Displaying publications 941 - 960 of 6722 in total

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  1. Nasir NAA, Sadikan MZ, Agarwal R
    Asia Pac J Clin Nutr, 2021 Sep;30(3):537-555.
    PMID: 34587713 DOI: 10.6133/apjcn.202109_30(3).0020
    Tocotrienols have been reported to exert anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, cardio-protective and boneprotective effects through modulation of NFκB signalling pathway. The objective of this systematic review is to evaluate available literature showing the effect of tocotrienols on NFκB signalling pathway and identify the potential mechanisms involved. A comprehensive search was conducted using PubMed and SCOPUS databases using the keywords "tocotrienol" and "NFκB" or "nuclear factor kappa b". Main inclusion criteria were English language original articles showing the effect of tocotrienol on NFκB signalling pathway. Fifty-nine articles were selected from the total of 117 articles initially retrieved from the literature search. Modulation of regulatory proteins and genes such as inhibition of farnesyl prenyl transferase were found to be the mechanisms underlying the tocotrienol-induced suppression of NFκB activation.
  2. Azeem MU, De Clercq D, Haq IU
    J Soc Psychol, 2021 Jan 02;161(1):86-102.
    PMID: 32544025 DOI: 10.1080/00224545.2020.1778617
    Building on conservation of resources theory, this study investigates the relationship between employees' exposure to coworker incivility and their job performance ratings, while also considering the mediating role of their deviant work behaviors and the moderating role of their ingratiation skills. Results based on multisource, three-wave data from employees and their supervisors in Pakistani organizations show that disrespectful coworker treatment diminishes employees' performance evaluations, because they seek purposefully to cause harm to their employing organization, as a way to vent their frustrations. This mediating role of organizational deviance is mitigated to the extent that employees have a greater ability to ingratiate with others though. This study accordingly identifies a key mechanism - deviant work behaviors that undermine organizational well-being - through which coworker incivility leads to negative performance consequences, and it reveals how organizations can subdue this process by honing pertinent personal resources within their ranks.
  3. Mavinkurve M, Azriyanti AZ, Jalaludin MY
    Malays Fam Physician, 2021 Nov 30;16(3):6-15.
    PMID: 34938388 DOI: 10.51866/rv1157
    Stunting is a common phenomenon in Malaysian children. Optimising outcomes for children with growth disorders rests on early recognition and prompt referral. In this context, a framework for the clinical approach can help to guide appropriate growth assessment and referral. This review article aims to provide family medicine specialists with such a framework whilst raising awareness about the shortcomings of the existing growth monitoring system in Malaysia. It also invites readers to consider additional measures that could further optimise this system.
  4. Rahman MK, Bhuiyan MA, Zailani S
    Patient Prefer Adherence, 2021;15:2633-2646.
    PMID: 34866903 DOI: 10.2147/PPA.S333595
    Background: The study has aimed to investigate the Muslim patient's psychological factors related to healthcare services that influence their loyalty intention for further treatment at private hospitals in Malaysia.

    Methods: Data were collected from private hospitals in Klang Valley. A total of 379 responses from patients were analysed using the structural equation modelling approach.

    Results: The findings revealed that administrative behaviour, nurse's services and Shariah amenities have a highly significant impact on satisfaction. The healthcare technicality, hospital environment and physician's services have a significant relationship with patient satisfaction. Patient satisfaction has a significant impact on patient loyalty to healthcare services at the hospital. Administrative behaviour, physicians' services and healthcare technicality have a direct and positive relationship with loyalty intention, while Shariah amenity has a negative significant relationship with loyalty.

    Conclusion: The results have important implications for product development and managerial considerations in hospitals. Service providers need to be mindful that all aspects, including Shariah amenities and generic healthcare service delivery, are important and need to be balanced and delivered satisfactorily to ensure customer satisfaction.

  5. Rafiq MT, Abdul Hamid MS, Hafiz E
    Adv Rheumatol, 2021 10 24;61(1):63.
    PMID: 34689837 DOI: 10.1186/s42358-021-00221-4
    OBJECTIVE: The objective of this randomized controlled trial (RCT) was to investigate the effectiveness of the lower limb rehabilitation protocol (LLRP) combined with mobile health (mHealth) applications on knee pain, mobility, functional activity and activities of daily living (ADL) among knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients who were overweight and obese.

