Displaying publications 61 - 80 of 144 in total

Abstract:
Sort:
  1. Fulltext Severe traumatic brain injury: outcome in patients with diffuse axonal injury managed conservatively in Hospital Sultanah Aminah, Johor Bahru--an observational study
    Liew BS, Johari SA, Nasser AW, Abdullah J
    Med J Malaysia, 2009 Dec;64(4):280-8.
    PMID: 20954551
    Patients with isolated severe head injury with diffuse axonal injury and without any surgical lesion may be treated safely without cerebral resuscitation and intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring. Seventy two patients were divided into three groups of patients receiving treatment based on ICP-CPP-targeted, or conservative methods either with or without ventilation support. The characteristics of these three groups were compared based on age, gender, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), pupillary reaction to light, computerized tomography scanning according to the Marshall classification, duration of intensive care unit (ICU) stays, Glasgow Outcome Score (GOS) and possible complications. There were higher risk of mortality (p < 0.001), worse GCS improvement upon discharge (p < 0.001) and longer ICU stays (p = 0.016) in ICP group compared to Intubation group. There were no significant statistical differences of GOS at 3rd and 6th months between all three groups.
  2. Fulltext Strategies for the preparation of non-amplified and amplified genomic dengue gene samples for electrochemical DNA biosensing applications
    Abdul Rashid JI, Yusof NA, Abdullah J, Shomiad Shueb RH
    RSC Adv, 2021 Dec 20;12(1):1-10.
    PMID: 35424522 DOI: 10.1039/d1ra06753b
    The application of electrochemical DNA biosensors in real genomic sample detection is challenging due to the existence of complex structures and low genomic concentrations, resulting in inconsistent and low current signals. This work highlights strategies for the treatment of non-amplified and amplified genomic dengue virus gene samples based on real samples before they can be used directly in our DNA electrochemical sensing system, using methylene blue (MB) as a redox indicator. The main steps in this study for preparing non-amplified cDNA were cDNA conversion, heat denaturation, and sonication. To prepare amplified cDNA dengue virus genomic samples using an RT-PCR approach, we optimized a few parameters, such as the annealing temperature, sonication time, and reverse to forward (R/F) primer concentration ratio. We discovered that the generated methylene blue (MB) signals during the electrochemical sensing of non-amplified and amplified samples differ due to the different MB binding affinities based on the sequence length and base composition. The findings show that our developed electrochemical DNA biosensor successfully discriminates MB current signals in the presence and absence of the target genomic dengue virus, indicating that both samples were successfully treated. This work also provides interesting information about the critical factors in the preparation of genomic gene samples for developing miniaturized PCR-based electrochemical sensing applications in the future. We also discuss the limitations and provide suggestions related to using redox-indicator-based electrochemical biosensors to detect real genomic nucleic acid genes.
  3. Fulltext Strategies in the optimization of DNA hybridization conditions and its role in electrochemical detection of dengue virus (DENV) using response surface methodology (RSM)
    Abdul Rashid JI, Yusof NA, Abdullah J, Shomiad Shueb RH
    RSC Adv, 2023 Jun 15;13(27):18748-18759.
    PMID: 37362605 DOI: 10.1039/d3ra00216k
    In recent years, limited research has been conducted on enhancing DNA hybridization-based biosensor approaches using statistical models. This study explores the application of response surface methodology (RSM) to improve the performance of a DNA hybridization biosensor for dengue virus (DENV) detection. The biosensor is based on silicon nanowires decorated with gold nanoparticles (SiNWs/AuNPs) and utilizes methylene blue as a redox indicator. The DNA hybridization process between the immobilized DNA probe and the target DENV gene was monitored using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) based on the reduction of methylene blue. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were employed to confirm successful DNA hybridization events on the modified screen-printed gold electrode (SPGE) surface. Several parameters, including pH buffer, NaCl concentration, temperature, and hybridization time, were simultaneously optimized, with NaCl concentration having the most significant impact on DNA hybridization events. This study enhances the understanding of the role of each parameter in influencing DNA hybridization detection in electrochemical biosensors. The optimized biosensor demonstrated the ability to detect complementary oligonucleotide and amplified DENV gene concentrations as low as 0.0891 ng µL-1 (10 pM) and 2.8 ng µL-1, respectively. The developed biosensor shows promise for rapid clinical diagnosis of dengue virus infection.
