MyMedR

Fulltext Pancreatitis leading to retroperitoneal fibrosis and ureteric obstruction

Tan HM, Khoo J, Pang KP

Med J Malaysia, 2003 Jun;58(2):286-9.

Two patients who had acute pancreatitis subsequently developed characteristic appearance on urography of smooth extrinsic narrowing and medial deviation of the right ureter suggestive of retroperitoneal fibrosis (RPF) resulting in ureteric obstruction. Both these patients had clinical, biochemical and sonographic evidence of acute pancreatitis. CT scan of the abdomen performed on the second patient also documented acute pancreatitis. Intravenous urograms were consistent with ureteric obstruction due to retroperitoneal fibrosis. Both cases were treated conservatively. They were well after an average of 20 months. These 2 cases illustrate the uncommon association between pancreatitis and RPF.

Mercury levels in the green-lipped mussel Perna viridis (Linnaeus) from the west coast of peninsular Malaysia

Yap CK, Ismail A, Tan SG

Bull Environ Contam Toxicol, 2003 Sep;71(3):570-6.

PMID: 14567584

Classification of suprabullar pneumatization according to the skull base attachment of the second lamella

Tan KL, Lee WH, Kim JW

Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol, 2017 Jan;274(1):223-229.

PMID: 27423641 DOI: 10.1007/s00405-016-4201-4

The skull base attachment of the second lamella and suprabullar pneumatization are likely to be consistent landmarks if they are systematically classified. This study aimed to classify the pneumatization pattern according to the second lamella skull base attachment. A total of 202 computed tomography sides of 101 patients who underwent endoscopic sinus surgery were studied. Suprabullar pneumatization was defined as air cells present above the ethmoid bulla between the second and third lamellae. Its pattern was classified according to the air cell number and location as in the frontal cell classification. Type 0 suprabullar pneumatization was defined as no air cells between the ethmoid bulla and skull base; type 1, as a single suprabullar cell; and type 2, as multiple suprabullar cells above the ethmoid bulla. In type 3 pneumatization, the second lamella extended into the frontal sinus forming a frontal bullar cell. Type 2 was the most prevalent (40.1 %), followed by types 1, 3, and 0 (24.3, 23.3, and 12.4 %, respectively). The distance between the second lamella and anterior ethmoid artery was 8.93, 8.30, 8.50, and 11.25 mm in types 0, 1, 2, and 3 pneumatization, respectively. No patients had intraoperative injuries in the anterior ethmoid artery or lateral lamella. The second lamella skull base attachment and suprabullar pneumatization pattern could be systematically classified and be a consistent landmark to identify the frontal sinus opening.

Effectiveness of Acupressure in Promoting Sleep Quality: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Hmwe NT, Subramaniam P, Tan LP

Holist Nurs Pract, 2016 Sep-Oct;30(5):283-93.

PMID: 27501211 DOI: 10.1097/HNP.0000000000000165

This review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of acupressure in promoting sleep quality among adults. Study findings included in the review showed that acupressure significantly improved sleep quality compared with the control group, but no superior effect of acupressure was found compared with sham acupressure.

Novel Biologicals for the Treatment of Allergic Diseases and Asthma

Tan HT, Sugita K, Akdis CA

Curr Allergy Asthma Rep, 2016 10;16(10):70.

PMID: 27613653 DOI: 10.1007/s11882-016-0650-5

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The development of biological therapies has rapidly progressed during the last few years, and major advances were reported for the treatment of allergic diseases, such as atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, urticaria, food allergy, and asthma. Here, we review biologicals targeting the type 2 immune response involving Th2 cells, type 2 innate lymphoid cells, natural killer T cells, mast cells, basophils, and epithelial cells, such as IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, IL-31, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP).

RECENT FINDINGS: The biologicals that have been currently approved for asthma are omalizumab targeting IgE and reslizumab and mepolizumab targeting interleukin (IL)-5. Many other monoclonal antibodies are currently in various phases of clinical development. The new biological therapies for allergic diseases will eventually be tailored to the endotypes of these diseases and the identification of novel biomarkers. Further development of novel biologicals for the treatment of allergic diseases and asthma will be possible upon improved understanding of mechanisms of allergic diseases. Accordingly, further refinement of endotypes of allergen-specific and non-specific type 2 immune response and related inflammatory mediators is needed for optimal treatment of allergic diseases.

