Displaying publications 81 - 100 of 151 in total

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  1. Rahman RA, Ngeow WC, Chai WL, Ramli R
    Singapore Dent J, 2006 Dec;28(1):7-10.
    PMID: 17378335
    Head and neck cancer is becoming a more recognizable pathology to the general population and dentists. The modes of treatment include surgery and/or radiation therapy. Pretreatment dental assessment should be provided for these patients before they undergo radiation therapy. There are occasions, however, whereby head and neck cancer patients are not prepared optimally and, as a result, they succumb to complicated oral adverse effects after radiation therapy. The management of radiation-induced caries, a sequelae of xerostomia has been reviewed in Part II of this series. In this article, the management of difficulty with dentures, another sequelae of xerostomia following radiation therapy is reviewed.
  2. Ngeow WC, Chai WL, Rahman RA, Ramli R
    Singapore Dent J, 2006 Dec;28(1):16-8.
    PMID: 17378337
    Head and neck cancer is becoming a more recognizable pathology to the general population and dentists. The modes of treatment include surgery and/or radiation therapy. Where possible, pretreatment dental assessment shall be provided for these patients before they undergo radiation therapy. There are occasions, however, whereby head and neck cancer patients are not prepared optimally for radiation therapy. Because of this, they succumb to complicated oral adverse effects after radiation therapy. The second last part of this series reviews and discusses the management of complication that commonly occur to the oral mucosa, i.e. mucositis.
  3. Rahman RA, Hussaini HM, Rahman NA, Rahman SR, Nor GM, Ai Idrus SM, et al.
    Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg, 2007 Feb;33(1):90-5.
    PMID: 26815981 DOI: 10.1007/s00068-007-5154-5
    The objective of this study was to determine the demographic data as well as other relevant data pertaining to the management of patients with maxillofacial injury in a Malaysian government regional hospital.
  4. Nor MM, Yushar A, Razali M, Rahman RA, Ramli R
    Dentomaxillofac Radiol, 2006 Nov;35(6):473-4.
    PMID: 17082343
    Susuk, or charm needles, are inserted and worn subcutaneously in the face and other parts of the body, as they are believed to enhance beauty and youth, and for many other reasons such as treatment of headache, aches and pains in the joints, back or abdomen. The practice of inserting susuk is a traditional belief, genuinely cultural and superstitious, and common in the south-east Asian region. We present 13 cases of susuk, which was found incidentally on the radiographs as the patients came for various types of treatment at our centre.
  5. Rosli TI, Abdul Rahman R, Abdul Rahman SR, Ramli R
    Singapore Dent J, 2005 Dec;27(1):17-22.
    PMID: 16438264
    The objectives of this study were to determine the sources of stress among undergraduate dental students, and to compare the sources of stress among the 5 years of undergraduate study, between gender, and with other studies done elsewhere. A total of 325 students across the 5 academic years (88.8% response rate) of the Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, completed the modified Dental Environment Stress questionnaire. All respondents reported that they experienced some form of stress. The preclinical students reported that examinations and fear of failure caused the most stress. The main stressor for clinical students was clinical training, particularly factors relating to meeting clinical requirements. Female students perceived more stress generally than male students. However, male students were more stressed when faced with factors related to clinical training.
  6. Norazlimi NA, Ramli R
    ScientificWorldJournal, 2015;2015:105296.
    PMID: 26345324 DOI: 10.1155/2015/105296
    A study was conducted to investigate the relationship between the physical morphology of shorebirds and water birds (i.e., Lesser adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus), Common redshank (Tringa totanus), Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus), and Little heron (Butorides striata)) and their foraging behavior in the mudflats area of Selangor, Peninsular Malaysia, from August 2013 to July 2014 by using direct observation techniques (using binoculars and a video recorder). The actively foraging bird species were watched, and their foraging activities were recorded for at least 30 seconds for up to a maximum of five minutes. A Spearman Rank Correlation highlighted a significant relationship between bill size and foraging time (R = 0.443, p < 0.05), bill size and prey size (R = -0.052, p < 0.05), bill size and probing depth (R = 0.42, p = 0.003), and leg length and water/mud depth (R = 0.706, p < 0.005). A Kruskal-Wallis Analysis showed a significant difference between average estimates of real probing depth of the birds (mm) and species (H = 15.96, p = 0.0012). Three foraging techniques were recorded: pause-travel, visual-feeding, and tactile-hunting. Thus, morphological characteristics of bird do influence their foraging behavior and strategies used when foraging.
  7. Yunus SS, Ngeow WC, Ramli R
    Am J Emerg Med, 2015 Sep;33(9):1253-7.
    PMID: 26026365 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajem.2015.05.009
    A cross-sectional study to determine the pattern of craniomaxillofacial (CMF) injuries among children involved in road traffic crashes was performed. The association of protective equipment use with the CMF injuries was evaluated.
  8. Soh HY, Muda AS, Jabar NA, Nordin R, Nabil S, Ramli R
    Oral Maxillofac Surg, 2015 Dec;19(4):423-5.
    PMID: 25903486 DOI: 10.1007/s10006-015-0497-2
    Traumatic pseudoaneurysm involving the maxillary artery is rare. Owing to its anatomic location, internal maxillary artery is usually protected by its surrounding structures. Formation of pseudoaneurysm usually takes place after several weeks to months of the initial injury. In this case, we reported a pseudoaneurysm arising from left internal maxillary artery following blunt injuries within 3 hours after a road accident and the treatment with endovascular embolization with titanium coils prior to open reduction and internal fixation of the fractured mandibles.
  9. James JG, Izam AS, Nabil S, Rahman NA, Ramli R
    J Craniofac Surg, 2019 8 27;31(1):e22-e26.
    PMID: 31449209 DOI: 10.1097/SCS.0000000000005812
    AIM: The objective of this review was to determine the different types of surgical intervention in the management of nasal bone fractures, the outcomes, and complications associated with each intervention.

