MyMedR

Fulltext Cost analysis of facial injury treatment in two university hospitals in Malaysia: a prospective study

Saperi BS, Ramli R, Ahmed Z, Muhd Nur A, Ibrahim MI, Rashdi MF, et al.

Clinicoecon Outcomes Res, 2017;9:107-113.

PMID: 28223831 DOI: 10.2147/CEOR.S119910

OBJECTIVE: Facial injury (FI) may occur in isolation or in association with injuries to other parts of the body (facial and other injury [FOI]). The objective of this study was to determine the direct treatment costs incurred during the management of facial trauma.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective cohort study on treatment cost for FIs and FOIs due to road-traffic crashes in two university hospitals in Malaysia was conducted from July 2010 to June 2011. The patients were recruited from emergency departments and reviewed after 6 months from the date of initial treatment. Direct cost analysis, comparison of cost and length of hospital stay, and Injury Severity Score (ISS) were performed.

RESULTS: A total of 190 patients were enrolled in the study, of whom 83 (43.7%) had FI only, and 107 (56.3%) had FOI. The mean ISS was 5.4. The mean length of stay and costs for patients with FI only were 5.8 days with a total cost of US$1,261.96, whereas patients with FOI were admitted for 7.8 days with a total cost of US$1,716.47. Costs doubled if the treatment was performed under general anesthesia compared to local anesthesia.

CONCLUSION: Treatment of FI and FOI imposes a financial burden on the health care system in Malaysia.

Fulltext Floating teeth appearance: A radiographic dilemma

Rahman NA, Harun MH, Rahman SA, Mohammad NSA

J Taibah Univ Med Sci, 2020 Apr;15(2):160-165.

PMID: 32368214 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtumed.2020.02.005

Gorham disease (GD) is an extremely rare disorder that is characterised by massive osteolysis of the affected bone with unknown aetiology and an unpredictable prognosis. Additionally, no standard treatment is available for GD. This article describes a case report of a 61-year-old Malay woman who was diagnosed with GD of the anterior mandible without a prior history of trauma. She presented with pain and mobility of the dentoalveolar segment for 3 months. The radiographic findings showed "floating teeth" with widening of the periodontal ligament space and localized area of bony destruction. Histopathologically, there was proliferation of numerous dilated endothelial-lined channels within the intertrabecular tissue. Some areas of bone were replaced by fibrous connective tissue giving rise to the appearance of a benign fibroosseous lesion. The patient was managed with simple removal of the affected bone segment under local anaesthesia, followed by prosthodontic rehabilitation. Healing of the surgical site was uneventful, and no recurrence was reported at the 3-year follow-up.

Serotyping of Brunei pneumococcal clinical strains and the investigation of their capability to adhere and invade a brain endothelium model

Rahman NA, Sharudin A, Diah S, Muharram SH

Microb Pathog, 2017 Sep;110:352-358.

PMID: 28711510 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2017.07.021

INTRODUCTION: Pneumococcal infections have caused morbidity and mortality globally. Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococci) are commensal bacteria that colonize the nasopharynx, asymptomatically. From there, pneumococci can spread in the lungs causing pneumonia and disseminate in the bloodstream causing bacteremia (sepsis) and reach the brain leading to meningitis. Endothelial cells are one of the most important components of the blood-brain barrier that separates the blood from the brain and plays the first protective role against pneumococcal entry. Thus this study aimed to investigate on the ability of non-meningitis pneumococcal clinical strains to adhere and invade a brain endothelium model.

METHODS: Two pneumococcal Brunei clinical strains were serotyped by multiplex PCR method using oligonucleotide sequences derived from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A validated immortalised mouse brain endothelial cell line (bEnd.3) was used as a brain endothelium model for the study of the pneumococcal breach of the blood-brain barrier using an adherence and invasion assay.

RESULTS: Both of the pneumococcal clinical strains were found to be serotype 19F, a common circulating serotype in Southeast Asia and globally and possess the ability to adhere and invade the brain endothelial cells.

CONCLUSION: In addition, this is the first report on the serotype identification of pneumococci in Brunei Darussalam and their application on a brain endothelium model. Further studies are required to understand the virulence capabilities of the clinical strains.

