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An overview of antifungal peptides derived from insect

Faruck MO, Yusof F, Chowdhury S

Peptides, 2016 06;80:80-88.
PMID: 26093218 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2015.06.001

Fungi are not classified as plants or animals. They resemble plants in many ways but do not produce chlorophyll or make their own food photosynthetically like plants. Fungi are useful for the production of beer, bread, medicine, etc. More complex than viruses or bacteria; fungi can be destructive human pathogens responsible for various diseases in humans. Most people have a strong natural immunity against fungal infection. However, fungi can cause diseases when this immunity breaks down. In the last few years, fungal infection has increased strikingly and has been accompanied by a rise in the number of deaths of cancer patients, transplant recipients, and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients owing to fungal infections. The growth rate of fungi is very slow and quite difficult to identify. A series of molecules with antifungal activity against different strains of fungi have been found in insects, which can be of great importance to tackle human diseases. Insects secrete such compounds, which can be peptides, as a part of their immune defense reactions. Active antifungal peptides developed by insects to rapidly eliminate infectious pathogens are considered a component of the defense munitions. This review focuses on naturally occurring antifungal peptides from insects and their challenges to be used as armaments against human diseases.
Fulltext Laryngeal histoplasmosis: an occupational hazard

Teoh JW, Hassan F, Mohamad Yunus MR

Singapore Med J, 2013 Oct;54(10):e208-10.
PMID: 24154590

Isolated laryngeal histoplasmosis is a very rare entity. It has variable clinical presentations that might mimic both benign and malignant lesions, and is usually associated with pulmonary and other disseminated forms of histoplasmosis. Herein, we report a case of primary laryngeal histoplasmosis without the involvement of other systems in a 70-year-old Chinese man, who previously worked as a miner. He presented with a history of hoarseness for two months, with no other associated symptoms. Direct laryngoscopy revealed irregularity of the posterior one-third of both vocal folds. Histopathological examination revealed the presence of Histoplasma capsulatumon periodic acidSchiff and Grocott's methenamine silver staining. The lesion resolved after one month of oral itraconazole treatment. However, the patient had to complete six months of antifungal treatment to prevent recurrence.
Age at death estimation from bone histology in Malaysian males

Nor FM, Pastor RF, Schutkowski H

Med Sci Law, 2014 Oct;54(4):203-8.
PMID: 24189643 DOI: 10.1177/0025802413506573

Estimation of age from microscopic examination of human bone utilizes bone remodeling. This allows 2 regression equation to be determined in a specific population based on the variation in osteon turnover in different populations. The aim of this study was to provide age estimation for Malaysian males. Ground undecalcified cross sections were prepared from long limb bones of 50 deceased males aged between 21 and 78 years. Ten microstructural parameters were measured and subjected to multivariate regression analysis. Results showed that osteon count had the highest correlation with age (R = 0.43), and age was estimated to be within 10.94 years of the true value in 98% of males. Cross validation of the equation on 50 individuals showed close correspondence of true ages with estimated ages. Further studies are needed to validate and expand these results.
The Validation of Diabetes Mellitus Discharge Planning Module Incorporated into the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activity

Said A, Said FM, Nambiar N

Iran J Nurs Midwifery Res, 2025;30(1):18-24.
PMID: 40052035 DOI: 10.4103/ijnmr.ijnmr_461_21

BACKGROUND: In Indonesia, several hospitals have designed various forms of discharge planning in line with the guidelines provided by the Indonesian Endocrinology Association. These initiatives were implemented to enhance the quality of healthcare service. Despite the efforts made by the government, the rate of non-compliance (9%) and readmission (20%) has continued to increase. This indicates that there is a need to reevaluate the existing discharge planning module. Therefore, this study aims to validate the contents of the diabetes mellitus discharge planning module, which was incorporated into the summary of diabetes self-care activity. The effectiveness of the intervention in improving the compliance of patients with self-care activity was also evaluated.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study used a mixed methodological approach, which combined an evaluation method and an experimental quantitative design. The content validity of the module used was carried out using professional judgment, involving competent experts in the bahteramas hospital in southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. The sample population consisted of sixty-five randomly selected respondents, who participated in the validation of the summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities (SDSCA) questionnaire, which had three phases, namely pre-test, during, fieldwork, and post-test.
RESULTS: The content validity of the module was tested using Aiken's v, and the results ranged from 0.82 to 0.88 for each session, indicating that it was valid. Furthermore, the internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) obtained in this study was acceptable, with values ranging from 0.60 to 0.92.
CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that the diabetes mellitus discharge planning module could be used to improve self-care among patients.
Fulltext Kinematics of neutral hadron in an electronproton collider