    METHODS: A search was conducted using the PubMed and Cochrane Database of Systematic Review databases from January 1, 1997 until September 9, 2017. The search strategy was constructed using the Population Intervention Comparison Outcome framework with keywords related to nasal fracture and its treatment. Two sets of independent researchers performed the analysis. Qualitative analysis was performed using the Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies and National Institute for Clinical Excellence methodology for randomized controlled trial checklists.

    RESULTS: The 4276 titles were obtained from PubMed database alone. Exclusion was made based on the title, abstract and full-text analysis. Finally, 23 papers were included and analyzed. Of the 23 papers, 13 (56.5%) were retrospective record review, 2 (8.7%) were randomized clinical trial or a randomized study and 8 case series (34.8%). 16 (69.6%) studies addressed closed reduction, 3 studies (13%) on open reduction and 4 studies (17.4%) addressed both open and closed reduction. The main focus in the outcome in all studies was accuracy of the anatomical reduction of the nasal bones. Three studies (13.0%) reported restoration of function such as breathing comfort or release in respiratory obstruction and another 3 (13.0%) addressed both cosmetic and breathing outcomes. Residual deformity was the most described complications in the studies (30.4%). In general, most of the studies were not of high quality as they lacked in some key elements in the Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies checklist.

    CONCLUSION: Both closed and open reduction provided good outcomes in cosmetic and breathing. Septoplasty is recommended to be performed simultaneously with fracture reduction.

