Displaying publications 81 - 100 of 387 in total

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  1. Kang JY, Guan R, LaBrooy SJ, Lim KP, Yap I
    Ann Acad Med Singap, 1983 Oct;12(4):527-31.
    PMID: 6611105
    A consecutive series of 2,277 patients presenting for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy was analysed. The following groups of patients were studied with reference to sex, race and dialect groups: those presenting with dyspepsia but no haemorrhage, those presenting with upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage, those with non-ulcer dyspepsia, gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer. Males out-numbered females in all diagnostic groups. Male and female Malays were under-represented in all diagnostic groups when compared to the Singapore population. Amongst female Chinese, there was an excess of Cantonese patients and an under-representation of Teochew patients in most diagnostic groups. These dialect differences were not remarkable amongst male Chinese. The possible reasons for these differences and their significance are discussed.
  2. Md Din MF, Wang JL, Cheng ZX, Dou SX, Kennedy SJ, Avdeev M, et al.
    Sci Rep, 2015 Jun 19;5:11288.
    PMID: 26090940 DOI: 10.1038/srep11288
    The structural and magnetic properties of seven CeMn2Ge(2-x)Six compounds with x = 0.0-2.0 have been investigated in detail. Substitution of Ge with Si leads to a monotonic decrease of both a and c along with concomitant contraction of the unit cell volume and significant modifications of the magnetic states - a crossover from ferromagnetism at room temperature for Ge-rich compounds to antiferromagnetism for Si-rich compounds. The magnetic phase diagram has been constructed over the full range of CeMn2Ge(2-x)Six compositions and co-existence of ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism has been observed in CeMn2Ge1.2Si0.8, CeMn2Ge1.0Si1.0 and CeMn2Ge0.8Si1.2 with novel insight provided by high resolution neutron and X-ray synchrotron radiation studies. CeMn2Ge(2-x)Six compounds (x = 0, 0.4 and 0.8) exhibit moderate isothermal magnetic entropy accompanied with a second-order phase transition around room temperature. Analysis of critical behaviour in the vicinity of TC(inter) for CeMn2Ge2 compound indicates behaviour consistent with three-dimensional Heisenberg model predictions.
  3. Camerino MA, Liu M, Moriya S, Kitahashi T, Mahgoub A, Mountford SJ, et al.
    J. Pept. Sci., 2016 Jun;22(6):406-14.
    PMID: 27282137 DOI: 10.1002/psc.2883
    Kisspeptin analogues with improved metabolic stability may represent important ligands in the study of the kisspeptin/KISS1R system and have therapeutic potential. In this paper we assess the activity of known and novel kisspeptin analogues utilising a dual luciferase reporter assay in KISS1R-transfected HEK293T cells. In general terms the results reflect the outcomes of other assay formats and a number of potent agonists were identified among the analogues, including β(2) -hTyr-modified and fluorescently labelled forms. We also showed, by assaying kisspeptin in the presence of protease inhibitors, that proteolysis of kisspeptin activity within the reporter assay itself may diminish the agonist outputs. Copyright © 2016 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
  4. Lawson JM, Foster SJ, Lim AC, Chong VC, Vincent AC
    J Fish Biol, 2015 Jan;86(1):1-15.
    PMID: 25307290 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.12527
    Life-history variables for three incidentally captured species of seahorse (Kellogg's seahorse Hippocampus kelloggi, the hedgehog seahorse Hippocampus spinosissimus and the three-spot seahorse Hippocampus trimaculatus) were established using specimens obtained from 33 fisheries landing sites in Peninsular Malaysia. When samples were pooled by species across the peninsula, sex ratios were not significantly different from unity, and height and mass relationships were significant for all species. For two of these species, height at physical maturity (HM ) was smaller than the height at which reproductive activity (HR ) commenced: H. spinosissimus (HM = 99·6 mm, HR = 123·2 mm) and H. trimaculatus (HM = 90·5 mm, HR = 121·8 mm). For H. kelloggi, HM could not be estimated as all individuals were physically mature, while HR = 167·4 mm. It appears that all three Hippocampus spp. were, on average, caught before reproducing; height at 50% capture (HC ) was ≥HM but ≤HR . The results from this study probe the effectiveness of assessment techniques for data-poor fisheries that rely heavily on estimates of length at maturity, especially if maturity is poorly defined. Findings also question the sustainability of H. trimaculatus catches in the south-west region of Peninsular Malaysia, where landed specimens had a notably smaller mean height (86·2 mm) and markedly skewed sex ratio (6% males) compared with samples from the south-east and north-west of the peninsula.