  4. Fulltext Bilateral subtentorial empyema complicated with nosocomial acinectobacter ventriculitis: a case report
    Sim SK, Ch'ng CH, Tan YC, Kandasamy R, Abdullah JM
    Med J Malaysia, 2014 Apr;69(2):86-8.
    PMID: 25241818 MyJurnal
    Subtentorial subdural empyema is a rare and life threatening intracranial suppuration. It is usually an intracranial complication of otogenic infections. Early diagnosis and surgical drainage are the most important factors determining prognosis. The high mortality reported in the literature reflects the severity of subtentorial subdural empyema if proper management is delayed. Intracranial infections usually require between 4 to 6 weeks of intravenous antibiotics therapy. However, the prolonged duration of hospitalization as well as requirement for neurosurgically inserted indwelling devices may predispose these patients to new nosocomial infections.
  5. Fulltext Development of vision based multiview gait recognition system with MMUGait database
    Ng H, Tan WH, Abdullah J, Tong HL
    ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:376569.
    PMID: 25143972 DOI: 10.1155/2014/376569
    This paper describes the acquisition setup and development of a new gait database, MMUGait. This database consists of 82 subjects walking under normal condition and 19 subjects walking with 11 covariate factors, which were captured under two views. This paper also proposes a multiview model-based gait recognition system with joint detection approach that performs well under different walking trajectories and covariate factors, which include self-occluded or external occluded silhouettes. In the proposed system, the process begins by enhancing the human silhouette to remove the artifacts. Next, the width and height of the body are obtained. Subsequently, the joint angular trajectories are determined once the body joints are automatically detected. Lastly, crotch height and step-size of the walking subject are determined. The extracted features are smoothened by Gaussian filter to eliminate the effect of outliers. The extracted features are normalized with linear scaling, which is followed by feature selection prior to the classification process. The classification experiments carried out on MMUGait database were benchmarked against the SOTON Small DB from University of Southampton. Results showed correct classification rate above 90% for all the databases. The proposed approach is found to outperform other approaches on SOTON Small DB in most cases.
  6. Rapid detection of Salmonella Typhi by loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method
    Abdullah J, Saffie N, Sjasri FA, Husin A, Abdul-Rahman Z, Ismail A, et al.
    Braz J Microbiol, 2014;45(4):1385-91.
    PMID: 25763045
    An in-house loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) reaction was established and evaluated for sensitivity and specificity in detecting the presence of Salmonella Typhi (S. Typhi) isolates from Kelantan, Malaysia. Three sets of primers consisting of two outer and 4 inner were designed based on locus STBHUCCB_38510 of chaperone PapD of S. Typhi genes. The reaction was optimised using genomic DNA of S. Typhi ATCC7251 as the template. The products were visualised directly by colour changes of the reaction. Positive results were indicated by green fluorescence and negative by orange colour. The test was further evaluated for specificity, sensitivity and application on field samples. The results were compared with those obtained by gold standard culture method and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). This method was highly specific and -10 times more sensitive in detecting S. Typhi compared to the optimised conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method.
  7. Fulltext Construction of an Electrochemical Sensor Based on Carbon Nanotubes/Gold Nanoparticles for Trace Determination of Amoxicillin in Bovine Milk
    Muhammad A, Yusof NA, Hajian R, Abdullah J
    Sensors (Basel), 2016;16(1).
    PMID: 26805829 DOI: 10.3390/s16010056
    In this work, a novel electrochemical sensor was fabricated for determination of amoxicillin in bovine milk samples by decoration of carboxylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using ethylenediamine (en) as a cross linker (AuNPs/en-MWCNTs). The constructed nanocomposite was homogenized in dimethylformamide and drop casted on screen printed electrode. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-Ray (EDX), X-Ray diffraction (XRD) and cyclic voltammetry were used to characterize the synthesized nanocomposites. The results show that the synthesized nanocomposites induced a remarkable synergetic effect for the oxidation of amoxicillin. Effect of some parameters, including pH, buffer, scan rate, accumulation potential, accumulation time and amount of casted nanocomposites, on the sensitivity of fabricated sensor were optimized. Under the optimum conditions, there was two linear calibration ranges from 0.2-10 µM and 10-30 µM with equations of Ipa (µA) = 2.88C (µM) + 1.2017; r = 0.9939 and Ipa (µA) = 0.88C (µM) + 22.97; r = 0.9973, respectively. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) were calculated as 0.015 µM and 0.149 µM, respectively. The fabricated electrochemical sensor was successfully applied for determination of Amoxicillin in bovine milk samples and all results compared with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) standard method.
