Displaying publications 61 - 80 of 106 in total

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  1. Sea cucumber (Stichopus hermanii) based hydrogel to treat burn wounds in rats
    Zohdi RM, Zakaria ZA, Yusof N, Mustapha NM, Abdullah MN
    J Biomed Mater Res B Appl Biomater, 2011 Jul;98(1):30-7.
    PMID: 21504052 DOI: 10.1002/jbm.b.31828
    Malaysian sea cucumber was incorporated into hydrogel formulation by using electron beam irradiation technique and was introduced as novel cross-linked Gamat Hydrogel dressing. This study investigated whether Gamat Hydrogel enhanced repair of deep partial skin thickness burn wound in rats and its possible mechanism. Wounds were treated with either Gamat Hydrogel, control hydrogel, OpSite® film dressing or left untreated. Skin samples were taken at 7, 14, 21, and 28 days post burn for histological and molecular evaluations. Gamat Hydrogel markedly enhanced wound contraction and improved histological reorganization of the regenerating tissue. Furthermore, the dressing modulated the inflammatory responses, stimulated the activation and proliferation of fibroblasts, and enhanced rapid production of collagen fiber network with a consequently shorter healing time. The level of proinflammatory cytokines; IL-1α, IL-1β, and IL-6, were significantly reduced in Gamat Hydrogel treated wounds compared with other groups as assessed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). In summary, our results showed that Gamat Hydrogel promoted burn wound repair via a complex mechanism involving stimulation of tissue regeneration and regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines. The resultant wound healing effects were attributed to the synergistic effect of the hydrogel matrix and incorporated sea cucumber.
  2. Fulltext Bilateral persistent sciatic arteries with unilateral complicating aneurysm
    Aziz ME, Yusof NR, Abdullah MS, Yusof AH, Yusof MI
    Singapore Med J, 2005 Aug;46(8):426-8.
    PMID: 16049615
    Persistent sciatic artery is a very uncommon embryological vascular variant. This case report highlights this rare vascular anomaly, diagnostic difficulty, complication and subsequent treatment in a 43-year-old man who presented with sudden onset of right leg pain for a few hours. He was unable to walk because of pain and numbness. Emergency right lower limb angiogram showed a large aneurysm that was initially thought to arise from the right common femoral artery, associated with thrombus formation within the right popliteal artery. A below knee amputation was performed due to worsening ischaemia of the right leg. The persistent right sciatic artery was later obliterated using percutaneous stenting and endovascular grafting, with deployment of two wallstents.
  3. Glycerol preserved bovine pericardium for abdominal wall reconstruction: experimental study in rat model
    Hafeez YM, Zuki AB, Loqman MY, Yusof N, Asnah H, Noordin MM
    Med J Malaysia, 2004 May;59 Suppl B:117-8.
    PMID: 15468846
    The aim of this study was to evaluate bovine pericardium surgical patch in rat model. Bovine pericardial sacs collected from local abattoir were cleaned, disinfected and cut into pieces of 3 by 2.5cm and preserved in 99.5% glycerol. Full thickness abdominal wall defects of 3 by 2.5 cm were created in 30 adult male Sprague Dawley rats and repaired with glycerol preserved pieces. The rats were serially sacrificed in a group of six rats at 1,3,6,9 and 18 weeks post-surgical intervals for morphological and tensometeric study. Macroscopically, no mortality or postoperative surgical complications was encountered except slight adhesions between implanted grafts and some visceral organs in 10% of the rats. Microscopically no calcification or foreign body giant cell formation was found in the explanted grafts. The implanted grafts were replaced gradually with recipient tissue, which made mainly of dense collagenous bundles. The healing strength between the implanted grafts and the recipient abdominal wall was gradually increased with time. The results of this study showed that glycerol preserved bovine pericardium act as scaffold for transformation into living tissue without clinical complications such as that associated with prostheses.
