, Sulaiman N

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2020 05 21;17(10).
PMID: 32455701 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17103613

Cardiovascular disease is a major public health burden worldwide. Myocardial infarction is the most common form of cardiovascular disease resulting from low blood supply to the heart. It can lead to further complications such as cardiac arrhythmia, toxic metabolite accumulation, and permanently infarcted areas. Honey is one of the most prized medicinal remedies used since ancient times. There is evidence that indicates honey can function as a cardioprotective agent in cardiovascular diseases. The present review compiles and discusses the available evidence on the effect of honey on cardiovascular diseases. Three electronic databases, namely, PubMed, Scopus, and MEDLINE via EBSCOhost, were searched between January 1959 and March 2020 to identify reports on the cardioprotective effect of honey. Based on the pre-set eligibility criteria, 25 qualified articles were selected and discussed in this review. Honey investigated in the studies included varieties according to their geological origin. Honey protects the heart via lipid metabolism improvement, antioxidative activity, blood pressure modulation, heartbeat restoration, myocardial infarct area reduction, antiaging properties, and cell apoptosis attenuation. This review establishes honey as a potential candidate to be explored further as a natural and dietary alternative to the management of cardiovascular disease.
Fulltext Comparison between Low-Level and High-Intensity Laser Therapy as an Adjunctive Treatment for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized, Double-Blind Clinical Trial

Ahmad MA, Moganan M, A Hamid MS, Sulaiman N, Moorthy U, Hasnan N, et al.

Life (Basel), 2023 Jul 06;13(7).
PMID: 37511894 DOI: 10.3390/life13071519

BACKGROUND: Low-level (LLLT) and high-intensity laser therapy (HILT) can be beneficial additions to knee osteoarthritis (KOA) rehabilitation exercises; however, it is still being determined which electrophysical agent is more effective.
AIM: To compare the effects of LLLT and HILT as adjuncts to rehabilitation exercises (LL + EX and HL + EX) on clinical outcomes in KOA.
METHODS: Thirty-four adults with mild-to-moderate KOA were randomly allocated to either LL + EX or HL + EX (n = 17 each). Both groups underwent their respective intervention weekly for twelve weeks: LL + EX (400 mW, 830 nm, 10 to 12 J/cm2, and 400 J per session) or HL + EX (5 W, 1064 nm, 19 to 150 J/cm2, and 3190 J per session). The laser probe was placed vertically in contact with the knee and moved in a slow-scan manner on the antero-medial/lateral sides of the knee joint. Participants' Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), active knee flexion, and Timed Up-and-Go test (TUG) were assessed.
RESULTS: Post intervention, both groups showed improvements in their KOOS, NPRS, active knee flexion, and TUG scores compared to baseline (p < 0.01). The mean difference of change in KOOS, NPRS, and active knee flexion scores for the HL + EX group surpassed the minimal clinically important difference threshold. In contrast, the LL + EX group only demonstrated clinical significance for the NPRS scores.
CONCLUSIONS: Incorporating HILT as an adjunct to usual KOA rehabilitation led to significantly higher improvements in pain, physical function, and knee-related disability compared to LLLT applied in scanning mode.
Generation of a novel ex-vivo model to study re-endothelialization

Azman SS, Yazid MD, Abdul Ghani NA, Raja Sabudin RZA, Abdul Rahman MR, Sulaiman N

Artif Cells Nanomed Biotechnol, 2023 Dec;51(1):408-416.
PMID: 37584645 DOI: 10.1080/21691401.2023.2245456

Endothelial dysfunction initiates the pathogenesis of a myriad of cardiovascular diseases, yet the precise underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Current model utilises mechanical denudation of arteries resulting in an arterial-injury model with onset of intimal hyperplasia (IH). Our study shows that 5 min enzymatic denudation of human umbilical artery (hUA) lumen at 37 °C efficiently denudes hUA while maintaining vessel integrity without significantly increase intima-media thickness after 7 days in culture. This ex-vivo model will be a valuable tool in understanding the mechanism of re-endothelialization prior to smooth muscle cells (SMC) activation thus placating IH at an early stage.
Fulltext Insights into the Effects of the Dental Stem Cell Secretome on Nerve Regeneration: Towards Cell-Free Treatment