    METHODS: This study was a single-blind, RCT conducted at Teaching Bay of Rehmatul-Lil-Alameen Post Graduate Institute of Cardiology between February and November 2020. 114 knee OA patients who were overweight and obese were randomly divided by a computer-generated number into the rehabilitation group with mHealth (RGw-mHealth) to receive LLRP + instructions of daily care (IDC) combined with mHealth intervention, rehabilitation group without mHealth (RGwo-mHealth) to receive LLRP + IDC intervention and control group (CG) to receive IDC intervention. All three groups were also provided leaflets explaining about their intervention. The primary outcome measure was knee pain measured by the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index score. The secondary outcome measures were mobility measured by the Timed up and go (TUG) test, functional activity measured by the patient-specific functional scale (PSFS), and ADL measured by the Katz Index of independence in ADL scores.

    RESULTS: Among the 114 patients who were randomized (mean age, 53 years), 96 (84%) completed the trial. After 3-months of intervention, patients in all three groups had statistically significant knee pain reduction (RGw-mHealth: 2.54; RGwo-mHealth: 1.47; and CG: 0.37) within groups (P  0.05). As indicated in the overall analysis of covariance, there were statistically significant differences in the mean knee pain, mobility, functional activity, and ADL changes between groups after 3-months (p 

  6. Bilal M, Lam SS, Iqbal HMN
    Environ Pollut, 2022 Jan 15;293:118582.
    PMID: 34856243 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118582
    The discharge of an alarming number of recalcitrant pollutants from various industrial activities presents a serious threat to environmental sustainability and ecological integrity. Bioremediation has gained immense interest around the world due to its environmentally friendly and cost-effective nature. In contrast to physical and chemical methods, the use of microbial enzymes, particularly immobilized biocatalysts, has been demonstrated as a versatile approach for the sustainable mitigation of environmental pollution. Considerable attention is now devoted to developing novel enzyme engineering approaches and state-of-the-art bioreactor design for ameliorating the overall bio-catalysis and biodegradation performance of enzymes. This review discusses the contemporary and state of the art technical and scientific progress regarding applying oxidoreductase enzyme-based biocatalytic systems to remediate a vast number of pharmaceutically active compounds from water and wastewater bodies. A comprehensive insight into enzyme immobilization, the role of mediators, bioreactors designing, and transformation products of pharmaceuticals and their associated toxicity is provided. Additional studies are necessary to elucidate enzymatic degradation mechanisms, monitor the toxicity levels of the resulting degraded metabolites and optimize the entire bio-treatment strategy for technical and economical affordability.
  7. Mustapha KB, Hawwa MA, Abakr YA
    Int J Numer Method Biomed Eng, 2022 Jan;38(1):e3531.
    PMID: 34536263 DOI: 10.1002/cnm.3531
    Research evidence abounds on the effectiveness of micropillar-based microelectromechanical systems for the detection of a wide variety of ultrasmall biological objects for clinical and non-clinical applications. However, the standard micropillar-based sensing platforms rely on a single-column micropillar with a spot at the tip for binding of objects. Although this long-standing form has shown immense potential, performance improvement is hindered by the fundamental limits enforced by physical laws. Moreover, the single-column micropillar has a lower sensing area and is ill-suited for a simultaneous differential sensing of chemical/biological objects of different mass. Here, we report a new set of nature-inspired, branched micropillar-based sensing resonators to address the highlighted issues. The characteristics of the newly proposed branched micropillars are comprehensively examined with three payloads (Bartonella Bacilliformis, Escherichia coli, and Micro magnetic beads). Anchored on the capability of continuum theoretical framework, the mathematical model of the micropillar is formulated through the synthesis of the modified couple stress, the Rayleigh-Love, and the Timoshenko theories. The finite element method is employed to shed light on the variability of the structures' resonant response under performance reduction factors (payload's rotary inertia, damaged substrate, and density of a surrounding fluid). The results obtained indicate superior performance indicators for the triply-branched micropillar: enhanced response sensitivity for multiple payloads and less susceptibility to deterioration in resonant frequencies due to fluid immersion.
  8. Hassan H, Othman MF, Razak HRA
    Curr Med Imaging, 2021;17(11):1271-1275.
    PMID: 33593263 DOI: 10.2174/1573405617666210216091202
    Bone metastases are a common source of malignancy in the skeleton and occur much more often than primary bone cancer. Several works were being performed to identify early markers for bone metastasis and novel drug targets to improve patients' quality of life. As some concerns exist with the [18F]sodiumfluoridein positron emission tomography (PET) bone imaging, there has been an increase in the number of targeted radiopharmaceutical markers for bone metastases imaging in its competitor, 68Ga. Since 18F properties are superior to those of 68Ga, there is a distinct motivation for developing 18F radiopharmaceuticals for bone metastases imaging.
  9. Suhaimi NF, Jalaludin J, Mohd Juhari MA
    Int J Environ Health Res, 2022 Mar;32(3):535-546.
    PMID: 32579034 DOI: 10.1080/09603123.2020.1784397
    Increasing the range of vehicles on traffic roads in the urban area has led to traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) and is currently becoming the main concern for health, especially among children. The study aimed to determine associations between TRAP and respiratory health, also to identify the main factors that influenced them. A cross-sectional comparative study was carried out among children in high and low traffic areas. Air quality monitoring was conducted in six primary schools. A set of standardized questionnaires was distributed to obtain respondents' exposure history and respiratory health symptoms, while spirometry test was carried out to determine the lung function status. There were associations between TRAP and abnormality of FEV1% among children. NO2 was the main predictor that influenced both chest tightness and abnormality of FEV1%. Children exposed to a high level of traffic-related air pollution have an increased risk of respiratory symptoms and abnormality of lung function.
  10. Liu JB, Nadeem MF, Azeem M
    PMID: 33280591 DOI: 10.2174/1386207323666201204144422
    AIMS AND OBJECTIVE: The idea of partition and resolving sets play an important role in various areas of engineering, chemistry and computer science such as robot navigation, facility location, pharmaceutical chemistry, combinatorial optimization, networking, and mastermind game.