Effects of Accelerated Storage on the Quality of Kenaf Seed Oil in Chitosan-Coated High Methoxyl Pectin-Alginate Microcapsules

Leong MH, Tan CP, Nyam KL

J Food Sci, 2016 Oct;81(10):C2367-C2372.

PMID: 27635525 DOI: 10.1111/1750-3841.13442

The objective of this research was to study the oxidative stability and antioxidant properties of microencapsulated kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) seed oil (MKSO) produced by co-extrusion technology upon accelerated storage. The combination of sodium alginate, high methoxyl pectin, and chitosan were used as shell materials. The oxidative stability of the kenaf seed oil was determined by iodine value, peroxide value, p-Anisidine value, total oxidation (TOTOX), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances assay, and free fatty acid content. Total phenolic content, 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) cation radical-scavenging assay and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging assay were used to examine the antioxidant properties of oils. Oxidative stability tests showed that bulk kenaf seed oil (BKSO) was oxidized significantly higher (P < 0.05) than MKSO. The total increment of TOTOX value of BKSO was 165.93% significantly higher (P < 0.05) than MKSO. Co-extrusion technology has shown to be able to protect kenaf seed oil against lipid oxidation and delay the degradation of natural antioxidants that present in oil during storage.

Fulltext Automated Sperm Head Detection Using Intersecting Cortical Model Optimised by Particle Swarm Optimization

Tan WC, Mat Isa NA

PLoS One, 2016;11(9):e0162985.

PMID: 27632581 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0162985

In human sperm motility analysis, sperm segmentation plays an important role to determine the location of multiple sperms. To ensure an improved segmentation result, the Laplacian of Gaussian filter is implemented as a kernel in a pre-processing step before applying the image segmentation process to automatically segment and detect human spermatozoa. This study proposes an intersecting cortical model (ICM), which was derived from several visual cortex models, to segment the sperm head region. However, the proposed method suffered from parameter selection; thus, the ICM network is optimised using particle swarm optimization where feature mutual information is introduced as the new fitness function. The final results showed that the proposed method is more accurate and robust than four state-of-the-art segmentation methods. The proposed method resulted in rates of 98.14%, 98.82%, 86.46% and 99.81% in accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and precision, respectively, after testing with 1200 sperms. The proposed algorithm is expected to be implemented in analysing sperm motility because of the robustness and capability of this algorithm.

Acrylamide formation in vegetable oils and animal fats during heat treatment

Daniali G, Jinap S, Hajeb P, Sanny M, Tan CP

Food Chem, 2016 Dec 01;212:244-9.

PMID: 27374529 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.05.174

The method of liquid chromatographic tandem mass spectrometry was utilized and modified to confirm and quantify acrylamide in heating cooking oil and animal fat. Heating asparagine with various cooking oils and animal fat at 180°C produced varying amounts of acrylamide. The acrylamide in the different cooking oils and animal fat using a constant amount of asparagine was measured. Cooking oils were also examined for peroxide, anisidine and iodine values (or oxidation values). A direct correlation was observed between oxidation values and acrylamide formation in different cooking oils. Significantly less acrylamide was produced in saturated animal fat than in unsaturated cooking oil, with 366ng/g in lard and 211ng/g in ghee versus 2447ng/g in soy oil, followed by palm olein with 1442ng/g.

Revision of the grasshopper genus Sedulia Stål, 1878 (Acrididae: Catantopinae) from Malay Peninsula

Tan MK, Robillard T, Kamaruddin KN

Zootaxa, 2016 May 02;4107(2):255-66.