Faridah Mohamad Idris, Wan Ahmad Tajuddin Wan Abdullah, Zainol Abidin Ibrahim, Zulidza Zulkaply, Zukhaimira Zolkapli

Journal of Nuclear and Related Technologies, 2016;13(2):24-30.
MyJurnal

In the an electron-proton collider, neutral hadrons were produced in the hadronisation process that
occurred just after the electron-proton collision. The neutral hadrons were produced at interaction
point using reference energy from its centre-of-mass. In this paper, we discuss the kinematics of
particles produced from its centre-of-mass and the hadronisation process follows after such collision.
Fulltext Enhanced time of use electricity pricing for commercial customers in Malaysia

Nur Azrina Mohd Azman, Md Pauzi Abdullah, Mohammad Yusri Hassan, Dalila Mat Said, Faridah Hussin

Pertanika Journal of Science & Technology, 2017;25(101):285-294.
MyJurnal

Malaysia has introduced a new Time of Use (ToU) tariff scheme known as Enhanced ToU (EToU) for
commercial and industrial customers. EToU is a more detailed pricing scheme where one day time frame
is divided into six period blocks as compared to only two period blocks in the existing ToU. Mid-peak
tariff is introduced to the existing peak and off-peak tariff. Off-peak rate for EToU is significantly lower
than the existing off-peak rate but the peak rate is much higher. EToU is designed to motivate users to
reduce their consumption during peak hours or shift the load to mid-peak or off-peak hours, which if
done correctly can reduce the electricity bill while maintaining electricity consumption. This new EToU
scheme will benefit consumers if they are able to shift consumption from peak-hours into mid-peak
or off-peak hours. This paper assesses the amount of load shifting that is required based on customers’
load profile and EToU rates. The load profile data of an office building in Putrajaya, Malaysia is used
as a case study.
Fulltext In vitro antibacterial activities and composition of Carica papaya cv. Sekaki/ Hong Kong peel extracts

Muhamad, S. A. S., Jamilah, B., Russly, A. R., Faridah, A.

International Food Research Journal, 2017;24(3):976-984.
MyJurnal

Ten solvents were used to extract phytochemicals from the peel of Carica papaya cv.
Sekaki/Hong Kong to determine their antibacterial activities. Moderate to clear inhibition on
Corynebacterium diphtheriae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Bacillus subtilis and Clostridium
perfringens were obtained from the disk diffusion test out of fourteen pathogens tested.
Petroleum ether extract, the most potent extract, showed moderate inhibition towards C.
diphtheriae and S. pneumoniae at MIC of 5.63 mg/mL and 1.40 mg/mL. Polar solvents
gave higher yield, total phenolic and total flavonoid contents than nonpolar solvents. Extract
yields were 10.9 to 84.1 mg/g in polar solvents and 3.9 to 20.3 mg/g in non-polar solvents.
Twenty eight compounds were identified in petroleum extracts through GC/MS analysis.
Among the compounds identified were fatty acids, esters, alkane, tocopherols and sterols.
9,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid was the most abundant compound.
Fulltext An open labelled randomized clinical trial of Fluoxetine versus Dapoxetine treatment among men with premature ejaculation and its effect on marital satisfaction

Mohammad Che Man, Faridah Mohd Zain, Najib Majdi Yaacob, Shahidah Che Alhadi, Shaiful Bahri Ismail

International Medical Journal Malaysia, 2017;16(11):34-34.
MyJurnal

Premature ejaculation (PE) reduces sexual satisfaction and quality of life.
Both SSRI Fluoxetine and Dapoxetine have been used in the treatment of PE. Fluoxetine
is used as off-label treatment meanwhile Dapoxetine is the first SSRI specifically
designed for PE with short half-life and few side effects. (Copied from article).
Fulltext Von Willebrand factor profiles of the different ABO blood groups among Malay population

Rohaida Abd Rahman, Faridah Afandi, Tun Maizura Mohd Fathullah, Rafeezul Mohamed

Journal of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, 2017;2(202):40-41.
MyJurnal

The National Blood Center, Kuala Lumpur interprets laboratory results for the von Willebrand factor (vWF) profile based on guidelines provided by the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, which were established based on the Caucasian population [1-2]. The vWF profiles among the Malay population has not yet been established.