Fulltext 2-[4-Acetyl-5-(biphenyl-4-yl)-4,5-dihydro-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl]phenyl acetate

Yehye WA, Ariffin A, Rahman NA, Ng SW

Acta Crystallogr Sect E Struct Rep Online, 2010 Mar 20;66(Pt 4):o878.

PMID: 21580697 DOI: 10.1107/S1600536810009621

In the title mol-ecule, C(24)H(20)N(2)O(4), the five-membered oxadiazole ring is nearly planar (r.m.s. deviation = 0.053 Å) and the phenyl ring of the biphenyl unit attached to it forms a dihedral angle of 73.2 (1)°; the other phenyl ring is close to coplanar with the oxadiazole ring [dihedral angle = 6.2 (2)°].

Fulltext N'-[(Biphenyl-4-yl)methyl-ene]-2-[(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxy-benz-yl)sulfan-yl]acetohydrazide

Yehye WA, Ariffin A, Rahman NA, Ng SW

Acta Crystallogr Sect E Struct Rep Online, 2010;66(Pt 4):o734.

PMID: 21580580 DOI: 10.1107/S1600536810006884

In the title compound, C(30)H(36)N(2)O(2)S, the dihedral angle between the two aromatic rings of the biphenyl residue is 31.2 (1)°. The two methyl-ene C atoms subtend an angle of 99.9 (1)° at the S atom. In the crystal, mol-ecules form inversion dimers linked by pairs of N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds. The hydroxyl group is shielded by the tert-butyl residues and is therefore not involved in any hydrogen bonding.

Fulltext 4-Chloro-2-[(E)-2-(4-methoxy-phen-yl)ethyl-imino-meth-yl]phenol

Yaeghoobi M, Rahman NA, Ng SW

Acta Crystallogr Sect E Struct Rep Online, 2009;65(Pt 5):o1070.

PMID: 21583886 DOI: 10.1107/S1600536809013348

In the title Schiff base, C(16)H(16)ClNO(2), the 2-(4-methoxy-phen-yl)ethyl (CH(3)OC(6)H(4)CH(2)CH(2)-; r.m.s. deviation = 0.10 Å) and 4-chloro-2-(imino-meth-yl)phenol (N=CHC(6)H(3)ClOH; r.m.s. deviation = 0.01 Å) portions are both essentially planar, the two parts being inclined at an angle of 61.8 (1)°. The hydroxy group forms a hydrogen bond to the imino N atom.

Fulltext Dipyridinium 2,2'-dithio-dinicotinate

Yehye WA, Ariffin A, Rahman NA, Ng SW

Acta Crystallogr Sect E Struct Rep Online, 2009;65(Pt 5):o1068.

PMID: 21583884 DOI: 10.1107/S1600536809013543

The dianion of the title salt, 2C(5)H(6)N(+)·C(12)H(6)N(2)O(4)S(2) (2-), lies on a special position of 2 site symmetry that relates one thio-nicotinate part to the other, and the dihedral angle between the niotinate planes is 89.2 (2)°. The pyridinium cations are hydrogen bonded to the carboxyl-ate group by way of N-H⋯O links.

Fulltext 2-(3,5-Di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxy-benzyl-sulfan-yl)-N'-(3-methoxy-benzyl-idene)acetohydrazide

Yehye WA, Ariffin A, Rahman NA, Ng SW

Acta Crystallogr Sect E Struct Rep Online, 2009;65(Pt 9):o2112.

PMID: 21577527 DOI: 10.1107/S1600536809030645

The title compound, C(25)H(34)N(2)O(3)S, is a derivative of N'-benzyl-ideneacetohydrazide having substituents on the acetyl and benzylidenyl parts, and displays a planar C(carbon-yl)-NH-NC(anis-yl) fragment [torsion angle = 174.9 (3)°]. The -NH- unit forms an N-H⋯O hydrogen bond with the carbonyl O atom of an inversion-related mol-ecule.

Fulltext Biphenyl-4-carbaldehyde azine

Yehye WA, Ariffin A, Rahman NA, Ng SW

Acta Crystallogr Sect E Struct Rep Online, 2008;64(Pt 12):o2444.

PMID: 21581412 DOI: 10.1107/S1600536808038622

The complete mol-ecule of the title compound, C(26)H(20)N(2), is generated by crystallographic inversion symmetry. The terminal phenyl ring is twisted by 19.2 (1)° with respect to the adjacent phenyl-ene ring.