PMID: 27394817 DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4107.2.7

Southeast Asia is a highly biodiverse region with many species of grasshoppers described since the 19th century. Historical species descriptions are however often not comprehensive and do not meet the modern criteria of taxonomy. Previously used characters for identification need to be re-examined. Here, we aim to revise the taxonomy of the grasshopper genus Sedulia Stål, 1878. Using morphology and simple morphometry, we compared and investigated interspecific and intraspecific variations among the two species of Sedulia. We also redescribed both species and constructed a key to species and closely related genera.

Transdermal anti-inflammatory activity of bilayer film containing olive compound hydroxytyrosol: physical assessment, in vivo dermal safety and efficacy study in Freund's adjuvant-induced arthritic rat model

Ng SF, Tan LS, Buang F

Drug Dev Ind Pharm, 2017 Jan;43(1):108-119.

PMID: 27588411 DOI: 10.1080/03639045.2016.1224893

Previous studies have shown that hydroxytyrosol (HT) can be a potential alternative therapeutic agent for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, HT is extensively metabolized following oral administration, which leads to formulating HT in a topical vehicle to prolong drug action as well as to provide a localized effect. Hidrox-6 is a freeze-dried powder derived from fresh olives and contains a high amount of HT (∼3%) and other polyphenols. Alginate bilayer films containing 5% and 10% Hidrox-6 were formulated. The films were characterized with respect to their physical, morphology, rheological properties; drug content uniformity; and in vitro drug release. Acute dermal irritancy tests and a skin sensitization study were carried out in rats. An efficacy study of the bilayer films for RA was conducted using Freund's adjuvant-induced polyarthritis rats. Animal data showed that the bilayer film formulations did not cause skin irritancy. The efficacy in vivo results showed that the Hidrox-6 bilayer films lowered the arthritic scores, paw and ankle circumference, serum IL-6 level and cumulative histological scores compared with those measured for controls. The topical Hidrox-6 bilayer films improve synovitis and inflammatory symptoms in RA and can be a potential alternative to oral RA therapy.

The role of heat shock proteins and glucose regulated proteins in cancer

Tan JS, Ong Kc KC, Rhodes A

Malays J Pathol, 2016 Aug;38(2):75-82.

PMID: 27568663 MyJurnal

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are a family of evolutionary conserved proteins that work as molecular chaperones for cellular proteins essential for cell viability and growth as well as having numerous cyto-protective roles. They are sub-categorised based on their molecular weights; amongst which some of the most extensively studied are the HSP90 and HSP70 families. Important members of these two families; Heat shock proteins 70 and heat shock proteins 90 (Hsp70/90), are the glucose regulated proteins (GRP). These stress-inducible chaperones possess distinct roles from that of the other HSPs, residing mostly in the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria, but they can also be translocated to other cellular locations. Their ability in adapting to stress conditions in the tumour microenvironment suggests novel functions in cancer. GRPs have been implicated in many crucial steps of carcinogenesis to include stabilization of oncogenic proteins, induction of tumour angiogenesis, inhibition of apoptosis and replicative senescence, and promotion of invasion and metastasis.

A combined microwave pretreatment/solvent extraction process for the production of oil from palm fruit: optimisation, oil quality and effect of prolonged exposure

Tan JC, Chuah CH, Cheng SF

J Sci Food Agric, 2017 Apr;97(6):1784-1789.

PMID: 27470073 DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.7975

BACKGROUND: Conventional palm oil milling involves multiple stages after fruit collection; in particular, oil clarification introduces water into the pressed oil, which results in a large quantity of wastewater.

RESULTS: A combined process of microwave pretreatment and solvent extraction to mill crude palm oil, without introducing water or steam, is described. An excellent yield (up to 30%) of oil was obtained with pretreatment in a 42 L, 1000 W and 2450 MHz microwave oven followed by hexane extraction. The optimum conditions (10 min microwave pretreatment and 12 h solvent extraction) yielded an oil with a low free fatty acid content (<1.0%) and an acceptable anisidine value (<3.0 meq kg(-1) ). The oil had a fatty acid composition not resembling those of conventional crude palm oil and crude palm kernel oil. In the pretreatment, the leached oil had 6.3% lauric acid whereas the solvent extracted oil had only 1.5% lauric acid. Among the factors affecting the oil quality, microwave pretreatment affected the oil quality significantly; however, an optimised duration that would ensure high efficiency in solvent extraction also resulted in ruptured fruitlets, although not to the extent of causing excessive oxidation. In fact, microwave pretreatment should exceed 12 min; after only 15 min, the oil had 1-methylcyclopentanol (12.96%), 1-tetradecanol (9.44%), 1-nonadecene (7.22%), nonanal (7.13%) and 1-tridecene (5.09%), which probably arose from the degradation of fibres.