    METHODS: In a graph, to obtain the exact location of a required vertex, which is unique from all the vertices, several vertices are selected; this is called resolving set, and its generalization is called resolving partition, where selected vertices are in the form of subsets. A minimum number of partitions of the vertices into sets is called partition dimension.

    RESULTS: It was proved that determining the partition dimension of a graph is a nondeterministic polynomial time (NP) problem. In this article, we find the partition dimension of convex polytopes and provide their bounds.

    CONCLUSION: The major contribution of this article is that due to the complexity of computing the exact partition dimension, we provide the bounds and show that all the graphs discussed in the results have partition dimensions either less or equals to 4, but not greater than 4.

  11. Taqi M, Razak IA, Ab-Murat N
    Pak J Med Sci, 2017 Jul-Aug;33(4):948-952.
    PMID: 29067071 DOI: 10.12669/pjms.334.13106
    OBJECTIVE: To estimate the percentage of children with low, moderate and high caries risk; and to determine the predictors of caries risk amongst 11-12 year old Pakistani school children.

    METHODS: Subjects' caries risk was assessed using the Cariogram programme. The survey was done among school children in Bhakkar district of Punjab, Pakistan. Caries and plaque level were assessed using the DMFT and Sillnes and Loe indices respectively, while diet content and frequency were assessed using a three-day diet diary.

    RESULTS: A total of 226 children participated in this study, giving a response rate of 75%. Most subjects (39.8%) were in the low risk category with DMFT score of 0. The overall mean DMFT score was 1.49 (±0.63). Linear and multiple regressions were performed to evaluate the predictability of caries risk. Previous experience of dental caries was found to be the most relevant predictor of caries risk (40%).

