Displaying publications 101 - 120 of 224 in total

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  1. Fulltext Antioxidant, Antimicrobial and Antiviral Properties of Herbal Materials
    Parham S, Kharazi AZ, Bakhsheshi-Rad HR, Nur H, Ismail AF, Sharif S, et al.
    Antioxidants (Basel), 2020 Dec 21;9(12).
    PMID: 33371338 DOI: 10.3390/antiox9121309
    Recently, increasing public concern about hygiene has been driving many studies to investigate antimicrobial and antiviral agents. However, the use of any antimicrobial agents must be limited due to their possible toxic or harmful effects. In recent years, due to previous antibiotics' lesser side effects, the use of herbal materials instead of synthetic or chemical drugs is increasing. Herbal materials are found in medicines. Herbs can be used in the form of plant extracts or as their active components. Furthermore, most of the world's populations used herbal materials due to their strong antimicrobial properties and primary healthcare benefits. For example, herbs are an excellent material to replace nanosilver as an antibiotic and antiviral agent. The use of nanosilver involves an ROS-mediated mechanism that might lead to oxidative stress-related cancer, cytotoxicity, and heart diseases. Oxidative stress further leads to increased ROS production and also delays the cellular processes involved in wound healing. Therefore, existing antibiotic drugs can be replaced with biomaterials such as herbal medicine with high antimicrobial, antiviral, and antioxidant activity. This review paper highlights the antibacterial, antiviral, and radical scavenger (antioxidant) properties of herbal materials. Antimicrobial activity, radical scavenger ability, the potential for antimicrobial, antiviral, and anticancer agents, and efficacy in eliminating bacteria and viruses and scavenging free radicals in herbal materials are discussed in this review. The presented herbal antimicrobial agents in this review include clove, portulaca, tribulus, eryngium, cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, thyme, pennyroyal, mint, fennel, chamomile, burdock, eucalyptus, primrose, lemon balm, mallow, and garlic, which are all summarized.
  2. A case of fatal envenomation by a captive puff adder (Bitis arietans) in Malaysia
    Husain Z, Wicaksono AC, Renault A, Md Zhahir SS, Ismail AK
    Toxicon, 2023 Mar 01;224:107023.
    PMID: 36640813 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2023.107023
    The Puff Adder (Bitis arietans) is a viper native to Africa and the Middle East. Envenomation by this species often requires the administration of appropriate antivenom in order to achieve a favorable outcome. A patient was bitten in both hands by a captive B. arietans presented to a teaching hospital in Malaysia. The patient developed painful progressive swelling on both limbs that extended to the chest, hypotension, hypokalemia with worsening anemia, thrombocytopenia, coagulopathy, and severe metabolic acidosis. The patient was managed supportively while waiting for the appropriate antivenom, Antivipmyn-Africa, from the Singapore Zoo. The patient developed cardiorespiratory arrest twice and did not recover from the second. The patient was pronounced dead 23 hours post-incident. The local unavailability of the appropriate antivenom may be the most important factor that contributed to the patient's death. There is also a need to amend the Malaysian Wildlife Act in order to prevent such cases from recurring.
  3. Feasibility study of cadmium adsorption by palm oil fuel ash (POFA)-based low-cost hollow fibre zeolitic membrane
    Yusof MSM, Othman MHD, Mustafa A, Rahman MA, Jaafar J, Ismail AF
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2018 Aug;25(22):21644-21655.
    PMID: 29785602 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-018-2286-6
    Palm oil fuel ash (POFA) is an agricultural waste which was employed in this study to produce novel adsorptive ceramic hollow fibre membranes. The membranes were fabricated using phase inversion-based extrusion technique and sintered at 1150 °C. The membranes were then evaluated on their ability to adsorb cadmium (Cd(II)). These membranes were characterised using (nitrogen) N2 adsorption-desorption analysis, field emission scanning electron microscopy-energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (FESEM-EDX) mapping, X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses while adsorptivity activity was examined by batch adsorption studies. The adsorption test results show that the quantity of hollow fibre used and water pH level significantly affected the adsorption performance with the 3-fibre membrane yielding 96.4% Cd(II) removal in 30 min equilibrium time at pH 7. These results are comparable to those reported by other studies, and hence demonstrate a promising alternative of low-cost hollow fibre adsorbent membrane. Graphical abstract Figure of FESEM image of the hollow fibre, proposed mechanism and the graph of percentage removal of Cd(II) using POFA.