Fulltext N'-(3-Bromo-5-chloro-2-hydroxy-benzyl-idine)-2-hydroxy-benzohydrazide

Yehye WA, Ariffin A, Rahman NA, Ng SW

Acta Crystallogr Sect E Struct Rep Online, 2008;64(Pt 12):o2438.

PMID: 21581406 DOI: 10.1107/S1600536808038634

In the approximately planar title mol-ecule, C(14)H(10)BrClN(3)O(2), the dihedral angle between the aromatic ring planes is 5.79 (12)°. The conformation is stabilized by intra-molecular O-H⋯N and N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds and an inter-molecular O-H⋯O link leads to chains in the crystal propagating in [001].

Fulltext Pheophorbide b ethyl ester from a chlorella vulgaris dietary supplement

Chee CF, Rahman NA, Zain SM, Ng SW

Acta Crystallogr Sect E Struct Rep Online, 2008;64(Pt 10):o1986.

PMID: 21201185 DOI: 10.1107/S160053680802970X

In the title compound, C(37)H(38)N(4)O(6), four five-membered nitro-gen-bearing rings are nearly coplanar. Two N atoms in two these five-membered rings have attached H atoms, which contribute to the formation of intra-molecular N-H⋯N hydrogen bonds [N⋯N = 2.713 (5)-3.033 (6) Å].

Fulltext 2-(3,5-Di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxy-benzyl-sulfan-yl)nicotinic acid

Mansor S, Yehye WA, Ariffin A, Rahman NA, Ng SW

Acta Crystallogr Sect E Struct Rep Online, 2008;64(Pt 9):o1778.

PMID: 21201758 DOI: 10.1107/S1600536808026056

Two mol-ecules of the title compound, C(21)H(27)NO(3)S, are disposed about a center of inversion, generating an O-H⋯O hydrogen-bonded dimer.

Fulltext Di-n-butyl-ammonium 2-(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxy-benzyl-sulfan-yl)nicotinate

Mansor S, Yehye WA, Ariffin A, Rahman NA, Ng SW

Acta Crystallogr Sect E Struct Rep Online, 2008;64(Pt 9):o1799.

PMID: 21201778 DOI: 10.1107/S1600536808026202

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C(8)H(20)N(+)·C(21)H(26)NO(3)S(-), contains two indpendent ion pairs which are disposed about a psuedo-inversion center, generating an ammonium-carboxylate N-H⋯O hydrogen-bonded four-component cluster. In the crystal structure, adjacent clusters are linked by hydr-oxy-carboxylate O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming a chain.

Fulltext N-Acetyl-2-hydroxy-N'-[methoxy(1-methylindol-2-yl)methyl]benzohydrazide

Yehye WA, Rahman NA, Ariffin A, Ng SW

Acta Crystallogr Sect E Struct Rep Online, 2008 Aug 23;64(Pt 9):o1824.

PMID: 21201799 DOI: 10.1107/S1600536808026846

In the crystal structure of the title Schiff-base, C(20)H(21)N(3)O(4), the amino group forms an N-H⋯O hydrogen bond to the acetyl group of an adjacent mol-ecule, forming a zigzag chain. The 2-hydr-oxy group is inter-nally hydrogen bonded to the amido group though an O-H⋯O hydrogen bond.

Fulltext A Review of Circularly Polarized Dielectric Resonator Antennas: Recent Developments and Applications

Abd Rahman NA, Mohd Yasin MN, Ibrahim IM, Jusoh M, Noor SK, Ekscalin Emalda Mary MR, et al.

Micromachines (Basel), 2022 Dec 08;13(12).

PMID: 36557477 DOI: 10.3390/mi13122178

A comprehensive review on recent developments and applications of circularly polarized (CP) dielectric resonator antennas (DRAs) is proposed in this paper. DRAs have received more considerations in various applications due to their advantages such as wide bandwidth, high gain, high efficiency, low losses, and low profile. A broad justification for circular polarization and DRAs is stated at the beginning of the review. Various techniques such as single feed, dual, or multiple feeds used by different researchers for generating circular polarization in DRAs are briefly studied in this paper. Multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) CP DRAs, which can increase channel capacity, link reliability, and data rate, have also been analyzed. Additionally, innovative design solutions for broadening the circular polarization bandwidth and reducing mutual coupling are studied. Several applications of DRA are also discussed comprehensively. This paper finishes with concluding remarks.