  10. Mansor MS, Nor SM, Ramli R
    Behav Processes, 2020 Nov;180:104229.
    PMID: 32866554 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2020.104229
    Mixed-species flocks (MSFs) serve important roles in bird communities, especially in tropical forests. Although structure of mixed-species bird flocks and its benefits has been intensively studied globally, the foraging plasticity of a species when joining MSFs has rarely been evaluated. The present study examines foraging strategies of the Rufous-crowned Babbler (Malacopteron magnum), Chestnut-winged Babbler (Cyanoderma erythropterum) and Black-naped Monarch (Hypothymis azurea) when participating in MSFs in the Krau Wildlife Reserve, central Peninsular Malaysia. These species exhibit active foraging shifts in utilisation of vertical strata, foraging substrate, attack manoeuvres and foliage density, when foraging in MSFs, compared to when foraging outside MSFs. While the Rufous-crowned Babbler and Chestnut-winged Babbler commonly used gleaning and stretching (to completely extend the legs or neck to reach the food items) manoeuvres when foraging outside MSFs, respectively, they adopted probing manoeuvre and frequently used higher strata upon joining MSFs. The Chestnut-winged Babbler tended to forage on the underside of leaves and the Black-naped Monarch frequently utilised branches when joining MSFs, while they exclusively used aerial leaf litter and live green leaves, respectively, when foraging with conspecifics. The monarch also adopted the hovering manoeuvre and frequently foraged within denser foliage cover when joining MSFs. This study demonstrated that flock members exhibits foraging plasticity either through an expansion or active shift in foraging niches when participating in MSFs, thus suggesting the occurrence of possible foraging improvement and/or reductions in predation risk.
  11. Soleimani Amiri M, Ramli R
    Sensors (Basel), 2021 May 03;21(9).
    PMID: 34063574 DOI: 10.3390/s21093171
    It is necessary to control the movement of a complex multi-joint structure such as a robotic arm in order to reach a target position accurately in various applications. In this paper, a hybrid optimal Genetic-Swarm solution for the Inverse Kinematic (IK) solution of a robotic arm is presented. Each joint is controlled by Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controller optimized with the Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), called Genetic-Swarm Optimization (GSO). GSO solves the IK of each joint while the dynamic model is determined by the Lagrangian. The tuning of the PID is defined as an optimization problem and is solved by PSO for the simulated model in a virtual environment. A Graphical User Interface has been developed as a front-end application. Based on the combination of hybrid optimal GSO and PID control, it is ascertained that the system works efficiently. Finally, we compare the hybrid optimal GSO with conventional optimization methods by statistic analysis.
  12. Ahmad N, Baharom M, Aizuddin AN, Ramli R
    PLoS One, 2021;16(1):e0245304.
    PMID: 33417609 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0245304
    Smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) is more infectious compared to smear-negative PTB and have great significance for epidemiology and infection control. The prevalence of smear-positive PTB rarely affects males and females equally. Hence, we aimed to identify the sex-related differences in the prevalence of smear-positive PTB and its associated factors in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the National Tuberculosis Information System (TBIS) from 1 January, 2015, to 31 December, 2019. The study population was selected using simple random sampling from the list of registered PTB patients in TBIS. The criteria for inclusion were all Malaysian adults aged ≥18 years residing in Kuala Lumpur and registered as PTB in TBIS. Factors associated with smear-positive PTB in male and female patients were determined using multiple logistic regression analysis. Overall prevalence of smear-positive PTB was 68.6%, and male patients predominated (71%). The male:female prevalence ratio of smear-positive PTB was 2.4:1. Male patients who worked as machine operators and elementary workers (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 2.23, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.24-4.02, p = 0.007), were self-employed (aOR 2.58, 95% CI 1.46-4.56, p = 0.001), lived in a residence categorized as 'other' (aOR 2.49, 95% CI 1.28-4.86, p = 0.007) and were smokers (aOR 1.37, 95% CI 1.01-1.87, p = 0.045) had higher odds for smear-positive PTB. Meanwhile, female patients with diabetes mellitus had higher odds for smear-positive PTB (aOR 1.92, 95% CI 1.05-3.54, p = 0.035), while female patients who were healthcare workers had lower odds (aOR 0.33, 95% CI 0.12, 0.94, p = 0.039). The prevalence of smear-positive PTB is higher in males compared to females. The factors associated with smear-positive PTB differed based on sex. The current TB control program, especially on smear-positive PTB, should likely be strategized and stratified by sex.
  13. Shahar S, Mustafar R, Kamaruzaman L, Periyasamy P, Pau KB, Ramli R
    Int J Nephrol, 2021;2021:5562690.
    PMID: 34249377 DOI: 10.1155/2021/5562690
    Introduction: Catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI) and catheter colonization (CC) are two complications among haemodialysis (HD) patients that lead to increased morbidity and mortality. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of CRBSI and CC among HD patients registered at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre and to identify the factors involved by focusing on the demographic profile of the patients as well as their clinical characteristics and outcomes.

    Method: This is a retrospective study of end-stage renal disease patients with suspected CRBSI during the period from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2018. Data on patients who fulfilled the blood culture criteria for CRBSI and CC diagnosis were further analysed for clinical manifestations, comorbidities, history of dialysis, catheter characteristics, and microbiological culture results. The outcomes of CRBSI and CC were also assessed. Findings. In the 3-year period under study, there were 496 suspected CRBSI cases with a total of 175 events in 119 patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria. During that time, the percentage of patients who experienced CRBSI and CC was 4.2% and 4.8%, respectively. The majority of the cohort consisted of male (59.4%), Malay ethnicity (75%), and patients on a tunnelled dialysis catheter (83%). Patients who were fistula naïve and had an internal jugular catheter were more common in the CRBSI group than in the CC group. The predominant microorganisms that were isolated were Gram-positive organisms. In terms of clinical presentation and outcome, no differences were found between the CRBSI and CC groups. Patients with Gram-negative bacteraemia, high initial c-reactive protein, and catheter salvation were likely to have poor outcomes. Recurrence of CRBSI occurred in 31% of the cohort. Neither catheter salvation nor antibiotic-lock therapy were associated with the recurrence of CRBSI. On the other hand, the femoral vein catheter site was associated with risk of recurrence. The overall mortality rate was 1.1%. Discussion. From the analysis, it was concluded that clinical assessment and positive culture are crucial in diagnosing CRBSI with or without peripheral culture. This study provides essential information for the local setting which will enable healthcare providers to implement measures for the better management of CRBSI.