  4. Photocatalytic membranes: a new perspective for persistent organic pollutants removal
    Subramaniam MN, Goh PS, Kanakaraju D, Lim JW, Lau WJ, Ismail AF
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2022 Feb;29(9):12506-12530.
    PMID: 34101123 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-14676-x
    The presence of conventional and emerging pollutants infiltrating into our water bodies is a course of concern as they have seriously threatened water security. Established techniques such as photocatalysis and membrane technology have proven to be promising in removing various persistent organic pollutants (POP) from wastewaters. The emergence of hybrid photocatalytic membrane which incorporates both photocatalysis and membrane technology has shown greater potential in treating POP laden wastewater based on their synergistic effects. This article provides an in-depth review on the roles of both photocatalysis and membrane technology in hybrid photocatalytic membranes for the treatment of POP containing wastewaters. A concise introduction on POP's in terms of examples, their origins and their effect on a multitude of organisms are critically reviewed. The fundamentals of photocatalytic mechanism, current directions in photocatalyst design and their employment to treat POP's are also discussed. Finally, the challenges and future direction in this field are presented.
  5. Preparation and characterization of glass hollow fiber membrane for water purification applications
    Makhtar SNNM, Rahman MA, Ismail AF, Othman MHD, Jaafar J
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2017 Jul;24(19):15918-15928.
    PMID: 28589281 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-017-9405-7
    This work discusses the preparation and characterizations of glass hollow fiber membranes prepared using zeolite-5A as a starting material. Zeolite was formed into a hollow fiber configuration using the phase inversion technique. It was later sintered at high temperatures to burn off organic materials and change the zeolite into glass membrane. A preliminary study, that used thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), confirmed that zeolite used in this study changed to glass at temperatures above 1000 °C. The glass hollow fiber membranes prepared using the phase inversion technique has three different microstructures, namely (i) sandwich-like structure that originates from inner layer, (ii) sandwich-like that originates from outer layer, and (iii) symmetric sponge like. These variations were influenced by zeolite weight loading and the flow rate of water used to form the lumen. The separation performances of the glass hollow fiber membrane were studied using the pure water permeability and the rejection test of bovine serum albumin (BSA). The glass hollow fiber membrane prepared from using 48 wt% zeolite loading and bore fluid with 9 mL min(-1) flow rate has the highest BSA rejection of 85% with the water permeability of 0.7 L m(-2) h(-1) bar(-1). The results showed that the separation performance of glass hollow fiber membranes was in the ultrafiltration range, enabled the retention of solutes with molecular sizes larger than 67 kDa such as milk proteins, endotoxin pyrogen, virus, and colloidal silica.
  6. Investigation on the effect of sintering temperature on kaolin hollow fibre membrane for dye filtration
    Mohtor NH, Othman MHD, Ismail AF, Rahman MA, Jaafar J, Hashim NA
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2017 Jul;24(19):15905-15917.
    PMID: 28620856 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-017-9341-6
    Despite its extraordinary price, ceramic membrane can still be able to surpass polymeric membrane in the applications that require high temperature and pressure conditions, as well as harsh chemical environment. In order to alleviate the high cost of ceramic material that still becomes one of the major factors that contributes to the high production cost of ceramic membrane, various attempts have been made to use low cost ceramic materials as alternatives to well-known expensive ceramic materials such as alumina, silica, and zirconia in the fabrication of ceramic membrane. Thus, local Malaysian kaolin has been chosen as the ceramic material in this study for the preparation of kaolin hollow fibre membrane since it is