  4. Fulltext A Rare Case of Salter-Harris Type I Growth Plate Injury in a Patient Undergoing Limb-Lengthening Procedure
    Esmat SM, Sulong AF, Awang MS, Oon ZS, Mohd Yusof N
    Cureus, 2023 Aug;15(8):e43448.
    PMID: 37711923 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.43448
    Growth plate injuries over the distal femur typically occur due to high-energy trauma. It is commonly associated with serious complications such as growth disturbance. Its occurrence in children undergoing limb-lengthening procedures is uncommon. We report a case of distal femur growth plate injury in a 13-year-old boy undergoing a limb-lengthening procedure for femoral hypoplasia. Conservative treatment yielded a good functional outcome in this patient.
  5. Components in downstream health promotions to reduce sugar intake among adults: a systematic review
    Azhar Hilmy SH, Nordin N, Yusof MYPM, Soh TYT, Yusof N
    Nutr J, 2024 Jan 17;23(1):11.
    PMID: 38233923 DOI: 10.1186/s12937-023-00884-3
    Excessive sugar consumption is well documented as a common risk factor for many Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). Thus, an adequate intervention description is important to minimise research waste and improve research usability and reproducibility. A systematic review was conducted to identify components in published evidence interventions pertaining to the health promotions on reducing sugar intake among adults. The review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement and used the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) for quality appraisal. The period for the selected study was from 2000 to 2022, and articles were retrieved from Web of Science (WOS), Medline, Scopus, and PubMed. The target population was adults aged 18 years old and above who underwent intervention to assess the changes in their sugar intake. Data sources and all human epidemiologic studies were included. Out of the 9,333 papers identified, 25 were included. The overall quality of evidence of the studies was considered moderate. Apart from the characteristics of the reviewed studies, components of interventions are including the basis of theoretical or model for the intervention, which majority use Social Cognitive Theory, followed by PRECEDE-PROCEED model, socio-ecological and process-improvement theories and Transtheoretical Model; providers, who are commercial provider, qualified nutritionist, professor of nutrigenomics and nutrigenetics, doctor, dietitian nutritionist, lifestyle coaches, and junior public health nurses; duration of the intervention and follow-up time, varies from as short as one month to as long as 24 months; material provided either softcopy or hardcopy; tailoring approach, based on the individual goals, the process of change, genotype analysis, beliefs, barriers, and sociocultural norms; delivery mechanism either face-to-face or technology-mediated; and tools to measure the sugar consumption outcome mostly used Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), besides 24-h dietary recalls, and food diaries. There are various components in downstream health promotion to reduce sugar intake among adults that can be adapted according to the local health promotion and intervention context. More well-designed interventions using integration components are encouraged in further studies.
  6. Assessing bone banking activities at University of Malaya medical centre
    Mohd S, Samsuddin SM, Ramalingam S, Min NW, Yusof N, Zaman TK, et al.
    Cell Tissue Bank, 2015 Dec;16(4):523-30.
    PMID: 25656787 DOI: 10.1007/s10561-015-9499-4
    The main advantage of establishing in-house bone banks is its ability to readily provide allograft bones for local surgeries. Bone procurement activities of our university bone bank during the 10 years of operation were reviewed. Socio-demographic data of donors, types of bone procured, cases of rejected bones and types of allograft bones transplanted are presented. From 179 potential donors, 73 % were accepted with 213 procured bones. Femoral head was the common bone transplanted (45 %), as it was also the most common procured (82 %). Bones were rejected mainly due to non-technical reasons (83 %) rather than positive results of microbiological (13 %) and serological (4 %) tests. Comprehensive data could not be obtained for further analysis due to difficulties in retrieving information. Therefore, quality assurance system was improved to establish more systematic documentations, as the basis of good banking practice with process control hence allowing traceability.