CONCLUSION: Microwave pretreatment represents an alternative milling process for crude palm oil compared with conventional processes in the omission of wet treatment with steam. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Fulltext Role of Pre-therapeutic (18)F-FDG PET/CT in Guiding the Treatment Strategy and Predicting Prognosis in Patients with Esophageal Carcinoma

Tan TH, Boey CY, Lee BN

Asia Ocean J Nucl Med Biol, 2016;4(2):59-65.

PMID: 27408893 DOI: 10.7508/aojnmb.2016.02.001

The present study aimed to evaluate the role of pre-therapeutic (18)fluorine-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography ((18)F-FDG PET-CT) and maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) in guiding the treatment strategy and predicting the prognosis of esophageal carcinoma, using the survival data of the patients.

Assay of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase activity using anionic-exchange column chromatography

Ong KK, Khor HT, Tan DT

Anal Biochem, 1991 Aug 01;196(2):211-4.

PMID: 1776669

A rapid, easy, and sensitive method is described in this paper for the assay of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA (HMG CoA) reductase, a key enzyme in cholesterol biosynthesis. [14C]HMG CoA was used as the substrate and the product formed, i.e., [14C]mevalonate, was allowed to be converted to its lactone form (mevalonolactone) in the presence of HCl. The reaction mixture was applied to a column containing an anionic exchanger. The column was made up of QAE-Sephadex (A25, formate form) packed to a height of 4 cm in Pasteur pipets. Under these conditions, mevalonolactone was not retained by the column and was eluted with ammonium formate solution while HMG CoA, being negatively charged, was retained by the gel and eluted by HCl above 0.05 M. Determination of the amount of radioactivity in mevalonolactone was then used to quantitate the activity of HMG CoA reductase. This assay has been successfully used for determining the activity of this enzyme in a microsomal fraction prepared from the liver of the rat.

Fulltext Occupational health in sawmills of Sarawak

Tan CC, Cheu KT, Hardin S

Med J Malaysia, 1991 Sep;46(3):247-51.

PMID: 1839920

A self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted among sawmill managers in Sarawak to explore certain health and safety aspects of workers in this industry. The survey reveals that many sawmills are lacking in the provision of occupational health facilities and activities for their employees.

Prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen and antibody among health care employees in Negri Sembilan, Malaysia, 1989

Tan TC, Vadivale M, Ong CN

Asia Pac J Public Health, 1992;6(3):134-9.

PMID: 1342800 DOI: 10.1177/101053959200600303

This study was based on a hepatitis B screening program conducted in one of the states in Malaysia in 1989. The majority (84.6%) of the 2986 health employees were screened. One quarter (25%) was found to have serological markers for the Hepatitis B Virus (HBV); 2.1% had Hepatitis B surface Antigen (HBsAg) and 22.8% had antibody to the Hepatitis B surface Antigen (anti-HBs). The occurrence of HBsAg was higher in ethnic Chinese (6.3%) compared to Malays (1.8%) and Indians (0.9%), even when analyzed by sex, but not with age, type of institution and geographical locality. The distribution of anti-HBs was higher with ethnic Chinese (41.6%), male sex (27.2%) and age. There was a wide variation of the prevalence of serological markers among occupations and increased relative risks of HBsAg were found among medical assistants (RR3.7; 95% CI 1.4-9.1) and laboratory staff (RR 3.2; 95% CI 1-8.8), and that of anti-HBs among medical assistants (RR 2.8; 95% CI 1.8-3.7). The variations of HBsAg among occupations by type of institutions was marginal while that of anti-HBs was higher among attendants and midwives in hospitals, medical assistants in health departments, and assistant nurses and dentists in dental centers. The patterns of distribution of serological markers of HBV among health staff reflect the situation in the community with high endemicity and resemble specific occupational factors noted in previous studies in the West.
Publication year is 1992-1993

Genetic markers in a Malaysian population: variants of uridine monophosphate kinase (UMPK), phosphoglycolate phosphatase (PGP) and pancreatic amylase (AMY2)

Zarinah KH, Abdullah F, Tan SG

Ann Hum Biol, 1984 11 1;11(6):533-6.