inexpensive and naturally abundant in Malaysia. Due to the fact that the sintering process plays a prominent role in obtaining the desired morphology, properties, and performances of prepared ceramic membrane, the aim of this work was to study the effect of different sintering temperatures applied (ranging from 1200 to 1500 °C) in the preparation of kaolin hollow fibre membrane via dry/wet phase inversion-based spinning technique and sintering process. The morphology and properties of membrane were then characterised by SEM, AFM, FTIR, XRD, and three-point bending test, while the performances of membrane were investigated by conducting water permeation and Reactive Black 5 (RB5) dye rejection tests. From the experimental results obtained, the sintering temperature of 1400 °C could be selected as the optimum sintering temperature in preparing the kaolin hollow fibre membrane with the dense sponge-like structure of separation layer that resulted in the good mechanical strength of 70 MPa with the appreciable water permeation of 75 L/h m(2) bar and RB5 rejection of 68%.
  7. The use of feather as an indicator for heavy metal contamination in house crow (Corvus splendens) in the Klang area, Selangor, Malaysia
    Janaydeh M, Ismail A, Zulkifli SZ, Bejo MH, Aziz NA, Taneenah A
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2016 Nov;23(21):22059-22071.
    PMID: 27541152
    The Klang area of Peninsular Malaysia has experienced rapid industrial growth with intense activities, which can increase the concentration of pollutants in the environment that significantly impact on habitats and the human health. The purpose of this study was to determine the levels of selected heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Ni, Fe, and Pb) in the heart, lung, brain, liver, kidney, muscle tissues, and feathers of house crow, Corvus splendens, in Klang, Peninsular Malaysia. House crow samples were collected from the Klang area through the Department of Public Health at Majlis Perbandaran Klang. Quantitative determination of heavy metals was carried out using atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). The result shows the presence of heavy metals in all biological samples of house crows. For heavy metals in all the house crow tissues analyzed, Fe concentrations were the highest, followed by those of Zn, Cu, Pb, and Ni. The feathers and kidney accumulated high concentrations of Pb, whereas the liver accumulated high concentrations of essential heavy metals (Fe > Zn > Cu > Ni). Significant variations were also detected in the concentrations of Pb among adult and juvenile and male and female bird samples. The results also revealed significant positive correlations between Pb metal concentration in the breast feathers and all internal organs. Accumulation of toxic heavy metals in feathers reflected storing and elimination processes, while the accumulation of toxic heavy metals in the kidney can be consequential to chronic exposure. The present study clearly shows the usefulness of house crow breast feather as a suitable indicator for heavy metal accumulation in the internal organs of house crows in the Klang area.
  8. Visible-light-driven photocatalytic dual-layer hollow fibre membrane ameliorates the changes of bisphenol A exposure in gastrointestinal tract
    Kamaludin R, Othman MHD, Kadir SHSA, Khan J, Ismail AF, Rahman MA, et al.
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2023 Jan;30(1):259-273.
    PMID: 35902521 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-22121-w
    Various treatments of choice are available to overcome contamination of bisphenol A (BPA) in the environment including membrane technologies; however, the treatment still releases contaminants that threaten the human being. Therefore, the present study is conducted to investigate the degradation of BPA by recently developed visible-light-driven photocatalytic nitrogen-doping titanium dioxide (N-doped TiO2) dual-layer hollow fibre (DLHF) membrane and its efficiency in reducing the level of BPA in contaminated water. Fabricated with suitable polymer/photocatalyst (15/7.5 wt.%) via co-extrusion spinning method, the DLHF was characterized morphologically, evaluated for BPA degradation by using submerged photocatalytic membrane reactor under visible light irradiations followed by the investigation of intermediates formed. BPA exposure effects were accessed by immunohistochemistry staining of gastrointestinal sample obtained from animal model. BPA has been successfully degraded up to 72.5% with 2 intermediate products, B1 and B2, being identified followed by total degradation of BPA. BPA exposure leads to the high-intensity IHC staining of Claudin family which indicated the disruption of small intestinal barrier (SIB) integrity. Low IHC staining intensity of Claudin family in treated BPA group demonstrated that reducing the level of BPA by N-doped TiO2 DLHF is capable of protecting the important component of SIB. Altogether, the fabricated photocatalytic DLHF membrane is expected to have an outstanding potential in removing BPA and its health effect for household water treatment to fulfil the public focus on the safety of their household water and their need to consume clean water.