  7. A retrospective study on annual evaluation of radiation processing for frozen bone allografts complying to quality system requirements
    Ramalingam S, Mohd S, Samsuddin SM, Min NG, Yusof N, Mansor A
    Cell Tissue Bank, 2015 Dec;16(4):545-52.
    PMID: 25687771 DOI: 10.1007/s10561-015-9501-1
    Bone allografts have been used widely to fill up essential void in orthopaedic surgeries. The benefit of using allografts to replace and reconstruct musculoskeletal injuries, fractures or disease has obtained overwhelming acceptance from orthopaedic surgeons worldwide. However, bacterial infection and disease transmission through bone allograft transplantation have always been a significant issue. Sterilization by radiation is an effective method to eliminate unwanted microorganisms thus assist in preventing life threatening allograft associated infections. Femoral heads procured from living donors and long bones (femur and tibia) procured from cadaveric donors were sterilized at 25 kGy in compliance with international standard ISO 11137. According to quality requirements, all records of bone banking were evaluated annually. This retrospective study was carried out on annual evaluation of radiation records from 1998 until 2012. The minimum doses absorbed by the bones were ranging from 25.3 to 38.2 kGy while the absorbed maximum doses were from 25.4 to 42.3 kGy. All the bones supplied by our UMMC Bone Bank were sterile at the required minimum dose of 25 kGy. Our analysis on dose variation showed that the dose uniformity ratios in 37 irradiated boxes of 31 radiation batches were in the range of 1.003-1.251, which indicated the doses were well distributed.
  8. Within-family discussion on harmful effects of smoking and intention to initiate smoking among European adolescents
    Masood M, Masood Y, Md Sabri BA, Younis LT, Yusof N, Reidpath D, et al.
    J Addict Med, 2015 Jul-Aug;9(4):261-5.
    PMID: 26241085 DOI: 10.1097/ADM.0000000000000127
    OBJECTIVE: The main objective of this study was to determine the impact of discussion within family about the harmful effects of smoking on intention to initiate smoking in the long term among nonsmoking adolescents.
    METHODS: Data from Global Youth Tobacco Survey for 25 European countries were used. The outcomes of interest were, therefore, the intention to initiate smoking 1 and 5 years after the survey. Discussion within family about harmful effect of smoking was the main predictor with age, sex, and smoking status of parents, friends, and classmates as covariates. The association between predictors and outcomes was assessed through multiple regression analysis.
    RESULTS: A total of 118,703 nonsmoking adolescents were included. Within-family discussion significantly reduced the odds of intention to initiate smoking 1 and 5 years later. Intention to initiate smoking also was significantly associated with the smoking status of friends, classmates, and parents, except for father's smoking status, which was not associated with intention to initiate 1 year later.
    CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that within-family discussion about the harmful effects of smoking may contribute to reduce the intention to start smoking among adolescents in the long term. Such a discussion was associated with reduced intention to smoke even when adjusting for parent/friend and classmate smoking.
  9. Fulltext Mono-Lateral External Fixation for Treatment of Femoral Osteomyelitis
    Mohd Yusof N, Saleh AK, Abuomira IEAA, Attallah AA, Elshal EA, Khames AAA
    Orthop Res Rev, 2022;14:437-443.
    PMID: 36444242 DOI: 10.2147/ORR.S383863
    BACKGROUND AND AIM: Maintenance of stability using external fixation devices is an important principle to ensure successful treatment of osteomyelitis (OM). In this study, we report our experience with femoral OM treated with acute compression and bone transport using the Orthofix limb reconstruction system (LRS).