  5. Abdul Rashid SN, Mohamad Saini SB, Abdul Hamid S, Muhammad SJ, Mahmud R, Thali MJ, et al.
    Br J Radiol, 2014 Apr;87(1036):20130472.
    PMID: 24472728 DOI: 10.1259/bjr.20130472
    The purpose of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of identifying methamphetamine (MA) internal payloads in "drug mules" by plain abdominal digital radiography (DR).
  6. Loh HC, Tang PY, Tee SF, Chow TJ, Cheah YC, Singh SS
    Genet. Mol. Res., 2012;11(1):725-30.
    PMID: 22576830 DOI: 10.4238/2012.March.22.2
    A number of studies have pointed to the association of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) and DARPP-32 (dopamine- and cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein, 32 kDa) with schizophrenia. The purpose of this study was to determine whether these two genes are involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia in the Malay population. Two single nucleotide polymorphisms Val66Met of BDNF, -2036C>G and g.1238delG of DARPP-32 were genotyped in the Malay population in 200 patients with schizophrenia and 256 healthy controls. Analysis of allele and genotype frequencies in these two groups revealed no significant association of BDNF or DARPP-32 polymorphisms with schizophrenia in Malays. This is the first such association study in the Malay population.
  7. Eshkoor SA, Marashi SJ, Ismail P, Rahman SA, Mirinargesi M, Adon MY, et al.
    Genet. Mol. Res., 2012;11(2):1486-96.
    PMID: 22653598 DOI: 10.4238/2012.May.21.5
    We evaluated the possible influence of glutathione S-transferase mu (GSTM1) and glutathione S-transferase theta (GSTT1) genes on genetic damage due to occupational exposure, which contributes to accelerate ageing. This study was conducted on 120 car auto repair workshop workers exposed to occupational hazards and 120 controls without this kind of exposure. The null and non-null genotypes of GSTM1 and GSTT1 genes were determined by multiplex PCR. Micronucleus frequency, Comet tail length and relative telomere length differences between the null and non-null genotypes of the GSTM1 gene were significantly greater in the exposed group. Lack of GSTT1 did not affect the damage biomarkers significantly (P > 0.05), while lack of GSTM1 was associated with greater susceptibility to genomic damage due to occupational exposure. It was concluded that early ageing is under the influence of these genes and the environmental and socio-demographic factors. Duration of working time was significantly associated with micronucleus frequency, Comet tail length and relative telomere length.
  8. Chem YK, Zainah S, Berendam SJ, Rogayah TA, Khairul AH, Chua KB
    Med J Malaysia, 2010 Mar;65(1):31-5.
    PMID: 21265245 MyJurnal
    Malaysia experienced the first outbreak of chikungunya (CHIK) in Klang in late 1998 due to CHIK virus of Asian genotype. The CHIK virus of Asian genotype reemerged causing outbreak in Bangan Panchor, Perak in March 2006. CHIK virus of Central/East African genotype was first detected from a patient who returned from India in August 2006. In December 2006, CHIK virus of Central/East African genotype was re-introduced into Malaysia from India and caused an outbreak in Kinta district, Perak but was successfully controlled following an early detection and institution of intensive vector control measures. In late April 2008, CHIK virus of Central/East African genotype was laboratory confirmed as the cause of CHIK outbreak in Johore which spread to other parts of Malaysia by August 2008. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 254-bp fragment of the virus envelope protein gene as the genetic marker showed that three different strains of CHIK virus of Central/East African genotype were introduced into Malaysia on three separate occasions from 2006 to 2008. The strain that was introduced into Johor state was responsible for its subsequent spread to other parts of Malaysia, inclusive of Sarawak.