  9. Fabrication and characterization of dual-layer hollow fibre membranes incorporating poly(citric acid)-grafted GO with enhanced antifouling properties for water treatment
    Said N, Lau WJ, Zainol Abidin MN, Mansourizadeh A, Ismail AF
    Environ Technol, 2023 Apr 09.
    PMID: 36976335 DOI: 10.1080/09593330.2023.2197127
    Membrane fouling during the filtration process is a perennial issue and could lead to reduced separation efficiency. In this work, poly(citric acid)-grafted graphene oxide (PGO) was incorporated into a matrix of single-layer hollow fibre (SLHF) and dual-layer hollow fibrr (DLHF) membranes, respectively, aiming to improve membrane antifouling properties during water treatment. Different loadings of PGO ranging from 0 to 1 wt% were first introduced into the SLHF to identify the best PGO loading for the DLHF preparation with its outer layer modified by nanomaterials. The findings showed that at the optimized PGO loading of 0.7 wt%, the resultant SLHF membrane could achieve higher water permeability and bovine serum albumin rejection compared to the neat SLHF membrane. This is due to the improved surface hydrophilicity and increased structural porosity upon incorporation of optimized PGO loading. When 0.7 wt% PGO was introduced only to the outer layer of DLHF, the cross-sectional matrix of the membrane was altered, forming microvoids and spongy-like structures (more porous). Nevertheless, the BSA rejection of the membrane was improved to 97.7% owing to an inner selectivity layer produced from a different dope solution (without the PGO). The DLHF membrane also demonstrated significantly higher antifouling properties than the neat SLHF membrane. Its flux recovery rate is 85%, i.e. 37% better than that of a neat membrane. By incorporating hydrophilic PGO into the membrane, the interaction of the hydrophobic foulants with the membrane surface is greatly reduced.
  10. Fulltext Sustainable and fast saliva-based COVID-19 virus diagnosis kit using a novel GO-decorated Au/FBG sensor
    Samavati A, Samavati Z, Velashjerdi M, Fauzi Ismail A, Othman MHD, Eisaabadi B G, et al.
    Chem Eng J, 2021 Sep 15;420:127655.
    PMID: 33199974 DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2020.127655
    Monitoring the COVID-19 virus through patients' saliva is a favorable non-invasive specimen for diagnosis and infection control. In this study, salivary samples of COVID-19 patients collected from 6 patients with the median age of 58.5 years, ranging from 34 to 72 years (2 females and 4 males) were analyzed using an Au/fiber Bragg grating (FBG) probe decorated with GO. The probe measures the prevalence of positivity in saliva and the association between the virus density and changes to sensing elements. When the probe is immersed in patients' saliva, deviation of the detected light wavelength and intensity from healthy saliva indicate the presence of the virus and confirms infection. For a patient in the hyperinflammatory phase of desease, who has virus density of 1.2 × 108 copies/mL in saliva, the maximum wavelength shift and intensity changes after 1600 s were shown to be 1.12 nm and 2.01 dB, respectively. While for a patient in the early infection phase with 1.6 × 103 copies/mL, these values were 0.98 nm and 1.32 dB. The precise and highly sensitive FBG probe proposed in this study was found a reliable tool for quick detection of the COVID-19 virus within 10 s after exposure to patients' saliva in any stage of the disease.
  11. Fulltext Knowledge, Perceived Risk, and Preventive Behaviors amidst Covid-19 Pandemic among Dental Students in Malaysia
    Ismail A, Ismail NH, Abu Kassim NYM, Lestari W, Ismail AF, Sukotjo C
    Dent J (Basel), 2021 Dec 14;9(12).
    PMID: 34940048 DOI: 10.3390/dj9120151
    PURPOSE: Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) has affected dental education in Malaysia. However, studies on dental students' knowledge, perception, and behaviors with regards to COVID-19 are very limited. Thus, this study aims to determine the knowledge status, perceived risk, and preventive behaviors of dental students in Malaysia regarding COVID-19.

    METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among students from 13 dental schools across Malaysia using online questionnaires.

    RESULTS: From 355 respondents, 93.5% obtained a high score of knowledge of COVID-19. Female respondents scored higher than males in perceived risks and preventive behaviors. Chinese respondents scored highest in knowledge, while Malay respondents had the highest perceived risk score. The mean preventive behavior score did not vary across ethnicity. On-campus students scored higher in knowledge and perceived risk whereas off-campus students practiced more preventive behaviors. Clinical students' knowledge score was higher than preclinical students. Final year students scored higher in knowledge and perceived risk compared to their juniors.

    CONCLUSION: The majority of dental students have good knowledge and a high perceived risk of COVID-19, and they practiced most of the preventive behaviors. However, the latest information on this disease should be incorporated into dental schools' curriculums and updated periodically.

  12. Fulltext Investigation on Rheological Properties of Water-Based Novel Ternary Hybrid Nanofluids Using Experimental and Taguchi Method
    Mohammed Zayan J, Rasheed AK, John A, Khalid M, Ismail AF, Aabid A, et al.
    Materials (Basel), 2021 Dec 21;15(1).
    PMID: 35009170 DOI: 10.3390/ma15010028
    This study presents the rheological behavior of water-based GO-TiO2-Ag and rGO-TiO2-Ag ternary-hybrid nanofluids. The impact of nanoparticles' volumetric concentration and temperature on the rheological properties were studied. All experiments were performed under temperatures ranging from 25 to 50 °C in the solid volume concentration range of 0.5-0.00005%. The data optimization technique was adopted using the Taguchi method. The types of nanomaterials, concentration, temperature, and shear rate were chosen to optimize the viscosity and shear stress. The effect of shear stress, angular sweep, frequency sweep, and damping factor ratio is plotted. The experimental results demonstrated that the rheological properties of the ternary hybrid nanofluid depend on the ternary hybrid nanofluid's temperature. The viscosity of ternary hybrid nanofluids (THNf) change by 40% for GO-TiO2-Ag and 33% for rGO-TiO2-Ag when temperature and shear rates are increased. All the ternary hybrid nanofluids demonstrated non-Newtonian behavior at lower concentrations and higher shear stress, suggesting a potential influence of nanoparticle aggregation on the viscosity. The dynamic viscosity of ternary hybrid nanofluid increased with enhancing solid particles' volume concentration and temperature.
  13. Fulltext Eco-friendly surface modification approach to develop thin film nanocomposite membrane with improved desalination and antifouling properties
    Khoo YS, Lau WJ, Liang YY, Karaman M, Gürsoy M, Ismail AF
    J Adv Res, 2022 Feb;36:39-49.
    PMID: 35127163 DOI: 10.1016/j.jare.2021.06.011
    INTRODUCTION: Nanomaterials aggregation within polyamide (PA) layer of thin film nanocomposite (TFN) membrane is found to be a common issue and can negatively affect membrane filtration performance. Thus, post-treatment on the surface of TFN membrane is one of the strategies to address the problem.

    OBJECTIVE: In this study, an eco-friendly surface modification technique based on plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) was used to deposit hydrophilic acrylic acid (AA) onto the PA surface of TFN membrane with the aims of simultaneously minimizing the PA surface defects caused by nanomaterials incorporation and improving the membrane surface hydrophilicity for reverse osmosis (RO) application.

    METHODS: The TFN membrane was first synthesized by incorporating 0.05 wt% of functionalized titania nanotubes (TNTs) into its PA layer. It was then subjected to 15-s plasma deposition of AA monomer to establish extremely thin hydrophilic layer atop PA nanocomposite layer. PECVD is a promising surface modification method as it offers rapid and solvent-free functionalization for the membranes.