    PATIENTS AND METHODS: This prospective study included 30 consecutive patients with femoral OM. LRS insertion and corticotomy were done according to the standard technique. Radiographic evaluation was performed every 2 weeks during the distraction phase and every 2-4 weeks during the consolidation phase. The clinical outcome measurements included union time, limb length discrepancy, additional operative procedures, refracture and infection.

    RESULTS: The present study included 30 patients with femoral OM. They comprised 27 males (90.0%) and 3 females (10.0%) with an age of 28.1 ± 15.6 years. All, except one, achieved union with a mean union time of 8.6 months (range 4-20 months). The mean union time for acute compression was 7.6 months (range 4-20 months) while for patients with bone transport it was 14.5 months (range 12-18 months). The mean limb length discrepancy was 1.8 cm (range 0-4 cm). At the end of the follow=up, two patients were not able to ambulate without support; one due to non-union and one due to paraplegia.

    CONCLUSION: The present study identified treatment of femoral OM using LRS as a feasible and effective technique with good outcomes. Reported complications could be adequately managed in most cases.

  10. Fulltext Optical reflectometric measurement of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) RNA based on cationic cysteamine-capped gold nanoparticles
    Diyana Jamaluddin N, Ibrahim N, Yuziana Mohd Yusof N, Ta Goh C, Ling Tan L
    Opt Laser Technol, 2023 Jan;157:108763.
    PMID: 36212170 DOI: 10.1016/j.optlastec.2022.108763
    The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged as a major public health outbreak in late 2019 and was proclaimed a global pandemic in March 2020. A reflectometric-based RNA biosensor was developed by using cysteamine-stabilized gold nanoparticles (cysAuNPs) as the colorimetric probe for bioassay of COVID-19 RNA (SARS-CoV-2 RNA) sequence. The cysAuNPs aggregated in the presence of DNA probes via cationic and anionic electrostatic attraction between the positively charged cysteamine ligands and the negatively charged sugar-phosphate backbone of DNA, whilst in the presence of target RNAs, the specific recognition between DNA probes and targets depleted the electrostatic interaction between the DNA probes and cysAuNPs signal probe, leading to dispersed particles. This has rendered a remarkable shifting in the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) on the basis of visual color change of the RNA biosensor from red to purplish hue at the wavelength of 765 nm. Optical evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 RNA by means on reflectance transduction of the RNA biosensor based on cysAuNPs optical sensing probes demonstrated rapid response time of 30 min with high sensitivity, good linearity and high reproducibility across a COVID-19 RNA concentration range of 25 nM to 200 nM, and limit of detection (LOD) at 0.12 nM. qPCR amplification of SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA showed good agreement with the proposed RNA biosensor by using spiked RNA samples of the oropharyngeal swab from COVID-19 patients. Therefore, this assay is useful for rapid and early diagnosis of COVID-19 disease including asymptomatic carriers with low viral load even in the presence of co-infection with other viruses that manifest similar respiratory symptoms.
  11. Effects of processing and gamma radiation on mechanical properties and organic composition of frozen, freeze-dried and demineralised human cortical bone allograft
    Mansor A, Ariffin AF, Yusof N, Mohd S, Ramalingam S, Md Saad AP, et al.
    Cell Tissue Bank, 2023 Mar;24(1):25-35.
    PMID: 35610332 DOI: 10.1007/s10561-022-10013-9
    Bone processing and radiation were reported to influence mechanical properties of cortical bones due in part to structural changes and denaturation of collagen composition. This comparative study was to determine effects of bone processing on mechanical properties and organic composition, and to what extent the radiation damaging after each processing. Human femur cortical bones were processed by freezing, freeze-drying and demineralisation and then gamma irradiated at 5, 15, 20, 25 and 50 kGy. In the compression test, freeze drying significantly decreased the Young's Modulus by 15%, while demineralisation reduced further by 90% (P 
  12. Efficiency of magnetic zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) modified graphene oxide for lead adsorption
    Zu Nurain Ahmad S, Salleh WNW, Yusof N, Yusop MZM, Hamdan R, Ismail AF
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2024 May 10.
    PMID: 38727970 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-33322-w