The goals of this study were to determine the vWF profiles of the different ABO blood types among Malays and to evaluate their association with demographic characteristics and smoking habits.

One hundred and forty Malay donors participated in this study. Factor VIII (FVIII), vWF antigen, and ristocetin cofactor (RiCof) levels and collagen binding activity (CBA) were measured by coagulometric clot detection, latex agglutination, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
Fulltext Co-inheritance of Southeast Asian ovalocytosis and Hb e: does it affect the red blood cells indices?

Riahi, Shahrzard, Mei, I Lai, George, Elizabeth, Ida Marhainis Isahak, Faridah Idris, Sabariah Md Noor

Journal of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, 2017;2(202):44-46.
MyJurnal

Complete blood count (CBC) is used broadly to screen individual's general health status. Some inherited red blood cell (RBC) disorders influence the RBC parameters. Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) are amongst the important RBC parameters used in thalassaemia-haemoglobinopathy screening [1-2]. Globin chain disorders and Southeast Asian Ovalocytosis (SAO) are common RBC disorders in Southeast Asian countries [3]. We evaluated the RBC parameters in patients with Hb E and those with SAO co-inheritance.

A total of 33 from 1500 Malay patient’s samples that were sent for thalassaemia-haemoglobinopathies screening in Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) were identified and consented (30 cases with Hb E and 3 cases with co-inheritance of Hb E and SAO). The inclusion criteria were Malay patients with MCV and MCH levels less than 78 fL and 27 pg respectively with presence of oval and stomatocytic RBCs in the peripheral blood film. DNA extraction was performed in samples suspected of having co-inheritance of SAO and Hb E. Primers 198 and 199 (AIT biotech Pte Ltd. Singapore) were designed for SAO detection [4], [5]. Hb E mutation was detected using ARMS PCR [6].

SAO was characterised by presence of an in frame 27bp deletion in exon 11 of the band 3 gene. A band of 175bp was observed in normal subjects and two bands, 175bp and 148bp were observed in heterozygous SAO subjects (Fig. 1).
Fulltext Morphometric and morphological study of mental foramen in the Malaysian population: anatomy and forensic implications

Aspalilah Alias, AbdelNasser Ibrahim, Siti Noorain Abu Bakar, Mohamed Swarhib Shafie, Faridah Mohd Nor, Srijit Das

International Medical Journal Malaysia, 2017;16(2):47-53.
MyJurnal

Introduction: The mental foramen is present on either side of the body of the mandible bone. This foramen
transmits mental vessels and nerves. In forensic anthropology, mental foramen may be important for
differentiating sex, estimating age and identifying various races based on morphology. The main aim of the
present study was to determine the position, shape and diameter of the mental foramen according to sex,
age and race by postmortem computed tomography in the Malaysian population.

Materials and Methods: A total of 79 dentulous patients (48 males, 31 females) from 3 age groups (18-30 years, 31– 50 years, 51-74
years) were selected for this study, and ten parameters were observed for each mandible. The parameters
were divided into two morphological and eight morphometric parameters. The morphometric parameters
were measured by using Osirix MD Software 3D Volume Rendering.

Results: Results showed that mandibular
body length and height were significantly greater in males than in females by independent t-test. (p< 0.05).
However, the mandibular body height was found to decrease significantly with age in both sexes by one-way
Anova. It was observed that the shape of mental foramen was 45.6% oval and 54.4% rounded. About 44.3% of
them were in line with the longitudinal axis of the second premolar tooth.