  9. Jahurul MH, Jinap S, Ang SJ, Abdul-Hamid A, Hajeb P, Lioe HN, et al.
    PMID: 20589547 DOI: 10.1080/19440041003801190
    The intake of heterocyclic amines is influenced by the amount and type of meat and fish ingested, frequency of consumption, cooking methods, cooking temperature, and duration of cooking. In this study, the dietary intake of heterocyclic amines in Malaysia and their main sources were investigated. Forty-two samples of meat and fish were analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detector to determine the concentration of the six predominant heterocyclic amines, namely: 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f] quinoline (IQ), 2-amino-3,4-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f] quinoline(MeIQ), 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f] quinoxaline (MeIQx), 2-amino-3,4,8-trimethylimidazo[4,5-f] quinoxaline (4,8-DiMeIQx), 2-amino-3,7,8-trimethylimidazo[4,5-f] quinoxaline (7,8-DiMeIQx), and 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP). Dietary intake data were obtained using a food-frequency questionnaire when interviewing 600 Malaysian respondents. The level of total heterocyclic amines in food samples studies ranged from not detected to 38.7 ng g(-1). The average daily intake level of heterocyclic amine was 553.7 ng per capita day(-1). The intake of PhIP was the highest, followed by MeIQx and MeIQ. The results reveal that fried and grilled chicken were the major dietary source of heterocyclic amines in Malaysia. However, the heterocyclic amine intake by the Malaysian population was lower than those reported from other regions.
  10. SEA-ORCHID Study Group, Laopaiboon M, Lumbiganon P, McDonald SJ, Henderson-Smart DJ, Green S, et al.
    PLoS One, 2008 Jul 09;3(7):e2646.
    PMID: 18612381 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0002646
    BACKGROUND: The burden of mortality and morbidity related to pregnancy and childbirth remains concentrated in developing countries. SEA-ORCHID (South East Asia Optimising Reproductive and Child Health In Developing countries) is evaluating whether a multifaceted intervention to strengthen capacity for research synthesis, evidence-based care and knowledge implementation improves adoption of best clinical practice recommendations leading to better health for mothers and babies. In this study we assessed current practices in perinatal health care in four South East Asian countries and determined whether they were aligned with best practice recommendations.

    METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We completed an audit of 9550 medical records of women and their 9665 infants at nine hospitals; two in each of Indonesia, Malaysia and The Philippines, and three in Thailand between January-December 2005. We compared actual clinical practices with best practice recommendations selected from the Cochrane Library and the World Health Organization Reproductive Health Library. Evidence-based components of the active management of the third stage of labour and appropriately treating eclampsia with magnesium sulphate were universally practiced in all hospitals. Appropriate antibiotic prophylaxis for caesarean section, a beneficial form of care, was practiced in less than 5% of cases in most hospitals. Use of the unnecessary practices of enema in labour ranged from 1% to 61% and rates of episiotomy for vaginal birth ranged from 31% to 95%. Other appropriate practices were commonly performed to varying degrees between countries and also between hospitals within the same country.

    CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Whilst some perinatal health care practices audited were consistent with best available evidence, several were not. We conclude that recording of clinical practices should be an essential step to improve quality of care. Based on these findings, the SEA-ORCHID project team has been developing and implementing interventions aimed at increasing compliance with evidence-based clinical practice recommendations to improve perinatal practice in South East Asia.

  11. Pritchard LI, Daniels PW, Melville LF, Kirkland PD, Johnson SJ, Lunt R, et al.
    Vet. Ital., 2004 Oct-Dec;40(4):438-45.