    Simple and efficient removal of Pb(II) ion from aqueous solution through adsorption has accelerated the development of many new composites to improve this popular method. In this study, the composites of graphene oxide (GO), zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8), and magnetic materials were synthesized via coprecipitation method utilizing a different molar ratio between FeCl2 and FeCl3 of 1:0.5, 2:1, 3:1.5, and 4:2. The ZIF-8/GO was prepared via room temperature synthesis method prior to its further modification with magnetic materials for ease of separation. It was observed that the MZIF-8/GO2 of molar ratio 2:1 showed the best performance in adsorbing Pb(II) ion. As confirmed by FESEM image, it appeared to be ZIF-8 particles that have grown all over the GO platform and overlayed with Fe3O4 granular-shaped particles. The MZIF-8/GO2 successfully achieved 99% removal of Pb(II) within 10 min. The optimum values obtained for the initial concentration of Pb (II) were 100 mg/L, pH of 4 to 6, and adsorbent dosage used was 10 mg. The Langmuir isotherm and the pseudo-second-order kinetic model were deemed suitable to evaluate the adsorption of Pb(II) using MZIF-8/GO2. Results showed that MZIF-8GO2 achieved a maximum adsorption capacity of 625 mg/g of Pb(II) adsorption. All parent materials demonstrated a good synergistic effects, while exhibiting a significant contribution in providing active sites for Pb(II) adsorption. Therefore, this ternary composite of MZIF-8/GO2 is expected to be a promising adsorbent for Pb(II) adsorption from aqueous solution with an added value of ease of post phase separation using external magnetic field.
  13. Fulltext Thermal Properties and Drying Shrinkage Performance of Palm Kernel Shell Ash and Rice Husk Ash-Based Geopolymer Concrete
    Abdullah MN, Mustapha F, Yusof N', Khan T, Sebaey TA
    Materials (Basel), 2024 Mar 11;17(6).
    PMID: 38541452 DOI: 10.3390/ma17061298
    This study aims to develop suitable formulations of geopolymer concrete (GPC) by varying the percentages of the geopolymer with aggregates and evaluating the performances in thermal and mechanical properties of palm kernel shell ash (PKSA)-GPC compared to rice husk ash (RHA)-GPC and ordinary Portland cement concrete (OPCC). Preliminary tests were conducted to select the best mix design ratios before casting the specimens. Then, the performance of the PKSA-GPC, RHA-GPC and OPCC specimens was evaluated based on their thermal performance and drying shrinkage. The mix designs of PKSA-GPC 70:30, PKSA-GPC 60:40, PKSA-GPC 50:50 and PKSA-GPC 66.6:33.3 were found to produce an acceptable consistency, rheological and thixotropic behaviour for the development of the GPC. PKSA-GPC showed a better thermal performance than the RHA-GPC and OPCC due to their strong and dense intumescent layers and slow temperature increment upon exposure to a high flame temperature from ambient temperature to 169 °C. The low molar ratio of the Si/Al present in the PKSA-GPC created a thermally stable intumescent layer. In the drying shrinkage test, PKSA-GPC 60:40 and RHA-GPC 60:40 shared an equal drying shrinkage performance (5.040%) compared to the OPCC (8.996%). It was observed that microcrack formation could significantly contribute to the high shrinkage in the PKSA-GPC 50:50 and RHA-GPC 70:30 specimens. The findings of this study show that PKSA could be incorporated into GPC as a fire-retardant material due to its capability of prolonging the spread of fire upon ignition and acting as an alternative to the conventional OPCC.
  14. Visible light- and dark-driven degradation of palm oil mill effluent (POME) over g-C3N4 and photo-rechargeable WO3
    Razali NAM, Salleh WNW, Mohamed MA, Aziz F, Jye LW, Yusof N, et al.
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2024 Jul 03.
    PMID: 38958863 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-34081-4
    The investigations of real industrial wastewater, such as palm oil mill effluent (POME), as a recalcitrant pollutant remain a subject of global water pollution concern. Thus, this work introduced the preparation and modification of g-C3N4 and WO3 at optimum calcination temperature, where they were used as potent visible light-driven photocatalysts in the degradation of POME under visible light irradiation. Herein, g-C3N4-derived melamine and WO3 photocatalyst were obtained at different calcination temperatures in order to tune their light absorption ability and optoelectronics properties. Both photocatalysts were proven to have their distinct phases, crystallinity levels, and elements with increasing temperature, as demonstrated by the ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results. Significantly, g-C3N4 (580 °C) and WO3 (450 °C) unitary photocatalysts exhibited the highest removal efficiency of POME without dilution due to good crystallinity, extended light absorption, high separation, and less recombination efficiency of electron-hole pairs. Furthermore, surprisingly, the superior energy storage photocatalytic performance with outstanding stability by WO3 achieved an approximately 10% increment during darkness, compared with g-C3N4 under visible light irradiation. Moreover, it has been proven that the WO3 and g-C3N4 photocatalysts are desirable photocatalysts for various pollutant degradations, with excellent visible-light utilization and favorable energy storage application.
  15. Effectiveness of oral health interventions among children and adolescents with mental disorders: a systematic review
    Bab NB, Rahman RNARA, Mohamed S, Radzi NAM, Yusof N
    Spec Care Dentist, 2024;44(4):1002-1025.
    PMID: 38480484 DOI: 10.1111/scd.12990
    BACKGROUND: The rising percentage of children and adolescents experiencing mental disorders brought attention to the emerging opportunities for proactive oral health interventions in this population. Currently, existing guidelines focus mainly on oral health in general practice and on adults residing in care homes. This report aims to provide a broad overview of the effectiveness of oral health interventions for children and adolescents with mental disorders.