    RESULTS: The findings clearly showed that the sodium chloride rejection of the plasma-modified TFN membrane was improved with salt passage reduced from 2.43% to 1.50% without significantly altering pure water flux. The AA-modified TFN membrane also exhibited a remarkable antifouling property with higher flux recovery rate (>95%, 5-h filtration using 1000 mg/L sodium alginate solution) compared to the unmodified TFN membrane (85.8%), which is mainly attributed to its enhanced hydrophilicity and smoother surface. Furthermore, the AA-modified TFN membrane also showed higher performance stability throughout 12-h filtration period.

    CONCLUSION: The deposition of hydrophilic material on the TFN membrane surface via eco-friendly method is potential to develop a defect-free TFN membrane with enhanced fouling resistance for improved desalination process.

  14. Revolutionizing tropical fruits preservation: Emerging edible coating technologies
    Olunusi SO, Ramli NH, Fatmawati A, Ismail AF, Okwuwa CC
    Int J Biol Macromol, 2024 Apr;264(Pt 2):130682.
    PMID: 38460636 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.130682
    Tropical fruits, predominantly cultivated in Southeast Asia, are esteemed for their nutritional richness, distinctive taste, aroma, and visual appeal when consumed fresh. However, postharvest challenges have led to substantial global wastage, nearly 50 %. The advent of edible biopolymeric nanoparticles presents a novel solution to preserve the fruits' overall freshness. These nanoparticles, being edible, readily available, biodegradable, antimicrobial, antioxidant, Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS), and non-toxic, are commonly prepared via ionic gelation owing to the method's physical crosslinking, simplicity, and affordability. The resulting biopolymeric nanoparticles, with or without additives, can be employed in basic formulations or as composite blends with other materials. This study aims to review the capabilities of biopolymeric nanoparticles in enhancing the physical and sensory aspects of tropical fruits, inhibiting microbial growth, and prolonging shelf life. Material selection for formulation is crucial, considering coating materials, the fruit's epidermal properties, internal and external factors. A variety of application techniques are covered such as spraying, and layer-by-layer among others, including their advantages, and disadvantages. Finally, the study addresses safety measures, legislation, current challenges, and industrial perspectives concerning fruit edible coating films.
  15. Fulltext KCO: Balancing class distribution in just-in-time software defect prediction using kernel crossover oversampling
    Ismail AM, Ab Hamid SH, Abdul Sani A, Mohd Daud NN
    PLoS One, 2024;19(4):e0299585.
    PMID: 38603718 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0299585
    The performance of the defect prediction model by using balanced and imbalanced datasets makes a big impact on the discovery of future defects. Current resampling techniques only address the imbalanced datasets without taking into consideration redundancy and noise inherent to the imbalanced datasets. To address the imbalance issue, we propose Kernel Crossover Oversampling (KCO), an oversampling technique based on kernel analysis and crossover interpolation. Specifically, the proposed technique aims to generate balanced datasets by increasing data diversity in order to reduce redundancy and noise. KCO first represents multidimensional features into two-dimensional features by employing Kernel Principal Component Analysis (KPCA). KCO then divides the plotted data distribution by deploying spectral clustering to select the best region for interpolation. Lastly, KCO generates the new defect data by interpolating different data templates within the selected data clusters. According to the prediction evaluation conducted, KCO consistently produced F-scores ranging from 21% to 63% across six datasets, on average. According to the experimental results presented in this study, KCO provides more effective prediction performance than other baseline techniques. The experimental results show that KCO within project and cross project predictions especially consistently achieve higher performance of F-score results.
  16. Fulltext Accuracy of different dental age assessment methods to determine chronological age among children with special needs
    Ismail AF, Adnan NH, Suhaidi NNS, Mokhtar IW, Yusof MYPM, Mallineni SK
    J Indian Soc Pedod Prev Dent, 2024 Jan 01;42(1):64-70.
    PMID: 38616429 DOI: 10.4103/jisppd.jisppd_47_24
    AIM: This study aimed to validate the accuracy of dental age (DA) based on the dental development of permanent teeth in children with special needs using Demirjian, Willems, and London Atlas methods and to correlate the dental and chronological age (CA) of children with special needs in Malaysia.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: The panoramic radiographic images belonging to children with special needs from the two teaching dental hospitals in Malaysia aged between 5 and 16 years were included in the study. The evaluation was performed by two observers using three methods (London Atlas, Demirjian, and Willems methods) to estimate the accurate DA. The outcome was determined by comparing the mean of the DA and CA.