  8. Fulltext Nonlinear multi independent variables in quantifying river bank erosion using Neural Network AutoRegressive eXogenous (NNARX) model
    Saadon A, Abdullah J, Mohd Yassin I, Muhammad NS, Ariffin J
    Heliyon, 2024 Feb 29;10(4):e26252.
    PMID: 38404813 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e26252
    This study proposed a novel application of Neural Network AutoRegressive eXogenous (NNARX) model in predicting nonlinear behaviour of riverbank erosion rates which is difficult to be achieved with good accuracy using conventional approaches. This model can estimate complex river bank erosion rates with flow variations. The NNARX model analysed to a set of primary data, 60% (203 data for training) and 40% (135 data for testing), which were collected from Sg. Bernam, Malaysia. A set of nondimensional parameters, known as functional relationship, used as an input to the NNARX model has been established using the method of repeating variables. The One-Step-Ahead time series prediction plots are used to assess the accuracy of all developed models. Model no. 6 (5 independent variables with 10 hidden layers) gives good predictive performance, supported by the graphical analysis with discrepancy ratio of 94% and 90% for training and testing datasets. This finding is consistent with model accuracy result, where Model no. 6 achieved R2 of 0.932 and 0.788 for training and testing datasets, respectively. Result shows that bank erosion is maximized when the near-bank velocity between 0.2 and 0.5 m/s, and the riverbank erosion is between 1.5 and 1.8 m/year. On the other hand, higher velocities ranging from 0.8 to 1.3 m/s induces erosion at a rate between 0.1 and 0.4 m/year. Sensitivity analysis shows that the highest accuracy of 91% is given by the ratio of shear velocity to near-bank velocity followed by boundary shear stress to near-bank velocity ratio (88.5%) and critical shear stress to near-bank velocity ratio (88.2%). It is concluded that the developed model has accurately predicted non-linear behaviour of riverbank erosion rates with flow variations. The study's findings provide valuable insights in advanced simulations and predictions of channel migration, encompassing both lateral and vertical movements, the repercussions on the adjacent river corridor, assessing the extent of land degradation and in formulating plans for effective riverbank protection and management measures.
  9. Unilateral exophthalmos caused by an extramedullary plasmacytoma: a case report
    Ashraf M, Abdullah J, Ariff A, Biswal BM, Mokhtar I, Othman N
    Malays J Med Sci, 2003 Jan;10(1):95-9.
    PMID: 23365508
    Solitary plasmacytoma of the head and neck is a rare disease entity. Its description in the literature consist of some case reports. Solitary plasmacytoma presenting with exophthalmos are rare. We report a case of intracranial solitary plasmacytoma in an elderly lady with involvement of the right orbitocranial region presenting with severe exophthalmos. The tumour was debulked and radiotherapy was given.
  10. Oil palm fiber biodegradation: physico-chemical and structural relationships
    Omar FN, Hafid HS, Samsu Baharuddin A, Mohammed MAP, Abdullah J
    Planta, 2017 Sep;246(3):567-577.