    METHOD: This review followed the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses 2020) statement. The initial electronic search yielded a total of 3710 articles. The search identified 2354 potential papers after removing duplicates and 2301 articles were excluded by title and abstract. The full texts of the remaining 53 articles and nine articles from the citation searching were screened and 15 articles matched the inclusion criteria. The Mixed-Method Appraisal Tool (MMAT) was used for quality appraisal.

    RESULTS: The thematic analysis resulted in four main themes which were educational intervention, physical intervention, clinical intervention, and a combination of both educational and clinical intervention.

    CONCLUSION: We presented the findings in a narrative synthesis with the primary outcomes which served as answers to our main research question that prompted this systematic review.

  16. Development of sustainable polymer-based dielectric composites from agricultural waste: A review
    K B M, Abu Talip Yusof N, Sudhakar K, Zainol N, Hasan N, Abdul Karim MS
    Heliyon, 2024 Nov 15;10(21):e39118.
    PMID: 39524823 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e39118
    Dielectrics are essential for storing and controlling electrical energy in the electrical and electronic industries. However, their production from non-renewable sources raises environmental concerns. This review investigates sustainable polymer-based dielectric composites made from agricultural waste, focusing on the various parameters that affect dielectric characteristics. These composites offer improved dielectric properties and contribute to waste reduction and environmental sustainability. Agricultural waste, including crop residues and by-products, offers a promising, sustainable source of dielectric composite materials. This review also highlights the feasibility of using agricultural waste-based polymer dielectric composites for dielectric material in various electronics applications. Dielectric composite's permittivity is influenced by carbon, oxygen, filler, temperature, cellulose, and morphological changes. Biodegradable materials like agricultural waste, which have good fibre and carbon content, can produce good dielectric constants, making them suitable for antennas and microwave absorbers. In conclusion, the review underscores the importance of sustainable practices in dielectric composite material development and the valuable role of agricultural waste in advancing environmentally friendly solutions.
  17. Comparative Performance of Preoperative Diabetes-Remission Scores Following Metabolic Bariatric Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study in a Malaysian Population
    Mokhtar AR, Loo GH, Raduan F, Mohamed Yusof N, Kosai NR
    Obes Surg, 2026 Nov;36(11):5607-5617.
    PMID: 42827212 DOI: 10.1007/s11695-026-08963-0
    INTRODUCTION: Preoperative scores predict type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) remission after metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS). The original DiaRem score was refined by adding diabetes duration (DiaRem2), and separately by adding duration together with treatment burden and re-weighted penalties (advanced-DiaRem, Ad-DiaRem). Whether these refinements perform better in Asian, sleeve-predominant populations, and across classes of obesity, is unknown.

    METHODS: We retrospectively studied patients with T2DM who underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) or Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) at a Malaysian tertiary center between 2018 and 2022. DiaRem, DiaRem2 and Ad-DiaRem were calculated from their originally published scoring algorithms. Remission (complete or partial) followed American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery criteria. The primary analysis comprised patients with clinic-based glycemic follow-up (n = 204); a pre-specified sensitivity analysis additionally included patients followed by telephone (n = 256). Discrimination was compared using DeLong's test.

    RESULTS: In the primary cohort (mean age 43.9 years; 72.1% female; 85.3% LSG), 141 patients (69.1%) achieved remission, declining across DiaRem2 groups (85.0%, 66.7%, 19.4%; trend p 