PMID: 6084457

Three genetic markers, red-cell UMPK, PGP and serum AMY2 were investigated in Malaysians of Malay, Chinese and Indian ancestries using starch-gel and agarose-gel electrophoresis. UMPK was found to be polymorphic in all three races. Variants were observed for PGP in Malays; in Indians it is a polymorphic marker whereas it is monomorphic in Chinese. AMY2 was polymorphic only in Indians. The UMPK1 frequencies in Malays, Chinese and Indians, respectively, are 0.851, 0.880 and 0.942. The PGP1 frequencies are 0.991, 1.000, 0.962, and the AMY1(2) frequencies are 1.000, 1.000 and 0.983.

Low birthweight of live singletons in Singapore, 1967-1974

Hughes K, Tan NR, Lun KC

Int J Epidemiol, 1984 Dec;13(4):465-71.

PMID: 6519886

A random sample of 23 591 single livebirths was drawn from the Singapore Registry for 1967-1974, and information extracted from the birth certificates. The proportion of low birthweight infants (2500 g or less) fell markedly from 9.1% in 1967 to 5.7% in 1974, which has not been the finding in other studies. Variation in the proportions of low birthweight infants by sex, maternal age, parity, and social class, are broadly in agreement with other studies. Indians were found to have significantly smaller babies (mean weight of 3020 g) with a higher proportion of low birthweight ones (11.5%) than the Malays (3080 g and 8.1%) and the Chinese (3130 g and 6.1%). This is despite similar distributions of gestational age, and for term babies the differences in low birthweight proportions are highly significant with Chinese 5.0%, Malays 6.5%, and Indians 9.8%. The reasons for this are discussed with the implication that lower birthweights in Indians are to some extent of ethnic/genetic origin.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Malaysians under the age of 20 years

Yadav M, Tan MK, Singh P, Dharmalingam SK

Clin Oncol, 1984 Dec;10(4):353-61.

PMID: 6509817

A total of 52 cases of NPC were found in a five-year survey from 1978 to 1982 in Malaysia. The annual rate of occurrence was 3.4, 3.0, 2.4 and 1.8 for Chinese, Malays, Kadazans and Sarawakians, respectively. The age-specific incidence rates per 100 000 were highest for Kadazans (2.34 to 7.59) in comparison to the other races (0.11 to 1.24). The proportion of NPC in young Malaysians formed 1.2% in Chinese, 7.2% in Malays and 6.9% for others. A sexual bias was present in Chinese (male:female = 2.2) and Sarawakians (1.7) but not in Kadazans and Malays (0.9). In most Chinese, the primary tumour histologically is of the poorly differentiated characteristic and this type is the predominant tumour in the country. The Kadazans presented with well differentiated primary tumour and the Malays with all three histological types i.e. well-, poorly- and undifferentiated. At first examination enlarged lymph nodes were found in 95.7% of the patients and 65.2% had epistaxis and growth in the postnasal space. Antibodies to IgA anti-VCA were present in half of the 6 patients serologically studied.

Fulltext A rare cause of acute appendicitis: Burkitt's lymphoma of the appendix

Abdul Ghani S, Noori S, Tan PE

Med J Malaysia, 1984 Dec;39(4):311-3.

PMID: 6544940

This paper presents a case report of a primary lymphoma of the appendix as the underlying cause of acute appendicitis. As in previous reported cases, diagnosis can only be made intraoperatively followed by a proven histopathological picture as they present with an acute surgical abdomen.

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