    PMID: 28620814 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-017-2717-5
    MAIN CONCLUSION: X-ray microtomography results revealed that delignification process damaged the oil palm fibers, which correlated well with reduction of lignin components and increase of the phenolic content. Biodegradation investigation of natural fibers normally focuses on physico-chemical analysis, with less emphasis on physical aspect like fiber structures affect from microbial activity. In this work, the performance of Pycnoporus sanguineus to delignify oil palm empty fruit bunch fibers through solid-state fermentation utilizing various ratio of POME sludge was reported. In addition to tensile testing, physico-chemical and X-ray microtomography (µ-CT) analyses on the oil palm fibers were conducted to determine the effectiveness of the degradation process. The best ratio of fiber to fungi (60:40) was chosen based on the highest lignin loss and total phenolic content values and further investigation was performed to obtain fermentation kinetics data of both laccase and manganese peroxidase. µ-CT results revealed that delignification process damaged the pre-treated and untreated fibers structure, as evident from volume reduction after degradation process. This is correlated with reduction of lignin component and increase of the phenolic content, as well as lower stress-strain curves of the pre-treated fibers compared to the untreated ones (from tensile testing). It is suggested that P. sanguineus preferred to consume the outer layer of the fiber, before it penetrates through the cellular structure of the inner fiber.
  11. Fulltext Synthesis and Characterization of Polyaniline/Graphene Composite Nanofiber and Its Application as an Electrochemical DNA Biosensor for the Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
    Mohamad FS, Mat Zaid MH, Abdullah J, Zawawi RM, Lim HN, Sulaiman Y, et al.
    Sensors (Basel), 2017 Dec 02;17(12).
    PMID: 29207463 DOI: 10.3390/s17122789
    This article describes chemically modified polyaniline and graphene (PANI/GP) composite nanofibers prepared by self-assembly process using oxidative polymerization of aniline monomer and graphene in the presence of a solution containing poly(methyl vinyl ether-alt-maleic acid) (PMVEA). Characterization of the composite nanofibers was carried out by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). SEM images revealed the size of the PANI nanofibers ranged from 90 to 360 nm in diameter and was greatly influenced by the proportion of PMVEA and graphene. The composite nanofibers with an immobilized DNA probe were used for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by using an electrochemical technique. A photochemical indicator, methylene blue (MB) was used to monitor the hybridization of target DNA by using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) method. The detection range of DNA biosensor was obtained from of 10-6-10-9 M with the detection limit of 7.853 × 10-7 M under optimum conditions. The results show that the composite nanofibers have a great potential in a range of applications for DNA sensors.
  12. Fulltext Immuno Nanosensor for the Ultrasensitive Naked Eye Detection of Tuberculosis
    Mohd Bakhori N, Yusof NA, Abdullah J, Wasoh H, Md Noor SS, Ahmad Raston NH, et al.
    Sensors (Basel), 2018 Jun 14;18(6).
    PMID: 29899214 DOI: 10.3390/s18061932
    In the present study, a beneficial approach for the ultrasensitive and affordable naked eye detection and diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) by utilizing plasmonic enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) via antibody-antigen interaction was studied. Here, the biocatalytic cycle of the intracellular enzymes links to the formation and successive growth of the gold nanoparticles (GNPs) for ultrasensitive detection. The formation of different colored solutions by the plasmonic nanoparticles in the presence of enzyme labels links directly to the existence or non-existence of the TB analytes in the sample solutions. For disease detection, the adapted protocol is based mainly on the conventional ELISA procedure that involves catalase-labeled antibodies, i.e., the enzymes consume hydrogen peroxide and further produce GNPs with the addition of gold (III) chloride. The amount of hydrogen peroxide remaining in the solution determines whether the GNPs solution is to be formed in the color blue or the color red, as it serves as a confirmation for the naked eye detection of TB analytes. However, the conventional ELISA method only shows tonal colors that need a high concentration of analyte to achieve high confidence levels for naked eye detection. Also, in this research, we proposed the incorporation of protein biomarker, Mycobacterium tuberculosis ESAT-6-like protein esxB (CFP-10), as a means of TB detection using plasmonic ELISA. With the use of this technique, the CFP-10 detection limit can be lowered to 0.01 µg/mL by the naked eye. Further, our developed technique was successfully tested and confirmed with sputum samples from patients diagnosed with positive TB, thereby providing enough evidence for the utilization of our technique in the early diagnosis of TB disease.
  13. Fulltext Malaysian Carica papaya L. var. Eksotika: Current Research Strategies Fronting Challenges
    Sekeli R, Hamid MH, Razak RA, Wee CY, Ong-Abdullah J
    Front Plant Sci, 2018;9:1380.