    RESULTS: A total of 52 panoramic radiographs were available for the analysis. The London Atlas and Demirjian methods overestimated the DA with a mean of 0.05 and 0.20 years, respectively, while the Willems method underestimated by 0.19 years. The London Atlas method was highly precise and accurate, while Demirjian and Willems methods were the least precise and accurate.

    CONCLUSION: The London Atlas method of DA estimation is highly accurate and valid for children with special needs in the Malaysian population, followed by the Willems and Demirjian methods.

  17. Visible light- and dark-driven degradation of palm oil mill effluent (POME) over g-C3N4 and photo-rechargeable WO3
    Razali NAM, Salleh WNW, Mohamed MA, Aziz F, Jye LW, Yusof N, et al.
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2024 Jul 03.
    PMID: 38958863 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-34081-4
    The investigations of real industrial wastewater, such as palm oil mill effluent (POME), as a recalcitrant pollutant remain a subject of global water pollution concern. Thus, this work introduced the preparation and modification of g-C3N4 and WO3 at optimum calcination temperature, where they were used as potent visible light-driven photocatalysts in the degradation of POME under visible light irradiation. Herein, g-C3N4-derived melamine and WO3 photocatalyst were obtained at different calcination temperatures in order to tune their light absorption ability and optoelectronics properties. Both photocatalysts were proven to have their distinct phases, crystallinity levels, and elements with increasing temperature, as demonstrated by the ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results. Significantly, g-C3N4 (580 °C) and WO3 (450 °C) unitary photocatalysts exhibited the highest removal efficiency of POME without dilution due to good crystallinity, extended light absorption, high separation, and less recombination efficiency of electron-hole pairs. Furthermore, surprisingly, the superior energy storage photocatalytic performance with outstanding stability by WO3 achieved an approximately 10% increment during darkness, compared with g-C3N4 under visible light irradiation. Moreover, it has been proven that the WO3 and g-C3N4 photocatalysts are desirable photocatalysts for various pollutant degradations, with excellent visible-light utilization and favorable energy storage application.
  18. Efficiency of magnetic zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) modified graphene oxide for lead adsorption
    Zu Nurain Ahmad S, Salleh WNW, Yusof N, Yusop MZM, Hamdan R, Ismail AF
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2024 May 10.
    PMID: 38727970 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-33322-w
    Simple and efficient removal of Pb(II) ion from aqueous solution through adsorption has accelerated the development of many new composites to improve this popular method. In this study, the composites of graphene oxide (GO), zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8), and magnetic materials were synthesized via coprecipitation method utilizing a different molar ratio between FeCl2 and FeCl3 of 1:0.5, 2:1, 3:1.5, and 4:2. The ZIF-8/GO was prepared via room temperature synthesis method prior to its further modification with magnetic materials for ease of separation. It was observed that the MZIF-8/GO2 of molar ratio 2:1 showed the best performance in adsorbing Pb(II) ion. As confirmed by FESEM image, it appeared to be ZIF-8 particles that have grown all over the GO platform and overlayed with Fe3O4 granular-shaped particles. The MZIF-8/GO2 successfully achieved 99% removal of Pb(II) within 10 min. The optimum values obtained for the initial concentration of Pb (II) were 100 mg/L, pH of 4 to 6, and adsorbent dosage used was 10 mg. The Langmuir isotherm and the pseudo-second-order kinetic model were deemed suitable to evaluate the adsorption of Pb(II) using MZIF-8/GO2. Results showed that MZIF-8GO2 achieved a maximum adsorption capacity of 625 mg/g of Pb(II) adsorption. All parent materials demonstrated a good synergistic effects, while exhibiting a significant contribution in providing active sites for Pb(II) adsorption. Therefore, this ternary composite of MZIF-8/GO2 is expected to be a promising adsorbent for Pb(II) adsorption from aqueous solution with an added value of ease of post phase separation using external magnetic field.
  19. Fulltext Knowledge, acceptance and concerns regarding COVID-19 vaccination among pregnant women on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia: A cross-sectional study
    Farhana AH, Afendi NR, Che Hashim NAH, Ismail AA, Zon EM, Rahimah AR
    Malays Fam Physician, 2024;19:29.
    PMID: 39011293 DOI: 10.51866/oa.533
    INTRODUCTION: This prospective cross-sectional study, conducted from 1 April 2022 to 31 October 2022, aimed to assess the knowledge, acceptance and concerns regarding COVID-19 vaccination among pregnant women visiting the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department of Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia.