The sternalis muscle in cadavers: anatomical facts and clinical significance

Rahman NA, Das S, Maatoq Sulaiman I, Hlaing KP, Haji Suhaimi F, Latiff AA, et al.

Clin Ter, 2009;160(2):129-31.

PMID: 19452102

The sternalis is an anomalous muscle located in the anterior wall of thorax and several past reports have described its presence with clinical implications. The sternalis muscle may be incidentally detected during routine cadaveric dissections and autopsies. We observed the presence of anomalous sternalis muscle on both sides of the anterior chest wall in 25 cadavers (n = 50), over a span of three years. Out of a 50 cases, we observed a single case of sternalis on the right side of the 55-year-old male cadaver (2%). The sternalis was found to be absent in the rest 49 cases (98%). The sternalis muscle displayed an oblique course in the anterior wall of the thorax. The muscle originated near the seventh costal cartilage extending obliquely upwards to insert into the second costal cartilage close to the sternum. The originating portion of the muscle was located at a distance of 3.5 cm lateral to the mid-sternal plane. The vertical length and the maximum width of the anomalous sternalis muscle measured 9 cm and 1.9 cm, respectively. The fibers of the muscle vertically ascended upwards. No other associated anomalies were observed in the same cadaver. The presence of sternalis muscle is considered to be a rare variation with no earlier studies being performed in the Malaysian population. The anomalous sternalis muscle may be important for reconstructive surgeons performing mastectomy and radiologists interpreting mammograms. Thus, the sternalis muscle may be academically, anthropologically and surgically important.

Conformational and energy evaluations of novel peptides binding to dengue virus envelope protein

Amir-Hassan A, Lee VS, Baharuddin A, Othman S, Xu Y, Huang M, et al.

J Mol Graph Model, 2017 06;74:273-287.

PMID: 28458006 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmgm.2017.03.010

Effective novel peptide inhibitors which targeted the domain III of the dengue envelope (E) protein by blocking dengue virus (DENV) entry into target cells, were identified. The binding affinities of these peptides towards E-protein were evaluated by using a combination of docking and explicit solvent molecular dynamics (MD) simulation methods. The interactions of these complexes were further investigated by using the Molecular Mechanics-Poisson Boltzmann Surface Area (MMPBSA) and Molecular Mechanics Generalized Born Surface Area (MMGBSA) methods. Free energy calculations of the peptides interacting with the E-protein demonstrated that van der Waals (vdW) and electrostatic interactions were the main driving forces stabilizing the complexes. Interestingly, calculated binding free energies showed good agreement with the experimental dissociation constant (Kd) values. Our results also demonstrated that specific residues might play a crucial role in the effective binding interactions. Thus, this study has demonstrated that a combination of docking and molecular dynamics simulations can accelerate the identification process of peptides as potential inhibitors of dengue virus entry into host cells.

The full-length clone of cucumber green mottle mosaic virus and its application as an expression system for Hepatitis B surface antigen

Ooi A, Tan S, Mohamed R, Rahman NA, Othman RY

J Biotechnol, 2006 Feb 24;121(4):471-81.

PMID: 16271415

A cucumber green mosaic mottle virus (CGMMV) full-length clone was developed for the expression of Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). The expression of the surface displayed HBsAg by the chimeric virus was confirmed through a double antibody sandwich ELISA. Assessment of the coat protein composition of the chimeric virus particles by SDS-PAGE analysis showed that 50% of the coat proteins were fused to the HBsAg. Biological activity of the expressed HBsAg was assessed through the stimulation of in vitro antibody production by cultured peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). PBMC that were cultured in the presence of the chimeric virus showed up to an approximately three-fold increase in the level of anti HBsAg immunoglobulin thus suggesting the possible use of this new chimeric virus as an effective Hepatitis B vaccine.

Fulltext Limited Evaluation of Image Quality Produced by a Portable Head CT Scanner (CereTom) in a Neurosurgery Centre

Abdullah AC, Adnan JS, Rahman NA, Palur R

Malays J Med Sci, 2017 Mar;24(1):104-112.

PMID: 28381933 DOI: 10.21315/mjms2017.24.1.11

INTRODUCTION: Computed tomography (CT) is the preferred diagnostic toolkit for head and brain imaging of head injury. A recent development is the invention of a portable CT scanner that can be beneficial from a clinical point of view.