Conclusion: It was concluded that
mental foramen may be used for identification purposes, particularly for sex, age and race determination.
Usefulness of Red Blood Cell Size Factor (RSf) in Screening Genetic Variants of Alpha Thalassaemia Thalassaemia Trait Regardless of iron status

Nur Juliana Idris, Faridah Idris, Zainina Seman, Nik Hafidzah Nik Mustapha

Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2018;14(103):1-6.
MyJurnal

Screening for alpha (α) thalassaemia trait (TT) is challenging especially in the presence of iron deficiency (ID). Red blood cell size factor (RSf) is a parameter introduced by Beckman Coulter capable of detecting acute and chronic changes to cellular haemoglobin status and iron supply. The research aimed to investigate the clinical usefulness of RSf as screening parameter for α TT and the effect of concomitant ID to RSf mean values (m.v) among respondents with α TT. Methods: A cross-sectional retrospective laboratory analysis involved 55 respondents’ data selected from January 2014 to December 2015 in Pathology Department, Hospital Tuanku Ja’afar Seremban, Negeri Sembilan. The significant difference at p
Absence of toxicity of strobilanthes crispa juice in acute oral toxicity study in Sprague Dawley Rats

Norfarizan Hanoon N, Asmah R, Fauziah O, Rokiah M, Faridah H

Sains Malaysiana, 2012;41:403-409.

This study evaluated four different doses of Strobilanthes crispa juice (700, 2100, 3500 and 4900 mg kg-1 of body weight) administered orally to normal female and male Sprague dawley rats on possible changes in various physical, behaviour, morphology and biochemical parameter. The rats were treated with a single dose of juice and observed for 14 days. No significant toxicity was observed with respect to clinical parameters and organ morphology. In addition, no significant changes were observed in the level of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase,
creatinine and albumin. The S. crispa juice was found to be safe at the maximum dose used in this study (4900 mg kg-1 of body weight).
Performance study of air-based photovoltaic-thermal (PV/T) collector with different designs of heat exchanger

Mohd. Yusof Hj. Othman, Faridah Hussain, Kamaruzzman Sopian, Baharuddin Yatim, Hafidz Ruslan

Sains Malaysiana, 2013;42:1319-1325.

Three different designs of heat exchanger, V-groove, honeycomb and stainless steel wool had been tested to study their effectiveness in improving the overall performance of a photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) air base solar collector. Heat exchangers were installed horizontally into the channel located at the back side of the PV module. The system was tested at irradiance of 828 W/m2 with mass flow rate spanning from 0.02 kg/s to 0.13 kg/s. It was observed that at mass flow rate of 0.11 kg/s, the maximum thermal efficiency of the system with V-groove is 71%, stainless steel wool is 86% and honeycomb is 87%. The electrical efficiency of the systems is 7.04%, 6.88% and 7.13%, respectively. The experimental results showed that honeycomb design is the most efficient design as heat exchanger. The design which is simple and compact is suitable for building integration.
Transfusion-dependent thalassaemics: a practical approach

George E, George R, Duraisamy G, Ilina I, Swaminathan M, Thien T, et al.

Family Practitioner, 1986;9:35-37.
Fulltext Teaching innovation to attract students’ interest in playing volleyball

Jamiaton Kusrin, Mohamad Nizam Mohamed Shapie, Sharifah Aliman, Faridah Mohamad Halil, Zarrul Hayat Mohd Yusof

Jurnal Inovasi Malaysia, 2018;2(1):105-116.
MyJurnal

Physical Education (PE) teachers in schools have difficulties in attracting students to participate in activities that cause students to feel bored to play during the PE class due to the short time of teaching and the number of games to be learned in various ways. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching methods based on the TGfU model towardssports science students through the Volleyball Camp 2016 (KBT2016). KBT2016 involves the Faculty of Sports & Recreation Science (FSR), UiTM in collaboration with SMK Puncak Alam. The respondents were selected based on sampling involving 31 Sports Science students taking the Acquisition of Movement Skills (SPS465) subject. Respondents were divided into four groups: two male groups and two female groups. KBT2016 received positive feedbacks from respondents. All respondents were able to learn the basics skills of volleyball with the right techniques in exciting situations.
Fulltext Use of learning aids on advancing students’ thinking ability

Faiz Zulkifli, Rozaimah Zainal Abidin, Zurina Mansor, Mohd Hafiz Mohamad Hamzah, Faridah Zulkipli