Man RC, Sulaiman N, Idrus RBH, Ariffin SHZ, Wahab RMA, Yazid MD

Stem Cells Int, 2019;2019:4596150.
PMID: 31772587 DOI: 10.1155/2019/4596150

Cell-free treatment is emerging as an alternative to cell delivery to promote endogenous regeneration using cell-derived factors. The purpose of this article was to systematically review studies of the effects of the dental stem cell secretome on nerve regeneration. PubMed and Scopus databases were used where searched and related studies were selected. The primary search identified 36 articles with the utilized keywords; however, only 13 articles met the defined inclusion criteria. Eight out of thirteen articles included in vivo and in vitro studies. We classified the dental stem cell-derived secretome with its nerve regeneration potential. All studies demonstrated that dental stem cell-derived factors promote neurotrophic effects that can mechanistically stimulate nerve regeneration in neurodegenerative diseases and nerve injury. This data collection will enable researchers to gather information to create a precise formulation for future prescribed treatments.
Fulltext Predictors of Overweight and Obesity and Its Consequences among Senoi Orang Asli (Indigenous People) Women in Perak, Malaysia

Law LS, Sulaiman N, Gan WY, Adznam SN, Mohd Taib MN

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2020 03 31;17(7).
PMID: 32244318 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17072354

In spite of the high prevalence of overweight and obesity among the Orang Asli (OA) of Malaysia being an increasing concern due to the associated adverse health implications, information regarding this issue is scarce. This cross-sectional study is aimed to investigate the predictors of overweight and obesity and its association with blood pressure and quality of life among Senoi OA women. A total of 19 villages at Batang Padang, Perak, were selected out of a total of 56 villages using a simple random sampling, in which 355 Senoi OA women were participated in the study. Face-to-face interviews were conducted to obtain information on sociodemographic characteristics, dietary intake, physical activity, and quality of life. Weight, height and blood pressure were also measured. The prevalence of overweight and obesity were 32.4% and 26.2%, respectively. In terms of multiple linear regression, monthly household income, total energy intake, and metabolic equivalents (METs) for domestic activities were found to have significantly contributed to body mass index (BMI). Furthermore, BMI contributed significantly towards levels of blood pressure and quality of life after controlling for monthly household income, total energy intake, and METs for domestic activities. In conclusion, there should be urgent attention to poverty and overweight/obesity among the OA women. The findings would aid in alerting policy makers and health professionals as underweight is no longer a sole nutritional problem among OA but it appears to be coexisting with overweight and obesity. Strategies for improving their socioeconomic status, promoting a balanced and moderate diet, and encouraging involvement of OA women in physical activities should be implemented to prevent overweight and obesity.
Fulltext Balancing functional and health benefits of food products formulated with palm oil as oil sources

Sulaiman NS, Sintang MD, Mantihal S, Zaini HM, Munsu E, Mamat H, et al.

Heliyon, 2022 Oct;8(10):e11041.
PMID: 36303903 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11041

Palm oil (PO) is widely utilised in the food industry and consumed in large quantities by humans. Owing to its bioactive components, such as fatty acids, carotenoids, vitamin E, and phenolic compounds, PO has been utilised for generations. However, public concern about their adverse effects on human health is growing. A literature search was conducted to identify fractionated palm oil processing techniques, proof of their health advantages, and potential food applications. Refined palm oil (RPO) is made from crude palm oil (CPO) and can be fractionated into palm olein (POl) and palm stearin (PS). Fractional crystallisation, dry fractionation, and solvent fractionation are the three basic fractionation procedures used in the PO industry. The composition of triacylglycerols and fatty acids in refined and fractionated palm oil and other vegetable oils is compared to elucidate the triacylglycerols and fatty acids that may be important in product development. It is well proven that RPO, POl, and PS extends the oil's shelf life in the food business. These oils have a more significant saturated fat content and antioxidant compounds than some vegetable oils, such as olive and coconut oils, making them more stable. Palm olein and stearin are also superior shortening agents and frying mediums for baking goods and meals. Furthermore, when ingested modestly daily, palm oils, especially RPO and POl, provide health benefits such as cardioprotective, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, and antithrombotic effects. Opportunities exist for fractionated palm oil to become a fat substitute; however, nutrition aspects need to be considered in further developing the market.
Fulltext Food insecurity and the metabolic syndrome among women from low income communities in Malaysia

Shariff ZM, Sulaiman N, Jalil RA, Yen WC, Yaw YH, Taib MN, et al.