    CONCLUSION: The levels of caries risk amongst Pakistani 11-12 year old school children were generally low. Past caries experience was the most significant factor in predicting future caries lesion in this sample population.
  12. Safiuddin M, Raman SN, Zain MFM
    Materials (Basel), 2015 Dec 10;8(12):8608-8623.
    PMID: 28793732 DOI: 10.3390/ma8125464
    The aim of the work reported in this article was to investigate the effects of medium temperature and industrial by-products on the key hardened properties of high performance concrete. Four concrete mixes were prepared based on a water-to-binder ratio of 0.35. Two industrial by-products, silica fume and Class F fly ash, were used separately and together with normal portland cement to produce three concrete mixes in addition to the control mix. The properties of both fresh and hardened concretes were examined in the laboratory. The freshly mixed concrete mixes were tested for slump, slump flow, and V-funnel flow. The hardened concretes were tested for compressive strength and dynamic modulus of elasticity after exposing to 20, 35 and 50 °C. In addition, the initial surface absorption and the rate of moisture movement into the concretes were determined at 20 °C. The performance of the concretes in the fresh state was excellent due to their superior deformability and good segregation resistance. In their hardened state, the highest levels of compressive strength and dynamic modulus of elasticity were produced by silica fume concrete. In addition, silica fume concrete showed the lowest level of initial surface absorption and the lowest rate of moisture movement into the interior of concrete. In comparison, the compressive strength, dynamic modulus of elasticity, initial surface absorption, and moisture movement rate of silica fume-fly ash concrete were close to those of silica fume concrete. Moreover, all concretes provided relatively low compressive strength and dynamic modulus of elasticity when they were exposed to 50 °C. However, the effect of increased temperature was less detrimental for silica fume and silica fume-fly ash concretes in comparison with the control concrete.
  13. Hussain A, Farrukh S, Hussain A, Ayoub M
    Environ Technol, 2019 Mar;40(7):843-854.
    PMID: 29161995 DOI: 10.1080/09593330.2017.1408696
    Most of the polymers and their blends, utilized in carbon capture membranes, are costly, but cellulose acetate (CA) being inexpensive is a lucrative choice. In this research, pure and mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) have been fabricated to capture carbon from natural gas. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) has been utilized in the fabrication of membranes to modify the chain flexibility of polymers. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) provide mechanical strength, thermal stability, an extra free path for CO2 molecules and augment CO2/CH4 selectivity. Membranes of pure CA, CA/PEG blend of different PEG concentrations (5%, 10%, 15%) and CA/PEG/MWCNTs blend of 10% PEG with different MWCNTs concentrations (5%, 10%, 15%) were prepared in acetone using solution casting techniques. Fabricated membranes were characterized using SEM, TGA and tensile testing. Permeation results revealed remarkable improvement in CO2/CH4 selectivity. In single gas experiments, CO2/CH4 selectivity is enhanced 8 times for pure membranes containing 10% PEG and 14 times for MMMs containing 10% MWCNTs. In mix gas experiments, the CO2/CH4 selectivity is increased 13 times for 10% PEG and 18 times for MMMs with 10% MWCNTs. Fabricated MMMs have a tensile strength of 13 MPa and are more thermally stable than CA membranes.
  14. Mohd Yunus MA, Musa R, Nazri MY
    PMID: 29392110 DOI: 10.1016/j.asmart.2017.09.002
    Objective: The objective of this study is to translate the Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS) into the Malay language and to validate the resulting version.

    Methods: A two-stage observational study was conducted. The LEFS was initially cross-culturally adapted to Malay language through double forward and backward translation. The finalized version of Malay LEFS (M-LEFS) was subsequently validated for both construct validity and criterion validity. Participants (n = 208) with normal lower limb condition and various lower limb conditions completed the M-LEFS.

    Results: Reliability of M-LEFS revealed excellent Cronbach's alpha value of 0.98. Construct validity, evaluated using exploratory factor analysis, exhibited good factor loadings (>0.6) of all 20 items. Interestingly, we extracted 2 components which was not reported elsewhere. With a cut-off point of 60, the sensitivity of the scale was 99% and the specificity was 81%.

    Conclusions: The M-LEFS had very good psychometric properties among the studied population. Further studies are needed to enhance these preliminary outcomes in Malaysia.