Jurnal Inovasi Malaysia, 2018;1(2):1-22.
MyJurnal

Higher order thinking skills (HOTS) is a skill that should be present in every teaching and learning process. Teaching mathematics and statistics particularly requires lecturers to be skilful in planning learning activities and using suitable assessment that can inculcate thinking skills among students. The main purpose of this study is to develop new innovation product by using question answer book and mobile apps. This study evaluates students’ ability in answering exam question based on a revised Bloom’s taxonomy. To achieve this aim, 124 actuarial sciences students in UiTM who have enrolled in statistics course for two different semesters were selected as samples. The samples were assigned into two groups where 59 of them have never used the suggested learning aids, while the other 65 students have used the learning aids the whole semester. Data were analysed using Rasch measurement analysis, the Ministep software. The analysis revealed that the exam questions built were significantly reliable and well adjusted to the students’ ability and the revised Bloom’s taxonomy. Generally, the used of learning aids in learning process can slightly improved students’ performance in writing examinations. Users recommended further improvement on the mobile apps in terms of the types of games and the quality of audio visual in the apps. Other than that, the questions designed in the question and answer book as well as in the mobile apps need to be validated by experts in related fields.
A hybrid enzymatic zinc-air fuel cell

Abdul Aziz Ahmad, Raihan Othman, Faridah Yusof, Mohd Firdaus Abdul Wahab

Sains Malaysiana, 2014;43:459-465.

A hybrid biofuel cell, a zinc-air cell employing laccase as the oxygen reduction catalyst is investigated. A simple cell design is employed; a membraneless single chamber and a freely suspended laccase in the buffer electrolyte. The cell is characterised based on its open-circuit voltage, power density profile and galvanostatic discharge at 0.5 mA. The activity of laccase as an oxidoreductase is substantiated from the cell discharge profiles. The use of air electrode in the cell design enhanced the energy output by 14%. The zinc-air biofuel cell registered an open-circuit voltage of 1.2 V and is capable to deliver a maximum power density of 1.1 mWcm-2 at 0.4 V. Despite its simple design features, the power output is comparable to that of biocatalytic cell utilising a much more complex system design.
Effectiveness of lake remediation towards water quality: application in varsity lake University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur

Nuzaima Che Mood, Faridah Othman, Noor Farahain Muhammad Amin, Md. Ibrahim Adham

Sains Malaysiana, 2017;46:1221-1229.

Surface water quality monitoring is an important tool for enhancing the water body management system. This study focuses on the water quality of a lake based on rehabilitation work completed in 2014. This lake suffers from eutrophication and water quality degradation due to the increase in pollution rates and water source scarcity. Nine points were selected to represent the water quality status for the study area. Two river tributaries that pass through the University Malaya (UM) campus have been considered due of its potential as a water source for the lake. Field and laboratory analysis were conducted to understand the transport of water quality parameters. The data variations were analyzed using a multivariate statistical method to determine the significant differences between the lake and river. Based on the Malaysian Water Quality Index (WQI) and cluster analysis, the results indicated that the lake and river have different physico-chemical characteristics and the lake water has a better quality than the river. Comparison of the concentration for BOD, TSS, PO43- and NO3- between year 2009 and current study proved that the water quality has improved by 99.8% proving that the lake remediation is effective.
Trace metals in Thais clavigera along coastal waters of the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia

Miskon FM, Noor Azhar Mord Shazili, Faridah Mohammad, Kamaruzzaman Yunus

Sains Malaysiana, 2014;43:529-534.

The selected trace metals in the soft tissue of Thais clavigera from 11 sampling sites along the coastal waters of the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia were studied. Significant inter-spatial variations in trace metals were recorded. Sites with relatively high concentrations of the contaminant metals Hg, Cd, Pb and Zn are correlated to their close proximity to industrial and urban sites or to boating and aquaculture activities. This could possibly be contributed by the high growth of industrial activities like port and sewage release. Interspatial comparison with previous studies indicated lower measurement. Meanwhile, comparison with other studies around the world also designated lower values except for Zn. The metal accumulation patterns indicated an enrichment of essential metals over non-essential metals. Comparison of metal concentration with maximum permissible limits of toxic metals in food established in different countries, as well as Malaysian Food Act 1983 and Food Regulations 1985 Fourteen Schedule, indicated the values were well within safety levels.

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