  14. Ibrahim N, Nazimi AJ, Ajura AJ, Nordin R, Latiff ZA, Ramli R
    J Craniofac Surg, 2016 Jul;27(5):1361-6.
    PMID: 27391504 DOI: 10.1097/SCS.0000000000002792
    The aim of this study was to describe the clinical features and expression of bcl-2, cyclin D1, p53, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) antibodies in syndromic (nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome [NBCCS]) and nonsyndromic patients diagnosed with keratocystic odontogenic tumor (KCOT).

    METHODS: This descriptive study comprised 5 patients of KCOT associated with NBCCS and 8 patients of nonsyndromic type treated in the Department of Oral Maxillofacial Surgery, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre between years 1998 and 2011. The clinical features (site, size, treatment, and recurrence), demographic characteristics, and immunohistochemistry results using antibodies of bcl-2, cyclin D1, p53, and PCNA were examined. The association of the antibody expression and the type of KCOT was analyzed using Fisher exact test.

    RESULTS: Altogether there were 13 patients, 5 with syndromic KCOT (1 patient met 3 major criteria of NBCCS) and 8 with sporadic KCOT. The age range for syndromic KCT was 11 to 21 years (mean 16.00 years, SD 4.36) and 10 to 54 years (median 24.50 years, interquartile range 19.00) for the nonsyndromic KCOT. Tumor recurrence occurred in 3 patients (7.7%); 1 patient from the syndromic and 2 patients from the nonsyndromic. The most positive expression was observed in PCNA for both the syndromic and nonsyndromic samples and the least positive expression involved the p53.

    CONCLUSION: PCNA, bcl-2 protein, and cyclin D1 expressions could be useful in evaluating the proliferative activity of the tumor and the aggressiveness of the clinical presentation; however, the authors would propose for larger sample size research for more definitive results.

  15. Situ SF, Ding CH, Nawi S, Johar A, Ramli R
    Malays J Pathol, 2017 Apr;39(1):25-31.
    PMID: 28413202 MyJurnal
    BACKGROUND: Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae are important bacterial pathogens of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) worldwide. This study sought to compare the analytical sensitivity and specificity of conventional methods against a rapid molecular method in detecting STIs caused by these bacteria.

    METHODS: Ninety five first-time male attendees of the Genito-urinary Medicine Clinic in Hospital Kuala Lumpur were included in this cross-sectional study. The detection of C. trachomatis was achieved through direct fluorescence antibody (DFA) staining of urethral swabs and real-time polymerase chain reaction testing (Xpert® CT/NG assay) on urine specimens. N. gonorrhoeae was detected through Gram staining and culture of urethral swabs and Xpert® CT/ NG assay on urine specimens.

    RESULTS: From the Xpert® CT/NG results, 11 (11.6%) attendees had chlamydia, 23 (24.2%) had gonorrhoea and 8 (8.4%) had both STIs. The sensitivity and specificity of DFA in detecting chlamydia compared to Xpert® CT/NG were 5.3% (95% CI: 0-28) and 94.7% (95% CI: 86-98), respectively. For gonorrhoea, the sensitivity and specificity of Gram staining were 90.3% (95% CI: 73-98) and 95.3% (86-99), respectively, whereas the sensitivity and specificity of culture compared to Xpert® CT/NG were 32.2% (95% CI: 17-51) and 100% (95% CI: 93-100), respectively.

    CONCLUSION: Although Gram-stained urethral swab smears are sensitive enough to be retained as a screening tool for gonorrhoea, culture as well as DFA lack sensitivity and are poorly suited to screen for gonorrhoea and chlamydia, respectively. However, owing to their high specificity, conventional detection methods are still suitable as confirmatory tests for gonorrhoea and chlamydia.