AIM: To compare the quality of CT brain images produced by a fixed CT scanner and a portable CT scanner (CereTom).

METHODS: This work was a single-centre retrospective study of CT brain images from 112 neurosurgical patients. Hounsfield units (HUs) of the images from CereTom were measured for air, water and bone. Three assessors independently evaluated the images from the fixed CT scanner and CereTom. Streak artefacts, visualisation of lesions and grey-white matter differentiation were evaluated at three different levels (centrum semiovale, basal ganglia and middle cerebellar peduncles). Each evaluation was scored 1 (poor), 2 (average) or 3 (good) and summed up to form an ordinal reading of 3 to 9.

RESULTS: HUs for air, water and bone from CereTom were within the recommended value by the American College of Radiology (ACR). Streak artefact evaluation scores for the fixed CT scanner was 8.54 versus 7.46 (Z = -5.67) for CereTom at the centrum semiovale, 8.38 (SD = 1.12) versus 7.32 (SD = 1.63) at the basal ganglia and 8.21 (SD = 1.30) versus 6.97 (SD = 2.77) at the middle cerebellar peduncles. Grey-white matter differentiation showed scores of 8.27 (SD = 1.04) versus 7.21 (SD = 1.41) at the centrum semiovale, 8.26 (SD = 1.07) versus 7.00 (SD = 1.47) at the basal ganglia and 8.38 (SD = 1.11) versus 6.74 (SD = 1.55) at the middle cerebellar peduncles. Visualisation of lesions showed scores of 8.86 versus 8.21 (Z = -4.24) at the centrum semiovale, 8.93 versus 8.18 (Z = -5.32) at the basal ganglia and 8.79 versus 8.06 (Z = -4.93) at the middle cerebellar peduncles. All results were significant with P-value < 0.01.

CONCLUSIONS: Results of the study showed a significant difference in image quality produced by the fixed CT scanner and CereTom, with the latter being more inferior than the former. However, HUs of the images produced by CereTom do fulfil the recommendation of the ACR.

Fulltext Clinicopathological and radiographic features in 40 cats diagnosed with pulmonary and cutaneous Rhodococcus equi infection (2012-2018)

Aslam MW, Lau SF, Chin CSL, Ahmad NI, Rahman NA, Kuppusamy K, et al.

J Feline Med Surg, 2020 Aug;22(8):774-790.

PMID: 32400257 DOI: 10.1177/1098612X19886395

OBJECTIVES: This retrospective study aimed to describe clinical manifestations, diagnostic options, radiological features, therapeutic plans and outcomes for cats infected with Rhodococcus equi.

METHODS: Forty cats aged between 2 months and 11 years old (median 6 months) that were definitively diagnosed with rhodococcosis between 2012 and 2018 were recruited in this study. Medical records were reviewed for information on signalment, history, clinical presentation, diagnostic testing, treatment plans and clinical outcomes.

RESULTS: Of the 40 cats, 36 showed the pulmonary form of the disease, with 35 (87.5%) presenting with dyspnoea, while four cats presented with only cutaneous lesions. Mean body temperature was 38.7 ± 0.2°C. Dyspnoea was noted in 87.5% of the cats. Leukocytosis (58.3%) with band neutrophilia (83.3%), monocytosis (58.3%) and thrombocytopenia (55.5%) were prominent findings in the haematology reports. Hyperproteinaemia (61.1%) with hypoalbuminaemia (22.2%) and hyperglobulinaemia (63.8%) with a low albumin:globulin ratio (38.9%) were prominent features of blood biochemistry reports. An alveolar-interstitial pattern was noted in 75% of pre-thoracocentesis radiographs. Pleural effusion, hepatomegaly, thoracic lymphadenopathy and atelectasis of any lung lobe were seen in 88.9%, 75%, 41.7% and 36.1% of cats, respectively. Overall, the mortality rate was 67.5% in both forms.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Clinicians should be aware that feline rhodococcosis manifests as a pulmonary disease at a much higher rate than previously reported. Further studies are required to address the epidemiology, pathophysiology, disease management and prognosis of feline rhodococcosis. The role of immunosuppression as a predisposing factor in feline rhodococcosis requires further investigation.

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