Asia Pac J Clin Nutr, 2014;23(1):138-47.
PMID: 24561982 DOI: 10.6133/apjcn.2014.23.1.05

This cross-sectional study examined the relationship between household food insecurity and the metabolic syndrome (MetS) among reproductive-aged women (n=625) in low income communities. The Radimer/Cornell Hunger and Food Insecurity instrument was utilized to assess food insecurity. Anthropometry, diet diversity, blood pressure and fasting venous blood for lipid and glucose profile were also obtained. MetS was defined as having at least 3 risk factors and is in accordance with the Harmonized criteria. The prevalence of food insecurity and MetS was 78.4% (household food insecure, 26.7%; individual food insecure, 25.3%; child hunger, 26.4%) and 25.6%, respectively. While more food secure than food insecure women had elevated glucose (food secure, 54.8% vs food insecure, 37.3-46.1%), total cholesterol (food secure, 54.1% vs food insecure, 32.1-40.7%) and LDL-cholesterol (food secure, 63.7% vs food insecure, 40.6-48.7%), the percentage of women with overweight/ obesity, abdominal obesity, hypertension, high triglyceride, low HDL-cholesterol and MetS did not vary significantly by food insecurity status. However, after controlling for demographic and socioeconomic covariates, women in food insecure households were less likely to have MetS (individual food insecure and child hunger) (p<0.05), abdominal obesity (individual food insecure and child hunger) (p<0.01), elevated glucose (household food insecure), total cholesterol (child hunger) (p<0.05) and LDL-cholesterol (household food insecure and child hunger) (p<0.05) compared to food secure women. Efforts to improve food insecurity of low income households undergoing nutrition transition should address availability and accessibility to healthy food choices and nutrition education that could reduce the risk of diet-related chronic diseases.
Mercury in dental amalgam: Are our health care workers at risk?

Sahani M, Sulaiman NS, Tan BS, Yahya NA, Anual ZF, Mahiyuddin WR, et al.

J Air Waste Manag Assoc, 2016 Nov;66(11):1077-1083.
PMID: 27192328 DOI: 10.1080/10962247.2016.1188866

Dental amalgam in fillings exposes workers to mercury. The exposure to mercury was investigated among 1871 dental health care workers. The aim of the study was to evaluate the risk of mercury exposure among dental compared to nondental health care workers and to determine other risk factors for mercury exposure. Respondents answered questionnaires to obtain demographic, personal, professional, and workplace information and were examined for their own amalgam fillings. Chronic mercury exposure was assessed through urinary mercury levels. In total, 1409 dental and 462 nondental health care workers participated in the study. Median urine mercury levels for dental and nondental health care workers were 2.75 μg/L (interquartile range [IQR] = 3.0175) and 2.66 μg/L (IQR = 3.04) respectively. For mercury exposure, there were no significant risk factor found among the workers involved within the dental care. The Mann-Whitney test showed that urine mercury levels were significantly different between respondents who eat seafood more than 5 times per week compared to those who eat it less frequently or not at all (p = 0.003). The urinary mercury levels indicated significant difference between dental workers in their practice using squeeze cloths (Mann-Whitney test, p = 0.03). Multiple logistic regression showed that only the usage of cosmetic products that might contain mercury was found to be significantly associated with the urinary mercury levels (odds ratio [OR] = 15.237; CI: 3.612-64.276). Therefore, mean urinary mercury levels of health care workers were low. Exposure to dental amalgam is not associated with high mercury exposure. However, usage of cosmetic products containing mercury and high seafood consumption may lead to the increase of exposure to mercury.

IMPLICATIONS: Exposure to the high levels of mercury from dental amalgam can lead to serious health effects among the dental health care workers. Nationwide chronic mercury exposure among dental personnel was assessed through urinary mercury levels. Findings suggest low urinary mercury levels of these health care workers. Exposure to dental amalgam is not associated with high mercury exposure. However, the usage of cosmetic products containing mercury and high seafood consumption may lead to the increase of exposure to mercury.
Fulltext Insect community in riparian zones of Sungai Sepetang, Sungai Rembau and Sungai Chukai of Peninsular Malaysia

Abdullah NA, Radzi SNF, Asri LN, Idris NS, Husin S, Sulaiman A, et al.