    PMID: 20422566
    The authors have characterised the genetic diversity of the bluetongue virus (BTV) RNA segments 3 and 10 from Indonesia, Malaysia and Australia. Analysis of RNA segment 3, which codes for the core protein VP3, showed conserved sequences in the previously defined Australasian topotype, but which further divided into four distinct clades or genotypes. Certain genotypes appeared to be geographically restricted while others were distributed widely throughout South-East Asia. Ongoing surveillance programmes in Australia have identified the movement of Indonesian genotypes into northern Australia and possible reassortment among them. Similarly, analysis of RNA segment 10, which codes for the non-structural protein NS3/3A, showed they were also conserved and grouped into five clades or genotypes, three Asian and two North American/South African.
  12. Foo LL, Quek SJ, Ng SA, Lim MT, Deurenberg-Yap M
    Health Promot Int, 2005 Sep;20(3):229-37.
    PMID: 15814526
    The National Breastfeeding Survey 2001 was the first comprehensive study on breastfeeding conducted on a national level in Singapore. It aimed to establish the prevalence of breastfeeding among Chinese, Malay and Indian mothers and to identify factors influencing breastfeeding. A total of 2098 mothers were interviewed in this two-phase study, with the first interview conducted 2 months after delivery and the second interview 6 months after birth among mothers who were still breastfeeding at 2 months. Frequency distributions of breastfeeding prevalence and types of breastfeeding practices at different time intervals (from birth to 6 months) were produced. Multivariate logistic regression was carried out to construct a model with predictive information on factors which influence continued breastfeeding till 2 months and 6 months after delivery respectively. The study found that about 94.5% of the mothers attempted breastfeeding. At 1 month, 71.6% were still breastfeeding, 49.6% continued to do so at 2 months, and 29.8% persisted till 4 months. By 6 months, the breastfeeding prevalence rate fell to 21.1%. The results of this study show higher breastfeeding prevalence rates compared to past studies in Singapore. Despite this, exclusive breastfeeding is still not a common practice. Various factors were found to be significant in influencing mothers' decision to breastfeed. Factors such as ethnicity, age, educational attainment, religion and baby's sex are non-modifiable in the short term or at an individual level. However, factors such as awareness of breastfeeding benefits, advice from health professionals and previous breastfeeding experience are potentially modifiable. Efforts aimed at promoting breastfeeding in Singapore need to take these modifiable factors into consideration so as to better tailor health promotion efforts on breastfeeding to women.
  13. Fatihhi SJ, Rabiatul AA, Harun MN, Kadir MR, Kamarul T, Syahrom A
    J Mech Behav Biomed Mater, 2016 Feb;54:21-32.
    PMID: 26410762 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2015.09.006
    The present study reports the effects of combined torsional and compressive cyclic loading on trabecular bone in order to mimic true physiological conditions and thereby provides improved data that represents clinical and real life conditions. However, only compressive behaviour is evaluated in most previous studies of bone mechanics. From the monotonic evaluation, it is observed that lower stress is needed for the onset of microcrack in the sample under torsional loading, compared to the stress needed in compression. Trabecular bone samples were subjected to a combination of torsion and compression fatigue at different stress levels during which they were compared to compressive axial fatigue. The stress levels were determined by considering the monotonic strength at 25-50% for both compressive and shear stresses. Significant decrease in fatigue lifetime is observed in between samples of pure compression fatigue and those with superpositioned torsional loading (p<0.05). The reduction in fatigue lifetime became more evident at a high torsional stress level. In this case, the failure of the sample is said to be 'torsional dominant'. Fatigue behaviour of bovine trabecular bone begins with plastic deformation, followed by strain accumulation and modulus reduction. As the strain rate increases, more energy dissipates and the sample finally failed. Further, the analysis of fractograph revealed something on the trabeculae by bending in sample with superpositioned torsional loading. In conclusion, torsional loading decreases the quality of the trabecular properties in terms of stiffness, life and structural integrity. It is hoped that results from this study will improve the understanding of the behaviour of trabecular bone under combined fatigue and help to develop future assessments of trabecular failure.