    PMID: 30279695 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2018.01380
    Carica papaya L. or commonly known as papaya, is a major tropical crop consumed worldwide either as a vegetable or fresh fruit or processed products. In Malaysia, papaya was initially planted as a smallholder crop throughout the country. Eventually after 15 years of breeding and selection, a new variety, named C. papaya L. var. Eksotika, was released by the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) in 1987. This event changed the outlook of papaya planting from a smallholder crop to a plantation crop. Despite the blooming papaya business, the industry faced various disease issues that jeopardize its future. The most devastating was the papaya dieback disease, which affected approximately 800 hectares of plantation, destroyed approximately 1 million trees nationwide with total losses estimated at US$ 58 million. Even though Eksotika is a favored commercial variety with good eating and aesthetic quality fruit, its potential for more lucrative distant markets is tarnished with its short-shelf life fruits. Several strategies had been reported to address the challenges faced by Eksotika specifically against the dieback disease and the fruit's short shelf-life. This review focuses on C. papaya L. var. Eksotika particularly on the strategies to address the challenges faced in order to sustain the economic value of this crop plant, which had contributed significantly to the Malaysian economy.
  14. Label-free optical spectroscopy for characterizing binding properties of highly sensitive nanocrystalline cellulose-graphene oxide based nanocomposite towards nickel ion
    Daniyal WMEMM, Fen YW, Abdullah J, Sadrolhosseini AR, Saleviter S, Omar NAS
    Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc, 2019 Apr 05;212:25-31.
    PMID: 30594850 DOI: 10.1016/j.saa.2018.12.031
    Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is a label-free optical spectroscopy that is widely used for biomolecular interaction analysis. In this work, SPR was used to characterize the binding properties of highly sensitive nanocrystalline cellulose-graphene oxide based nanocomposite (CTA-NCC/GO) towards nickel ion. The formation of CTA-NCC/GO nanocomposite has been confirmed by FT-IR. The SPR analysis result shows that the CTA-NCC/GO has high binding affinity towards Ni2+ from 0.01 until 0.1 ppm with binding affinity constant of 1.620 × 103 M-1. The sensitivity for the CTA-NCC/GO calculated was 1.509° ppm-1. The full width at half maximum (FWHM), data accuracy (DA), and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) have also been determined using the obtained SPR curve. For the FWHM, the value was 2.25° at 0.01 until 0.08 ppm and decreases to 2.12° at 0.1 until 10 ppm. The DA for the SPR curves is the highest at 0.01 until 0.08 ppm and lowest at 0.1 until 10 ppm. The SNR curves mirrors the curves of SPR angle shift where the SNR increases with the Ni2+ concentrations. For the selectivity test, the CTA-NCC/GO has the abilities to differentiate Ni2+ in the mixture of metal ions.
  15. Nanocrystalline cellulose decorated quantum dots based tyrosinase biosensor for phenol determination
    Manan FAA, Hong WW, Abdullah J, Yusof NA, Ahmad I
    Mater Sci Eng C Mater Biol Appl, 2019 Jun;99:37-46.
    PMID: 30889711 DOI: 10.1016/j.msec.2019.01.082
    Novel biosensor architecture based on nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC)/CdS quantum dots (QDs) nanocomposite was developed for phenol determination. This nanocomposite was prepared with slight modification of nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) with cationic surfactant of cetyltriammonium bromide (CTAB) and further decorated with 3-mercaptopropionic acid (3-MPA) capped CdS QDs. The nanocomposite material was then employed as scaffold for immobilization of tyrosinase enzyme (Tyr). The electrocatalytic response of Tyr/CTAB-NCC/QDs nanocomposite towards phenol was evaluated using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The current response obtained is proportional to the concentration of phenol which attributed to the reduction of o-quinone produced at the surface of the modified electrode. Under the optimal conditions, the biosensor exhibits good linearity towards phenol in the concentration range of 5-40 μM (R2 = 0.9904) with sensitivity and limit of detection (LOD) of 0.078 μA/μM and 0.082 μM, respectively.
  16. A systematic review of the computerized tools and digital techniques applied to fabricate nasal, auricular, orbital and ocular prostheses for facial defect rehabilitation
    Farook TH, Jamayet NB, Abdullah JY, Rajion ZA, Alam MK
    J Stomatol Oral Maxillofac Surg, 2020 Jun;121(3):268-277.