  15. Isa NM, Hj Safian Shuri MF
    Sci Eng Ethics, 2018 02;24(1):109-127.
    PMID: 28281149 DOI: 10.1007/s11948-017-9887-1
    Advancements in science and technology have not only brought hope to humankind to produce disease-free offspring, but also offer possibilities to genetically enhance the next generation's traits and capacities. Human genetic enhancement, however, raises complex ethical questions, such as to what extent should it be allowed? It has been a great challenge for humankind to develop robust ethical guidelines for human genetic enhancement that address both public concerns and needs. We believe that research about public concerns is necessary prior to developing such guidelines, yet the issues have not been thoroughly investigated in many countries, including Malaysia. Since the novel often functions as a medium for the public to express their concerns, this paper explores ethical concerns about human genetic enhancement expressed in four Malay science fiction novels namely Klon, Leksikon Ledang, Transgenesis Bisikan Rimba and Transgenik Sifar. Religion has a strong influence on the worldview of the Malays therefore some concerns such as playing God are obviously religious. Association of the negative image of scientists as well as the private research companies with the research on human genetic enhancement reflects the authors' concerns about the main motivations for conducting such research and the extent to which such research will benefit society.
  16. Akula S, Singh P, Murad M, Hameed W
    PMID: 36539132
    Patients in pain have different levels of satisfaction. The experience of patients regarding medication is based on their past treatment. The mental satisfaction of the patients for laboratory medication is necessary for their health recovery. The satisfaction of patients is a challenge for healthcare institutes to provide better facilities to patients. The goal of this research is to investigate the impact of taking patch pain medication, taking oral pain medication, and taking intravenous medication on patients' satisfaction with laboratory pain medication. The model of this research is based on the gap in the literature. 645 responses were considered for data analysis with Smart PLS 3.0 for study findings. The findings disclosed the impact of taking patch pain medication, taking an oral medication, and taking intravenous medication is significant on patients' satisfaction with laboratory pain medication. The study has theoretically enriched the literature with a unique contribution to the study model. Practically, the study has discovered the ways the healthcare sector can improve the satisfaction of patients for their better health and satisfaction. The future directions highlighted by this study are useful for future studies to contribute to patients' satisfaction with laboratory medication.
  17. Shaik MI, Azhari MF, Sarbon NM
    Foods, 2022 Nov 24;11(23).
    PMID: 36496605 DOI: 10.3390/foods11233797
    The color indicator can monitor the quality and safety of food products due to its sensitive nature toward various pH levels. A color indicator helps consumers monitor the freshness of food products since it is difficult for them to depend solely on their appearance. Thus, this review could provide alternative suggestions to solve the food-spoilage determination, especially for perishable food. Usually, food spoilage happens due to protein and lipid oxidation, enzymatic reaction, and microbial activity that will cause an alteration of the pH level. Due to their broad-spectrum properties, natural sources such as anthocyanin, curcumin, and betacyanin are commonly used in developing color indicators. They can also improve the gelatin-based film's morphology and significant drawbacks. Incorporating natural colorants into the gelatin-based film can improve the film's strength, gas-barrier properties, and water-vapor permeability and provide antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Hence, the color indicator can be utilized as an effective tool to monitor and control the shelf life of packaged foods. Nevertheless, future studies should consider the determination of food-spoilage observation using natural colorants from betacyanin, chlorophyll, and carotenoids, as well as the determination of gas levels in food spoilage, especially carbon dioxide gas.
  18. Tuminoh H, Hermawan H, Ramlee MH
    J Mech Behav Biomed Mater, 2022 Nov;135:105457.
    PMID: 36116340 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2022.105457
    In the last decade, magnesium alloys have been considered as absorbable metals for biomedical applications, while some have reached their clinical use as temporary bone implants. However, their widespread use is still limited by its strength and degradability. One way of improvement can be done by reinforcing magnesium alloys with carbon nanofibres to form composites. This work aims at developing carbon nanofibre-reinforced magnesium-zinc (Mg-Zn/CNF) composites with optimum strength and degradability while ensuring their biocompatibility. A response surface method was used to determine their optimum process parameters (composition, compaction pressure, and sintering temperature), and analyse the resulting properties (elastic modulus, hardness, weight loss, and cytocompatibility). Results showed that the optimal parameters were reached at 1.8% of CNF, 425 MPa of compaction pressure, and 500 °C of sintering temperature, whereby it gave an elastic modulus of 5 GPa, hardness of 60 Hv, and a weight loss of 51% after three days immersion in PBS. The composites exhibited a hydrophobic surface that controlled the liberation of Mg2+ and Zn2+ ions, leading to more than 70% osteoblast cells viability up to seven days of incubation. This study can also serve as a starting point for future researchers interested in finding methods to fabricate Mg-Zn/CNF composites with high mechanical characteristics, corrosion resistance, and biocompatibility.
  19. Nadeem MA, Surienty L, Haque MM
    Front Public Health, 2022;10:1004767.
    PMID: 36452948 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1004767
    The agriculture sector is a traditional economic pillar of many emerging economies. However, it is facing greater occupational health and safety (OHS) challenges in Pakistan, and its performance is continuously decreasing. An effective OHS implementation provides better control over OHS challenges and may help to restore its former glory. Therefore, this study aims to explore different organizational decision-making styles and safety accountability to put OHS into practice in this sector. Based on institutional theory, a theoretical framework was developed. Two hundred and eighty-seven agriculture farms in Punjab, Pakistan were surveyed and analyzed using SmartPLS 3.3.7. The findings revealed that implementation styles (rational and incremental) and safety accountability positively impact OHS implementation. Similarly, the moderating role of mimetic motives was found positively significant in the relationship between rational style and OHS implementation, and negatively significant in the relationship between incremental style and OHS implementation. While no moderating effect of mimetic motive was found between safety accountability and OHS implementation. This study suggested that OHS implementation should not be viewed as a social or technical issue alone. Strategic arrangements should be made at the organizational level to gain better control over OHS challenges by considering the institutional environment in which the organization operates.
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