  14. Tattersall WJ, Cocks DG, Boyle GJ, Buckman SJ, White RD
    PMID: 25974609
    We generalize a simple Monte Carlo (MC) model for dilute gases to consider the transport behavior of positrons and electrons in Percus-Yevick model liquids under highly nonequilibrium conditions, accounting rigorously for coherent scattering processes. The procedure extends an existing technique [Wojcik and Tachiya, Chem. Phys. Lett. 363, 381 (2002)], using the static structure factor to account for the altered anisotropy of coherent scattering in structured material. We identify the effects of the approximation used in the original method, and we develop a modified method that does not require that approximation. We also present an enhanced MC technique that has been designed to improve the accuracy and flexibility of simulations in spatially varying electric fields. All of the results are found to be in excellent agreement with an independent multiterm Boltzmann equation solution, providing benchmarks for future transport models in liquids and structured systems.
  15. Robson RE, Brunger MJ, Buckman SJ, Garcia G, Petrović ZLj, White RD
    Sci Rep, 2015 Aug 06;5:12674.
    PMID: 26246002 DOI: 10.1038/srep12674
    The kinetic theory of non-relativistic positrons in an idealized positron emission tomography PET environment is developed by solving the Boltzmann equation, allowing for coherent and incoherent elastic, inelastic, ionizing and annihilating collisions through positronium formation. An analytic expression is obtained for the positronium formation rate, as a function of distance from a spherical source, in terms of the solutions of the general kinetic eigenvalue problem. Numerical estimates of the positron range - a fundamental limitation on the accuracy of PET, are given for positrons in a model of liquid water, a surrogate for human tissue. Comparisons are made with the 'gas-phase' assumption used in current models in which coherent scattering is suppressed. Our results show that this assumption leads to an error of the order of a factor of approximately 2, emphasizing the need to accurately account for the structure of the medium in PET simulations.
  16. Fatihhi SJ, Harun MN, Abdul Kadir MR, Abdullah J, Kamarul T, Öchsner A, et al.
    Ann Biomed Eng, 2015 Oct;43(10):2487-502.
    PMID: 25828397 DOI: 10.1007/s10439-015-1305-8
    Fatigue assessment of the trabecular bone has been developed to give a better understanding of bone properties. While most fatigue studies are relying on uniaxial compressive load as the method of assessment, in various cases details are missing, or the uniaxial results are not very realistic. In this paper, the effect of three different load histories from physiological loading applied on the trabecular bone were studied in order to predict the first failure surface and the fatigue lifetime. The fatigue behaviour of the trabecular bone under uniaxial load was compared to that of multiaxial load using a finite element simulation. The plastic strain was found localized at the trabecular structure under multiaxial load. On average, applying multiaxial loads reduced more than five times the fatigue life of the trabecular bone. The results provide evidence that multiaxial loading is dominated in the low cycle fatigue in contrast to the uniaxial one. Both bone volume fraction and structural model index were best predictors of failure (p 
  17. Wang E, Ni H, Xu R, Barrett AD, Watowich SJ, Gubler DJ, et al.
    J Virol, 2000 Apr;74(7):3227-34.
    PMID: 10708439
    Endemic/epidemic dengue viruses (DEN) that are transmitted among humans by the mosquito vectors Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are hypothesized to have evolved from sylvatic DEN strains that are transmitted among nonhuman primates in West Africa and Malaysia by other Aedes mosquitoes. We tested this hypothesis with phylogenetic studies using envelope protein gene sequences of both endemic/epidemic and sylvatic strains. The basal position of sylvatic lineages of DEN-1, -2, and -4 suggested that the endemic/epidemic lineages of these three DEN serotypes evolved independently from sylvatic progenitors. Time estimates for evolution of the endemic/epidemic forms ranged from 100 to 1,500 years ago, and the evolution of endemic/epidemic forms represents relatively recent events in the history of DEN evolution. Analysis of envelope protein amino acid changes predicted to have accompanied endemic/epidemic emergence suggested a role for domain III in adaptation to new mosquito and/or human hosts.