Biodivers Data J, 2019;7:e35679.
PMID: 31582889 DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.7.e35679

Riparian areas hold vast number of flora and fauna with exceptional contributions to the ecosystem. A study was conducted in Sungai Sepetang, Sungai Rembau and Sungai Chukai to identify the insect community in a riparian zone of Peninsular Malaysia. Sampling was conducted in six consecutive months from December 2017 to May 2018 during both day and night using sweep nets. Twenty sampling stations (S1-S20) had been assembled along the riverbanks with an average distance of 200 m between each station. The 17,530 collected insects were from 11 orders and consisted of Diptera, Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, Neuroptera, Orthoptera, Blattodea, Thysanoptera, Mantodea and Odonata. The three most abundant orders were Diptera (33.84%; 5933 individuals), Coleoptera (28.82%; 5053 individuals) and Hemiptera (25.62%: 4491 individuals). The collected insect community consisted of different guilds such as the scavenger, predator, herbivore, pollinator and parasitoid. Sungai Sepetang and Sungai Rembau were dominated by mangrove flora, Sonneratia caseolaris (Myrtales: Lythraceae), while Sungai Chukai was dominated by Barringtonia racemosa. There was a significant difference (p < 0.05) in the composition of insects between the three rivers though clustering analysis showed that the insect communities in Sungai Sepetang and Sungai Rembau were 100% similar compared to Sungai Chukai which consisted of a totally different community. There is a significant negative correlation between abundance of insects with salinity and wind speed at Sungai Chukai and Sungai Sepetang.
Current Status, Challenges, and Possible Solutions of EEG-Based Brain-Computer Interface: A Comprehensive Review

Rashid M, Sulaiman N, P P Abdul Majeed A, Musa RM, Ab Nasir AF, Bari BS, et al.

Front Neurorobot, 2020;14:25.
PMID: 32581758 DOI: 10.3389/fnbot.2020.00025

Brain-Computer Interface (BCI), in essence, aims at controlling different assistive devices through the utilization of brain waves. It is worth noting that the application of BCI is not limited to medical applications, and hence, the research in this field has gained due attention. Moreover, the significant number of related publications over the past two decades further indicates the consistent improvements and breakthroughs that have been made in this particular field. Nonetheless, it is also worth mentioning that with these improvements, new challenges are constantly discovered. This article provides a comprehensive review of the state-of-the-art of a complete BCI system. First, a brief overview of electroencephalogram (EEG)-based BCI systems is given. Secondly, a considerable number of popular BCI applications are reviewed in terms of electrophysiological control signals, feature extraction, classification algorithms, and performance evaluation metrics. Finally, the challenges to the recent BCI systems are discussed, and possible solutions to mitigate the issues are recommended.
Influence of physico-chemical characteristics of rembau river, peninsular Malaysia, on congregating Pteroptyx fireflies

Abdullah NA, Asri LN, Husin SM, Shukor AM, Darbis NDA, Ismail K, et al.

Environ Monit Assess, 2021 Sep 07;193(10):634.
PMID: 34491451 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-021-09426-y

We studied the water quality of the riparian firefly sanctuary of Sungai Rembau, or Rembau River, in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia, from January 2018 to November 2018 to determine the possible influence of the physico-chemical characteristics of the water on the firefly populations living within the sanctuary. We set up a total of five water quality sampling stations and 10 firefly sampling stations along the river. Dissolved oxygen (DO), temperature, pH and electrical conductivity (EC) were measured in situ, while chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and ammonia-nitrogen (NH3-N) were analysed in the laboratory. Firefly samples were collected using a sweep net at both day and night for 1 min. Sungai Rembau was categorized as Class II on the Malaysian water quality index (WQI), which indicates slight pollution. Except for EC and DO, the water quality parameter values were not significantly different (p > 0.05) between the sampling stations. A total of 529 firefly individuals consisting of Pteroptyx tener (n = 525, 99.24%), P. malaccae (n = 3, 0.57%) and P. asymmetria (n = 1, 0.19%) were collected. There was significant correlation between firefly abundance and BOD (r = - 0.198, p N (r = - 0.150, p

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