    PMID: 31610244 DOI: 10.1016/j.jormas.2019.10.003
    A systematic review was conducted in early 2019 to evaluate the articles published that dealt with digital workflow, CAD, rapid prototyping and digital image processing in the rehabilitation by maxillofacial prosthetics. The objective of the review was to primarily identify the recorded cases of orofacial rehabilitation made by maxillofacial prosthetics using computer assisted 3D printing. Secondary objectives were to analyze the methods of data acquisition recorded with challenges and limitations documented with various software in the workflow. Articles were searched from Scopus, PubMed and Google Scholar based on the predetermined eligibility criteria. Thirty-nine selected papers from 1992 to 2019 were then read and categorized according to type of prosthesis described in the papers. For nasal prostheses, Common Methods of data acquisition mentioned were computed tomography, photogrammetry and laser scanners. After image processing, computer aided design (CAD) was used to design and merge the prosthesis to the peripheral healthy tissue. Designing and printing the mold was more preferred. Moisture and muscle movement affected the overall fit especially for prostheses directly designed and printed. For auricular prostheses, laser scanning was most preferred. For unilateral defects, CAD was used to mirror the healthy tissue over to the defect side. Authors emphasized on the need of digital library for prostheses selection, especially for bilateral defects. Printing the mold and conventionally creating the prosthesis was most preferred due to issues of proper fit and color matching. Orbital prostheses follow a similar workflow as auricular prosthesis. 3D photogrammetry and laser scans were more preferred and directly printing the prosthesis was favored in various instance. However, ocular prostheses fabrication was recorded to be a challenge due to difficulties in appropriate volume reconstruction and inability to mirror healthy globe. Only successful cases of digitally designed and printed iris were noted.
  17. A fluorescence quenching based gene assay for Escherichia coli O157:H7 using graphene quantum dots and gold nanoparticles
    Saad SM, Abdullah J, Rashid SA, Fen YW, Salam F, Yih LH
    Mikrochim Acta, 2019 11 19;186(12):804.
    PMID: 31745737 DOI: 10.1007/s00604-019-3913-8
    A fluorometric assay is described for highly sensitive quantification of Escherichia coli O157:H7. Reporter oligos were immobilized on graphene quantum dots (GQDs), and quencher oligos were immobilized on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). Target DNA was co-hybridized with reporter oligos on the GQDs and quencher oligos on AuNPs. This triggers quenching of fluorescence (with excitation/emission peaks at 400 nm/530 nm). On introducing target into the system, fluorescence is quenched by up to 95% by 100 nM concentrations of target oligos having 20 bp. The response to the fliC gene of E. coli O157:H7 increases with the logarithm of the concentration in the range from 0.1 nM to 150 nM. The limit of detection is 1.1 ± 0.6 nM for n = 3. The selectivity and specificity of the assay was confirmed by evaluating the various oligos sequences and PCR product (fliC gene) amplified from genomic DNA of the food samples spiked with E. coli O157:H7. Graphical abstractSchematic representation of fluorometric assay for highly sensitive quantification of Escherichia coli O157:H7 based on fluorescence quenching gene assay for fliC gene of E. coli O157:H7.
  18. Selective and simultaneous detection of cadmium, lead and copper by tapioca-derived carbon dot-modified electrode
    Pudza MY, Abidin ZZ, Abdul-Rashid S, Yasin FM, Noor ASM, Abdullah J
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2020 Apr;27(12):13315-13324.