  18. Raymond AA, Gilmore WV, Scott CA, Fish DR, Smith SJ
    Epileptic Disord, 1999 Jun;1(2):101-6.
    PMID: 10937139
    Video-EEG telemetry is often used to support the diagnosis of non-epileptic seizures (NES). Although rare, some patients may have both epileptic seizures (ES) and NES. It is crucially important to identify such patients to avoid the hazards of inappropriate anticonvulsant withdrawal. To delineate the electroclinical characteristics and diagnostic problems in this group of patients, we studied the clinical, EEG and MRI features of 14 consecutive patients in whom separate attacks, considered to be both NES and ES were recorded using video-EEG telemetry. Only two patients were drug-reduced during the telemetry. Most patients had their first seizure (ES or NES) in childhood (median age 7 years; range: 6 months-24 years); 8/14 patients were female. Brain MRI was abnormal in 10/14 patients. Interictal EEG abnormalities were present in all patients; 13/14 had epileptiform and 1/14 only background abnormalities. Over 70 seizures were recorded in these 14 patients: in 12/14 patients, the first recorded seizure was a NES (p < 0.001), and 7 of these patients had at least one more NES before an ES was recorded. Only 3/14 patients had more than 5 NES before an ES was recorded. Recording a small number of apparently NES in an individual by no means precludes the possibility of additional epilepsy. Particular care should be taken, and multiple (> 5) seizure recording may be advisable, in patients with a young age of seizure onset, interictal EEG abnormalities, or a clear, potential aetiology for epilepsy.
  19. Lee YM, Fock K, See SJ, Ng TM, Khor C, Teo EK
    J Gastroenterol Hepatol, 2000 Jun;15(6):622-5.
    PMID: 10921415
    BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence rates of inflammatory bowel disease in the different races in Singapore.

    METHODS: The patients studied consisted of 58 people with an established diagnosis of ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) as determined by a combination of clinical, radiological, endoscopic and histological criteria. The patients were residents of a well-defined geographical area in the northern part of Singapore and had been referred to the single regional hospital. Epidemiological data including sex, age, ethnicity, family history and disease type and extent were collected from case records and patient interviews.

    RESULTS: There were 37 UC and 21 CD patients. Of the patients with UC, 67.5% were Chinese, 13.5% were Malay and 19% were Indian. The CD group consisted of 81% Chinese, 9.5% Malay and 9.5% Indian patients. The study population from which the patients were drawn was approximately 0.5 million in size.

    CONCLUSIONS: The overall prevalence of UC was 6 per 100,000 and of CD was 3.6 per 100,000 in Singapore. There were disproportionately more Indians suffering from UC, with a prevalence of 16.2 per 100,000 in comparison with six per 100,000 for Chinese and seven per 100 000 for Malays. The relative risk of UC in Indians is 2.9-fold greater than for the Chinese (CI= 1.25-6.7) which was statistically significant. This trend was not seen for CD.

  20. Lajis NH, Abdullah AS, Salim SJ, Bremner JB, Khan MN
    Steroids, 1993 Aug;58(8):387-9.
    PMID: 8212090
    Spectroscopic examination of purified extracts of the rumen content of sheep intoxicated by Brachiaria decumbens revealed the presence of two spirostanes, identified as epi-sarsasapogenin and epi-smilagenin. Sarsasapogenone was obtained by the oxidation of sarsasapogenin. The reduction of sarsasapogenone using lithium aluminum hydride yielded isomeric products, sarsasapogenin (20%) and epi-sarsasapogenin (80%).
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