  18. Bifidobacterium infantis M-63 improves mental health in victims with irritable bowel syndrome developed after a major flood disaster
    Ma ZF, Yusof N, Hamid N, Lawenko RM, Mohammad WMZW, Liong MT, et al.
    Benef Microbes, 2019 Mar 13;10(2):111-120.
    PMID: 30525951 DOI: 10.3920/BM2018.0008
    Individuals in a community who developed irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) after major floods have significant mental health impairment. We aimed to determine if Bifidobacterium infantis M-63 was effective in improving symptoms, psychology and quality of life measures in flood-affected individuals with IBS and if the improvement was mediated by gut microbiota changes. Design was non-randomised, open-label, controlled before-and-after. Of 53 participants, 20 with IBS were given B. infantis M-63 (1×109 cfu/sachet/day) for three months and 33 were controls. IBS symptom severity scale, hospital anxiety and depression scale, SF-36 Questionnaire, hydrogen breath testing for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth and stools for 16S rRNA metagenomic analysis were performed before and after intervention. 11 of 20 who were given probiotics (M-63) and 20 of 33 controls completed study as per-protocol. Mental well-being was improved with M-63 vs controls for full analysis (P=0.03) and per-protocol (P=0.01) populations. Within-group differences were observed for anxiety and bodily pain (both P=0.04) in the M-63 per-protocol population. Lower ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes was observed with M-63 vs controls (P=0.01) and the lower ratio was correlated with higher post-intervention mental score (P=0.04). B. infantis M-63 is probably effective in improving mental health of victims who developed IBS after floods and this is maybe due to restoration of microbial balance and the gut-brain axis. However, our conclusion must be interpreted within the context of limited sample size. The study was retrospectively registered on 12 October 2017 and the Trial Registration Number (TRN) was NCT03318614.
  19. Fulltext Development of Copper-Aluminum Layered Double Hydroxide in Thin Film Nanocomposite Nanofiltration Membrane for Water Purification Process
    Tajuddin MH, Yusof N, Wan Azelee I, Wan Salleh WN, Ismail AF, Jaafar J, et al.
    Front Chem, 2019;7:3.
    PMID: 30800647 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2019.00003
    This study aims to fabricate a thin film composite (TFC) membrane, modified with copper-aluminium layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanofillers via interfacial polymerization technique for nanofiltration (NF) processes. It was found that Cu-Al LDH nanofillers possessed layered structured materials with typical hexagonal plate-like shape and positive surface charge. The study revealed that TFN membrane exhibits a relatively smooth surface and a less nodular structure compared to pristine TFC membrane. The contact angle of TFN progressively decreased from 54.1° to 37.25°, indicating enhancement in surface hydrophilicity. Moreover, the incorporation of LDH nanofillers resulted in a less negative membrane as compared to the pristine TFC membrane. The best NF performance was achieved by TFN2 membrane with 0.1° of Cu-Al LDH loading and a water flux of 7.01 Lm-2h-1.bar. The addition of Cu-Al LDH resulted in excellent single salt rejections of Na2SO4 (96.8%), MgCl2 (95.6%), MgSO4 (95.4%), and NaCl (60.8%). The improvement in anti-fouling properties of resultant TFN membranes can be observed from the increments of pure water flux recovery and normalized water flux by 14% and 25% respectively. The findings indicated that Cu-Al LDH is a promising material in tailoring membrane surface properties and fouling resistance. The modification of the LDH-filled TFN membrane shows another alternative to fabricating a high-performance composite membrane, especially for water softening and partial desalination process.
  20. Fulltext Improving knowledge of doctors and paramedics through effective bone procurement workshop: A cognitive approach
    Mohd S, Yusof N, Lai LL, Hossain MG, Ramalingam S, Hamid SSA, et al.
    BMC Med Educ, 2019 Jul 01;19(1):238.
    PMID: 31262281 DOI: 10.1186/s12909-019-1685-9
    BACKGROUND: Procurement of bone allograft must be performed by trained personnel. Improper handling and lack of knowledge during bone procurement will lead to contamination hence jeopardizing quality of the procured bones and expose bone recipients to risks of infection in post-operative phase. Bone procurement workshop is the fundamental training programme to enhance skill among personnel who has been or will be involved in bone procurement. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the workshop contents including teaching materials by assessing the knowledge on bone procurement among the participants before and after the workshop.

    METHODS: Bone procurement workshop was held for 2 days for doctors and paramedics. The knowledge on bone procurement was evaluated in pre- and post-assessments by answering self administration questionnaire before and after the workshop, respectively.

    RESULTS: A total of 50 participants comprised of doctors and paramedics attended the workshop however only 15 (55.6%) doctors and 12 (44.4%) paramedics completed the assessments. Overall, the mean total score for the post-assessment (61.4%) was significantly higher (p 

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