    METHODS: The study included all pregnant women aged >18 years. Sociodemographic data, information related to COVID-19 and vaccination and information on the knowledge, acceptance and concerns regarding COVID-19 vaccination were collected using a validated questionnaire.

    RESULTS: Out of 420 eligible pregnant women, 412 participated in the study, yielding a response rate of 98.1%. Of the respondents, 97.1% had received a COVID-19 vaccine, while 2.9% had not. Approximately 85.2% demonstrated a good understanding of COVID-19 vaccination. Among those vaccinated, 76.8% based their decision on recommendations from healthcare providers or the Ministry of Health. Among those unvaccinated, 91.7% believed that COVID-19 vaccines could harm their pregnancy and baby. Although 51% of the respondents expressed concerns about vaccine safety, 202 still chose to be vaccinated, indicating a willingness to prioritise their health despite apprehensions.

    CONCLUSION: The study found no significant link between acceptance and good knowledge of COVID-19 vaccination. However, income and prior COVID-19 booster vaccination were strongly associated with acceptance. Despite safety concerns, 97.1% of the respondents had received a COVID-19 vaccine. This emphasises the importance of providing comprehensive information and addressing concerns to support informed decision-making among pregnant women. Healthcare providers play a vital role in guiding them through this crucial decision-making process.

  20. Fulltext Seasonal variation of heavy metals and metallothionein contents in Asian swamp eels, Monopterus albus (Zuiew, 1793) from Tumpat, Kelantan, Malaysia
    Sow AY, Ismail A, Zulkifli SZ, Amal MN, Hambali K
    BMC Pharmacol Toxicol, 2019 Jan 29;20(1):8.
    PMID: 30696486 DOI: 10.1186/s40360-019-0286-x
    BACKGROUND: Levels of toxic metal exposure in indigenous inhabitants are key bioindicators of the severity of environmental contamination. This study measured the seasonal variation of heavy metals and metallothionein (MT) contents in Asian swamp eels (Monopterus albus) from a paddy field situated in Tumpat, Kelantan, Malaysia, to identify prevalence, patterns and associations and togain insight on the suitability of MT as a biomarker for metal exposure.

    METHODS: Gill, muscle and liver tissues of M. albus (n = 50) sampled during the ploughing, seedling, growing and harvesting phases of rice growing were collected. The concentrations of copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), and cadmium (Cd) in these tissues were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. MT from each sample was isolated and purified, and subsequently quantitated using UV spectrophotometry. Associations between metal and MT concentrations, season and tissue type were evaluated using Pearson correlation and ANOVA with post-hoc Tukey HSD analysis.

    RESULTS: Zn was present in higher quantities in gill and liver tissues, while Cu levels were elevated solely in liver. Patterns of non-essential metal accumulation were varied: Cd was detected in low concentrations in all tissues, while Pb and Ni were abundant in gill tissues across all seasons. MT concentration in liver tissue was consistently higher than that found in muscle or gill tissue, except during the growing phase. Moreover, significant correlations (P 

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