    PMID: 32020456 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-07695-7
    The need for the sensing of environmental pollutants cannot be overemphasized in the twenty-first century. Herein, a sensor has been developed for the sensitive and selective detection of copper (Cu2+), lead (Pb2+) and cadmium (Cd2+) as major heavy metals polluting water environment. A screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) modified by fluorescent carbon dots (CDs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) was successfully fabricated for sensing Cu2+, Pb2+ and Cd2+. Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) were deployed for the analysis of ternary analytes. CV was set at a potential range of - 0.8 to + 0.2 V at a scan rate of 100 mV/s, and DPV at a potential range of - 0.8 to + 0.1 V, scan rate of 50 mV/s, pulse rate of 0.2 V and pulse width of 50 ms. DPV technique was applied through the modified electrode for sensitive and selective determination of Cu2+, Pb2+ and Cd2+ at a concentration range of 0.01 to 0.27 ppm for Cu2+, Pb2+ and Cd2+. Tolerance for the highest possible concentration of foreign substances such as Mg2+, K+, Na+, NO3-, and SO42- was observed with a relative error less than ± 3%. The sensitivity of the modified electrode was at 0.17, 0.42 and 0.18 ppm for Cd2+, Pb2+ and Cu2+, respectively, while the limits of detection (LOD) achieved for cadmium, lead and copper were 0.0028, 0.0042 and 0.014 ppm, respectively. The quality of the modified electrode for sensing Cu2+, Pb2+ and Cd2+ at trace levels is in accordance with the World Health Organization (WHO) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) water regulation standard. The modified SPCE provides a cost-effective, dependable and stable means of detecting heavy metal ions (Cu2+, Pb2+ and Cd2+) in an aqueous solution. Graphical abstract .
  19. Fluorescence-based immunoassay for the detection of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae in rice leaf
    Awaludin N, Abdullah J, Salam F, Ramachandran K, Yusof NA, Wasoh H
    Anal Biochem, 2020 12 01;610:113876.
    PMID: 32750357 DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2020.113876
    The identification of rice bacterial leaf blight disease requires a simple, rapid, highly sensitive, and quantitative approach that can be applied as an early detection monitoring tool in rice health. This paper highlights the development of a turn-off fluorescence-based immunoassay for the early detection of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), a gram-negative bacterium that causes rice bacterial leaf blight disease. Antibodies against Xoo bacterial cells were produced as specific bio-recognition molecules and the conjugation of these antibodies with graphene quantum dots and gold nanoparticles was performed and characterized, respectively. The combination of both these bio-probes as a fluorescent donor and metal quencher led to changes in the fluorescence signal. The immunoreaction between AntiXoo-GQDs, Xoo cells, and AntiXoo-AuNPs in the immuno-aggregation complex led to the energy transfer in the turn-off fluorescence-based quenching system. The change in fluorescence intensity was proportional to the logarithm of Xoo cells in the range of 100-105 CFU mL-1. The limit of detection was achieved at 22 CFU mL-1 and the specificity test against other plant disease pathogens showed high specificity towards Xoo. The detection of Xoo in real plant samples was also performed in this study and demonstrated satisfactory results.
  20. The use of magnetic resonance phase-contrast cine in Chiari malformation with syringomyelia
    Goh CH, Hamzah MR, Kandasamy R, Ghani ARI, Wong SH, Idris Z, et al.
    Med J Malaysia, 2020 11;75(6):666-671.
    PMID: 33219175
    INTRODUCTION: Chiari malformation (CM) is a disorder of mesodermal origin and is commonly associated with syringomyelia. Foramen magnum decompression is the first-line of standard treatment in symptomatic patients with a confirmed radiographic diagnosis. Magnetic resonance (MR) cine allows accurate evaluation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) physiology at the craniovertebral junction but often this is under-utilised in Malaysia.

    METHODS: In this series, we looked into nine cases of CM with syringomyelia from clinical and radiological perspective before and after surgery. The radiological parameters were herniated tonsillar length, syrinx: cord ratio, syrinx length and diameter. Flow velocity and morphologic changes in Chiari were illustrated.

    RESULTS: Seven patients showed either reduction in syrinx length, syrinx: cord ratio or both postoperatively. Clinical recovery somewhat varied in motor and sensory symptoms. Four patients gained better functional grade in modified Rankin scale (MRS) while the rest remained similar. The study highlighted the advantage of CSF flow dynamics information over MR anatomical radiographic improvement in addressing the neurologic and functional recovery. We also discussed the practicality of cine sequence in preoperative patient selection, syrinx analysis and postoperative flow evaluation in anticipation of clinical outcome.

    CONCLUSION: Phase-contrast cine MRI is a useful tool dictated by resource availability. We recommend its routine use in preoperative analysis and subsequent observational follow-up after surgery.

Related Terms
Filters
Contact Us

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

External Links