  16. Mansor MS, Ramli R
    Behav Processes, 2017 Jul;140:121-126.
    PMID: 28438691 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2017.04.010
    Niche theory suggests that sympatric species reduce interspecific competition through segregation of shared resources by adopting different attack manoeuvres. However, the fact that flycatcher-like bird species exclusively use the sally manoeuvre may thus challenge this view. We studied the foraging ecology of three flycatcher-like species (i.e. Paradise-flycatcher Terpsiphone sp., Black-naped Monarch Hypothymis azurea, and Rufous-winged Philentoma Philentoma pyrhoptera) in the Krau Wildlife Reserve in central Peninsular Malaysia. We investigated foraging preferences of each bird species and the potential niche partitioning via spatial or behavioural segregation. Foraging substrate was important parameter that effectively divided paradise-flycatcher from Black-naped Monarch and Rufous-winged Philentoma, where monarch and philentoma foraged mainly on live green leaves, while paradise-flycatcher foraged on the air. They also exhibited different foraging height preferences. Paradise-flycatcher, for instance, preferred the highest studied strata, while Black-naped Monarch foraged mostly in lower strata, and Rufous-winged Philentoma made use of the lowest strata. This study indicates that niche segregation occurs among sympatric species through foraging substrate and attack manoeuvres selection.
  17. Nasir SA, Tan HL, Tan HJ, Hussaini HM, Ramli R
    Case Rep Dent, 2017;2017:4201357.
    PMID: 28473929 DOI: 10.1155/2017/4201357
    Failure to screen susceptible individuals for human leucocyte allele B∗1502 leads to the onset of Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS). We report a case of a 27-year-old Malay female who was treated with carbamazepine following the diagnosis of trigeminal neuralgia without a genetic screening. She was prescribed 150 mg of carbamazepine initially and the dose was increased to 300 mg following the initial dose. A sudden development of skin and mucous membrane ulcers was observed and this warranted immediate hospitalization. A diagnosis of SJS was made and she was treated immediately with intravenous corticosteroids. Genetic screening prior to carbamazepine prescription is essential especially in susceptible populations.
  18. Soh HY, Fauzi AA, Nazimi AJ, Ramli R
    Oral Radiol, 2018 05;34(2):179-184.
    PMID: 30484126 DOI: 10.1007/s11282-017-0282-z
    The most conspicuous element of Gorham's disease is its radiographic features, wherein massive disappearance of the mandible is observed. We report a case of an adolescent boy with massive osteolysis of the mandible in whom the diagnosis of Gorham's disease was made. A 14-year-old boy was referred to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, for the management of a massive mandibular deformity. He was diagnosed with a hemangioma-like lesion at 1 year of age. The disease had progressed for an unknown number of years. Plain X-rays and computed tomography images were examined for reconstructive surgery planning. Gorham's disease is self-limiting, but has catastrophic results. The role of imaging is huge, particularly for reconstructive surgery planning.
  19. Urabe M, Nor Hashim NE, Uni S, Iwaki T, Abdullah Halim MR, Marzuki ME, et al.
    Parasitol Int, 2020 Jun;76:102074.
    PMID: 32057926 DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2020.102074
    We describe Morishitium polonicum malayense n. subsp. from Asian glossy starlings (Aplonis panayensis strigata) (Horsfield, 1821) (Passeriformis: Sturnidae) caught in Malaysia. The trematodes had parasitized the air sacs and the thoracic and body cavities of 40 out of 67 (59.7%) birds examined. The specimens each had an oral sucker, a postpharyngeal genital pore, and tandem testes, but lacked a ventral sucker. The morphological characteristics of our specimens were similar to those of M. polonicum polonicum (Machalska, 1980) from Poland. However, the anterior extremity of vitelline follicles of the present specimens sometimes extended to the level of pharynx. The oral sucker width, oral sucker width/pharynx width ratio, and intertesticular space metrics differed from those of M. p. polonicum. The maximum-likelihood trees based on the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) sequences indicated that the species from the present study formed a sister group with M. p. polonicum from the Czech Republic. The p-distances of COI and ITS2 sequences between the present specimens and M. p. polonicum from the Czech Republic were 6.9-7.5% and 0.6%, respectively. These genetic divergences indicate the border for intra- or interspecific variation of digeneans. The definitive host species and geographical distribution of the current specimens were distinct from those of M. p. polonicum from Europe. We thus concluded that the present specimens are ranked as a new subspecies of M. polonicum, namely M. polonicum malayense n. subsp.
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